“What’s on Ytla that was more important than taking the city?” Ritter asked. He’d been listening in to the conversation as avidly as Velda had been.
The woman seemed to realize how many people were watching the byplay between her and Brink, and she shook her head. “None of your business.” She shoved past Brink, and disappeared down the passageway.
Interesting. As it happened, Velda had a pretty good idea what was on Ytla that was potentially more important than taking the capital of Aponi. Wren Thorakis had laid it out quite well for her and Ethan. It was why they’d gone to Nanganya in the first place.
“Nothing sticks to that woman,” Brink said, finally stepping into the doorway. “She’s never in the wrong and she always comes out on top.”
“I’ve heard more than one rumor Linao isn’t who she says she is,” Ritter said to Brink. “She’s never met a consequence that wasn’t waived, apparently. Burning an asset to break her out of prison and then taking a massive detour to fetch her is totally in keeping with that.”
Brink’s gaze swept over Velda and Ethan. “You two seem none the worse for wear,” she said, as if reminding Ritter who they were talking in front of.
“No thanks to you,” Velda said. “Ethan was shot twice in the space of an hour.”
“Was he?” Ritter spun to look at Ethan. “No one told me that.” He glared at Brink. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“I didn’t know. You knew I shot them both to get them in here.” Brink bristled at his accusatory tone.
“Did I?” Ritter frowned. Looked down at his screen. “Maybe. But how was he shot twice?”
“One of the security guards at the mine shot him just before the ship landed,” Velda said. “Then Brink shot him again.”
“Could that be why . . .?” Ritter tapped a finger to his lips. “Let’s test you again.”
Brink studied them, then stepped back to allow the guards to herd them through the door. “They’re not working out?” she asked.
“Early days,” Ritter said, but Velda thought he sounded annoyed. “At least they can’t say no.”
For now, Velda thought to herself.
But watch out when the tables turn, asshole.
14
The discussionabout Ytla had been interesting.
Ethan turned it over in his mind as Ritter tied the blindfold over his eyes again.
Wren Thorakis, the new artifacts consultant in his Special Forces team, had found something on the Aponi-controlled moon, something she thought was an ancestral spaceship wreck. Her discovery seemed to have been a catalyst for what was happening now—the sudden increase in pace of whatever plot was brewing against his planet.
If the woman Ritter called Linao had gone to Ytla just before Demeter had been attacked, he wondered if she had found what she’d been looking for.
Whether she had or not, she’d said she’d been arrested on her return to Demeter, which meant someone had noticed something was off where she was concerned.
He heard Ritter tying the blindfold on Velda, and steeled himself to endure more of Ritter’s experimentation.
Not that endure was quite the right word.
There was nothing painful about it. If he was honest, he felt better than he had since they’d crashed in the hover.
He heard Ritter go into the dispensary, then heard him wheeling the box in. The main door opened, and the trolley Ritter was pushing stopped with a squeak.
“What are you doing here, Linao?” Ritter sounded pissed.
“I have clearance. I want to see this. You wouldn’t even have known what to do with that box if I hadn’t endured that hellhole planet and worked out what it could be.” Linao’s voice was soft, as if she was mindful of the guards in the passage behind her and wanted to keep this information secret.
Except she was saying it in front of him and Velda.
Which was an indicator of something else. Something dark.
