Unchained (11 page)

Decker winced. “I’m afraid not. If I didn’t
know better, I’d say someone cleaned up those files already.”

“
You think someone got
there before you did? When?” Grey asked, wiping the sweat from his
face.

Decker shook his head. “Couldn’t say. But it
seems to me that there should have been more information. I pulled
every file relating to that shipment. The contract negotiations
were intact, but I couldn’t find anything on the delivery
schedule.”

“
Maybe they store those
files somewhere else,” Grey suggested.

Decker glanced at him righteously. “I blew
that system wide open. I could see everything they had. It just
wasn’t there.” He started towards the exit. “I’ll send you copies
of the files, but I don’t think you’re going to get much out of
them.”

Grey tossed the towel over his neck and
walked out with Decker. “I’d sure like to know who got to those
files before we did.”

Later that evening, Commander Plass leaned
back in his chair to digest what he’d uncovered in Dakru’s
archives.

The negotiations and communications with
Avion for the vaccine seemed completely legitimate. All the proper
forms were filled and filed, terms established, contracts signed.
Routine, no deviations, no indications of deceit or treachery. Very
smooth, very normal, with one notable exception. Tausek had handled
nearly the entire affair personally.

That didn’t surprise Plass.

At the time, Tausek was the d’Hont Commander
and the responsibility of Dakru’s security and safety fell to him.
What disturbed Plass wasn’t what he found; it was what he couldn’t
find. The front-end existed, the back-end didn’t. No reference to
the actual delivery of the vaccine, anywhere.

That information would have been highly
secured, but it should have existed at some level. Arrangements, no
matter how covert, must have been established for the safe
conveyance of the cargo. Either those arrangements were never
entered into the system, a major oversight, or they were deleted,
which brought up a whole new list of questions.

It could have been contractual neglect on
the part of Avion, but he doubted it. Dakru would have never agreed
upon a contract without a concrete delivery plan.

And Avion had no access to Dakru’s system to
erase them. A break-in at that time would have been detected in the
same manner as the more recent incident. And no Dakruian could
delete a file without following an elaborate process. Only the
highest-ranking officers had that level of clearance.

Following that, he had reviewed the d’Hont
activity for the time period of the alleged shipment. Even if Avion
had no intention of fulfilling its obligation, Dakru would have
been expecting a shipment, a rendezvous. The records should reflect
it, but they didn’t. No orders were issued.

Plass dug further and found the usual array
of training missions, escorts, and surveillance. Only one other
incident stood out during that time period. The elite fighter unit
was called out to destroy a plague-infested freighter and a few
smaller ships bent on seeking refuge on Dakru. The quarantine
policy for the planet forbid any such refuge and was backed up by
military force, as was the case here.

Plass snorted. So much for the stringent
quarantine policy. The plague had arrived just the same.

As he scanned the records, he noted with
pride that it must have been quick work to take out the infested
ships. Under Tausek’s orders, Plass had supervised the purchase of
those Saurelian fighters himself. They were a marvel in
engineering, stealth, and ultimate killing prowess. The d’Hont
pilots wasted no time in proving that.

As expected, the attack was orchestrated by
then Commander Tausek. Odd that the details were so sketchy, so
unlike Tausek’s thorough style.

Plass rubbed his eyes wearily. There wasn’t
much to go on. A few discrepancies, missing information and a real
nagging sensation that something bigger lurked.

She should have practiced
more
.

“
Landing gear down.”
Cidra’s voice sounded distant over the pounding of her
heart.

More time in the
SymPod
.

“
Docking site identified
and locked in.”

More practice
landing
.

“
Quad stabilizers on-line
and operational.”

Less time flying
around
.
Less time
playing
.

“
Thrusters one-quarter
power. Main engines shut down.”

Her hands were sweating, her breathing deep
and rapid. Panic threatened to strike as Vaasa’s busiest port
loomed precariously beneath her.

Grey had insisted she
land
Calíbre
on
Vaasa—alone. The atmospheric entry vector had been smooth, the port
controller’s approach sequence straight-forward, the docking site
satisfactory, and the pilot scared out of her wits.

Grey stood behind the helm station, arms
folded and relaxed. He alone seemed undaunted with the idea of a
novice attempting such a delicate procedure. Cidra prayed he didn’t
see her hands tremble while she maneuvered the large ship over the
small red landing mark in the corner of a bustling, cavernous
landing bay.

The deck crew remained
conspicuously subdued and Cidra could feel their concerned glances
her way. She was now close enough to see the faces of the ground
personnel waving
Calíbre
in. The churning mass of activity parted just
enough for them to land.

Cidra tuned every ounce of concentration
into the landing, checking and rechecking current status from the
plethora of displays surrounding her. After what seemed like an
eternity, a gentle thump confirmed touchdown. Cidra shut down all
systems with a small sigh of relief.

“
Landing cycle completed,”
she announced while giving silent thanks.

The deck crew chatted freely and dispersed
in haste, leaving her and Grey alone.

Cidra gathered herself, stood up and
smoothed her jumpsuit trying to act as though nothing momentous had
just occurred. “Now what?”

Grey placed his hand on her back and ushered
her down the portside corridor.

“
I ordered a ground shuttle
to take us to my home. It should be waiting. Is Barrios
ready?”

Cidra slanted him a smile. “Are you kidding?
He can’t wait to visit the market. I don’t think he cared much for
Mora’s cooking.”

She wanted the words back as soon as they
slipped out and threw Grey a conciliatory glance. He said nothing,
but she sensed the sparkle slip away into foreboding darkness that
accompanied any reference to Mora. Cidra cursed the woman for
ruining yet another bright moment.

They exited
Calíbre
in silence and
were immediately assaulted with the blunt essence of Landing Bay
Number Sixty-two. As predicted, Barrios was busy loading bags into
the waiting ground shuttle amid the mass confusion and deafening
noise.

Cidra stopped, overwhelmed
by the chaos swarming around
Calíbre
and several other large ships
in the general vicinity. The walls reverberated in the deafening
clamor of massive surging engines, shipping containers being
unloaded, voices straining above the discord. The air hung thick
with the smell of fuel and lubricants.

The bay bustled with a strange assortment of
humans and aliens. Old acquaintances waved and embraced.
Information blared from speakers high above the bay, barely
discernible. Orders were shouted from every corner. Cidra caught
fragments of several languages, voices of various modulations, and
a few vulgarities mixed in.

She jumped when Grey touched her arm and
spoke directly into her ear over the noise level. “I’ll be back in
a minute. There’s someone I need to talk to.”

Cidra nodded, fighting the rush of awareness
the intimate gesture triggered.

He squeezed her arm. “By the way, nice
landing.”

She shot him a brilliant smile.

For a brief moment he
froze, his silver eyes intensifying as he stared at her. The smile
faltered. Air crackled between them. Without a word, he headed out
through the throng of activity. She breathed.
What was that all about
?

Cidra followed his progress to a big man
standing under the belly of a massive, black ship. As he
approached, the man turned and greeted him sportingly.

“
Hey, are you going to help
or what?” Barrios yelled at Cidra over the pandemonium as he flung
another bag onto their waiting shuttle. She dismissed him with a
careless wave and set to work.

As soon as the gear was
loaded, the driver gestured in no uncertain terms that he was ready
to depart.
Now
.
Cidra surveyed the bay anxiously and found Grey still in deep
conversation with the other man. She hated to interrupt him, but
the driver was becoming downright belligerent. After persuading him
to wait a few more minutes, she hurried toward the
twosome.

As she slipped underneath the large ship and
approached them, Grey pinned her with a stern expression. She
stopped cold. Cidra debated turning back until the bigger man spun
around and flashed a winning smile. Grey immediately strode forward
to meet her.

“
The shuttle is loaded. The
driver says if we don’t leave soon, he’ll find another fare,” she
reported apologetically as he halted in front of her, hands on his
hips, his eyes burning into hers.

“
Stone, old friend. Aren’t
you going to introduce me?” The man spoke up from behind
him.

Grey threw her a thunderous look and shifted
just enough so she could meet his colleague. Cidra grimaced, making
a very large mental note never to interrupt him in the middle of
meeting again.

“
This is Cidra Almazan, the
newest member of my crew.”

Then he said, “Cidra, I’d like you to meet
Rourke Jaccar. An old friend of mine.”

Rourke stepped forward. He was even taller
than Grey and bigger by a quarter. Long brown hair was pulled back
into a tail, revealing a handsome face, an engaging smile and eyes
full of mischief.

Cidra shook his hand. “It’s very nice to
meet you, Rourke Jaccar.”

His smile was
breath-taking. “Likewise. So what is your position on
Calíbre
?”

Before she could answer, Grey interjected,
“Pilot.”

Cidra glared at him.

“
She’s excellent,” he said,
ambivalent to her ferocious expression.

“
Of course. Why else would
you employ her? You only hire the best.” Rourke gave him a
half-hearted innocent look that prompted a deep scowl
back.

Rourke addressed Cidra. “If you ever get
tired of working for this tyrant, look me up. I’ve been searching
for a good pilot myself.”

“
You better keep
searching,” Grey said tightly.

Cidra ignored him, too. “Thank you. I’ll be
sure to keep that in mind if the situation ever arises.”

She could almost feel Grey’s wrath increase
next to her. She didn’t dare look into his eyes. It was bad enough
she could hear every savage breath. It was his own doing. He needed
to learn she was a grown woman and a fully trained Kin-sha who
could handle herself.

“
We’re leaving.” He grabbed
Cidra’s arm and giving Rourke another feral glare, he added, “And
don’t forget about our deal.”

Rourke folded his arms over his chest, his
eyes fixed on Cidra. “I think I want to renegotiate my price.”

“
Too late,” Grey muttered
as he pulled Cidra across the landing bay, leaving Rourke to
laughing.

“
Hey, take it easy on
your
excellent
pilot. Look, I’m sorry I interrupted your meeting, but it was
important. I didn’t want to lose the shuttle.” Cidra fought to keep
pace with him. The relentless heat and noise were wearing on her,
to say nothing of the internal commotion Grey created.

“
Have you ever heard of
being inconspicuous?” he muttered through clenched teeth. “Are you
aware that every man in here is watching you?”

“
They wouldn’t be if you
weren’t yanking on me like I’m a naughty child.” She knew he was
furious, but so was she. He had no right to manhandle her this way.
The attention they were drawing was downright embarrassing. If she
hadn’t already promised she’d refrain from using Kin-sha in public,
she’d fight it out with him right here and now.

Granted, it wouldn’t be easy. He outweighed
her, outpaced her, and he definitely had her beat in the
unrestrained fury department. So much for Plan A.

On to Plan B: distraction. Besides, she was
dying to find out what kind of deal he’d cut with Rourke and if it
had anything to do with her mission.

How much angrier could he
get
?

With all the innocence she could muster, she
said, “Rourke Jaccar seems like a very interesting man. Have you
known him long?” She winced as Grey’s grip on her arm
tightened.

“
You work for me,” he
stated sharply.

A primal growl rumbled
through him. He’d deal with his
old
friend
later. First, he needed to vent some
excess energy. Raw, fierce possessiveness raged within. The fact
that she could extract such a violent emotion from him so easily
infuriated him to no end and only added to the potent emotional
mix.