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When Zam woke up, the first thing she saw was the wall rotating down through the floor. Her stomach lurched, and she closed her eyes, waiting until the gyro-scoping motion stilled. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the familiar interior of Slave I. “That’s a relief,” she mumbled in the clawdite tongue.
Boba’s face appeared in the corner of her vision. “You’re awake. Dad! Zam’s awake!” He moved closer, his eyes fixed on her arm. “Does it hurt?”
Oh, hell. Zam had almost forgotten about her arm, or rather the absence of it. The Jedi’s lightsaber had cauterized the wound and the stub was now neatly covered by a bacta cuff. “I’m okay, Boba,” she said, switching to Basic. “Looks like someone patched me up. Was that you?”
“I helped.”
“Was I dead?”
“It sure looked like it. Dad said I should stay with you and get you whatever you want.”
“My head’s still a little fuzzy. Can you find me a cold drink?”
“Yup.” He set off at once for the cargo bay.
“I’ll be in the cockpit,” she called after him. Her arm didn’t really hurt. Jango was never stingy with the painkillers and clawdite physiology was by necessity short on nerve endings. The bigger problem was that her mind hadn’t adjusted to the loss. She reached for the grab bar above the cot without thinking and had to switch to the other arm.
“Well,” she said as she dropped into the co-pilot’s seat. “That could have gone better.”
Jango Fett said nothing.
“Those darts of yours worked. They left me for dead, huh?”
Still no response.
After a few seconds of silence, Boba appeared with her drink. “Here you go, Zam.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t miss the watchful look Boba directed at his dad. “You know what? I could really use something hot. Could you warm me up some broth? And then maybe cut up some of those ilbian roots and toss those in?”
“Sure. Okay.” He left again.
“Look,” Zam said tersely to Jango. “I did exactly what you told me to do. She was too well guarded.”
“I know.”
“I tried to lose them. I did everything I could.”
“I know, Zam.”
“Then will you kriffing tell me what you’re so pissed about? We’ve had bigger setbacks, you and I.”
His expression didn’t change, but just above the collar of his suit Zam saw his throat move as he swallowed. “I was almost to the club. I was going to create a distraction and draw them outside.”
“I was trapped and outnumbered.” Zam sighed and took a sip of her drink. “We’ll try again.”
“I’m dropping the contract.”
“What?”
“It’s not worth the trouble.”
“This isn’t like you,” she muttered, not trying to hide her annoyance. “You’d think you were the one who lost an arm.” There it was again. The swallow. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was upset.
“Look, I’ll get a prosthetic,” she continued, trying to lighten the mood. “And wear a glove over it when I change. Don’t worry, I’ll still be able to do all of your favorites.”
His head turned, his dark eyes practically seething with rage. “This isn’t a joke, Zam.”
All right, so he didn’t want to talk dirty while she was sitting there with half an arm, but his vehemence still puzzled her. Jango Fett was one of the most unflappable humans she’d ever met. It wasn’t like him to brood or point fingers when things went south.
He was a competent hunter and a good father and when she needed a little stress release he was also a good lay. Unlike a lot of human men he wasn’t put off by going down on one form only to have her anatomy change when arousal overrode her concentration. “It’s how I know you’re almost there,” he’d told her once, with a smirk that she immediately imprinted into her memory. It was just for her, that smile.
And because of that he’d become a regular partner in his life, both in work and in bed. He even let her penetrate him on occasion, when she felt like adding an extra challenge to the mix. He let her into his life and his bed. He trusted her. Or, at least, he used to.
A face floated through her memory. An angry voice.
Tell us now!
It was a bounty hunter called-
It wasn’t her choice. She was in shock, her concentration slipping. The words were forced from her by the Jedi.
“I let you down,” she said. “I’m sorry, Jango.”
His eyes shut as if he wanted to block out her words, and Zam’s stomach churned again. She’d really karked up this time.
“Zam,” he said as he opened his eyes. His voice was on the edge of breaking. “I almost lost you.” He turned to meet her eyes. “That’s why I’m angry. I brought you into this.”
“Oh.” Surprise felt a little like a missing arm. Something she knew but had trouble adjusting to.
“I’m taking you to a med facility,” he continued gruffly, his attention returning to the controls. “I’ll pay for the prosthetic. And then I’ll drop you off anywhere you want to go to rest up.”
“What if I want to go somewhere warm and tropical?”
“Then I’ll take you.”
“And if I don’t want to go alone?”
His eyes cut over to hers, questioning.
“I had it wrong,” she admitted. “I thought we were just passing time.”
Jango gave a disbelieving huff. “Because I’m known for letting other bounty hunters stay in my home and eat breakfast with my son.”
“Okay. Fair enough.”
His eyes met hers. “Don’t ever underestimate your value to me.”
“Words every lady wants to hear.”
“I’ll keep saying it until I’m sure you understand them.” His stern tone was betrayed by a glint of warmth in his eyes. “And you’re no lady, Zam. It’s one of your best qualities.”
“First romance and now flattery. I’m blushing. No, wait.” Zam inhaled and collected herself, shifting her shape into the human one she often used. Human shapes were the most convenient for some things. “Now I can blush. I just have one more question.”
“What’s that?”
“Are you really going to say all that and not kiss me?”