Page 67 of Enthraller

“I know you are. You’re involved in killing Protection Unit officers at the hover port and trying to kill Aponi’s head of Defense and Demeter’s head of Special Forces. What would you call that?”

He seemed to be having trouble getting his brain to work. “I do them favors, but I haven’t personally . . .” He blinked again, sucked in a breath. “I’ll make a deal. I’ll tell you everything.”

Ed jammed the laz a little harder into his throat. “You’ll tell me everything anyway.”

Wren movedinto the small cafe, aware her nanos had altered her features very slightly.

Chances were not strong that the man behind the counter would know who she was, but just in case he did, he would hopefully not recognize her.

“Can I get some jah?” she asked, settling onto a stool close to the counter. She hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since they’d taken the runner back down to Demeter, and she suddenly realized she was running on empty.

She helped herself to a glass and poured herself some water from a jug, then tapped her code into the payment device the man held out to pay for her jah.

She had been keeping careful watch on him since she’d entered the little cafe, and she guessed she had interfered in his plans, if his look of aggravation was anything to go by.

“We’re closing in ten minutes,” he told her, voice a little harsh.

“That’s fine.” She said it with a sunny smile. “You can give me the jah in a takeaway cup. I have to get back to headquarters, anyway.”

“You work at the Defense Headquarters?” he asked casually as he ground up the jah and tapped the holder on the side of his jah machine to level it out.

“Yes. I suppose you get a lot of us in and out, you’re so close to the building.”

He gave a cautious nod. “Did you hear about what happened at the hover port?”

“Just what everyone else has heard, no inside data,” she said, keeping her voice light and a little disappointed. “Quite shocking. I’m looking forward to hearing what Velda Shanïha has to say about it.”

“Is she going to make an announcement?” he asked, head coming up as he poured her drink into a cup and handed it to her.

“I can’t see how she won’t,” Wren said. “Everyone needs to know what’s going on.”

“I had heard from some of the other staff that she was in Nanganya.” He said it carefully.

She took the cup and started walking backward toward the door. “Even if she’s in Nanganya, she can still make an announcement.” She said it as if she thought he wasn’t very bright. “She’s Head of Defense for the whole of Aponi.”

She let the door close behind her, then stood on the pavement, as if to wait for the traffic to clear, and heard him come up behind her, close the door and lock it.

When she glanced back, he’d set the sign to Closed and was walking to the back. She watched him disappear into the back room, and as soon as he was gone she walked casually down the street, looking for a good place to wait without being seen.

She found a large pot full of thriving plants, and sat on the little box beside it. The spot kept her out of sight, but she would see him when he exited the alleyway.

She had barely settled in when he passed by. He didn’t so much as glance in her direction.

She got to her feet and walked after him, keeping well back, sipping on her jah, impressed with how good it tasted. She hoped he didn’t do anything that would necessitate her having to run and spill it.

He kept a steady, fast pace, though—head down, shoulders hunched.

None of these people looked happy with their betrayals, she realized. Everyone so far had seemed deeply conflicted.

Whatever they were part of, they didn’t like it.

Which made her wonder why they were cooperating. If it was similar to the freighter captain they’d caught, then it was blackmail. Which would explain the deep unhappiness, she supposed.

The special forces soldiers who’d transferred down from Nanganya and had attacked them at Ethan Hyt’s apartment behaved as if they had actually bought into the plot, but they were the only ones so far.

The man was heading in the direction of the hover port, but before he reached the main intersection he turned off to the right, and Wren found herself in a long street with warehouses on either side.

Storage for the goods being traded on and off planet.

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