Page 101 of Enthraller

“Her office was searched. There’s nothing there that could possibly be the scanner. Where is it?” Now the laz was up against Ed’s throat. “I won’t ask again.”

“I hid it.” Ed eased back a bit. “Your contact won’t find it.”

“Then you and I will go and get it.”

Wren could see this was the last thing Opek wanted to do. There would be increased security at headquarters after the attack, and while the building wasn’t too far away, it was going to take time.

Ed lifted a shoulder. “You’re the one holding the laz.”

“Yes.” Opek bit the word off and stepped back, waving Ed down the short alleyway toward the road.

The time had come.

Wren sprinted silently along the roof, dropped down to the ground, and pressed herself against the wall.

Ed walked past her, and a moment later, Opek, a stocky man all dressed in black, followed.

Wren came up behind him, rested her palm against his neck, and then stepped back as he slid silently to the side.

Ed had her in his arms seconds later.

They stood, pressed tight against each other, and then Ed breathed in a deep breath.

“I swear I can smell the flowers from that vine where we first kissed.” He buried his nose in her hair.

“That’s where my nanos dissipated me.” She held him tighter.

“The romantics.” He kissed the top of her head.

She could feel him trembling a little.

“I’m here. I’m safe.”

“What took you so long in the freighter?” He still had a firm hold on her, and she relaxed into it.

“I found a file on the system. Linao must have been reading it while we were on Ytla. It seems the missing warehouse doesn’t just contain weapons. There’s a stockpile of trivolun there, too. The Caruso want it before they take any more action against the VSC. Sort of like a down payment.”

“That explains the desperation.” He rubbed his chin on the top of her head and finally stepped back with a sigh. “So what’s the plan?”

“I was thinking . . .” She looked up at him. “If the Caruso are so keen on getting that trivolun, let’s give it to them.”

39

“There.”Ed’s voice was a low rumble. “I see it.”

They were standing on an empty street in the warehouse district, the pyre of smoke from the Gate burning behind them.

The black smoke was illuminated by the searchlights of runners circling the building, and Wren could smell the oily, nasty stink of it in her clothes and hair.

At least sneaking into headquarters via the secret passage, grabbing the scanner, and sneaking out again had taken less than ten minutes.

And now it had paid off.

“The one with the gray door?” she asked.

“Yes.”

They approached cautiously, Wren keeping watch as Ed used the scanner to check for what and who might be inside.

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