One-by-one, the others were called in to speak with Desirae. Most meetings were as short as Iza’s. Viper was the first to return after an extended time with Investigator Hyttinen.
“You were with her for over half an hour, she said nothing to you?” Braedon asked.
Though she seemed calmer, Viper’s eyes shifted back and forth in a way that made Iza uneasy, though she couldn’t imagine why. She glanced at Jovani, who gave the slightest shake of his head. He couldn’t read her. Viper, like her sister, was telepathic and had admitted to having several cybernetic enhancements. If she didn’t volunteer the information, it would be hard for anyone else to get any information out of her. Iza made a mental note to speak to her in private. Perhaps she didn’t want the exposure of sharing with the entire group.
“Karter Hyttinen, you’re up,” the guard summoned the last of their group to be questioned.
“Try not to miss me too much,” Karter called over his shoulder with a wink toward Iza as the guard escorted him out of the cell.
Iza crossed her arms. Somehow, the day kept getting worse.
— — —
Karter sat facing Desirae from across her over the organized desk. With one leg crossed over the other, he sank down into his chair, twisting so he could stare out the viewport on the starboard side of her office. From the look on this cousin’s face, he gathered she was still angry at him for getting engaged to Iza. He understood what it meant for her to lose out on a potential marriage prospect, but that wasn’t his problem.
Despite Maeve’s and Desirae’s attempts to elevate their social standing, they’d remained on the fringes of high society. Their adopted Hyttinen name didn’t carry anything more than superficial clout, and even that was fading with time. Worse, Desirae’s unfortunate dismissal from the TSS Agent training program and subsequent enlistment in the Tararian Guard had left a dark mark on her reputation. To wield true power, Desirae needed to marry someone with real influence—and a pairing with Karter had always been her mother’s plan.
Still, none of that explained the craziness Desirae seemed to exhibit whenever she was around Karter. She couldn’t offer anything to tempt him into sharing a life with her. He’d rather be single.
“Cousin, what brings you out our way?” Karter asked, knowing how much she hated the reminder of their familial connection.
“As I mentioned, you’re being held on suspicion of smuggling. Your captain has a reputation for such illegal activities; however, there has been no specific indication of the Verity’s involvement. Unless you’d like to shed some light on it, in which case I would hold you in much favor. You would also likely avoid any repercussions that the rest of the passengers and crew will face,” Desirae said. She peered up at him, beating her eyelashes in quick succession.
The game already bored him. However, he’d spent enough time with her to know he’d better play along. Her mother had made her feelings clear at the engagement ball. She was not at all pleased with his choice of a wife. She and his mother seemed to be in complete agreement about that fact.
“I wish I had something to give you. I have no knowledge that there has been any illegal activity involving the Verity. However, I would be happy to assist you in your investigation.” He spread his hands wide as if offering himself.
“That won’t be necessary. We have the investigation well under control. I would be more grateful if you could offer me some information about the other passengers on board,” she hinted.
“Sure, who would you like to know more about?”
“Let’s start with Raquel. What can you tell us about her?”
“She’s actually a fairly new addition, being a friend of mine. After my unfortunate incident at Blue Hills, we thought it best that we maintain some mobility to avoid further danger. Raquel is an old archaeologist friend of mine, who was helping me with a little project that I’m working on. Is she under some suspicion?” Karter asked, knowing that Desirae would not admit to attacking one of his people directly or indirectly.
“No, Raquel herself is not under any specific interrogation or investigation. We found her records clean like yours. We assumed if all goes well today with our search, she’ll be free to go.”
Karter was getting tired of the fake pleasantries. “Let’s drop the act. Why are you really here? Who sent you?”
Desirae smiled in a way that made Karter uncross his legs and lean forward in his seat.
“Your mother.” Desirae raised an eyebrow as if waiting for his reaction.
Karter kept his own features unreadable. “Why?
“She knows someone on board has an artifact that she wants to give to her new business partner.”
“An artifact?” Karter felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. The only person he knew who wanted that thing was Victor Arvonen. If Arvonen and his mother were somehow working together… He shook his head at his own thoughts and Desirae misunderstood the movement.
“Yes, an artifact. I’m surprised she didn’t mention it to you earlier. Apparently, someone stole it during the party at Blue Hills Estate. A little green-haired hacker girl just like the one on board the Verity. She’s already given it to me, so it won’t be necessary to arrest anyone. Your mother wants it delivered promptly to the Arvonen One.”
“Arvonen?” Karter stood up quickly, pacing the room. The guard he hadn’t noticed standing next to the door tensed at the movement.
“Oh, so you’ve heard of him?”
“I have. Are you some kind of bomaxed fool? Arvonen isn’t working with my mother, he’s working for himself. The artifact belongs to Iza; they stole it from her. He’s been doing everything he can to take it from her. Now, he’s got you doing his dirty work for him through my mother. I’m here trying to keep it out of his hands.”
Desirae’s smug smile faded as he spoke, but he watched her fight against the idea taking hold. “That’s not true. Your mother said the artifact had been in her suite the night of the party.”
“Who do you think sent the crew who raided the party? It was Arvonen. The man you’re helping now. If my mother is working with him, that means she was in on it the whole time. They stole nothing of my mother’s other than this alleged artifact, am I correct?”
Desirae’s lips tightened. “I don’t believe you.”
“You’ve played right into his hands. My mother has no clue he’s using her to bring me down. Don’t worry, when you deliver the artifact you’ll find out exactly how little my mother and Arvonen care about you.” Karter turned his back on Desirae, facing the door. “I’m ready to go back to my cell. There have been enough mistakes made today.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Soon after Karter was returned to the holding cell, the Enforcers came back to release Iza and the others. Iza let her friends return to the Verity ahead of her while she held back to glare at Desirae.
The Investigator stood with her people at the hatchway connecting to the other ship. “Until we meet again, Scrap Rat,” she said, wearing her usual sour expression.
“Oh, can’t find any friends of your own?” Iza taunted.
“Don’t worry, I found what I was looking for this time, thanks to your friend.”
Iza didn’t have time to ask what she meant by it before the guards prodded her through the hatch. It occurred to her that there was only one thing everyone seemed to want from her lately. She raced to her cabin without a word, leaving the others’ questioning looks behind in the cargo hold.
When she opened the door to her room, it surprised her to see it looked untouched. Enforcers normally liked to trash the place just to show they cared. Iza scanned her things. The bed sheets and pillow were as she’d left them, not even the table and chair were out of place. The Enforcers hadn’t searched her room at all.
On her original hunch, Iza went to the bedside table and opened the drawer. The box with the sphere inside wasn’t there.
That’s what Desirae meant by finding what she was looking for. Iza swore under her
breath. Mr. Arvonen had sent Desirae after the sphere, and now that the map was in his hands, there was no telling what he’d find.
Iza left her cabin to find the others milling around the corridor outside the galley. Only Trix was absent.
“Was anything of yours taken?” she asked them.
“No, nothing,” Jovani said.
“Didn’t even step foot in my cabin,” Braedon said. As they all stared at him questioningly, he added, “I have my ways.”
“Well, they took the box with the spherical map inside,” Iza revealed.
“What? Is that what they were after the whole time?” Cierra asked.
“Yes, I believe so. Someone told them where to find it.” Iza glared at Raquel. She’d been the last person in her cabin, not to mention fact that she’d been drinking. She was the last one to see her place it.
“You think I told her?” Raquel asked.
“Yes, your interview was a lot longer than mine,” Iza said, taking a step toward her.
“I wasn’t the only long one. Besides, if I’d wanted it, I would have held on to it instead of returning it to you before you’d asked for it.”
Iza read the sincerity in her eyes, but perhaps Raquel was a skilled liar.
“She’s blocking her thoughts,” Jovani said, stepping forward.
“What are you hiding?” Iza asked, eyes narrowed.
“Nothing,” Raquel backed away toward her own cabin.
“Then why are you playing hide and seek with your thoughts?” Jovani asked.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but I didn’t take the sphere or give it to the Investigator. She only asked me a bunch of questions about Karter and me. How we met, stuff like that.”
Karter took Iza by the arm. “It wasn’t her.”
“What?” Iza’s vision blurred with the haze of her anger.
“She didn’t betray us to Desirae.” Karter leaned against the bulkhead staring at his nails.
“Did you?” Iza clenched her teeth around the question.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m the last person who’d help Arvonen. However, it seems my mother sent Desirae to retrieve the sphere.”
“Why does your mother want the sphere?”
“She doesn’t, really. She probably believes she’s working with Arvonen. However, as you’ve seen the man, it’s obvious he’s just using her.”
“How did she know where to find it?”
“They had someone on the inside all along.”
He lifted his eyes until they rested on Viper. Iza followed his gaze and recognized the guilt on Viper’s face before he finished his explanation.
“The person who gave it to them is the same person who took it.”
Iza lunged for Viper but Braedon and Cierra stepped between them.
“How could you do this?” Cierra asked her sister.
Braedon looked at Viper with understanding. “What did they offer you?”
“They didn’t give me a choice,” Viper said, her voice trembling. “I was working for Douketis, but Victor Arvonen is the mastermind. It’s tough to trace anything to him directly, but I’m good with computer systems, you know?” Iza nodded for her to continue. “Anyway, Douketis was hired for the job, since he’d have a legitimate reason to be at the party. That’s why all the other haulers who work for Apex were invited, for cover. Karter’s mom is in on it, too, I think. All I know for sure is that we were explicitly told to get that box from Iza’s room during the party. Everything else that was stolen was ours to keep.
“They were counting on Iza to recognize the crew at the party, and me specifically. I didn’t know that they’d set me up until it was over.” She briefly met Iza’s gaze before looking down again. “They wanted you to bring me in a gallant effort to ‘save’ me, and you did. After I got here, though, and found my sister was on board, I changed my mind about working for Douketis—the old creep.
“I’d planned to turn on them, but I didn’t realize that the Investigator was involved until she pulled me aside. She said if I didn’t turn over the box with the sphere inside, she’d put me back in Sarduvis. I’d be locked up for the goods Douketis stole from the party, since she could prove I was there. At that point, I had to do what she asked.” She hung her head. “I’m sorry.”
Iza fumed, but she heard the fear in Viper’s voice. She understood what it was like to be a pawn in an elaborate game of strategy.
“What do we do now?” Braedon asked.
“First we get help from the Lynaedans for Trix and the ship,” Iza said. “Where is she?”
“Charging in the cargo hold,” Braedon replied.
“All right, that’s the best place for her right now.” Iza nodded. “Braedon, run a diagnostic. Figure out if we’ll be able to complete a jump.”
“I’m on it, Iz.” He started toward the flight deck, then stopped and motioned to Viper. “Try to go easy on the kid. she’s the smartest dummy I know. We’ve all found ourselves backed into a corner before.” He dashed down the corridor.
Iza wasn’t ready to be so forgiving. “Viper, go to your cabin for now. The sight of you angers me.”
“What are you going to do with me?” Viper asked while she backed away.
“I don’t know yet. The important thing is, if you want to survive, do as I say.”
Viper’s head hung low as she made her way to her cabin.
“Karter, you said they involved your mother in all of this from the beginning?” Iza asked.
“Yes. It seems she was the one behind the engagement robbery and is working with Arvonen. Though, I doubt she realizes that her part in his grander plan isn’t as an equal partner.”
“No doubt,” Iza agreed. “The question is, once we get to Lynaeda, who do we need to inform about Mr. Arvonen? This is beyond us now. Someone needs to be warned about what he’s up to besides us.”
Karter’s lips formed a straight line as he pressed them together in thought. Jovani rubbed at his chin.
“Yeah, I’ve got nothing at the moment myself,” she said. “We can hardly trust the Enforcers after this. From what I understand, the TSS won’t go after a Low Dynasty lunatic on my word alone.” Her eyes met Jovani’s, and he confirmed her suspicions with a nod.
Braedon returned to where they’d gathered in the corridor to give her the update. Although, from the way he searched the area, he was looking to make sure Viper was still alive. When he saw Cierra standing there calmly, he jumped into his message. “You’re not going to believe this.”
“What is it?”
“There’s nothing of the virus left in the ship’s computer systems.”
Iza started back at him incredulously. “How is that possible? A couple of days ago, we couldn’t keep it purged.”
“All I know is there’s no trace of the virus now. All of our ship’s systems are working normally.”
“What about Trix?” Iza asked. “Is she clear of it, too?”
“My guess would be yes. At the moment she’s recharging, but I can run a diagnostic on her, as well, if you’d like.”
“If she allows you, please do.” It would seem Braedon’s assessment that removing the sphere would solve the problem had panned out. All the same, Iza wished it had been on her terms. “I still want to head to Lynaeda, just to make sure. We can find someone there to look Trix over, and maybe they’ll be able to tell us more about the virus.”
Jovani frowned. “When the Enforcers docked with us, do you think it migrated to their systems?”
“I can’t be sure,” Braedon replied. “Our shuttle doesn’t have it, and Trix was also linked with that system. I don’t know why it didn’t jump to there. Without understanding how it got from the sphere into the Verity and Trix in the first place, I can’t rule out any possibility.”
“Should we warn them?” Jovani asked.
Iza shrugged. “I suppose that would be the decent thing to do. Though Desirae doing Mr. Arvonen’s bidding doesn’t endear her to me.”
> “No, but what sort of people would we be, if we infected her ship and didn’t warn her?” Jovani gave her a raised eyebrow in question.
Of course, he’d want to help them. He’s bomaxed TSS Agent, after all. “Fine, warn them if they’re experiencing any problems on board that we had a similar thing happen to us,” Iza said. “Maybe they’ll get their technicians on it and figure out how to keep the sphere from messing with things.”
“If I couldn’t figure it out, there’s no way they will,” Braedon said shaking his head. “But they can try.”
“Let’s set a course to Lynaeda as soon as your message is sent.”
Iza turned to Raquel next. She’d accused her of being a traitor and now Iza felt like a traitor herself. How was she ever going to keep friends if she suspected them all the time? “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have questioned your motives,” Iza apologized.
“You have a strange way of treating your friends.”
“Trust doesn’t come easy or fast. Just ask everybody else here. I’m a work in progress.” Iza lifted one shoulder and let it drop.
Raquel seemed to search her face for something.
“What?” Iza asked.
“I’m trying to decide if I should punch you now and get it over with or what.” Raquel balled her hand into a tight fist.
Iza could see by the smirk on her face; she wasn’t serious, but she deserved it. “Sure, I’ll let you hit me. Once.”
Raquel dropped her fist and gave her a pinch instead.
“Ow.” It stung a lot more than a punch from her would have.
“That’s for doubting me. When we get to Lynaeda, you owe me a bottle of the good stuff.” Raquel grinned.
“Not sure Lynaeda will have much to offer but I’ll do my best.”
—
After she’d had time to cool off, Iza made her way to see Viper in her cabin. There was heavy-metal music blaring from inside. Iza took a deep breath and pounded on the door with her fist.
Viper called out from inside, “I’m coming.”
When the door slid open, Viper was standing barefoot in a tank top and pants. Her music continued to blare. Instead of competing with the sound, Iza just raised a finger and pointed to the room’s built-in speaker until Viper realized what she wanted. She raced over to the table and turned off the music streaming from her handheld. Iza’s ears rang in the sudden silence.
Divided Loyalties (Verity Chronicles Book 2): A Cadicle Space Opera Adventure Page 23