Page 91 of Enthraller

“I think they’ve found a hidey-hole somewhere and are waiting out the night and the weather,” Navar said. “We could be way ahead of them, rather than trying to catch up.”

“That would be annoying,” Renard said. “But it’s possible. I think they’re ahead, though. She will take him to the old base.”

“She knows that’s the first place we’ll think of. What about the scientists? Would she go find them?” Linao asked.

Navar shrugged. “I don’t know if she even knows where their camp is. I don’t. They moved after we left, because Renard and his friends knew where the old one was, and they didn’t feel safe there.”

“We only prodded them to stay in character,” Renard said, a laugh in his voice. “Although it was fun while it lasted. I was hoping Professor Tai would be the one to go look at the carvings so we could kidnap her. She said some very hurtful things about us, and I imagined her, all frightened and alone in the hut we built to put our hostage in, but then Trent insisted on an artifact consultant, and we got the fiery Wren instead.”

At his words, Ed’s arms tightened around her, and whether it was the nanos, or just her own intuition, she knew if he could do it without ruining their plans, he would have killed Renard right then.

“The same hut Wren escaped from?” Linao asked.

“The storm ripped the roof off,” Renard said, sounding regretful. “We weren’t exactly working with the best materials. Which I’m sure you know, given you’re the ones who provided them.”

Linao said nothing for a beat. “We’ve given you an excellent deal, Renard. You get a new home on Aponi, you get to stop running from the Arkhoran authorities, and you get enough resources to live a life of luxury. A few months of hard living is surely a small price to pay.”

“You said that before, how lucky me and my crew are, but while you’ve obviously got people in influential places, who can pull the right strings, you surely do not have the whole of Aponi on your payroll. I’d say most of the good citizens of Aponi will resist your efforts to take their home from them. Living without looking over my shoulder for Arkhoran authorities will be good, but I have a feeling that will be replaced by having to watch my back just walking down the streets of Demeter.”

They planned to take the whole planet of Aponi?

Wren actually heard roaring in her ears, and she knew her mouth had fallen open.

“Fuck. Me.” Ed obviously felt the same. “I was thinking way too small.”

They surely couldn’t be serious, but Wren had to admit they’d underestimated these people too many times.

Linao wouldn’t say what the plan was when they’d arrested her, had pretended to be using it for leverage, but Wren had guessed some kind of smuggling operation. She never would have guessed the former Cores thought they had a pathway to taking a planet that was part of the strongest coalition in their part of the galaxy.

The six other planets, plus the new vassal planets, would be mobilized to take it back.

And the Cores would know it.

Which meant they thought they had a way around it.

“It’s the Caruso who worry me.” Crach spoke, and it was as if the ledge they were lying on tilted.

Wren twisted her head to look up at Ed. Even in the darkness she could see his shock.

The Caruso were involved?

“The Caruso should worry everyone.” Linao spoke into the silence that had fallen at Crach’s words. “But they need trivolun, and Aponi has the biggest deposits, and because it’s the furtherest planet out, it’s the easiest to take.”

“And you think the VSC will just let them take it?” Renard gave a laugh. “Like they didn’t let them take Lassa and Garmen?”

“No, but the Caruso are prepared to keep the VSC at bay this time. They’ve been eyeing the trade routes that run from the VSC to the other planetary groups and the independent planets since the VSC established themselves as the heavy-weights of the sector. The Caruso like to think they’re the heavy-weights, and they’re ready to muscle in and show that they are.” Linao cleared her throat. “I’m aware it won’t be easy, and I think the Carusooverestimate themselves somewhat, but the Razors have proved themselves almost unstoppable.”

“The Caruso came up with them?” Kine asked.

“It was a collaboration between some of the engineers in the Core Companies of Garmen and Lassa, and the Caruso. But the Caruso built them, as we couldn’t do it with the VSC watching. We were given the first group off the production line. The Caruso were happy to let us take the risks, but it worked out for us, too. The VSC will find it hard to take Aponi back once we have it.”

“And how will you take Aponi?” Renard asked. “The government isn’t going to go quietly.”

“We have a stockpile of weapons—enough to bring down the Protection Unit headquarters, SF headquarters, and the Department of Defense. After that, we’ll have some Caruso troops to help keep control.”

Except, they didn’t have the stockpile of weapons any more. Which was why Linao was so desperate to find Ed.

And she was being careful not to fill Renard in on the reality of the situation.

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