for a long second before I held out my arm. Rhys slid the device up my arm until a beep indicated it was directly over my secondary identity chip. Thicker than a com, the rectangular device had a “Property of the Royal Consortium” label still attached to the side.
“Do I want to know where that chip programmer came from?” I asked.
“I’ve found it’s better if you don’t ask,” Ada said. “Plausible deniability.”
“This identity is only level three—it’s all I had available on such short notice. So don’t go pissing off the RCDF or the police or you’ll have a bad time,” Rhys said.
Black market identities typically came in five strengths, ranging from level one to level five. Level one identities would fall apart with even the most cursory glance, but they were also dirt cheap. Level five identities would have your own mother swearing that she’d never met you before.
Level three tended to be a balance between price and performance. The identity included enough background information to pass a midlevel private background check, but if the police started digging, they would spot the inconsistencies.
This chip already contained two level-five identities that I’d used previously. I’d used one while escaping, but I didn’t think Ian knew about the other one. I still wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary.
The chip programmer beeped again and Rhys pulled it away from my arm. “You’re good to go,” he said.
“Thank you. All of you. For everything.”
“Family sticks together,” Ada said. She pulled me in for a hug. “Keep in touch or I’ll hunt you down.”
“I will. And I’ll let you know as soon as I find anything.”
“Scarlett suggested we launch together,” Rhys said. “Once you hit space, go dark and put as much distance as you can between you and Ian.”
I waved in farewell as they left to find their own ship, then I went to get ready for launch. I smiled at the thought of Ian’s face when he found he’d been chasing Ada.
He really should’ve just stayed home.
Chapter 8
The launch went off without a hitch. Once we were out of sight of the ground, Captain Hargrove turned her ship toward the gate while I continued on away from it. Clear of the atmosphere, I pushed Aurora to max velocity. The more distance I could put between me and Ian, the less likely he would guess we’d swapped the tracker.
Captain Hargrove told me it would be ten minutes before they got a jump point from the gate. I asked to be notified just before they jumped, so I could shut down communications. It wouldn’t be very convincing if I was supposedly somewhere else but still receiving calls here.
And I expected Ian to call at any minute.
He did not disappoint. The call came through voice-only and I wondered what he was hiding. I needed to keep him distracted for the next ten minutes, then drop the call in the middle of our conversation. I connected voice-only, too.
“Hello, Ian,” I said. “Did you enjoy your vacation?”
“Lady von Hasenberg, you are to return to Earth immediately, by order of your father. Failure to do so will result in criminal charges and the posting of a sizable bounty for your return.”
My eyebrows climbed upward. “Going to air dirty laundry in public now, are we? What charges do you think you have?”
“Treason against a High House.” He said it without a hint of humor. Yeah, he was still furious with me.
“That will never stick.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s enough to post a bounty, and Lord von Hasenberg is insistent on your return by any means necessary.”
“Why?”
“He didn’t say,” Ian said, unbending enough that frustration crept into his tone. “Perhaps he fears for your safety.”
I couldn’t help the dismissive scoff. “Have you seen any pigs winging past your window lately?”
“The reason doesn’t matter. He has ordered you home and you must comply or face the consequences.”
“Then I will face the consequences.”
“Bianca, be reasonable. You won’t be able to help Ferdinand if you’re locked up in some merc’s ship. Return to Earth and I promise I will allow you to assist with the investigation as much as I am able.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“I am trying to compromise,” he growled. “I can investigate just as well without your help.”
I let the pause stretch as I debated playing my wild card. What the hell, it might not make any difference, but if ever there was a time I needed an edge, it was now.
“Did you know, Ian Noah Bishop, that there is no record