Transmigrant - Chapter 18
Copyright © 2024 Stephen B. Anthony
I’ll never fully recover from the loss of the daughter we couldn’t have, but in the absence of that dream, I’ve found a deeper connection with my son. Perhaps this is the path I would have chosen all along, had life given me the choice.
—Christine Silman Decker
CHAPTER 18
The trip back to the Shinobi was quiet, with Estia doing most of the talking. That was unusual. Ray thought Kaylie tried to avoid looking at him, which confused him. He thought they’d had a candid and intimate moment, but maybe it was just his wishful thinking. He’d never understood women well and didn’t suppose he ever would.
Ray had decided that the best course of action was to return to the Shinobi to spend the night in the comfort of their bunks. Bradford had stayed behind at his apartment with a plan to meet them in the morning to finish their discussion. He had several demands he wanted to make and said he wanted to spend the evening thinking about them.
Ray worried Bradford might tell the entire story to someone at Niruku, putting them all at risk, but Bradford had agreed to keep the conversation private, and they didn’t have any other choice than to trust him at his word. Bradford had no other option to get the device off the planet outside of Niruku’s control, so they both needed to trust each other.
Ray drove, following the same tracks he had made earlier that day on the ride back to the Shinobi to reduce their impact on the land.
He glanced at Kaylie, but she was staring out the window. The realization that he had upset her churned a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach, particularly because he didn’t know what he had done. He was certain he had overstepped or said something wrong. However, he couldn’t find a suitable opportunity to address it.
Something Bradford had said resonated with Ray, so he brought it up with Estia.