No!” She laughed and lowered her voice. “Scarlett Hargrove and I don’t see eye to eye, that’s all. You’ll understand when you meet her. She’s on the ship if you need them to move or something.”
“No, the ship is fine where it is. I’ll see you in a few minutes. Are you in the penthouse?”
“Yes. I brought Marcus, Rhys, and Veronica. We’re admiring the view and raiding your kitchen. I think Veronica has Rhys fixing brunch. Brace yourself.”
I laughed and disconnected the call. We were on opposite time schedules but brunch for dinner sounded lovely. Mostly I was just happy I’d get to spend a few hours with Ada, though I’d need to sneak in some sleep or I would be worthless tomorrow.
I’d never met Veronica in person, but I had worked online with her and Rhys when we were trying to dig up information on the Genesis Project. The Genesis Project was a secret Consortium genetic manipulation experiment that had attempted to turn Ada’s soul mate, Marcus Loch, into a supersoldier.
The Consortium scientists had been far more successful than they ever could have hoped, right up until the point when Loch had decided to go rogue during the Fornax Rebellion. The Consortium claimed the rest of Loch’s squad had died during the mission, but my brief research hinted otherwise. Both Ada and Loch had refused to answer any of my carefully worded fishing attempts, so all I had was guesswork and conjecture.
I unclipped from my seat and exited Aurora. I double-checked that the cargo bay door was closed and locked. I didn’t need anyone poking around in my ship while I wasn’t here.
The penthouse had a private elevator with an entrance right off the hangar. I swiped my identity chip over the panel and the light turned green. Nerves fluttered in my belly as the elevator ascended. The last time I’d seen Ada she had been leaving Earth because Father had banished her. Now I appeared to be following in her footsteps, though I hadn’t been officially banished—yet.
The elevator opened directly into the foyer. White marble floors anchored pale blue walls. An entry table held a vase with a bouquet of fresh, colorful flowers. They added a floral note to the scent of warm baked dough floating through the air.
The living room had the same dark, delicate furniture I had in my suite at home, but the real draw was the view. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the balcony, and beyond that were nothing but clear blue water and deep blue skies.
From here, the penthouse felt like it was the only thing for kilometers. Even the number of wireless signals was bearable thanks to some light shielding. My head still throbbed from earlier, but it wasn’t getting any worse. Thank goodness for small miracles.
Ada and Loch were on the balcony, leaning against the railing and looking over the sea. Ada’s dark hair was tousled from the wind and she had on a pair of black pants and a bright coral shirt. She was smiling up at Loch, who had planted himself beside her. He sported his usual shaved head, dark clothes, and don’t-fuck-with-me look, but as I watched, his serious expression broke. He grinned at Ada as she dissolved into laughter.
I moved farther into the room and Loch glanced at me through the open balcony door. He nudged Ada and she spun around. “Bianca!” She hurried inside and pulled me into a hug. “Are you okay?”
“After you left, the neighborhood went to shit,” I teased, “but I’m fine. I can’t stay long. Director Bishop is searching for me, and I have to find Ferdinand before he catches up to me.”
“Do you have any leads?”
“A few.”
When I didn’t elaborate, Ada rolled her eyes and sighed. “Did you think I would accept that as an answer?”
“It was worth a shot,” I said.
“Let’s see if Rhys has destroyed the kitchen yet and then you can tell us what you know.”
Despite the fact that the penthouse was equipped with a very nice food synthesizer, the kitchen was also kept stocked with essentials even when I wasn’t here. I never knew when someone might need a place to stay, and cooking was far more soothing than punching a button. Unused supplies were rotated out to a local food bank before their expirations.
Rhys and Veronica were putting this week’s supplies to use. Rhys Sebastian must’ve started the day perfectly turned out in a navy suit, but he’d taken off the jacket and rolled his sleeves to the