High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,96

to Touka.

She supposed she would find out soon enough, because she'd be staying with him.

The thought made her smile, and she managed to generate enough energy to have a glorious hot shower before she fell into bed.

When she woke, her upgrade told her it was only two hours later, and that there was someone in the room with her.

Someone not Iver.

She tensed, working through her options, but she had no weapons, and she would rather face whoever it was than have them take her by surprise, so she rolled off the bed and surged to her feet in one movement.

The man at the foot of her bed took a step back in shock.

Banyon.

She recognized him immediately.

She said nothing though, staring at him while she catalogued the room for anything that she might use as a weapon.

Banyon lifted his arm, and she saw he was holding a SAL.

“I should come over there and punch you in the nose in retaliation for you hitting me in Simon's warehouse.” He watched her with cold eyes.

“You mean that time you had me tranqed and restrained against my will?”

He waved that away. “I need you to tell me what Sugotti knows.”

She thought about it, weighed up telling him the truth, or not.

But in the end, she was just too tired to care that much.

She hoped that Iver was on his way right now, because all Banyon needed to do was pull the SAL's trigger and he'd have her down. And she couldn't think anything good would come of that.

She felt something in her upgrade stir at the thought.

“Hey! I asked you a question.” Banyon took a step toward her.

“Calm down.” She rubbed at her face. “I've had hardly any rest, and now you've interrupted the first genuine sleep I've had in days. Which reminds me, how did you get in here? That staffer of Moiri's in your pocket or something?”

“Or something.” He smirked. “What. Does. Sugotti. Know?”

“That you're on the Touka City council. That you authorized that equipment that Fraen drove out to the camp. That you are involved with Simon and Vannie and Lancaster. That you're in this up to your neck.”

“Shit. They may be able to trace that stuff back to me, but Sugotti hasn't seen my face, he was still out of it when you escaped the warehouse. If I get rid of you, I'll buy myself some time.”

“Sorry, wrong.” Hana didn't have the energy to moderate her tone. “Iver and I saw you arguing with Fraen outside the municipal building. That's how we found the camp, we stowed away at the back of that lander right after you left.”

Banyon stared at her, eyes narrowed, as if trying to work out if she was lying.

“'Eliminate me',” Hana used air quotes, “and you'll just add another charge to your list of crimes. If I were you, I'd run now, and run fast. They'll catch you eventually, but you'd have made the effort. Or give yourself up, save everyone the trouble. That might go in your favor.”

“Sure.” Banyon lifted his SAL, pointed it right at her. “That's going to happen.”

Now would be a good time, Iver, she thought as she waited for Banyon to shoot. But given how things had been going lately, maybe that was too much to ask.

Chapter 33

Iver lifted his head, suddenly wondering where Hana had gone.

Something was niggling at him, and he stood, stretching out as Admiral Valerian turned to talk to one of her aides.

Hana wasn't sitting on the couch anymore and he looked around the room for her.

A sudden onslaught of images formed in his head. A door with a number, an image of a man--he knew that man--holding a SAL at someone.

At Hana, his brain insisted. The man was pointing it at Hana.

“Where's Hana?” He called it out, causing everyone to go quiet. “Hana. Where has she gone?” He looked around at the group, and a young staffer who'd brought him something to drink earlier, pointed out the door tentatively.

He was suddenly in the man's face. “Where is she, exactly?”

He heard a sound of anger from Moiri behind him, but he ignored her.

“Now.” He barked the words and the man cringed back.

“Hotel. Suite--”

“428.” He had seen that number. In his head a moment ago. He ran for the door. “A little help, Valerian,” he shouted, but he didn't bother to check whether she responded, or even if she sent someone with him.

He raced down the two floors, across the sky walk and along the passageway to what