The Star Thief (16 page)

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to speak calmly. “Because any clue you can give us might help us figure out if there’s a connection between all this. Right now it feels pretty feeble to me. We’re snatching at straws. We need more to go on than a mysterious facility, a kidnapping, and some doctor’s gut feeling.”

Finn glared at her, but she ignored him. The doctor knew something else, something that could help them. She’d played nice so far, but maybe Aldani responded better to threats.

He nodded once, as if he was making up his mind. “My brother and his wife were working on an experimental drug for MYTH. More than that, I don’t know.” He turned back to face them with a frown. “I do know I can’t have anyone else’s blood on my hands. Send the gamma particle destabilizer to my assistant. I’ll have my team finalize the machine. Let’s just hope the answers you’re looking for are in this place, or it might be too late for my nephew.”

Aldani pressed a button on his datapad. “My assistant will show you and your officers to the sleeping quarters. Unless you’d like to stay on your ship?”

Finn shook his head. “Quarters here will be fine. I’m sure Lieutenant Keva and the others will be grateful for the change of scenery.”

A squat gray alien with a thick, fleshy neck and four large eyes spread horizontally across his face appeared at the door. “This is my assistant Syna. He’ll take you to your rooms. I’ll order dinner to be served in two hours.”

She recognized Syna as a Conyara alien; they had some of the brightest scientific minds in the galaxy. She’d known several who’d made names for themselves creating the most dangerous weapons she’d ever used. Aldani must have more influence than she’d thought to have a group of them working here.

An idea sparked, and she hung back, casting one last look around Aldani’s office. It just might get her the hell out of this mess and into hiding. All she’d have to do was forget those two little words.

I promise.

FOURTEEN

Syna led them through the quiet hallways of Aldani’s complex, his short legs flashing as he trotted in front of them. The alien was silent, but then again, the Conyaras weren’t known for being talkative. Unfortunately, it meant the only sound accompanying them was Finn’s boots echoing loudly as they walked.

Renna cringed with each noisy step. “Do you have to stomp around like a wounded buffalo?” she snapped.

He raised an eyebrow. “Not all of us can have the grace of a thief.”

She let her gaze slide down his muscled chest and carved thighs. “I seem to remember a time where you moved as silently as I did. But I’m sure I could still teach you a few things.”

His face flushed unexpectedly, and he looked away. “I don’t think so.”

She bit back a smile. Gods, she loved baiting the man. He was so easy to rile.

Syna’s light voice interrupted. “Miss Carrizal, your room.” He pushed open the door, then gestured to Finn. “Captain, you’re down the hall.”

The two walked away, leaving Renna staring into the luxurious space. Now this she could get used to. Imported silk rugs covered the tile floor, while lush silks draped the large bed. She let out a happy sigh. She could get lost in that bed. Even better was the holoscreen on the wall. It was bigger than her window back home.

Too bad she wasn’t here on vacation.

She spotted her satchel on the table in the corner. Someone had brought her things from the ship. And there was a gorgeous bathroom tucked into the corner of the room. Right now, a shower was the only thing she wanted.

She stripped out of her clothes and climbed into the tiled space. Steaming water blossomed from the overhead spigot, and she stood beneath the spray, letting the events of the last few days wash away. Gods. It felt like years.

And seeing Finn again…

That was a shock she was still reeling from. And his obvious hatred. But those shoulders… She pushed away the image, the memory of the way his stubble shadowed his strong jaw. Whatever had been between them was long over. Right now she had to focus on getting in that damn building and then getting Myka back.

She finished washing her hair, then switched the shower controls to dry. The ultraviolet light evaporated the water from her skin and dried her long hair in under a minute. And the warmth from the lamp eased some of the tension from her shoulders.

Clean and dry, Renna pulled on a new pair of leggings and a tight-fitting black shirt before shrugging into her holsters. She slid back on her knee-length leather jacket and stared at herself in the mirror. There were dark smudges beneath her gray eyes, and her coffee-colored skin looked dull and lifeless. She was twenty-three, for fuck’s sake. If she wasn’t careful, she’d start looking old.

She needed a vacation.

She needed to retire.

If only this had been a regular job—return the particle destabilizer, get her last fee, sell the sapphire, and vanish to another planet. That had been the plan, at least. But now here she was, trapped on some gods-forsaken research station, plagued by guilt over Myka’s kidnapping and trying to figure out how to stop an unknown attacker to save him.

This was exactly why she didn’t establish relationships with her clients. It was too complicated. Too messy.

Her code wasn’t as black and white as most people’s, but it had always kept her sane in the messy mercenary world. As soon as she started breaking it, in her mind, she’d be no better than a common criminal. As much as she wanted to flee, she had to keep her promise.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t keep an eye out for her own opportunities. Just walking through the lab, she’d seen tech she could sell for millions of credits on the black market. Stealing a prototype or two would pad her nest egg quite nicely. That meant she needed to get back on her game. No more softie-Renna.

Like Viktis had said, this was business, not personal.

She turned on the holoscreen and pulled up a map of the facility. The place was larger than she expected, with three levels of labs and a storage area deep underground. The main level consisted of living quarters and Dr. Aldani’s personal lab space.

Renna tapped a finger against her chin. Now there was a place where she could find some interesting information, but she’d glimpsed his security earlier as they’d walked to his office. His lab was probably locked down even tighter, and she didn’t have time to do her homework. She’d have to go after the less secure labs in the level below, though they’d be difficult enough to get into on their own.

She glanced at her watch. Just a little over half an hour before she was supposed to meet the others for dinner. More than enough time to get “lost” and look around a bit. It wasn’t as much prep as she’d prefer, but she’d make it work.

Renna retraced her steps to the elevator she’d noticed on the way to their rooms and took it down to the lower level. The doors swished open, and she stepped out into an industrial-looking hallway lined with chrome and gray tile. A quick sweep of the space showed that the bulk of the labs were located to her left. She started toward the doors.

Most of the workers had gone for the day, but a few hardworking souls still moved about in their labs, examining vials of liquid or typing on their datapads.

She walked along slowly, like she’d gotten lost, knowing the cameras along this corridor were recording her every movement. Stupid implant. She could use an internal map of this place right about now. It was a maze.

There!

A heavy glass door barricaded a room full of small medical implants, and she smiled through the glass. Bionic dimensional probes if she wasn’t mistaken. She knew the perfect fence for those—a smarmy little doctor on one of the Outer Rim worlds. The mob he worked for was notoriously hard to patch up.

All she had to do was sneak back later and deal with security.

“Excuse me, miss. Can I help you?”

Renna spun around at the sound of a woman’s voice directly behind her. A tall alien with bright green hair and three eyes set in a triangle on her forehead studied her with interest. A Xestu.

Renna pulled her lips into a smile of relief, playing the game. It felt good to slide back into something she knew. “Oh, thank the stars. Somehow I got myself lost. Can you direct me to Dr. Aldani’s dining room?”

The alien nodded. “Of course. I still get lost myself sometimes. Let me show you back to the residential quarters.” She gestured for Renna to follow and led her back down the corridor. “You’re with Captain Finn’s team? David said you were supposed to be rescuing Myka.”

Part of Finn’s team? Hardly. Only Dallas’s orders were keeping her out of prison now. But she nodded. “Yes. We had him, but he was captured again.” Renna paused. “Have you known Dr. Aldani and his nephew long?”

The alien blinked her three eyes. There was a small, half-second delay between each eye blinking. “I’ve been with David for about ten years now. He recruited me from university before I even graduated. He’s wonderful to work with. Very smart. And amazingly kind. I’ve always felt like part of the family.” Her smile was soft and full of affection.

Renna’s chest tightened. It had been a long time since she’d had anyone she could depend on. She quickly pushed that thought away. “What do you develop here? Aldani said he’s currently working on several large projects.”

“Oh, yes,” the Xestu woman said with a bob of her head. “His pet project is his space-time continuum machine, but we also build weapons and computer tech. He developed a tiny device that lets you network with any holovid in the galaxy from your armchair using the dark matter principle. Even though it hasn’t been implemented yet, the government paid him handsomely.”

“I bet they did.” Renna’s pulse quickened. She didn’t need the money necessarily, but the thrill of getting that kind of find to the black market was almost irresistible. And that’s where she kept getting in trouble. Every time she thought she was done, one last job came up.

But…there were at least half a dozen buyers who’d easily meet her asking price. Besides, it was unfair to give the government such an advantage. They’d create a communications monopoly no one could break. Selling a few of the devices to one of her fences would even the playing field a little. She’d be doing it for the good of the galaxy.

“Could I see it? It sounds amazing.”

“Unfortunately, no. We’re still in development mode. Testing should be done this week.” She pointed to a lab as they passed. “The specialists are working around the clock to make sure the devices are manufactured by the deadline. I think they only get a few hours of sleep a night. Probably not a good thing, but we want to make sure they’re perfect.”

Renna nodded sympathetically. “I understand.” Wouldn’t hurt to make a note of the lab number for later, though.

“Here we are. Take this elevator up one floor, and the dining room is the third door on the right.”

Renna smiled. “Thank you for your help. And good luck with everything.”

The Xestu disappeared back the way they’d come. That had been more productive than she’d expected. Guilt tugged at her, but she ignored it. Stealing from Aldani wasn’t breaking her code. The man was lying to them. In her book, stealing some of his tech was merely an insurance policy for when he screwed them over later.

But right now, she still had a game to play. Renna paused in the corridor and adjusted her jacket.

Aldani rounded the corner, coming from somewhere else in the facility. He smiled when he spotted her. “Right on time. I like punctuality,” he said. He’d taken off his lab coat and wore a dark suit that highlighted his athletic build and broad shoulders.

“I aim to please,” she said with a grin.

“That’s what I hear.” Aldani’s jibe made the smile slide from her face, and he cleared his throat. “My apologies. That didn’t come out the way I’d intended.”

Why was she offended? The guy was only stating a fact. But she was so tired of being that person. So tired of people not being able to see past her game. Maybe she was a bit
too
good at her job.

“Please, after you.” Aldani held the door open for her. The officers from the
Athena
had already gathered in the long, richly furnished dining room. A sleek glass table groaned with porcelain and silver, and the polycarbonite chairs were covered in thick cushions. Captain Finn sat with his legs outstretched, looking relaxed and at ease, but his navy uniform was neatly pressed and his dark hair had been tamed. The stubble that had shadowed his jaw, gone. Lieutenant Keva perched on the edge of her chair, hands moving as she talked to him.

Corporal Bokal and two of the other officers were deep in conversation, and Sergeant Gheewala sat near the door with her eyes closed.

“Give me a quick rundown,” Aldani said as they paused in the doorway. “Who am I dealing with?”

“Gheewala, the one over there, is a tech empath, and the big guy is Bokal, tech chief. The two other men with him are special ops. Haven’t seen them work yet, but I’m sure they’re dangerous. Dallas said they were all the best of the best. I haven’t seen otherwise yet.”

“And what about the captain?”

Renna watched the man in question for a moment. Now that was a loaded question. When she was thirteen, she would have said he couldn’t get any more handsome, but age had been good to him. His dark hair and blue eyes were the same, but his strong jaw and the five o’clock shadow along his jaw were new.