CHAPTER 15
Nicholen was jumping all over the place, and Xaviara could barely keep up. He led the way, and she couldn’t help but allow her eyes to rove to that delectable ass, in tight, fine shape from whatever training he did to keep himself in peak condition. Those strong legs, the curve of his back.
She matched him stride for stride, even though she had to push herself to keep up through the hallway. And a good thing, too. After that kiss, she wanted nothing more than to throw herself at him, but she was also upset.
She had to remember that.
Under her breath, she said, “You can’t just kiss me and think that’s going to fix anything.”
“I didn’t—” He stopped his purposeful march. “It’s not that. It’s…”
“It’s what?”
“I needed to focus. Kissing you calmed me.” He started walking again.
She blinked and scurried to keep up. “Oh.” This changed things, but only a little. “That’s still not how you treat people. You and I need to figure out what’s going on between us, and this isn’t the way to do it.”
“I agree,” he said. They were at the door to Piotr’s bunk. “Do you want to continue this conversation in the hall?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then let’s table it for later.” He lifted a hand to push the doorbell.
“What are you doing?”
His finger was on the button. “What do you mean?”
“Shouldn’t I go back to my bunk?”
“No. This isn’t working. I need you here, in person.”
“I’m just a junior aide.” His assertion seemed more than just a declaration of needing her help, though. It seemed he was saying…
“That doesn’t matter.” Nicholen’s hand moved from the doorbell to her shoulder. His touch was like fire—a good fire, raging through her. “You’re smart and focused, and I want you in there with me. I don’t know this person, but you do.”
Uh-oh. Of all the suspects to choose to need her for, Piotr was the absolute wrong one. But what could she say? “Piotr and I don’t exactly get along.”
“Then you won’t put up with any bullshit from him. Right?”
“I suppose.” Should she tell him what had happened before the kadyyza delegation had arrived?
Before she could decide, Nicholen pushed the doorbell.
“Who is it?” came Piotr’s voice.
“Valkkh Nicholen, trincaar of the Imdali System.”
A thump, and then the door slid open. Eyes wide, Piotr filled the doorway, obviously blocking their view of his bunk. Xaviara tipped her head to the side, curious at what he was hiding. He glared and moved in front of her. Before he did, she caught a glimpse of the ship’s mainframe up on his console.
“Can I help you?” said Piotr, still staring at Xaviara.
“We have some questions. Please come with us.” Nicholen held out a hand, the perfect image of a prince of a solar system. His cape flapped behind him. He might not think he represented Imdali well, but Xaviara had a different opinion.
Silent, Piotr hurried into the hall, slammed the door close button, and pressed his thumb to the locking mechanism before Xaviara could get another look at his console. Nicholen turned on a heel and led the way. Xaviara smiled at Piotr until he huffed and stomped off down the hall.
“What were you working on?” She kept her voice neutral, knowing the question itself would be enough to needle him.
“None of your damn business.” He glanced at Nicholen. “Pardon me, trincaar.”
Nicholen grunted. “We’re going to the ready room.” Probably a better place than the library for an interrogation. Xaviara was pleased—she didn’t want her memories from there sullied by Piotr’s bad attitude.
They went through the bridge and into the ready room. Samantha was still hard at work, poring over the commdump files. On another console, the report for attempted communications scrolled.
Once they were inside, the door shut behind the three of them, and Nicholen gestured to a chair. “Please sit.”
* * *
Piotr’s eyebrows lifted, but he sat anyway, right on the edge of the chair, looking like he would jump up at any moment. Good, stay off-balance, thought Nicholen. Xaviara stood at his elbow, and he loved her strong, sultry presence next to him. A small part of him hoped she would be impressed with how he conducted the interrogation. She wasn’t able to see how he’d finished the discussion with Gloria, and he still regretted that he had to keep information from her.
He decided to start in a different place than with Gloria. Someone had gained access to the lead ship before they left Sol Alliance Space Station 47, in order to access the mu-drive and create the problem Breniel had described. “Where were you two nights ago?”
Piotr blinked. “The night before we left the space station?”
“Yes.”
“In my bunk. Sleeping.”
“All night?”
“Yes, all night.” Piotr dropped his eyes and then raised them again, as if he realized how guilty it was making him look. “I mean, that is to say, I got there after we finished dinner with your delegation, and I watched a movie, and then I went to bed.”
“He’s lying. And I don’t like being lied to.” Another tactic, one of his favorite. Talk about them like they’re not in the room, and it makes their blood boil. “Do you regularly lie to the leadership in the delegations you’re assigned to?”
“I’m… I didn’t…” Piotr stammered, shifting.
The metallic scent from Xaviara was back and stronger than ever. Thank the forebears, though, it didn’t seem to be directed at Nicholen this time. “What were you working on when we came to get you, Piotr?” she demanded. “I saw what you had up on the screen. You have no reason to be in the computer’s inner systems.”
He jumped up. “It’s none of your damn business!”
Nicholen folded his arms and shifted his stance so he was standing with feet shoulder-width apart. He took a full two second count to do so, and Piotr stepped backward, bumped into the chair, and sat down hard. He was acting guilty, all right, but Nicholen knew from previous experience that didn’t mean he was guilty about what they expected.
“What’s the matter, Piotr? Is there something you don’t want us to know?” said Xaviara.
Forebears, but she was forceful when she wanted to be. He loved seeing her at work. He would have loved to let her conduct the entire interrogation, but it was important that Piotr saw him as in charge.
“What’s this about?” Now Piotr was looking back and forth between the two of them. “Why are you working with him?”
Nicholen held up a hand before Xaviara could answer. “Not your concern,” he growled. Rivalry, indeed. Clearly, there was no love lost between these two.
“I…” Piotr shrank in the chair.
Nicholen waited, hand still raised.
“Why do you want to know?” Piotr said meekly.
Nicholen considered and then decided to take a gamble. Whatever this man was hiding, it wasn’t anything nefarious. He was acting embarrassed, not guilty. “We believe that someone sabotaged the lead ship. You were our prime suspect.”
Piotr’s mouth dropped open. “I was?”
“You have motive and means. And if I wanted to, I could confirm opportunity. But I’m starting to wonder…”
If he’d been guilty, he would have looked smug, but instead, Piotr only looked crestfallen. “I’m sorry you’d think that of me. But no, I didn’t do it.”
“But what about your brother?” interjected Xaviara, glancing toward Nicholen. The metallic tang was back. She was annoyed again.
“My… ? Oh.” Piotr looked at his hands. “You know my real name.”
“Yes, we do, Viktor,” said Nicholen.
Piotr heaved a sigh. “That was a long time ago. I grieved and now I’m over it. Are you really going to make me tell you what I was doing?”
“Yes,” they both said at the same time, but it was Xaviara Piotr was looking at.
He looked so miserable Nicholen almost asked her to leave the room so he could get this poor guy to spill his secrets. But after the Gloria debacle, he needed to tread carefully.
“Fine.” Piotr sighed again. “Fine, fine. Anthony and I are having an affair.”
“What now?” exclaimed Xaviara. “Navigation officer Anthony?”
“Fraternization within ambassadorial teams is frowned upon, especially between junior and senior members.” Piotr looked to Nicholen with this explanation. “We’re not technically allowed to be dating without declaring it. But I don’t know if we’re dating. We’re definitely…” He colored. “It’s complicated. Anyway. I was erasing some of the footage of what we did last night in his bunk.”
“And the night before we left, you were with him.”
“We were watching movies!” Piotr exclaimed, looking miserable, shoulders hunched and brow furrowed.
“Get up,” said Nicholen. “Show us the footage.”
Piotr leapt to his feet. “What?”
“I believe you, but I need to see it for myself.” Trust, then verify. It applied to his own team primarily, but he should extend the same courtesy to the human team.
“Do I have to?”
“Just enough to prove that what you’re saying is true.”
“Yeah,” said Xaviara. “We don’t need to see all… that.” Her waving hand gesture in Piotr’s direction said enough.
“All right,” he said. “Come with me.”