“Damn. That’s handy,” I murmured.
While he moved the cover aside, I knelt to peer into the exposed vent. The duct ran straight back for a handful of meters before disappearing upward, and on the floor, a pile of suitcases gleamed faintly in my helmet’s night vision.
Jackpot.
I pulled the nearest suitcase to me and opened it. A jumble of clothes slipped onto the floor.
“What is that?” Torran asked.
I looked up at him, wishing that I could see his face. “This is the disguise the kidnappers wore to enter the building.”
“How do you know?”
Suspicion filled his tone and I rolled my eyes. “Because I was here and I helped them plant it, of course.” When he didn’t respond, I sighed and said, “It’s what I would do.”
“How did they get past the cameras?”
“I don’t know.” I considered the vent. “Maybe they came in through here. Maybe they had someone as good as Kee who could override the surveillance system without leaving a trace. Kee could probably figure it out if we gave her access.”
“That’s not possible.”
Virtually nothing was impossible for Kee, but I let it go. “I’m going to pull the rest out. Let’s see if they left anything else behind.”
Torran crouched next to me and the suitcases slid toward us. As I pulled each one out, another moved to take its place so I didn’t have to crawl into the vent. “You’re useful to have around, has anyone ever told you that?”
“Once or twice,” he murmured, amusement threading his mental voice.
We moved to the clear area in the middle of the garage and opened the suitcases. They each contained a cheap suit sized for a tall, fit adult—like, for example, a soldier. Some of the cutouts in the suitcase lining made me think that they had originally contained weapons and armor. So the soldiers had snuck in, swapped into their armor, and left the disguises behind.
“Do you have someone who could examine these?” I asked, after tapping Torran’s shoulder to get his attention again. “They might have fingerprints.”
I’d been careful while opening them with my gloved hands, but the odds of pulling a usable print were still pretty low. We were clearly dealing with professionals. They knew the game as well as I did, so they would’ve wiped everything down if they’d had time.
“I do, but we will have to come back for them. We don’t have room to take them with us tonight, and technically, we’re not here.”
“At least this gives us somewhere to start looking. If Kee can pull the surveillance video from the surrounding area, we might be able to track them back to their base.”
Torran remained silent. I touched his arm. “Why aren’t you happy about this? This is exactly the sort of thing we came to find.”
Torran shook his head. “I’m sorry. Of course, this is amazing. I had people scour this whole area, and they missed something you found in ten minutes. That’s incredible. You’re incredible.”
“But?” I prompted when his mental voice faded out.
“Nothing.” He shook his head again. “We’ll see what else your team can find. For now, let’s put this stuff back so we can return for it later.”
Most of the suitcases were already back in the vent when Torran cocked his head. “Someone is coming.”
I shoved the remaining suitcases in the duct and waved for him to replace the cover. Once it was in place, I tapped him and pointed up. “We need to hide. Boost me up a level.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re not supposed to be here?” It came out a question, because I wasn’t sure which part of my statement he was questioning.
“It’s too late,” he said calmly. “They’ll be able to sense you in a moment or two.”
“So shield me!”
“Last time—”
“Just do it,” I demanded.
The cool feel of Torran’s power swept over me, and I pulled my own shields closer. Rather than lifting me up a level, Torran pressed me farther into the narrow space between the wall and the transport storage tower.
My back hit the wall and Torran pressed closer, trapping me in the corner. My heart rate rose from a combination of fear and desire.
“I will protect you,” Torran murmured in my mind. “You are safe. Nothing will get past me.”
As strange as it was, I believed him. With his power wrapped around my mind, I should’ve been terrified, and part of me was, but I also felt protected.
Desire wove delicate tendrils through my veins. Torran was prepared to put himself between me and danger, and we were squeezed close together in a dark corner. Yes, we were hiding, but my libido apparently hadn’t gotten the memo that this was business and not pleasure.
I wished the armor wasn’t in the way so that I could feel the press of his body against mine.
A tiny groan came from in front of me, one I hadn’t heard across our telepathic link. “Try not to think too loud,” Torran whispered into my mind. “I’m trying to stay away from your thoughts, but it’s harder when I’m shielding for you.”
A flush rose in my cheeks at exactly what thoughts he might’ve caught. True telepathy must be even more sensitive than subvocal comms because I had been thinking quietly—or so I’d thought.
Before I could ask him about it, the distant sound of a door opening caused me to freeze. A beam of light bounced around the space, but the main lights, if there were any, remained off.
“Security guard,” Torran said over the telepathic link.
The guard muttered something in Valovan. I didn’t understand the words, but the mocking tone came across just fine. Someone wasn’t happy that they’d been sent to peer around in the dark.
With nothing better to do until the guard left, I focused on my shields. I could feel Torran’s power around me, like a cool bubble, but like last time, I couldn’t sense anything else.
The flashlight beam moved closer, and I froze again. I really did not want to be caught breaking and entering on Valovia.
Torran shifted in front of me and the sound seemed incredibly loud. I raised my face to hiss at him, only to find that he’d opened the visor on his helmet. He lifted his hand and pressed the release on mine, so that we were face-to-face.
“Stop fighting me,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. It was too dark to see the colors shifting in his eyes, but I caught a glint of dark and light.
I shook my head. “I’m not,” I murmured.
“You didn’t hear my last question and you nearly broke through my shield.”
“I’m not doing it on purpose,” I clarified.
The flashlight beam bounced off the ceiling of the pod next to us. We were about to be caught. I began contingency planning. Could we make it to the lev cycle before the guard called for backup? I could take a single Valoff, assuming they weren’t telekinetic. But what if they were?
I was so focused on planning that the shock of Torran’s lips against my cheek took a second to register. The moment stilled into crystal clarity. Torran’s lips were firm and his breath gently warmed my cheek. He pressed softly against my skin, barely touching.
“Torran?”