Page 45 of Synnr's Ride

Jori choked. "What?"

"She likes to talk about sex. I swear, every day I hear something new about what they're trying in bed. Or on his bike. Or on the couch in his—ew! I hid under that blanket." She made a face and clutched her own blanket around her.

Jori laughed, he couldn't help it. "It's okay to like her."

"The last time I liked someone in the middle of a mission, I nearly got her killed." Now Hanna let go of the blanket and reached for her clothes, offering him her naked back.

"Luci."

"Luci," she agreed.

"She's doing well," he offered. He didn't know the human girl well, but he'd worked with her Match, Ax. "She's back in university."

"That's good to hear." But Hanna didn't ask more, and Jori didn't offer. "We should go to this address."

The change in topic, or rather return to topic, caught him off guard. "And observe the meet?"

"I was thinking we go before, scope the place out. They might be about to hand off weapons or bombs. We don't want to miss that." She placed her communicator on the table and turned back to him. "What do you think?"

He turned it over in his head. "Sounds like something we should call in first."

"It's basically the middle of the night and we're just going to look. Waiting could mean we lose the first lead we've had." Hanna got up off the couch. "Obviously we should send a message on to Solan, but I don't want to wait. It's not like we get backup."

Jori understood the need to move, he could feel it nipping at his own heels. But he didn't want to act rashly. "Are you going to go anyway if I say no?"

"No." She crossed her arms and glared. "I thought we sorted this out. I'm your partner."

She was more than that. His body still hummed with the memory of her, and his blood sang with the potential of their Match. "Fine. You're right. We don't want to miss out on something because we waited. I'll write up a message to Ozar in case something happens to us, then we go."

"Nothing is going to happen to us," she said with the confidence of a soldier about to face her first battle.

Jori wished he felt the same. "Let's get ready."

* * *

Hanna could have used a bit of extra prep for the mission. She had to clamp her mouth closed around a yawn and wanted to glare up at the sunny sky. There were hours still until the start of the workday, and no one was out except for her and Jori.

They rode together on her bike. Kark and his crew hadn't seen her wheels yet, and they didn't want to risk Jori's ride being spotted. And if this ended in a chase, she didn't want to split up.

Wherever they went, they went together.

Jori held on tight as she weaved through the street on silent wheels. All the lights in the windows around them were out, and she had the strangest sense that she and Jori were all alone on this moon, that if she went into one of those houses, no one would be there. No one was waiting to wake up. This was their own little slice of the universe.

But in the distance she could see a large truck bumbling towards the highway, and she could hear dogs barking somewhere even farther away. Loneliness was an illusion.

The address led them to a warehouse district that was nicer than the one The Docking Station called home. These buildings had been built in the last few decades and looked like they were power washed to shine white in the sun. The windows had a reflective coating, and none of them were broken.

But there was no gate to stop her from driving into the parking lot outside their destination, and she didn't spot any guards.

"We should hide the bike," Jori's voice piped in through the speaker in her helmet.

"Obviously. Hold on." Rather than pass through the lot as quickly as possible, Hanna took the opportunity to do a few stunts. If there were security cameras, they'd attract attention, but they already had. Hopefully anyone monitoring those cameras would think she and Jori were just out for a joyride.

She took a wide circle around the warehouse before hopping the curb to get back on the road. There was a bus shelter at the end of the street and she pulled in there, hiding the bike under the awning.

Jori had a serious look on his face once he pulled off his helmet. "We're not supposed to waste time doing tricks."

Hanna leaned in and kissed him. That serious look transformed into a hungry one by the time she pulled away, and Hanna smiled. "We deserve a bit of fun. Now come on."

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