“Let me see,” Ryan demanded.

Zhim tapped on his comp screen. “Just wait.” Ryan was leaning over his shoulder, bouncing on her feet.

“Where is Neve? Do the Srinar still have her in the Illusion Mountains?” Ryan tossed her hands into the air. “I don’t understand why she didn’t come with us when I was rescued.”

Zhim had spent many years collecting information, and he’d learned a lot about people in that time. One thing he was certain of, Neve Haynes of Earth had her own agenda.

Ryan leaned in closer, trying to look at the screen. Once again, the sweet, sexy smell of her hit him. Instantly, he was transported back to those moments in the hacking den, the feel of her body pressed against his, her mouth on his, his hands filled with her. Something hot ignited, low and deep, inside him.

The text on his screen blurred. Developing emotions for people never worked out well. He’d learned that very young. If you let yourself care for somebody else, it always led to pain and suffering. They either betrayed you or they left you. If he’d had parents—he had no recollections of them—they’d abandoned him. And he remembered one too many street kids on Skora that he’d befriended. They’d all left their bruises and scratches on him. One had even stabbed him in the back for a scrap of food.

He was better off alone.

Fingers clicked in front of his face. “Hello? Zhim?”

Ryan’s pretty face came into view.

“Where did you go?” Concern flickered in her deep-brown eyes.

He shook it off. “Just thinking. Here’s the data on Neve.” He quickly scanned through it.

“What’s it say?”

Drak. This was not good. “Go over to the other comp, and get Galen on the line.”

Ryan’s cheeks paled. She reached for the other comp, and tapped the screen. She spoke briefly to someone who answered, and then they waited for Galen.

When the screen changed, Zhim saw Galen sitting at the head of a long table. The rest of the table was surrounded by gladiators and the women from Earth. Even Corsair, the desert-caravan leader, was there.

Mia, her blonde hair feathered around her face, was standing with her hands pressed to the table. “How did it go?”

“We got some info,” Ryan said. “Nothing on Dayna. Yet.”

Mia’s shoulders slumped.

“But we found something on Neve,” Ryan added.

“You found her?” Corsair asked.

Zhim wondered briefly at the intense look on the man’s face. He took a deep breath. “She’s been captured by Gabriez.”

Corsair cursed.

“The information lord,” Galen said.

“Who is he?” Ryan asked.

“Technically, Gabriez is a she,” Zhim said. “She’s a Tylonian. They are a species of shape-shifters, although she prefers to stay in a snake-like, reptilian form.”

Ryan winced. “Where is she?”

“Gabriez is bad news,” Galen said. “Most of the Houses avoid her at all costs. She is arrogant, convinced of her own greatness, and believes every single one of her own lies.”

“She buys and sells information to the worst of Carthago’s sandsuckers.” Corsair’s hands were clenched into fists on the table.

“She was one of the earliest inhabitants of Kor Magna,” Galen added. “So unfortunately, she’s always been well-connected. It’s the only thing that’s saved her from many an imperator’s sword.”

Zhim nodded. “Galen is correct. Around here, I’m known as a trustworthy information merchant.”

There was a snort from somewhere in the room but Zhim ignored it.

“Compared to Gabriez, I’m a shining, celestial body anointed by the Creators. She is a black-market dealer, who is the worst kind of scum.”

Ryan pressed a hand to her mouth.

Zhim knew he had to lay this out for all of them. Knowledge was power. “She likes to collect toys and people, usually by luring them in with flattery and friendliness. Then, once you’re in her clutches, she likes to play games. She likes to break people. Her home is an underground labyrinth at the edge of the city.”

“I hear people go in and never come out,” Raiden said.

Corsair made an angry, strangled sound.

“Why would Neve have gone anywhere near this woman?” Ryan said.

“I don’t know,” Zhim answered.

“Well, we can’t leave her,” Corsair said. “So, what’s the plan?”

“We won’t leave her,” Galen said. “But we will need to carefully plan this mission. Gabriez is dangerous.”

Corsair stood. “We should go in now.”

Zhim shook his head. “Gabriez’s labyrinth is near-impenetrable. It’s well-protected, and she collects tech as a hobby. She has one of the best security systems in the city. The place is riddled with booby-traps, cyborg guards, and layer upon layer of security detection.”

“Every base has a weakness,” Galen said.

“I’ve never been able to get my hands on the layout of her labyrinth.” Zhim had spent a lot of money trying. “Without knowing the exact layout of her lair, there’s no way a team of gladiators can sneak in.”

Ryan turned to face him, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. “So, where does that leave us?”

“The only way to get the layout is to go in and steal it from her system.” Zhim stared at Galen. “I’ll go. Gabriez has always wanted to toy with me. And I know she wants some of the new tech I’ve been working on.”

Ryan gave a nod. “I’m coming, too.”

Zhim reared back. “No. I took you to that drakking hacking den. That was like a luxury vacation compared to Gabriez’s labyrinth. Absolutely not.”

“I can help.” Her face got a stubborn look. “I’ll be your technician.”

His teeth were clenched so tightly his jaw hurt. “Listen to me. Gabriez gets off on other people’s pain, Ryan. She has tech to dig deep into your head, and uncover your deepest, darkest secrets.”

“Like Catalyst,” Winter said. The small woman was standing, her arms wrapped around her middle. “When we broke into his desert lair to rescue Mia, there was a blue energy field that made everyone relive painful memories.”

Zhim gave a harsh laugh. “Catalyst purchased the initial tech from Gabriez, but what she can do with it will make you feel like you stepped into that darkness. You’ll see it, smell it, feel it.”

Ryan shuddered, then drew herself up. “It doesn’t matter what this Gabriez can do. I’ll suffer whatever I have to in order to free Neve. Those people—” she pointed to the screen, to the gladiators and the women “—they all risked their lives to rescue the others, including me. It’s my turn, now. I have the skills to help you.”

“I want to go, as well,” Corsair said.

Zhim hissed out a breath. “I can’t take fighters in there. She’ll know I’m up to something.”

Galen held up a hand. “Zhim’s right, Corsair.”

The caravan master cursed, spun, and strode out of the room.

“I’ll pay your standard terms for you to go in, Zhim,” Galen said.

Zhim waved a hand. “We’ll discuss that later.” He was more concerned with how the hell he was going to stop Ryan from entering the labyrinth of a crazy, sadistic alien who enjoyed hurting people.

Ryan had been through enough.

She stared back at him, her chin lifted and her gaze resolute.

Damn these stubborn Earth women. He tried to force the words out to tell her that he wouldn’t take her. But he couldn’t seem to say no to her.

“Fine.”

Ryan broke out in a smile.

“You’ll stay right beside me. You don’t make eye contact with Gabriez, you do as I tell you, and you don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“I’ll do what I have to do to help you.”

Zhim was very aware that she hadn’t agreed to his terms.

“Ryan and Zhim,” Galen said. “We’ll be here if you need us. If anything goes wrong.”

The thought of being at Gabriez’s whims made Zhim’s skin crawl. The idea of Ryan being there… He nodded at the imperator.

“Good luck,” Galen added. “And Zhim, you keep Ryan safe.”

* * *

Ryan sat back in the curved seat of the transport that Zhim was driving. He zipped in and out of traffic on the busy Kor Magna street. His transport was a sleek, dark vehicle that hovered just off the ground. She stroked the soft leather beneath her, and glanced his way. The red glow off the dash made his face look mysterious. She loved the vehicle, and he drove it too fast. Her heart raced.

She loved that, too.

She was going to add driving a fast alien transport to her list.

They moved away from the glitz of the District, among the lower, two-story buildings that formed most of the city’s dwellings. Here and there, she saw people walking on the streets, children skipping and playing, and people clustered together in groups. Everyone going about their regular lives.

It didn’t matter that they were half the length of the galaxy away from the life she’d known, some things were the same. Life went on, even on a lawless, wild, desert planet.

“How did you finagle an invite from Gabriez?” she asked. “Did she suspect anything?”

Zhim shook his head. “She was very eager. I offered her a Nova.”

Ryan sucked in a breath. His new tech.

“She’s wanted one for ages. Been hassling me.” He glanced Ryan’s way. “Of course, I informed her I had to install it…for an exorbitant cost.”

Ryan quirked an eyebrow. “So you’ll make money off Gabriez, and you’ll charge Galen, as well?”

He looked away. “That’s what I do. Buy and sell my time, skills, and information.”

The buildings around them changed. They looked older, some with crumbling walls and broken windows. She caught glimpses of the desert between some of the structures, and knew they were near the edge of the city. Here, groups of people also gathered on the street. But no one was skipping or smiling. Faces were drawn, expressions suspicious. Shifty eyes watched them as they passed.

“Doesn’t seem like a nice area,” Ryan said.

“It’s not. But Gabriez’s labyrinth is underground. Rumor says she was here long before these buildings went up.”

God, she had to be old. Zhim pulled the transport to a stop, and it lowered down to the ground with a faint thud. The doors opened automatically. Ryan climbed out, clutching her portable comp to her chest. She looked around—this part of Kor Magna was a dump—and wondered if the transport would even be here when they got back.

If they got back.

Her mouth dry, she watched as Zhim pulled several boxes out of the back of the transport. The doors closed, and he aimed a small device at the vehicle. A blue shimmer raced over the machine.

“Security system,” he said. “No one will mess with my transport while we’re gone.” A sharp smile. “Or they’ll regret it.”

He held out a hand, and Ryan took it. They were both dressed in black, with black vests on top that had a multitude of pockets. Zhim had his hair tied back, and his face was set in hard lines.

“Stay close,” he warned.

Ryan pulled her portable comp closer and fell into step with him. They were headed toward a small, domed building. It was made of cream stone and the desert lay just beyond it. She could see sand dunes in the distance.

As they rounded the dome, she spotted two big guards flanking the doorway. Zhim gave her hand a final squeeze, then let go. As they approached, the guards’ electronic implants flashed. Cyborgs. Ryan’s interest flared, briefly overwhelming the fear. These implants were much higher quality than the hasty, scarred work she’d seen on the hackers in the hacking den. The guards swiveled, their moves in perfect unison. Their eyes glowed red, and her gut churned.

These guards were more robot than living, sentient beings. She couldn’t see any hint of individuality, or free thought, on their hard faces.

When they saw Zhim, they nodded, and one opened the door without saying a word.

She followed Zhim inside the dome. The walls glowed with a golden color, and in the center of the space was a set of stairs leading down into pitch blackness.

Ryan sucked in a sharp breath. Her belly felt like it was filled with angry bees, and she wanted nothing more than to turn and run. Something deep in her brain warned her that she’d find nothing good in the darkness below.

But she wouldn’t abandon Neve. And she wouldn’t let Zhim go in there alone. Ryan took a deeper, more calming breath.

They descended, their shoes echoing dully on the stone steps. Lights clicked on, illuminating the way.

They came out into a large space packed with people and Ryan stared in surprise. It looked more like some huge rave party, than a villain’s den. The walls of the large room all consisted of giant, floor-to-ceiling screens, filled with colors floating around on them like oil and water. Blues, greens, and reds shifted and oozed, casting a glow over the room.

Music filled the space over the hubbub of laughter and conversation. Ryan spotted a small platform, where a slender, blue, alien woman with a bald head covered in crystal-like spikes played a long instrument that looked like a flute crossed with a digeridoo. She was undulating as she played.

Aliens of all shapes and sizes were packed in the space, from wall to wall.

“Look,” Zhim said quietly.

She followed his nod and realized the far wall of the room was actually made of glass. A window. What she saw beyond it made her heart clench.

The view from the window looked down on a giant maze. It was made from sturdy stone walls, filled with twists, turns, open spaces, junctions, and dead ends. She caught glimpses of people running and stumbling through the labyrinth. Some were being chased, and others were fighting.

God.

“Zhim, welcome.”

The hissing voice made Ryan tense. She turned slowly, and her muscles locked. The crowd parted, and an alien, unlike any she’d seen on Carthago before, approached. A long, snake-like body slithered across the floor, as thick as Ryan’s waist, and covered in deep-bronze scales. The top part of Gabriez was the torso of a woman. Her high breasts were also covered in scales, and deep-green hair fell to her shoulders.

“Gabriez.”

“I’m so pleased you’re finally here.” The woman smiled, showing a set of impressive, curved fangs.

“Just to set up the Nova you purchased.”

“Yes, yes. But you should stay and enjoy my hospitality.” The woman’s bright-green eyes swiveled to Ryan. “And who is this?”

Ryan dropped her gaze. It wasn’t hard. She did not need the scary image of this woman burned into her brain.

“No one,” Zhim answered. “My assistant. My personal assistant.”

“Oh.” Speculation in the sibilant voice. “You’re protective. How quaint.”

Zhim’s stone-faced look didn’t change. “Where do you want this?”

“Godval will show you.”

Ryan felt the woman’s assessing gaze on her, and the sensation made her skin want to crawl.

“I look forward to seeing you later, Zhim.”

Ryan suppressed a shiver. A seven-foot-tall alien appeared. He could have been a gladiator, with a bare, muscled chest covered in some impressive scars, and a shaved head. He grunted, and they followed him. A doorway opened in one of the huge screen walls.

“Creepy,” Ryan whispered to Zhim.

“I told you not to come. Just keep quiet. She has this whole place rigged with cameras.”

The silent Godval led them down a dark corridor to a door, and pressed his beefy palm to an electronic lock. It beeped and spun, and the door slid open.

The room was packed full of electronic equipment from floor to ceiling, and wall to wall.

This was the hub of Gabriez’s labyrinth.

A small man sat hunched over a screen. When they entered, he looked up at them in surprise. His overlarge eyes dominated a face that was almost cute—except for the terror in his gaze. Godval grunted, and the man scurried off.

Ryan’s steps faltered. This room, the man’s reaction, it was too much like her time at Zaabha. Her skin flushed, feeling hot and tight, and her vision blurred. Panic was like acid in her veins, and a band tightened around her chest. She couldn’t breathe. No. Not now.

“Ryan?”

She held up a hand. It was shaking. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.”

Zhim nodded at Godval. “We don’t need you anymore.”

The man left with a nod. As soon as the door closed behind him, Zhim lifted a small, slim device from his pocket. He pressed a button and a light blinked on. He set it on the closest desk.

“You’re not fine,” he said.

She wrapped her arms around herself. “What is that?” She ignored his statement and nodded at the device.

“It jams any surveillance Gabriez has in this room. She’d expect me to do that.”

Ryan sucked in some deep breaths, trying to keep them slow. “Sorry about this.”

He stepped in front of her, and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her face to his chest. “Don’t be sorry. Just breathe.”

His scent worked its way inside her. She loved the smell of him. She gripped onto his shirt, her fingers forming a fist.

“I’ve got you.” He lifted a hand and stroked her hair.

“Sorry. It’s just that this place is a lot like where they kept me at Zaabha.”

His hands stilled. “Take your time. I know what it’s like to have the memories hit you hard.”

She so desperately wanted to see beneath Zhim’s hard, arrogant exterior. She just knew there was more to him than he allowed others to see. “Your homeworld, Skora, was rough?”

“Yes. It was poverty-stricken, and often struck by famine and food shortages. It was filled with street kids. Everyone had to fight for every scrap.”

“What about your family?”

“No clue. My earliest memories are of fighting a momo, a creature similar to your dogs on Earth, for food.”

Listening to him, being focused on him, helped her forget her own troubles. “I can’t imagine what that would have been like.”

“I hope you never do.” Zhim stepped back, stroking her shoulder. “Ready to get to work?”

The conversation was clearly closed. She huffed out a frustrated breath. Did Zhim ever let anyone in? She watched him open his cases and start plugging equipment into the system.

Ryan plugged in her comp. “I’ll start the hack to find the labyrinth schematics, and find where Neve is.”

He nodded. “Let’s hope she’s in a guest room somewhere.” He paused. “Don’t get caught.”

Ryan scoffed. “Please.”

A smile flickered on his mouth. “I know you’re good, but we don’t want to trigger Gabriez’s security system.”

“I’ll get in, copy what we need, and get out.”

They worked together, the silence companionable, as their fingers danced across their screens.

“I have the Nova integrated,” he said.

“Good. Data search is in progress.”

“Make it quick, Ryan. The longer you’re in there, the more likely her security will detect you.”

Come on. Ryan scrolled through masses of data.

A low alarm started pinging.

“The system has detected an irregularity,” Zhim said.

Shit. Ryan stared at the scrolling data. “I need more time!”

“It doesn’t know it’s a hack, just an anomaly. She’ll think I tripped it, installing the Nova. But she’ll send someone down here to check.” He leaned over, touching the screen with her.

“Nearly there,” Ryan said, tapping frantically.

“They still think we’re just a glitch.”

“Wait, I’ve got something!” Images filled Ryan’s screen. “Schematics are downloaded.” She grinned at him.

He grinned back. “Well done.”

“Hang on… There’s more.” More images. These ones were live.

It was camera feed from the labyrinth.

The video showed a man being electrocuted, his body jerking wildly. Ryan tasted bile in her throat. The image changed. Now, it was a giant alien on his knees, screaming and clawing at the rock wall in front of him. His fingers were bleeding.

“Gabriez is trying to break them.” Zhim’s voice was hard. “They’re seeing their deepest, darkest fears and secrets.”

Ryan pressed a palm to her belly. She didn’t want her deepest, darkest fears out for everyone to see. And she didn’t want to experience them, ever again.

The image changed again, and Ryan gasped.

Neve was in the center of the screen. She leaped up, spun, and kicked a huge cyborg she was fighting. The cyborg swung a huge, metal fist, and Neve ducked.

“She’s in the northern end of the labyrinth,” Ryan said. “She’s alive.”

Zhim stared. “For now.”