“Aye. Long enough to know most of these mugs by name. Where ya from?”
“Europa.”
“Europa… that’s one of Jupiter’s moons, isn’t it?” the woman said, slanting her eyebrows and tappingher fingers against the side of her glass. “And what brings a fine man from beyond the belt to our humble adobe?”
Aiden chuckled and took a sip from his drink. The bitter liquid slid down his throat and warmed up his chest. “I’m looking for someone, but I’m not sure if I’m at the right place,” he half-shouted as the music got louder. “Or if they even exist!”
She laughed, her entire face lighting up. “Oh, I’ve no doubt we’ll be able to help with that. There is someone here for everyone!”
“I am sure you are right.” Aiden cast his gaze around, taking in the people mulling about on the dance floor. “Do you happen to know of a place called the Moonshine Ravine?” he asked just as the DJ lowered the volume and started talking about some kind of bingo.
The woman placed her glass on the counter and spread her arms wide. “Standing in it.”So his deductions had been correct.“Or what used to be it.”
“What happened?” Aiden asked, curious if the rest of his theory had been correct.
“Regulations. Taxes. Life can be tough for the small-time business.”
“So I’ve heard.” He chugged the rest of the whiskey. “I could do with a refill. Or two.”
Once she’d poured them another round, she threw him an expectant look. “So, who is it that ya’re looking for? Maybe I can help.”
“An old friend of mine. She used to work at the Ravine, a couple years back. She goes by Bea.”
Something crossed over the woman’s face, bringing an edge to her gaze. “I might’ve heard of her.” She leaned in, this time closer. “And why might ya be looking for her? In case Ihappento know her.”
Aiden lifted his glass, tilting it to one side, then to the other. The liquid inside swirled, sliding over the ice like a tide overtaking a glacier.
Trying to keep his voice steady, he said, “Sir Barnaby Albus II sent me to find the white raven.”
She studied him for a long moment. Then she smiled and took out a card from the back pocket of her tiny shorts, pushing it across the counter until she’d placed it by the tips of his fingers. “Well, Mr. Europa, how about ya make yaself comfortable in a suite on the second floor? Number V-4, the one at the far back. I’ll send one of the girls up to keep ya company.”
Aiden didn’t get to respond to that as she disappeared to serve another client. He took the card and studied it, then put it in his pocket and finished his drink before heading upstairs.
Chapter 23
The room Aiden enteredhad a four-poster bed and was dominated by grays, blacks, and classic forms. A porcelain tub was erected in the middle of the space, filled with milky water and rose petals, and out of all the fancy furniture, it sparked Aiden’s curiosity the most.
He approached the tub, unable to resist dipping his fingers in. The pleasant hotness made his body ache for a soak after his long day of travel. He was shortly reminded that he didn’t have the luxury of time as a firm knock on the door had him fold his hand against his chest.
It wasn’t surprising to find the bartender from earlier at the door. She held two whiskey-filled glasses and handed him one before plopping onto the cushioned couch along the right wall.
“Bea, I presume?” Aiden opened with, planting himself next to the mirror on the side of the tub.
“You presume correct…?”
“Kesley.”
“Kesley,” she echoed back and gave him a once-over. “So, he sends you in search of the white raven?” Her accent was gone and so was the goofy smile she’d worn at the bar, replaced by a calculating look and alert eyes.
“Whatever that might be.” Everything Darren had said had been in code, so Aiden didn’t even know where to begin guessing what any of it meant. The only thing that seemed straightforward was the fact that he needed to go to some location and use the passcode to gain entry.
“You will find out soon enough. The shuttle will be parked by the back entrance in ten minutes. You’ll fly it to Regan.”
Aiden crossed his arms, propping his hip against the bathtub. “Regan? That’s the mining spaceport at the edge of the Sirius Valley, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Head north from there, toward the decommissioned weather station. Once you leave Martian space and are off the network grid, input these coordinates to the shuttle’s nav,” Bea explained, handing him a folded note. “You’ll find the entrance at the bottom of the smallest crater in the Sunstruck Chasm. By the jagged boulder. I believe he told you the rest.”
“He said—”
