AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As if now that I’ve found him, I could survive anything.
They emerged from the ship, ready to enact their plan. The place was constantly bustling, like it never slept, and Gianna could tell Kozien was on edge from the crowds.
He took her through a few market stalls, buying robes and some soft, putty-like clay. They sat down in a quiet alley while he daubed it on her cheeks and nose.
“What are you turning me into?” she muttered, smiling. “An old hag?”
“Maybe.” He chuckled. He smeared the gooey stuff across her forehead, making small lumps that led to ridges across her cheekbones.
“I’m turning you into an Ublarian. They are a servile race and not many people will look twice at you. It’ll be just a little weird that you’re with an Ethane Breather, so we’ll stay apart while we work on the docks.”
“What will we do there?” she asked. “How do you expect us to fit in?”
Kozien shrugged. “Just pick up boxes and crates and follow the other workers, stacking them in the same place or on transports. If a big ship is coming in, it’s not uncommon for lots of dock workers to be there.”
“Okay.” She sighed.
Kozien looked right into her eyes as he smoothed the cool clay across her skin. She still felt safe and protected, as if the warmth from waking in his arms that morning had traveled with her, almost like a protective cloak that would never leave her.
“What do we do now?” she asked as Kozien finished up with the clay. “How long until the ship comes in?”
“A little while,” he informed her. “We should get some food and then steal a few uniforms so we can head into the dock.”
“Sounds good.” Gianna took his hand and Kozien held on to her until they reached the busy street.
“Have to let go of you now,” he whispered. “But I am right by your side, always.”
Gianna looked up at him, letting go of his hand regretfully. She knew she wasn’t ready to admit it yet, but she wasn’t ever going to leave his side, either.
Sneaking onto the dock was not very difficult. Service entrances were everywhere, and because Kozien and Gianna were dressed in the dull workers’ uniforms, nobody even looked at them twice.
Kozien thanked the stars the dock workers weren’t particularly friendly with each other. It meant that no one would question them being there, especially if regular shift changeovers were common.
For the first hour or so, they joined the teams unpacking small crafts and moving boxes between stock rooms. When the big ship came in, alarms went off, alerting all the workers they were needed in the dock.
The crew was a mixed group of races from across the galaxy. As they approached the ship, he saw a D’Narvius standing right at the door, and he looked over at Gianna with concern. He didn’t want to be this close to those monsters, but they had little choice.
Reluctantly, he tore his eyes away from her, knowing that if he kept looking her way, he would only draw attention to them both.
As the team began to unpack the ship, Gianna stayed hunched forward, playing her part to the hilt. She had even managed to adopt a lumbering gait, pulling off the Ublarian disguise with ease.
Kozien kept his eyes peeled for any identifying information about where the packages had come from or where they might be going. When he finally made it to the back of the ship’s cargo hold, he saw a logo for the underground company Umbrosis.
He’d heard only a little about Umbrosis, as its operations were strictly secret and illegal. It meant they were probably on the right track, but it also meant they could be in terrible danger.
Kozien wanted to confirm this vessel was the one carrying the drugs. If it was, it was likely Gabe would be connected. He stole a small packet from one of the crates and concealed it in his robes.
At the first bell for breaks, he followed Gianna and the other workers out to the rec area. Everyone was busy getting food and didn’t pay attention to them as they slipped away.
“Motley,” Kozien said, opening a corner of the package. “For certain.”
“So, this is the shipment Gabe is supposed to be involved in,” Gianna whispered. “Could he be on this ship?”
Kozien shrugged. “He might be. We’ve got to go back to work in a few minutes, so don’t worry. I’ll set up a trace.”
“Then what?”
“Then we can follow them back to where they started, and we should find some info on Gabe while we’re out there.”
