The alleyway was dark. Clouds moved in until moonlight no longer dripped into the darkness. The streetlights and port lights didn't reach far enough to dispel anything. Clark waited in the silence. Ananda stood next to him, he held her arm to keep her from bolting. Beryn hid somewhere behind him. Ginni had disappeared into the maze of catwalks that crisscrossed over the alley.
"He'll be here." Ananda pried his fingers, trying to release them from her arm. "He won't resist the chance to get even with me."
Clark took her arm more firmly. "I'm not letting go of you until I have what I want."
She looked disheveled, her hair trailing out of the elaborate curls. Her dress was smudged. They hadn't had much choice about dragging her with them. He didn't like forcing her, but he saw no other way to get the information they needed.
The Blue Sheep Bar was much too crowded. They'd gone to ground in a nearby warehouse instead. Ginni proved quite adept at picking locks, not as good as Dace, but definitely better than a law abiding person should be. Darus had called McKane from the ship. He'd arranged a meeting for them.
The alley was handy, nothing more. Clark scouted it and decided it would work. There were plenty of boltholes and escape routes. As well as places to hide and shoot. He glanced behind him and hoped it wouldn't come to that. He knew Jasyn would never stay out of the line of fire. It would kill him if she got hurt.
"He's late," Clark said.
"He usually is." Ananda shifted her weight to her other foot. "You do know he'll kill me. Once you leave, I'm dead. He doesn't forgive people who sell him out."
"That isn't my problem."
"Yes, it is. You dragged me into this."
"You got yourself involved when you tried pumping Beryn for information."
"Is that his name? I got nothing from him. McKane got his information on you from someone else."
Clark glanced overhead. He could barely see Ginni. She lay on a crosswalk overhead, watching him through the grate.
"You gave McKane my name. He won't let me walk."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Take me with you when you leave. I could make it very worth your while." She wriggled suggestively.
"And my wife really will hurt you."
The smile dropped from her face. She looked young and scared. "Then let me find some other way to pay you. I'm serious about McKane killing me. And you aren't really as mean as you want me to believe."
"Let me think about it." He heard footsteps at the far end of the alley. His grip tightened on Ananda's arm. "Show me how willing you are to help me. Convince McKane to talk to me."
"He hates me, he won't listen."
A full half dozen men came down the alley towards Clark. All of them were armed. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at Ananda. The group of men stopped a dozen yards away.
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" the leader asked. "Because if it is, it won't work. I don't care what you do to her."
"Then maybe you'll care what I do to you." Clark shifted his aim to the man standing next to McKane. The sound of weapons cocking echoed in the alley. "Tell me what I want to know and no one has to shoot anyone."
"Why should I?" McKane asked. "Seems to me I'm holding the cards here. You've got nothing."
"Are you sure about that?" Clark asked. "I've got people hidden everywhere. We could kill you before you got off a shot."
The men moved uneasily. McKane held up his hand.
"Why are you threatening me?" He flicked a glance over Ananda before returning it to Clark.
"You took something that I want back," Clark said.
"You'll have to be more specific. I take a lot of things."
"She's short, rather a handful. Answers to the name Dace."
"Ah, that something." McKane folded his arms. "You're too late. She's long gone."
"Tell me where or we'll start shooting. Starting with you." He looked at the man next to McKane.
"You shoot any of my men and you'll die."
"Just tell me who took her and where they went and we'll pretend none of this ever happened."
McKane kept his arms folded. He sniffed once. "What does she have to do with this?" He nodded at Ananda.
"She was paid to snoop around my ship."
"I didn't pay her."
"I told you he hates me," Ananda muttered.
"She said you paid her," Clark countered.
McKane smiled. "Maybe I did. And maybe I didn't. It doesn't matter. It seems to me that you're the one in the weaker position. Why should I tell you anything?"
A shot struck the pavement in front of McKane. He shifted his boot away from the scorch mark on the plascrete. His men moved back, their guns held up and ready.
"Dace has a lot of friends and they aren't too shy about shooting," Clark said. "We can make it worth your while. It doesn't have to be violent here. You tell me what I want and I'll give Ananda to you."
"I don't want her."
"Then we'll pay you for your information."
"And I won't have you arrested," a new voice said from behind McKane.
Clark heard boots behind him. They were surrounded.
"Put the weapons down," the new voice ordered. The man moved into the light. He was Patrol, and there were at least ten others in uniform behind him.
Clark swore under his breath. This was not a complication he wanted.
"You didn't call them in?" Ananda asked.
"Drop the weapons!" the Patrol officer shouted.
McKane's men weren't very smart. They turned and started shooting. Clark ducked for the shelter of a doorway, pulling Ananda with him. Shots scorched the spot they'd been standing. Within minutes the alley was shrouded in smoke. The sound of weapons shooting almost drowned out the screaming. McKane and his men broke and ran. Most of the Patrol chased them. Others began searching the alley.
"This way," Ananda whispered. She had the door behind them open. "Unless you'd rather talk to the Patrol," she added when he hesitated.
She slipped through the partly open door. Clark followed her. It was dark inside. He stopped, not wanting to run into something. Ananda stood very close to him, easing the door shut and relocking it.
"I really could make it very worth your while to help me," she breathed in his ear. "And your wife won't have to know."
"You don't know my wife," he answered. "How do we get out of here?"
She stepped back. He heard a tiny click. A very weak beam of light illuminated the area around them. He saw the shadow of boxes stacked around them. She waved the tiny light she held.
"This way. I assume you want to go back to your ship." She walked away from him and paused by a stack of boxes. "Promise you'll take me with you or I'll leave you here." She flicked the light back off.
He was blind in the dark. He heard the Patrol shouting in the alley behind him. He didn't have much choice. Ananda or the Patrol? It really wasn't much of a decision. They could always leave her somewhere.
"All right. You have my promise, but only if we aren't caught. If the Patrol gets its hands on me or the rest of the crew, all bets are off."
She clicked the light back on. She studied him in the dim light. "Why does the Patrol want you so badly?"
"Guess."
The door behind them rattled. He hurried away from it towards her.
"If we don't move soon, you'll find out," he said as he caught up with her.
She whirled around and moved through the maze of boxes. He was right on her heels. She reached the far side of the warehouse and eased the door open.
"It's clear," she whispered.
"Then move it," he answered.
They slipped into the dark streets. It was quiet here, but he heard the Patrol shouting in the background. They were searching the streets. Ananda headed away from the shouting, circling around to reach the port from a different direction. Clark grabbed her arm, unwilling to let his last source of information slip away. She didn't seem to mind. She matched steps with him.
"It won't take them long to figure out what ship you're from," she said once they left the warehouse district behind.
"That can't be helped. We were leaving tonight anyway."
"To go where?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I'm the pilot, not the navigator."
"And I'm the Emperor's consort," Ananda shot back. "Why is she so important to you?"
"She's family," he answered.
"She's trouble," Ananda said. "Why else would McKane be involved?"
"If McKane didn't pay you, who did?" He pulled her to a stop. "Why should you want to leave on my ship? Who's still paying you to spy on us?"
"No one," she said, swallowing at the hard look on his face. "I swear. They'll kill me if you leave me here."
"Who?" he demanded.
"I don't know for sure," she said.
"You don't know anything unless it's convenient for you to remember it."
"McKane wasn't paying me but he was working for the same people. I think it was the Dortai Syndicate. The person who contacted me usually works for them."
"And who is that?"
She sighed and looked away from him. He was inclined to trust her answer this time, although she could be playing him for a fool.
"Ren Matthias. He doesn't usually come here, to Tireo. His territory is closer to Vreyburn. He's the reason I moved here. I didn't want any closer to him than I had to be."
"We'll see how accurate your information is."
She looked behind him. "You'd better move if you want to find out."
"Hold it there!" the Patrol officer shouted behind them.
Clark swore under his breath. He raised his hands in surrender. Ananda stepped away from him. She was going to run, he could see it in her eyes.
"Hands on your heads!" the officer shouted.
Clark put his hands on his head. Ananda turned and dashed away, her skirt lifted high enough to show a lot of shapely leg. She darted around a corner.
"After her, you idiots!" the officer shouted at the three men who were with him. They pounded away down the street, sliding around the corner she had taken.
Clark tensed. With only one, he might have a chance of breaking free.
"Don't do it, Major," the man said.
Clark turned quickly, his hands dropping.
The officer shook his head. "I know more about you than you want me to. You don't have much time. The rest of your crew is already on their way to your ship. I made sure they got out of that alley. You have about fifteen minutes before the Patrol will start chasing you. Contact Brannigan on Lukator. She's putting a trace on Matthias for you."
"Why are you doing this?"
"You sent the message," the man answered. "You have a lot of friends in the Patrol, even if we can't help you openly. My cousin was on Vallius."
It was an explanation Clark had no trouble accepting. "How do I contact Brannigan?"
"Colonel Brannigan, security detail on the station. She'll be expecting you."
"Thanks," Clark said and found he meant it.
"You'd better hurry." The officer held out his blaster. "You'd better take this. It will make my story more believable."
Clark took the gun.
"Good luck," the officer called after him as he hurried away.