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The room buzzed with soft voices as workers spoke into their communication units or gave orders to their subordinates. Every one of them was dressed in the same dark gray uniform, with the symbol of a golden wing surrounded by a circle decorating the top left lapel.
Renna had been around long enough to recognize the signs. “What is this place?” she asked. “Does the Hesperian government know you guys are here?”
From the corner of her eye, Renna noticed the ninjas fanning out to take up posts near each door. She could feel their gazes on her. Watching. Assessing. Waiting for her to make one wrong move.
She curled her fingers into quick fists, then forced herself to turn back to the older man.
He smiled apologetically. “Do forgive me, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Major Erik Dallas, head of MYTH on Hesperia.”
Renna hooked her thumbs in the pockets of her leggings and tilted her head. “I’ve never heard of MYTH. And I’ve heard of every secret organization there is. Been recruited by a couple, too. What does it stand for?” Maybe if she could get this guy to talk, she might have some useful information to sell to her clients, along with the qualified gamma particle destabilizer in her pack.
“Military Yield Tactical Horizon.” He shrugged. “Don’t ask me what it means though; the guys at the top came up with it. They needed a name that was impressive enough for a galaxy-wide organization tasked with protecting the Coalition of Territories from terrorists and outside attack.” An unexpected dimple flashed in his weathered cheek.
Renna gritted her teeth. His boyish charm was not going to work on her. The guy had sent his highly trained ninja squad to kidnap her. After he’d used her to steal the destabilizer. It would take more than a friendly smile to get on her good side.
He turned to one of the uniformed technicians at a nearby console. “Lieutenant, please take Myka to get some fresh clothes.”
The boy looked at Renna, his eyes so wide she could see the whites, but she nodded. “It’s all right. They’re not going to hurt you. And I’ll be right here when you get back.”
Reluctantly, Myka let go of her hand and followed the man through a nearby door. She tried to ignore the crawling of her skin and turned back to the major.
“A good name is always the most important thing when you’re terrorizing the galaxy,” she said, letting her gaze drift around the space, careful to not seem too interested in anything. She shifted her weight to the right and watched a series of numbers scroll past on the nearest holovid screen. The data made no sense to her. It seemed to be tracking ship movements in the outer traverse, but along no path she’d ever seen.
Beyond the vid, two more workers bent over a holo-graphic simulation of a planet she didn’t recognize. Renna played with the end of her ponytail. This was the most advanced tech she’d ever seen. The Coalition government was always screaming for money; there was no way in hell they could afford a facility like this. Whatever else MYTH was, they were obviously well funded.
But if they’d had all of this tech, why hadn’t they been able to retrieve the kid themselves? Especially if they’d sent the ninjas after him. She’d seen those guys at work; they could have sliced and diced their way through that warehouse in seconds.
She tucked her hands into her pockets and nodded to the end of the room. “Mind if I take a look?” she asked Dallas.
“Of course.” He waved her on.
The workers paid no attention to her, but Renna’s scalp prickled as the ninjas’ gazes followed her across the room. She squared her shoulders and made her way toward the map on the far wall to trace the curve of the traverse, the Outer Rim planets marking the edge of the Confederated Coalition of Territories. They contained every form of life and every manner of race. Humanity had implemented space travel three hundred years ago, taking their place in the galactic government a mere hundred years later. They’d soon become leaders in defense and military action.
If nothing else, humanity excelled at war.
She chewed her lip as she studied the map. A glowing red line circled three planets grouped around a large star at the fringes of the traverse. Renna tapped her fingernail against her tooth. Something tickled the back of her mind, something about this cluster.
“Miss Carrizal, have you found something of interest?” Major Dallas asked.
She half-turned to look at him. “More than you can imagine.” Her eyes drifted down the captain’s trim figure. The guy was old enough to be her father, but she was willing to do whatever it took to get out of this mess.
Behind them, Captain Finn stood at ease, his blue eyes trained on her, taking in every subtle movement. Including her checking out the major.
Renna thought she heard him growl.
Dallas smiled, either oblivious to Renna’s flirtation or ignoring it. “Would you like to have that cup of tea?” he asked, gesturing to one of the doors.
Renna followed him into a small, comfortable room. Instead of the office furniture she expected, there were two plush chairs and a low, white table. Someone had already set a tea tray on it with two ceramic cups. How very cozy.
“Please, have a seat, my dear. Captain, you can wait outside.”
“But, sir…” Finn’s lips thinned as he glared at her. The muscles in his jaw pulsed, like he had to grind his teeth together to stop himself from disagreeing with his superior. But the threat in his eyes, the promise of violence etched in every tense line of his body was all too real. And it was all directed at her.
She fought back a shiver. The Hunter she’d known had been different. Less serious. Kinder. He’d been one of the best soldiers-for-hire in their gang, but he’d never been so hardened. This man gave the impression that he’d kill first and ask questions later. What had happened to change him so much?
Dallas held up a hand. “Everything’s fine, Captain. Renna is our guest.”
Finn saluted and marched from the room, though the look he threw over his shoulder made Renna swallow as she sank into one of the chairs. She relaxed into its cushions and crossed her legs, trying to appear unruffled. In reality, her mouth was dry and her palms sweating as she scanned the room, taking in the smallest details—the lack of windows, the carefully neutral furniture, the slight bubble in the ceiling that showed her they were being watched.
She needed to stay on guard. She also needed to stay on this guy’s good side. For now. “Where’s’ Myka?” She pitched her voice to seem unthreatening.
