She hesitated, no doubt questioning the wisdom of sharing such information with someone in the middle of breaking into the emperor’s personal bedchambers.
“I could make one up for you, if you’d like,” Jeth offered. “I think ‘Trouble’ would fit nicely.”
“My name is Aileen.”
Jeth grinned. It suited her. He supposed if things were to go wrong on this job, at least trouble came with a pretty face.
“And what’s yours?”
Jeth cocked his head to the side. “You can call me whatever you like.”
“Hmmm, very well. I’ll go with ‘Peacock.’”
Jeth made a choking noise and was about to argue, when Danforth’s voice intruded, “I hate to bust up the romantic tension, but you really ought to focus on the task at hand. The elevator’s almost there.”
“Right,” Jeth said. “Where’s Little Hawk?”
“Stepped into the back for a minute. More trouble with that relay.”
“Oh,” Jeth said, ignoring Aileen’s curious look about his conversation with a person she couldn’t see or hear.
Seconds later they reached the top floor and the door swished open. Jeth motioned for Aileen to go first.
She smiled and walked past him, as unconcerned as ever. He stepped out after her and surveyed the suite, momentarily overwhelmed by the decadence. There was a wraparound sofa as big as a bed, a fireplace as big as a bathroom, and an in-floor water feature big enough to swim in.
And this was just the first room.
“That way.” Jeth pointed to a set of double doors in the distance. Aileen headed for them without a second glance. Jeth followed her into the bedroom. The same level of decadence continued on in here, but the glass vault across from the bed drew all his attention. It was big enough to enclose a dozen men, and at its center, set atop a wooden pedestal engraved in the likeness of two rearing dragons, was the Grakkian Ruby, the so-called Heart of the Universe. It glowed red beneath the display lights. The sight of that glow jogged Jeth’s memory. He needed something to cover his hands before he picked it up.
He turned to Aileen and then motioned to the bed. “Sit down and stay there. And don’t bother trying to escape. My crew has the elevators locked down. There’s nowhere to go.”
This wasn’t even close to true, but Aileen couldn’t know it. Besides, as she sat down on the bed, she gave no indication that running was on her mind. Instead, she seemed enthralled by the situation unfolding before her.
Jeth grabbed one of the half dozen pillows lying across the top of the bed. He yanked off the pillowcase and then turned back to the vault, stopping before the door.
The only indication that there was a door in that seamless glass facade came from the small control panel on the right. It was similar to the one on the elevator, and for a moment Jeth marveled at how stupid the emperor was to keep something so important in such a relatively unprotected place. True, the glass was shatterproof, but the lack of physical monitoring was a serious weakness. Nobody was guarding the door, and there wasn’t a single security camera in the bedchamber or even the elevators. The emperor insisted on his complete privacy, disregarding any risks.
Then again, Jeth supposed a man in his position was probably arrogant enough to believe there were no risks, that he was so well insulated from the outside that he was perfectly safe in here. If so, he was a fool. Someone inside the emperor’s inner circle was also firmly in Hammer’s pocket.
Of course, Jeth thought as he entered the passcode, the ruby wasn’t exceptionally valuable in a monetary sense. He had no idea why Hammer wanted it. Most of its worth stemmed from its religious importance to the people of this planet. They believed the ruby was some sort of holy relic that would bestow wisdom and good fortune on anyone exposed to it—hence the reason for the glass vault in the emperor’s bedchamber. All nonsense, Jeth knew; religious propaganda designed to control an uneducated and superstitious populace.
The retinal scanner began to flash, and he stood in front of it, holding still once more.
“I’m through,” Jeth said when the door opened. He glanced behind him to make sure Aileen was still behaving herself. She watched him with a bemused expression from where she sat perched on the end of the emperor’s ridiculous bed.
“Excellent,” Danforth said. “We’re in the homestretch.”
Jeth didn’t reply as he stepped inside, a shiver running over his skin at the drop in temperature. The air had a sharp taste and smell, the kind he associated with hospitals and science laboratories. Plush carpet shifted against his feet like deep sand.
Jeth stopped before the pedestal and covered his right hand with the pillowcase. The ruby was coated with a chemical agent that would make the stone and anything that had touched it, skin or clothing, light up like a fireworks show on the infrared display of the security cameras.
He hesitated. “You sure I can just take this? There’s not some kind of pressure alarm waiting to sound?”
“I’m sure,” Danforth said. “All the security is on the door.”
Jeth frowned. Not because he didn’t believe Danforth but because he’d noticed something odd about the ruby.
It wasn’t a ruby.
He’d seen enough rubies in his life to know it. The fist-sized stone was more or less the right color, and it had been cut to look like a ruby, its surface faceted and shape diamond, but the insides gave it away. If Jeth hadn’t known any better, he would’ve thought it was some kind of red-hued amber. Small, branchlike things hung suspended inside it like insects caught in fossilized sap he remembered from the pictures in his old science textbook.
“What the—” Jeth broke off as something far more troubling than a counterfeit ruby grabbed his attention—a voice screaming over the comm.
“Help, Jeth! Help. Hel—”
The sound abruptly cut off as the comm link went dead. But Jeth had recognized the voice easily. Lizzie. Panic rose up inside him like a flood, drowning him in fear.
“Liz—Little Hawk? What is it? What’s wrong? What’s happening?”
For several long, terrible moments no one answered.
Then finally, Danforth’s voice came over the line. “Nothing’s wrong, Longshot. We’re fine. Everything’s fine here.”
“Where’s Little Hawk?”
“She’s fine.”
“Bullshit,” Jeth said, panting from fear and frustration. “Put her on the line.”
Danforth let out a long, heavy sigh. “I’m really sorry about this. I really am. But I can’t let you talk to her right now. Somehow she found out what I’ve been doing and was making such a fuss, I had to shut her up.”
Bile climbed Jeth’s throat as his brain provided an interpretation of Danforth’s words—shut her up. A vision of his baby sister lying sprawled in the passenger’s seat of the truck with half her face blown off and blood and brain matter spattered on the window beside her swam before the eye of his imagination. There were plenty of weapons in the truck, after all.
Why had he let her come down to the planet? Why had he left her alone?
Jeth cleared his throat and his voice came out breathless. “What have you been doing?”
“Well, let’s just say I have no intention of letting you hand that ruby over to Hammer. It’s priceless, worth far more than he would ever pay any of us.”
“You’re going to double-cross Hammer?” It didn’t make sense. No one betrayed Hammer. The price for getting caught was too high. It wasn’t death that Hammer would inflict on Danforth but a kind of living death, one that would last as many years as his body had left to it. Danforth knew the consequences as well as Jeth. And while money was a strong motivator, he didn’t think it would be enough for Danforth to risk becoming one of Hammer’s Guard. There had to be more to it.
Then Jeth remembered the blood. Burner blood. An Odyssey addiction. Hammer had banned the substance, but there were plenty of other crime lords in the universe who hadn’t. And turning over a prize like the Grakkian
Ruby might be enough for Danforth to buy his way into the good graces of one of Hammer’s rivals.
Jeth shook his head, still struggling with disbelief. “But how are you doing this? You didn’t know you were going to come on this job.”
“Do you really think something like a replacement tech would keep me away from this prize?”
A chill skidded down Jeth’s spine. If Danforth had done something to harm their last tech, just to take his place on this job, what else would he do?
“But don’t worry,” Danforth was saying. “Your sister is fine. I only shut her inside one of the barrels. She’s perfectly safe. For now.”
Jeth swallowed. “What do you want from me?”
“Simple. Finish the job.”
Jeth bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. His mind spun as he tried to think of a way out. “Don’t go through with this. It’s not too late. I’ll make sure Liz doesn’t say anything. We’ll finish the job and turn the stone over to Hammer.”
“No.” A chilling certainty colored Danforth’s voice. “Hammer doesn’t win. Not this time. I’m done with him owning me. I’ll do what I want with my life, my body.”
My body. Jeth wondered if Hammer had found out about the Odyssey. Such an infraction might be something Hammer would forgive, at least once. But there would be consequences—like banishment to the coal mines on Gallant Prime. Such an environment should’ve made it easier for Danforth to quit the drug, but he hadn’t.
“Come on,” Jeth pressed. “This is your last chance, and you know it.”
“No,” Danforth said again. “Finish your part now or I’ll kill her.”
Icy daggers seemed to prick Jeth’s skin from his neck to the tops of his feet. He believed Danforth completely. Odyssey users were prone to violent outbursts and wild manic frenzies. And Jeth understood that no matter how rational Danforth sounded, he was no longer a sane man. They said Odyssey liquefied the brain. Sometimes slowly and sometimes all at once.
Jeth drew a breath, unwilling to give up without a fight. “I might be all the way up here, but the rest of the crew can still get to you.”
“Ah, but you’re assuming I haven’t already taken care of them as well.”
“Impossible. You need their help.” Jeth knew with absolute certainty that Danforth wasn’t about to go down into the sewers. He might not know the meaning of the word soap, but he didn’t like to get his hands dirty.
“Now you’re assuming that I’m working alone.”
Another shiver went through Jeth, but he refused to believe the implication. “You’re bluffing.”
“Perhaps, but every second you delay, the risk of getting caught goes up. The fireworks won’t last forever, you know.”
“If I play along,” Jeth said, “how do I know you won’t hurt her afterward? How do I know you won’t leave me trapped up here?”
“You don’t. But Jeth, this really isn’t personal. I have little interest in you or your crew, but I will kill anyone who gets in the way.”
“I—” Jeth broke off as a click echoed behind him. He turned toward the sound, his jaw slackening at the sight that greeted him. Beautiful, rich Aileen stood across from him, wrists no longer bound, pointing the barrel of a Luke 357 at him. Her hands were steady, and her chilling aloofness was all the evidence he needed to know that this wasn’t the first time she’d held a gun on someone.
A sly, sensuous smile stretched across her lips, that devilish glint in her eyes. “Danforth isn’t lying. He’s not working alone.”
CHAPTER 05
TIME SEEMED TO SLOW, STRETCHING OUT AROUND JETH AS his incredulity mounted. He couldn’t fathom it. How had this girl gotten here? How did she know Danforth? And how had she managed to smuggle in that gun?
Aileen spoke, and time snapped back into its normal pace. “Head that way.” She indicated the direction with a nudge of the gun. “Your part in the plan stays the same.”
Furious to find the situation reversed, Jeth considered half a dozen ways to wrest the gun from her. But in all of them, he saw himself getting shot. He couldn’t cover the distance between himself and Aileen quickly enough.
Jeth turned and headed toward the door she had indicated, racking his brain for a solution while Danforth made a show of introducing his new partner through the comm.
Anger thrummed through Jeth. His dislike for the man turned to hatred, black and intoxicating. With an effort, he pushed the emotions away, trying desperately to keep cool. He needed to stay focused, now more than ever. This is a job, he told himself. One that’s gone sideways. Think your way out. It sounded easy in his head, but impossible in his heart as Lizzie’s name kept pounding inside him.
The door opened onto the bathroom, which was surprisingly tame in decor compared to the rest of the suite.
“You know what to do,” Aileen said. “But make sure you take it easy with that wrench. I promise I can shoot you faster than you can throw it.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Jeth said as he stooped next to the toilet. Other than its gilded edges and golden handle, there was nothing special about it—it was a toilet like any other. Same with its plumbing, a design that hadn’t changed in probably a thousand years of human innovation, Jeth thought. He set the ruby on the floor, still wrapped in the pillowcase, and then with both hands, he turned the valve to the water pipe, shutting off the flow. Once done, he fitted the wrench over the first of the bolts on the toilet’s base.
In seconds he had the bolts off. He glanced up at Aileen, whose position hadn’t changed. She must be stronger than she looked to hold the gun aloft for so long without tiring. A 357 was on the smaller side, but still heavy enough. He never should have underestimated her.
“Unless you fancy getting wet,” said Jeth, “you might want to stand back.”
Aileen wrinkled her nose. “What’s the point? You’ve already ruined my dress.”
“Suit yourself.” Jeth slid his hands around the widest part of the toilet and then hoisted the whole thing into the air. Water gushed out, dousing his legs and shoes. The spray hit Aileen, and she skirted backward, gasping at the cold. She also lowered the gun. It was just a few centimeters, but that was all he needed.
With an almighty heave, Jeth threw the toilet at her. It fell short, but the spray of debris as the porcelain shattered did the trick well enough. Jeth leaped over the wreckage and seized Aileen’s wrist before she could react. She was definitely stronger than she looked, he discovered, struggling to overpower her.
She also knew a thing or two about hand-to-hand fighting, as she first stomped on his toes and then landed a punch to his gut. If she’d been a little bit bigger, it might’ve worked. But Jeth held on, a grunt of pain escaping his lips. A second later he had the gun in his hand and, with no small amount of relish, he jabbed the barrel against her breastbone, hard enough that she choked on a gasp.
Somewhere, in the deepest, darkest part of him a voice screamed: Kill her now. Even worse, that dark part of him wanted to do it with a cold, logical yearning. It would make the most sense, solve a massive problem in one quick, efficient blow. For a second, he even saw himself doing it, one squeeze of his index finger and it would be over. At this range, they would have to scrape pieces of her off the floor afterward.
Disgusted with himself, Jeth drew a breath. “There’s been a change of plans, Danforth. That is, unless Aileen intended for me to get ahold of her gun. You should pick your crew better next time.”
“What did you do?” Danforth said.
Jeth grinned. “Hit her with a toilet. Well, almost. Gotta say that makes for a first.”
Danforth swore. “Stupid girl. But it doesn’t change a thing. Lizzie is worth far more to you than Aileen is to me or my employer.”
Aileen, who Jeth guessed was wearing a comm unit similar to his, went rigid at Danforth’s words. “You wouldn’t dare to double cross me.”
Jeth laughed. “Clearly, you don’t know who you’re working with, Trouble. Danforth’s only loyalty, it seems, is
to his Odyssey addition.”
“His what?” Aileen’s nostrils flared, her expression a cross between indignation and outrage.
“Oh, but surely you must’ve—”
“Shut up, both of you,” Danforth screamed loud enough to make Jeth wince. “We’re running out of time.”
The panic in Danforth’s voice was enough to scatter any remaining doubts Jeth might have had about the addiction.
“Don’t worry,” Jeth said. “When I get caught, I’ll send them your way.”
“That won’t save your sister,” said Danforth.
“Sure it will. She’s just a kid. They won’t hurt her. They’ll be far too preoccupied with the only adult involved.”
“Are you willing to spend the rest of your life in a Grakkian prison?”
“Are you? I’m not the one with an addiction to feed. I hear Odyssey detox can kill you.”
Danforth said something in response, but Jeth didn’t hear it. Another noise had captured his full attention: the sound of footsteps coming his way. He grabbed Aileen by the shoulder and swung her around with her back to him. Then he wrapped an arm around her waist, pinning her. With the gun pointed at her temple, he pushed her forward through the door and into the bedroom. Whoever was out there, whether security or servant, they might mistake Aileen for a noble as he had done, giving him a little leverage.
Two people had arrived in the emperor’s bedroom. Jeth’s stomach dropped to his knees when he realized one of them was Celeste, held at gunpoint by a man Jeth recognized as the blunt-axe sentry in plainclothes. He looked like a mountain of sinewy flesh and muscle, dwarfing Celeste completely.
“Put your weapon down or they’ll be picking her up in pieces,” the man said.
Jeth swallowed, a shiver going through him, both at the threat to Celeste and at the way the man’s words echoed his earlier thoughts. He doubted this guy would have any qualms about making good on his threat.
“And here comes the cavalry,” Danforth said, his tone unbearably smug. For a wild, insane moment, Jeth considered opening fire. He was a helluva good shot, and the man a large target. But one look at Celeste’s face and he decided against it. He’d never in his life seen her so afraid. A massive bruise was forming over her left cheek and blood trickled from a split lip. Her servant’s uniform was torn in three places. She might’ve been cowed by the man, but she hadn’t gone down without a fight.
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