Supremacy's Outlaw: A Space Opera Thriller Series (Insurgency Saga Book 3) by T.E. Bakutis (top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT) 📗

pain of failing both his old partner and his new one. Jaxon Cole was dead, and though that wasn’t necessarily Bharat’s fault, it still felt like it.

He and Cole had worked together for over four years, and Bharat knew Cole’s younger sister, Ava, as well as he knew his own parents. Ava and her brother were inseparable, and now? They’d never see each other again. Given how fucked up things were here on Ceto, Bharat would be lucky to get Cole’s body back.

Still, he owed it to Cole’s family to try.

Yet as terrible as losing Cole was, Bharat had lost operatives before. It never stopped hurting, but it was also something everyone in his line of work prepared to deal with every day of their lives. What Bharat had not prepared for — what no one could prepare for — was colossally fucking up his own plan.

“You’re certain this place is safe?” Fatima checked the door locks. “Your boss does know about it, doesn’t she?”

“She knows only that Jan Sabato and I still seek the Golden Widow, and the data disc you stole.” Bharat marched glumly toward an old plastic crate. “So she knows I bought this place, with her money, but has no reason to come here looking for me.”

Fatima stalked away from the door, tapping one finger on the butt of the pistol at her hip. “Jan knows about it, too.” She glanced at the door. “Think he’ll join us?”

“He has no reason not to.” Bharat sat down on the old crate. “If we’re lucky, all we need to do is wait.”

“For three hours,” Fatima said. “Because if Jan does not return to us in three hours, he’s dead.”

“Those nanos won’t cause any permanent damage.”

“Jan does not, I fear, give a shit.” Fatima took off pacing again, boots echoing in the largely empty room. “He’s a talented grifter, and light on his feet, but he does not tolerate pain. I’d bet my next score he offs himself before the nanos kick in.” Fatima kicked a small chuck of fallen biocrete hard enough it ricocheted off a nearby pillar. “That horrid bitch has murdered him, as easily as shooting him dead.”

Bharat stared straight ahead. “I killed him.”

“No, that’s not true.” Fatima spun on Bharat and marched over. “Tarack did this, and without you, Jan would still be rotting in orbit. Neither of us anticipated your sociopathic employer would make Jan inject himself with torture nanos.”

Bharat grimaced. “Even so.”

“I don’t need you moping.” Fatima raised his head with one firm hand on his chin. “I need you focused. We have three hours to save Jan, so where do we go next? What’s our play?”

Fatima was right. He was moping. Bharat pushed all his failures away and focused on the problem. “What about that hacker friend of yours? Kinsley? Could she find Jan in time?”

“I already tried her. She isn’t picking up.”

“And the others?”

Fatima turned away, but not before Bharat caught the hurt in her eyes. “I told you, I cut ties with my old crew after Mastermind threatened to murder them. Kinsley’s the only option we have. If I contact any of the others, Mastermind may intercept that call, and then their families will die.”

This “Mastermind” person was the reason Fatima had come to Bharat in the first place, almost three months ago. Apparently, Mastermind had robbed Fatima and her crew of a considerable amount of money five years ago. He was, as Fatima told it, also responsible for the Supremacy sending Jan Sabato to orbit.

“You truly think Mastermind is that good?”

“What I think scarcely matters. What does matter is one wrong move leaves my friends or their loved ones dead.” Fatima sighed. “We cannot risk involving anyone from my old crew, or moving against Mastermind, until we can protect everyone.”

“This Mastermind cannot be omnipotent.”

“Oh really? He cut the feed from my drone the moment I spoke to Jan. I’ve no doubt he’s the one who put those Truthers onto you as well, and he may also be responsible for the tip that allowed them to capture Jaxon Cole. You may be willing to roll the dice where our families are concerned, but I’m not.”

Bharat considered Fatima’s paranoia. The Truthers who had nabbed him in the Luxury District had gotten awfully lucky, yet this Mastermind could not anticipate everything. Still, Bharat doubted he could talk Fatima into risking her associates.

Bharat thought back. “What of the bounty hunter who helped you free me from that Truther warehouse? Marquis?”

“He’s taken another contract. Also, I spent the last of my savings to hire him. I have no liquid assets at the moment.”

That reminded Bharat, again, of just how much she’d risked to save him. “Thank you for coming for me.” He might still see his wife and child again, might still free them from Tarack, if he could just figure out a way to save Jan Sabato.

Fatima shrugged. “I had an obligation to rescue my partner. We are still partners, aren’t we?”

“We are, and I’m focused.” Bharat looked beyond his failure to the options he still had. “Give me a moment to think.”

“You have three hours.” Fatima settled on the hard floor as smoothly as if she were reclining on a soft bed, crossing one leg over the other and swaying a booted foot.

Bharat knew why she didn’t press him further. Fatima knew he had as much at stake as she did, if not more. She knew if this didn’t work out, neither Bharat’s wife nor his son would ever be free of Senator Tarack and her island retreat.

Fatima knew Bharat might lose his family, too.

There had to be some option