Part of me rankles at being bossed around by this huge, hulking warrior – but I’ve got no reason to disobey him. I’m already cursing myself for losing control of my emotions earlier. I’d let anger take control of me in the cockpit. I played my hand too quickly. I shouldn’t have told the Aurelians I was considering investigating The Rhino on my own.
But if the Aurelians don’t do a thorough-enough investigation?
Then, I’ll take over – whether they like it or not. It’s going to take more than three Aurelian warriors to keep me from finding out what happened to my little sister.
“Did I hear everything?” I demand, as I sit down. “You said the owner of The Rhino is connected to a group of space-pirates who follow the same patterns as the ones who took Lilac, right? Who is this owner, then?”
Kitos clears his throat. “Alleged connection. It’s based on rumor. The Aurelian Database is in-depth, but there’s no primary source in this case. We don’t even know the identity of the owner of The Rhino – we just have that lead.” He shrugs. “At this point, it’s like finding a platinum mine in an asteroid field. Understood?”
A platinum mine in an asteroid field.
Otherwise known as a one-in-a-million chance.
I’ll take that chance, though, and be grateful for it.
“How long until this prisoner hand-off?”
Hadrian looks at me deeply with those brown-tinted eyes of his, considering his words.
Those brown eyes have dulled significantly – but I know they’ll never go back to the slate-grey hue they were before he’d become Bonded to me.
“We’ll have just over twenty-four hours on Salcus before we’re due to rendezvous with the other triad,” Hadrian eventually tells me.
“So?” I demand. “What’s the plan?” I look at the two Aurelians – Hadrian, with the brown tint to his eyes, and Kitos with that light green. “That triad is going to see what you’ve done. The guilt is literally in your eyes.”
Hadrian doesn’t answer for a moment. His eyes shift ever so quickly to Kitos, then back at me. My gut tells me something is up. My gut also tells me they’re having a telepathic communication in secret – discussing some facts about this situation they don’t want me to know.
There’s a slight pang of guilt running through Kitos’ aura, and that’s all I need to feel to know whatever comes out of his mouth is going to be bullshit.
Kitos finally sits down opposite me.
“We’re going to use goggles to hide our eyes,” he explains. “The other triad won’t suspect a thing. We’ll take the prisoners, get the repairs we need, and get off the planet as soon as possible. Then we’ll do what Daccia promised. We’ll send in our resignation and confession. Afterward, we’ll scour the universe for your little sister, no matter how long it takes.”
Lies.
I can feel it. There’s something off about Kitos’ story. My instincts are telling me that they’re silent conversation was about whether to tell me truth or not – and my instincts are now telling me they settled on half-truths and lies instead.
Hadrian nods. “We’ll have plenty of time after the triad leaves to investigate The Rhino and follow up. There’s no rush.”
I don’t dwell on my suspicion. I can’t – not right now. Not while they can read my emotions through the Bond. I will think this through alone, though, right before I sleep tonight. I’ll consider everything I’ve learned while muting the Bond between us – so they think my aura is silent because I’m asleep, not because I need to think deeply and privately.
There’s something about the timeline they’re proposing that doesn’t add up – or maybe it’s their nonchalance about it. With the crime they’ve committed, and the severity of it in the eyes of the Empire, you’d think they’d be terrified of meeting other Law Enforcement agents face-to-face. If evidence of their crime is revealed – like their damned, colored eyes, for example – it’s going to be a serious problem.
But then again… I’d almost given up on making any progress on my little sister’s disappearance. If they can help me find her… Or learn what happened to her…
“Okay,” I tell them. “I won’t need to go alone, then. But the moment we set down, I want us all to investigate that bloody place.”
Kitos laughs. I’m always surprised when Aurelians laugh. They never normally show this side of themselves to outsiders. Most displays of emotion are considered a weakness in their culture – especially in front of a female.
“The moment we set down is midday, planet time,” Kitos warns me. “You don’t investigate a place like The Rhino until the sun goes down, at the very least.”
“Is the sun ever up?” I glance over at the viewport as we approach the surface of Salcus. The planet is a desolate sight – unfettered capitalism gone mad.
The atmosphere of the capital city is dark – covered with clouds of shroud and smog. Sometimes, I really do think humanity is better off under Aurelian rule. What kind of humanity would turn their own planet into such a polluted nightmare?
But the dark, cloudy, dirty planet suits my mood. I’m ready for this. I don’t even feel grief anymore. I just feel… ready.
I feel tense and balled-up, ready to pounce. It’s a good feeling. It’s the feeling of impending action, whereas before there’d been only confusion and chaos.
"You're going to have to play the part." Hadrian looks at me with his once-cold, slate-grey eyes. Now they're ignited with heat, the brown faded but still clearly visible within them.
“The part?”
Hadrian grins, showing his perfect, shining teeth. I get the feeling that he’s a wolf… and I’m a tasty-looking lamb to him.
“The part,” he continues. “What kind of Aurelians would visit The Rhino – where you can buy a woman’s time?” His eyes narrow. “Or, if you take a fancy to her, the woman’s very life?”
Oh.
Now I understand what he means.
The only Aurelians who’d
