Chapter 3

The alley across from the restaurant hadn’t changed, but I felt unease entering it, as if I was trespassing. Shaking off the sensation, I first checked to see that I wasn’t being followed, then dipped between buildings into the dark, narrow passage. Calling it an alley was generous; I had just enough space to walk front-facing. If the buildings were any closer, I’d have to move sideways.

The already dim light from overcast skies deepened to shadows, and my feet crunched on broken glass and brick, and something skittered across the tops of my boots. A wad of paper blew past my ankles, and the sounds from the busy street dulled to a murmur. The wind blowing over the gap between buildings above whistled, and chills ran up my spine. What was a child doing in this creepy, dirty place? As if I didn’t know what it was like to have limited choices where to lay my head at night.

Once more shaking off the memories, I forged on, letting my fingers trace the bricks on either side in search of a door or window. At the end of the passage, a wall of vines blocked the way. Turning around, I saw the light from the street formed a tall and thin rectangle. When I looked at both buildings’ walls, I could see a rusted metal hatchway forming a crude entrance about a meter high from the ground on the building to my left. When I squatted to get a better look, I noticed a little chalk drawing of a flower on the bricks to the left of it, and my heart squeezed.

Staring at the metal door, I pondered what to do. But the girl’s huge brown eyes bright with unshed tears and stark with rage and terror knocked at my heart, and I realized I couldn’t wait another second.

Banging on the hatch, I levered it open and shouted into the dark interior.

“I’m very sorry to intrude!” I said before crouching further and kicking my legs into the hatchway, slithering through the entrance like an overfed snake. The chute dropped me onto a cement floor where I landed on both feet, and I coughed from the dust I stirred up.

The room around me was bare and lit with a single bulb. Gray cement walls and floor. No windows, no doors, no nothing.

Playing on a hunch, I spoke. “The little girl,” I said into the empty room, my voice bouncing off the walls. “She’s in trouble. I’m going to find her.”

A slight tremor rumbled up through my boots, and a seam appeared in the wall I faced. Striding forward, I pressed on the wall to the left of the seam, and it released an internal mechanism, swinging forward to reveal the doorway.

“I’m coming in,” I said, unsure who would greet me on the other side and hoping I wasn’t about to get gut shot by a renegade razer rifle. I only had my sidearm, but my intuition told me I wasn’t in danger.

Stepping under the low doorway, the first thing I noticed was the warm quality of the light. In contrast to the glaring LED bulb in the other room, this one had a yellow-orange glow created by several old-fashioned lamps placed in the corners. The walls were draped with colorful tapestries, most of Shinterran origin in their distinctive geometric patterns, but a few of human design. Colorful rugs scattered the floor, layered overlapping one another, and mismatched tables and shelves sat in groupings suggesting different uses: a small cooking and eating area, a reading area, a crafting area.

“What happened to Janessa?” a throaty voice rose from the sleeping area; I’d scanned it and seen only a pile of colored blankets, pillows and quilts, and an empty pallet. But a larger mattress hosted the voice, and she rose to sitting, the quilt falling to her waist to reveal she wore an unadorned night shirt.

With dark brown hair and sepia skin, black eyes and high cheekbones, I saw that she was Shinterran. And bore little resemblance, if any, to Janessa.

Dipping my head, I used the Shinterran honorific when I addressed her. “Suva.”

“You may call me Cam,” she said, her voice smooth as silk. “Now out with it. How much time do we have?”

“Not much,” I said. “The Jepps took her in front of this building not a half standard hour ago,” I said. “I tried to catch them, but it’s the busiest time of day on Mineral Boulevard. I lost them in the crowd. My colleague is looking up known bolt holes, but I wanted as much information about her as I could find before I hunt those bastards down and get her back.”

“Her name is Janessa,” Cam said. “No last name. Human. We … found each other. She doesn’t have any food allergies or health problems. Smart as a whip. Speaks Universal Common and Shinterran. A smattering of Qhudret. She’s tough and scrappy and used to taking care of herself. She has a small weapon she’ll save for a last resort because she won’t want to lose it.”

“What about enemies? Do either of you have enemies?” I asked. Fear and anger flashed in Cam’s eyes, but she closed them and coughed, effectively disguising the emotions when she returned my gaze and shook her head.

“None that I know of,” she said, flicking her sight to my left but then holding eye contact longer than necessary. She was lying to me.

“Look, in spite of my uniform, my interest in Janessa has nothing to do with arresting her—or taking her to the youth detention center. Anything you’re hiding could jeopardize my ability to track her down.”

Cam looked at her clenched fists. Like Janessa, her bones were prominent under her skin. “You don’t have time for this,” she finally said, steel in her eyes. “We do have enemies, but they’re not on Jeppsit 5, and they don’t know we’re here. We need to keep it that way.”

My wrist comm buzzed, and I saw that Knife had sent me files.

“These are the bolt hole locations,” I said, tapping my wrist, checking the files with a glance and meeting Cam’s gaze. “I’ll get her back and bring her to you. I promise you that, Suva Cam.”

I’d turned to leave when she arrested me with her velvet voice. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because once upon a time, I was Janessa,” I said, my voice catching. I hadn’t missed the unshed tears in Cam’s eyes when I left, but I refused to acknowledge them or the moisture in my own. I had a job to do.