She squeaked, which was very undignified, as she was yanked along. “Hey! I’ve only got little legs here!”
His only response was a loud bark of laughter as he gripped her hand tighter. Asher didn’t slow down for her, his long legs eating up the distance as he practically hauled her towards the exit. “I got you. Just hang on.”
The doors almost didn’t open quick enough, but he managed to slip through the gap without crashing into them or slamming Juno into either door. With a swift turn, he headed down the corridor. They needed distance. The first place Craddock would look would be either the briefing room or the locker room. Making it around another turn and halfway down the corridor, Asher finally slowed down and stopped, turning to check on the petite woman he’d all but dragged out of the hanger.
“You good?”
She nodded, trying to catch her breath. ‘What the hell are you? Some kind of starfleet sprint champion?”
Hawkins stood a little straighter and puffed out his chest. “You know, I probably could be,” he chuckled, not even breathing hard. “How about I make it up to you? I’ll get you a coffee or whatever drink of your preference. Does that work?”
She straightened up from where she’d been bent over, hands on her thighs. “Scotch on the rocks, later, in the bar.”
He smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I hope they have the good stuff, too. Not the crap the replicator spits out.” Asher knew enough people that he could have someone send him a bottle of single malt before they left port. “Way better than coffee. At least for this occasion.”
She tilted her head as she looked up at him. They should still be moving away from the hangar, but this conversation was just too fascinating. “Occasion?”
“For making up for hauling you out of there at mach four,” he clarified with a grin. “Might have been a touch slower than that, but you get my drift.” Stepping to the side, he made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “Shall we? Something tells me this Craddock guy doesn’t give up easily, so we should vacate the area.”
“You have no idea.” She chuckled. “Right, I need to get changed so I can report in.”
Keeping pace with her, he casually looked back over his shoulder to make sure they weren’t being pursued by the irate mechanic. “Am I going to need to do an official reporting in with you, or are we good with this little escapade?”
The corner of her lips quirked. “We’re good, provided you go get a uniform on. You’re joining me reporting to the captain.”
“What?!” he scoffed, a hint of petulant grousing in his tone. “Do I have to?” Asher was fine reporting into Juno, but he might need to answer some uncomfortable questions if the CO decided to dig. It was all in black and white in his file, but since he was still flying and not grounded, that meant someone had gotten more information about what had happened.
“Gonna make me comb my hair, too, aren’t you?” he grumbled.
She looked up. “Err, yeah. James is good people, but Nicky is a stickler for shit like that. Best make me the target, not you. He hates me already so he’ll focus on me as long as you play nice.”
He arched a dark brow at her. “Given I’m coming into this assignment with a demotion in rank, you might not be the only one in the line of fire.” They turned a final corner before the lift came into sight.
“Why does he hate you? Did you dump him and he’s never gotten over it?”
She blinked at that, her brain fritzing out at the idea of her and… Nicky Savage. As a couple. “Oh, no. Oh, god no. Nothing like that.”
Then she was forced to think, musing over it. “James and I were at the academy together. Nicky I met later, and he hated me from the get go. I think, and I never said this, and I will push you out of an airlock if you ever repeat it,” she warned. “That we’re too alike.”
“Ohhh. You’re ahead of the game if you recognize that. Most people don’t,” he remarked. The doors slid open with a quiet hiss and he allowed Juno to enter first. “I, on the other hand, heard nothing. I know nothing. I would prefer to stay on the pressurized side of an airlock, thank you very much. I won’t tell a soul.”
”You, are a very clever man,” she announced, sweeping into the lift like a grand lady at a ball.
“Yes I am,” he agreed with a smug smile, automatically blocking the way into the lift with his body as he stepped in after her. “At least some of the time. There are a lot who question my sanity because I’m a fighter pilot, so there is that.”
She laughed. “Welcome to my world.”
