Kee squirmed out from under the vehicle, then helped Varro out. “Thanks, Varro. If your boss gets mad about the transport cost, remind him that we’re on the clock.”

I scowled at her. “Kee, did you break this transport?”

She looked at me, her eyes wide and guileless. I didn’t believe it for a second. “Break is a strong word,” she started.

I waved her off. “I don’t want to know. Plausible deniability. At least tell me it was worth it.”

She shrugged. “I hope so.” She took the box back from me and popped it into the hacked-together contraption next to her. “I should be able to get the data this way. I extracted a little bit overnight before the security features booted my script, but it didn’t tell us anything new. The points I care about are the beginning and the end, and I haven’t gotten either, yet.”

She tapped on her slate for a moment, then turned it to Nilo and pointed to something on-screen. “See, this is how you know the data is there.”

“How did you know that this would work?” he asked, leaning closer.

Kee grinned at him. “I didn’t.”

Nilo laughed. “So what are you going to do now?”

The two of them broke off into a technical discussion, their heads close together, while Varro watched with cool reserve.

“Kee, do you need anything from me?” I asked.

She shook her head, already absorbed in whatever was happening on-screen.

“Keep me posted,” I said, then turned to Varro. “Make sure she eats and stays hydrated.”

He nodded, his expression grave. “I will,” he promised. He slanted an unreadable glance at Nilo, then added, “She is safe with me.”

I believed him. I said farewell and received a distracted nod from Kee as she explained something to Nilo. I didn’t take it personally. She would be lost to the world until she bent the data to her will—and I had no doubt that she would.

By the time I returned to the house via a long walk around the property, Torran was in his office, having showered and changed into another tunic and slacks. The deep blue color of the tunic complimented his fair skin and dark hair.

I plopped into one of the guest chairs in front of his desk before I did something foolish like climb in his lap and kiss him senseless. Last night had been an aberration brought on by close quarters and not enough sleep. I didn’t need to continue making a fool of myself, especially after he’d set his boundaries. He didn’t want more, and if I kissed him again, I would.

“Tell me about the kidnappers,” I said when it became clear that Torran wasn’t planning to start the conversation. “We know that they’re human and want power. What else? Why did they target Cien? How did they know he was here?”