The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency #1)(43)

“Okay, but how did you get any of that?”

“It was given to me by the people who were watching you.”

“People were watching me?”

“Yes.”

“Who?”





Chapter

8

The call from Ghreni Nohamapetan after he lost Marce Claremont had to be one of the most satisfying calls Kiva had ever gotten in her life.

“Marce Claremont is gone,” he said.

“Who?” Kiva replied.

“Don’t fuck with me, Kiva. I want to know where he is.”

“I couldn’t tell you where he is. It’s not my job to keep track of him. My job, as I understood it, was to tell you if he tried to book passage on my ship. He did, and I told you. You were supposed to wait until he was about to board to snatch him, if I remember correctly. You decided not to wait. So it looks like this one is on you.”

“The people I had with Claremont tell me they were attacked by a woman.”

“It wasn’t me.”

“It was Vrenna Claremont.”

“You mean the sister who had years of training to murder people for the state, and then became a cop? Yes, that would be my logical guess too.”

“I want to know how she came to find out we were targeting her brother.”

“So ask her.”

“Kiva.”

“I didn’t tell her, if that’s what you were asking. Why would I tell her? I had three million marks riding on you snatching him.”

“Someone in your crew told them.”

“Or, and here’s just a theory, when you tried to extort the Count of Claremont in front of his adult children and you didn’t immediately get what you wanted, maybe they figured an asshole like you would try to force his hand with something like kidnapping, so they made preparations, particularly the one of them who was a fucking soldier and is now a goddamned cop, Ghreni.”

There was silence on the other end of the call for a moment. Then, “I’d like to know how you heard about that.”

“Because Marce Claremont fucking told us,” Kiva said. “He told my chief purser about it when he was booking passage, and then my purser told me, because his job is to tell me things that will affect my ship’s bottom line. Are you really such a smug asshole that you didn’t think the Claremont kids wouldn’t talk about that? If there wasn’t a fucking war going on and the rule of law wasn’t basically suspended while the duke thrashes about for a few more days before the end, your ass would already be in jail for extortion, with the duke letting you be the fall guy. For fuck’s sake, Ghreni. You tried to extort an imperial official in front of a fucking cop. You have to be spectacularly dense to try to pull a stunt like that.”

There was another silence, and Kiva merrily counted off the seconds before Ghreni spoke again. She got to six.

“Have you heard from Marce or Vrenna Claremont?”

Kiva snorted. “Why the fuck would I hear from them? I’m not the one they were dealing with. It’s doubtful they have the first clue who I am. If they were going to contact anyone, it would be my chief purser. And before you ask, they haven’t contacted him since you pulled your stupid stunt. If I were going to guess, I’d suspect they’re probably trying to book passage on another ship leaving End.”

“Which ones are leaving in the same time frame as yours?”

“Do I look like a fucking traffic controller to you, Ghreni? I don’t know, and I don’t really care.”

“I’d like you to delay your departure.”

“Why would I do that? Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, our spot at Imperial Station is already scheduled to be taken over by another ship. We’ve got nowhere to stay.”

“Your ship could stay within system.”

“Or we could leave when we’re supposed to, because we’ve got a fucking schedule and you don’t make it.”

“I would owe you a favor,” Ghreni said.

Kiva laughed out loud at this. Then, “Say that again, Ghreni. I want to see if I’ll laugh as much a second time.”

“We used to be friends.”

“We used to fuck each other. It’s not the same thing. Which you of all people know.”

More silence. Then, “I’d like to talk about the three million marks.”

“I’m sure you would.”

“I don’t have Claremont. I’m not sure why you should have my three million marks.”

“I should have them because the deal was I let you know if he booked passage. He did. The rest was up to you. It’s not my fault you hire incompetents.”

“Kiva, if I find out that you were behind him escaping, you won’t like it.”

“Well, I have two responses to that. One, fuck you, you shitty little example of a human. Two, if I were behind it, what the fuck could you do to me? I’m leaving End, you asshole. I’ll be back home within the year and I’ll be taking a job at corporate. I’ve done my time on a ship. You, meanwhile, will still be here, a pimple on the ass end of space. So threaten all you want, you amoral fuck. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Ghreni sighed. “Kiva. Despite everything I still like you a little bit.”