The Star Thief (Star Thief Chronicles 1)
Page 28His pale face flushed deep red. “No, ma’am. I’d prefer you’d just hand everything over.”
She shook her head. “I was teasing, Chief. I wouldn’t do that to you.” She paused. “Unless you want me to?”
He flushed again and held out his hand. “Weapons, please?”
Renna pulled the gun she’d grabbed earlier from her waistband and handed it over, then, sank down onto the lumpy mattress.
Bokal smiled at her. “I’ll have Miss Mary bring you down some food. We’ll be at Aldani’s lab by dawn. I’ll come and get you for the fireworks.” He winked and lumbered from the brig, leaving Renna in silence.
Or at least as silent as being on a moving ship could be.
The hum of the engines and the whisper of the air recycler soothed her ragged nerves. She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. Where had everything gone so wrong?
How far back did she want to go?
She shook her head. No sense in going down that road. Just because she was here with Finn didn’t mean she had to relive that part of her life. She’d moved on. Obviously he had, too. Someday maybe she’d get the story out of him, but right now…right now she wanted to give him a good roundhouse kick to the gut. Her muscles tightened until they felt like rocks, and she rubbed the back of her neck.
The person she was angriest at was herself. That was twice now she’d been careless. And Myka was going to be the one to suffer.
She sighed and let herself slide down onto the mattress to stare at the ceiling. Better get some rest while she could. When she got out of here, she’d have plenty of work to do.
The sudden silence woke Renna several hours later.
Blinking against the bright lights of the brig, she rubbed a hand over her face. The engines were off, and the faint echo of voices drifted down to her from above. There was the commanding treble of Finn’s voice. He sounded pissed. Good. Keva’s lighter tones rose in response. Neither appeared to let her out.
With a yawn, she got to her feet, tugging a hand through her tangled hair before pulling it back into a neat ponytail. She slipped back into her leather coat and tugged at her shirt. Gods she hated sleeping in her clothes. She always felt so dirty afterward.
Almost ten minutes later, Bokal finally came to let her out. “Sorry it took so long. Had to finish the captain’s orders.”
Renna followed him through the empty ship. Bokal stopped her at the hatch by putting a hand on her arm. “I know you’re only looking out for the boy, but don’t let Finn fool you. He’s as worried about Myka as you are. His hands are just tied.”
“Sure. Whatever.” Finn had his orders. She got it. But she wasn’t under any requirement to follow them.
The ship hatch slid open with a swoosh, and she stepped out onto a metal landing pad in the center of a huge industrial space. Her jaw dropped. The place was at least five stories tall, with a retractable glass roof. Other ship bays dotted the area, dwarfing the one where the Athena sat. Dr. Aldani must do very well for himself.
Bokal led her down the pad’s ramp to the floor of the hangar. Her boots clicked against the cement as they headed toward a double door she guessed led to other areas of Aldani’s lab. Bokal held the door open for her and she stepped across the threshold. Only to stop short inside the hallway.
Two men seemed to take up the entire space: Captain Finn, standing at attention in his uniform, and the tall, dark-skinned man shouting at him. They were of similar size and build, but the scientist’s fury made him seem even more dangerous than the military man.
“Who the hell do you think you are telling me how this is going to work? I’m the one who can stop them. Not you.” Aldani jammed a finger into Finn’s chest, but the captain held his ground. “And you haven’t completed your side of the bargain.”
The man’s mahogany skin mottled. “And then you lost him. And instead of rescuing him, you decided to leave him with those bastards!”
Keva moved forward. “Doctor, if you’d just listen—”
Aldani whipped around, his eyes narrowing on her like twin laser beams. Keva swallowed and stepped back at the raw anger on his face.
“No, you listen to me. I’m not giving you a thing until Myka is back safe and unharmed. Do you understand? I don’t care what it takes. The boy is the only thing that matters.”
Renna moved from behind Bokal.
Like a lion sighting its prey, Aldani’s dark gaze immediately snapped to her.
She froze. He had Myka’s eyes.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded. “Wait, don’t tell me. You’re the merc who lost my nephew.”
“I’m the woman who rescued him. Renna Carrizal. Pleased to meet you, Dr. Aldani.” She held out her hand.
He stared at it as if was dirty. After a long, awkward moment, she finally dropped it.
Finn shook his head, and he swallowed once before saying, “I’m sorry, sir. I’m afraid that’s impossible.”
Anger blazed in Aldani’s brown eyes. “Don’t you tell me what’s impossible, boy. I’m done dealing with ineptitude.”
She totally got the doctor’s anger, but this had gone far enough. Renna interrupted before he could take his next breath. “Hesperia is gone, Dallas is likely dead, and the MYTH facility on that planet is destroyed. I’m afraid you’re stuck with us.”
Aldani opened his mouth, then closed it.
“They’re all dead.” She swayed as the image of the crater in the middle of the city filled her memory, the mushroom cloud of destruction the invaders had caused. Tamping down her anger with everything in her, she took a deep breath. “Whoever is looking for Myka attacked the planet. I’m not sure if anyone survived.”
Aldani whirled on his heels, the tails of his lab coat flapping. “Why didn’t you tell me this, Captain?”
Finn spread his hands. “I tried, sir, but—”
Renna nodded. “He’s a popular kid. You need to tell us exactly what’s going on and how this is related to us breaking into the facility on Banos Prime.”
Aldani let out a low growl. “Fine. If you’re all I get, I’ll have to make do. Let’s take this inside, Captain.” He stabbed a finger at Renna. “You too, Miss Carrizal.”