Mindee Arnett - Proxy

There was something alive in there all right, but it wasn’t a wild animal. Still, it took Jeth several moments to come to grips with what it was. Who it was.

“Lizzie,” he said, gritting his teeth hard enough that pain shot through his jaw. “What are you doing here?”

His little sister grinned at him, and her response came out more question than statement. “Um, I took a wrong turn and got stuck?” She twirled a finger through her auburn hair as she spoke.

“Hilarious,” Jeth said, fury bubbling up inside him. Lizzie had been begging him to go on a job for weeks now, ever since she’d started training to take over the tech ops position. At twenty, their current tech was getting too old to remain with the Shades. But Lizzie wasn’t ready to take his place yet. As far as Jeth was concerned, she would never be ready. Not that he had the final say in it, of course. Their employer, the infamous crime lord Hammer Dafoe, had that.

But Jeth was certain Hammer hadn’t approved this.

“It’s true. Shady locked me in.” Lizzie pointed at Shady, who looked up from his game.

“Did not.” He frowned. “Not the first time, anyway.” He glanced at Jeth. “I just found her in there, Boss. Right as we were landing, she tried to let herself out but couldn’t.”

Lizzie’s ears went pink. “I didn’t know I couldn’t open it from the inside.” She fixed a glare at Shady. “And thanks for locking me in again, by the way.”

Shady shrugged and returned his attention to the game. “I didn’t want Jeth blaming me for this.”

“Coward,” Celeste said, her tone more matter-of-fact than accusatory.

Shady shrugged again, a hint of a grin curving the edges of his lips.

“Lizzie.” Jeth made her name sound like a curse. He understood at once what had happened. She had snuck in while they were preparing to leave and decided to stow away in the locker until they were far enough from home that they couldn’t turn back.

Yeah, well, she’s got another thing coming .

“It was an accident, I swear.” That grin spread across Lizzie’s face again, the dappling of freckles on her nose and cheeks doing its best to convince Jeth of her innocence but failing.

He glanced at Celeste. “Go spool up the engines. It’s early enough that we should be able to break atmo without drawing attention.”

“What?” three voices said in unison around him.

Jeth swept his gaze over the room. “I’m in charge, and I say we’re aborting this job.”

Celeste jammed her hands onto her hips. “That’s crazy, Jeth.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Hammer will kill us,” said Shady, tossing his gaming unit onto the sofa and standing up. He was taller and bigger than Jeth, but it didn’t matter. Jeth wasn’t backing down on this.

“He’ll get over it. It’s not safe for her to be here. She’s just a kid.”

“I’m almost thirteen,” said Lizzie. “I’ll be fine.”

The argument quickly escalated into a shouting match. But they all fell silent a few seconds later as a new person entered the common room. Trent Danforth was the only adult on board, and not officially a member of the Malleus Shades. He wasn’t supposed to be here, but their usual tech had fallen sick right before they’d left, and Danforth was the only one with the skills necessary to take his place.

Danforth surveyed the scene with his small eyes like glass beads protuberant on his wrinkle-lined face. “What the hell is going on in here?”

Jeth clenched his jaw, automatic resentment prickling his skin. Danforth’s presence on this job had been one unexpected challenge that he hadn’t welcomed. Once upon a time Danforth had been leader of the Shades, functioning as Jeth’s mentor until he was experienced enough to lead on his own. But Jeth had never liked the man, and he wasn’t about to let him take command of the Shades once again.

“Jeth wants to ditch the job and take me home,” Lizzie said, folding her twiglike arms across her chest.

For a second Danforth looked like he might laugh, but then he fixed his gaze on Jeth, schooling his face into a diplomatic expression. “Why does she need to go back?”

Jeth opened his mouth to respond but then clamped it shut. He had reasons. A ton of them. But deep down he knew he was being irrational. She could remain on tech ops with Danforth and not end up anywhere near danger. His need to protect her was so ingrained that he would’ve locked her inside a plastic bubble if he could. Their parents were dead, and he was all she had looking out for her.

Lizzie huffed. “I don’t need to go back. Jeth’s just being overprotective, as usual.”

“Hmmm,” Danforth said, scratching the patched stubble on his chin. He had a permanently stooped appearance, his shoulders rolled forward at a natural tilt. “The right of an older brother, I think.”

“Yeah, but I’m ready to do this,” said Lizzie. “I’ve been ready. Not to mention I’m brilliant.”

Danforth smiled, revealing yellowed teeth turning to brown. “So I’ve heard.” He shifted his gaze to Jeth. “It’s your decision, naturally, but we are already here, and there’s no way for us to get home and back again in time for the party.”

“I know that,” said Jeth. He also knew that tonight might be their only chance to infiltrate the palace. The emperor was throwing a massive ball to celebrate his granddaughter’s sixteenth birthday. The place would be full of teenagers, making it easy for Jeth to blend in. The plans for this job had been in the works for months.

“And,” Danforth went on, “Hammer will be sending her out on missions soon. There’s no avoiding that. It seems to me this is an ideal one for her to get her feet wet on. She’ll be safe in the truck with me.”

Jeth chewed on the tip of his tongue, thinking it over. He hated when Danforth was right, but he couldn’t deny the logic. That was the curse of being leader: having to make decisions with your head instead of your feelings. The danger for the tech ops on this job was lower than usual, and despite Jeth’s personal dislike for the man, Danforth was good at tech ops. One of the best.

And the money’s too good to let go , a cold, hard voice spoke in his mind. That was why he did this, why he pulled jobs, risking his life and the lives of his crew. Every little bit he earned brought him closer to the only thing he truly wanted: to buy back Avalon from Hammer. The spaceship was all he had left of his dead parents. And she was his gateway to freedom.

An image of Avalon formed in his mind. His beautiful, infallible ship. This job would put her closer to his reach, the dream one step nearer to realization.

Jeth exhaled, forcing the overprotective, big-brother part of himself to be silent. He fixed his fiercest gaze on his little sister. “All right. You can stay. But you do everything you’re told. The first time. No questions, no arguing, or I’ll put you back in that locker and leave you there. Forever.”

“Yes, sir.” Lizzie saluted him, snapping her heels together.

Jeth rolled his eyes, his excitement for this job dissipating like vapor in strong sunlight. He’d been planning to court a little mischief while he rubbed elbows with the rich and ridiculous nobles of Grakkus, but he would have to resist the urge now. He would get in, do the job, and get out. No glitches. No unnecessary risks.

And no fun .

He glared at Lizzie one last time. If he didn’t love her so much, he would kill her. But he could tell by the grin on her face—one that didn’t falter despite the heat in his expression—that she would be having fun enough for both of them.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, as if he’d swallowed liquid lead just beginning to solidify, he realized she was far too much like him for his peace of mind.