Ice Red

by Jael Wye

  Bianca had to have tampered with the data in order to get the result she wanted. Heaven knew she was skilled enough to do it. He tore his gaze away from the pad and glared down at her, furious.

  She gave him a direct look, easily reading him. “I would never present an analysis that I wasn’t sure was accurate. I value the truth, Cesare. Like you.”

  The truth...

  Her gold-flecked gaze was steady, and deep with understanding.

  With a shock, he realized that he believed her. The woman who had traveled so far and worked so hard to find out the truth about RedIce and StarLine wouldn’t stoop to lying now. The crash had been an accident.

  The knowledge rushed over him like a wind blowing away a heavy cloud on his spirit. He looked at Bianca, almost in wonder.

  She continued, more loudly, “As for your second concern, M’Volkov, StarLine is no longer trying to acquire RedIce. We’ve begun the process of transferring ownership to Cesare Chan.” She held out another pad to each of them. “Preliminary legal and financial reports on the action, for reference.”

  In a daze, he looked down at the new pad. A neatly organized legal doc detailed how Bianca had leveraged her own shares to alter the terms of the sale in his favor. RedIce would soon be his.

  Bianca had just given him the one thing he had wanted most in his life. He was speechless, the strangest sensation twisting through his heart.

  “I hope that this answers your questions, Investigator,” he heard her say.

  Volkov nodded slightly. He scrolled the pads up with quick, efficient movements and stored them in a hip pouch. “As I said, I have to run this data through an independent analysis. But as of now, it appears that I have no cause to involve RedIce or the Chan family in this investigation.”

  That was it, Cesare thought, staring down at the pads in his hands. Just a few simple words and all his problems were solved. He didn’t know what to think, what to do. He should be reeling with happiness at what Bianca had done for him, he knew, but...

  A warning sounded in the back of his mind, telling him that nothing under heaven could possibly be this simple. He shot a look at Bianca. There was tension in the lines of her shoulders, shadows in her eyes. He slowly put his pads away, the sense of wrongness growing deeper.

  Bianca turned back to Volkov, avoiding Cesare’s gaze. In the same cool voice she had used throughout the interview, she said, “I’m glad this matter is resolved. Now then, I have a request to make, Investigator. I want you to take me to Pavonis under protective custody.”

  “Certainly,” Volkov said. “I was going to recommend that step, in fact. However, you’ll have to go with my team and me to the terminal complex while I conduct the arrest. We won’t have enough time to put you under MarSec shield.”

  “I understand,” she said.

  “Bianca,” Cesare said sharply, “I don’t think it’s necessary for us to go into protective custody.” What was her game? She knew he couldn’t hand himself over to MarSec, whether he was under investigation or not.

  Volkov cast him an unreadable look. “As M’Ross has been at some trouble to point out, you’re only tangentially involved in this case. MarSec may find it difficult to justify protection for you—”

  “Agreed,” Bianca broke in. “I’ll go with you to Pavonis and M’Chan will stay here.”

  “What?” Cesare said, stunned.

  Even Volkov looked slightly surprised. “Very well, if that’s your decision.”

  “It is,” she said firmly, keeping her eyes locked on Volkov.

  Cesare glanced back and forth between Bianca and Volkov as they regarded each other, and then settled a hard look on the investigator. He never noticed what a pretty boy the bloke was before. In fact, it occurred to Cesare that, with his coloring and refined features, Volkov’s looks were a perfect complement to Bianca’s. They even had a matching cool elegance and natural arrogance.

  Cesare took Bianca’s arm in an unmistakably territorial gesture. She stiffened a little bit, but didn’t try to pull away. “I need a minute to talk to M’Ross alone,” he said tightly.

  Volkov’s eyes briefly flickered over Cesare’s possessive grip. “Of course. I have some arrangements to discuss with my agents as well.” He turned back toward the viewport, raising his cuff.

  Cesare promptly tugged Bianca farther into the room, out of the SI’s earshot. “What in hell do you think you’re doing?” he growled.

  She pulled her arm back, and he reluctantly let her go. She looked up at him, her expression impossibly cool and distant. “I’m trying to keep MarSec out of your affairs, of course.”

  “Ratshite. You’re running away. Again.”

  She faltered at that, then immediately rallied. “Be reasonable, Cesare. You helped me get my company back, and I helped you get your company back, just like we agreed. You don’t have to do anything more.”

  He wanted to shake her. “That’s all this is to you? An agreement? A business deal?”

  “A business deal that you originally proposed,” she said stonily.

  He ground his teeth. “Was rolling around with me just part of the transaction, or did you throw that in as a bonus?”

  She flushed. “I wouldn’t presume to say. I don’t have nearly as much experience with that kind of ‘transaction’ as you do.”

  All right, he deserved that. He pushed on. “You just got done talking about how important the truth is. So tell me the truth. Why do you want to do this?”

  She was quiet for a moment. “It’s safer,” she finally said.

  That set him back. He knew he hadn’t kept her safe. He had let that fecker Woods get to her. Twice. Still, “You won’t be any safer in Pavonis than you are right here,” he said stiffly.

  She looked at him like he was a complete idiot. “Not safer for me. Safer for you. I don’t want you to take another round meant for me!” she said, her voice rising.

  For some reason, that only made him angrier. He didn’t want her protection, her pity. He wanted her. “You know what I think? I think you’re just running because you’re afraid of what’s between us,” he said.

  She looked up at him, her almond eyes glimmering uncertainly. “What is between us, Cesare?” she asked.

  He opened his mouth to say...something. Trust? Respect? Incredible sex? His throat locked on a harsh breath.

  The seconds slid by. Her face began to dim. She dipped her head, her black hair veiling her expression.

  Across the room, Volkov ended his com and turned back toward them, his sharp gaze shooing back and forth between them. “M’Ross, my team and I are finished here. We need to leave for Pavonis as soon as possible in order to get into position to make the arrest. Are you ready?”

  “Ay, Investigator,” she said softly.

  She angled her face toward Cesare, not quite meeting his eyes. “I hope we can see each other again when this is all over,” she said. “I... Thanks. Thank you for everything.” She began to turn away.

  He grasped her slender shoulders, pulling her close. He bent his head and kissed her ruthlessly. She gasped in surprise and, he knew, sudden desire. He took advantage and thrust his tongue against hers. She made a small sound against him and went as hot and soft as always.

  He wrenched his head away, looking down at her kiss-flushed lips and her wide dark eyes. Then he released her. “See you around the Sol, Spacebabe.” His voice rang harsh in the air.

  She looked up at him for an endless moment. Then she spun away, not quite fast enough to hide the shine of tears. “SI Volkov, I’m ready to go,” she said, moving quickly toward the door.

  Volkov had been studiously ignoring them. But now he locked eyes with Cesare, taking in his hard look of warning. Then he nodded carefully, and turned to leave with Bianca. Neither of them looked back.

  The instant
the door shut behind them, Cesare turned on his heel and headed toward the workrooms.

  * * *

  The door to the bot shop snapped open, and Cesare strode inside. “You can come out of hiding now,” he said. “She’s leaving. They’re all leaving.”

  Angelo looked up from the flash regulator he was tinkering with, his eyes narrowed. He set down his needles. “What happened?”

  “My involvement in the case is officially over,” his brother reported in clipped tones. “There will be no investigation of the tower incident. And Bianca has begun the transfer of her RedIce interest to me.”

  There was a pause. “And that’s it? We’re free and clear?” Angelo said, his voice laced with suspicion.

  “No. That’s not it. I need you to fly me to Pavonis.”

  “What for?”

  “The MarSec team is going to the elevator terminal to arrest Victoria when she disembarks. Bianca is going with them under protective custody. Obviously I can’t demand to go with them. So you have to take me.”

  “You’re out of your mind,” Angelo promptly said, rising to his feet. “You’re not going to go toss yourself back into a snake nest. Just thank heaven you got away clean and leave it alone.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s mine! She needs me! She thinks MarSec can keep her safe, but they only care about the fecking elevator, not about her. I have to be there if some shite goes down that MarSec can’t handle. I promised I would protect her. I promised! I have to tell her that I’ll always be there for her.” He grabbed his forehead, squeezing, and muttered, “Why couldn’t I tell her that instead of standing there like an idiot? Why did I let her go? It’s like... Ciel, it’s like she put a hole in me when she left, and I’m bleeding out.”

  He brought his hands down, fisting them at his sides. “She belongs with me. I have to get to her, Angelo.”

  Heaven help him. He’s in love with her. Angelo stared into his brother’s eyes, just like his own, but blazing with a passion that had burned out of him years ago. “If you believe that, you’re well and truly fecked, Cesare,” he forced himself to say.

  “I don’t have time for this,” Cesare snarled. He spun on his heel and strode toward the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To the rover docks. Huang Tzu outpost is only two hours away. I can get an orbital flight from there.”

  “Wait,” Angelo said, phantom pain crackling through the place his heart used to be.

  Cesare stopped at the doorway.

  “All right,” he growled, “I’ll take you to Pavonis. But only because I’m afraid of what will happen if I don’t keep you under some kind of control.”

  “Good enough,” Cesare said. He headed for the aero pad, and Angelo reluctantly followed, his uneven footsteps echoing down the corridor.

  * * *

  With a hum and a slight shudder, the MarSec orbital plane rose high above the canyons, unfurling its solar sails in wide golden tiers. Then they were turning west, shooting toward the distant hulk of the Tharsis plateau. They would be in Pavonis in two hours.

  From his seat in the passenger section, Justin Volkov regarded his new charge with a measuring gaze. Bianca Ross was seated next to him, her face turned toward the viewport.

  She was something of a mystery. Very collected and controlled, in spite of that little parting scene back at the hab. Intriguing.

  Right now she was looking out over Noctis Labyrinthus far below, the great cracks in the planet’s surface nothing but a faint tangle of shadows now. As he watched, she reached into her hip pouch and took out a small object that sparkled as she rolled it in her fingers. Interesting.

  Whatever else she was, Volkov thought, Bianca was an excellent opportunity. He had known for years that Victoria Ross was one of the most vicious criminals to ever insinuate herself into the Martian elites. And now the perfect chance to take her down had been dropped in his lap.

  It had to be handled with extreme caution, however. So many things could go wrong. Calculations and plans flashed through his mind as he considered the political and legal angles of the coming confrontation.

  Tricky. Very tricky. He took out a workpad and began methodically going over his notes.

  The disembodied voice of the orbital’s pilot suddenly buzzed over the cabin com. “Investigator, there’s another plane behind us, charting course for Pavonis. It appears to be the same one we just left at the Noctis mine, registered to a Michelangelo Chan.”

  He heard Bianca gasp, a little shocked sound. He turned and regarded her. She had clenched her fist around her little sparkling object, he noted. “It appears that Cesare Chan has a stronger interest in this case than we previously thought,” he said.

  Automatically he began to calculate the considerable trouble Chan might cause if he wanted to. He knew something about the man’s involvement with shady Earthers, and he suspected a good deal more. But his instincts were telling him that none of that was the reason Chan was flying after them now.

  No, the reason was the woman sitting right there next to him, her lips slightly parted, a thousand emotions playing across her delicate face. A woman worth pursuing indeed.

  He instantly suppressed that thought. It came a little too close to wistfulness for his taste.

  Bianca quickly gathered herself. She said quietly, “RedIce business headquarters is in Pavonis. It’s possible that M’Chan is going there to see to his new administrative tasks.”

  He felt a slight smile pull at the corner of his mouth. “Ay. I suppose it’s possible.”

  Elevator Car 001

  Ruined! Every one of her plans ruined!

  Victoria stormed across the elevator car’s luxury habsuite, looking for something new to destroy. There wasn’t much left. Splintered furniture and smashed trinkets littered the floor. She kicked at a hairbrush in her path.

  The little rat was alive. Woods had sent those miserable sec fools to her with a lie.

  What’s more, the puta had a verified audio recording of Victoria’s termination order. Evidence solid enough that even her allies in MarSec couldn’t smooth it over.

  And Victoria knew exactly how the rat must have come by it. That Earther music device with the headpiece Woods had worn perched above his smirking face the last time she had seen him. That...that squat had had the gall to record her with his Earther trash. And then, then, he had let his recording fall into the hands of her enemies, and escaped into death before she had the chance to peel him and fry him.

  She snatched her hairbrush up off the floor and hurled it at her favorite vidscreen in its ornate gilded frame. The heavy silver brush smashed into the mirrored surface and bounced off, leaving not even the slightest scratch in the plaz. The vid glimmered serenely as she glared, panting. The face it reflected back to her was as livid and hollow as a skull.

  No! She whirled and stormed across the chamber, hunching down on a broken wooden settee. She wasn’t through yet. She still had a way to salvage this situation. She held the elevator. She knew secrets, the most important secrets in the Sol. She knew about the Aurora Project.

  Ay, that was it! Her Aurora partners would help her. She would give them no choice. She would force them to deploy the unstoppable bioweapons they developed down in their Martian caves. She would wipe out her enemies within hours, and then no one would dare to challenge her.

  But...could she truly risk it? The haze of rage receded a little, and wariness crept back into her mind. It whispered that the Aurora bioweapons were unpredictable, that the preparations for their use were not yet in place. And the people who wielded them were not to be trifled with. Even Victoria had found it necessary to treat them with caution.

  No, she finally decided, Aurora was a last resort. There had to be another way to crush that miserable put
a, something that would tear out her heart...

  Slowly she straightened, realizing that she had the opportunity to make a single, vital strike. Of course. So obvious. She began to smile. And so delicious.

  Her MarSec informant, who had relayed the data about Bianca and the trap she had set, had also given her a detailed report on all of her enemies’ movements. Now was the moment to put it to use. Her car was not due to dock at the terminal for another hour. She had enough time to order her terminal security out on a little errand.

  There was just one point of data she needed to make her new gambit go smoothly.

  Where was that useless personal assistant of hers? The cockroach must have scuttled out of sight when the news had first come. She smacked the nearest com. “Ren! Get me that lawyer!” she snarled. She cast a glare around her wrecked habsuite. “And get one of the other staterooms ready for me.”

  “Ay, M’Ross,” came a small, frightened voice.

  Victoria barely heard the acknowledgement. She threw herself into the chair before her vidscreen, sending tatters of the ripped silk upholstery flying into the air. Her gilded nails flickered as her hands moved over the console. She sliced into the DataCloud, catching at information, weaving and pulling it into a new shape, a new path to the goal.

  Something caught the edge of her attention. An eddy in the flow of the data. Something like a snooper gremlin, perhaps. She snatched at it, but caught nothing. She scanned closely, following the threads winding from her comps into the heart of the Cloud, alert for the slightest ripple of alien awareness at the edge of her firewalls.

  Still nothing. Silent and dark, she waited, just to be sure. Gradually she became certain that it had simply been an echo, or a logic snag. Who would dare to send a gremlin at her, after all?

  She returned to her task with renewed assurance. She ruled the data absolutely, like she ruled the elevator. It was hers.

  The DataCloud

  The ghost drew back from Victoria Ross’s firewalls as fast as a synapse could fire. So close, almost caught. Her heart would be pounding in terror, if she had one in this state.