“What can I expect from Mr. Kerr?” 
Easiest question he’d asked. “Deception. Flattery. Manipulation. A knife in your back if you’re not careful.” 
Rathburn’s smile sent a chill dancing over Nat's skin. “I’m always careful.” He lifted his head like he’d heard a noise and glanced toward the doorway. “Ah, that will be him now. Please excuse me for a moment. I’ll be right back.” Setting his drink behind the bar, he exited the room. 
Nat didn’t believe for a moment that meant they weren’t being watched. 
Pete gazed after Rathburn with a speculative look on his face. “Not what I expected. Could almost believe he’s friendly.” 
“Almost.” 
He lifted the glass in his hand. “He buys top notch whiskey.” 
“No ill effects?” 
“Uh-uh.” He took a healthy swallow, exhaling on a sigh. “Yep, mighty fine. Best I’ve ever tasted.” 
“Maybe we should get kidnapped more often.” 
His cheeks creased in a smile, but his eyes were stone cold sober. “I wouldn’t go that far.” 
“Me, either.” She checked the chronometer on her comband. More than an hour had passed since Phoenix had made the jump. How much of a head start did they need to evade Rathburn? And how the hell had he found them in the first place? Green had driven her crazy, zigging and zagging across star systems. No one should have been able to track their path. 
But Rathburn had. She needed to find out how, so she could keep him from doing it again. 
Of course, nothing she did would stop Isin from coming back for Vengeance. And to free her. Itorye and Kenji had followed her orders, but Isin wouldn’t. He’d threatened to knock Gypsy out of the sky when she’d tried to send him off with Phoenix on Troi. If he hadn’t been half-dead when she’d found him on Kerr’s ship, he would have made a similar threat when she’d ordered Phoenix and the Daggerout of the system. But before he could come charging in, he’d have to get back on his feet. And find a safe spot to stash Green and whatever was in that strange cube. 
That bought her a little time to learn more about Rathburn and his ship. She had to find a weakness she could exploit.