good way for Ferdinand to get dead and dumped in an unused corner of the universe.
When I yawned for the third time in as many minutes, Ada said, “Go to bed. It’s late in Universal and you need sleep. We’ll go down to the beach for a while. It’s been ages since I was last on GCD One and I want to enjoy the water while I’m here.”
“There are plenty of guest rooms, so make yourselves at home. You already found the kitchen and you’re welcome to whatever is in it. There’s also a synthesizer if you need something I don’t have.”
“Bianca, we’ll be fine. We are all adults. Go to bed.”
“Fine, fine,” I said with a wave. She might be an adult, but she’d always be my little sister. “Wake me up if any news comes in. Otherwise, I’ll see you in six hours.”
“Make it seven,” Ada demanded.
“Watch it. I have a whole host of baby Ada stories that I’ve been dying to tell someone. Remember the time when you ate—”
Ada clamped her hand over my mouth. “If you tell that story, I will shave your head bald while you sleep.”
“Well now I have to hear the story,” Rhys said.
Ada glared at him before switching her glare back to me. Bald, she mouthed succinctly as she removed her hand.
“What did she eat?” Rhys asked.
“If you want to hear the rest of the story, you’ll have to ask her. I like my hair as it is.” I stood and gathered up my dirty dishes. “Oh, that reminds me. Ask her about her time as a self-barber, too.” I dodged away from her playful smack with a laugh.
“So you decided to cut your own hair?” Loch asked, his deep voice rumbling with amusement. “How did that go?”
My work finished, I beat a hasty retreat before Ada could threaten me again. I was glad we got a moment to play, because the crushing worry for Ferdinand was never far away.
I dropped my dishes in the kitchen, then retired to my bedroom. The rest of the suite was open and available to anyone who visited, but my room was kept locked. I swiped my identity chip over the reader and the door clicked open.
The sea-green room was dominated by a large bed with crisp white bedding. The closet and en suite bathroom were off to the left. On the right, a wall of sliding glass panels led out onto a private balcony and offered an uninterrupted view of the water.
I admired the view for a second before I lowered the blackout curtains. I switched on a lamp as the room descended into darkness. Because the days were longer than usual on GCD One, most residences invested in quality blackout shades—it was hard to sleep with the sun shining in your eyes.
The room was a little more shielded than the rest of the penthouse and that, plus the minimal number of signals in this part of Atlantia, meant I could rest in silence. By the time I finally flopped into the bed, it was well after midnight Universal. I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.
I awoke to furious pounding on my bedroom door. “Bianca! Bianca, wake up, dammit! Wake uuupp!”
It took me a second to recognize Ada’s voice. “What’s going on?” I asked groggily.
Ada apparently hadn’t heard me over her own shouting, so the auditory assault continued.
I switched on a lamp and checked my com. It was just after four in the morning Universal Time and midevening local time. I stumbled to the door and wrenched it open. “What?” I demanded.
“Ian is here,” Ada said. “Grab your stuff.”
I blinked at her and the words bounced off my tired brain. “What do you mean he’s here?”
Ada swept past me into the room and began gathering up my clothes and accessories. “He’s here, in the building. Loch spotted him entering the main part of the hotel. He must’ve tracked your ship.” She paused. “Or ours. You never know with that sneaky bastard. Here.” She thrust yesterday’s clothes at me.
I caught them reflexively and started getting dressed. Ian had tracked me with uncanny speed and skill, which meant that Ada was probably correct and he’d bugged my ship.
Sneaky bastard, indeed.
“He must’ve planted an external hardware beacon that I failed to notice,” I said.
Ada nodded. “Rhys has Scarlett’s crew checking both ships for trackers. We’ll get you sent off clean.”
“Doesn’t matter. I can’t jump for almost six hours. He’ll catch me in the air.”