Fated Blades (Kinsmen)

The older woman’s eyes rolled into her skull, and she went down like a cut log. Her body hit the rug with a thud.

Drewery didn’t move.

Ramona sent her right seco out in a narrow spike, pierced the firearm, sliced it in half, and kicked the two pieces aside. A C-class implant would wake Lyla up in a matter of seconds. Ramona retracted her seco, flipped Lyla onto her stomach, grabbed her arm, twisting the wrist up, and stepped on her back.

Drewery still didn’t move.

There, I took out your not-so-secret weapon, and her head is still attached.

Lyla gasped. Her arm jerked, but Ramona gripped her wrist. Lyla bit off a curse.

“Your daughter took something of mine,” Ramona said, keeping her tone light. “She can have my husband. That’s his choice. She can’t have my research. That belongs to me and my family. Your spoiled brat has no right to benefit from it. Tell me where she is, or I will start shaving slices off your wife.”

“I’m a federal senator!” Drewery roared.

“I don’t give a fuck.”

“Do you honestly think that you can get away with a direct attack on an officer of the Senate?”

“I’d start with her nose,” Matias said.

“Hand is better,” Ramona said. “Hands can be reattached. It leaves them with hope.”

“You ignorant, stupid bitch,” Lyla snarled.

Ramona twisted Lyla’s wrist half a centimeter. The woman screamed. Ramona smiled and released her left seco as a short straight blade.

“New Adra,” Drewery said, enunciating each word.

“Theo!” Lyla snapped.

“Cassida is well protected,” he said. “We can do nothing for her until we get them out of here.”

“Where and when?” Matias demanded.

“The Summer Solstice Festival,” Drewery said.

Adra’s summer solstice festivities were famous throughout the planet. It started ages ago with a sect devoted to worshipping nature in all forms and over the centuries had grown into a celebration of all things Dahlia. Five days from now, thousands of vendors would line the streets of Adra, offering everything from delicious food and trinkets to lanterns and packets of brightly colored glitter powder to be thrown during the dances. Tens of thousands would dance through the city in a joyous, loud, colorful chaos.

“When did you sell yourself to the Vandals?” Matias asked.

“Seven years ago. They tracked a fugitive to Rada and needed diplomatic permits that would let them stay in system as they quietly combed the planet for her. I pushed their application through the right channels in the name of fostering diplomatic and trade relations. It was a small favor, and they were generous in showing their appreciation.”

You greedy slimeball.

“How did they find out about seco research?” Matias asked. His voice still had that distant tone.

“The salvager that sold the data banks to you. The fool snuck into the SFR space and got caught. He told them all about it and many other things to save his skin. My connection to you through Cassida was a happy coincidence. I did try to keep your interests in mind. Initially, I pointed them at the Davenports.”

“How generous of you.” Ramona couldn’t keep the venom from her voice. He was lying through his teeth. “Honesty is the best policy right now, Senator. You planned to rip us off from the beginning. You pointed them at the Davenports knowing that their offer for a buyout would be rejected. You demonstrated to them that you were the only path to seco tech, and then you quoted them an exorbitant price.”

Drewery heaved a sigh. “The Vandals are accustomed to doing things their way. Rather than argue with them, I allowed a practical demonstration to take place. It made them more . . . agreeable. I simply bargained from a position of strength. After all, my daughter would be taking the greatest risk.”

“I wouldn’t classify climbing in bed with Gabriel as a risk. More of a sure bet.”

Drewery smiled, and it took every shred of will she had not to slice his face off. “Oh no, my dear. That affair was a month old when the Vandals reached the system. But don’t take it so hard. It wasn’t about you. It was a punishment for Matias.”

“He deserved it,” Lyla squeezed out.

“Apparently, your husband turned out to be a lot more fun than the man she married,” Drewery said.

Fun. Yes, Gabriel was tons of fun.

“The Vandals wanted our research,” Matias said. His measured voice was like an icy shower. “You wanted money. And you wanted Cassida to come out of this alive. Stealing the tech was simple enough. The problem is the handoff. You needed a guarantee that the Vandals would uphold their end of the bargain instead of murdering everyone involved and leaving the system with their prize. As you say, they’re used to doing things their way.”

“He wasn’t just worried about the Vandals. He was worried about us,” Ramona said. “He knew we would catch on and scour the planet looking for his daughter and my husband. The easiest place to avoid face scanners is in a huge crowd.”