In the Devil's Nebula (Phoenix Adventures #2) (21 page)

Ria watched the flames leap high and forced
herself to watch as the man’s remains dissolved. Then she turned
and moved to the next body.

She lost track of time as they dropped the
bodies into the flames. Soon, the tables were empty and Ria felt
empty inside too. She felt something on her cheeks and lifted a
hand.

Moisture. Tears tracking down her
cheeks.

Zayn took her hand and squeezed. She wanted
to turn into him, hold him tight and pretend that everything was
all right.

She didn’t. Because everything wasn’t all
right.

But she held onto his hand as they watched
the devouring flames.

The shuttle ride back to the
Infinitas
was silent.

Zayn slowed the shuttle and completed the
docking. A moment later, the shuttle door opened with a hiss.

Ria was already walking off. She hadn’t
looked at him or said a word during their journey back to the
shuttle. He glanced at Nik.

“She okay?” his brother asked.

“No.” With a heavy sigh, Zayn followed
her.

Dathan came striding down the hall. “How’d
it go? We were starting to get worried because you guys took so
long.” As Ria strode past him, Dathan pressed back against the wall
and raised his eyebrows. Then he looked at Zayn, his brow creased.
“Shit. You’re hit.”

Zayn pressed a hand to his shoulder. He’d
completely forgotten about the injury. Now that he focused on it,
he wondered how he’d missed the dull throb. “It’s nothing to worry
about.”

He was more worried about Ria.

Dathan shoved the medscope at Zayn. “It went
well?”

“We got the derringer.” Zayn flicked on the
scope and waved it over his wounds. “I wouldn’t say it went well,
though.”

His wounds healed, they walked into the main
area. Ria had set the bag down on the holo-table. The others
crowded close. Lala hitched herself up on the corner of the
table.

“What have I said about sitting on the
holo-table?” BEll’s voice was loud and exasperated.

Lala rolled her eyes. “Chill your circuits,
Bella. What are you going to do about it anyway?”

There was a zapping sound and Lala leaped
off the table with a squeak, rubbing her bottom.

“Behave, you two,” Dath said. “Refereeing
these kids is doing my head in.”

Eos and Nik were oblivious to the drama.
They were focused on the bag.

Eos raised a hand. “May I?”

Ria gestured. “Go ahead.”

The astro-archeologist opened the bag
carefully and let the sides fall away. The pistol sat on the
folds.

“A beauty,” Nik said.

“Yes.” Eos picked the weapon up, turning it
over, looking at it from all angles. “A .44-caliber pocket cannon.
Very old. Definitely matches the Lincoln Derringer.”

“An important piece of Terran history.”
Niklas held out his hand and Eos set it on his palm. He tested the
weight. “It ended a presidency.”

Eos nodded. “Lincoln abolished slavery and
set what was then known as the United States of America on a course
for greatness. He was known as a champion of human liberty. He
became a symbol of freedom during the future wars.”

Ria crossed her arms over her chest. “I need
to contact the Guild.” Her voice was toneless.

Lala snapped her gum. “Shouldn’t we get out
of here first? I mean, we are right in the Guild’s backyard after
giving them a really big finger.”

“That’s what they’ll expect,” Zayn answered.
“Best we stay here in orbit with the hundreds of other ships.”

“Hidden in plain sight.” The girl nodded. “I
like that. Ballsy.”

Zayn moved closer to Ria. “When you make the
transmission, I can ensure it’s scrambled. They’ll have no idea
where you’re calling from.”

A nod. “I’m going to clean up first.” She
disappeared in the direction of the cabins.

She was so distant. Zayn felt a pain under
his heart. She was moving away from him, freezing him out and he
didn’t know what the hell to do about it.

“Something wrong?” Dathan asked.

Zayn dropped into the cockpit chair and hung
his head in his hands. “I always knew the Assassin’s Guild was bad,
but they are far worse than we thought.”

“Can’t get much worse than cold-blooded
killers, surely,” Dathan said.

Zayn rubbed his chin. “They recycle dead
bodies.”

He saw his family trade confused
glances.

“What?” Niklas asked.

Zayn launched into an explanation of what
they’d found in the secret Guild lab. Eos gasped, Lala made gagging
noises and his brothers both wore fierce frowns.

“This is unbelievable,” Nik said.

“That’s not all. Ria is…was…shit—” he still
couldn’t believe it “—Vik’s body was used to create Ria.”

“Oh, God,” Eos said.

“Fucking bastards.” Dathan pulled his wife
close.

“Jesus,” was all Nik added.

Zayn looked back toward the cabins. “She’s
messed up by all of this.”

“That’s understandable.” Eos set a hand on
Zayn’s shoulder. “You must be, too. You believed she was Viktoria
all along.”

“Not as messed up as I thought. I don’t know
when it happened, but I see Ria now. I
know
Ria.” He ran a
hand through his hair, grasping for the right words. “I cared
deeply for Vik but killing her…all my guilt…in my memory I’d turned
her into this perfect shining paragon. But that’s not who she was.
She was a woman, a hell of a pilot, my friend, and if I had to go
back, I’d help her again in exactly the same way. I’ll always miss
her. But she’s gone, I’ve accepted that.”

“Does Ria know how you feel?” Dathan said
quietly.

“Not yet. She needs some time.”

Eos shifted. “No, I think it’s exactly what
she needs to hear. And she needs to not to be alone right now.”

“You think?” He wanted to be there for her.
To hold her.

“Go get her,” Lala said cheerfully.

Zayn shot to his feet and strode toward the
cabins.

***

A shower hadn’t made Ria feel much better.
She felt itchy and restless like she was going to crawl out of her
skin. By the dagger, it wasn’t even
her
skin.

Wrapped only in a towel, she dropped onto
the edge of the narrow bunk and stared at nothing.

When the door clicked open, she knew it was
Zayn even before he sat down beside her.

“I don’t know what to say to you,” he
said.

“You don’t have to say anything.”

He turned a little and she felt his gaze on
her. “I’m here for you, Ria.” He touched her bare shoulder, his
fingers the lightest caress.

She shrugged the touch away and stood. “Here
for me or Vik?”

“You aren’t Vik. D’aarn made that
clear.”

“What if there’s a way to reverse the
regeneration procedure?” Did he wish she was Vik? That he could
have her back. Ria couldn’t bear being a stand-in.

“Vik’s dead.” His voice was flat.

Ria pressed the heels of her palms to her
eyes. “Look, all this complicates things. It’s best I deal with the
Guild and then leave.”

“Just like that?” Zayn shot to his feet.
“You said you’d come with me. Vacation, treasure hunts,
remember?”

“That was before.”

He yanked her hands down. “Look at me, damn
it. After everything you’ve fought for, you’re just going to give
up?”

“I still want my freedom. But I don’t know
who I am anymore.”

“You’re Ria Dante.”

She tried to pull away from him, but he
tightened his hold on her wrists. He spun her, until her back was
pressed against hard, angry male. He forced her to look in the
small mirror above the desk.

“There you are. Tough, clever, stubborn
Ria.” He released one wrist and ran his knuckles down the side of
her throat.

She tried to move away again.

He wrapped one arm around her waist. “Don’t
pull away from me. Please.”

She sagged against him. She didn’t know if
she had it in her to give him what he needed. “I’m broken, Zayn.
I’m transparent, no substance. I don’t have anything to offer you.”
Now when she pulled away, he let her go.

Ria made it to her bag on the bed and
grabbed some clothes. She dropped the towel and yanked on her
clothes. “I need to call the Guild.”

Zayn’s jaw was so tight, she thought it
would break. He nodded. “I’ll see you in the cockpit.”

Everyone was standing in the cockpit when
she arrived. Ria sucked in a deep breath and moved to the
console.

She felt someone beside her and turned her
head. Eos stood, her face filled with a mix of emotions. The other
woman touched a tentative hand to Ria’s arm. “Good luck. Whatever
happens, remember you aren’t alone.”

Ria looked behind her and saw Lala lounging
against the holo-table. The girl gave her a thumbs-up. And behind
her stood the three Phoenix brothers, shoulder-to-shoulder. By the
dagger, they were a handsome lot. Her gaze met Zayn’s. He gave her
a nod.

She turned to the console and initiated the
transmission.

Seconds later, the face of the head of the
Guild, Master Kassius, appeared on the screen.

“Assassin Ria, I’ve been expecting your
call.” The older man’s features were calm and solemn. “You’ve
caused us a lot of trouble.”

Ria gripped the back of the chair, her
fingers digging into the synth-leather. There was so much she
wanted to say, so much bubbling up inside her. “I want my
freedom.”

“In return for the derringer.” Master
Kassius tilted his head. “Really, I should send an assassin after
you. End this extremely troubling situation for the Guild.”

Zayn burst forward. “Try it, asshole. We’ll
never let—”

Ria put a hand to Zayn’s chest. His defense
warmed something cold inside her. “It’s okay, Zayn.” She looked
back at Kassius. “I’m not offering the derringer.”

The silence around her was deafening. She
felt Zayn’s regard but focused on the flash of confusion on the
master assassin’s face.

“I discovered the Guild’s dirty little
secret.”

Kassius’ face was pinched. “I don’t know
what you’re—”

Ria held up a hand. “Please, stop. I’m
talking about your little body-snatching business.” The anger
stormed through her. “Ring any bells now?”

Master Kassius pulled in a sharp breath.

“And we all know that the one tradition left
over from Earth times, that almost all the galaxy believes, is that
desecration of a dead body is not fucking acceptable.” Anger
churned, an acid burn inside her. “I’m guessing the Guild will lose
a hell of a lot of clients when your sordid secret is out in the
open.”

“We’ll grant you your freedom in return for
your silence and your—” Kassius glanced at Zayn “—associate’s
silence.”

It was what she wanted, but Ria wondered why
she didn’t feel something, anything. Elation, jubilation,
happiness. She glanced at Zayn. During this week with him, she’d
started to imagine a life. One where she decided what she wanted to
do.

Now that dream was gone. The moment she’d
stepped into that lab, her dreams had disintegrated.

“No.” Ria shook her head. “I plan to
broadcast the details about your little regeneration scam to
everyone and anyone in the galaxy who’ll listen.” She squared her
shoulders. “You, the Assassin’s Guild, you don’t have the right to
desecrate remains, create new people without consent and then treat
them like slaves.” Now that she felt something, emotion stormed
through her in a mad rush.

On screen, Master Kassius’ face turned a
mottled red.

But Ria wasn’t finished. “You don’t have the
right to play God and I’m going to stop you.”

“I’ll send every assassin in the Guild after
you.” A deadly promise.

“I know you will.” She disconnected the
call.

Zayn paced across the cockpit. Their mission
had been a success, the autopilot was taking them home to Khan…but
the feeling on the ship was subdued.

He glanced toward the hall leading to the
cabins. After making her call, Ria had disappeared into her cabin
again without a word to anyone.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. Damn, he
was proud of her. She’d had plenty of options for taking the easy
way out, but his girl had to do the right thing.

Except now she was going to have every
trained killer in the Guild on her trail.

He sank into a chair. There had to be a way
out of this. A way to keep her safe. He knew he wanted her by his
side. Wanted to continue their adventure and see where it took
them.

Of course she wasn’t going to keep quiet
about the Guild’s regeneration program. She’d want to help all
assassins, all the victims of the Guild, not just herself.

“Zayn?”

BEll’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Yeah, BEll.”

“I wanted to let you know Ria has finished
making her calls. To the Galactic Broadcasting Corporation. To News
Central and the Dish.”

He couldn’t help but smile. Of course she’d
shout what she had to say to the galaxy through the top news
networks. “Thanks, BEll.”

“She also left something for you on the
holo-table.”

“What?” He jerked upright and strode to the
table.

There, resting on the blank screen of the
table was the Lincoln Derringer.

He picked it up, running his thumb over the
polished wood stock. Funny how now it wasn’t a weapon to be
reviled, but just a tool. An historically important tool. “BEll,
where’s Ria?”

“I think she has some…plans that mightn’t
make you very happy.”

Zayn dropped the derringer and raced down
the hall. He opened Ria’s cabin door. Empty. The bed was neatly
made and the scent of her lingered in the air.

A siren sounded followed by an automated
voice. “Shuttle readying for launch.”

“Damn it!” He sprinted toward the shuttle
bay. Seconds later he skidded through the door.

The shuttle sat on the launch pad, her
engines spooling up. He ran for the shuttle door and thumped on the
heavy-duty glass.