High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,48

that about her and Iver's death, yet take such offense when Tillis had threatened to do exactly the same.

“I wish you'd led with that.” Bret visibly reeled at the news. “Iver Sugotti is alive?”

“No.” Fraen shook his head, then shrugged. “Why would they keep him alive? He survived the hit on the Sig, but he and his pilot made it to Touka on foot and Vannie and Si rounded them up before they reached the city itself. They were holding them at Si's warehouse. I left with the supplies before they came round after being tranqed, but the plan was to put them at the bottom of the river.”

“How the hell did they survive being hit by SD3s?”

“The pilot was some hotshot in the war, apparently.” Fraen shrugged.

“And Lancaster? What does he have to say about this?”

Fraen blinked at him. “I keep forgetting. I keep forgetting you can't get transmissions here. Lancaster is dead. Someone shot his runner down while he was out looking for Sugotti.”

There was dead silence. Hana looked up to see the man in the doorway who'd given the message about spare parts was visibly shocked.

“Who did it?” Bret croaked the words out.

“No one knows. Rumor is the Caruso.”

Silence descended again.

“And how would they know anything about this?” Bret's voice was soft.

Fraen shrugged. “Someone reached out to them, tried to see if they might be interested in buying in, maybe?”

“I'd like to know who that person is. Teach them the error of their ways.”

Hana saw Vras swallow hard at Bret's tone.

“And you? Where do you come in?” Bret rounded on her, jabbing a finger at her.

She shook her head. “I don't know what's going on. I just want to go home.”

“And where's that?”

“Touka City.” She lied without compunction. There was only one reason anyone lived in Bero. The small village was built in the one spot on Faldine where the magnetic fields were buried so deep they were almost undetectable, and everyone who lived there either worked for the head-of-planet, or someone they lived with did.

Bero was her personal paradise; where her upgrade could be everything it was meant to be. The only other place she felt as free was when she was flying high above the ground.

“You got into the lander at Touka?”

“It was a mistake, okay? I didn't know I'd end up here, and I certainly haven't had a good time of it.” She pointed at her foot then looked at Fraen. “I'd be grateful for a lift home when you leave.”

Bret gave a snort of laughter. “That's not going to happen. Whatever you're doing here, I'm not having anyone telling tales about this place anywhere on Faldine, but certainly not in Touka City. You're stuck here until this is finished, so get your head around your new reality.”

She clenched her fists, although his answer wasn't exactly a surprise. They'd tried to kill Iver to keep this place secret, they weren't going to let someone they didn't know or trust out of their sight to spread the news.

“When will it be finished?” She spoke through gritted teeth.

“Not sure. A while.” Bret looked over at Vras. “Does she need to stay in the medbay tonight?”

Vras gave a slow nod. “It'd be better.”

“Then Grimms will have a day to clear out half of her hut, and make space for this one.” He walked toward the door.

The man who'd come to tell him about the spare parts was still there, Hana realized, blocking the way.

“Luki, make sure someone has their eye on her at all times.” Bret gave the order as the man stepped out of his way. “She won't get far on that foot so no need to put a guard on her full time, but someone needs to have an idea of where she is throughout the day, and Grimms can have the pleasure of keeping an eye on her at night.”

Luki winced, as if he didn't like to think about how Grimms was going to take that news, and Hana lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.

She couldn't do anything right now except get some rest. And she would. If only that steady engine thrum would quieten down.

“She has a fever.”

She felt the touch of a med wand on her face.

“Good. Then she'll be nice and compliant.”

“What if it turns into something serious? We don't know what was on those metal teeth.” Vras sounded like he was wringing his hands, but Hana didn't have the energy to open her eyes and look.

“Then she