Page 40 of Tempting Jupiter (Arena Dogs #2)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Seneca lifted the small boy called Raf from his shoulders and set him down in a circle of kids throwing a soft ball back and forth. Before he could fully straighten there was another child with her arms extended toward him. “Me next, please.”

“Sorry little one, no more rides for a bit.”

The girl’s face fell until Toby walked over and gave his back to the child. “You can ride on my back, Bitty.”

Seneca patted Toby’s shoulder and headed to the galley.

He’d been waiting for Feeona to come out of her room.

He wanted to know more about her plan to rescue Jupiter and sharing a meal would give them an opportunity to talk.

But she hadn’t. Hadn’t come down from her room to eat.

Hadn’t come down to check on the children.

Hadn’t come down at all. Early the day before she’d decided he was good enough with the kids that she could leave them to his care. He hadn’t seen her since.

“Alfred, she’s avoiding me, isn’t she?”

“She hasn’t said so, Mr. Seneca.” Alfred answered without hesitation.

“Why am I surprised she’s not more involved with the kids?” The same kids she willingly sacrificed Jupiter to save.

“She normally spends more time with them, but she always tries not to get too attached to them either.” The questions had been rhetorical. Seneca hadn’t expected Alfred to offer real insight. “She does have me monitoring them. I provide her with a report every four hours.”

“I suppose with you around, she doesn’t really have to leave her room at all.”

“I am capable of flying the ship autonomously, but the ship does occasionally require physical maintenance beyond the repair bots’ capabilities.”

“I thought she’d at least come out for meals.” His disappointment with her absence was entirely due to his need to speak with her about Jupiter. Otherwise, he’d be glad she’d stayed away. Wouldn’t he?

He wove his way through the children and headed for the stairs. He’d had enough of waiting. He would just have to confront her in her room.

Alfred surprised him again. “I have been rather concerned that she’s not eating. She did go to the galley for tea last night, but that is insufficient nutrition and hydration over several days.

Seneca’s steps slowed, then quickened. Alfred would have told him if she was in serious trouble—unless she ordered Alfred not to. No, she was perfectly fine. When he reached her door, he struck it a bit louder than he intended.

No answer.

His heartbeat quickened and whooshed loudly in his ears. “Alfred, tell her I’m not going away until she answers.”

“The captain is in the pilot’s station. Would you like me to ask her to join you in her room?”

“How the Hell did she get there?” Unless she’d gone there in the middle of the sleep cycle.

“She used the captain’s cabin level passage.”

Seneca spun on his heel, studying each of the closed doors along the corridors.

He’d assumed they were storage. Heat crept up the back of his neck, all the way to the tips of his ears.

He jerked open the most logical door and found a narrow hall with several more doors.

His ears flicked. He could hear her. Her voice drifted up from an open hatch in the floor at the opposite end of the hall.

He stalked toward her voice, ears forward and alert.

“This is just what I needed. Thanks for coming through for me, Gulliver.” The cheer in Feeona’s voice sounded forced.

“It was the least I could do. Only the second time you’ve ever asked for anything and the first time I had to turn you down.” The male voice rasped with age and vice. “Glad you found another way.”

Who was he and what had he done for Feeona?

“I have to go, Gulliver.” The level of strain had multiplied.

The man began to speak, but his voice was cut off before he’d formed his next word. Seneca could hear her making manual entries at her controls then footsteps.

The hatch was plenty wide, so he ignored the ladder and dropped down through the opening with a loud thud. Once down, he realized why he hadn’t noticed the hatch previously. Its ladder was tucked into a nook in the corner. It wouldn’t be visible from anywhere in the room.

“Seneca?” Feeona appeared in front of him, eyes wide. “Everything, okay?”

Frustration, suspicion and worry warred inside of him. It escaped his throat as a growl.

She put her open palm over his heart. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop. There is nothing going on here to worry you.”

Her placating only added fuel to his volatile emotions and somehow the fatigue-darkened skin beneath her eyes deepened his anger. He had to talk through the rumble in his chest. “Who were you talking to?”

She turned and walked back to her control panel.

“An old friend that I trust. Since Roma has people looking for us everywhere, I had to go through him to get a few things we’re going to need.

Starting with the engineering plan to Morgan’s ship.

I found out where it was built and tracked down one of the crew chiefs that worked on it, but I needed Gulliver to bargain for the plans. ”

She tapped a button and diagrams appeared on several screens.

Seneca could identify patterns that might be the outlines of rooms and corridors, but there seemed to be layer upon layer and swarms of symbols he didn’t recognize. “This is where they’re holding Jupiter?”

“Mmm.” Feeona made the small sound as she flicked through different views of the ship’s layout. “Here. This is the holding area.”

He directed his gaze where she pointed. It was… He had no idea what he was looking at. “Show me.”

She zoomed the picture to show just the area she wanted then traced a line around the screen with her finger.

“This is the outer bulkhead for this section. It’s thick.

Too thick to cut through safely.” She moved her finger to trace smaller sections within the larger one.

“These are cells. It looks like they’re configurable.

He can change them around to suit his needs.

Complex system, but I guess he can afford top of the line.

” There was no liveliness in her voice now—neither real nor forced. Only grim determination and exhaustion.

“How will we know which of these cells will be used to house Jupiter?” There were so many. So many cells. So many souls sold into slavery.

“We won’t.” She rubbed at her temple. “When we get on board, Bug could track him down, but that would take time and would mean we’d have to walk in there without the details nailed down.

We’ll have to free him when he’s on display for the auction.

” She wrapped her arms around her body. “It would be a hell of a lot better if we could get him out before Roma arrives.”

“You believe they’ll send a large force to transport him back to Roma?” Seneca considered what little he knew of their owner, Grand Owens. “Or do you think he will send hunters to capture me as well?”

She grimaced. “We’d better assume they’ll do both.”

The bleakness in her voice darkened his vision with anger. Had she ever truly believed they could do this? “We can’t fail.”

“We won’t.” She sighed then dropped her arms and straightened. “I know it might not sound like it, but I am good at this. Really good.”

“You’d better be.” Seneca squeezed his fists against his need to shake her.

She approached him like she expected him to tackle her again. “I don’t give up.” She fisted her hand in the loose material of his shirt and pulled him down until their faces were close. “I will get him back. Understand?”

He had no reason to believe her, but her resolve steeled his own determination. “ We will get him back.”

She nodded her head and released him. “I was going to start with the specification for the security and control systems.” She strode back to the controls. “But now that you’re here, let’s take a better look at these schematics.” He followed, relieved she accepted his participation.

Feeona rolled her shoulders. “Alfred, keep a closer eye on the kids for us, will you? Report on anything you think I should know.”

“Yes. Captain. If I may be so bold—”

“Not now, Alfred.” She leaned over the controls, bracing one hand on the panel and adjusting the angle of one of the screens with the other.

Her arm shook as she adjusted the screen.

She leaned heavily on the console. Glancing at him, she pointed to the screen.

“I need you to find every route from both the security level and the auction room to every external hatch. Let me show you how to work the monitor?”

Seneca nodded but lifted a finger to signal a pause.

He recognized the signs of fatigue and dehydration.

She hadn’t been avoiding him out of a weakness of character.

She’d been working and skipping meals and probably hating herself for what she’d done.

A circumstance he’d lived for years. “Alfred, have Toby bring us protein bars and a couple of nutritional shakes.”

“Right away, Seneca.”

Seneca dropped the finger and returned her steady gaze. “Now, I’m ready.”

Later, when they had a plan and there was nothing more to be done, he would weigh everything he’d learned about her and tease apart the confusing tangle of his emotions about this woman that was Jupiter’s mate.