I found him in the mess hall with Alexander and Aoife. A bottle of expensive bourbon was on the table and they each had an empty glass in front of them. Ian had changed into a black tuxedo and his golden hair was still damp from his shower. He looked amazing and my heart twisted, just a bit, at missed opportunities.
At some unseen signal, Alexander and Aoife stood and left the room, but not before both of them shot Ian a stern glance.
“Please have a seat, Lady Bianca,” Ian said. I couldn’t read his expression, but his eyes lingered on my dress. “Bourbon?”
“Yes, please.” I perched gingerly on the edge of a chair. Sitting in a dress like this without flashing anyone required delicate movement.
Ian picked up the fourth glass and poured me a generous serving. He splashed a bit more in his glass, then raised the glass in toast. “To success.”
I echoed him and touched my glass to his. The first sip blazed delicious warm fire down my throat, but I didn’t think the heat in my belly was entirely due to alcohol.
Ian also took a sip, then he met my eyes. “I apologize for earlier,” he said. “You are not a liability, as you’ve proven time and again, and I did not mean to imply otherwise. I meant it when I said you were our most important asset. The thought of you out in Matavara . . .” He trailed off and shook his head. “Please accept my apology.”
“Are you truly sorry or are you trying to make nice so that I’ll listen to you tonight?” I asked. “And remember, you promised me the truth.”
“I’m truly sorry. I should’ve apologized as soon as I realized how my words could be taken, but I have my own stubborn streak. You may have noticed.” His grin was tinted with self-deprecation. “But I also don’t want to go into a dangerous situation while we’re fighting.”
“Ian, I’ve said this all along, we don’t have to fight. If we worked together, we’d be unstoppable. But you have to trust me to be able to do what I say I can. I don’t boast without cause and I know my limits. If I can’t do something, I’ll tell you. If I suggest something, it’s because I think I can do it.”
“I know,” he said. “I’m not used to people who are so self-aware. One of your brothers would insist he could scale a building barehanded and with one leg missing.”
“I see you’ve met Benedict,” I said with a grin. I loved him to pieces, but Benedict was not one for modesty, false or otherwise.
Ian smiled, then turned serious. “Do you have a plan?”
I took another sip of bourbon before answering. I wouldn’t be able to finish the glass, but I let the liquid courage warm me. “Based on my contacts, Riccardo Silva is the representative attending tonight.” Ian winced. “I see you’ve heard the same rumors I have. Have you worked with him before?”
“No, and I had hoped to keep that streak going. You’ll have to charm him. Try to get him alone, or as alone as you can with the various bodyguards in attendance. He won’t deal in public because he has an image to maintain, and he might try to double-cross you.”
“He will definitely try to double-cross me,” I said. “Do you have any weapons that will pass a scanner?”
“A blaster and a few knives, nothing major.”
“I’ll take what I can get. So we find Riccardo, get him alone, and negotiate for Ferdinand. They won’t have him here, so where would you like to do the swap?”
“Sedition,” Ian said at once. “Your sister’s contacts will help, the Consortium doesn’t have a military presence to put the Syndicate off, and it’s public enough that they will be less likely to cause a bloodbath.”
I didn’t miss that he said “less likely” rather than unlikely. Good thing we were all optimists here.
The codes in the invitation had been accepted by the spaceport ground control. Fortuitous settled on a narrow temporary landing pad next to a half dozen other such pads.
The ship wouldn’t be allowed to stay on the ground, so I’d given Aoife and Alexander piloting privileges. Aoife had argued for five minutes that she should come with us, but the invitation was good for only two guests. If we ran into trouble, we’d be on our own. It would take ten to fifteen minutes for the ship