Page 82 of Enthraller

We are a single entity now, they told her.We have been together too long. We go to no one else.

Linao glanced at her as she rubbed her temples, then turned to Ed. “You can stay on the hover.”

She turned to Wren. “You’re not going to have that luxury, no matter how bad you feel.” She stepped forward and released Wren’s ankle restraints, and Wren slid off the hover onto the ground.

She bent over, as if in pain, hands still secured behind her back. She straightened slowly, as if every movement hurt, and stared straight at Renard. “I bet they did find the wreck again,” she said. “No way they didn’t. It was big. I wasn’t even looking for it and I found it. They’ve probably been stripping it all these months, and now they’re going to pretend there’s nothing there when we reach it.”

The sidekicks moved restlessly, as if they’d like to come at her.

“She right?” Navar asked.

Renard studied her. “Revenge. I can respect that.” He gave a shake of his head. “No, she’s not right. But I wasn’t very . . . nice to her when I had her, and she’s stirring you up against me in retaliation.”

“How was it she found the wreck and you didn’t, when that was the only job you had after you found the first half of the ship?” Fenton leaned back a little, arms crossed.

“Pure luck,” Renard said. “The second site is over three thou away from the part of the ship we did find. We never imagined the whole thing could have broken up over such a large area, especially into two such big, distinct pieces.”

There was silence, broken only by the sowing of the wind. Cold and cutting, it was far worse than she’d had to deal with when she’d escaped. The weather then had been wild, dangerous, even, but the temperature had been a lot higher. It had been the end of summer, whereas now they were going into the beginning of winter.

Wren shivered. It seemed to snap Linao out of whatever she was thinking.

“Let’s go.” She was standing by the hover, and she set her laz against Ed’s neck and made eye contact with Wren. “I understand there is very little here to motivate you. If I was in your boots, I’d be asking myself why I should cooperate. If we’dbrought you here on your own, that would be a problem for me, but unfortunately for you, you weren’t brought alone. Your friend here will get another laz strike if you don’t cooperate. Do I make myself clear?”

Wren turned her back on Linao, held out her bound wrists. “Very clear. I’ll need my hands free.”

There was a moment of hesitation, and then Linao came forward to release her.

“Thank you.” Wren faced them again. “Where’s that trash pit you call cult headquarters?” she asked Renard.

He raised an eyebrow. Pointed north east. “The camp is that way.”

She looked in that direction, studied the rocks and the withering grasses. The way north east rose up to a low hill, and she remembered running down a slope as part of her escape. She started walking toward it, brushing past Ed deliberately as she went.

He thrust his bound legs out, barring her way. Exchanged a look with her.

Telling her with his eyes not to sacrifice herself for him.

She leaned toward him, pressing her hand against his cheek. “It goes both ways now,” she told him softly.

Navar grabbed the back of her jacket and hauled her away.

He is lucky he isn’t touching your skin, her nanos said.

Even if he did, we couldn’t do anything, she warned them.There is no safe way out right now. We have to wait.

She didn’t look at Navar. He needed to underestimate her, just as they were underestimating Ed, and she couldn’t hide the contempt that she felt. So she looked down and pretended fear, instead.

“Stop wasting time,” Renard warned her, and Navar gave her a little shove.

She let herself pitch forward, putting out her hands to break her fall, as if the shove had been harder than it was.

“You’re the ones wasting time,” Linao snapped out. “Fuck’s sake. Stop getting handsy with her and let’s get on with it.”

Oh, Linaodefinitelydidn’t just know people in high places, Wren decided when she got to her feet and brushed the dirt off her hands. Shewaspeople in high places.

They had one of the top bosses in their midst.

There was suddenly no doubt in her mind.

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