Two of the boys stepped around them and up to the back of the van.
“Go ahead and check the goods,” Mina said.
Arden looked to Colin before they both walked to the open doors. She stood between the boys while Colin jumped into the back of the hovervan. He ran a hand over all the items, making a cursory check. Not that he could count the items there, but he could at least inspect the quantity and eyeball the inventory to make sure it was authentic.
Her heart thrummed with excitement. This was it. Soon, she and Colin would set her plan in motion. She’d find a way to save Mariah, and maybe figure out how to deal with her feelings for Dade at the same time.
When Colin finished checking the packages, she returned to Mina to deal with the payment.
“Everything look good?” Mina asked.
“Seems to.” Arden held out a scanner strip that linked to a bank account Lasair laundered money through.
Mina wanded the strip, waited for the bleep, then nodded and pocketed the wand. She handed over the keys to the hovervan. “The vehicle ID tags should get you through the day, but ditch the van as soon as possible.”
Arden nodded.
“Look,” Mina added, her voice lowered so that only Arden could hear. “You take care of yourself, all right?”
Arden didn’t know how to react to that. Was it a warning? Did Mina know something? Her gut had always wanted to trust Mina, even when she pulled crap like today. Arden found herself giving a reassurance that she didn’t quite feel. “Don’t worry, I will.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Arden held a large vase of flowers in front of her. She wore a brown delivery hat, the brim pulled low over a pair of halo-glasses. Only a small strip of her lower chin and jaw was visible. She kept her head down in an attempt to avoid the facial recognition scanners that dotted the lobby ceiling in Sky Tower Two. She was relatively sure that she hadn’t been placed in the FACE system, a computerized recognition program used to target and apprehend criminals. And she wanted to avoid being added.
A slow beat of anticipation thumped inside her as she walked across the empty lobby to the girl sitting behind the sleek glass desk. The steel wall behind her was emblazoned with the Croix logo.
There were two guards, both soft around the middle. One stood by the Tower quadralift, swinging his stun-stick with a twirl as he paced the floor. The other was positioned next to the glass doors leading outside. She didn’t like having her back to him and fought not to let that discomfort show in her posture.
The girl behind the desk was young, her hair twisted in braids with silver beads that tinkled like little bells. She wore a shiny blue dress with the Croix logo embroidered on the collar. She popped her gum. The green wad peeked through with every loud chew. Her gaze flicked over Arden, quick and assessing.
The girl snapped her gum again. “Yes?”
“Delivery for Mr. Atherton in six-fifty-seven.” Arden placed the flowers on the high counter, moving the vase to the side so that she could show her badge. The city certification number flashed neon along the bottom. Then she adjusted her halo-glasses to capture an image of the girl, including her name badge.
The girl clicked on the comm unit, pushing the buttons to ring the Atherton residence.
“Recoding the tone,” Colin said through the receiver in Arden’s ear as he intercepted the call. “Three seconds, two, one.”
The line clicked over.
“There’s a delivery for Mr. Atherton,” the girl said, her demeanor changing from slouchy and annoyed to professional.
“Thank you, Maggie. You can send it up,” Colin responded, using the receptionist’s name noted on her tag.
Maggie clicked off the comm unit.
“You can go on up,” the girl said, pointing to the lift.
The security guard set his palm on the scanner to open the Tower quadralift door.
Arden slipped in.
Once the door closed, she adjusted the collar of the work shirt, scratching at the cheap synth-fabric. Then she touched her halo-glasses again to access the schematics, switching to her visual-mapping program. “Entering target Level. Commence upload mapping protocol.”
The glasses showed her the layout of the Level she was about to enter on a three-dimensional plane. The walls rose and spread forward, locating all possible doors and exits. She used her eyes to flick through the 3-D schematic: lines indicating walls, floors, and air vents. She scrolled to locate the door to the apartment. “Objective achieved.”
“Affirmative,” Colin said through her earpiece. “Activating heat sensors now. Will confirm targets in ten.”
Arden wore the heat sensors on her body. Hacking the Tower surveillance provided a limited view. This was mostly because the Solizen didn’t trust one another, so there weren’t many cameras. Just one pointing to the door of the quadralift, another pointing down the hallway. It left a lot of room for error. Thus, by using the heat sensors, at least she’d be forewarned whenever another person was nearby.
Arden clicked the map to set a pin on the location of the apartment door. It marked it, and then began to list all available routes. She took note of the camera placement in the halls. Where they were directed and what areas they recorded. Labeling which ones needed to be taken out.
“The quadralift exit is clear,” Colin said, watching security footage of the floor. “Security guard on north side walking toward you. Will be in target sight in three minutes. Get moving.”
“Roger.”
“Stay alert.”
Arden smiled. It was his way of telling her that he was concerned for her safety and that he cared.
The excited feeling that always came right before a job flooded her. Arden stretched her fingers, making sure they were limber. She liked the adrenaline, the way it made her feel powerful. It turned her into something better than she could be otherwise.
Colin broke in again. “Setting the camera feed to loop in three-two-one . . .”
The quadralift dinged and opened into a vestibule. A sideboard sat across from the doors, framed by a mirror and a floral arrangement in reds, oranges, and yellows. Tiled floors reflected the overhead lights, making the space feel bright and open.
Wasted space, Arden couldn’t help but think. She was used to cramped confines. In this vestibule alone, she could sleep eight people. It was a shame really.
Hallways lined either side of the Tower, forming an H shape. She focused on her target door and began walking down the sterile hallway. Arden wasn’t really heading for the Atherton apartment suite. Her mark was on the opposite side of the building.
Within minutes she stood outside the metal door.
“We have a problem,” Colin said. “The scanner just picked up multiple heat signatures on the other side.”
“Sun,” Arden swore and stepped back, hands off the keypad for which she’d been reaching. “Get me an alternate route.”
“Guard heading your way. We need to abort.”
“We are not going to abort,” Arden said with frustration. “If I don’t do this now, I might not get another chance. It will be hell to get past that front desk again.”
“Arden, it’s not safe.”
She hated standing vulnerable in the middle of the hallway with nowhere to hide. Arguing with Colin, no less. But she absolutely refused to leave. Dade was somewhere on the other side of that door. She was determined to speak with him.
“I won’t be able to get in the same way,” she said. “Next time I’ll have to use a synth-mask, and if I do that, Niall will know. We both know that’s a very bad idea.”
“Who cares? When he finds out you’re in the Tower without permission—plus asking for help from the enemy—you’re dead anyway.”
“Dead then or dead now, what’s the difference?” she asked. “Stop messing around and get me an alternate route.” Patience was difficult for her at the best of times. Right now she’d strangle him if she were close enough. Arden took a calming breath.
Col
in’s sigh over the line was full of sarcasm. “Trusting him is a bad idea.”
“You don’t know him.”
“I don’t have to know him to realize this whole plan is going to blow up.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
She needed to decide. Leave, with the possibility of not coming back? Or stay and play a game of break-in chicken with Colin? Arden gave it thirty more seconds.
“There’s a suite of rooms below,” he finally said. “It’s not directly below the balcony you wanted, but close. Backtrack to the hall. First door on your right is the stairwell. Exit into the hallway, then it’s three doors on your left.”
She smiled and started moving fast. “Thank you.”
Arden wasted no time making her way down the stairs.
“You’ll have to climb up the exterior of the building,” Colin said.
“Not a problem.”
“I’m not worried about the climbing,” he said, exasperated. “I’m worried that you’ll attract attention.”
“I’ll be quick, promise.”
Arden paused at the door from the stairwell back into the hallway, waiting for Colin’s all clear. When she got it, she made her way down the hall to the suite below where she had stood before. She set the flowers down beside the target door so that she could access the scanner lock.
“There are heat signatures there as well,” Colin said, “but not in the two closest rooms to the door. You should be okay. Just don’t waste time.”
“I won’t.” She pulled out her datapad, connecting it with flash wires into the scanner hub. “Uplinked.”
“Running program now.”
Her datapad spun with numbers, taking forever. Arden started getting antsy. “Hurry up.”
“Almost done,” Colin said. There was a pause. “Guard coming your way in forty-five seconds.”
The scanner stopped spinning, the numbers blinking twice, and the door slid open. She disconnected her datapad, picked up the flowers in one arm, and slipped into the room. With her other hand, she pulled her phaser from her hip.
She deposited the flowers on a table just inside the door. She kept the phaser at shoulder level, ready to use. Then, walking farther into the apartment away from the entryway, she rounded the corner into the living area, leading with her shoulder. Her shoes sank into the plush carpet, silencing her footfalls. She could hear noise coming from farther in the suite.
In the living room, the light shone through the windows. It flooded the room, bouncing off the white walls and refracting off strategically placed mirrors.
Arden squinted.
She moved through the living room and out the glass doors onto the balcony. Stepping outside was like stepping into another world. The warmth touched her skin in a heated caress. Perspiration beaded on her skin. She allowed herself a moment to suck in a breath thick with heat and humidity. It settled heavy in her lungs, warming her from the inside out.
The Tower frustrated her with its opulence. Knowing it existed in theory was one thing, seeing it was another. This much free space, in the sun, was the height of excess. How could only a small group of people own such a thing just because they had money and power? The sun was meant to be shared.
A vacuum switched on somewhere in the back of the apartment. She slipped the door shut behind her.
Small groupings of furniture were placed around the deck. There were also several chaise lounges, for a long lie-down in the sun. Lush growing things were everywhere: vines and flowers, plants that served no greater purpose than to look pretty. The scent they gave off was thick with sweet perfume. She reached out to touch a leaf, rubbing its silky stem between her thumb and finger.
A moonglass railing encased the balcony, making it appear as if the floor went on forever. She walked to the edge, looking down into the static cover. Dark and ominous, the smog swirled, shielding the view of the city below.
Arden turned back to the Tower, covering her eyes, so that she could see the terraces jutting off the Level above. The design of the Tower structure was sleek, allowing for very few footholds. She was coming up with possible scenarios for her climb when a noise startled her, the slide of metal scraping against a hard surface.
She looked toward the sound.
Someone lounged on the balcony above, a boy with sun-browned golden skin and long, lean muscles. An arm thrown over his eyes as he lay back cut the view between soft bright hair and a strong chin. There was a bit of leg on display and a chest with very defined muscles with lots and lots of delicious skin.
Arden swallowed, pushing down a flutter of excitement. She knew exactly who that was.
His arm fell from his face, and he turned his head. The light caught in the blond of his hair, haloing it, making him shine like an angel.
Her indrawn breath must have been loud enough to catch his attention, here in the sky, where there was nothing but silence. His eyes blinked open, and a frown marred his forehead. “Arden?”
“Um, hi,” she said awkwardly.
He gave her a huge grin. “It is you.”
Dade got up and walked to the edge of his balcony. He stood close to the glass, showing off everything. He wore the skimpiest pair of shorts she’d ever seen, his heavily muscled legs packaged up in red fabric with a white piping. There he stood, half-dressed, as though doing so were nothing out of the ordinary. No one she knew went around without layers and their cloaks. Without sunlight, it simply was too cold.
He appeared as if he owned the world. Perhaps he did.
“I’d hoped you’d come,” he said. “I thought it would be impossible, but I knew if anyone could figure out a way to do it, it would be you.”
The sun glared down into her face. Arden squinted, looking up at the balcony, her gaze landing directly on his package. The sun, caught behind him, made his gorgeous body glow.
She swallowed, then glanced away, embarrassed.
This wasn’t working. Seeing him messed with her resolve. She should leave now, disappear, and not look back. Figure out another way to get the information she needed.
And yet her body moved forward as if answering a siren’s call.
Arden lifted herself onto the moonglass wall. The wind blew stronger here than under the cover of the patio. A gust nearly sent her over the edge. Arden wobbled, catching herself, and planted her feet farther apart.
Dade sucked in a breath. His hands gripped the top of his balcony wall, leaning his body over. His face had pulled tight with worry. “Two moons, Arden, don’t fall.”
“Keep your voice down,” she said.
He leaned farther over the balcony. If he didn’t watch it, he’d be the one to fall over.
“Get back,” she said.
“Keep your voice down,” he mimicked, then rolled his eyes. “I’m fine. Now get up here.”
The balconies, configured like floating platforms, had space between them, jutting over the world below, too far to reach across. Along the bottom, there was a gap between the floor and the glass. About six inches, enough for her to slip her hands into.
Arden didn’t allow herself to second-guess.
She crouched down, balancing on the balls of her feet, then pushed off in a jump, stretching across the empty sky. She reached the balcony, but the momentum kept her moving forward, then jerked her back. Her fingers slipped to the edge, then gripped down, stopping her slide but leaving her dangling over the dark clouds below.
Dade made a noise of distress.
Arden glared up at him.
He held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry. Carry on.”
Her hair whipped around her face. She tilted her head, flicking it so that she could see. She swung from side to side to gain momentum, then lifted herself so that she could slip her foot beside her hand. She got a toehold and wedged herself up. Once she got her other foot on the balcony and her hand on the railing, she was able to hop over the glass, landing next to Dade.
She realized her tactical mistake immediately. It felt
even better being close to him. His naked skin looked warm, as if it had soaked up the sun and now radiated its heat. She barely held herself back, her fingers itching to touch and her body wanting to press against his. All she had to do was take off her gloves so she could reach out and run her hands all over his chest.
How could she resist temptation? It seemed impossible.
Dade smiled fully, without reservation. The skin crinkled around his eyes. It spoke of welcome, security . . . home. In that moment, she was confident that he cared for her. That it wasn’t just platitudes or hormones. He wasn’t caught up in political agendas or family squabbles. To him, she was what mattered.
She also knew without any doubt that she couldn’t stay away from him. It didn’t matter how many times she reminded herself what a horrible idea this was: Dade was her drug, a more dangerous and potent version of Shine. And she wanted to get high.
“I can’t stay,” she said. Belying her words, Arden stepped closer to him. His skin smelled of a combination of cologne, sun, and a sweet fruit. She wanted to really touch him, yet was afraid to give in to the temptation. Lingering would compromise the mission. Already she wondered why Colin wasn’t squawking in her ear.
Dade reached up, taking her hands in his. He squeezed her fingers. “For a bit?” He tilted his head and gave her an inviting look. It was soft and full of understanding with enough yearning to have her move yet another step forward. They were almost touching now.
He was practically naked. Naked, naked, naked. The word bounced around her head with the speed of a laser ball. His exposed chest glistened from a combination of sun, sweat, and oil. His muscles flexed as he tugged her so that her body fully rested against his.
Dade reached up to take off her hat, dropping it to the ground. Then he slid her halo-glasses onto the top of her head. He caressed his fingers along her cheek. “I was daydreaming about you. And then, suddenly you appeared. I could get used to my dreams becoming reality.”
The Breaking Light (Split City Book 1) Page 12
