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The last thing I registered was the drones hovering above me, patient and precise, like dogs who’d completed a task and were waiting to be told when to go in for the kill.

Chapter 16

Rennick

My uncle’s security panel chimed. Navarre Nogea glanced at the display, and his gaze narrowed.

“Is there a problem?” I’d heard the security trip in the building and wasn’t surprised he was monitoring our conversation to ensure no one would overhear us. He wouldn’t want anyone knowing his Hollow Chorus secret.

He dismissed the alert without looking at me. “Most likely vermin. The drones dealt with it.”

I didn’t care about his vermin. I put my hands on the table between us, forcing down my rising irritation. The surface was polished to a mirror finish that reflected the lighting and made the room look twice its size. Everything my uncle owned was expensive, controlled, and designed to make you feel you were being managed.

“Did you know Habor’s bond got scrubbed from the Hollow Chorus?” I asked.

“Sit down.” Navarre settled into his chair and folded his hands. He was shorter than me by two inches but built broader through the chest. Silver threaded through his hair at the temples.

I remained standing.

He lifted one shoulder at my noncompliance. “A situation was managed, just as I’ve managed every situation this family has faced.”

“You fucked up this situation. Because you ripped out the anchor, the ship’s matrix trapped eleven crew signatures. You knew Habor was dead, and you never told me!”

“I did nothing.”

“Bullshit! You ordered it done, didn’t you? Why? That’s butchery. We don’t do that to our ships. They’re a part of us.”

“It was necessary.”

“For who?”

Navarre’s expression stayed level. “For the family and our trade position. You benefit from that structure whether or not you understand what holds it up.”

I pushed back from the table and crossed to the window. The room sat on the third level and overlooked the plaza.

“What happened on that ship to need her captain scrubbed from the details?” I kept my voice flat, conflicting with the rage simmering inside me. “The real story, since we’re family, and since Habor was the captain.”

“The real story is... complicated.”

“Uncomplicate it! Hollow Chorus is mine now, but she won’t run. Why was Habor on that ship? What happened that needed his captaincy wiped?”

“I warned you not to buy her.” Navarre leaned forward and picked up a cut-crystal glass from the table. The liquid inside was amber and probably older than I was. He took a sip and set it down.

“Without the details, how was I to know? The repair crew thinks the ship is haunted!”

“From what you’ve described, it may as well be.”

“What happened? I need the details so Cass can fix her.”

“Cass Myers?”

My gaze narrowed, hating that he’d said her name. “You know her?”

“I always have details of the best there is. Cass and the crew of Dead Stick Salvage run a slick operation. They’re always recommended for difficult repairs. But this is a repair they can’t assist with. Cut your losses and move on before the ship kills you.”

“We don’t drop our ships. She’s a part of me. And she won’t kill me.”

“You said she won’t bond with you.”