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She shrugged. “I wish I knew. My research led me to believe there might be a lead on where the Athena went and what they’re planning. From what I learned, Titan Industries may be a front for a secret MYTH corporation.”
“Why would MYTH need a secret corporation?” Jayla asked.
“That’s what I hope to find out. I’m going to talk to the man in charge and convince him to give us some answers. Even better, I’m going to walk in through the front door.”
Blake let out a noisy sigh. “So no super-spy action on this mission? I have to say I’m disappointed, Renna. I thought I was going to get to play James Bond.”
“You realize if you were playing James Bond I’d be one of the villains, right? Spies are not the same as thieves.” Though sometimes their jobs overlapped a bit. There was that handsome spy she’d met several years ago. They’d had a fling after he’d fulfilled his mission: catching her.
Renna shook her head. “Besides, why are you still reading that old-Earth stuff? Haven’t you heard of Chorwig Deni? He’s way better.”
“Eh, Bond’s smoother. And has a few less tentacles.”
Renna rolled her eyes as a speeder pulled up in front of them. “I’m just going to ignore your bad taste for now. Come on, the sooner we get this over, the sooner we can get back to the Eris.” And hopefully one step closer to Pallas.
The speeder deposited them in front of the tall, blue building at the center of the city. She stared up at the metal girders curving skyward, twisting as they spiraled the building, and let out a low whistle. The whole thing was made of azure ore from Mali V. Someone had deep pockets.
“So what’s the plan?” Blake asked, tucking his hands into the pockets of his dark brown trousers. He wore a cream, open-collar shirt that highlighted his muscled shoulders, and his blond hair was carelessly spiky. He looked like he belonged on a holozine cover somewhere, not in the middle of a military operation. If she wasn’t already halfway in love with Finn, she’d have been very tempted.
She cleared her throat and dragged her focus back to the job at hand and not the sparkling caramel eyes waiting for her to answer. She preferred blue eyes anyway. “How about you two wait outside and guard the entrance. I can handle the inside work.”
Jayla shook her head. “Not a chance.”
“Come on, Commander. You know I’m not going anywhere. I just need a little space to do my thing.” She gave the woman her most convincing smile, but Jayla didn’t budge.
“We’re going with you. Dallas asked us to keep an eye on you, and unlike Finn, I don’t disobey orders.”
Unexpected hurt stabbed through Renna, and she looked away. Why did it suddenly matter to her either way?
Jayla shook her head. “That’s not it. Dallas knew you’d try to do this alone. He wanted to make sure you had backup.”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s not stupid, Renna, and neither am I. We both know there’s something else going on. Why do you think he didn’t press you for details?” Jayla smiled. “So despite you trying to push us away, we’re going to do this together. Blake and I have your back.”
Renna glanced at Blake, who nodded. “What the commander said.”
Warmth blossomed in her chest, but she kept her face expressionless. Depending on other people had never been one of her strengths; she’d prided herself on being able to handle everything alone. But in the last few weeks, she’d started to feel…different. Like maybe being part of a team wouldn’t be so bad after all. Unfortunately, a weakness like that was a dangerous thing in her line of business. If she was smart, she’d put an end to it before she got hurt.
“Fine.” She shrugged. “Follow my lead and keep quiet. You’ll know soon enough if we get into trouble.”
She tugged her dark hair from its usual ponytail and shook it loose around her shoulders, then unbuttoned the top of her blouse to show some cle**age.
“Let’s do this.” Renna pulled her tablet from the bag slung over her shoulder, then shoved through the doors into a marble-lined lobby and marched directly toward the pretty Ileth secretary sitting at the front desk. Behind her on the wall hung a large logo in gold metal—a human eye crossed by two spears.
Renna squared her shoulders and spoke as fast as she could. “Excuse me, miss, Monet Green here to see the CEO. I’m with the Costa Star News. I need to speak with him immediately on a galactic matter. He’ll want to see me at once.” Before the girl could protest, Renna pushed past her to the sealed door and tapped her foot impatiently. “Please hurry, young lady. There’s no time to waste.”
The girl’s orange lips parted in shock, and she jumped to her feet to open the security door for the elevators. “I’ll…I’ll let him know you’re on your way up.”
Renna smiled at her. “Good girl. What floor is he on?”
“Six.” She backed away, and Renna, Blake, and Jayla stepped into the elevator.
“Thank you.” Renna nodded at the girl as the doors slid shut.
Blake chuckled softly. “Impressive. Remind me to never try conning you.”
“Probably a good idea. I eat nice guys like you for breakfast.” Renna grinned at him. “Let’s just hope our CEO is as easily fooled. If not, I’m going to need you two to keep everyone out of his office as long as possible.”
Renna tugged her shirt lower and flipped her hair again as the elevator stopped, depositing them on the sixth floor.
Another secretary, this one a young blonde human woman with a nice rack, sat behind a large, glass desk. She half-rose to her feet.
“Who are you?” she demanded, her gaze raking over the trio suspiciously. “Mr. Sherle is in a meeting. He’s not to be disturbed.”
Renna leaned over the desk and stared the woman down, her voice as pointed as the knives hidden in her knee-high boots. “I’m with the Costa Star News. I need to speak with him immediately. This is a matter of life or death.” She glanced at the office door, and her implant surged on, returning two heat signatures in the next room. One had the slight purple tint of a Trezian alien. Great, just what she needed.
The secretary shook her head. “He’s busy. You’ll have to make an appointment.” She tapped at her console, then said, “Looks like he’s free next week.”
Renna frowned apologetically. “I’m afraid that’s not going to work, miss. Titan Industries is in danger. If I don’t see him immediately, you may not have a job next week.” Renna tapped on her tablet and pulled up an official looking graph. “See. There’s not much time.”
