The room fell quiet again, and Chris's gaze flicked to the phone resting beside him. His fingers itched. He told himself not to. He'd already humiliated himself enough for one lifetime.
Rowan's voice, light but edged with knowing, broke through the silence. "You could always write first, you know."
Chris groaned, dragging both hands down his face. "You're enjoying this way too much."
"I'm providing emotional support."
"You're mocking me."
"Mutually inclusive concepts," Rowan said smoothly.
Chris sighed, muttering something unintelligible, then grabbed the phone anyway.
He knew Dax wasn't supposed to contact him. When the Emperor traveled, his communication channels were locked down to prevent tracking. But Dax had already left for almost three days and there was no sign of him. Either he was busy like hell or he was ignoring him intentionally.
'Do you not have object permanence? Or you don't care about your hostage?'
