Silence filled the table for an uncomfortably extended period.
Corvus rolled his eyes. “Lose the disguise.”
Cifer glanced around. The shadows would conceal his transformation from any casual observers. He slowly morphed into the coppery-skinned humanoid he most commonly adopted.
“I know what you really look like.” The scowl on Corvus’s face didn’t have the effect on Cifer he might have hoped. Cifer had seen it too often.
The bodyguards shifted in their seats.
“The games you play are tedious. Besides, I taught you everything you know.”
Cifer shrugged. They both knew the student had become the master, or Cifer would still be under Corvus’s control.
“Fine. What did you learn?”
Cifer detailed what the Gordinian offered and the fact that Varik had committed to a premium price for the kids. “I’m not letting Varik take those kids off Cassan.”
“Eh. Don’t care. The kids are yours to do with as you wish. I’ll be busy dealing with the Gordinian. How dare he transact business in my establishment without authorization.”
Cifer held back a grin. The gas-bag slaver was well and truly fucked. He just didn’t know it. Yet. So was Varik. Cifer hadn’t missed the micro-reaction to the price Varik had agreed to pay. If he had to guess, Corvus was unhappy to discover that Varik had funds to spend while still owing a debt.
Cifer rose to leave.
“Don’t be a stranger, son,” Corvus spoke to Cifer’s back.
Outside the bar, Cifer pulled out his data pad to check for an update from his spy.
Still no location of the ship Elaya had described. Cifer tapped back a message with the location and name of the ship that would receive the kids. Keep an eye on it, but do not approach.
He checked the time. It was too late to put the next part of his plan in motion. A couple of hours of sleep would serve him better than sitting in the dock outside a locked ship.
Blaize’s head pounded all the way to the galley. She’d meant to get up earlier, but the alcohol swimming in her veins had made being vertical earlier impossible. The smell of Dez’s cooking, usually so welcome, had bile rising in her throat. Puking was not going to make a difficult conversation easier. She swallowed tightly, forcing everything back down. Before she went into the galley, she took a couple of deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. When she felt composed, she plastered a smile on her face and joined Captain Cyra and her mate.
“Blaize. How are you?” Cyra had the relaxed but energized appearance of a satisfied female. Blaize wasn’t jealous at all. Nope, not a bit.
“I’m okay. Stayed out later than I should have.”
“Oh, that explains why Veda isn’t here.” Cyra was speaking to Dez as if they were continuing a previous conversation.
The big bald male nodded without taking his eyes from the food preparation.
“Yeah. So. Um. There was something I saw at the bar that I wanted to talk to you about. It, um, concerns?—”
“What did you see?” Dez placed a plate of food in front of her, and she swallowed hard and then forced herself to smile.
“I saw Varik.”
Cyra and Dez both frowned.
“He was meeting with Cifer. And a Gordinian. I’m not sure who he was. But I know Cifer is up to no good, and I don’t think we should take him on the ship anywhere. We don’t know anything about him, and he’s meeting with bad people. He’s already stowed away, and we don’t know what else he’s done.” Blaize took a deep breath and put some food on her fork that she would eat. Soon.
“Do you know what the meeting was about?” Dez asked.
“No.”
“Did you ask Cifer about it?” Cyra asked.
“We didn’t have time to talk. He said he’d explain, but what explanation could there be for meeting with Varik?”
