“That was it?”
Old, bitter anger welled up. Along with that damn sense of failure that never went away. He thumped a fist against the table. “There was nothing else I could do. I couldn’t let them hurt Dathan and Zayn.” They’d promised Nik the reach of the Institute was long, and one little “accident” on a treasure hunt and his brothers would be dead. “I turned tail and went home.”
“They would have destroyed you if you’d threatened the millions in e-creds they make.”
“I did nothing.”
A hand reached out and covered his tight fist. “And that’s eating you up inside.”
He stared at her elegant fingers. A beautiful hand that hid such strength. A hand he knew had killed and stolen. He knew Nera would never walk away from what she wanted to do or have.
“I left. I left them to continue to cherry pick the best pieces of our past and barter them away like cheap tourist replicas.” He ruthlessly shoved the anger away. “Enough of that. Let’s move onto the next course.” He set their empty soup bowls aside, and moved a plate of zhoma-berries to the center of the table.
She peered at them. “I’ve never seen berries like this.”
“They’re rare, and native to Souk.”
“The market world your moon orbits.”
He nodded. “I still remember the first time I tried one. These are from the printer, unfortunately, so not quite as good as fresh, but you’ll get a feel for them.”
He watched her take a bite of the red berry. White teeth sinking into succulent flesh. His body hardened as he kept his gaze on her mouth. Her eyes widened.
“Stars,” she murmured.
He grinned and watched her devour the berry and reach for another. He’d guessed that Nera rarely let herself enjoy something as simple as good food. She licked her fingers, and for a second, he got a glimpse of what Nera might have been like as a child.
Except he suspected she’d never been allowed to have a true childhood.
Nik took a couple of berries for himself, but let her have the rest. She finished them and licked her lips. “What’s next?”
He laughed and set a plate of grilled and marinated Soukan fowl and steamed rice in front of her.
She tried the dish, was silent for a second. “This is good, too.”
“Told you that you’d like me taking you to dinner.”
A small smile. “So you did.” She took another few bites. “How long until we reach our destination?”
He checked his timepiece. “Another hour. But it’ll be dark by the time we arrive, so we’ll rest and start the hunt in the morning.”
“Tell me about Mexico.”
“Well, we’re headed to New Mexico City. It was the new capital of the country. The old Mexico City was once a sprawling metropolis, overcrowded and polluted. The country had a history of problems with drug trafficking and cartels, but in the century before the Terran War, records show the country had turned itself around. They eradicated the drug trade and helped their country prosper. New Mexico City was built, and was a shining example of sustainable architecture and planning.”
She raised a brow. “How’d they manage all that?”
“In the years before the turnaround, an enterprising group of leaders had focused on education for the young. They had the presence of mind, and the patience, to invest in a long-term solution. It was those children who grew up to lead the country onto bigger and better things.”
“And it had a lot of history. I’ve seen many ancient artifacts from there.”
He pulled a face. “Stolen them, you mean.”
“You say stolen, I say acquired.”
He gave a wry laugh. “Yes, Mexico had a long and fascinating history. From what astro-archeologists have pieced together, it had a rich history of ancient cultures. Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs. We know so little about them, but there are records of fantastic archeological sites, including great stone pyramids and temples.”
“I don’t think we can fit a pyramid in the cargo bay.”
