Alarah nodded. “Thank you.” Her voice was so quiet, so broken, it was hard to hear.
Nera gently touched the woman’s hand. “I will get you away from him. Not today. But I don’t care how long it takes, I promise you’ll be free.”
“He’s dangerous. Why risk yourself for me?”
Nera dragged in a breath. “You matter. What he’s done to you, that’s on him, not you. You belong to yourself, no one else.” Nera rose, her tone lowering. “And I am far more dangerous than Alexei Gunn.”
Alarah blinked up at her, then her gaze went to Nik. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Nera, we need to go. Gunn will be back soon.”
She looked like she didn’t want to leave, but finally she nodded.
They were silent as they made their way back to Nik’s cabin. Now, it was his chance to spoil Nera.
When they stepped inside, she paused. “Thank you. For what you just did.”
“I knew you’d go to see her before too long. I didn’t want you to barge in there and confront Gunn. It wouldn’t help her, or be good for you.” He ran a hand along her jaw. “Now, in here, it’s just you and me. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He gestured her toward the table. “Please, take a seat.” He helped push her chair in, which earned him a puzzled glance. He sat in the chair across from her. It took him a second to ladle some fragrant soup into their bowls. “Eat.”
He watched as she took a spoonful, saw the flush of pleasure as the flavors hit her taste buds.
“It’s good,” she said. “What is it?”
“My own recipe. It’s Zerzuran stew. My mother taught me how to make it.” Before she’d left their dusty desert planetbehind, and deserted her three rowdy, young boys to the drunken husband she no longer wanted.
“Do you know where she is?” Nera asked.
“Yeah.” He, Dathan, and Zayn had tracked her down. They hadn’t seen her, just learned she’d remarried, had no other kids, and lived on the megacity world of Rendar. “But she’s happy where she is, so I don’t feel the need to intrude on that.” He had his brothers. That was all that mattered.
“Do you miss the Institute?”
“No.” He set his spoon down. Damn, even to him, that sounded too fast and defensive. He took a calming breath. “I miss my job, yes. I loved research and the Institute has the best resources available and access to the best artifacts in the galaxy. But I don’t miss the Institute itself, with its politics, hidden agendas, and…” He trailed off.
“And the underground black market in artifacts they’re running?”
He stiffened and met her gaze. She took another mouthful of soup. “I know about it. I was approached once to acquire something for them.”
His jaw tightened. “Did you?”
She made a scoffing sound. “They didn’t want to pay me enough. Cheap bastards.”
He laughed and his shoulders relaxed. “It isn’t all the Institute, just a small, but powerful and connected group.” His hand tightened on his spoon. “They select some of the best artifacts that come in from the digs, and then those items conveniently go missing, or are ‘damaged in transport’ and sold to their clients. Usually private collectors.” But he knew some scummy crime lords had been clients at times.
“You stumbled onto it. That’s why you left?”
He made a bitter sound. “Stumbled, yes. I’d led a dig on Chang Xui and found an old Terran starship wreck. Some ofthe artifacts were in pristine condition. They were amazing.” He stared at the plush floor covering. “When the artifacts went missing, I couldn’t let it go. I knew something was off. I got a few anonymous warnings, but that just made me work harder to find the artifacts.”
“You didn’t know the Institute was involved.”
He rested his elbows on the table. “Naïve of me, wasn’t it? But I soon found out the truth.” Found out his mentor, a man he’d thought was one of the greatest astro-archeologists ever and a guardian of history, was nothing but a thief.
“What happened?” she asked quietly.
“At first, I threatened to go public. I was so angry.” He’d been incensed. “But they threatened my brothers.” And then he’d discovered his best friend, Galen, had been involved too. Nik hadn’t known who to trust anymore. “Finally, they ‘fired’ me, and I left.”
