Planet Athion: The Complete Series by Angel Lawson

75

Kai

With all ofus on the same page with our relationship, it’s time to get Mercy up to speed on the mission ahead.

“As you know, we’re infiltrating a brothel in the Tabernam District. We got word there’s an auction going on—they’re trying to liquidate the women before we get there, selling them as individual slaves now that the Master’s enterprise is falling apart.”

Mercy shakes her head in disgust. “We need to burn that place to the ground.”

Damon laughs. “I’ll provide the blowtorch.”

His whole demeanor has changed since our night together. The hard, cranky edge softened into something totally unexpected and definitely preferred by all of us.

“We’ve been trying to come up with a way inside without alerting everyone to our presence. We want to get all of the women out safely and that’s the hard part.”

“Can we not go in the auction as buyers?” Alex asks. “Have enough of our men on the inside to protect everyone?”

“We’d get made,” Damon says. “They check everyone’s credentials.”

Mercy frowns and a line on her forehead appears while she considers this.

“What about another access point?” Dimka says. He points to a schematic of the building on his data pad. “What about through the roof.”

I shake my head. “The women are held in secure locations and bound.” I glance at Mercy. “Right?”

“Yeah,” she says, still thinking. “Magnetic wrist cuffs. Stupid shoes and clothing that make it impossible to easily get away.”

“Rhise certainly knows how to make the women fetch top dollar,” Damon says.

“Rhise,” Mercy says, suddenly.

I lean forward. “What about him?”

Her eyes light up. “He can get us in.”

“What? How?” Alex asks.

“Well, he can get me in.”

“Hell no,” Damon says, waving his hands. “Keep thinking.”

“I’m serious,” she says. “The people running the auction will have no idea that Rhise has been compromised. He’s on secure lockdown here. No one even knows he and his team are with us. He can say he found me and brought me to the auction out of loyalty. Once the brothel is taken over, we can capture him and bring him back. They’ll never know.”

Damon rubs his chin. “He was a high-level slave with a lot of access.”

“They saw him as non-threatening,” Mercy adds. “And very skilled.”

“It makes sense,” Alex says. “We’ve got to do something.”

“I still don’t like putting Mercy at risk,” Damon says.

“One of us will go with her, then,” I say. “In disguise.”

There’s a nod of agreement around the table, although I’m not sure anyone is completely comfortable with it.

“We’ll talk to Rhise about who he thinks can most easily pass,” Mercy says.

“And you really think we can trust him?” Dimka says.

“I do. He’s always been very kind to me.” She stands. “I’ll go talk to him.”

Once Mercy leaves the room, Alex pulls up another set of intel. “You should have told her while you had the chance.”

“I’m hoping Target One is eliminated before the auction starts. She’ll never need to know he’s out there.”

Damon snorts. “He’s slippery. There’s a reason the Master kept him close.”

“Like you.” I retort.

“The bastard mentioned that his operations would still be running even after he died,” Dimka says. He’d been calmer since eliminating the Master for good. No one has felt the need to discuss it. It was time. “Target One probably eased right in his place.”

He leans back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest. “He’ll be at the auction and Mercy will see him. I think it’s stupid not to tell her, but if you’re going to put her on the hot seat, a little surprise from her may not be a bad thing.”

A wave of guilt passes over me. Damon’s right. We should have told her, but after everything else, it seems too much.

Ever since we occupied Cryron birthing ring and captured the Master, we’ve been searching for the next biggest threat. The person we call Target One.

Kane.