I guess that was true—and certainly the last thing we needed right now was Stane passing out in shock. Once we were inside, the camera above us buzzed into action and began tracking our movements. Not that we could go far—the shimmer of light surrounding the small entrance was warning enough that a containment shield was in action.
"Stane, it's Risa." Impatience edged my voice as I stared up at the camera. "I need some help rather urgently."
"Well, it's about fucking time." His voice sounded tinny as it echoed from the small speaker near the camera. The shimmer flared briefly, then died. "I've been bored as hell lately."
"What?" I said, as I ran for the rear stairs. "The black market business isn't going so well at the moment?"
He appeared at the landing and gave me a wide smile. "It's going very well. But I've grown addicted to the challenges you give me. A little subversive hacking into government databases is good for the soul."
Despite the urgency of the situation, I laughed and kissed his cheek. Stane rather looked like his building—a slender, unholy mess. With his somewhat long and scruffy brown hair, his wrinkled blue shirt, and loose, ill-fitting shorts, he certainly didn't look like someone who was in any way dangerous—until you actually gazed into his honey-colored eyes. Stane was smarter and harder than he looked.
"So what is it this time?" he said, stepping to one side and waving us through.
"We have a life to save, and precisely eighteen minutes to do it in."
"Fuck!" He scraped a hand across his bristly chin, then reclaimed his seat at the computer system that dominated his living area. He shoved a second chair in my direction. "You really are pushing it this time. How can I help?"
"I need you to work up an image of the woman I have to find, and then I need you to find her address."
He swore again, then stretched out his fingers and cracked his knuckles. "Okay, hit me with the details."
I gave him everything I could remember, and within a couple of minutes we had an image of the woman I'd seen on the planes. He flicked it across to another screen, and the search began.
And all I could do was wait.
I pushed to my feet and began pacing. Stane watched me for a moment, then said, "Anything else?"
I inhaled deeply, then slowly released it. It didn't do much to ease the tension growing inside me. "Well, I also have the names of Nadler's heirs."