He licks his lips and looks at the money still in front of him. “Any more where that came from?”
I shrug. “Could be. It depends on what you’ve got to tell me.”
He sniffs, then glances at Gage like he’s looking for permission. Even out here, the Corporation holds sway.
“Go ahead,” Gage tells him.
“Look, everyone knows the Reformer isn’t legit. But no one does anything about it because she has Corporation backing and no one messes with the Corporation.” He pauses and flashes another look at Gage.
“I’m beginning to think I should take a few of these planetas back,” I murmur.
“Wait, wait!” He holds up both hands in a chill-out gesture. “I don’t know where she goes after she leaves here. Or what her manifest is.”
“Did I say a few?” I start to gather the money. “Maybe I should take it all back.”
He runs a nervous finger under the rough-sewn neck of his furs. Then says quickly, like he’s afraid of changing his mind if he doesn’t get it out fast, “There’s a man staying in town. He’s crew on the Reformer—done a number of trips. But he was injured in a fight the last time the Reformer was in port. They left him here until the next trip.”
Now that sounds a lot more promising. If this man has done the trip before, odds are high that he was on board at the same time as Milla and will know where she was taken. I feel the first spark of hope, though I do my best to tamp it down. Low expectations and all that.
“Where is he?” I ask.
He swallows hard. “Staying at the boardinghouse near dock C3.”
“In the center of this level, then,” Gage clarifies. “Near the bars.”
“Yeah. Popular place,” the guy drawls with a sleaziness that puts my back up.
Time to go. I pull out another handful of planetas and drop them on the desk. “Thanks. You’ve been very helpful.” Then I give him the smile Max always says looks like a threat. “But if you tell anyone about this visit, I’ll shoot you. And if I’m dead, I’ll get my friends to shoot you.”
“Who the fuck would I tell, anyway?” The man rolls his eyes. “I don’t even know who you are.”
“Keep it that way,” Gage tells him, since I’m already heading toward the door, tugging Kali along with me.
“There’s a storm coming,” the man says, coming out from around his desk and heading toward us.
Out of an abundance of caution—and years of being fucked over—my hand goes to the pistol on my hip.
I turn back to look at him. “So?”
“So you might want to get yourself to shelter before that happens. Or ride it out here…for a price. I’ll even throw in some coffee to warm you up.”
“Coffee sounds amazing,” Kali sighs. “With sugar?”
“Sugar?” the man and I repeat at the same time. But when I glance over at him, his eyes are narrowed on Kali.
Kali just looks confused. “For the coffee?”
I shake my head as I exchange a look with Gage. Only a princess would think they had sugar way out here in Glacea. And definitely only a princess would think a stranger would share it if he did have it. We need to get out of here. Now.
“We’re fine,” I tell the man curtly, but my heart is starting to pound. “Let’s go.”
Again, I pull her by the cuff toward the door. But this time, she digs her heels in, refusing to move.
“It’s about to start storming out there,” she says, glancing back and forth between Gage and myself. “Shouldn’t we just wait here until the worst is over—”
“We’re not waiting,” I tell her through clenched teeth. The last thing we should be doing is having a coffee date with this guy, who I’m pretty sure would sell his left hand if it meant a quick profit and who is starting to look at Kali like she’s made of pure gold.
“Are you sure?” the guy asks again. There’s something in his voice that has every cell in my body going on red alert.
“Move, Kali,” I order in a voice much calmer than I’m feeling.
When she looks like she’s about to argue again, I decide to hell with trying to be polite and drag her to the door. Gage must be getting the same vibes I am, because he’s right on our heels as I throw open the door.
And run straight into the business end of a very large gun.
Chapter 41
Ian
“Dammit!” I start to slam the door, but the asshole with the laser gun shoves a boot in the jamb to keep it from closing.
I yank out my own laser pistol, whirling around to point it at the guy behind the desk, and the next thing I know, I hear a loud male grunt and Kali is slamming the door shut again.
“I did it!” she yells. “I kicked him in the groin!”
“Lock the fucking door!” I shout at her, even as I fire at the bastard I just paid a shitload of money.
But he’s already got a gun in his hand and is firing right back. His shot goes wide, missing both Kali and me. Mine, however, hits him straight in the chest, and he falls over, dead.
“Come on!” I yell at Kali and Gage. “We need to get behind the desk—now!”
It’s not great protection, but neither is that door. I can hear the guy outside firing at the lock and know it’s only a matter of seconds before he’s inside.
Kali is with me—not like she has much of a choice with the handcuffs—and I expect Gage to be right there, too. But he’s not. When I turn back to look for him, it’s to find him slumped on the floor, clutching his side. Motherfucker.
“Why are we stopping?” Kali screeches. But then she looks over her shoulder, too. And screams. Right in my fucking ear.
“How bad is it?” I growl, racing back to Gage’s side.
He’s already struggling to his feet. “Just a graze,” he mutters, but his face is pale and he looks like he’s about to pass out.
I go to grab him, but Kali’s arm moves with me. Goddamn handcuffs suddenly seem like a much less good idea. I need to get us out of these damn things, but there’s no time. That last shot at the lock sounded like the planeta-maker.
“Work with me!” I snarl at Kali as I reach for Gage again.
But he’s finally on his feet and hauling ass for the desk. Maybe it is just a graze after all.
“Come on!” I yell to Kali, and we dive over the top of the desk—sending the terminal crashing to the ground on top of its dead owner—just as the door slams open.
Laser blasts hit the wall just above our heads. I drop a hand on Kali’s hair and shove her down just as another blast comes straight at where she was.
“There’s three of them,” Gage assesses. He’s on his stomach peering through the crack where the desk ends and the floor begins.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. “Yeah, well, at least we’re not outnumbered,” I say to encourage them. Except one of us is injured and one of us is a princess. No offense to either of them, but let’s be honest, that’s as outnumbered as it gets.
They’re racing toward the desk, lasers blasting. And while the thing is thick wood and surprisingly good quality for where it’s located, it’s no match for lasers. We’ve got one chance to get out of this alive.