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Saer

“Cheap shot”

“Sorry, but would you take a direct order from Captain Pa?”

“From her, yes But not because she’s a Belter Because she’s the captain and I trust her judgment”

“More than

“Last time I just did whatever you told ive her the point He fumbled to extricate his arm from the mech, scooped up his hand terminal, and put in a priority connection request to Pa She took it almost immediately She looked older too, worn, solid, certain Crisis suited her

“Mister Baca,” she said “Where do we stand?”

“Captain Jakande isn’t going to bring her people over, even though they all knoould be better And she won’t give up Holden”

“All right,” Pa said “Well, we tried”

“But she oing to be a lot easier being sheriff if we can get the only gun in the slow zone”

Pa tilted her head

“Go on,” she said

Chapter Thirty-Four: Clarissa

T

he guards carade protein and measured bottles of water, led the prisoners to the head with pistols drawn, and then took them back For the most part, Clarissa lay on the floor or stretched, hus to herself or drew on the skin of her arernail scratches The boredo if she’d felt it, but she seemed to have unconnected froht of killing Ren and when she res she anticipated at all were another visit from Tilly or her mysterious friend, and death

The wonized her With her red hair pulled down by spin, her face looked softer, but the eyes were unforgettable The woalley on the Thomas Prince And then, later, from the Rocinante Anna She’d told Naomi that her name was Anna

Just one more person Clarissa had tried to kill once

“I have peruard—a broad-faced man with a scarred arm that he wore like a decoration—crossed his arms

“She’s here, si no? Talk away”

“Absolutely not,” Anna said “This is a private conversation I can’t have it in front of the others”

“You can’t have it anywhere else,” the guard said “You kno erous”

“She knows,” Clarissa said, and Anna flashed a s of unease cooled Clarissa’s gut There was so attacked and treat it like it was a shared intimacy Clarissa wondered whether she wanted to talk with her after all