“What happened after I left?” he asked after splashing more liquor in her cup.
“I tried to stabilize her but they burst in, guns blazing. There was the one warning from outside to put down our weapons, but that was it. They came in to kill, not subdue.”
“They know we’re dangerous. Apparently a call went out from the queen’s security team requesting immediate and urgent assistance… from us. We were set up from the beginning, Nisrine, by someone who knew we’d be there at that time.”
“No one knew except our contact and the queen. Her elite guard.”
Kaiden glanced at her. “Unless someone double-crossed a member of the guard, we know it wasn’t them. Besides, they wouldn’t have known our names, right? The queen would have referred to meeting her agents.”
“Right,” Nisrine said.
“Your contact fucked us. That Joaquin dick double-crossed us. He’s the only one who makes sense.”
“What? No, he couldn’t—” She caught herself and bit her lower lip, then glanced away. As her thoughts drifted back to the telltale scorch lines across Abraham’s chest, she knew Kaiden spoke the truth. It hurt. No one other than the queen and Joaquin could have known their identities, and no one but him could have emulated her fighting style.
Nisrine’s shoulders sagged. Betrayal always hurt, and it shouldn’t have surprised her that Joaquin had been against them from the very start. Hunt and Merrill may have been his work, though she couldn’t determine if the two had known she was innocent or fed a load of bullshit from Joaquin.
It didn’t matter. Regardless of how he’d done it, what mattered was that Joaquin remained in a position to screw them without lube, and she had to assume the enemy knew everything she’d reported up until Kaiden’s unfortunate coma.
Nisrine clenched her jaw. “Then he’s dead when I find him.” She tossed back her second glass and welcomed the burn.
“I’m willing to bet he’s the phantom I chased across the town, too. He’s fast as fuck.”
“He has stim implants. They automatically inject adrenaline and a host of other drugs when necessary, dependent on the situation. Bone reinforcement, too.”
“No wonder I lost him,” Kaiden grumbled.
“What happened after that? How did you draw them away from the house?”
“I took out one of their guys in the rear. They’ll find him safe and relatively unharmed like the others,” he told her. “After that, I hacked into their communication system, mimicked his voice, and said I saw you on the ground. Threw a little hologram that way once they were running.”
“That’s rather ingenious.”
“Wasn’t much,” Kaiden assured her, surprisingly modest. “If that didn’t work, I was prepared to come and get you myself. Anyway, it looks like we’ve got bigger things to worry about now than my abduction. An alert has just hit the system for both of us. We’re now at the top on the Galaxy’s Most Wanted. You should be honored to know you’ve got the number one spot.”
Chapter Sixteen
“You failed.”
Despite the grim words of greeting, Joaquin strode into the office without pausing. Chancellor DuValle’s hard gaze followed him as he made himself comfortable in a chair across from the man’s desk. He stared back at the politician until the chancellor broke eye contact.
Joaquin smirked.
“I did as asked,” he said. “Perhaps not in the method you’d hoped for, but the end result is the same. Queen Catherine is indisposed, and you are free to rule the United Nation of Earth.”
“The queen is a loose end,” DuValle spat out.
“And loose ends can be cut. The galaxy will mourn when she fails to awaken.”
“They’ll bring in the Lexar to wake her with their advanced medical procedures and…” DuValle grimaced, features wrinkling to the likeness of a turtle. “Magic. Word has already been sent for them.”
“They won’t make it in time. Trust me. It won’t take much to guarantee Catherine never shares the truth.” Joaquin shrugged. “As for her attackers, the world believes two operatives from the HMS Jemison are responsible for our comatose leader. I plastered their photographs across the galaxy and released all of Shahid’s aliases.”
The chancellor’s tight expression eased into an ugly smile. “Perhaps you are right and I spoke with haste. What has been done to apprehend the pair?”
Admiral Scarot spoke up for the first time since Joaquin’s entrance. The woman sat on a sofa beneath the window, her legs crossed and one hand resting over the knee of her flawless pants suit. “I have signed orders for the immediate grounding of their vessel. The Jemison won’t be aiding them.”
“The crew?” DuValle asked.
“All members of the Jemison crew, including civilians, will be confined to the ship until a full and complete investigation can be arranged.”
“Excellent, Admiral.” DuValle tapped his fingers together and turned his attention to Joaquin. “Any leads on our quarry?”
Joaquin shook his head and curled his lip back in disgust. “No. It seems they got their hands on the stealth ship and deactivated all trackers. Regrettable, but not the end of things. You see, I know Agent Shahid. She has certain tendencies I can use to predict their next moves.”
“Good. Keep me abreast of any information,” DuValle said.
They lingered for a time to discuss strategy and the advancement of their relationship with the Allied Socialist Republic. With the queen gone, the chancellor was free to act in her stead and end the cold war between them, at risk of angering the Lexar but gaining other powerful allies. Not that Joaquin had any faith in the barbaric Zaecady beyond their brute strength.
In truth, he didn’t like the idea of allying with them at all, but Joaquin had come too far to let guilt deter him. Maybe he’d done it initially for the money, hungering for the heavy deposits into his bank account from the corrupt, galactic official, but he’d always known the way of the future was to abandon Catherine’s incorruptible morals.
She had held them back too long. She had capitulated to the Lexar and put humanity under their rule.
After the meeting concluded, Joaquin entered the private, unmonitored service elevator outside of DuValle’s office and held the door until Scarot stepped inside. He noticed her watching him from the corner of his eye.
“Is there a problem, Admiral?” he asked politely.
Of course, it had surprised him initially to learn Scarot was so willing to dirty her hands for the sake of the galaxy. He’d thought her old and soft, too gentle a soul to do what was necessary for the Empire’s survival.
“Sometimes I wonder if we’re doing the right thing,” Scarot answered. “I’ve known Catherine since she was a girl.”
“We are, Admiral. For a better world tomorrow, I’d assassinate a dozen queens.”
She smiled wryly. “You’re right, of course.
“What the bloody hell do you mean, cut off?” Ethan stared at the red flashing computer display and the official notice scrolling across his terminal.
“A command code has locked our engines, as well as outside communications. Base security have been deployed to prevent unauthorized entry and departure from the ship, and all ship personnel have been recalled by Admiral Scarot,” Jem relayed.
Amelia knocked on the door and stepped through. His XO wore the same baffled expression, brow creased with concern and mouth pressed into a tight line. “Ethan, what’s this about a lockdown?”
“Not a clue. The information is still confiden—”
“There is a galaxy-wide warrant for Kaiden Lockhart and Nisrine Shahid,” Jem interrupted. “They are wanted for the attempted assassination of Queen Catherine.”
The floor seemed to drop out from beneath Ethan. He stared at the screen. “That isn’t possible. Nisrine would never do that.” But, he wondered, would Kaiden? Was it possible that they had all underestimated him, or worse yet, that some remnants of his programming had been activated and the enemy once again
used him to their advantage?
“What’s the queen’s current condition?” Amelia asked.
“The queen is listed as critical,” Jem replied. “She is currently under care at Curie Memorial in Valencia, Paradiso.”
“I want a full report. Now.”
“Access to that information has been denied. All user privileges have been revo—” Jem’s voice distorted and cut off. A blinking message flashed across the screen—AI Offline.
Fury boiled inside him, even as the world beyond their ship appeared to be falling apart. Ethan slammed a fist against the desk then lurched to his feet, pulse pounding until it became a violent roar in his head. The Jemison was his ship, and they’d locked him out of it without the courtesy of even calling to report they’d be reaming him up the ass. “Bloody fucking hell!”
“Ethan,” Amelia started uncertainly, “you don’t think that Lockhart—”
“He couldn’t have,” Ethan answered. “It occurred to me as well a moment ago, but I don’t want to believe it was possible. After all, Nisrine was with him. She wouldn’t have allowed that to happen. She’d have taken him down herself or died trying. That they’re on the run together means it can’t be related to his previous situation.”
“I hope you’re right,” Amelia said.
“Get Xander in here. Gareth, too.”
It took less than five minutes for the two men to join them. Xander wore civilian attire and Gareth looked as if he’d rolled from his rack, hair rumpled and circles under his eyes.
“Ethan, what’s going on?” Xander asked. “Thandie and I were stopped at the port gate and escorted back under armed guard.”
“The Jemison has been put on lockdown by Admiral Scarot. Gareth, I’m sorry to wake you, but I wanted you to hear the news from me first.”
“Has something happened to Kaiden?”
It hurt to even repeat the words, because he knew better of Kaiden from the couple years he’d served aboard the Jemison prior to his abduction and the months since his return as he’d grown from a scared victim into a confident survivor.
Ethan sucked in a breath. “Before Jem was taken offline, we were told Kaiden attempted to assassinate Queen Catherine. There’s a galactic alert calling for him and Lieutenant Shahid to be taken into custody, Gareth.
“That’s bullshit!”
“He wouldn’t do that,” Xander said.
Ethan held up his hands. “I know. I don’t believe it either, but there is little we can do from here. Gareth, I’d like you to see if you can find out the full extent of the lockdown. I need to know if there is any way to get a message off this ship.”
“Right away, sir. Mind if I use your console?”
“Be my guest.”
Gareth slid into the chair in front of the console and his fingers flew over a virtual keyboard projected from several holographic outlets. Images flashed before them, each one more daunting than the last. Denied. Authorization Revoked. Restricted.
“All outside access was cut off,” Gareth confirmed. “Personal messages, social media, even video game servers. They’ve strangled all communication avenues off the ship.”
“They can’t possibly think the Jemison is involved in a plot against the queen.” Xander frowned at the report on the screen.
“Considering they’ve accused two members of our crew, they might.” Amelia huffed an exasperated breath. “Do we have any idea where Kaiden and Nisrine are?”
“No,” Xander answered. “And right now, I wouldn’t want to know. Considering the circumstances of their mission, I haven’t a doubt in my mind regarding their innocence. Nisrine and Kaiden were too close to the truth and someone has decided to silence them.”
Ethan snapped his gaze toward the doctor. “Someone who knew what they were doing. Someone with enough pull to make an attempt on the queen and frame them for the deed.”
“That would be my suspicion.”
“What do we do now?” Gareth asked.
“The only thing we can do is wait,” Amelia replied. “I imagine they’ll be sending a team here to question us and to search their belongings.”
Chapter Seventeen
Kaiden hadn’t moved for five minutes, his motionless figure appearing more construct than man. He’d warned her he would be quiet while searching the depths of virtual space, but she hadn’t been prepared for his stillness. The silence. The clock ticked, each click of the second hand a thunderclap in her ears.
Now she knew why such objects had fallen out of favor over the centuries. The noise only drew attention to how slowly time seemed to move.
He’d explained it to her clearly. The further he reached and the deeper he traveled, the longer it took him to return. Stretching his consciousness over vast space required more concentration, and the world around his physical body ceased to exist for those moments.
“Okay. The Bridewell cruised within range, and I was able to hack into their system.” His sudden return startled her, and she jumped. “United Command initiated lockdown procedures on the Jemison. All members of the crew, including Bishop, are confined to the ship pending an investigative hearing.”
“They believe someone on the Jemison may try to aid us.”
“Aye, and that’s not the worst of it. Your family has been taken into custody.”
Nisrine’s heart sank. She’d always known it would be a possibility her loved ones could be put at risk due to her career choices, but she’d never expected her own government to be the danger to them. “And your mother?”
“We sent her on a Lexar cruise, and the next official planetary tourist stop isn’t for another two weeks. I’ll worry about someone abducting her on a wine tour if we’re still in this shit then.”
“They won’t wait for her to leave the cruise ship, Kaiden. They’ll just demand the Lexar turn her over.”
He cocked a brow. “Since when has the word demand ever worked with the Lexar?”
“Point.”
“Besides, they won’t turn a sixty-three-year-old woman over to United Command without valid reason.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Positive. They may be intimidating as fuck, but their leaders are logical. If the agent sent to retrieve her doesn’t supply a valid warrant, they’ll tell him to get fucked.”
Her shoulders relaxed. At least his mother was safe. As was Gareth, even if he’d been affected by the Jemison’s lockdown. “What of the queen?”
“Critical condition. She’s been in surgery for fourteen hours. The round shredded one of her kidneys. If you hadn’t treated her with the nanogel, she’d have bled out before help arrived.”
“We need to get rid of this ship,” Nisrine muttered. Abandoning her seat beside Kaiden on the bed, she dragged out her travel bag from beneath it and tossed her belongings inside. “Buy another.”
“Aye, we do. We’ll have to drop everything attached to any of our aliases. It’s too risky. If we can make it to the Amun System, we can lie low, hide for a bit. United Command never goes that far during patrols since it’s lawless land.”
Nisrine jerked around to face him, staring. “The Amun System is filled with criminals.”
“Would you rather be captive and court-martialed?”
“No.”
“Nissie, listen to me. You said this Joaquin cocksucker knows you well, and I believe he does for him to have set you up the way he did. If we go and purchase another ship, they’ll bust us for sure. He knows every move you’ll make.”
Nisrine moaned into one hand and leaned against the bedroom dresser. “You’re right.”
“He knows you’ll follow protocol for a blown cover, and in this case, it’ll only get us killed. We need another plan, lass.”
“That… fucker.” Exasperated, she sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. How had Joaquin operated so long as the queen’s top agent without discovery? How long had he been a traitor to the crown?
Kaiden cracked a small grin. “Think I’m a bad influence on you.
”
“Hm?”
He waved a hand. “Nothing. Never mind.”
Nisrine raised both hands to her temples and kneaded. “I might have another option for us, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”
“To be honest with you, anything beats captivity at this point. Unless you’ve got a new cover for me as an exotic dancer, I’m all for it. What’s your plan?”
“I have a contact, strictly off the books. She has her own ship and owes me a favor. I’m willing to cash it in. There’s one catch, though.”
“What’s that?”
“You can’t run your background checks on these people. They’ve all gone to exquisite lengths to make fresh identities and new lives. A few of them are deserters.”
Kaiden grunted. “I can’t make promises, but I’ll do my best.”
“All right. I’ll get in touch with her while you take us to Amun. We can ditch the ship and hole up until she arrives.”
When Kaiden left, she slid behind her console and tapped through a handful of security sequences. She had the numbers and passcodes memorized.
A voice crackled over the line. “Nisrine?”
“Hey, Evangeline, hold on a moment, I’ll get the video feed up.” She tapped a few more keys until the display activated. Her friend’s concerned features filled the screen.
“What the hell is going on, Nisrine? An alert flashed across my terminal for you. Attempted murder of the queen? A million quid for your capture?”
“Long story and I promise you’ll have the chance to hear it from me face to face. I’m hoping you can do me a solid and allow me to hire your ship and services.”
“Absolutely,” Evangeline replied without hesitation. “Where can we meet you?”
“We’re on course for the Amun System to dispose of our current vessel.”
“Doesn’t sound like you.”
Kaiden (The Nova Force Book 2) Page 18
