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

“You have a PBA?” Bharat asked, out of habit. Unlike the Advanced, not every natural-born on Ceto had one installed.

Coffman narrowed his eyes. “Yes. Now identify yourself, or I’ll arrest you for impersonating a diplomat.”

Bharat tapped the side of his head with a thumb, bringing up a Send prompt in augmented reality. He attached his credentials, fixed his gaze on the blond lieutenant, and tapped his temple one last time. The other man blinked, then relaxed.

“I’m Lieutenant Coffman,” Coffman confirmed, which showed he was more of a by-the-book stickler than a casual asshole. “What brings you all the way out here, Chief Dhillon?”

“I’m hunting a fugitive,” Bharat said. “Jan Sabato.”

“I see.” The way Coffman’s jaw tightened revealed this news did not please him. “And why is the chief of security for a Supremacy senator hunting a random thief on my planet?”

“I can say only that Senator Tarack wishes to speak to Mr. Sabato, and she’s tasked me to find him so she can do so. I trust he was here recently?”

“It’s interesting how you told me you can’t share why you’re here,” Coffman said. “Because, in a truly shocking development, I have no obligation to share anything with you, either. Unless you have an arrest warrant.”

So it was going to be like that. “I see no reason we can’t help each other. All my employer needs is a few minutes to speak to Sabato, over vidcomm. Once we find him, he need not even leave your prison cell.”

Bharat certainly wasn’t going to let Jan get captured again, but Coffman didn’t have to know that. Bharat remembered Jan’s tortured, desperate screams inside Tarack’s yacht. He had to find Jan before Jan endured that again.

“That’s generous of you,” Coffman said. “It’s also unnecessary. You have my contact information, and you now have my word that once we capture Sabato, I’ll let your employer have a few minutes with him.” Coffman offered a mild smile. “Wouldn’t want to cause an interplanetary incident.”

Bharat frowned. “I’d prefer to help you find him.”

“And I’d prefer you leave local law enforcement matters to local law enforcement.” Coffman’s stare made it obvious this argument was over. “You’re one whole planet out of your jurisdiction here, Chief, and we both know I’m being polite.”

So much for speaking to Tiana. Desperation surged in Bharat as he pondered options, but nothing he could think of would result in anything less than, as he and Coffman had both pointed out, an interplanetary incident.

“I understand, Lieutenant. Thank you for your time.”

“Sure thing,” Coffman said, but as he turned away, Bharat raised a hand. Coffman paused, annoyed, and turned back. “Yes?”

“Why exactly are you hunting Mr. Sabato?”

Coffman raised one eyebrow. “Why are you?”

Fair enough. “He stole something from my employer. She’d very much like it back.”

“That’s nice,” Coffman said. “He killed four of my officers and wrecked their APC, so you’ll forgive me if I have a strong incentive to track him down myself.”

Bharat kept his expression as neutral as he could manage. “I’m sorry to hear that.” When had Jan tangled with the CSD? And didn’t he know better than to kill government officers?

“Thank you,” Coffman said, and he turned on his heel and strode away. “I’ll be in touch.”

Bharat ignored the rookie, who still fidgeted nearby. Coffman hadn’t given any order to make Bharat leave, so the rookie was likely working out the plusses and minuses of starting an argument. Bharat walked out of the barricades. He’d made this poor rookie’s job stressful enough for one day.

No wonder Lieutenant Coffman had dropped a three-block cordon around Jan’s last known location. After someone killed four of their fellow officers, most planetary security forces tended to get upset. He hoped none of the soldiers now hunting Jan planned to take justice into their own hands.

As he left the barricades behind, Bharat surveyed the dilapidated streets ahead. He’d learned the hard way, back in the Luxury District, that his instincts wouldn’t keep him safe down here. He had no idea what he’d say to Ava Cole when he saw her again. He didn’t even know who had Jaxon Cole’s body.

Also, where the hell had Fatima driven off to? Had she abandoned him to search for Jan on her own? Should he summon yet another autocar and head back to their safe house?

Bharat started walking, sticking to the middle of the street. Given the lack of traffic, that was the safest place to be, as he would have plenty of warning if anyone rushed him from the alleys. Walking often cleared his head.

Bharat had walked two blocks without being abducted before his implants picked up the sound of heavy footsteps in the alley to his right. He stopped and faced the alley. He kept his hands visible and waited.

A chop-haired blonde who Bharat would easily describe as the largest woman he had ever seen stalked out of the alley. She straightened to her full, impressive height, fists clenched. She was dressed for combat, wearing boots and padded body armor, and had a disturbingly large rifle strapped across her back.

Also, she looked like she wanted to murder him.

Bharat located a dozen areas of nearby concealment on the street, but cover? That rifle looked big enough to hammer bullets through a biocrete wall. If he ran, the woman would just shoot him in the back, so if it came to a fight, he’d go straight at her. Once he got inside the range of her massive weapon, he was confident he could put her down despite her size.

Mostly confident.

“You Bharat?” the woman asked.

She also knew his name. Interesting. “Yes.” Denying what she