Jeth glared at her, wishing she would keep her mouth shut. Didn’t she know what kind of damage a gun like that could do?
The first hint of annoyance flashed in Renford’s eyes. “There’s no time for such things, little girl. Despite your belief that the ITA merely takes at whim, such actions must be justified, documented, and approved by the Confederation Board. But I wouldn’t expect you to understand the complexity of government.”
Lizzie looked ready to argue, but Renford ignored her, addressing Jeth once again. “Hammer plans to send you to find it as soon as you finish here.” He motioned toward the Montrose’s bridge. “The ITA has learned that two days ago one of his men intercepted a distress beacon from the missing ship’s flight recorder.”
A dozen questions occurred to Jeth. He settled on the first one. “Why does Hammer want the ship?”
“Why does Hammer want anything?”
Profit, Jeth thought, although he had a feeling this was about more than a metadrive. They were valuable, sure, but Jeth didn’t think Hammer would risk sending the Shades into the Belgrave only for that. Besides, why had his men been close enough to the Belgrave to intercept the beacon? Jeth supposed it was possible they’d been just flying by and caught it by chance, but given Renford’s interest in the ship, he doubted it. Too coincidental. Most likely, Hammer had been monitoring the area on purpose. Which meant that something extremely valuable must be on that missing ship.
So valuable I might earn enough to finally buy Avalon if I find it for Hammer.
The idea sent an automatic grin to Jeth’s lips, but he suppressed it before it could surface. He had to get out of this mess first. And if they didn’t make a break for it soon, they were never getting out of here. Someone might notice those unconscious sentries any moment. It was time to press.
He folded his arms across his chest, the position placing his hand within centimeters of the stunner’s hilt. “This has been real interesting, but I’m afraid we’ll have to pass.”
Renford shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “But you haven’t heard what I’m willing to pay yet.”
Jeth rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and what’s that?”
Renford reached a hand into his inside pocket and withdrew a thumb-sized object that Jeth recognized as a personal calling card. The card worked like a homing device, one that would allow them to contact Renford no matter where he might be in the galaxy. Renford held it out to him. “Bring the ship directly to me, and in return, I will give you Avalon.”
A noise of surprise threatened to escape Jeth’s throat, and he clamped his mouth shut. This man knew far too much. A trickle of cold sweat slid between Jeth’s shoulder blades and down his spine.
“I know you’re working to buy the ship back from Hammer,” said Renford. “I can expedite your ownership.”
Still, Jeth said nothing, his breath shallow. He didn’t want to believe this guy, but the promise of finally achieving what he’d been working toward for so long made his nerve endings tingle with hope. Even if they couldn’t confiscate the ship immediately, the ITA would likely be capable of wresting it from Hammer’s grasp without too much trouble.
They executed my parents.
“No thanks.” Jeth forced the words through gritted teeth. “I’ve no reason to trust the ITA.” He didn’t care what his parents might’ve done. They didn’t deserve to die like that, and he wasn’t about to either.
Renford scoffed. “Oh, and I suppose you have reason to trust Hammer? Come on now, Jeth. You can’t really believe he’ll let you have your ship, no matter how many jobs you pull off. Seems to me your little gang of thieves is too valuable for him to give you that kind of freedom. You might stop working for him, which would cut into his bottom line. That doesn’t sound like the Hammer I know. He never gives up his toys.”
Jeth opened his mouth to argue, his temper like a whiplash. He was not a toy.
Renford cut him off. “And there’s something else. If you bring me the lost ship, I promise to tell you what really happened to your parents.”
A shot of adrenaline surged through Jeth so hard, his vision blurred. Temptation opened up before him like a hidden trail in a dense forest.
He started to respond, then froze as noise erupted all around them.
The spaceport’s alarms were going off. Someone had found the stunned sentries.
CHAPTER
03
SURPRISE CROSSED RENFORD’S FACE, AND HE LOWERED the Mirage a fraction. It was all the window Jeth needed. He drew his stunner and fired.
Two simultaneous blasts—one from Jeth and one from Celeste—struck Renford, throwing him backward. Before Renford hit the ground, a bullet exploded from the Mirage. Jeth felt it soar past him.
“Lizzie!” Celeste screamed.
Jeth’s heart launched into his throat. As he turned, a vision of Lizzie lying dead on the ground, blood spurting from a crater-size hole in her body, flashed in his imagination.
“I’m all right,” Lizzie said. She was still standing, the bullet imbedded in a container behind her. She held up her arm. “It just grazed me.”
“Let me see.” Jeth grabbed her hand and yanked her arm straight. Terror at what might have happened made his fingers tremble.
“Ouch. Take it easy, will you?”
Jeth could barely hear her over the sound of the alarm, still blaring. “Turn that off!” he shouted at Celeste who was already at the nav station, working on it. The noise stopped a moment later, leaving behind a terrible ringing in Jeth’s ears.
Ignoring it, he grabbed the tear in Lizzie’s shirtsleeve and ripped it off, exposing the wound. He wiped away the blood, nausea twisting his stomach. But the wound was superficial. He wanted to hug her, but didn’t. She would never stand for it, and Celeste would never let him live down such an emotional display.
“You’ll be fine,” he said, letting go of her. He’d managed to sound calm, reassuring even, but inside his fear still throbbed like an infection. A centimeter closer and the bullet might’ve blown off her arm. Might’ve killed her.
Jeth forced the thought away, unable to face such a possibility. Not now, with disaster crashing down on them.
They needed to get out of here, but they had to get Renford off the ship first. They couldn’t risk the distrust it might provoke if Hammer found out that he had been there. What Hammer didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
Keeping your options open, aren’t you?
Jeth let the rogue thought come and go without consideration as he turned toward where Renford had fallen. He blinked once, twice, his mouth dropping open.
Renford wasn’t there.
“That’s impossible,” said Celeste, panic in her voice. “Where the hell is he? We hit him with two stunners.”
An Echo. A shiver went through Jeth like a current. He shook his head, focusing, then faced Lizzie. “Get us unmoored. Celeste and I will search for him. There’s no telling what he might do now.”
“Hurry up,” said Lizzie, returning to the nav station. “Before they figure out which ship we’re on.”
Jeth and Celeste left the bridge, racing down the stairs. Jeth turned left toward the living quarters and the only exit through the cargo bay, while Celeste made a right toward the engineering deck. He thought he heard footsteps in the distance, but he couldn’t tell over the ferocious pounding of blood in his ears.
The cargo bay was empty as far as he could tell, and he raced to the rear access door to check if Renford had made it outside. He pulled it open and peered out.