High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,57

the other side of the valley made her freeze, and she leaned closer to the edge, gaze sweeping the landscape for where it was coming from.

“What--?”

She held up a hand to quiet Iver's question and used her elbows to lever herself even further out.

There.

A vapor trail was just visible, and she pointed to it, then just caught the quick glint of silver metal as it shot up toward the sky.

“A TellTale.” The implications rocked her. She turned her head, met Iver's gaze. “Who can be waiting in nearspace to receive it?”

Iver looked upward, and Hana saw the TellTale give a final wink as it disappeared above the clouds.

“There shouldn't be anyone up there but the VSC battleships. And from what the head administrator of Touka City said to us, there are VSC special forces on their way to look into my disappearance, which means smaller military runners coming in from wherever the fleet is stationed. Whoever is lurking up there is taking a huge risk.”

“The Caruso wouldn't dare, would they? The VSC has to be on high alert after what happened on Veltos last month. I can't imagine they could get through the VSC security net. It's not like Faldine is undefended.”

“No.” Iver tapped a fist into his open palm. “I agree, they have to know any sign of a Caruso ship in Faldine nearspace would have the VSC mobilizing.”

“So, what?” Hana asked. “It's not the Caruso? Or it is them, but they're using a VSC ship?”

“Maybe.” Iver's lips were in a tight line. “Whatever it is, whoever is up there, now they've been given the location of the camp, we can expect company.”

Chapter 21

“So, what now?” Hana slowly worked her way back from the edge of the rock, and then stretched out as if her muscles were stiff.

They'd slept on hard ground, and she was still injured, but she hadn't spoken a single word of complaint.

“I wish you weren't caught up in this.” The sudden spike of rage that erupted in him had him clenching his fists.

She looked over at him, surprised, and then frowned. “You're not feeling guilty, are you? This is on Lancaster and everyone who's involved in the camp.”

It was more fury than guilt, but there was a lot of that in the mix, too.

When the VSC had more or less bribed him into taking the head-of-planet position, he'd been pleased with the challenge. He'd never thought his position would endanger someone he cared about.

“Listen.” She reached out and grabbed his jacket, so she had his full attention. “I fought for four years so Faldine would have a fair chance, so the VSC didn't have another Garmen or Lassa on their hands. And if these assholes think they can plunge us back into that so they can . . . what? Go back to their secretive havens that allow them to steal and ambush traders at will? That's against everything I risked my life for. This is not on you. Put the blame where it belongs.”

She took a deep, shaking breath in, and Iver realized her anger was almost at the same level as his.

He closed his hands over hers where they still gripped his jacket and she looked down in surprise, and then her lips quirked up in a smile.

“Guess it fires me up a little.”

He leaned forward, brushing a kiss on her forehead, and was hit by a yearning to have her naked and in his lap again, rocking away the trouble and the discomfort and the danger, until it was just her and him, in a world of their own.

“I don't want to, but I think I have to go over the river to where that TellTale was set off, see who's there and what they're up to.” As he said it, he realized how reluctant he was. He didn't want to leave her, even though finding out what he could from the scouts who'd found the camp was his duty as head-of-planet.

She closed her eyes, opened them again. “I'd say I'll come with you, watch your back, but my foot isn't healed enough yet.”

He gave a snort. “It's only been a day since you were injured, there's no way you should expect it to be healed already.”

She stared at him, almost blank-faced for a second, then shrugged. “I heal fast.”

“No one heals that fast.” But he had a sense she really believed she should be up and active again. He ran a hand down her arm. “Give yourself a break, Hana. You're