He headed toward the warehouse without waiting for an answer. Alisa glared at the back of his head and wondered if that had been an attempt to distract her from prying more deeply into his reticence.
What secrets don’t you want me to know about, Abelardus? she asked silently, though she had no idea if he was monitoring her.
He did not respond to her, but another voice startled her by speaking into her mind.
I don’t know where the others were taken. Only Durant does.
Alisa tripped and nearly fell.
Ostberg? she guessed.
He did not say more, and she slumped. If what the boy had said was true, the only person here who knew where Jelena had been taken was in a coma.
Chapter 14
“Come in the front door,” Leonidas said over the comm as Alisa and Abelardus approached the warehouse again. “I’ve opened it.”
“Without breaking anything?” she asked, heading around the building.
“Nothing that wasn’t already broken.”
She picked up her pace, passing Abelardus and leading the way to an unremarkable pedestrian door next to another large vehicle entrance, that one humming with the presence of a forcefield. As Leonidas had promised, the door stood ajar, so Alisa walked straight inside. A single lamp perched on a desk illuminated the entryway, but the rest of the warehouse was unlit, with the shadows thick between the aisles and aisles of refrigeration units. Here and there, tiny red power indicators glowed from the depths, making her think of predatory eyes in the night.
Leonidas stood next to the desk, where a man lay slumped over the surface. Several crumpled drones scattered the floor nearby.
“Are you sure you didn’t break anything?” Alisa frowned at the guard Abelardus had said was sleeping. He looked dead, not asleep.
Unconscious, Abelardus said into her mind. I made an error.
“Not me,” Leonidas said. “I came in through a window that was already broken.” He pointed to a row of them high up on the side of the building. “I may have widened the hole slightly.”
“To fit your prodigious self through it?” Alisa asked.
“My prodigious shoulders specifically.”
“Not your head?” Abelardus muttered.
Leonidas gave him a bland look.
“I checked some of the refrigerators,” Leonidas said, waving toward the aisles. “They’re at different temperatures and labeled with names of mushrooms. I looked inside a few, and there were crates of mushrooms on the shelves.” He sounded surprised.
“Were you expecting something else?” Alisa asked.
“Perhaps for this to be a front for the distribution of something more illicit than mushrooms. If Beck had stumbled into something illegal, that might have accounted for his absence.”
“They gamble over people being eaten by dinosaurs here. What could possibly be considered illegal?”
Leonidas spread one gauntleted palm. “He stumbled onto something.”
“Or he was targeted,” Alisa said grimly, remembering how Beck had said someone might have been following him.
Leonidas walked behind the desk to a pile shrouded in shadow and picked up a roundish object. A helmet, Alisa realized, her stomach sinking as he brought it into the light. It had gray and silver markings, as Beck’s helmet had.
“Is that his armor?” She walked around the desk for a closer look.
“Yes, and the edges are dented and charred with laser burns. Someone forcefully removed it from him.”
Alisa grimaced. It wasn’t easy to remove a soldier from his combat armor. “Is there… any blood?”
She assumed Leonidas would have told her if he had found Beck’s body.
“I haven’t noticed any yet.” Leonidas turned the helmet over in his hands, looking inside.
The guard groaned, and Alisa jumped.
Leonidas eased silently up behind him and slipped the man’s blazer pistol out of his holster. The guard groaned again, stirring this time, though he did not seem to notice the weapon being removed. Leonidas stepped back so he could cover the man, then nodded at Alisa.
Oh, was she going to be in charge of questioning him? She supposed it made sense. Beck was her employee. The guard might not be amenable to questioning, though, especially if he had been out as long as Beck had been missing. Had someone cracked him on the head? A stun gun should have worn off in twenty or thirty minutes. Someone might have injected him with a longer-acting sedative.
The man lifted his head, squinting toward the door with bleary, bloodshot eyes. He lifted blunt fingers to his swollen lip, then touched a lump on his temple. Finally, his eyes sharpened, and he noticed Alisa.
“Where’d they go?” he blurted, almost slurred. He peered at the dark warehouse around him. “How long have I been out?” He did not seem to see Abelardus, who had stepped back to a spot near the door, his dark robe blending into the shadows.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened, and maybe I can fill in some answers,” Alisa said and smiled, trying to look friendly and helpful, not like another intruder in his warehouse.
“Who are you? Did they get Chef Leblanc?” The guard frowned around again, this time turning far enough to see Leonidas. He yelped and fell out of his chair, clunking his forehead on the desk as he went down. Another groan floated up from the floor.
The fellow was not having a good day.
Even Leonidas gave him a pitying look. He leaned down and hoisted the man to his feet.
“Who do you work for?” The guard glanced back and forth between Leonidas and Alisa. “You people have made a mistake. Chef Leblanc has money, resources, and a lot of employees who will go to great lengths to get him back. If you think kidnapping—”
“We’re not with the kidnappers,” Alisa said, holding up a hand. “We’re looking for our missing friend.” She nodded toward the armor behind the desk.
The guard scowled. “That’s who they wanted. That strange mercenary carrying a suitcase full of barbecue sauce along with his guns.”
“Technically, he’s my security officer, not a mercenary.” Alisa rubbed the back of her neck. Only Beck would trot around in full combat armor while peddling homemade sauces. “Who wanted him? Who came? Solstice’s people?”
Alisa glanced at Leonidas. She doubted the woman would want Beck for her collection of one-of-a-kinds, but she might have heard that the White Dragon people had a bounty out for him. Perhaps she’d thought he would make a good gift, a way to end that feud that was reputedly going on between the two mafia clans.
“Shouldn’t have been her people,” the guard said. “We pay good rent here. Maybe Chef should have told her about those thugs wanting to set a trap.”
“Hm?” Alisa prompted, relieved the man was talking. He had no reason to believe that she was on his side.
You’re welcome, Abelardus said silently.
What?
He doesn’t trust you or your big red friend, but I’m convincing him that he might gain something from sharing information with you.
You aren’t one to let a good deed go unnoticed, are you? Alisa couldn’t believe she was calling mental coercion a good deed. She felt like a hypocrite for loathing most Starseer powers but finding it useful when Abelardus used them for her cause.
I won’t judge you for it. Most people’s morality is iffy once you dig under the surface.
I bet.
“Some mafia men came in and told Chef that they wanted to use his warehouse as a trap, that he should stay out of the way,” the guard said. “But Chef has too much honor for that. Unfortunately. I told him not to get involved, but he’s stubborn. He’s almost eighty years old, and he figures he can do what he wants, including standing up to the mafia.” He touched the lump on his temple again and winced.
“Did he need to hire someone to haul cargo? Or was that flyer part of the trap?” She imagined the White Dragon people putting that notice out as something designed to entice Beck specifically.
“Oh, he ne
eded someone. There are refrigerators full of mushrooms back there that need to make it to the other moons before they spoil. But it was very odd that his usual freight hauler disappeared without a word.”
Remembering the way the Star Nomad had been welcomed to Cleon Moon, Alisa didn’t find a disappearing ship odd at all, not here.
“But it was right after he put that flyer out that the mafia men came. They didn’t say why, but they offered Chef ten thousand tindarks to simply let them put some people in this warehouse to lay in wait for that man.”
“Beck.”
“Beck,” the guard agreed.
“What happened after your employer refused to help the mafia? You’re sure these weren’t Solstice’s people?” Alisa wouldn’t mind if Solstice had been responsible, giving her a reason to send Leonidas to clobber her.
“Heard them say they were from another city, but wouldn’t say which one or who they worked for.”
So not Solstice, unless they had been lying to cast the blame elsewhere.
“If they were from another clan, they shouldn’t have been in here,” the man said. “I doubt Solstice would have allowed it if she’d known. But Chef isn’t the kind to whine to the authorities. He sent the men on their way and then commed one of his restaurant ships on Savage Moon, ordered them to send some security to this moon. But they haven’t gotten here yet. When the mafia came back with more men and more weapons, it was just me and Chef and the robots and drones. The bastards made it clear that objections to their presence would not be tolerated.” The guard frowned at the crumpled machinery on the floor. “I tried to distract them so Chef could go out the back, but they walloped me with something. I don’t know what happened after that. But I guess Chef is gone. That’s his earstar.” The man pointed at a netdisc and earstar on the corner of the desk.
“As is Beck.” Alisa met Leonidas’s eyes. “It has to be White Dragon. Who else would want Beck and know about his culinary aspirations? What’s the name of their city? Terra Dhwan? I bet that’s where they took him.”
“Perhaps,” Leonidas said. “They could have a hideout here. We also don’t have proof that it was the White Dragon. You haven’t known Beck that long. He may have other enemies.”
“How can a man who prefers grilling steaks to fighting have a long list of enemies?”
“I could speak with Solstice. She may have information, or, if she finds out that another mafia group was in here, she may be motivated to get the information. She has far more resources than we do.”
“How can you say that?” Alisa asked. “We have a cyborg and a Starseer and a science teacher. She has a room full of ceramic eggs.”
Leonidas arched an eyebrow.
Alisa sighed, knowing she wasn’t being logical. But she imagined that woman caressing Leonidas’s chest, and didn’t want him to have anything to do with her. Besides, it wasn’t smart going to the mafia and asking for help under any circumstances. Beck had certainly found that out.
“It may be time for me to accept her offer,” Leonidas said.
“To become one of her objets d’art?” Alisa asked.
“To become her security chief.”
“You can’t go back there without me.”
“I don’t believe she extended the offer to you,” he said.
“I don’t care. Don’t you think she’ll be suspicious that you refused her this morning, but you’re now ready to accept?”
Leonidas shook his head. “I’ll tell her we’ve had a disagreement over our relationship and that I’m now ready for new employment.”
Alisa winced. She didn’t know if he meant relationship in a romantic sense or a captain-crew sense, but either way, it seemed far too close to the truth for a ruse. Hells, what if it wasn’t a ruse? What if he truly felt that he needed to escape, lest she keep trying to foist herself on him?
She swallowed around the lump forming in her throat.
“While I attempt to gain information from her,” he continued, “you could turn in those dinosaur heads and buy that combat armor. Then, if we find that Beck is being held by the White Dragon people, you’ll be better prepared to make an incursion into their compound.”
“Are you trying to win this argument with reason, Leonidas?” Alisa propped a fist on her hip and struggled for a light tone, as if she weren’t now worrying that he wanted to flee from her. “Don’t you know women hate that?”
The guard snorted.
“For all we know, Solstice could have been in on this,” Alisa said. “What if she’s the one who told the White Dragon that our ship entered her city and that Beck was here? Just because the two clans are supposedly feuding doesn’t mean they never work together. I don’t think it’s safe for you to go to her, and I don’t think we should delay. What if Beck is being tortured right now? Or worse.”
And what if whoever had Jelena was even now making plans to move her out of the city to some new secret hideout? Alisa hated all these delays. She didn’t want to shop for armor right now. She wanted to find her daughter.
“This shouldn’t take long,” Leonidas said. “If Solstice isn’t working with them, she may be willing to part with information on their city and their compound. We could use that help. I imagine their headquarters will be fortified with weapons and men. Take Abelardus and turn in the heads. I’ll get in contact as soon as I know more.”
Alisa scowled at him. Just because she wanted to sleep with him didn’t mean he got to order her around. And what if Solstice didn’t let him go once she had him? Just what did he plan to trade her for this information he sought? Couldn’t they handle this without Solstice?
Despite her misgivings, Alisa did not say anything as Leonidas left the desk and headed for the door. He seemed determined to follow this course. What else could she say?
He paused before leaving. “You may also want to find a way to make sure the dome forcefield can be lowered in case my meeting with Solstice doesn’t go well and the Nomad needs to leave in a hurry.”
At least he was open to the possibility of problems arising from visiting Solstice.
“We’ll work on it,” she grudgingly grumbled.
He squeezed her shoulder and walked out the door, apparently believing that reporting in to Solstice late at night would not be seen as odd. Maybe it wouldn’t be. Solstice would probably be pleased when he showed up at her doorstep at midnight.
“It’s just a ruse,” she told herself, and walked over to the pile of armor. “Abelardus, will you help me carry this outside so we can bring our bikes over and load it onto them? Beck would have to sell a lot of jars of barbecue sauce to buy a new set.”
“You don’t think the bounties from the heads will be enough to buy the whole crew new sets of armor? Maybe if the doctor had some, he could hide in cubbies more effectively.”
“I wish, but I’m skeptical about how much we’ll actually get.” If they got anything at all.
As Alisa toted Beck’s helmet and chest plate out, one of the city spy boxes floated down the street, reminding her how much monitoring went on here. It was almost like being back in the empire. She hoped Leonidas wasn’t being delusional in believing he could convince Solstice that he had rejected his former employer and now wanted to be her loyal servant. As strong as he was, he would have a hard time dealing with two security androids at once. And given the woman’s wealth and influence, she might have far more than those two within her compound.
Even though she was confident in Leonidas’s abilities, Alisa worried she had made a mistake by letting him go without more of a fight.
• • • • •
After they had stacked Beck’s armor in a corner of the cargo hold, Alisa helped Abelardus secure the heads on a rented hoverboard, so he could turn them in for the bounty. A pair of chickens wandered the deck while they worked, including a white speckled one that she hadn’t noticed before. There seemed to be more of them in the coop than usual. Had Yumi found a local supplier?
“You’re not coming w
ith me?” Abelardus asked when she waved for him to take the heads and go.
“I need to get Mica and plan a way to disable that forcefield, so we can get out if things don’t go well with Solstice. Or even if they do.”
“The cyborg better not irritate her too much,” Abelardus said. “We need time to find Ostberg again, convince him to tell us where Durant is, and I’d like time to look for the staff too.”
“Is it still in the city?” came Alejandro’s voice from the walkway. His gray hair was tousled, and he needed a shave. Maybe he’d decided to forgo his daily ablutions until he figured out how to get back on track with his mission. “Can you tell, Abelardus?”
“I can still sense it somewhere nearby, yes.”
“Can you?” Alisa asked, surprised he hadn’t mentioned it before. “Would you be able to lead a party to it?”
Not that she particularly wanted it back.
You didn’t enjoy using it as a nightlight? Abelardus asked into her mind. It lit up so nicely for you.
Not as nicely as it did for the man in that video.
“If it’s in the city, we must put all possible effort into getting it back.” Alejandro gripped the railing of the walkway.
“I’m not going on another artifact hunt until I have Beck back and I’ve found Jelena.” Alisa hoped that retrieving Beck would not end with all of them being forced to flee the city—and the moon—before they located Ostberg and Durant.
“Don’t plan anything exciting without me,” Abelardus said, waving as he departed on a bike with the hoverboard floating behind him.
“Plan, yes. Do, no,” Alisa said as she closed the cargo hatch behind him.
As much as she hated to admit it, any attempt at infiltration or sabotage would likely be easier with Abelardus around.
That’s because I’m indispensable.
You bring me back a good price for those heads, and I might start to believe you. Alisa headed for engineering to talk to Mica.
And then you’ll reward me for my indispensableness?
By not kicking you off my ship? Yes.
I was thinking of kisses.
Beck might be grateful enough to give you a kiss if you help rescue him. Alisa did not find Mica in engineering, so she headed up the stairs.