Hadrian walked to the small living room that wasn’t made to host a large group. Hauk, alone, took up most of it.

Mordacity shut the door, then turned to face them. “So . . . ?”

There was no easy way to break it to her. “Jayne? Can you show her what Syn gave us?”

“Sure.” Jayne turned it on and handed it over.

As soon as Mordacity saw the warrant and information Syn had traced that pegged her as the culprit, she paled. “Is this a joke?”

“That’s what we’re wondering.”

“I had nothing to do with this. How stupid would I have to be?”

Mordacity had a point. Only an idiot would go against his brother, especially given their ability to pick the truth out of her head.

Jayne took her link back. “You think someone’s setting you both up?”

Maybe. Hadrian could see that. It would make sense. “How close are you to Nero?”

She held her hands up and made a hilarious face. “Your brother doesn’t share his feelings. I’m sure you know this. Some days, he’s like talking to a wall.”

Hadrian shook his head. “I wouldn’t say that given he tends to express himself quite freely around me. And more often than I like.”

“Lucky you. He’s a silent grave to me. I can barely get a meal preference out of him, and most of our conversations are me talking and him grunting.” She looked at Jayne. “Can I see that again?”

“Sure.” Jayne returned the link to her.

Her frown deepened. “Why didn’t this come up on my bounty sheets?”

Hadrian had no answer for that. “Jayne?”

“It should have, if she’s licensed.”

“I’m licensed.” Mordacity picked up her own link, then handed it over to Jayne. “How is this possible?”

Jayne gaped as she saw the truth, then passed it to Hadrian. “She’s blocked from it.”

“That makes no sense.”

Jayne agreed. She met Mordacity’s confused stare. “How shielded is this place?”

“Meaning?”

“If I call someone in the League, will they be able to pinpoint my location.”

Mordacity laughed. “No. If they try, it’ll ping them all over the universe. We don’t take those chances.”

Hauk narrowed his gaze. “So, you are Tavali.”

She nodded.

“Born and raised?”

“No,” Hadrian answered for her. “She was born Phrixian.”

Jayne’s jaw dropped even more at that disclosure. “I’ve never met a Phrixian before.”

“Lucky you. Keep praying that I’m your lifetime limit.”

Wow. Even Jayne caught the bitterness in those words. “You ran away?”

“Yeah. And if my people find me, they’ll kill me.”

“Why?”

“I’m Schvardan and I’m AWOL from our military. No one in our service goes AWOL. It’s treason. Any Schvardan who sees me is honor bound to kill me. And a Naglfari would just kill me for fun.”

Jayne was baffled. “Then why would you did you leave the military?”

“Because I had to protect my family. No matter what it cost me personally.”

“I can see why my brother likes you.”