Kumar stood there, her arms folded around herself, and looked down at the body bag. She could hear the lieutenant speaking, but the words faded into a dull droning sound. She only came back to herself when he put his hand on her shoulder and turned her away.
“He was your bodyguard?” Fenn asked.
Kumar nodded. “He’s been with me for eleven years.”
“I’m sorry, Senator. Do you have any idea what they wanted?”
“No.”
Fenn sighed. “Considering your position, this investigation will have to be turned over to MI. I don’t think it was a simple robbery, and they’ll be the only people who have permission to access your sensitive information.”
“I understand.”
“But you don’t have to stay here. I know that you’ve asked to leave. I don’t blame you.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Your assistant’s here. She’s arranged to get you a hotel room back on Tubesu.”
Kumar looked across the room and saw Chloe Naaji standing behind the bright yellow tape that drew the line between the crime scene and the rest of her vacation home.
“Can’t I go back to my house?” Kumar asked.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Fenn shook his head. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Senator. It’s going to take a long time to clean up.”
Devi sighed.
“A special force of peacekeepers will meet you at the hotel to protect you until we can figure out if the military wants that duty or not.”
“Thank you.”
The lieutenant looked at the room crowded with people. They were all bent over their tasks: taking photos, pouring over their computers, collecting samples. However, the room itself was mostly untouched. There were two glasses by a bottle on the table and a body on the floor. “Ma’am, are you sure you’re all right? Your wrists, at least—”
“Lieutenant, my wrists hurt, yes. But right now what I mostly feel is hungry. If you have nothing else for me, I would like to go.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll be in touch.”
The senator hesitated. We’ll be in touch. That’d been the last thing Captain Vas had said to her before he’d left. Kumar had caught a glimpse of the biologist’s ice-white face as Tate had carried her out to the ship. Vas had followed them, leaving off his hurried instructions and parting with that last line.
Everyone seemed to want to claim her time. But not now.
For now, she was alone.
Devi walked over to Chloe Naaji and nodded to her. Her assistant lifted the tape so the senator could duck under it. Naaji led Kumar out to the private pad where a small shuttle was waiting.
They’d been in the air for almost an hour before Kumar spoke.
“I had no choice. You can see that, can’t you?”
No answer.
“They would have killed me.”
“Then you should have died,” her assistant snapped. “Did you really think it would be any different once I found out that you’d betrayed me?”
“I never said a word about you! They have no idea who you are—they don’t even know you exist!”
“You let them kill Levin.”
“I had to. Don’t you see? It was the only way I could survive.” She risked a glance over at her assistant. “You would’ve done the same, Harlan.”
“It only matters if I survive, Senator. You’re no one.”
Kumar closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see the claw being driven into her heart