Free Jack of Harts 2.5: Wolfenheim Rising by Medron Pryde Page A

sentiment,” she finished with a single upraised eyebrow.
    “Then my work here is done,” Malcolm said with an answering smile and spread his arms out wide to show he had no ulterior motives to hide.  “Thanks for letting me watch.  It was…enlightening.”
    “You’re welcome to come watch anytime you like,” Olivia noted with a genuine smile.
    “Thank you for the kind offer.”  Malcolm scanned the bridge again, catching a number of smiles being exchanged.  “Now I suppose I should stop being a distraction and let you get back to work.”  With that, he turned and walked through the hatch.
    Dawn stepped out after him and smiled as the guards on either side of the hatch measured them to make certain they weren’t going to go suddenly mad and try to shoot everything in sight.  Upon passing the brief inspection, Malcolm and Dawn stepped into the lift that was the only other entrance to the guardroom.
    “That was nice,” Dawn whispered as the lift shot away from the bridge.
    Malcolm shrugged.  “They needed to know they were valued.”
    “Yeah,” Dawn returned, an amused sound to her voice.  “Have I ever said how much I appreciate the way you care for my entire crew?”
    He turned to see a glint in her eye and snorted.  “If I wanted quips from the peanut gallery I’d find one of those nice, big peanut mascot outfits for you to wear.”
    Dawn rolled her eyes at him and placed both hands on her hips.  “Oh, you wouldn’t dare.”
    Malcolm gave her a very long look.  “And why do you think that?”
    She gave him a grin the Cheshire cat would be proud of.  “Because I have your baby pictures and I’m not afraid to use them.”
    Her threat surprised him so much that he just looked at her, mouth agape.  And when her smile turned sweet, he realized it wasn’t a threat.  It was a promise.  “You are a horrible human being,” he proclaimed moments before the lift opened.
    “Yup,” she responded and actually skipped out of the lift, giggling like a schoolgirl.  “Are you coming?” she asked over her shoulder.
    He shook his head.  “Do I have a choice?”
    “Nope,” she giggled over her shoulder and kept moving.
    He sighed and stepped out to follow her down the corridor.  “You know, I seem to remember that you’re supposed to follow my orders, not the other way around,” he noted in a peeved tone.
    “Oh no.  I work with you,” she said with a single finger raised in the air, and turned a corner.  “The contract is quite clear on that fact.”
    “Don’t I own your ship?” he asked as he tried to keep up.
    As he turned the corner, he saw her spreading her arms to encompass the ship with an ecstatic smile.  “Actually, Normandy is owned by the Wolfenheim Project , of which you are merely a director .”  She smirked at him.  “Oh.  And what do we have here?  The director’s cabin,” she finished with an elaborate wave of one hand at the hatch next to her.
    “You’re trying to get smart with me, aren’t you?” he accused.
    “That’s not hard,” she quipped, and then stopped as her head cocked to the side.  Then she smiled at Malcolm.  “Well, well.  What do you know?  Somebody has been expecting our arrival.”
    “Really?” he asked, intrigued by her shift in mannerisms.
    She waggled her eyebrows at him.  “It seems there is a supply depot with our name on it.  Literally.”  Her fingers actually waggled in the air as she leaned in closer to him.  “‘Wolfenheim Project’ in great big letters.  And it’s just outside the jamming zone.”  Her eyes shone bright as she continued.  “You’d think whoever put it there might be wanting us to be able to get out in a hurry if we need to,” she finished with a wink.
    Malcolm chuckled at her statement and shook his head.  “Well.  I wonder who might be so considerate?”
    “Yeah.”  Dawn aimed a doubtful smile at him.  “There’s such a long list of people wanting to do you favors, isn’t