Fallen Star

by Cyndi Friberg

  He made a hand motion, but it made no sense to her. She quickly filled a glass with water and took it to him. He shook his head and motioned toward the shoe that she’d left on the counter near the sink. Curious now, she brought the shoe to him and held it steady as he pulled a foam lining out of the bottom.

  “For you.” He handed the linerless shoe back to her.

  “Is there something in there?” Odintar asked, obviously having watched the entire exchange.

  She angled the shoe toward the light, so she could see inside. A small trench had been dug out of the bottom of the shoe and a thumb drive was nestled in the opening. She dug the thumb drive out of its hiding place and looked at Gerrod.

  “What’s on it?” she asked.

  All he said was, “Insurance.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “How do we know this isn’t a setup?” Morgan asked from the head of the conference table.

  Odintar understood her suspicion. The thought had crossed his mind more than once during the past two days. Gerrod’s thumb drive was filled with dates, times, and specific locations, but all of the events had already happened. Gerrod had compiled a detailed log of Sevrin Keire’s activities since her arrival on Earth. The log frequently mentioned interaction with “muscle-bound mercs”, but it was obvious Gerrod didn’t understand the importance of those meetings. The log would help them convict her of numerous crimes, but it couldn’t help them catch her.

  “You weren’t there.” Jillian leaned forward so she could see around him. “Whoever slit his throat meant business.”

  “She’s right.” Elias sat at Morgan’s left and their opinions usually aligned. However, Elias wasn’t a mindless yes man. He was always respectful while he formed his own conclusions. “Even Doctor Reyes agrees; it’s a miracle Gerrod survived.”

  Morgan shook her head, still unconvinced. “It was Odintar’s fast thinking and a well-known Bilarrian ability that saved Gerrod’s life. I’m not saying he was in on it. It’s more likely Sevrin used him as a sort of parting shot. Even if he had died, it’s probable that we would have found the drive. I can almost guarantee there’s a nasty surprise waiting for us at one of those locations.”

  “So we ignore the info and wait for them to strike in another city?” Frustration tightened Lor’s voice, yet his face revealed no emotion. It was a game they all played. Contain. Compartmentalize. Remain composed, while inside everyone was punching through walls and screaming obscenities.

  “Of course not. I want a munitions expert to clear each location before anyone else goes in.”

  “Understood,” Elias replied.

  “So what’s this about a code?” Morgan tapped her thumb against the table top, illustrating her agitation.

  “There’s a section on the drive that’s encoded and the code looks very much like what’s used in the last two-thirds of the notebook,” Odintar told her. “It’s possible Gerrod can decode the rest of the notebook for us.”

  She scoffed. “If we can trust his results.”

  Lor shrugged. “The information is useless as it is. In my opinion, it’s worth a try.”

  After nodding in response to Lor’s conclusion, Morgan looked at Jillian and asked, “Is Gerrod strong enough for questioning. The information on that drive isn’t nearly as valuable as his memories and observations.”

  “He was sedated yesterday so they could remove the collar. He should be more lucid today.”

  “Speaking of his collar…” Morgan looked at Lor. “Were you able to determine if it’s functional? Have the Rodytes reengineered the suppression collar?”

  “Yes and yes. There is no good news today.”

  The revelation was upsetting enough to bring Blayne out of silent observation mode. “That bitch can suppress our abilities and there’s not a damn thing we can do about it?”

  Finally looking as frustrated as he sounded, Lor nodded. “I tried all three of the neutralizers. None of them disrupted the collar’s effect. If she gets one of those things around our necks, we’re powerless.”

  “Then how did Gerrod send his telepathic SOS?” Morgan wanted to know.

  “They’re family. Nothing is powerful enough to silence that connection.”

  Odintar glanced at Jillian to see if Lor’s words upset her.

  I’m fine. She reinforced the claim with a gentle smile.

  He nodded then returned his attention to the subject at hand. “It doesn’t make sense.” He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “Why wait so long to use such an advantage?”

  “There was a massive energy pulse four days ago,” Morgan told them. “We weren’t sure what it was, but subsequent developments have led me to believe it was the arrival of some sort of ship.”

  Lor’s hands slapped the tabletop as he came up out of his chair. “And you’re telling us now? Does alliance mean the same thing to humans as it does to Ontarians?”

  “We weren’t sure what it was, didn’t know if it was important enough to mention.”

  “Bullshit.” Odintar managed to remain seated, but he was every bit as incensed as his commander.

  Morgan’s brows arched as challenge filled her gaze. “When were you going to tell me about the twelve Bilarrian soldiers in my holding cell?”

  Lor rubbed his forehead and sighed. “They weren’t scheduled to arrive until tomorrow.”

  “They flashed in unannounced, setting off alarms all over the base. You’re damn lucky they’re alive. My guards are authorized to shoot intruders. Some sort of Mystic is with them. Claims to be Jillian’s tutor.” Morgan looked around the table, her eyes slightly narrowed. “Someone want to explain why Jillian needs a Bilarrian tutor?”

  “That one’s on me,” Elias admitted. “I was on my way to brief you when they arrived with Gerrod.”

  Morgan eased back in her chair. “It appears communication can improve all the way around.” Lor had returned to his seat and she looked at him as she said, “I’m not intentionally keeping things from you. We’ve all been unusually busy the past few days.”

  “I apologize for my outburst.”

  “Don’t let it happen again.” Authority snapped through her tone and then she smiled. “So what’s with the Bilarrians?” They quickly told her about Jillian’s ancestry and how it had been discovered. “King Indric was here?” She glared at Elias, but Odintar didn’t know her well enough to determine if her ire was real. “You are in so much trouble.”

  “I figured as much,” Elias grumbled.

  When neither of them said anything else, Lor brought the conversation back around to the present. “We’ve prioritized the list of possible cities. Hopefully, Gerrod can help us narrow the list even further.”

  “I think I can do even better than that.” Morgan folded her hands on the tabletop, appearing more relaxed than before. “The energy spikes didn’t lead us to the team houses as we’d hoped. It’s likely the houses are shielded, so the spikes don’t register when they flash into or out of those locations. However, the phenomenon could prove useful now. There have been no spikes at all in Las Vegas the past few days.”

  “So as soon as the spikes resume, we’ll know which city or cities they’ve targeted.” Lor nodded, obviously pleased by the possibility.

  “That’s the hope anyway.” She offered him one last smile. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

  “Not at present.” Lor returned her smile. “I’ll go talk to the Bilarrians.”

  “I’ll come with you, unless you object.”

  “Not at all.” They walked out of the conference room together.

  Odintar shook his head as he pushed back his chair and turned to Jillian. “It’s always entertaining to watch two alphas attempting to play nicely with each other.”

  “I think they’re doing a wonderful job, considering all of the challenges.” She stood and stretched. “I’m going to go check on Gerrod.”

  “Want some company?”

  “Always, but I’m sure you have bett
er things to do than shadow me.”

  “Actually, I’m in desperate need of a good workout and Blayne has agreed to let me kick his ass.”

  “I’ve agreed to let him try,” Blayne countered from the other side of the table.

  “Go on.” She rocked to the balls of her feet and kissed Odintar on the cheek. “I’ll catch up with you in the gym.”

  “Don’t I get a kiss?” Blayne pursed his lips and closed his eyes.

  “Go find your mate.” She waved away his silliness and kept on walking.

  Jillian released a sigh as she hurried toward the clinic. She appreciated Odintar’s concern, but she wanted a few minutes alone with Gerrod. She couldn’t bring herself to call him Dad, even in her mind. He was a sperm donor, nothing more.

  No, there was more to it than that. She just hadn’t shared her discovery with anyone else.

  Gerrod was alone in his curtained-off section of the clinic. He was also sitting up in bed and wide awake. “You look better.” It wasn’t much of a greeting, but it was the best she could do. Her emotions were so conflicted; she couldn’t begin to untangle them.

  “Thank you.” His voice still sounded raspy.

  “You need to thank Odintar. Without his help, I wouldn’t have found you and you would have bled to death.”

  He nodded, but didn’t speak.

  “I’ve seen you before, more than once. In fact, you showed up in so many places I was afraid I had a stalker. But you never approached me, never tried to make contact.”

  “I couldn’t stay away.”

  Indignation warmed her cheeks and pulled her hands into fists. “We both know that’s ridiculous. It only took a murder attempt to make you break your silence.”

  “Hate me if you must, but there is so much I need to tell you.”

  She tensed, tempted to turn around, walk away and never look back. “I doubt anything you have to say would interest me.”

  “Indric came to see you, so you know I’m battle born. What he doesn’t know—what Lierra never told him—was the identity of her captor.” He pressed his hand over his scorched throat. Each time he swallowed appeared excruciating. Good. He deserved pain and a whole lot more.

  “The details are irrelevant.” Even in her ears the claim didn’t sound convincing.

  “They won’t be if Sevrin figures it out.”

  Her hands clenched even tighter. This had been a mistake. The last thing she needed was another surprise. Despite her determination not to give a damn, curiosity won out in the end. “Figures out what?”

  “That I’m her half-brother. Lierra’s captor was Pern Keire, Crown Stirate of Rodymia.”

  If Lierra had confessed the identity of her captor, it would have exploded hostilities between Bilarri and Rodymia. No wonder she’d kept silent. Jillian would have done the same. Unless… There was another possibility. Had Lierra developed feelings for her captor? Had she loved Pern enough to protect him even as he tore her son from her arms?

  “It’s an interesting bit of trivia, but I’m not sure why Sevrin would care. Lierra and Pern are both dead. The Rodyte throne has passed on to another.”

  “Which is exactly why Sevrin will care. Once she completes her mission on Earth, she intends to return to Rodymia and claim her rightful place on the throne. Don’t underestimate her ambition or her ruthlessness.”

  “What do Sevrin’s grand ambitions have to do with me?”

  “Are you really that naive? Everyone with Pern’s blood flowing through their veins is a potential rival. Why do you think she tried to kill me?”

  “Sevrin did this to you?” Then the inconsistency in his story slammed home. “Wait a minute. You said she didn’t know. You said this would become a problem if she figured out who you are.”

  “Who we are.” He paused as if to ensure that she absorbed the implication. “You are just as much a danger to Sevrin as am I.”

  “Could there be another reason she tried to kill you? For that matter, why are you so sure it was Sevrin?”

  “I’m not sure if she pieced it together or if she just thought I knew too many of her secrets. All I know for certain is one of her pet mercenaries wielded the blade while Sevrin locked the collar around my throat.”

  “How did you get away?”

  “It all happened in an instant. I had already started to teleport when they attacked. The collar cut short my jump and I ended up in that alley.”

  “Then she likely knows you’re still alive.”

  He nodded his eyelids starting to droop. “It’s more than likely.” Fatigue and pain meds finished closing his eyes.

  “Wait.” She moved closer to the bed and he forced his eyes open. “Nazerel went to warn Roxie. He said you told him that she was in danger, that Sevrin had some horrible use for her. What was he talking about? What does Sevrin want with Roxie?”

  He laughed, the sound distorted by his injuries. “Not a chance. Roxie’s my ticket out of here.”

  “What do you mean? What do you know?”

  “When I’m safe on some obscure planet where Sevrin can never find me, then and only then will I explain.” His eyes began to droop again.

  She reached out and grasped his hand, giving it a light squeeze. His lashes fluttered, but his eyes remained open. “Many of the entries on your thumb drive are coded. You will decode them before we agree to any further provisions.”

  “Fine.” He coughed, turning his head sharply to one side.

  “And we have a notebook full of information on human females. Many of those pages are secured by the same or a similar code. Can you decode those as well?”

  “I’ll need to see them to know for sure, but it’s probable.”

  “Then the value of the information you provide us will determine how far we’re willing to go on your behalf.”

  “Agreed. But nothing about Roxie until after I’m relocated.” He closed his eyes again and slipped into sleep with a peaceful sigh.

  “Shit.” Jillian fought back the urge to stomp her foot like a child. As far as she knew, Roxie was still here, somewhere, so she was relatively safe. Even so, the question had nagged away in the back of her mind ever since she ran in to Nazerel. Why was a coldblooded killer risking capture to warn a human that she was in danger? It didn’t make sense.

  The disquieting question set Jillian in motion. She needed to talk to Odintar. Finding out she had royal blood had been much more fun with Indric. Having any connection to Sevrin Keire held no appeal at all.

  She found Elias working out with a punching bag, but Odintar was nowhere in sight. Elias spotted her and paused. “He’s in the locker room.”

  “Is he alone?”

  “Doubtful. I’ll go get him.”

  “In a minute. Is Roxie still here?”

  Elias laughed. “Why do you think I’m pummeling this bag?”

  “She’s still being stubborn?”

  “Roxie Latimer might well be the most stubborn female on planet Earth and Morgan won’t ‘trust’ her wellbeing to anyone but me.”

  “Lucky you.” She chuckled. “Can I see her?”

  “I’ll have to ask Morgan. So far she hasn’t been allowed visitors.”

  “Why? Roxie’s a victim, not a criminal.”

  He shrugged. “She’s refused to cooperate with our investigation. That’s called obstruction of justice, so technically she is a criminal.”

  “Oh my God, no wonder she shut down. Tell Morgan I need to see her ASAP.”

  A slow, humorless smile bowed his lips. He obviously didn’t appreciate being ordered around. “Before or after I go get Odintar?”

  “After.” She refused to soften her expression. Roxie had been terrified the last time Jillian saw her and it sounded like their treatment of her had only compounded that fear. There was no way she was going to stand by and let these idiots abuse her friend. Even if Roxie no longer considered her a friend.

  When Odintar emerged from the locker room, he had Blayne with him. They both looked freshly showered
and invigorated. “Where’s Elias?”

  “Said he needed to talk to Morgan,” Blayne told her. “Something about you being all fired up.”

  Fired up didn’t begin to describe it, but her fight was with Morgan and Elias, so she tried to relax her frown. “Who won?” She motioned toward the mats.

  “Depends who you ask,” Odintar replied.

  Too wound up for small talk, she dove right to the heart of the matter. “I just had a fascinating conversation with Gerrod. It was much more interesting than anything on that thumb drive.”

  “Do tell, my lovely.” Blayne wiggled his eyebrows with playful drama.

  “She’s not your anything.” Odintar’s reminder lacked any real hostility.

  Ignoring their never-ending banter, she tried to be succinct. “According to our unwelcome guest, Pern Keire had a fondness for war brides.”

  “Lots of Rodytes took war brides. It would have been more of a shock if he hadn’t.” Blayne clearly didn’t understand the inference, but Odintar did.

  “Gerrod claims Pern Keire captured Lierra?” He’d drawn the correct conclusion, but he didn’t sound completely convinced.

  Blayne scoffed. “Not a chance. Being battle born isn’t shameful on Rodymia. If Pern Keire had a son with one of Bilarri’s royal daughters, the entire galaxy would have known about it.”

  “Unless there was a reason they kept it quiet.” Odintar rubbed his chin as he gazed into the distance. “The only thing Rodytes like better than brutality is deception. Gerrod could have been part of some grand scheme Pern didn’t quite pull off.”

  “Anything’s possible,” Blayne agreed. “But this is all speculation.”

  “It won’t be for long.” Odintar countered. “Ontarian security has a sample of Pern’s DNA. It will be simple enough to prove whether or not he fathered Gerrod. Let’s start there.”

  “How did Ontarian security get a sample of Pern’s DNA?” Blayne wanted to know.

  “Overlord Lyrik was there when Pern died. Of course he wasn’t overlord at the time.” Odintar looked at her and smiled. “I’ll request the test and we’ll take it from there.”