Chapter 45: Val Deals With a Heavy Load

Val tries to think about annoying things. It doesn't work. He nearly takes matters into his own hands—literally—before realizing he has a bigger problem.

Previously on The Signal…

Wren showcases her shoplifting skills. Too bad she didn’t take something actually useful.

Read Chapter 44: Wren Palms a Package

This Week…

The crate hit the empty pallet with a dull thud.

Val straightened, rolling his shoulders to work out the kink forming at the base of his neck. He ignored the automated mag-lift, needing the bite of the crate’s edge against his palms and the strain in his biceps to drown out the noise in his head.

The cargo hold finally looked right again now that all evidence of his passenger was gone. The space where her sleeping pad had been was just another section of deck now—clean, orderly.

Normal.

But the feeling that something was still wrong persisted. It was a low-level agitation, like a hum in the fusion drive he couldn’t isolate.

Hair fell across his forehead and into his eyes as he leaned down. He paused to push the slick strands back, and for a split second, there was another set of fingers sliding across his skin, brushing the hair back with a shocking gentleness.