Athena’s Ashes (Star Thief Chronicles #2)(16)
Author: Jamie Grey

The girl blinked and craned her neck to get a better view before Renna yanked the screen away.

“Monet is one of our best reporters,” Blake said. “You’d better listen to her.”

The girl turned to frown at him, eyes widening as she finally noticed who she was talking to. Her hand drifted up to smooth back her hair, and a soft blush tinged her cheeks. “Are you with her?” she asked.

While Blake distracted the girl, Renna headed toward the office door fighting back a smile. Not bad for a soldier. Blake had a lot of things going for him, not to mention he was exceptionally easy on the eyes.

Without pausing, she thrust open the wooden door and barged into the room.

The tall man behind the desk shot to his feet, his shock of gray hair quivering with outrage. “What is the meaning of this? Lissa! Who are these people?”

The girl appeared in the doorway, breathless and flushed—and not with exertion. She wrung her hands and cast a reproachful look back at Blake. “I’m so sorry, sir, I…”

Renna approached the desk, hand extended. She ignored the angry glint in the man’s eyes. “Mr. Sherle, I’m Monet Green from the Costa Star News. We’re here on a matter of urgent business.” She glanced at the Trezian, then back to Sherle. “We need to speak privately. Now.”

His face turned purple, and he opened and closed his mouth before finally exploding. “Get out! I will not have reporters in my office!” He pointed toward the door, finger quivering. “You have thirty seconds before I call security.”

She stepped closer to him, lowering her voice. “Trust me, you’re going to want to hear this. I’m with MYTH. We have reason to believe you’re in danger.”

The man’s jaw snapped shut. “Godsdammit. Lissa, show Mr. K’Zergi to my private waiting room and get him whatever he wants.” He turned to the alien with a bow. “My sincerest apologies, Relge, this will only take a few minutes.”

The Trezian folded two of his arms across his broad chest. “You are trying my patience, Sherle. I will return tomorrow, and you had better be ready for our discussion.” He lumbered to his feet, towering over the humans in the room before stomping out.

Lissa muttered her apologies and shut the door quietly behind him, but not before first shooting Renna a death glare.

Mr. Sherle slammed a fist on his desk. “What the hell are you doing here? MYTH only contacts me over holovid. They’ve left me to run this business as I see fit.”

Renna lowered herself into the chair the Trezian had vacated and crossed her legs. She smiled slowly, all urgency gone. “Please have a seat, Mr. Sherle. There’s no need to shout.”

He froze, his face going a deeper shade of purple. After a long moment, he dropped back into the chair behind his desk.

Jayla and Blake took up positions on either side of the door. The commander’s hand hovered close to her blaster, while Blake crossed his arms over his chest. Renna ignored the way his white shirt stretched over his muscles and his full lips curved into an amused smile. At least someone was having fun.

“I demand you tell me what this is about,” Sherle said.

“Then I need you to tell me who your contact is at MYTH.” Renna leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. The position also allowed a clear view of her cle**age.

Sherle’s gaze didn’t even waver from her face. “Why?”

Well, it had been worth a shot at least. Renna straightened again and tried a different tactic. “Mr. Sherle—or may I call you Epher?—your company is about to be investigated by the Coalition Association for Scientific and Technical Research for illegal research practices. MYTH wants to leave you swinging in the wind, deny all involvement, but I’m here to help you.”

“And who are you exactly?”

“I’m a MYTH special agent. I’m trying to track down whoever sold you out, and I think they’re inside the organization. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” She let her gaze linger on him, slightly suggestive. The man flushed and dropped his gaze.

Ah, good. She was finally getting through.

Sherle pulled up a set of charts on his monitor. “MYTH funding accounts for sixty percent of our budget. We were formed from a startup company five years ago by the medical arm of the government, but our mandate changed three years ago to focus on manufacturing and design of networked computer systems that can be used for long-range communication.”

She nodded, pretending to already know that information. “Correct. And tell me, how often do you have contact with the MYTH shareholders? Who directs your production and costs?”

“Twice yearly we send a shareholders’ report on our progress to MYTH. As long as we keep making strides toward finalizing the comm plan, Major Larson leaves us alone.” He paused. “I don’t understand why we’re in trouble with the CASTR. We operate above board, within the rules of the Arlon Treaty. Why would they be investigating us?”

Renna twitched with excitement. He’d named Larson as one of the contacts. She was on the right track. “I’m afraid there is some internal turmoil within MYTH that is affecting certain special projects. I suggest you search for new shareholders and reduce your dependence on MYTH funding. If you’re caught in the crossfire, it will destroy this company.”

His eyes widened. “But…”

“I am telling you the truth, Mr. Sherle. Don’t trust any communications from MYTH or their subsidiaries. In the meantime, I’ll do what I can to delay the investigation.”

“Why do you care?” He placed his hands on his desk and leaned forward to study her. “Why are you helping me?”

She smiled slyly. “This is where we get to the back-scratching part.” Renna stood up and moved toward the desk. “I need access to your files and network.”

His jaw gaped. “What? No.”

“Just for a five minutes. I need to run a scan. I promise I won’t leak any of your info. I’m looking for something specific.”

“What?”

“I can’t tell you that. It’s classified. But I promise I’m not here to audit you. Your secrets are safe, Mr. Sherle.”

The purple had faded from his face, turning it ashen. “Absolutely not. Those files are confidential.”

Renna sighed and got to her feet. Why could people just never do as they were told? It would make everything so much easier.

He glared at her. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some shareholders to contact.”