Arden slid each knife into a synth-leather sheath and strapped them to her thigh. She made sure they wouldn’t peek out beneath the hemline of her dress and yet were strategically placed so that she could slip them out if necessary.
These blades might get drafted into her personal collection easily enough. Mina didn’t seem too territorial about her weapons.
“The goal for tonight is intel,” Mina said, standing at the edge of the group as they geared up. “You watch and follow. We need to figure out where Lasair’s new headquarters are. Do not engage.”
Arden agreed that finding Lasair was important. Figuring out why Uri was in charge even more so. If Niall was alive, why hadn’t he taken back control of the group? That was her biggest question. Because if they’d somehow demoted him, his life was forfeit. The fact that Mina could no longer trace his tag signal was a huge issue.
Or Niall could still be running things and had figured out he’d been tagged. Maybe Uri’s being in charge was a front. They couldn’t have dismantled the tag. But maybe he’d figured out a way to block the signal. She held out hope, because as many problems as she had with her brother, she did not wish him dead.
Mina looked pointedly at Arden. “Don’t go rogue.”
Arden wondered how well Mina could read her. She was a master at keeping thought-revealing expressions off her face. It was scary to think that Mina could somehow guess her feelings.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on Sunshine,” Roan said.
Arden glared.
Once done with their preparations, they swung on their cloaks, pulling their hoods up over their heads.
“We won’t be late,” Nastasia said in singsong. “Don’t wait up.”
Mina smirked. “Have fun.”
They took the sloping pathway up and out of the mine. The tunnel contracted into a narrow walkway the closer they came to the surface and into Undercity. Orbs of poloosh, the indigenous stone that glowed, had been installed along the apex of the tunnel. Their dull shine created just enough light to see by, but not enough to cut the shadows that crept up the walls. The sound of water dripping from the ceiling echoed loudly.
The temperature dipped the closer they got to the surface. All traces of modification that Mina had implemented fell away as they walked the last few yards in total darkness.
Exiting the tunnel, they took out their glo-wands to light their way across the stretch of wasteland that bordered the city. They were in the last piece of land before the containment filter met the Wilds. The soft hum of the biometric field gave off a pink haze as it cut the city off from the dangerous animals beyond.
Undercity had no natural light source, entrenched as it was within the walled dome. There was no light in the Wilds either, just unending black pitch. And they were too far away from the city for public lights.
Far in the distance, they could see the glow from the sunfields on the horizon where the govies raised food. Not for all the citizens, though. It would be shipped to Above, while the citizens of Undercity subsisted on meta-grains.
They walked to the nearest subtrain station. Hovercars and speeders were banned in Undercity because there wasn’t open sky. Everyone used public transport. Though most commuters also had personal transports, hoverboards or speedpacks for shorter distances.
It was late by the time they entered the city. The others moved forward ahead of Arden. Roan in the front. Coco and Annem talking to Dade. Arden hung back, walking next to Nastasia.
Nastasia, it seemed, wanted to speak with her too. “Are you ready for this?”
“I’m always ready.” Arden needed to get out of the compound, so she would have said that anyway. Though she knew that she’d have no problem pulling her weight on this job.
They walked a few minutes before Nastasia cleared her throat. “I know that the transition to working for Mina has been difficult for you. But I just wanted to say that you should give her a chance. I know she seems intense and often secretive, but she always has a reason.”
“I’m sure she does,” Arden said, “and maybe if she explained what her reasons were, I could get on board.”
Nastasia grinned. “Would you? Admit it, if the situation were reversed, you wouldn’t explain anything to her or us.”
Arden certainly couldn’t deny that. Still, it wasn’t like she would have coerced Mina to work for her either.
“Mina is trustworthy,” Nastasia said.
“Simply saying that isn’t going to convince me. Besides, I’m not thrilled that she’s had Niall tagged for months, perhaps years. If she wants me to have some faith in her, she’s got to show me more than her puppet-master routine.”
“You are both so stubborn,” Nastasia said. “All I’m asking is that you give her a chance. I know that sometimes it can be difficult to see her schemes for what they truly are.”
Arden snorted in response. Oh, she knew Mina had underhanded schemes. That was what she worried about. Still, she allowed silence to fall between them as they made their way into the crowd flowing into the center of Undercity.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dade shifted as he watched the club entrance. He’d put on his mask, as had everyone in the group. The masks were plain black and covered their eyes and upper cheeks. Nanotech woven into the fabric was keyed to their DNA and would stay affixed to their face.
The six of them stood in the shadows at the far side of the street. Waiting cautiously, they surveyed the lay of the land to make sure the govies weren’t monitoring the area in front of the club. They couldn’t afford a raid tonight, not here. There was no escape plan if that happened.
“How does it look?” Nastasia spoke into the comm.
Venz immediately came back with the all-clear from where he was positioned back in the command center. “I haven’t picked up any chatter, and the streets look unmonitored. There’s no movement at the station.”
“If I’d had access to the govie cams, my job would have been a lot less dangerous,” Arden muttered.
“You like danger,” Dade pointed out.
She grinned and leaned into him. “You’re right, I do.”
Roan cracked his neck. “You were just running with the wrong gang.”
Arden narrowed her eyes at Roan, and the corner of her mouth lifted in a snarl. “Shut up. You know nothing about my life or about Lasair.”
“He’s not kidding,” Nastasia said. “Though we don’t have to convince you, eventually you’ll understand.”
Dade wondered what they had to gain from saying that to Arden. All it did was piss her off. She was sensitive about her former family. And even though he tended to agree with Roan and Nastasia that Lasair hadn’t been worth her loyalty, Dade kept it to himself.
Before an argument could truly break out, Nastasia was already moving forward. She slunk out of the shadows, then glanced back. “Let’s go.”
From the outside, the club looked like an abandoned building. Half the lights on the street were dead. Trash littered the sidewalk. The windows were bricked up like most of the buildings in Undercity. It kept the noise that beat inside somewhat muted, though the low boom from the bass would hit every so often, sending sound vibrations into the street. Whenever the front door opened, bursts of the higher wail of instruments would flood the street.
No one from Lasair was outside the club. No one was dealing at all. That didn’t stop Shine users from smoking in groups, passing the disks between them. The vapor curled above them, mixing with the smoggy air. Their skin looked thin and bruised. Most had sunken eyes peeking out from behind masks. They wore skimpy club clothes and shivered with their arms around one another.
Most would stay high and addicted, dying on the streets. What would happen when the Shine supply ran out? If there was no VitD, there would be no Shine because the street drug was made from changing the molecular structure of VitD. Shine did the same thing as VitD, helped the body survive without the sun, but it would also give the user a high. The drug would surely be repl
aced with something else. Maybe a harsher chemical that would do greater damage.
No one paid them any attention as they approached the club. Roan stepped forward, pulling the door open for the group. Music blared with a crashing sound at decibels far above comfortable. The noise felt like a wall, battering against Dade with its overpowering sensory assault.
There was a tiny vestibule inside with a guest check counter. They left their cloaks there and were supposed to leave all their weapons as well according to club rules, but that didn’t happen. Nastasia slipped extra credits to the girl behind the counter to keep their cloaks near the front in case they had to leave quickly.
The girl looked at them suspiciously but did as they asked. She wore a ring that ran through her bottom lip. Her tongue kept touching the metal, wetting purple-colored lips. Her head was shaved, and her face was hidden behind a dark purple mask with whiskers that danced against her cheeks.
Roan leaned in, his body maneuvering half over the counter. “We’re looking for a Shine dealer.” He didn’t add “from Lasair,” because this was their territory, so that information was redundant.
“Isn’t everyone?” she said, and then her look turned calculating. “If you’re looking for Shine, the price has gone sky-high. Not much available, you know?”
Roan slipped into a charming caricature of himself. He blinked slowly with eyes that promised something more in a dark corner if she was willing. He pushed his body even closer to her.
The girl mimicked him, leaning over the counter the rest of the way so that they were separated by less than an inch. Her tongue peeked out once more, licking her lips and leaving them shiny.
Roan ran a finger over the back of her hand. “Is anyone working the floor tonight?”
“He’s not here yet.”
“What does he look like?” Roan asked.
“He’s fifteen, maybe. Dark hair.”
“That could be anyone.”
She shrugged, the bones of her shoulders dipped and ridged under her skin.
Roan closed the last bit of space between them. His lips brushed hers, lightly. It was just a touch before he pulled way. “Anything else?”
Her eyes blinked open at the loss of contact. She stared at Roan. Then looked to the rest of them before she moved back to her side of the counter. Her tongue came out to worry at the lip ring again while her fingertips slipped to the edge of the counter, pressing the skin white. “Would you like me to tell him you’re looking for him?”
“No, we’ll find him, thank you,” Nastasia said, already pulling Roan away.
Before he left, the girl snaked her arm out and clutched Roan’s hand. “Are you going to be around later?”
Roan smiled. “Thank you, you’ve been very helpful.”
The girl sniffed, then turned away. It was obvious that she’d hesitated for some reason in giving them information. They needed to lose themselves in the wildness of the club before anyone looked too close.
A new group had entered the vestibule. Half had started taking off their weapons, while the other half pushed forward toward the doorman to wand them. Nastasia grabbed the opportunity for distraction, engaging them and the doorman in a discussion while the rest of their group slipped past into the club.
Once free of the doorman and with all her weapons still on her, Nastasia caught up to them. She rounded on Roan. “What were you doing? Any longer and someone would have started asking questions about why we’re here.”
“Now they know we’re looking for him,” Arden said. “She’ll tell the dealer. I doubt we’ll see him tonight.”
Roan looked less than pleased that either girl was questioning him. A scowl replaced his usually teasing expression. “We paid her. She can give better information than that.”
Nastasia huffed. “We’re not trying to make an impression. Pushing will make us easier for her to recall. And for sun’s sake, stop flirting with women as if they’re naive enough to give you what you want if you just look pretty.”
Arden snorted.
Roan shrugged, a distinct non-apology in the movement. “Flirting is how I do business.”
“Maybe you should start using your brain instead,” Coco offered.
“C’mon, let’s find the guy before she tips him off.” Nastasia straightened and led them deeper into the room.
The Undercity club looked much the same as any Dade had been to in Above. It was awash with lights, sounds, and bodies moving in communal rhythm. Though it was a little muted. This area was poor. They didn’t have the money for the tech that usually brightened the clubs in Above. Not that it mattered. The kids were just as intoxicated and just as willing to look for a good time.
“Split up,” Nastasia said. She used her fingers to indicate the directions she wanted them to go.
Dade tucked his arm around Arden. They were working as a team tonight. Coco would go with Annem, and Nastasia had to put up with Roan.
Arden melted against him. This was a mission, so he’d half expected that she’d demand distance and for them to remain professional even if they were supposed to play the part of lovers.
Roan crossed his arms. “I still don’t think it’s smart that Sunshine and siskin go off on their own.”
“I swear, the next time you call me that, I’m going to stab you,” Arden said with a growl.
Dade suppressed a chuckle.
“Good thing I’m in charge, then,” Nastasia said to Roan.
“They’re tagged. Where are they going to go?” Coco asked.
The reminder was like a splash of cold water to the face. Dade sucked in a breath, but Arden had already turned away. Taking his arm, she pulled him with her. Her head was high, and she walked like she owned the room.
He heard Nastasia through the comm. “Signal as soon as you spot someone.”
Arden led him straight to the dance floor. She slipped her arms around him and tucked herself close. Over his shoulder, she scanned the room.
Dade tried to concentrate. The warmth of her body against him nearly made him groan aloud. He forced his gaze to sweep for action instead of focusing on her. No one stood out as their mark. But Arden continued to distract him. She was everything, sucking up all his thoughts of job and duty, until there was only her.
Arden’s body pressed closer. He felt her chest, her hips, her legs, all brushing him with a siren’s song. Her scent was a warm spice that always smelled fresh. He closed his eyes, trying to get a grip. It didn’t work—her feel, her scent, they became overwhelming.
He needed to smooth out things between them. Wanted to have it all out in the open. Yet he couldn’t let go of the fear that she’d react badly if he told her that he was going to become the Ghost once again. She’d been fine with it before, back when their futures weren’t intertwined. Maybe she wouldn’t be as supportive now.
However she reacted, he couldn’t see her wanting to help him. That was the best-case scenario. If she decided to move on, said that they should take separate paths—well, he didn’t know what he’d do.
It forced him to stay silent. Having her in his arms was everything he’d remembered. Dade wanted this moment. It was simple and felt right. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin it.
He opened his eyes and realized that she was staring at him.
“What?” he asked, both hating and loving that she could make him breathless with a look.
Arden smiled. Her head was tilted as she studied him. “I love dancing with you. We should do it more.”
He agreed. Dade didn’t want to do it for a job. Wanted to have these quiet moments simply to spend time with her and relish them for as long as they lasted. He could visualize an easy relationship where they could just be themselves and spend time with each other because it brought them pleasure to do so. Not because they were bait or watching for marks.
How would they ever make this thing between them real? Because it felt like they were putting things off until life worked itself out. Their circumstances weren’t
easy, and they didn’t have many quiet moments like this. Maybe they should. Perhaps he could make an effort to stop their spinning world and just breathe with her.
He loved holding her in his arms. It was like holding starlight. The feeling of warmth as the sun hit the Sky Towers. He didn’t miss the sun because with her he always had that burning light. She made him feel as if he could do anything. Perhaps even fly if she told him he could.
Dade leaned forward. He brushed her lips in a kiss while his body continued to sway with hers to the music. She tasted like sugared cherries. His hands slid down her back, and her head tilted to allow him closer.
She moaned into his kiss, gripping the back of his head with her fingers. Anchoring him to her so that she could take what she wanted. It was always heat, and need, and fire with her. He loved this connection, craved it like these club kids craved a fix.
The kiss ended with a lingering of their lips and a shared breath. He couldn’t tear his gaze away to watch the dancers or scan the area. She consumed too much of his attention.
He leaned close to her ear. Nuzzled it. Bit her lobe. And then breathed, “You look amazing tonight, have I told you that?”
She turned her face into the side of his neck. He felt the smile rather than saw it. It was small, secret. “Yes.”
“You’re always beautiful, though. I can’t decide if I like you more when you’re dressed for vengeance or when you’re so bright that it almost hurts to look at you.”
She laughed. “I have a feeling you enjoy my knife skills more.”
“Perhaps you’re right.” He ran his lips across her cheek and then pulled away to study her again.
The strobes from the club and the mask she wore made her brown eyes seem deeper, pools of emotion that he might never be able to read. She kept most of herself locked away. He knew that he’d only begun to scrape the surface of who Arden was, that there was so much more to know of her, to understand.
The Stolen Sky (Split City Book 2) Page 11