“I thought CP57 was governed by a council.”
“Technically, yes, but Sawya pulls the strings.”
We lapsed into silence, and I used the time to open the information packet. Adams was indeed on-station with a team of eight and a secondary team of six. An unknown number more remained on his ship, which was docked on Block 107. Thanks to the somewhat random numbering, that block was on the other side of the station from where we’d landed.
I skimmed the info, which was plentiful. Adams had made his base in Block 14 which was on the far side of Block 4. I wondered if Sawya hoped that we’d run into him as we exited their block.
It would not surprise me, tentative friendship or no.
Be careful, I told the group. Adams is based in Block 14. He could be traveling through Block 4.
A chorus of agreements came across the link. I’d reversed my cloak as soon as we’d left Sawya’s building, but now I pulled up the hood. I’d rather confront Adams when we were fully prepared, not randomly because of a chance meeting.
The guards at the airlock gate let us pass with a wave. The small crowd gathered on the Block 4 side tossed us envious looks. Some of them would wait days for entrance. Some of them would never make it through the gates.
I spotted Luka’s massive form first. Even covered by a long coat, it was impossible to miss him. He and Valentin watched the airlock from a deep shadow between buildings. Block 4 wasn’t quite as impressive as the block we’d just left. The buildings still towered overhead, but they weren’t as bright. It felt like we had stepped from day to night when crossing the airlock.
There were too many people gathered around the gate, so I turned away from Valentin and Luka and led Eddie deeper into the block.
Where are you going? Valentin asked.
I’m going to see if we pick up a tail. Stay put and see if anyone peels off.
I ambled along, stopping to look in shop windows and changing direction at random. No one followed us. I waited another five minutes, then circled around to Luka and Valentin, who had moved back so they couldn’t be seen from the gate. Ari, Stella, and Imogen had not arrived yet.
Valentin pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispered.
I wrapped my arms around him and leaned into his chest. “Same. It went better than I thought it would.” I would eventually have to tell him what I’d agreed to do, but for now, I just enjoyed the moment.
When I pulled back, Valentin reluctantly let me go. I opened a private link to Ari. When she accepted, I asked, Where are you?
We’re in Block 6. Is something wrong?
No, but we’re in the open here. We’ll head your way and meet in the middle. Stay alert.
Sounds good. You, too. She dropped the link.
“We’re going to meet the others on our way back. They’re in Block 6 now, so we’ll probably cross paths in 5.”
Valentin slipped his hand into mine and squeezed my fingers. “Lead the way.”
I didn’t relax until we were back in our rooms in Block 48. I’d held off most of the questions until we were somewhere safer, but now everyone headed to the office by unspoken agreement. I would have to tell them what I’d done.
Everyone in the room knew that I’d been an assassin in my former life. Some people, like Ari and Stella, knew more than the others, but it wouldn’t entirely shock any of them that I’d agreed to murder Adams, considering the guy wasn’t exactly a saint himself.
Except for maybe Imogen. I braced myself for the horror on her face when I explained what I planned to do.
I was too antsy to sit behind the desk, so I paced in front of it. I wasn’t the only one too wired to sit still because everyone else stood, too, though Luka leaned against the wall, seemingly at ease.
“What happened after the connection died?” Ari asked, her voice quiet.
“Adams had already been to see Sawya. He offered them a large amount of money to deliver me. Presumably Valentin, too, but Sawya didn’t say.”
“How long ago?” Imogen asked.
“I don’t know. Sawya knew that we’d been here for a week. They keep an eye on the station, but there are too many people traveling for them to notice us without being tipped off. However, once they found us, it wouldn’t be too hard to track down when we arrived, so Adams could’ve visited yesterday or before we arrived.”
Ari blew out a frustrated breath. “So Adams might have been here all week while we’ve been looking in the wrong places.”
“Yes.” I didn’t try to sugarcoat it, though I felt the failure as sharply as anyone, like an itch under my skin.
“Why didn’t Sawya turn you over?” Luka asked, his voice carefully neutral. He watched me just as carefully.
I wanted to make a joke about how I was a secret spy sent to kill Valentin in his sleep, but joking about death didn’t seem so funny when I had agreed to kill someone. “We’ve worked together before, and Adams insulted them. I’m sure they were still entertaining the offer when I arrived, but for whatever reason, they decided against it.”
Valentin swore under his breath.
“So Sawya just let you go with a pile of information on Adams from the goodness of their heart?” Luka asked, his skepticism clear. He looked to Eddie, but Eddie had gone still and stone-faced.
I laughed. “If Sawya has a heart, it’s well hidden. It’s true that we have history, but ultimately, choosing to let me go was a business decision. They think Adams is planning something for CP57, and they want me to stop it—and Adams. And they want CP57 to negotiate the peace between Kos and Quint.”
Valentin slanted an unreadable glance at me. “And you agreed?”
“Partially. Sawya wants Adams dead, and I promised to see it done. I also promised that I would clean up whatever plot he hatched here on CP57. As for the peace negotiation, I said I’d try to persuade you, but I did not promise results.”
“You promised to kill Adams?” Imogen asked with wide eyes. “Just like that?” When I nodded, she continued, “What about a trial?”
“He kidnapped Valentin. He attempted to beat information out of me with his fists. He attacked Arx, blew up my ship, and tried to kill me multiple times. I regret many things I’ve done, but I will not regret his death.”
Imogen stared at the floor and said nothing.
“Did you agree to kill him yourself?” Valentin asked.
I thought back over the exact wording. “No. I promised he wouldn’t survive, but I made no promises about how or when, except that it would be soon.”
“So we could capture him and take him to Koan for a quick trial.”
I wrinkled my nose in thought. “We could,” I said slowly, “but that involves a lot more risk. Sawya said Adams has surrounded himself with sycophants who would try to free him. And Sawya would not look kindly on him escaping. I could easily find myself the subject of a kill contract of my own. And life in prison is not the same thing as death.”
“Attempting to kill the emperor is a capital crime,” Valentin said. “It’s something to consider, that’s all.” He let the matter drop and changed the subject. “What is Adams planning?”
“Sawya didn’t know. Apparently, someone warned Adams to be careful while he was on-station. But odds are, it won’t be pleasant, so the sooner we catch him, the better.”
I sent everyone the data Sawya had sent me. “This is everything I was given. Take a few minutes tonight to look through it and see if you can find anything interesting. It’s already late, so let’s reconvene in the morning to discuss strategy.”
“You’re not going to try to sneak out and take care of this yourself, are you?” Ari asked. Beside her, Stella watched my reaction with narrowed eyes.
“No. He has a large team with him. It will either need to be a coordinated attack or we’ll have to draw him out. I can’t afford a mistake that lets him escape. I don’t want any of you trying it, either. I brought you along so that we could solve this problem together as safely as
possible.”
Stella nodded. “Don’t forget to sleep.” She looked at the rest of the group. “That goes for all of you, too. Exhaustion leads to mistakes, and I don’t want to have to patch you all up.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I promised with a wan smile. “Goodnight, everyone.”
Imogen lingered as the others left the room. Valentin met my eyes, silently asking if he should stay. I shook my head, and he brushed a kiss across my cheek. “I’ll see you upstairs.”
Once the room was empty, Imogen shifted nervously.
“Do you want to go back to Arx?” I asked quietly. “You don’t have to stay. I won’t hold it against you.”
Her eyes widened. “No, no that’s not what I want at all. I wanted to apologize for being hypocritical. I killed people during the war who probably deserved it far less than Adams, and I didn’t blink.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why this feels different.”
“It is different,” I said, my tone gentle. “Taking a life isn’t easy—or it shouldn’t be, at least—but planning to murder someone is far different than killing during the heat of battle. You have to be able to look yourself in the mirror every morning. I will understand if you decide this mission is not for you.”
Her expression hardened. “I was in the transport when his people attacked it. I was in the building when he blew it up. He tried to kill me, too. I will not mourn his death.”
“Take tonight to think about it.” When she tried to protest, I held up a hand. “I’m serious. Think about how you’ll feel if the whole plan goes sideways and you’re the one left who has to pull the trigger. Let me know tomorrow what you would like to do. If you don’t want to return to Arx, but you don’t want to be actively involved, you could stay here as our coordinator.”
She nodded. “I will think about it.”
Chapter Thirteen
After Imogen left, I sat at the desk and tried to order my thoughts. Valentin waited for me upstairs, but I needed a moment to decompress. I hadn’t lied to Ari, I wasn’t going to go rogue and hit Adams tonight on my own, but the temptation certainly existed.
I let Valentin know that I was going to be in the office for a little while and then started going through the data Sawya had sent me. To say it was extensive would be an understatement. There were logs of when people left the building, including who, how many, and their destination. I shivered. Sawya would have just as much information on me, and they could’ve easily turned it over to Adams.
According to this, Adams had arrived a day after us, but he hadn’t wasted any time—he’d gone straight to Sawya. It made me feel a little better that he hadn’t been here for weeks.
He’d chosen his building well. There was no easy way to get a team in. We would have to draw him out or at least catch him when he was outside. Unfortunately, according to the logs, he let his lackeys handle everything. He rarely left the building.
I was going to have to play bait after all. I grimaced in distaste.
A while later, Ari stuck her head in the office. “Mind some company?”
I smiled at her. “Did Stella send you to ensure that I’d go to bed?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said with the worst attempt at a straight face I’d ever seen.
It worked, though, and I broke into laughter.
She dropped into the chair in front of the desk with her usual lazy grace. “Planning?”
“Thinking, mostly,” I said.
“I half expected you to sneak out, promise be damned.”
I tipped my head in acknowledgment. “That’s because you know me.” I sighed. “But it won’t be that easy. Adams is holed up and breaking in is too risky.”
“Nothing’s ever easy,” Ari grumbled. She looked me over. “How are you?”
“Worried. Worn.” I paused and pursed my lips. “I accidentally told Valentin that I loved him.”
Her eyes rounded and she leaned forward. “What?! How did he react?” When I didn’t respond fast enough, her expression closed. “Do I need to kill him?”
I smiled. “He loves me, too.”
“Of course he does,” she said breezily, as if she hadn’t just threatened his life. “He’s a smart man.”
“Do you think I’m making a mistake?”
She gave me a soft look. “No. He makes you happy.” Ari wasn’t my best friend for nothing—she knew all of my weaknesses. “And you deserve happiness.”
I sidestepped the whole issue of what I deserved. “I’ll feel better once Adams is taken care of. And then after the war is over.”
“Do you think Quint and Kos will really be able to negotiate a lasting peace this time?”
I blew out a slow breath and leaned back in my chair. “I don’t know. There are plenty of people who don’t want peace, but I’m hopeful that there are more who do. Valentin seems convinced he can make it happen, and I wouldn’t bet against him.”
“I wouldn’t, either,” she murmured. “It would be nice to see some of my old friends, assuming they survived.”
I nodded in understanding. Many of those who had chosen the Rogue Coalition had done so out of desperation, often leaving loved ones behind. While they didn’t have to sever the relationship, it was often safer for both parties if they did. Instead of direct communication, they scoured the news and passed along rumors, hoping to hear about the people they’d left behind without giving away what they were doing.
Ari cocked her head and her eyes crinkled with her smile. “Stella says that if we don’t go to bed, she’s going to come down here with elephant tranquilizer and she’s not going to be gentle about it.”
I’d never seen an elephant in person, but it didn’t surprise me that Stella had something in her bag of tricks capable of taking down one of the massive creatures.
“Now who’s the tiny tyrant?” I asked as I stood.
Ari rose with me and grinned. “I’m going to refuse to answer that for fear of sleeping on the floor for all of eternity.”
“Smart,” I agreed with a laugh. “Very smart.”
Valentin lounged against the headboard, with an arm resting on his bent knee. He’d changed into loose pants and a snug, short-sleeved shirt. His eyes lost their faraway look as I moved into the room. He’d either been using the net or going over the information I’d sent.
“Welcome back,” he said. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I chatted with Ari for a while.”
I turned away from the bed and started peeling off my clothes with nervous fingers. There was no reason that this had to be weird. Just because it was the first time we were alone together since I’d blurted out those three little words didn’t mean anything.
Valentin’s fingers closed over mine, and I jerked in surprise. I hadn’t heard him move. I’d been so busy ignoring him that I’d done it a little too well.
“Allow me,” he said quietly.
I dropped my hands as he easily unbuckled the shoulder holster that I’d been fiddling with. He left the cami and knelt, unlacing my boots. He carefully removed them and the knives strapped to my ankles. He peeled off my socks and tears welled unexpectedly at the amount of care he took.
I blinked them away.
Valentin rose and lightly rested his fingers on my waistband. He met my gaze, silently asking for permission.
I swallowed and nodded.
He removed the holster at the small of my back, then unbuttoned my slacks and carefully eased them down my legs. His fingers trailed over my skin with reverence.
He pressed a soft kiss to my thigh, and I buried my fingers in his hair. “Valentin,” I whispered.
“I know,” he murmured against my skin. But he didn’t alter his deliberate pace.
I trembled as the last piece of clothing hit the floor. Valentin had stopped long enough to strip off his own clothes, leaving us naked in the middle of the room. He had burned out any embarrassment I might’ve felt with soft kisses and softer caresses.
N
ow I burned for a different reason.
And I was going to show him just how much I appreciated his care.
When I kissed my way down his body, sinking to my knees, he groaned deep in his chest. I grinned up at him and his fingers touched my jaw, gentle and adoring. “You don’t—”
I licked him.
He bit off what he was going to say with a low curse, and his fists clenched. “Never mind,” he growled. “Please continue.”
I hummed in agreement, and he groaned.
It was a long time later before we finally dropped into an exhausted, sated sleep.
The next morning came too early. Everyone at the breakfast table looked like they hadn’t gotten enough sleep, despite Stella’s admonishment. She frowned at us and shook her head, but she didn’t say anything because she wasn’t exactly looking bright and perky herself.
“Thoughts?” I asked.
“I found the floor plans of the building,” Eddie said. “I can get us in, but it’s broken up into a bunch of rooms like this.” He waved his arm around. “Seems like a good way to die.”
I’d spent an hour this morning, cuddled in bed with Valentin, going over the data. Eddie wasn’t wrong.
“Adams doesn’t seem to leave the building on any sort of set schedule,” Luka said.
“But his people do,” Imogen added. “They’re sweeping the surrounding blocks, same as we did. They usually go in pairs.”
“We could grab them,” Ari said, “but I don’t know if that will be enough to draw him out.”
If we had time, I would find a perch overlooking the main door to their building and wait for Adams to emerge. A single, long-range shot was far less risky than an in-person attack, but I didn’t think Sawya would be happy to wait that long.
And when Sawya became unhappy, things got messy.
“We could set his building on fire,” Eddie suggested. When everyone turned to glare at him, he held up his hands. “I didn’t mean we should. It was just a suggestion. I’m thinking out loud.”
I rolled my eyes. “Does anyone have a suggestion that doesn’t involve killing a whole block?”
The Queen’s Triumph (Rogue Queen) Page 10