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Renna followed him from the flight deck toward the back of the ship. She was impressed. It was a pretty ship—trim, lithe, and easy to hide in a spaceport. The prototype engine made it possible to use FTL travel several times without refueling, and the stealth systems were cutting-edge.
A pang of envy shot through her. If everything had gone according to plan, she might have retired, sold the Star Sapphire, and bought herself one of these by now. She quickly shoved that thought away. Between the implant in her head turning her into a cyborg and being wanted by MYTH, she really needed to give up on the retirement idea.
“There’s a gathering hub, a mess leading off one side, and the sleeping quarters off the opposite side,” Viktis said as he continued through the ship. He pressed the button to open the hatch into the central room of the ship, where a round table and several comfortable couches sat, ringing the space.
Another door led to the mess, and Viktis led Renna through it, pointing out the small kitchen where she could heat up the pre-packaged food he’d stocked. Then it was on to the sleeping quarters.
There were six small berths, more like pods than rooms, just long enough for a bed, which took up the entire space. A button on the wall caused a small shelf to slide out of the wall above the pillow, and another switch turned the pod door opaque, cutting out all light.
“Not quite like my cabin back on the Eris,” she said ruefully.
“You’re so spoiled. Don’t you remember the pods back on the Mikado? Those things were awful.”
Renna chuckled. “I’d forgotten about those. They smelled of sweat and stinky feet.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “So you going to show me the captain’s quarters? Somehow I can’t see you sleeping in one of these.”
“Oh, hell no.” Viktis led her to the door at the end of the corridor. It slid open to reveal a half-circle of a room. A large bed sat flush against the straight wall, and a pair of soft chairs sat along the left curve.
Renna stepped into the room, taking in the luxurious satin duvet and the fluffy white pillows stacked on the bed. “Nice. It’s bigger than my apartment back on Hesperia.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Viktis pressed a button in the wall, and Renna gasped as it went transparent.
The entire wall was a floor-to-ceiling window into space.
“Viktis. That’s amazing.”
“Want to bunk here with me?” he asked, lips twitching.
Renna gazed out at the inky universe as stars twinkled in the distance hypnotically. She wanted to say yes—not only for the view, but for Viktis’s presence. Alone in her pod, she knew her thoughts would spiral into the pain of Finn’s betrayal.
But she shook her head. “Are you trying to take advantage of my vulnerability, Viktis?”
He smiled sadly. “Just trying to be a friend. But I understand why you don’t trust me, especially after Finn’s behavior. I’m sorry it had to happen like that.”
“Thanks for getting me out of there.” Renna couldn’t stand the pity in his eyes and stared out the window instead of looking at him. “You didn’t have to help me and you did. That means a lot.”
“We’re friends. That’s what friends do. You don’t have to do this alone, Ren.”
“I know.” Silence hung between them awkwardly until she turned back to him. “How about we figure out what kind of dirt Kara dug up on the evil doctor? Maybe we can figure out where she’s going to strike next.” She slipped one of the disks from her bag and inserted it into her tablet. Dealing with a clear threat was easier than trying to deal with the emotions swirling around her head right now.
A file, similar to the ones she’d seen at MYTH, loaded onto her device, and Renna scanned through the information.
“Looks like our Dr. Samil grew up on Earth, too. Went to Oxford on a full scholarship. Was recruited into MYTH as soon as she graduated.” Renna glanced at the pair of chairs and nodded at them. “Can I sit?”
“Of course.” Viktis took the chair closest to the door, while Renna sank into the other.
“Looks like her first assignment for MYTH was helping start up Titan Industries. That’s where she must have gotten the idea for her code name. Due to her promising biochem career, she was pulled into the science team on Banos Prime after an explosion killed a team of MYTH soldiers.” Renna paused, feeling her jaw drop. “Dr. Samil’s fiancée was a MYTH officer stationed on Banos at the time, and he was caught in the blast, along with Myka. But while the experimental technology saved Myka’s life, it looks like it killed the fiancée.”
Viktis let out a low whistle.
“I’m guessing that has a lot to do with her hatred of the organization.” Renna stared down at the picture of the handsome young man. He had dark skin and eyes and a long, straight nose and strong jaw. He wore the rank of commander on the shoulder of his MYTH uniform, but he couldn’t have been more than thirty.
She tried to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. His stiff pose and serious expression reminded her of Finn. Before this mess, how would she have responded if he’d been killed on a MYTH mission? Would she have blamed them for his death? Would she have tried to destroy them for it?
An uncomfortable pressure ached behind her eyes, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. Of course she would. She’d almost allowed herself to go that route when Blur’s compound had been destroyed and she’d thought he’d been killed. She’d wanted vengeance for Hunter’s death. Finn, she corrected. And Blur’s. They’d been family to her, the only family she’d had, and someone had destroyed it.
Renna cleared her throat, and Viktis glanced at her with a concerned expression. “All right?”
“Yeah. Just putting myself in her shoes.”
There was a long moment of silence before Viktis asked, “What’s going on in your head, Ren? I know you have to be hurting. Finn’s being a royal ass**le.”
Renna stared down at her hands clutching the tablet. “What do you think? I fell in love with a man who not only betrayed me, but is willing to take me into custody and have me tried for a crime he should I know I didn’t commit.” She took a shaky breath. “Not to mention the fact that less than two days ago, he promised to trust me.” Her voice broke, and she swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat. “I should have been smarter. Look at my past. The last guy I trusted tried to kill me.”
