“How can I refuse two such pretty men? Rina, thank you for a lovely afternoon.”
“Any time, Sela. I know you’ll be leaving soon, but I do hope we see each other before you go.”
Brandt thought that odd but stayed quiet.
“Of course.” Sera kissed Rina, hugging her before turning back to them. “All right then. I’ll need rest first, I’ve only eaten not too long ago.”
“Now, tell us what is going on.” Brandt walked quickly, keeping Sera in between himself and Ash.
Ash told them about the conversation he’d had with Owen and of his suspicions that Owen was up to something. “Something is up. Or it’s about to be. He’s skittish, and his comments were ominous.”
“I think we can go forward with a pretty safe assumption that this is the group dealing with the Imperialists. The coincidences and inferences keep piling up.” Brandt worried his bottom lip between his teeth a moment. “What did Rina tell you?”
Then Sera told them of her conversation with Rina. “Her warnings were pretty dire. I believe, given what she said, she’s discussing the mess with the Imperialists.”
“You’re not going back there! She may know who you are. I can’t believe you stayed.” Brandt wanted to haul her over his knees and spank her.
“I don’t know how, there weren’t pictures of me at the time, and I do look different now. She didn’t come straight out and say it, but I certainly got that feeling from what she said. But not that I’m covert. She just thinks I’m back with Ash after all these years. She risked a lot to tell me what she did, to warn me. If she wanted to hurt me, there’d have been police at the door. We have to get her a way out. She doesn’t have to take it, but I want to give her the option. If she stays and this breaks open, who cares about a mistress or a concubine? Especially here. She has no real protection.”
“We’ll get some credits to her. Enough to get herself some new identity papers and a ticket toward the Center. She can’t come to you, it’s too dangerous for you both. But we have people who will help.” Ash kissed her hand as they strolled.
“One last thing: Delia was very nervous today. She showed up late and not in the fashionable sense. She was jittery and not her usual put-together self.”
“Giles wasn’t at the outing today.” Brandt sighed, opening up the door to their cottage.
“Stop. Someone’s been here.” Sera walked in. “Darling? Did you come back here before you two came to collect me?”
Brandt pulled her back, trying not to be obvious about it. “No. Why?”
“I left the room in a bit of a state when I left earlier. But not like this. My things have been moved.”
“Experts or novices?”
“There’s enough of a difference that I’d notice even if I weren’t specially trained. They’re clumsy. I think we should notice, and I think you need to notify the authorities. They won’t find anything to implicate us unless it’s been planted.”
“Do not enter the room. I’m going to call and get someone up here right away.” Ash had her sit on the bench just outside the front door.
“Why would someone do this? Did you leave anything of value in front of a window?” Brandt ran a hand up and down her arm. Fear coursed through him at the thought of her being threatened.
“Darling, I’m a big girl. All my expensive jewelry is in the safe. I’m wearing everything else.”
“The data miner?” If whoever had broken in had found that, they’d be exposed.
“The chip is in my hair. I’ve had it with me all the time.”
Moments later, Ash returned with two Nondalese officials in tow along with the hospitality manager.
“Stay here. We’re going to do a walk-through of the cottage,” Ash said before disappearing through the front door.
He returned sometime later. “It appears nothing has been taken.” Ash looked to the authorities for a moment before speaking through the link. “But the communications console has been tampered with. I didn’t mention it to the authorities, but we’ll look when we’re alone.”
“We’ll move you immediately. We’re terribly sorry and very relieved none of your belongings were taken.” One of the hospitality liaisons looked slightly panicky under Ash’s scrutiny.
“I’m very uncomfortable just now. While our things are being moved, I’d like to go to our transport for a while.” Sera stood up, her hand at her throat.
Normally, it wouldn’t be allowed. The transports were outside the realm of Nondalese surveillance. Speaking of surveillance . . .
“We’d like to see the surveillance footage. Have it sent to our communications unit in our transport, please.” Brandt looked at Sera a long moment before turning to the officials who looked doubly uncomfortable.
“Sir, we do not have private areas under surveillance,” the police officer in charge stated.
Ash crossed his arms over his chest. “Of course you do. It wasn’t a request. Send it. Sela, come in and let’s get all packed up. We’ll have our bags sent to the new quarters before we go back to the docking rings.”
Brandt followed them, closing the door. Sera quickly packed her things, and Brandt grabbed their comm unit before letting the liaison know they’d return sometime later.
“Mr. Pela?”
Brandt turned to the liaison.
“We’ll have whatever footage we can obtain sent to your comm unit. We’re very sorry about this. This is an unacceptable and unusual occurrence here in Nondal Major.” The liaison looked distinctly uncomfortable.
“I’m sure it is.”
Chapter 19
Ash did a thorough sweep when they walked inside the transport. Their own security had reported that no one had attempted to board and break the seal, but Ash wanted to be doubly sure.
Still, Sera knew they’d still be monitored with high-powered microphones and other listening devices, especially in light of what had happened back at the cottage. The ruse weighed heavily on her shoulders, and she didn’t know how the Nondalese handled it every day.
“Viewing room. Let’s see what they’ve sent. We’ll watch the surveillance footage while Ash checks out the comm unit to see what he can find.” Brandt pulled her to him. “Are you all right?”
“Just a bit rattled. I’ll survive.”
In truth, she was rattled. It was one thing to be shot at and deal with warfare in the trenches. That was straightforward. You got shot at, and you returned fire. It was clear. But what she did, what they did now, wasn’t clear at all. It was all bound up in complicated deceptions, and it ate at her.
Beyond discomfort at having to take abuse from people like Kira because of their perceived—and actual—differences in status, having to pretend to be someone she wasn’t grated on her. All of it did, because everyone else around her played a role as well.
She didn’t know what to believe. Was Rina trying to help her? If so, was it about herself and her lover? Would Rina turn on her if she thought it benefited her? Sera hated to believe the worst of people, other than Ash, but that’d been self-preservation. And yet, what they did brought her distrust into sharp focus.
“You okay in there? You look lost in thought.” Brandt sat her down and loaded up the surveillance footage while Ash sat with a grunt and began clicking on the keyboard as he hacked into the comm unit to see what had been tampered with.
“I’m all right. Really. They suspect us. Someone does, and I worry about you and Ash.”
He grinned, and his pretty face transformed into something innocent and beatific. Sera’s heart seized as her breath caught. She touched his face. “You’re so beautiful.”
His expression softened, and he kissed her, brushing his lips across hers. “You’re good for me.”
“I hope to be. I hope I am. You both mean everything to me. I want to be worthy of that.” She said it knowing it was a risk but not wanting to hide from it for even just a brief moment.
The clicking of the keys halted as Ash moved to join them, kneeling in front of her. He put his head in her lap, and Brandt, sitting so close his thigh touched hers, simply smiled.
Unbidden, her hands went to the smooth skin of Ash’s skull.
“These times when you don’t hide yourself mean so much.” Brandt’s eyes saw right to her very heart, a heart thundering in her chest because she’d exposed herself so much.
“It’s us who need to work to be worthy.” Ash’s breath warmed her thighs.
Brandt’s hands undid the fastenings holding the top of her gown, his fingers brushing over her neck and chest. Cool air met her breasts as the material slid away.
“I’ve been dying for you all day,” Brandt breathed out. “I’ve never needed anyone the way I do you.”
Ash’s hands moved up her calves, spreading her thighs as he pushed her dress up and out of the way, exposing her barely covered pussy.
“These are sexy,” Ash said in that deep-as-night voice. Unerringly, his middle finger stroked her lightly, finding her clit swollen and begging for attention, even through the whisper-thin material of the panties she wore.
Brandt pinched her nipples between his thumb and forefinger just shy of painfully, and she arched with a cry as the sensation burst through her.