“Maybe it’s not Lasair or any of the street gangs who are agitating the situation,” said a dark-skinned man from the other end of the table. His face pinched, making the weathered lines groove deeper around his eyes. “We need to take a look at the Ghost.”
Dade tensed, his hand inches from the purse. He was just about to make his move and drop the disk in, but he found himself frozen. His breath caught in his chest, like the sharp prick of a knife right under his sternum.
Clarissa went still beside him, her body coiled. Though how she knew the implications of that was a puzzle to work out another time.
Nakomzer gave a short, stuttered laugh. “There isn’t any such person.”
“Of course there is,” the pinched-faced man insisted, frowning at Nakomzer. “Rumors always have a grain of truth.”
“It could just be any one of those thieving gangs looking to cover their tracks,” Nakomzer hypothesized.
“Why would they do that?” Hernim asked. “They’ve been quite willing to claim all their activity up till now. How do you explain the footage of the lone character? He leaves his mark after every crime.”
“A sun-star symbol,” the lady with the pearls said.
Dade’s mother gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. “How dare they.”
Nakomzer didn’t look pleased when he confirmed. “That symbol has appeared on the streets in greater frequency. It would seem that whoever is doing this has appropriated the symbol and plans to use it to start a revolution.”
“Mocking us,” the pinched-faced man added.
The woman with the pearls spoke up. “It’s because the people see him as a sort of Robin Hood character. Steal from the rich, give to the poor.”
“What do you mean ‘give to the poor’?” Dade’s mother asked.
“The VitD this Ghost steals, it’s not reformulated into Shine like it is with the gangs. It’s given to charity houses,” the pinched-faced man said.
A grumbling tension took over the table as the Solizen whispered among themselves.
Nakomzer spoke louder, trying to get their attention back. “If there is a Ghost, he’s little more than a street thug.”
“I make this promise,” Hernim said, looking around the table, the threat in his voice clear. “When we catch this so-called Ghost, we will show him or her no mercy.”
Agreement was swift and vocal.
Dade felt Clarissa’s hand rest against the back of his. Her touch was light, shocking him out of his thoughts. He made a face, sending her a silent question.
She answered it by glancing down at where their hands joined.
When his gaze followed hers, he realized that the hand she’d covered had curled into a fist around his fork, his knuckles turning white. It took him a few seconds to consciously relax. He set his fork down and turned his hand over so that he could lace his fingers together with Clarissa’s. Dade nodded his thanks.
Clarissa winked.
“In the meantime,” Hernim continued, “we should focus on Lasair. It is the bigger threat. If we take it down, the other gangs will follow shortly behind, as will the Ghost.”
Hernim motioned for Nakomzer to explain. Dade realized it was an olive branch, letting Nakomzer appear to take control. Yet his father would blame Nakomzer if the plan failed.
“We’re in the process of sweeping the Lower Levels, looking for anyone associated with a street gang,” Chief Nakomzer said. “We’ll find someone and then squeeze them for information we can use.”
Dade’s stomach sank. That would mean catching Arden or one of her friends. The thought made him cold.
He wanted to see Arden, to warn her of the danger. It was irrational and stupid, but he couldn’t put the thought out of his mind. If he could see her, see that she was fine, he could let it go, perhaps breathe easier. He knew he was fooling himself. That it was only a flimsy excuse to see her again. It would be a foolish errand. But in this case, he was okay with playing the fool.
Clarissa squeezed his hand again, regaining his attention. She tilted her head to Sophia’s purse. Then she gestured, indicating that no matter what else was taking place, he had a job to do.
Right.
Dade didn’t care about stealth at that point. He wanted this done. The servers began to pick up empty plates before bringing out the dessert trays, which meant that his escape would come soon. He moved forward to pick up his glass. Right before he reached for it, he dropped the disk into the open mouth of Sophia’s purse. He watched as it fell, making sure it hit its mark, and then he sat back and took a drink. His job was done.
He waited till dessert was half-finished before he pushed to his feet and murmured his excuses to the table. His father glared, but Dade didn’t care. He kept his movements fast and efficient so that there wouldn’t be an opportunity to stop him.
Clarissa stood as well. It didn’t surprise him. The fact she had his back meant that she also nosed into his business. She wouldn’t let him leave without grilling him, not after the tension he’d displayed all evening. She followed him all the way to the front of the apartment.
There wasn’t time to change. Dade grabbed his cloak from the closet near the door and swung it over his shoulders so that the fabric fanned out before it settled. Then he grabbed his phaser, strapping it to his side. His body vibrated with anxiety, so much that his hands shook. He flexed them, taking a moment to make sure he didn’t leave the house missing something vital.
He felt Clarissa behind him. She didn’t say anything till he stood at the apartment door, ready to bolt, his weapons strapped. “Where are you going?”
“I have to check on some things in the Zero District.” It was the slummier part of Level One, where all the party kids hung out because drugs were easy to score and the govies generally ignored the area.
She glanced back toward the dining room, before pinning him with a stare. “It’s not safe there. You’ll be caught.”
“It’s better if I leave while they’re distracted. Plus, if I wait, it will be too late.” He grabbed her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
Clarissa narrowed her eyes. “You’ll never make it past the Sky Tower guards.”
“Then help me. Distract them. You’ve done it before.” He gave her a pleading expression, willing her to understand that he needed to do this and that he would not be stopped.
“It’s that important to you?”
“It is.”
The tension in her face cleared, and she laughed. She raised a perfect eyebrow. “You’ve met someone.”
“Not really. Maybe. I don’t know.” He sighed. “Yes.”
Clarissa sent him a look saying he was silly. “Sounds like she’s got you all twisted up. I don’t have to meet her to know I adore her.”
“Are you going to help me or not?”
Clarissa let out a grunt. “Yes, but you’d better ping me the minute you get home, or I’ll go after you myself.”
Dade nodded. “Agreed.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Arden surveyed the dance floor from the floating moonglass balcony that overlooked the club. Colin danced beside her. He bumped and ground against her during the chorus. She’d occasionally throw him a glare, to which he responded by singing the lyrics at the top of his lungs.
Below, bodies gyrated in a tangled mess. They danced with their arms entwined, twisting together as they passed inhalers of Shine. The drug was encapsulated in a reflective disk that had a retractable mouthpiece. After they inhaled, they’d share smoky kisses with their partners and sometimes with strangers. The air took on its smoky scent.
“Dance,” Colin yelled as he leaned into her ear. He pushed against her, trying to get her to move with him.
She took a sip of her glowing blue drink laced with pink cubes.
“You’re such a party pooper.” He moved away, sensually dancing and pressing himself against the see-through balustrade. The people below cheered, catcalling him to come down and join them. Colin threw kis
ses at them, continuing his antics.
The music vibrated through her, numbing her mind as well as her senses. Blind was the worst way to do business. Plus, she just didn’t want to be here. There was nothing new and exciting in this. Maybe it was time to consider other options. Even as she had that thought, she pushed it away. What could she do, really? Become a day worker with no skills? The only skills she had were those the gang had taught her. She was pretty sure “ass kicking” wasn’t exactly marketable.
“Does it seem crowded tonight?” she yell-asked Colin.
“No more than usual. You just haven’t gone out in a while.” He knocked his hip against hers. “We should go down and get sweaty.”
“No.” Arden touched her gold-sequined mask, a nervous habit because she knew the nanotech wouldn’t let it slip out of place. She’d paired it with a matching gold dress. Her hair was down tonight, golden brown, untamed curls long against her back.
Everyone in the party scene loved masks. They’d become popular in the last year even though they’d been difficult to procure since the govies put restrictions on them now. The masks clung without being heavy, like a translucent sheen, so the wearer felt as if nothing were on the skin.
Colin pulled out a number of Shine disks from his pocket. The disks were single-use and dispensed Shine in an aerosol blast that was inhaled. “I have seven more. How many do you have left?”
“About the same.”
The Shine had gone like hotcakes earlier, which was nice because it meant an early night.
“Ready for another round?” he asked.
“In a minute.” Arden tipped her drink, showing him that it wasn’t quite empty.
Turning back to the dance floor, she watched Uri dance with Mariah near the DJ booth. The pressurized floors changed colors beneath them. Holograms projected around them, flicking between rainbows of color. Mariah’s back was pushed up against Uri’s front, her head leaned onto his shoulder as they moved together. They looked happy.
Arden wanted that. She’d admit, to herself at least, that she was jealous of their relationship. They made it look easy.
Perhaps it wasn’t the relationship she wanted, so much as the feeling of having someone to lean on. Metaphorically speaking, because she really didn’t need anyone. Though it might be nice to have someone to count on, with whom she could share something deeper than friendship. And maybe experience a little romance.
“If you want to be productive, you should keep your eyes open for the Ghost,” Arden said.
“Why would I want to be productive?” Colin asked. He took out an inhaler and slipped a Shine disk into it before taking a hit. “I bet you he’s super hot underneath that mask. Like Batman.”
“Or she. Like Batwoman.”
“Why are you so insistent on ruining every fantasy I have?”
“It’s a gift.” This time when she looked over the club, she searched for the Ghost’s signature red mask.
The red mask she saw made her catch her breath.
Arden knew exactly who she was looking at the second she set eyes on him. She’d watched that swagger for at least an hour earlier that afternoon. No amount of camouflage could keep her from recognizing Dade, because he had imprinted on her brain. He stood out like a shiny beacon in a sea of bland. And she had to admit, she’d been searching for him on the dance floor.
Dade looked amazing in a dress tunic. Which was exceptionally over-the-top for a club. And yet, his yumminess was indescribable. The boy should wear a dress tunic every day. The horns of his mask curved over his head, and he wore his longish hair loose. Why would he wear a devil mask? Everyone knew better. Perhaps he was too coddled in his Tower to realize its implication. That was funny, and yet heartbreaking as well.
He was also alone, again. Which meant he hadn’t listened to a word she’d said. Why had she bothered giving advice if he was going to ignore it? The boy had a death wish.
“Is that?” Colin squinted, as if that would help him see Dade’s face beneath the mask.
It would be impossible. From here she could tell that he was wearing a mask that would obscure his identity. The perception of his facial features hazed and shifted as she watched, the nanotech rearranging itself so as not to allow anyone to get a lock on his features. She didn’t need to see his face to know it was him, though. She could pick Dade out from anywhere at this point simply by the way he carried himself. Confidently, like most siskin, yet there was a core of inner strength that burned brightly.
She could hear the surprise in Colin’s voice when he said, “It can’t be Dade Croix. Not slumming it like this.” He shook his head, laughing.
But it was. At first she wondered how Colin would know it was him. Then she remembered Colin’s obsession with the gossip-vids. He watched them every night with a bowl of popcorn while snickering at the screen. Of course he would also recognize Dade even wearing a mask.
“I really think it is.” Colin turned to her, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. “Do you think he’s the Ghost?”
“No,” she said, immediately dismissing the idea as insane. “More like he thought it’d be amusing to wear the mask as a joke.”
“That’s true,” Colin conceded. “He does love to play tricks on the paparazzi. Still, how can you be sure?”
“Trust me, there’s no way he could be the Ghost. He’s too sweet.”
“Too sweet?” Colin blinked repeatedly, making him look like he was experiencing an aneurysm. “Are you kidding me? Is that your siskin? The one you were playing kissy-face with? You didn’t mention that you’d gone insane.”
Arden’s heart rate was already exceptionally high, but the reference to Dade as “hers” made her heart give a great thump in her chest. Excitement. This was excitement. It was a feeling almost foreign to her, as there wasn’t much in her life to be excited about. She was usually consumed by work and revenge.
It was nice. Okay, perhaps she could admit that it was more than nice, actually. Something she could get used to if given the opportunity. Even though she knew that having something that brought her joy only meant weakness.
“I wasn’t playing kissy-face with him,” she said. “We talked, is all. He’s only a boy. You’re acting like he’s royalty.”
“He is royalty,” Colin choked. “It’s not enough to moon over a sky boy—you had to pick someone from the Croix family?”
She found herself moving toward the stairs that would lead her below.
“I thought you weren’t going to dance,” Colin said, stepping after her but stopping at the top rung.
“I changed my mind.”
“Are you going to congratulate him on his engagement?” Colin yelled after her, over the music.
She stopped dead, several steps down the stairs, then turned back, her breath frozen in her chest. “What did you say?”
“When you were cutting each other and making lovey eyes, or whatever the hell you were doing,” Colin said, looking like an avenging angel, his hands on his hips, “did he happen to mention his fiancée?”
The words swirled around her, but they had no meaning.
“It has been all over the visicast for the last few months,” Colin said. “The analysts talk about nothing but the consolidation of their families. How this would potentially affect the Solizen power structure. This shouldn’t be news to you.”
Her mouth worked, but no sound came out. Not that she knew what to say anyway.
“You really should pay more attention if you’re going to have a psychotic crush,” Colin said. Turning to contemplate Dade, he tilted his head. “I can see the attraction. I wouldn’t mind climbing that.”
“You need to back off.” Her warning was flat.
Colin stared at her now, his jaw slack. “Wow, you really like him. Not just ‘get in his pants, my hormones are raging,’ but ‘like him, like him.’”
She rolled her eyes. “Eloquent.”
“Don’t pursue this,” Colin said. “This is going to end badly, I can
promise you that.”
He was right. If Dade did have a fiancée, Arden had absolutely no business seeking him out. Added to that, the nervousness she’d felt all night had begun to erode her confidence. She faced down men with phasers on a weekly basis, stole shipments of drugs, dealt to addicts, killed people when necessary, and yet thinking about approaching this boy had her second-guessing herself.
Ridiculous.
There had been something between them. She couldn’t have imagined that.
“I don’t want you to get your heart broken,” Colin said.
“My heart has nothing to do with this.”
Colin gave her a disbelieving look, before he started down the stairs after her. “I’m going to dance with Uri and Mariah. I don’t need to watch while you make poor life choices. Just remember, I warned you.”
“Play interference for me?” She didn’t want to attract Uri’s and Mariah’s attention, especially if it could get back to Niall.
“Afraid they’ll kill Dade and splatter blood on your pretty dress?”
“More like I don’t want to deal with it.” They reached the bottom of the stairs, and she turned to keep him from leaving. “Do it for me?”
“You’ll have to tell them eventually.”
Arden shook her head. “Only if I see him again.”
That wasn’t going to happen. This was a one-off. Well, a two-off. There was no way to pretend otherwise, even in her head. For some reason she couldn’t explain, she had to know if it had been real: him or her reaction to him, her feelings—the confusion made her question herself, and she didn’t like that.
She circled the room so that she could approach him from behind, just in case he’d shown up with friends. Her path took her through the dance floor. The intensity from the sweaty bodies felt more potent here. People reached out, touching her arm. She had no idea who they were, but she knew what they wanted.
Arden slipped the last of the Shine disks out, making several quick transactions without slowing down. A slip of the hand, a swipe of her palm-sized wand-scanner, a lingering brush of a hand against her, silently asking her to stay and share in the party. But she dealt with them like she always had, fast and detached. Wanting to minimize her exposure to the lure of escape. She had finished that task, at least, if Niall asked.
The Breaking Light (Split City Book 1) Page 6
