The man frowned, but pressed a finger to his ear and repeated her words into his comm. Finally, he nodded and opened the door. “Please come in. Ms. Cordoza will see you.”
Keva smiled and brushed past him, trying to channel Renna’s easy going personality. She needed to stay cool and calm or this whole plan would fall apart. “Thanks.”
She found herself in a large foyer with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and a sleek glass table holding a vase of stargazer lilies. The heavy scent filled the air, choking her. Keva fought back a cough. Why humans thought their flowers were so beautiful was beyond her. Give her the orange petals and delicate scent of a fleshy firecloud plant any day.
The heavy perfumes humans always wore made Keva’s head ache and her sensitive skin itch. The slight atmospheric difference between Preill and Earth had allowed the Delfine to develop more complex sensory organs. Their eyesight, their taste buds, and their olfactory senses were all highly evolved from a climate of consistent temperatures and delicate scents.
Since joining MYTH, her nose had been assaulted more times than she had, multiple times a day, and she’d had to learn how to deal with the odiferous humans. Luckily, the Athena’s air scrubbers were a Delfine creation and cleaned at a finer particle level than most ships or stations. But when she was on shore leave, the shock to her senses always made her reel a bit.
“Through here, Miss Troy.” The guard opened a door into a large sitting room with two white leather couches and low granite tables. A fluffy rug sat between the couches, covering the dark wood floors. Windows looked out over the rest of the zone, a breathtaking floor-to-ceiling view of the entertainment district, with the bright flashing lights and billboards that dazzled, even in the middle of the simulated day.
Kitty Cordoza sat on one of the couches, leaning back against the soft cushions while she studied a tablet. She glanced up as Keva approached and set the tablet down beside her with a welcoming smile. “Miss Troy. What a lovely surprise.” She gestured to the other couch facing hers. “Please, have a seat.”
Keva sat on the very edge of the cushion. She resisted the urge to pull up the neckline on her dress while simultaneously willing herself not to pull down the hem of the garment. She surreptitiously inspected the room. Planting Viktis’s bug was her primary objective, but she’d have to find the perfect place — somewhere it wouldn’t be found, and somewhere it would actually pick up conversations.
“This is a lovely suite, Ms. Cordoza. Puts mine to shame.”
“Yes, I was very lucky they had it available on such short notice.” Kitty crossed her long legs, and Keva noticed she’d changed out of the red dress she wore at the casino into a dark pair of slacks and a red sweater. “What can I do for you, Miss Troy?”
“Please call me Keva.” She licked her lips, glancing at the two men guarding the door. “This is very difficult for me, Ms. Cordoza,” she started.
“It’s Kitty, if you will.”
She nodded. “Kitty then.” Keva lowered her voice. “Earlier when we met you seemed interested in my services. Are you, by any chance, hiring new staff?”
Kitty raised an eyebrow. “Trouble in paradise? Zero seemed very happy with your services.”
“I can’t keep working for someone like him. He’s abusive, demanding, and stupid — a dangerous combination.”
“I should think so.” Kitty rose gracefully to her feet and crossed to the sideboard near the windows. “Would you like a drink, Keva?”
“That would be lovely.”
Kitty nodded at the tray of liquors. Gold, blue, green and crimson sparkled in cut-class bottles. “What would you like? I have the best scotch in this sector, imported directly from earth, along with Draven ice wine and a special vodka from Preill.”
“The vodka please. On ice,” Keva said, trying to mask the surprise in her voice. Preill vodka was exceptionally hard to get, and a bottle was usually more expensive than the room she’d booked at this hotel. Keva couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually had a glass. Probably the day she’d left home ten years ago.
Kitty dropped a small red sourfruit into the glass of spirits, then handed it to Keva.
She took a sip of the cool liquid, letting it roll across her tongue and chill the back of her throat before she swallowed. Her eyes fluttered shut as the flavor slammed into her, memories of home rushing back.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Kitty asked, pouring herself a glass. “I have a contact in Preill city who smuggled me a bottle after the embargo.”
“It’s been a long time. If I’m not mistaken, this is southern vodka? It has a bit of the grassy flavor of a Yizan pear.”
“Nice catch. It’s Catalyst Vodka.” When Kitty turned to put the stopper back on the bottle, Keva leaned forward to set her glass down on the table beside her, conveniently pressing the pin-head sized bug to the dark metal leg where it wouldn’t be found.
Kitty sank back onto the couch, cradling the glass between her hands. “So tell me a little more about yourself, Keva.”
She nodded, running through the back story she and Viktis had crafted. They’d woven in just enough truth to make it feel authentic. “I joined the Preill military when I was seventeen. My parents were very proud, especially when I was promoted quite early. I was one of the best hand-to-hand experts in the organization. But on a mission to Treze, everything went south, and I was blamed for the failure and loss of life. Stripped of my rank. Kicked out. So I started my own business, hiring out my services. I’m skilled in Bumani fighting, can kill a man with a knife at fifty yards, and am deadly with a blaster. None of my clients have ever been injured on my watch.”
“Impressive.” Kitty’s gray eyes narrowed She studied Keva as though she were under a microscope. The lieutenant fought the urge to shift away from the intense gaze that seemed to bore into her.
“What about Zero is so bad, exactly?” Kitty finally asked.
“You saw how he behaved today at the casino. No concern for his own safety, flaunting his money. It gets ever worse after a few drinks.” She leaned forward and dropped her voice. “Even I can’t handle him when he’s drunk. He lets his mouth overload his ass and tries to pick fights with both acquaintances and strangers. Doesn’t matter who they are, if they’re in his way, he’s going to go on the offensive. I’ve had to save his ass more than once from a pissed-off Trezian.” Keva shook her head. “And don’t even get me started on his business decisions.”