by Mary Weber
Sofi’s guy went down and she brought her foot to his crotch. Then looked over at the knifed thug already slumped on the ground, blood oozing from his wound. Miguel had the gun in hand and was holding the third gentleman in place with it. Two seconds later he brought it over the guy’s head and sent him to the floor, knocked out cold.
“Griffin, we’ve got a 132—”
Miguel turned and did the same to the man using his earcom to alert whomever. Then repeated it with the knifed dude before he tucked the gun into his pants.
Sofi lifted a brow.
Miguel pulled out his handscreen and tapped a button. “Hey, Claudius, something came up. I need you to meet me at the shuttle bay as quick as possible.” He glanced up. “Mind if I ask what they want you for?”
Sofi shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Not good enough. Especially if I’m about to risk my life and a whole lot more. So, care to guess?” He strode to his closet.
“Could’ve been Corp 30. They think I have information they want about the bomb or my brother. Or both.”
Miguel stopped. Turned. “Are these Corp 30’s guys?”
She eyed the three splayed out on the floor. “I don’t know. I don’t recognize them, but that doesn’t mean much. From the way the news played today, they could honestly be from anyone.” She knelt beside the taller one and sifted through his pockets, then followed suit with the other two. Nothing. Of course. “Guess we could’ve asked, if you hadn’t knocked them out.”
He sniffed. “Fair point.”
“But if we wait until they come to—”
“We’ll be in deeper crud. I think it’s a safe bet we’re about to have more.” He pulled a bag from the closet and nodded. “Let’s go.”
Sofi stared. Then blinked and scowled. “So then you’re taking me?”
He scanned his palm against the elevator safe-lock. “Blame it on the fact that for whatever reason I might actually believe you. That and . . .” He turned and let his gaze drift over her until her breath caught. His jaw clenched and he swerved back to the door. “Never mind. Ándele.”
“What about them?” Sofi waved at the three men on the floor before ducking by the bed to retrieve a bag she’d apparently stashed there.
Miguel stalled. Chewed his lip. “Right.”
He tapped his phone again as the elevator door opened. “And, Claudius, I’d suggest you avoid my bedroom.”
24
MIGUEL
“YOU’RE KIDDING, RIGHT?” CLAUDIUS WAS STANDING IN HIS granddaddy sequin-suit glaring at Miguel through the dim outdoor hoverlights. “We’re taking a fugitive—scratch that—taking anyone to Delon?” he hissed. “Are you bloody insane?”
Miguel firmed his jaw. Okay, so he’s a bit more than pissed. “Not a fugitive. And it’s risky, sí, but—”
Claudius slapped his hand on the outer wall of the shuttle warehouse looming above them. “It’s not risky, it’s stupidity! Miguel, if you—” He glanced around—probably to check if Sofi was listening from where she was hiding in the dark—before leaning in. “If you thought that note and the pics were a threat, can you imagine what this will do? You’ll blow the whole thing to hell.”
“Or give us what we need.”
Claudius shook his head. “No, no, no. This is a bad idea. I don’t care what affection you have regarding her, this is not how you do things. You are smarter than this.”
“This is exactly how we do things. We take risks.”
“Not like this. For heck’s sake, Miguel—what if they’ve already exposed you? Exposed us? You beat down three of their men and stole someone they wanted. You think they’re going to take that lightly?” Claudius plowed a hand through his hair.
“They won’t while I have her.” Miguel stepped closer. “Think about it. If they already had what they needed without me, they would’ve leaked those pics by now. The fact they keep threatening means they’re desperate. It means there’s something else going on—someone in the picture who’s breathing down their necks and helping pull the strings. And for whatever reason they need my influence to ensure they’re in the clear—meaning something’s not as certain as they need it to be in the public eye. And now”—he tipped his head in the direction of Sofi—“I’ve got the other thing they want. So I’m willing to bet they require me now more than ever. And besides”—he rubbed his neck—“their threats only make it more imperative we figure things out as soon as possible. And she’s our way of doing so.”
Miguel watched Claudius go still. His words sinking in.
So he continued. “Think about what we’ve just been offered. Not only do they need us, we have the top hackers in the world using their skills to find her brother. It’s closer than we’ve ever come politically or physically. If Shilo’s not there, we can let her fend for herself. But if the whole thing’s about to blow up anyway, better we utilize our options sooner than later. Because there’s no guarantee that the moment I comply, they won’t ruin us.”
“But the Delonese—”
“The Delonese will be fine. I’ll see to that. The minute they pick up her life-sign, I’ll explain we had no choice. If anything, they have a thing for underdogs, and I’ll work it to our advantage. You know me, Claudius. You know what I can do.”
Claudius’s mouth pursed tight. “Don’t misjudge your value to them, friend.”
“Right.” Miguel sighed. “But what good is our value if we don’t use it for something? Besides, they came after her with a gun at mi casa. Meaning they’d managed to tag her via one of the few cams she didn’t disable.” His gaze flickered again to where Sofi was hiding. “With that high level of interest, she knows something—or someone thinks she does. And in that case, you and I both know what’ll happen if she stays.”
“She can keep off the grid just fine.”
“Probably. But if not?”
“Then even worse—because that means she can’t keep us off it either.”
Miguel bit his tongue. He knew what his friend meant, but what if this was their best shot? It made sense. He knew it made sense. And he could see it already working through Claudius’s mind, offering promise and presenting the possibilities. “We need her skills, primo.”
Miguel waited, one eye on Sofi’s barely visible figure in his peripheral, one lung still inhaling her perfume, while she sat in her soft dress, headphones on, cross-legged on the ground against the warehouse hangar, tapping on her comp-screen in the dark, from what he could make out. “If it helps, I already had Vic run the numbers.”
“And?”
“The outcomes were inconclusive. But there wasn’t a sure chance of death.”
Claudius barked out a laugh. “Nice. And what of security cams monitoring the entire in-flight shuttle?”
Miguel smirked. “She apparently pulled a vid from two trips ago and looped it into the system.”
Claudius paused long enough to look duly impressed. Then after a moment he cursed and turned for the hangar opening. “Dangit, dude, you better be right.” He tapped his earcom. “Security, we’re ready to depart. Prepare the pad.”
“Hey, wait!” a voice whispered harshly.
Miguel spun to see a kid—Heller, he presumed, due to the geek shirt and skinny jeans—strolling up through the midnight dim as if all security and cameras had simply ceased to exist.
Claudius shot Miguel a look. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Heller?” Sofi jumped up. “What—?”
“No offense, Sof, but if you think I’m going to trust you with these guys on your own, you’re freaking wrong.” He dropped his bag next to her, then strode past to Miguel. “I’m coming or I’m alerting the UW. Which is it?”
Claudius scoffed. “Don’t lump me in with the golden boy.” He cleared his throat. “At least not until I’m done being pissed.”
Sofi grabbed her friend’s arm. “Heller, I don’t think—”
“It’s not your choice, it’s his.” Heller stared at Miguel.
/> Miguel kept his tone cool, calculated, firm. “You’ll only make this harder, cuate.”
“Look, dude. You do your thing, we’ll do ours. We only need you for the ride. I’ve fixed us as stowaways, and I’ve already taken care of the cams getting here.”
Miguel’s mouth flattened. “Clearly.”
“You’ll be at no fault in anyone’s eyes. Unless”—he glanced at Sofi—“the Delonese really are telepathic.”
Miguel caught Sofi’s frown. He lifted a brow. Telepathic? He let the hint of a smile edge his lips. “That’s an old mito. They’re advanced, not omnipotent.”
“Thank heck,” Claudius grumbled from the door. “Or we’d be dead men already. And for the record . . .” He turned back, his sequins shimmering in the overhead light. “This is a terrible idea and I’m against it. But considering Miguel may have a point . . .”
“With Delon’s tech, they’ll know you’re on board as soon as we enter their space.” Miguel focused on Sofi and switched into instruction mode. “The key is to get you on the ship here as stowaways so we can cover ourselves regarding Earth. Once we hit Delon’s shield, though, it’s up to me to do some fancy explaining. At which point they’ll either shoot us, turn us around, or allow you entry as asylum-seekers with plenty to offer.” His gaze softened at Sofi. “So we’d better have something to offer.”
Claudius turned to Heller. “And not just for the Delonese, but for us. We get you in and you’re not getting off with just ‘hitching a ride.’ Because we’re not your bleeding nannies. You come—you two are going to put those nerd skills to use on what we need. No issues. No questions. Meaning we own you for the duration of Delon. Got it?” He waited for Heller to nod. “Good. Now, are we leaving? Because you’re on your own with figuring out how to board.” Claudius stepped through the door.
“By the way, nice suit, dude,” Heller called after him as the ambassador began speaking over his earcom to their captain.
Miguel turned. “You may have limited the cameras, but I still have to deal with security personnel.”
“Right, so what do you need from us?” Sofi asked.
“Hang back until I can clear the space. And then run like heck to get on. And don’t get caught.”
25
SOFI
MIGUEL WAS SPEAKING IN LOW TONES WITH AN UNSEEN STAFF member when Sofi boarded in front of Heller. The ambassador was standing in a three-foot hall across the main cabin peering through one of four doorways, and whoever he spoke to, they didn’t sound happy.
“The security officers and waitstaff,” Claudius mouthed at her. He motioned to Heller to move, and as soon as the tech obeyed, pushed past to shut the door. A moment later he turned and beckoned them across the ten-foot space and into a “room” consisting of a thin bunk bed in a rectangle area barely larger than a closet.
Claudius shoved them into it, murmuring, “Did you load up a vid for their monitor?”
She waved a hand at the room’s tiny window. “I pulled it from the UW’s private server while on the hoverpad.” She smirked. “It’s all good, dude.”
He looked like he didn’t know whether to respect her or roll his eyes, so he closed the door instead, shutting them in, just as voices emerged from the next room—the one Miguel had been speaking into. Footsteps began moving around the main cabin.
She glanced at Heller as a voice said, “This is ridiculous, Ambassador. We’re here to serve you.”
“And I’m simply saying gracias, but this time we won’t be needing service. Ambassador Claudius and I have much to get done and prefer the privacy.”
Whatever argument continued, Sofi missed it as the speakers moved away.
Heller set his bag on the top bunk and stowed a backpack of tech stuff under the tiniest pillow Sofi had ever seen. After that, they waited.
The shuttle began to vibrate. A door from the room beside them was shut and, from the sound of it, locked.
A minute later theirs opened and Miguel was standing there. “Lo siento there’s not more privacy.” He directed them out to the small main area.
Sofi eyed the windows on one side, two giant teles, and four white faux-leather seats with an uncomfortable knot in her lungs. The ship was like a larger version of a bubble-looking jet she’d once sat in with her dad and Shilo at a rebuilt amusement park. Round and round it’d gone until Shilo had gotten sick, and then as soon as he’d thrown up he’d begged to go again.
She glanced at Miguel. Good heck, don’t vomit, Sofi.
It wasn’t just that, though. Nor was it the homesickness that single memory triggered. There was something else. Something she couldn’t yet place. Something about being in this small space near Miguel made her feel she was losing the ability to breathe.
“What about Ambassadors Lee and Danya?” Heller muttered to Miguel. His tone matched the expression he’d had ever since they boarded, like he was suspicious or irritable. Or both. She stiffened. And yet he’d wanted to come.
“The UW prefers we take separate ships in case of emergency. In the long run it saves face and inconvenience. Although . . .” Miguel glanced at Claudius. “I believe Ambassador Alis is replacing Lee due to an illness.
“That said”—Miguel indicated the room—“the main area is here, the door there is locked to the cockpit, the bathroom is straight back beside the security station, and you’ve seen the room. There’s another just like it by the bathroom. We’ll need to stay as quiet as possible. And if for some reason any personnel come out, stay silent and let me talk. Any questions, ask Claudius,” Miguel joked, then bent over Heller’s chair to show how the full-body belts worked.
When he turned to assist Sofi with hers, she just said coolly, “Thanks, I got it,” and adjusted the straps herself.
Something flickered in his gaze, and he paused. She frowned, and the next moment he merely nodded and sat down to lock himself in beside Claudius’s seat facing theirs as she bit her lip and peered at the ceiling above his head. That was how she preferred it. Cool distance. Back at his house, in his garden, it had been one thing—she needed to convince him. But now that she had, she didn’t want Miguel that close again.
It messed with her head. She clasped and unclasped her fingers together.
The main engines started, and Sofi’s stomach did an abrupt flip. She clamped her lips shut and breathed through her nose just as Heller’s skin went yellow. Okay, you seriously are not allowed to throw up, Sofi Snow.
“How long’s this flight again?” Heller growled through clenched teeth.
“Twelve hours.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Claudius said with a wink before he pulled out his handheld and swiped it open.
The shuttle taxied off the pad and onto the barely lit 2:00 a.m. runway that, while tucked into the city, felt all at once a thousand miles away. Sofi could see the lights in the distance, like the stars hanging above and the planet perched in the sky. Waiting breathless by the moon for them to visit in their rocket ship.
Five seconds later the lights dinged and the captain’s voice came on. “This is your captain speaking. Please ensure your harnesses are buckled and your chairs are comfy. We’ll be taking off in ten, nine, eight . . .”
Sofi counted down in her head. When the man’s voice hit number one, the craft shuddered and roared and shot straight into the night air, then tilted and turned its nose upward toward Earth’s outermost layer of atmosphere.
“Here goes, kids,” Claudius said, not taking his gaze off his screen.
The shuttle took off with a subdued rattle and a whole lot of muffled sound. Sofi watched them climb above the city, the blended lights, the Earth she knew. She tried not to think about how high up they were without parachutes to catch them—instead, just shut her eyes and yanked on her headphones to settle her body and nerves with metronic beats.
At some point she realized her shoulders hurt and glanced down to see Heller gripping his arm around her with his face too close. She shook him off before folding her arms arou
nd her stomach and staring out the window at the blackness.
After a bit, Miguel adjusted his seat, but she continued her refusal to even peek at him—to acknowledge him any more than necessary. Being around him wasn’t just messing with her mind. It made her chest ache. Like it was doing something to her. Chipping away at her insides, like carving off pieces of ice.
The anger and ache flared beneath her ribs—triggering images of things they’d done together. Places they’d seen and the scent of his hair, his skin—eliciting a longing she wanted nothing to do with.
She frowned. She’d not been prepared for this. For the fact that it infuriated and thrilled her, and reminded her of what had been. Or, more accurately, of what had never truly existed. And she couldn’t control that history no matter how much she’d tried.
She watched the haze of sun on the other side of Earth begin to glow just above the horizon until it gradually became a halo. And ignored the fact that she could sense Miguel’s gaze flick periodically back to her. Caring. Careful. Grating on her nerves. What the heck does he want? She focused instead on the uncomfortable knot still nudging her with the warning that something was off. As it took shape, so did a question: Why had he so willingly brought her?
Eventually she pulled out her handscreen and went to work tearing apart and sorting through more of the code belonging to Corp 30 in an attempt to find the hacker behind it. Only to jump when Claudius suddenly exclaimed, “These guys are ridiculous!” at the tele on the wall in front of them.
“They’re really digging with this thing,” Claudius said, waving at Ms. Gaines’s face filling the screen. “They literally just spent a whole segment talking about the possible terrorist motivations of the actual kid players. Now they’ve brought the Gaines chick on again.”
“I’ve been staying silent on it out of respect, but at this point I can’t deny there’s been a rift between Sofi Snow and her mother,” Gaines stated.