Bran grabbed Finn’s arms and yanked him to his feet. When he smiled, there was a gaping hole where his left front tooth should have been. “I’m going to enjoy breaking you later, my friend,” he said as he dragged Finn toward another door at the back of the room. “Have a pleasant stay.”
He threw Finn into a small closet and slammed the door behind him, leaving Finn to stare hopelessly at the suddenly seamless wall in front of him.
She’d installed a Resule cell. No door once it was shut, no windows, and made from material that blocked all comms in and out.
He was completely f**ked.
CHAPTER 7
Keva stared down at the holo image on Viktis’s watch tablet. He’d hacked into the security cameras on the Cordoza floor so they’d have a better sense of what they were up against. It was a good thing he had. Unlike earlier, two men now stood guard outside the door to the suite.
“What’s going on?” she asked with a frown.
“Hell if I know. Something must have spooked Kitty. Good thing we came prepared.” Viktis patted the blaster at his hip but Keva shook her head.
“You promised we’d do it my way.”
“Fine,” he said. “But when they shoot a hole through your heart, I’m not patching it up.”
“Just keep up, Pirate, and you’ll see how it’s done.”
Viktis tapped something into the tablet and the video feed went black. A moment later the security cameras shorted out, sparks hissing against the sleek white walls and streaking them with soot.
The two guards glanced up from their posts, but before they could move, Keva fired two shots from the small pistol she carried.
A moment later, they collapsed to the floor, sound asleep.
She grinned at Viktis and refrained from gloating. “Let’s go.”
They each pulled on a pair of black gloves as they walked toward the suite, and Keva had already pulled her hair into a tight bun. Leaving any evidence behind would screw their whole plan — getting caught wasn’t part of it.
Was she seriously going through with this? Breaking into someone’s hotel room? Twenty-four hours earlier, she would have said never. But here she was. Where had the real Keva gone?
Viktis tapped again at his watch, using the device Keva had planted earlier to open the door to the suite. Together, they slipped inside the darkened foyer.
Like before, the pungent stargazer lilies made her gag.
Keva forced herself to ignore them and switched on the light in her own watch, letting the cool glow highlight the three doors that led off the space. “Straight ahead is the sitting room. Bedroom’s on the left, bathroom on the right.”
“Kitty’s computer is in her bedroom.” He carefully opened the door, Keva following close behind. She let her light sweep through the room, highlighting the giant bed, the plush carpet, the luxurious curtains. It was definitely a bedroom fit for a mob queen.
“So what’s the plan?” she asked, leaning against the door.
Viktis booted up Kitty’s computer, the light turning his amber skin green. “I’m going to plant the evidence of her cheating in her files. Once the station security show up to search, they’ll find it immediately.”
“But you said there was also a physical component?”
“Yes. Catch.” Viktis tugged a small box from his pocket and tossed it to Keva.
It was a state of the art bio-lock, not much bigger than a ring box but heavy enough that her muscles started to ache as she held it. The things were supposed to be able to survive atomic explosions with no damage. There was a small indent where the owner could press their finger to unlock the thing, and an energy dampener that could lock it down to any surface, making it virtually immovable.
“What are we doing with this?”
“Making sure Kitty Cordoza is locked away for life.”
Viktis’s cold grin made Keva shift uncomfortably. It hit her for the first time that this whole plan was personal. He didn’t want to take this woman down for altruistic purposes. There was something else going on.
“What’s inside?” She set the box down on the dresser and stared at the dull gray surface.
“A data chip. Contains a list of every slave that the Cordozas have bought, transported, or sold.”
Keva felt her eyes widen. “How the hell did you get that?”
“A lot of late nights.” He snapped his jaw shut around the words as though they were painful. “Just find somewhere to hide it that won’t be too difficult for the guards to find when they search her suite. I’ve set the bio-lock to her DNA, so it will lead right back to her.”
A gasp escaped Keva’s lips. Bio-locks were supposed to be unhackable. That’s why they were so expensive.
“Hurry up!”
She blinked, then started pulling open drawers. Kitty’s underwear was as flamboyant as she was, if the lacy bras and crotch-less underwear was anything to go by. Gingerly, she pushed through a drawer of stockings and hid the box in the back. She’d been around long enough to know most male security guards went for the underwear drawers first when searching through personal belongings.
“Are you done yet?” she asked, glancing down at her watch. “The tournament starts in thirty minutes. We need to get down there and fill Captain Finn in on our progress before we implement Phase Three.”
“Finished. Let’s get the hell out of here.” He turned off the computer and was headed to the door when Keva’s hand shot out and grabbed his arm. They both froze.
Voices.
“Shit.” Viktis scanned the room frantically. “Into the air duct. Now!” He pointed to the grate in the corner. It looked barely big enough for a child.
Keva’s heart sank.
“Hurry up,” he said, pushing her toward the cramped space.
She shook her head and tried to back away. “No way. I’m not going in there. How about I tell them that Kitty wanted me to wait here. They’ll recognize me from earlier.”
“And the tranquilized guards?”
“Right. Probably not a good sign.” She sighed and crouched in front of the hole.
Viktis stood behind her. “Afraid of the dark?”
She flashed him a look of disgust. “That’s right. Turn it into a joke.”
The voices grew louder and Keva’s heart thudded painfully. They were just outside the suite. Which was the lesser evil? A battle with them or a battle with herself?
“Keva, move!”
She took a deep breath and forced herself to crawl into the gaping hole. Viktis crept in behind her, pulling the vent closed.