Ronan: Ziva Payvan Book 3 Read Free

maintain my distance. When I read the notes Zona had compiled, it was clear that Dasaro had already tried to get rid of me once in the past, and I was ready to kill him outright. But when the time came, I realized there was still information I could learn from him, and killing him would have compromised that.” It wasn’t entirely accurate, but she could think of no other way to justify her actions. “That’s when I turned my sights on Captain Venn. It was a split-second decision.”
    “You’re saying you killed Venn in cold blood.” It was a statement rather than a question.
    “I sent Dasaro a message,” Ziva replied firmly, “one he received loud and clear. I showed him who was in control, and he panicked and led us to Argall.” That was a flat-out lie. They would have returned home to investigate Argall regardless of Dasaro’s actions. She stood quietly for a moment, wondering if they would catch the deviation. “But yes, you could say I killed Nejdra in cold blood.”
    Once more, a soft murmuring rose up throughout the crowd. The Grand Magistrate stared her down through that holographic visor. She met his gaze, unfazed. As far as anyone knew, her story matched up perfectly with the evidence on display. But these questions were random, the interrogation process unstructured. She was answering as best she could, but her answers didn’t seem to be leading up to anything definitive. They were putting on a show, making her squirm because they could. Don’t feel , she reminded herself again. Don’t show them anything .
    She caught sight of the two magistrates in the top row whispering to one another and sent them a hot glare. She could feel every set of eyes in the room boring into her back and wondered why nobody was speaking. Everything she’d just said was old news to the magistrates, so she wasn’t sure why any deliberation was necessary. She hoped a couple of snarky responses hadn’t somehow affected their decision.
    “Thank you, Lieutenant,” the Grand Magistrate finally said. “That will be all.”
    A tingle of panic tickled Ziva’s skin and her eyes widened. That’s it?
    “Bring in the witness, please.”
    Witness? Ziva stood there, frozen, attempting to contemplate all possible definitions for the word. Someone who could reinforce Dasaro’s guilt? Someone who had seen her shoot Nejdra? Or worse, someone who had seen Dasaro shoot her in Argall and had subsequently witnessed her use her Nostia to kill him? The panic became more than a tingle.
    The courtroom’s massive doors slid open once again. Ziva whirled, wincing against the light that streamed in from outside. Three silhouettes appeared and entered the building, two MPs from the base escorting a prisoner in the same manner as she’d been escorted. They made it several strides into the room before she could see the person’s face clearly.
    Even then, it still took her a split second to recognize the man. Judging by his unkempt hair and scraggly beard, Kyron Hoxie had already been incarcerated for some time. Last she knew, he’d been there on Chaiavis with Nejdra and Dasaro, but he hadn’t been in Argall to her knowledge. Had he defected from Dasaro’s team and been captured by HSP later? It was unlikely – the amount of time between Chaiavis and Argall would have been more than enough for him to disappear. She watched him walk up the center aisle of the room, meeting his gaze from behind furrowed eyebrows. The look in his eyes and the way he held his shoulders spoke volumes. He’d turned himself in.
    Part of her was relieved to see him alive; when he’d disappeared after Nejdra’s death, some had blamed her. On the other hand, he could very well be testifying against her. Perhaps this was all part of a scheme Dasaro had concocted to take her down even in the event that he was killed. She certainly wouldn’t put it past him. She clenched her hands so tight her knuckles turned white. Breathe. Focus. What’s the matter with