Page 63

Within the security office, Myhre’s sitting in one of the secure cubes.

It’s just an empty office with no windows, soundproofing and a door that locks.

There’s a table and a couple of chairs and the ubiquitous black panel of the AI’s sensors in the ceiling.

When I unlock the door with my thumb, Myhre rises from lotus position on the floor, takes one of the chairs and crosses her legs.

It’s jarring to see her sitting in a chair instead of on one of her kneelers.

I hope it makes her fucking uncomfortable.

Her eyes flick from face to face. Narrow a little when she sees Payton. But she says evenly, “Snow.”

I close the door behind Mech Tyng and lean back against it. “Myhre.”

I wait until Payton and Mech Tyng have taken chairs and Exeter’s assumed duty stance beside the door. Then I cross the room in three long strides, tossing the table out of my way, grabbing Myhre out of the chair with my good hand, and kicking her chair out of my way. I hold her at arm’s length.

She gasps at my sudden movement and tries to twist away from me, which I expected. All she accomplishes is lining herself up for the kick that breaks her right knee.

She screams, high and thin, and when I let her go, drops flat to the ground and curls around her broken joint.

Guess she didn’t take a pain damper after all.

I walk around to her other side, line it up, and smash my heel into her other knee with a satisfying crack . Over her scream, I hear Payton gasp, “Live kittens! Snow, live kittens!”

“She ain’t dead yet,” I growl. I lean over Myhre. “I got your attention?”

“Yes,” she sobs, flinching away from me.

“Where’s Kez?”

“I don’t know,” Myhre cries. “Have you lost your mind?”

“What, you think I wouldn’t come after you with everything I got? You think I’d spare you ‘cause you pretended to be on my side? You got five seconds to tell me where Kez is before I break your fucking neck.”

She whimpers, huddling on the floor, her hair falling over her face.

I let her squirm. Let the pain work on her.

Then I reach through the curtain of her hair, grab the front of her uniform again and haul her to her feet.

She screams, and I give her a shake for good measure.

“Every second you don’t tell me what I want to know is another second he has her.

Which bone d’you want me to break next?”

She grabs at my hand, fisted in the neckline of her uniform. “Stop, stop, please, stop. I don’t know where she is. I swear.”

I put my face right up to hers, so close she’ll be able to feel my breath when I growl, “Then there’s no reason to let you live.”

She takes several hitching breaths. “They’ll kill her.”

“You tellin’ me she’s alive now?” The ship crossed the Cloudline nine minutes ago. If it went somewhere closer than Tiv, it could have docked now, and Kez could already be in Jaxon’s hands.

Kez could already be dead.

Myhre nods. She swallows audibly, before she says, “Yes, she’s alive. I swear.”

“Tell me where.”

“I don’t know where she’s being held. All I can do is send a signal.” Myhre takes several shallow breaths, probably trying to control the pain.

“Uh-huh. What signal?”

“The master control codes to Mother Jo.”

Figures. Old Man Tyng left them for me, Kez and Chiara. They arrived on one of his little black boxes, the morning after his death. Which pretty much means he knew all along I was going to kill him.

“He didn’t trust you with ‘em? That must sting.”

She frees my hand to wipe blood off her lips. She must have bitten her tongue, ‘cause I didn’t hit her face. “Please release me.”

“Sure.” I drop her to her feet. Watch her crumple to the floor with a scream.

It should move me, her pain, but it don’t.

I should hate what I’m doing to her, what I’m going to do to her, but I can’t.

It should be hard, but it ain’t. Because all that matters is getting Kez back alive.

“Give me the channel, Ree. I’ll send the codes. ”

“What?” She tips her head to the side and blinks at me with those tear-stained eyes. “It has to come from me. Once I give the control codes to Erin, she’ll release Kez.”

Or Jaxon’ll kill her.

“So that’s the play, huh, Ree? You and Erin take over the company and then what?”

“You and Kezra are free. Don’t you understand? That’s what you want. I know you never wanted this. Kison forced it on you.”

I shrug. That’s true as far as it goes.

“You’re free. I’ve done this for you . . .”

I take a step back. “You fucking what?”

“You can both walk away,” she says, holding out a pleading hand. “I’ll take care of everything. I’ll get the company back on track.”

“Back on track?” I growl.

“We’re going in the wrong direction. You know we are. Kezra hates the product so much she’s going to destroy the company. Everything we worked for. Everything Sokun died for. She’s going to destroy it. Can’t you see that?”

Fuck, she did it for him.

“That’s what this is all about, Ree? Company’s all you have left, isn’t it? Kison’s dead. Sokun’s dead. All you’ve got is this ghost. And Kez and me are tearin’ it apart. You’re takin’ us down to protect your baby.”

She shakes her head. “I gave you what you wanted. I gave everyone what they wanted. This was the only way?—”

“What I wanted ? Turnin’ Kez over to a fucker who’s going to rape and kill her? That’s what you think I want?”

“Nothing will happen to Kezra. She’ll be released unharmed, I swear?—”

I lean in close and growl in her face. “You know why the Old Man didn’t give you control, Ree?

‘Cause you don’t understand people. You know numbers, procedures, but you don’t know the first fucking thing about human nature.

Whatever Erin told you was a fucking lie.

Whatever Jaxon told you was a fucking lie.

They don’t care about the E.C. or rho distribution.

They hate Kez. That’s what they care about.

They’ve played you to get their hands on her.

Erin’s going to turn Kez over to Jaxon and he’s going to torture her and then he’s going to kill her.

So you tell me how to find her or I’ll make sure you never kneel again, before I fire your ass. ”

She goes very still, despite the pain, and I realize I’ve said the one thing that actually scares her. “Fire me and she dies.”

“Do it. Signal Erin, right now.”

She nods.

“It’s the children’s names. In reverse. Reverse birth order,” I tell her.

Myhre stares at me for a moment. Then she begins reciting the long string of letters to Mother Jo. As she speaks, I rise and circle around behind her. Put one hand on her shoulder.

I’m more than a little surprised when one of her hands, fingertips as pale and cold as fresh snow, creeps up to cover mine.

Is she seeking comfort from me? The fucker who just broke her knees?

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised though. She’s devoted her life to the Tyngs, and they’ve done nothing but take from her, so me hurting her is probably just more of the same.

For a second, I wish it could be different. But then I remember where Kez is, whose hands she’s in, and the huge hole that fucker put in her back. And I know this the way it has to be.

I squeeze Myhre’s shoulder.

She finishes the sequence and Mother Jo’s soft voice responds, “Control confirmed Miz Hata.”

“Open Crimson Channel to Erin Agosante. Transmit the control codes and confirm,” Myhre tells Mother Jo.

That trips me over the edge. However beautiful, smart, and talented Myhre is, she’s got entirely too many secrets if she has so many clandestine communication channels she has to fucking color-code them.

“Confirmed,” Mother Jo says.

“Tell Erin to let Kez go,” I tell Myhre.

She nods. “She will now.”

“Nothin’ more?” I ask.

“No. It will be done immediately. Please don’t worry about Kezra’s safety. I promise you she’s in no danger.” She leans forward a little and gingerly touches her broken knee. Sniffles. “You’ll see that this was for the best?—”

I gently pull her against the chair’s back. Give her a last pat on the shoulder.

Then I draw a punch blade from my wrist sheath and plunge it down through her collar and into her heart. The fastest kill I was taught.

She lets out one hissing gasp. Her head lolls against my stomach.

“Oh,” Payton says. I look up and meet her wide eyes. “That was faster than my way.”

She pats the Xec case she carried from Jielt.

“Your way?”

She reaches into her bag and pulls out an end of greyish rope. Hanging rope.

“You bring that back from the EC?”

She nods. “Any objection?”

“Nope.” Actually, I admire her for it. And I like finally knowing her agenda. “How d’you feel about taking Myhre’s position here in Hemos?”

Payton lifts an eyebrow. “Two promotions in one day. I’m honored.”

“Don’t be honored. Do your job. Keep shit from falling apart. Keep Mother Jo from doin’ whatever Myhre and Erin want to use our pet AI for. Try to get Chiara back.”

Payton nods. “Of course.”

“Mother Jo,” I say. “Myhre Hata’s fired.

Erin Agosante is fired. Payton is promoted to Chief Financial Xec.

” I’m not even sure I have the authority to promote Payton to that position, which is level with my own.

But Mother Jo asks for my clearance and when I give it to her, confirms in her steady, quiet voice.

I glance at Exeter. “You wanna arrest me, now’s your chance. ”

He meets my eyes steadily. “I’m not a peacekeeper. I’m a Tyng Enterprises paid contractor. I signed the company confidentiality agreement. I can’t testify about anything I’ve seen or heard while in your employ.”

A man who takes his work very seriously. “Okay.”

“Besides, I’m sure Tyng Enterprises employs a friendly med tech who will list Miz Hata’s cause of death as accidental. Now, are we heading to the Clouds or what?”

I nod. “Anything from the rats?” I ask Sawhet.

“Nothing so far, sir,” Mech Tyng answers. “Mother Jo lost the ship past the Cloudline as anticipated. It hasn’t docked in Tiv. But I do have clearance for your ship through the Cloudline.”

“Good enough.” Being anywhere in the Clouds is closer to Kez than being in Hemos.

“Snow.” Payton drags my attention back to her as she holds out the length of grey rope. “Myhre wasn’t the only one responsible for murdering my family.”

Nodding, I take the rope and slide the coil over my shoulder. “Erin?”

“And B,” Payton confirms. Her soft, round features are set, eyes icy.

“You want either of them brought back to Hemos to face you?”

Payton’s eyes flick toward Myhre’s still form. “I trust you to carry out my justice.”

I hold my hand out to her; she shakes it. “However today shakes out for Kez and me, I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

Payton’s mouth twitches into something that’s trying to remember how to be a real smile. “Fly safe. I’ll be in your ear the whole time.”

I bet she will. I nod to her before flicking my fingers at Exeter and Mech Tyng and stride out of the interrogation room toward my ship.