Page 34 of Phoenix's Last Heist
“I haven’t worked that out yet, but I will. We have a few days,” I say, finishing up the last of the dishes.
He seems less than satisfied with that answer, but I need time to work something out between now and then.
“What did you do last time you were here?” Orion asks with a stretch, grabbing his towel and making for the door.
I follow him out, heading for my room.
“I blew up the casino.”
I can’t help but enjoy the horrified shock painted across his handsome face.
Over the next few days,Orion and I settle into something of a routine. Ever since our time on Amphitreas and subsequent drunken evening, he stopped avoiding me around the ship, which is nicer than I care to admit. While he spends most of his time tending the biosphere and perusing my collection of books, in the evenings we sit together in the cockpit after dinner, reading in companionable silence. He’s taken it upon himself to care for the little plant he bought me, which turned out to be a rare species from Terrin-4 and eats nothing but animal bones. I don’t ask where Orion gets the bones, but despite his people’s beliefs about eating meat and his strict vegetarianism, he seems to enjoy taking care of the little guy. He’s even named it Spike.
When we’re about a day out from Minaris, it’s finally time for us to sit down and work through the details of our plan. Orion has been practicing his entitled, wealthy criminal act—which he scathingly declared is modeled after me—and I’ve got to hand it to him. The swagger and confidence he wears as he struts around the ship is extremely sexy. Granted, I’ve begun to think just about everything he does is sexy—even when he’s being infuriatingly upstanding and good.
“Stop fidgeting with your suit!”
I tug the suit jacket over his shoulders and straighten the shirt he’s rumpling.
“Who wears these clothes? Why are they so uncomfortable? I feel like I’m being strangled,” he huffs.
“It’s an old Earth style. A lot of the dealers like to wear them, so you’ll blend in. Besides, it hides your Xylothian coloring and your, uh, freckles,” I say, distractedly enjoying the solid feel of muscle beneath the silky fabric.
“Freckles?” He arches a brow.
“Yeah, the dark purple spots on your skin that like…flicker.” I finish straightening the suit and step back.
“Ah. They’re not freckles, they’re synesfores. All Xylothians have them. They shift form and color depending on our emotions. Not quite so useful asvellia, I’d imagine, but more of a holdover from the age when we all lived naked in the rainforests.”
Images of a nude Orion surrounded by nature pull my attention away from our conversation momentarily.
“Lyra?”
“Right, yes, sorry. Minaris! Ada is going to alter our registration and ship name so we can actually land. She’s going to say you’re the owner. Once we land, you’ve got to make your way to the Red Sands Casino and head straight to the front desk. When you’re there, you tell them you’d like to speak with themanager about a private party. One of the Triumvirate goons will come out, then—they’ll know you’ve got something to sell. We’re going to keep the idol in this case here, but you’ll have to insist on opening it in the vault,” I explain.
“What if he won’t take me to the vault?” Orion asks.
“Oh, he will. This is how every bargain begins. He’ll take you in the back to meet with Fobos, who runs the casino. You’ll show Fobos the idol and tell him all about it—how you found it, how you stole it, how the Xylothians have prized it for eons, and all that. Now, this is important, so pay attention.”
Orion leans forward, staring intently at the holographic map projected between us. I gesture to the casino blueprints.
“While you’re inside, I’m going to sneak in through the delivery chute, make my way to the casino floor and create a distraction.” I hold up a small purple box. “This is a Velusian-style stun grenade. It works with thevelliain our blood. A few drops go in, you press the button, and the box basically atomizes the chemical components that make people go a little nutty—essentially the same thing as being one-on-one with a Velusian, except with a wider, broader blast radius. The trade-off is that it doesn’t last for very long and like I said before,velliaisn’t entirely universal, but it should cause enough chaos on the casino floor to draw out most of the Triumvirate security and give you a window of time to get your proof. You remember how to work the holocord?”
He nods, pulling out the small box that will record holograms of the vault.
“Great. You get what you need, then duck out of there in a hurry. We’ll meet back at the landing bay and then, stars willing, get the heck out of there.”
“Mmm.” Orion’s brow furrows. “Slice of cake.”
I stare. “What?”
“I read that expression in one of your books,” he says. “It’s an Earth saying, is it not? It will be easy.”
I chuckle, oddly charmed by his mistaking the expression.
“Yeah, no worries. Slice of cake.”
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