Empire Reborn (Taran Empire Saga Book 1): A Cadicle Space Opera A.K. DuBoff (guided reading books TXT) 📖

mind screamed that he was up to something even shadier than these literal backdoor dealings. The man had been pestering them for months about the shipments, but the tight timing of the handoffs was intentional to minimize the likelihood of him having time to peek inside. This alleged ‘port closure’ was a great excuse to buy a full night to browse to his heart’s content. It was a flimsy cover, but the man wasn’t sharp enough to realize the faults in his plan.

Oren, being craftier than the other man, picked up on Lexi’s line of questioning. “Are you sure our shipment didn’t make it off the freighter before this shutdown?” He reached into his back waistband. “Would you like to check before I go in to inspect the storeroom myself?”

Niko gave a noncommittal shrug. “You know, things don’t always go smoothly once the Enforcers get involved.”

“No, which is why we go to such lengths to keep them out of it. An anonymous tip would really put a damper on your extracurricular dealings.” Oren kept his hand behind his back. Though it wasn’t visible from her vantage, Lexi was familiar with the pulse handgun he kept on him at all times. She’d never seen him fire it, but it’d been drawn on several occasions to make a point.

“Same goes for you,” Niko replied. “What is it you’re working on, anyway?”

“Your generous cut is exactly why you don’t get to ask those questions. We have a nice arrangement here, don’t we, Niko? You get a little extra for that guy of yours who likes the finer things, and we don’t need to deal with the trouble of the Enforcers. I’d hate to have to end that arrangement.”

“It’s been two years. Perhaps it’s time we revisit the terms.”

That was news to Lexi. Two years? So, Oren and his people had been at it since well before she got involved. What’s happened to all of the shipments? The warehouse where she handled the inventorying was spacious, but it didn’t have the capacity to handle the volume of deliveries over that length of time. She knew things must go somewhere after she’d processed them, but still didn’t know where. The realization that it had been going on for so long made her that much more curious.

Oren remained focused on the present—particularly Niko’s sudden lack of cooperation. Her boss’ face had turned a vibrant shade of red, and his arm twitched behind his back. “The terms stand, Niko. If you don’t want to take another look around your storeroom for our delivery, then I’ll have to come poke around myself.”

Can we even get in there without raising alarms? Lexi had never been inside, so she had no idea how shipments were handled through the port. For all she knew, there could be armed guards right inside the door. Either Oren knew something she didn’t, or he was being reckless. Or maybe he was just bluffing.

Niko stood motionless outside the back door, his eyes locked with Oren’s. After several tense seconds, he let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ll take a look.” He disappeared inside.

Lexi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was to find herself in the middle of a pissing-match-turned-firefight.

Within a minute, Niko returned carrying a rectangular shipping case. Based on his bearing, it had some heft to it, though he held it from its handle with one arm. It wasn’t like the normal parcels they received, so Lexi could see why he’d been more interested in delving into this one. She recognized the case’s outer material as being a shell designed to be impervious to standard scans. One would need access to military tech to get a good look inside—not something available to a dockworker while on the clock, but someone with black market connections could likely get access after hours.

“Sorry, must have misplaced this,” he said.

Need to give him credit for trying, Lexi thought to herself, though she was embarrassed for Niko about his poor execution of the plan. Still, she couldn’t blame him for wanting a look inside. She was certainly eager to see for herself. At least that was one perk of doing inventory; she didn’t know what most of the stuff was for, but at least she got to see the individual components most of the time.

Oren took the case from Niko. “Just don’t let it happen again, and all is forgiven.”

“Yeah, well, don’t be late next time.”

Lexi bit back a retort that they were right on time. It wasn’t worth it, especially not since she would need to deal with the man one-on-one going forward. “We appreciate you sticking around to get us this even with the rest of the port closed,” she told him instead.

Niko smiled with that unnervingly hostile grin of his. “Any time. Looking forward to tomorrow, assuming things have opened back up.”

She gave him a noncommittal nod and wave as she turned to follow Oren from the alley. Only once they were back on the well-lit main streets out from the shadow of buildings did she begin to relax. Niko might be a problem for her going to the pickups alone, but she’d have to find a solution.

“Nice job spotting his ruse back there, Lex,” Oren said as they walked.

“Just doing my job.”

“Well, we’re leaving this part of the operation in good hands.” He smiled.

She eyed the hard case dangling from his right hand. “Something special today?”

“Very.”

What a vague and unhelpful response. Obviously, they couldn’t talk about details on the open streets, but she’d hoped for a little hint about what might be inside. Oh, well. They’d be back to the office soon enough.

The central office was far more than an administrative center, also serving as a warehouse, living quarters, and training center for new members of the Sovereign Peoples Alliance. Aside from the pickups at