Chapter Thirty
Allie looked at thehome, all mirrored windows and jutting angles that spoke of careful geometry and expensive architecture. Even from a distance, it was a beautiful home. “Are you sure the singleton is in there?” she asked into her comm. This looked like the home of the mine owner, but that disagreeable woman and her son had evacuated with theCandiru. Allie knew because she’d personally cut off all hot water to the commander’s room after the woman had commandeered it. Either she or her son had dumped all Zeke’s belongings into the hall, and the refugees had taken off with everything except a few personal items before theCandiru’s crew discovered the coup.
“Yep,” Shank answered. While Allie couldn’t see him, she knew both guys had to be close to the door now. They were just making good use of the low foliage and boulders to hide. She had no idea if they were going to try to grab this person or try to find someone more in the open. She shifted her weapon higher and leaned against a low retaining wall to take the strain off her thighs. She wasn’t used to crouching like this.
“Keep sharp.” Ben’s voice came through the comm. “I think we’re looking at one person, but tech... It can lie. People do build shielding into some homes.”
Shank moved to the front door, and Allie could feel her heart beating. This was when it would all go right or go horribly wrong. Ben opened the access panel beside the door. It didn’t seem to take long before the door slid open.
Then Allie was left outside, helplessly waiting as the two men moved into the house.
The planet itself was so eerily similar to that day when they had saved the refugees. Eclipse’s planetary rings hung low on the horizon and filled the sky with gray and white streaks. They had saved so many; they had shoved hungry children and scared people into every room and corridor on theCandiru. And yet all Allie could think about was all the people they’d left behind. These miners and their older children had been abandoned to the bats because theCandiruhadn’t been large enough, and the troop carrier that was supposed to provide evacuation had never shown up. Her government had left them, and now God knew what their lives had been like.
The wait was almost physically painful. The guys were taking too long to clear one little house, but Allie had to admit that if this were a trap, she had far less experience then either Shank or Ben. If they’d gotten caught, she had no hope.
The minutes drew on, and Allie could feel a knot of hard fear gathering in her stomach. Her emotions ran so high that when her comm popped, Allie jumped and damn near fired her weapon.
“We’re clear. Code Zeke,” Shank said, and he had a note of laughter in his voice that Allie didn’t understand. However, with the all-clear code given, she clipped her weapon to her vest and started trotting for the door.
Inside, she found a huge room. Along one wall stood a modern kitchen with fancy appliances. Irregular rough bowls shaped out of metal strips sat on the counter, holding bread and alien fruits. Boots caked with mud sat just inside the door, and that totally didn’t match the beautiful couches and the designer coffee table shaped like a swoop.
“Shank?”
“Down here!” he called back.
Allie followed the voice toward the back of the huge space. She was about halfway to a giant mirror when she realized the house had a grand staircase like you might see on some vid that featured rich people doing stupid things. The ornate railing opened to a textured marble staircase that led several stories into the rock. The house had been carved out of the mountainside.
Allie whistled her appreciation.
Shank appeared at the very bottom. “Kind of impressive, isn’t it?”
“If you’re a vid star walking into the Cumin Awards, sure. However, unless there are a hundred cameras running, this is so fucking out of place it’s not even funny. Who puts a grand stair in the middle of a mining camp?”
“Mrs. Rookston.” The voice startled Allie so badly she missed the edge of one step and stumbled down the next several rather ungracefully before she could catch herself on the railing. Shank was running up the stairs toward her, but Allie kept her gaze on the man at the bottom.
“Commander?”
“I don’t command much anymore. Call me Zeke. Nice of you to drop in. Monumentally stupid, but then I’ve always been a fan of stupid and reckless plans.” He grinned.
It was him. It was honestly him. Allie couldn’t put two words together because she was too busy staring at their lost commander. He looked good in a plain brown shirt and rough pants. His blond hair was neatly trimmed, military short as always. And he still looked way too damn young for his age.
She’d found her crew. Shank had reached her side, and she let herself lean into him. “Oh thank God. Is Jacqs okay?”
