Page 78 of Caged By the Ruthless Thief

“We did, but this errand won’t take long. And I won’t ever have to do it again.”

“I’m up for the ride.”

I could take her with me. It’s best if I don’t. But Glyden is too far, and I don’t want to be late. Fortunately, I have another idea. I pull into the airlock. If I was by myself, I’d go out the flood gate. “I’m running late. My brothers Azzurio and Michio should be here in the family shop around this time. Would you mind staying with them for a little while I get my task done?”

“The one who supposedly helped me get to the city? That’s a good idea.”

“Great. He’s got a mermaid interested in him. I only warn you because sometimes...”

“Mermaids can be possessive?” She laughs. “Who would have guessed?”

35

HOLTER

“Annabelle?” The apartment is empty. I wander through the half we use and even check the empty room on what would be a podlet side, but they’re all empty.

Nico’s right behind me, and he’s in a shitty mood. They’re not making this easy on him. Hell, they’re not making it easy on me either with the pressure of the stupid ceremony for handing theCentauriover to Broderick. They never even asked. There wasn’t even a hint that they might offer him his commission back. Apparently, exoneration doesn’t mean exonerated to the admiral.

Not that Nico has considered going back out loud. Knowing Nico, he’s thought about it, pondered it. But his heart strings wouldn’t allow him to be away from her any more than mine would.

“Annabelle?” Nico yells, searching around the apartment.

“They’re not here.”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know. Eros didn’t say they were going anywhere today.” I search the island for a message and check my block. There’s nothing from him. Nico does the same.

“Nothing,” he grunts, and when he does, Mickey taps his tail on the window.

He’s not trying to relay some secret message. He’s just pissed that Belle isn’t here.

“They’ll be home soon.” I shoot a message off to Eros that I know is friendlier than the one Nico is currently writing, judging by the creases in his face. “It’s your turn to make dinner. I’ll help you.”

* * *

The food iscold and burned. We’re both hunkered over our screens, combing through thousands of cameras, trying to find them. We’ve only had theomadafor a week and haven’t had time to install our own tracking device on it. Only a fool would trust the dealership to install a tracking device. I should have taken the starter key, made it impossible for them to go anywhere until the tracker was in place.

“I’ve got them,” Nico says. “Now I just need to follow them on the other cameras. They’re heading out of town toward the green domes.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” I relax a little. “They must have gotten drawn in with the growing. You know how deep into a subject Belle can get.”

“No. It feels off. You know it. I know it.”

He’s right. I don’t want to admit it, but he is. If they were touring a green dome, Eros would have his block on and he would have gotten back to us. But I’ve already reached out to a black tech ops person I know. Eros’s block is off, and it’s heavily protected from tracing. My guy said he’d know where he was when he turned it back on. But he had no way of telling where Eros and Belle had gone, what time they got there, or what time they left.

We go camera by camera on the way to the greenhouse, following our pod’s gold and silveromada. It’s tedious, but at least we’re doing something. At least we’re getting closer to where they are.

“He’s hovering on an empty pad. Going in circles.” Nico thrusts his pad at me. “Why in the hell is he piloting in circles?”

We watch as theomadagoes around and around for ten minutes. “He’s letting her pilot.”

“Oh, my Poseidon. They crashed. He let her pilot, and they crashed.” Nico’s pacing back and forth.

I move ahead in five-minute chunks. “Look here, they’re moving off. I was right, they’re going to the greenhouse.”

Five cameras later, and they take a sharp turn away from the greenhouse. There’s another patch of silt interference, and it takes thirty minutes to find theomadaagain. It’s parked at the shopping dome.

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