“He does have that tattoo, though—that Live Ink,” Cassie pointed out.
She couldn’t help remembering how it had looked, flowing just under their perp’s skin on all of the vids they’d watched on Yarrow’s laptop. Sometimes it looked like a dragon, sometimes a bat, sometimes strange alien creatures she couldn’t identify at all, but it was always there, shifting colors and changing constantly as it moved from one part of The Beast’s big body to another.
“There is that,” Stone admitted. He looked at Commander Sylvan. “But I am still not sure what our human commander—Captain Perkins—will say about the two of us going off planet for an assignment.”
“I’ll speak to your Captain,” Sylvan promised. “I’m sure once she knows that you’re still looking for The Beast—as well as the ‘snuff film’ he made and the illegal drug he injected his victim with—she’ll be amenable to sharing your talents with us here on the Mother Ship.”
“Well…what do you think, Stone?” Cassie could feel the nervous knot of tension that had formed in her stomach. It was part excitement/part apprehension. Was she really going to do this? Go undercover on a whole different world? Part of her was scared to death but part of her couldn’t wait!
But Stone was frowning.
“The only part of this assignment I don’t like is the fact that Cassandra and I will be separated. I would prefer it if we were together so that we could ‘get each others’ backs’ as the humans put it.”
Cassie frowned back at him.
“Well, it can’t be helped, Stone. The only way we could be together is if we posed as porn stars instead, and I’m not about to go there.” She shook her head decisively. “No, I think a scientist and a bodyguard will be much better covers.”
“Well…” Stone seemed to be wavering.
“Please, Commander Stonev.” Sylvan’s voice was low and serious. “Your people need you. We cannot allow Xempi Gozeriam to tarnish our good name. And having Pain Fruit loose in the galaxy is extremely dangerous. Think of all the vulnerable females who might be injured or killed if they are injected with it or ingest it some way.”
“And don’t forget that we still want to nail that bastard, The Beast,” Cassie reminded her partner. “Remember what he did to Leela—and how he killed Brittany Harkins.”
Stone looked at her with apparent surprise.
“Do you really want to do this, Cassandra? You sound eager to go undercover.”
“I want to catch The Beast before he hurts anyone else,” Cassie said honestly. “And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sound exciting. Going undercover off-planet? I never thought I’d have a chance to do something like that!”
“It’s going to be extremely dangerous, Detective Steel,” Sylvan said seriously. “I can’t lie to you about that. Xempi Gozeriam runs Bachanalius with an iron fist. If he finds out you’re not who you claim to be, you could be killed.”
Cassie lifted her chin.
“That’s not going to happen. Just get us in there and Stone and I will take care of the rest.”
“Are you sure about this?” Stone looked at her worriedly. “I don’t like the idea of not being able to protect you if things go wrong.”
“Stone, after all this time together, don’t you know I can take care of myself?” Cassie gave him a frown and her partner shrugged sheepishly.
“I know you’re a capable officer, it’s just that you’re so small…so delicate.”
“Small and delicate?” Cassie barked a laugh. “Those would be the last words I’d think of to describe myself! You’re just a big lug, Stone—like all Kindred.” She looked at Commander Sylvan. “No offense intended.”
“None taken,” the Kindred commander said mildly. “The size difference between our two peoples is well-known. But just because humans are smaller than us, doesn’t mean they’re less intelligent or capable.” He looked at Stone as he spoke.
“Of course not.” Stone sighed and ran a hand through his dark blond hair. “All right,” he said at last. “If Captain Perkins approves it, we’ll go.” He pointed at Cassie. “But we’ll need to find a way to check in with each other. I want to be sure you’re safe.”
“You should both be working in the same place— Xempi Gozeriam likes to keep everything important to him close. His laboratory and filming studio are both located inside his palace,” Sylvan told them. “I saw both when he gave me a tour of his facilities, hoping to make a deal.”
“Is that also how you got a contact on Bachanalius?” Stone asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sylvan nodded.
“I cultivated him after Gozeriam swore vengeance on me. He’s one of the outer palace guards—which is possibly why he didn’t know what Gozeriam had planned with the Imposter and the Pain Fruit. I would have liked to get a contact closer to Gozeriam himself, but he vets his inner circle very carefully.”
“Well, as long as your contact can get us in, it shouldn’t matter,” Cassie said. She looked at Stone. “What do you say, partner? You up for this?”
Stone frowned but nodded slowly.
“I am, but only if you promise to be safe.”
“Of course.” Cassie nodded. She reached out and squeezed his hand comfortingly. “We’ll both take all the necessary precautions. Come on, Stone—we can do this. Don’t you want to catch that bastard?”
Stone’s eyes hardened.
“More than anything,” he growled. “All right, Commander Sylvan—we’re in,” he said, turning to the other Kindred.
“Very good.” Sylvan nodded. “I’ll put in a call to your Captain at once. In the meantime, let’s get the two of you outfitted so you look the part.” He frowned. “It’s extremely important that you appear to be what you claim. Gozeriam can have absolutely no idea that you’re not who you say you are or the consequences could be…”
“Fatal,” Stone finished for him, grimly. “Don’t worry, Commander—he won’t have any idea.”
“Good, then let’s get started.” Sylvan nodded at both of them and Cassie and Stone nodded back.
Inside Cassie’s stomach, a whole swarm of butterflies had just taken off. This assignment could either be the adventure of a lifetime…or the end of her life altogether.
What had she gotten herself into?
Twenty
“Okay, doll—you’re ready to go.” Kat—the woman who Sylvan had assigned to get them costumed for their parts—stood back and nodded her head approvingly. She had a full figure and thick auburn hair as well as an assured, professional air about her that made Cassie inclined to trust her.
But no matter how trustworthy Kat seemed, she couldn’t help grimacing at her reflection in the 3-D viewer.
“Seriously? I have to wear this? I thought I was supposed to be a body-guard—not a dominatrix!”
Actually, the costume Kat had created for her looked less like a dominatrix and more like the flimsy “armor” female characters wore in RPG video games.