“Watch your starboard,” I say as I track a fast-moving rock.
“I see it,” Brox says, already adjusting the course to miss it.
With the three of us working together, Brox makes it through the minefield of asteroids without so much as a bump or scratch.
“There,” Treto speaks up, illuminating a spot on the nav chart. “That’s the auction.”
It takes me a moment to zero in on where he’s pointing. One asteroid looks very much like another, but then I see it. Much larger than the others with a smoother surface and a hollow entrance camouflaged to look like a crater.
“Do I need clearance?” Brox asks Treto as he lines theShadeup for approach.
“No.” In his lap, Bela has gone deathly still and her coloring pale. She brings a hand up and rubs the spot behind her ear where her translator was implanted poorly. No doubt this must bring back memories she’d rather not revisit.
Pressing his lips to the side of her head, Treto whispers something to her that has her nodding. To us, he says, “The auctioneer was a Gebzula, I think. He’ll be your best chance of getting answers.” Dropping his mouth to the side of Bela’s neck, he whispers softly to her once more. Then, to us, he says, “There is no more I can do for you. Good luck, and let us know what you discover.”
“Thank you, Treto. Hopefully you’ll hear from us again soon.” Brox nods to the screen.
Treto lifts his hand in farewell, and his image disappears. Once again, we’re on our own.
With unassuming ease, Brox takes theShadethrough the hidden entrance and into the belly of the station.
“Is this right?” I expected the inside to be bustling like a spaceport filled with all manner of spacecrafts. Instead it’s all but empty.
“There must not be an auction,” Brox mutters, the look on his face mirroring my worries. If there is no auction, will anyone be here to question?
“We’re here,” I announce. “Might as well see if we can find this auctioneer.”
The familiar flutters of anxiety I always get when coming to a place such as this flare in my chest, trying to steal my breath as I close down the nav program while Brox busies himself with landing theShade.
I pause when a dull cramping settles in my lower stomach. Then I brush it off as nothing more than excited nerves.
Except it’s been happening more and more often. What if…
I cut that thought off, assuring myself it’s nothing. But just in case it’s not, maybe I need to find a healer who can check the dosage of my suppressants. It’s been a while since I’ve been monitored. Maybe I just need to boost my usual dosage.
Promising myself I’ll do just that as soon as we get back to Pamia, I cross the room to where we keep the weapons cache. Throwing open the cabinets, my eyes wander over the selection. We’ve gained many new toys since partnering with the humans on Pamia.
Brox settles theShadeinto a spot near the exit while I start strapping knives to both thighs, my upper arm, and around my hips.
“Ready?” he asks, reaching around me and palming a blaster that he adds to his hip. Our eyes meet, and I’m drawn into the icy blue surrounded by a ring of ink. For a moment, my belly warms and my breath stills in my lungs as a smile pulls unbidden at my lips.
I’m only smiling at him because this will likely lead to trouble.At least that’s what I tell myself.
“Let’s do this.”
CHAPTEREIGHT
BROX
* * *
Side by side, Igid and I make our way into the large cave that takes up most of the station. My mind should be focused on watching out for trouble in the nearly pitch-black cavern, but instead I keep replaying the way Igid smiled at me back on theShade.
I’ve seen her smile plenty of times, but those smiles have never been directed at me. When she turned her feral grin on me, it was a sight to behold. Like the clouds suddenly cleared away to reveal the warm Pamia sun after the rainy season. But then, all too soon, it was over, and she was her austere self once more.
We reach the back of the cavern without incident, where a single light illuminates a door at the top of a steep set of stairs, like a beacon.
My senses are on high alert as we creep up the staircase. When I reach the top, I glance back at Igid as I wrap my hand around the door handle. I’m not at all surprised to see her with a knife in each hand, prepared for whatever we might find on the other side.
