“Avril?” Niklas strode forward. “What in the hell is going on?”
When Avril turned, Nera stiffened. The woman’s face was set in hard lines, her blue eyes flat.
“We are subduing the Rumin and removing the Inca treasure.”
Niklas looked as though she’d punched him in the gut. “What? It belongs to these people. It isn’t just some unclaimed ancient treasure lying around waiting to be discovered.”
“I’m not leaving it here with these backward savages.” Avril’s face twisted. “They can’t look after it, and they certainly can’t appreciate it.”
Niklas’ face hardened. “That’s not your real reason, is it?”
Nera looked between the two of them.
Avril lifted her chin. “Of course it is. I care about the artifacts staying in mint condition?—”
“No, I don’t think you give a shit about the artifacts at all.”
“Fine.” A dark smile lifted Avril’s lips. “I have buyers lined up. They pay well, and I promised them Inca treasures.”
Nera barely controlled her flinch. Avril? She was behind all of this? “You’repart of the Institute black-market antiquities ring?”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised. And I’m not just a part of it, I’m the head of it.” She shot Niklas a smug look. “It was in its infancy when you stumbled across it and got yourself tossed out of the Institute. I was a fairly new recruit, and I saw an opportunity to gain power, prestige…”
“And e-creds,” he spat.
Avril chopped a hand through the air. “Oh, enough with the righteous tone. I’m a realist. The Institute needs funds. Every year, the number of artifacts we house gets larger, the digs get more numerous, the museums more expensive to run. Who cares if a few artifacts are sold off to private dealers?”
“I do. Those artifacts are pieces of history to be studied, researched, and admired…by children, scholars, the general public. And don’t tell me you ‘vet’ your buyers. I know you sell to scum.”
“Just like she does.” Avril stabbed a finger at Nera. “That doesn’t stop you from getting into her pants as often as you can.”
“Burns you, doesn’t it?” Nera said, silkily.
Avril jerked a shoulder and kept her focus on Niklas. “I tried to project the exact image of what I thought you wanted. A smart, fresh astro-archeologist. I was attracted to you, and I thought we’d make a great team.”
Nera’s stomach turned over.
“You don’t understand me,” Niklas said. “The Institute never understood me either. And she—” he looked at Nera “—is nothing like the reputation she’s carefully crafted.” He shot Avril a contemptuous look. “You made yourself look good, but beneath the gloss, you’re rotten.”
Avril jerked like she’d been hit by a prod.
“Nera…she lets everyone think she’s black to the core, but beneath it all…” Blue eyes met hers. “She’s everything.”
God. Nera swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn’t begin to imagine what he saw when he looked at her. No one had ever looked at her the way he did.
“Enough,” Avril shouted. “There are hundreds of thousands of artifacts moldering away in the Institute archives. I did what I thought was best for the entire organization.”
“And none goes in your pockets?” Nera asked.
Avril’s chin lifted. “A reasonable and perfectly fair percentage for my hard work. The Institute pay is ridiculous.” She looked at Niklas again. “You could still join me, be a part of it. Help me manage this, and you could fund whatever digs and research you wanted.”
Nera’s heart hit her ribs, then her pulse evened out. Avril really didn’t know Niklas at all.
“I’ll never help sell off history to the scum of the galaxy, or help people like you line your pockets. I may be a treasure hunter, but I have my standards.”
Nera stepped up beside him. “The Inca gold belongs to the Rumin.”
“Mutated freaks.” Avril shook her head. “They’re a step backward in evolution. They don’t deserve it.”
