Page 92 of Enthraller

“We have to get off this moon and back to Demeter,” Ed breathed.

That was an understatement.

“How many Razors are there now?” Kine was asking.

“We’ve got one left and the Caruso tell us they have three. The Caruso used up all their tivolun deposits to make them, so we need to take Aponi and secure the supply before we can make any more.”

“Why are you doing this?” Renard asked. “Why not take on a new identity and live a quiet life somewhere? The VSC authorities will probably never find you.”

Linao gave a laugh. “What kind of life is that? We needed a place to set up business again.”

“You had that, though, and you ruined it.” Crach’s tone was bitter. It made Wren wonder if he knew what he was talking about from personal experience.

“Which breakaway were you from?” Linao asked.

So she’d heard it, too.

“Lassa,” Crach admitted. “I hid after the Bodivas took control. That’s where I saw how the Caruso do things. Because you and your Core Company friends had a deal with the Caruso then, too, and it didn’t go so well.”

“We made mistakes,” Linao said. “But that’s done. The reality is we need to set up elsewhere, and we’ve searched long and hard for an alternative. We found a new planet, with trivolun deposits, but it was too dangerous to operate there. Before that, we took a hard look at Faldine, but it’s too difficult to mine there with the magnetic fields. Aponi ended up being the best option.” Linao sounded exactly like the top boss Wren guessed she was. “We already had contacts on Aponi, because two years ago we tried to buy up some trivolun deposits, and were setting up a network. It made Aponi an even easier choice.”

“And lucky us, to be invited along for the ride,” Renard said, and there was more than a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

“We can afford to be generous,” Linao said, perfectly serious, although Wren suspected she was yanking Renard’s chain as hard as he was yanking hers.

The one thing she did know—she and Ed couldn’t afford to wait a moment longer than necessary.

They needed to get off Ytla, and let the Aponi know what was about to come down on their heads.

35

Wren lifted up,trying to see where everyone had chosen to sleep, but the leaves on the tree in front of them were too dense, and they blocked all view.

Their pursuers had been asleep for at least two hours, and she and Ed were both ready to go.

She got on her hands and knees and then edged back to give Ed room to move, and then she waited for him where the outcrop was closest to the tree.

She could jump it, but that might make some noise, so she waited for him to step across, one foot on the ledge, the other on the thick branch, and pull her over.

She made her way down the trunk first, keeping silent, her nanos humming in anticipation.

The fire was glowing, and four men lay around it, close enough to get the benefit of the heat it was putting out. They had heard Renard offer to do first guard watch, and Linao had gone back to the freighter.

Wren noticed she had not extended the invitation to anyone to join her.

Neither had anyone asked if they could.

The men lay so close to the tree she had just climbed down, she could have touched Navar if she crouched down and extended her arm.

Ed dropped silently down beside her, and tensed when he saw how tight things were.

Wren relaxed, letting her nanos steer, and began to pick a path through the sleeping men.

Ed followed directly behind her, stepping where she stepped.

The moment they were out of the circle, and out of the fire’s glow, she felt a bloom of elation.

We like doing things like this, her nanos told her.Since we chose you, life has been more interesting.

---