The RUNA had spent a number of decades establishing itself and building its power. Once it felt secure, it had begun to slowly expand its territory on the continent. Some regions—such as the lands southwest of the RUNA—had transitioned more easily. They had formed a loose configuration of city-states after the Decline and eventually welcomed being annexed by their powerful neighbor.
Other regions weren’t so thrilled. The RUNA’s other neighbor, Arcadia, had formed when the southeastern region of the former United States had chosen not to band with the rest of the country and Canada because they opposed the harsh mandates. Mae was familiar enough with Arcadian culture to know that “chosen” wasn’t the word they used in their history. Arcadia claimed it had been abandoned because the early RUNA couldn’t maintain that much territory. The truth lay in the middle of those theories, and despite ravages by Mephistopheles and Cain, Arcadia had managed to pull itself up into a relatively stable country, due largely to an iron-fisted and religion-driven government.
Relations between the countries had been tense, especially because the RUNA had its eye on some of its neighbor’s resource-rich land. Gemman energy favored renewable resources, but oil and natural gas were still in demand. As a result, Arcadia’s western border was constantly in dispute as each country tried to stake its claim. The RUNA possessed superior technology and weapons, but the Arcadian military was vast and had been building up weapons that, while less sophisticated, were still problematic.
Justin’s destination wasn’t in an Arcadian borderland but was instead in a region that had been annexed only within the last five years. Although the Gemman government worked very quickly to bring its new territories into the uniform cultural fold of the rest of the nation, these new territories still had a reputation for recklessness and dissent—nuisances combatted by a very strong military presence.
Mae got the call from Leo about her test results on the way to Justin’s house. She wasn’t surprised to hear she wasn’t a match to the victims. She’d expected that, no matter how much Justin advocated his conspiracy theory.
It was the other results Mae was interested in, the ones she hadn’t told Justin about. When Justin had left to answer a call during their Nipponese lunch, she’d taken a leap of faith and asked Leo for a favor. Their relationship had warmed up enough that it was worth the gamble. She’d handed over the lock of hair that Emil had given her, feeling both terrified and excited over what Leo might uncover. He’d promised discretion and hadn’t asked many questions.
“It’s a hit,” he told her when he called. “Definitely a relative of yours.”
Mae sat on the train, her ego pressed to her ear in voice-only mode. “How close?”
“Twenty-five percent match to you. That’s a grandparent, half sibling, niece or nephew, aunt or uncle.” He paused. “Double first cousins too.”
“I see.” She took a deep breath. “Can you tell which?”
“No, all I can go by is the number of genes that match. Send me some of your immediate family’s stats, and I could get a closer hit.”
Good luck with that. Mae entertained a brief fantasy of stealthily cutting off a lock of her sister’s hair. “I don’t think that’ll be possible.”
“Does it help you at all?”
Did it? Mae didn’t know. The only thing it proved for sure was that Emil had obtained some relative’s hair. Of course, there was still that picture, but that wasn’t hard evidence, no matter the family resemblance. Someone like him could’ve combed through archives of children’s pictures to find a Koskinen likeness.
“It helps,” she told Leo. If nothing else, it showed her the extent to which the Br?dern was willing to go for a pr?torian asset. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
She could sense his discomfort. Their relationship still wasn’t entirely firmed up. “Glad to help.”
“And thanks for not telling Justin…you didn’t, right?”
That brought on a snort of laughter. “If I had, he probably would’ve been at your door this morning demanding answers. This is the kind of mystery he lives for.”
Mae had to concur as they disconnected. She might have been just a conquest, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still try to wheedle information out of her—or anyone else he encountered. Maybe he couldn’t help it, as he’d claimed, but she wasn’t going to take any chances.
Unsurprisingly, the borderlands didn’t have many direct flights, and it took them the better part of the day to reach their destination. When they stepped off their plane, Mae caught her breath. Spring had come to Vancouver, but it was nothing compared to the evening warmth of Mazatlán. The ocean had glowed in the setting sun as their flight had descended, and now, with darkness falling, the twinkling lights of buildings could be seen in the distance, where the bulk of the city sat on a hill.
“This could be a vacation,” Justin mused.
“I’m surprised it doesn’t bring back traumatic flashbacks of Panama.”
“Not as humid. That, and it’s safer.”