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“Sure,” she said “Let’s eat”

“Baltimore, huh?” Clip said to A, and Clip didn’t press it

After the unco more than to cli his teeth, Alex pretended to casually wander in and said, “Co to talk about”

When Holden followed hi Nao back with her hands behind her head, but Ae of a crash couch, both feet on the floor and his hands clenched into a doubled fist in front of hier

“So, Ji over to another crash couch and dropping into it, “this ain’t a good start”

“She’s looking stuff up about us,” Aaze still on the floor “Stuff she shouldn’t know”

Holden knehat Amos meant Monica’s reference to Baltimore was an allusion to Amos’ childhood as the product of a particularly nasty brand of unlicensed prostitution But Holden couldn’t admit he knew it He himself only knew because of an overheard conversation He had no interest in huround research,” he said

“She’s more than that,” Nao and she’s friendly, and every one of us on this ship wants to like her”

“That’s a proble problem,” Amos said

“I was on the Canterbury for a reason, Ji silly, and just seein’ up my skeletons to air them out”

The Canterbury, the ice hauler they’d all worked on together before the Eros incident, was a botto It attracted people who’d failed down to the level of their incoround checks a better job ht require Or, in his own case, those who had a dishonorableserved with his small crew for years, Holden kneasn’t incompetence that had put any of them on that ship

“I know,” he started

“Saot a lot of past in my past”

“So do I,” Naomi said

Holden started to reply, then stopped when the i that had driven her to take a glorified mechanic’s job on the Canterbury Well, of course she was Holden hadn’t wanted to think about it, but it was obvious She was about the rees froht officer training in two She’d started her career on an obvious co had happened, but she’d never talked about what it had been He frowned a question at her, but she stopped hiility of their little family struck hiether had been so diverse, as is ever were And the universe could just as easily take the small and vulnerable and a little defensive