intercept the woman."
His first nodded, sparing a glance for the frustrated rear admiral. Solal spoke subvocally into the auditory implant all his people carried.
Graydon fixed Skarsdale with a long stare. "I will be taken to the children now."
The man sighed, knowing he’d already lost the advantage. "This way."
CHAPTER FOUR
Kira cut through the crowd, her steps unhurried as she ignored the clamor of her surroundings.
"How many do you see?" she asked Jin.
"Besides the two wizards? I count four wearing the station's uniform."
Irritation crossed Kira's face as she stomped along the terrace. Being shadowed by one group was bad enough, but two? She wasn't liking the odds.
The station personnel were at least being subtle about it, not making their presence too obvious. The wizards, on the other hand, didn't bother making an effort to blend in and remain unseen. It was like they were practically daring her to do something about it.
"You sure?"
"Yup. They're keeping their distance, but we've had a tail from the moment we left the detainment sublevel."
His assessment fit with Kira's. She'd made a point of moving aimlessly through the station, meandering in a circuitous route as she debated her next decision.
She hesitated to head toward Vander's until she knew more about why she was being followed and what they intended. It'd be too easy to be ambushed there. At least here, there were a dozen escape routes.
"You head to one of the comm cafes and I'll get what we need," Jin said.
Kira hesitated. She didn't like the idea of splitting up.
"It'll be fine," Jin assured her. "You still have to contact your little friend to hand off the data you recovered from the Tsavitee ship."
"We could sit on the data. Wait until a better time presents itself," Kira offered, knowing she hated that idea.
Jin made a rude noise. "Absolutely not. We didn't go through all this just to keep it to ourselves."
Jin didn't wait for her to argue, sinking until he hovered inches off the ground before arrowing away. He wove between the crowd's feet as he headed toward the lift, no one the wiser.
This wasn't the first time they'd used such a tactic. People tended to notice Kira, but they always forgot about Jin. It allowed him to get away with things Kira never could.
Kira gritted her teeth but didn't follow, knowing their tail would be more focused on her. Hopefully, the distraction would give Jin enough time to purchase the part and get it to the ship before anyone realized he was gone.
She wasn't really worried about the wizards taking notice of his absence. They'd assume Jin was a normal AI, smart but ultimately unable to operate without direction. But the humans—Spitzy in particular—would be suspicious. They knew what he was capable of, knew his reputation and history. He was as dangerous as Kira. More so in some ways.
Kira looped around the terrace, walking with no apparent destination in mind. She stopped at small shops along the way, pretending to browse the merchant's wares before moving on. Most of it was junk, the type of thing meant for the souvenir-happy tourists.
A line of children on a tour followed their guide like little ducks as she explained the history of the station, pointing to the different reference points. Kira followed for a short time, smiling at the children's antics before eventually leaving them behind when they stopped to take photos in front of one of the monuments to those soldiers who didn't return.
After that, she flitted from stall to shop and back again, never staying anywhere long, never letting her guard drop.
To most, she would appear to be sightseeing, interested in watching the gondolas and hovercraft as they flitted from terrace to terrace.
In reality, she took the opportunity to keep an eye on her tails, using every small reflection to watch the people watching her.
The humans’ motivations were easy to guess, but the wizards’ interest was a mystery. One she couldn't yet solve. She had a habit of destroying the things she couldn't understand.
Nothing good ever came of someone with unclear motives stalking her. She itched to be off the station and far from them.
She'd done her time in the trenches. This was her retirement, and she refused to get drawn into whatever this was.
If O'Riley wasn't the only station in this sector with the parts she needed, she never would have stepped foot on it again. The station was like a curse. Every time she visited, it brought nothing but upheaval to her life.
Not this time.