This Shattered World (Starbound #2)(66)
But mostly, I feel relieved. Because of all the people I expected to be escorting around the base, Tarver Merendsen was the absolute last on the list.
“I was just telling the commander that you and I have served together in the past,” he says, turning to face me. His mouth twitches, the barest hint of a familiar smile visible there. “It’s good to see you again, Captain.”
“Sir.” I’m struggling to speak—struggling to breathe. It wasn’t so long ago I was calling him Captain.
Commander Towers turns off the e-filer in her hand and tosses it down on the desk with a clatter. She seems agitated, her typically frosty exterior cracking as if under some unseen pressure. “Merendsen’s here to evaluate base security in light of recent events,” she says, her gaze snapping between me and the man by her desk. “Someone raised a concern with TerraDyn that the military isn’t holding up its end of the bargain, and because of his experience, they’ve taken him on as an independent contractor to review our arrangements.”
I can read the annoyance in Towers’s voice. She doesn’t like the implication that she can’t do her job.
“I have some experience with life on Avon,” says Merendsen easily, turning to nod politely at Commander Towers. “I certainly understand the challenges you face, Commander. I’m sure a lot has changed since I was posted here, though. Perhaps Captain Chase could give me a brief tour?”
Commander Towers is no more immune to Merendsen’s charm than anyone else. A bit of the tension leaves her shoulders and she gives a flick of her hand, dismissing us both. “Go right ahead. If you need anything while you’re here, Captain Chase is your man, understand?”
It’s an unspoken order to me to play nicely. Towers’s eyes shift toward me, stern and piercing. So I straighten as if suitably chastised and toss off a stiff salute. Merendsen simply nods, and then we’re both headed for the door.
“One moment, Captain. Mr. Merendsen, do you mind waiting outside?”
Her referring to Merendsen as a civilian makes my muscles twitch, but he doesn’t seem fazed. His gaze flicks from Commander Towers to me, and I realize he’s wondering if it’s safe to leave me with her. He still doesn’t know why I called him here or who he can trust.
I don’t even know who to trust.
I give the tiniest of nods, and Merendsen reaches for the door. “Of course, Commander. I’ll have a look around out there.”
Commander Towers waits until the door closes behind him. I can’t look away from her—there are circles under her eyes more pronounced than the ones I see in the mirror each day, and I can see minuscule lines around her mouth, like the past week has aged her.
“Captain.” The intensity in her eyes frightens me more than anything else, like she’s exhausted but too wired to switch off. She’s unraveled since her strange debriefing, when she shut everything down as soon as I asked about the sector to the east, where I saw the ghost of Flynn’s secret facility.
I wait, but she doesn’t speak. “Sir?”
Her lips press together, a struggle taking place behind her expression. Finally, she says softly, “Don’t tell him what’s been going on here.”
My heartbeat quickens. “Sir—sir, he knows what’s been happening, that’s why he was sent. The attacks—”
“Not that,” Towers interrupts, giving a dismissive jerk of her head. “Don’t tell him everything. Let him do his job and then get out of here.”
I’m fighting to stay casual, to play dumb. “Sir, I don’t understand.”
“Just—use your best judgment,” Towers snaps. She pauses, getting control of herself with a visible effort. She draws herself up, straightening her shoulders. “Don’t tell him what you’ve heard about there being a secret facility east of here.” Her eyes meet mine.
“I’ll do my best, sir.” The lie comes so easily to me now—how quickly I’ve grown accustomed to deceiving my superior officers. The thought makes my stomach twist, sick.
Commander Towers relaxes a fraction, and I take a beat to consider my words before I add, “But you know I trust Merendsen, right?”
“He’s not the one I’m worried about,” she replies. With a jerk, she retrieves the e-filer from her desk and flicks it on again before shoving it my way. It’s the front page of one of the entertainment magazines—and it’s got a loop of Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux posing for the cameras. As I watch, Merendsen ducks his head to press his lips to Lilac LaRoux’s temple.
I swallow hard, ignoring the impulse to blurt out the truth to Commander Towers. She’s got to be holding more pieces than I am. If she knows about LRI’s presence here, and the facility, then she could know how it’s connected to the massacres involving Mori and Davin Quinn—and me.
I need to find out what Merendsen can tell me first. He clearly knows some secret about his fiancée’s family business, and if it helps me find answers, I may not need to involve Commander Towers at all. Because right now, I don’t know whose side she’s on.
Shaken, I slip out of her office to find Merendsen some ten paces away, arms folded behind his back. Commander Towers is so sure I can’t trust him—what makes me so sure I can? People change, after all. There’s every possibility he could be in this as deep as anyone.