Page 71 of Phoenix's Last Heist
“Nah, but company’s looking for you, isn’t it, Xylothian?” he drawls, flashing me a wink and a glimpse of fangs.
The Fed? Who else would be paying close enough attention to recognize a Xylothian? Still, his overly rakish attitude gives me pause. I scrutinize him and lean in. “What do you mean?”
With an exaggerated roll of his eyes, he matches my posture leaning over the table.
“Let’s just say I’m not the only one here who’s interested in making your acquaintance, Ranger Asterth,” he says in a low voice. “Presumably you’re here because we have a mutual friend?”
“Perhaps,” I hedge. “Who’s your friend?”
“The loveliest little constellation in the sky,” he smirks. “That Velusian hybrid is a tough little bird to cage.”
My anger surges and I stand suddenly, knocking the plates and glasses off our small table. My mating instincts want me to rip this male’s throat out for speaking of Lyra in such a way, but my clumsy move has attracted the attention of several other patrons, including the woman who seated me.
“Easy, Ranger,” he says with a dark chuckle. “Let’s go somewhere a little more private and have a chat.”
Stifling a growl, I follow the pirate into a back room. After locking it and drawing the curtains that look out over the alleyway, he shoves my clothes into my arms and tugs off his stringy wig, shucking his costume as quickly as he can.
“I don’t have a lot of time,” he says, his drunken manner evaporating instantly. “And I’m guessing you don’t, either. I’m Agent Vega—Lyra’s contact. Why didn’t she come to meet me?”
Eyebrows arched almost to my hairline, I gape for a second before Agent Vega gestures to my clothes, wordlessly indicating he wants me to leavebillowybehind and get dressed.
“She was taken,” I tell him, too unsettled to feel any relief that I’ve made contact with the Fed. “A Void Stalker named Kraxis is taking her back to Ooneryx. To Brill.”
Vega swears. “Did she get it? Back on Xylothia—did she get the idol?”
My resolve wavers momentarily. “Let’s say she did. If you had the idol, and could make the swap, how does that help her now? You know Brill’s going to kill her before you all get the proof you need to send in a team,” I say, tugging the shirt over my head and reaching for my uniform.
Vega grins, but there’s something unhinged in it. With a throb of pain, I realize the expression reminds me of Lyra.
“Well, we need the intel from the fake idol to do things by the books,” he says, putting on a pair of black cargo pants and a stretchy black turtleneck. Seeing the confusion on my face, he explains.
“The fake is fitted with creep-tech. As soon as it’s in proximity to Brill’s system, it’ll start feeding us all the data we could ever want to collapse his entire fucking network.” He laces up a pair of black combat boots and straps on a chest harness with several small knives, but it’s inconspicuous enough that you wouldn’t notice them at first glance.
I’m a little mollified thatthisis the undercover agent I pictured rather than a drunken pirate from a themed café, but I’m still reluctant to trust him with the Solar Mother.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” I say, eyeing his knives and wishing I had weapons of my own.
“You’re right,” he replies. “Fortunately, I have a contingency plan for swapping the idols and getting Lyra out safely.Unfortunately, there’s a gang of Void Stalkers hunting you down and they’re about 5 klicks out, which means we’ve got to get moving.”
Vega pulls the curtains back and opens the window, preparing to jump down onto a stack of trash crates.
“Void Stalkers—here? Already?” I ask, tugging on my pack. “And what kind of a contingency plan are we talking about here?”
I’ve never regretted my decision to become a ranger before, but for the first time, there’s a part of me that wishes I’d become a Fed instead. Then maybe I’d have the skills and knowledge necessary to rescue Lyra on my own, instead of being forced to trust someone who looks like he’s on the scary side of crazy.
Rather than answer me, Vega jumps out the window, landing with a wet thud on the crates one floor down in the alleyway. Sighing, I move to follow his lead.
I knew a future with Lyra was going to require a leap of faith, I just didn’t realize it would be so soon, and so literal.
19
lyra
Why Is it Always a Gross Tunnel?
Kraxis frownsat the scanner like it’s personally offended him.Good.
“This readout doesn’t make sense,” he growls.
