Shadow of the Coalition

by Jamie A. Waters

  Her mission accomplished, Kayla let Carl lead her out of the room. Several strange men in dark, UV-protective suits and helmets were waiting for them in the hallway. They pointed some sort of strange weapon-looking devices at them. Carl stepped in front of Kayla and held up his hands. “We’re not armed.”

  A familiar man approached them with his helmet in hand. Kayla peeked around Carl and her eyes widened when she recognized him. “Sergei? What are you doing here?”

  The foreigner gave her a small half-smile and said in his accented voice, “Hello again, Kayla.”

  Carl’s brow furrowed as his gaze darted back and forth between them. “You know him?”

  Kayla nodded and mentally kicked herself for not mentioning Lars and Sergei earlier. With everything that had happened, she’d allowed her personal crisis to take the front seat to much more important issues.

  Crap. This was exactly why Leo had warned me against getting soft. Emotions screw everything up.

  Sergei chuckled. “We are acquainted. Come, join your friends in other room.”

  He spoke some sharp words in his language to his companions. Roughly, the group was searched and the strange men ushered Kayla, Carl, and Cruncher toward the common room. The rest of the crew was already sitting at the center table in the room, with half-dozen armed men training weapons on them. Brant, however, was nowhere to be seen. Sergei motioned for them to have a seat.

  Once they were seated, Xantham leaned over to Carl and said in a hushed voice, “I’m sorry, Boss. They came out of nowhere. The fire must have been a distraction. There are a couple more in the tech room going through our system files. They grabbed Brant and took him somewhere else. I think he killed one of them.”

  “Silence!” Sergei demanded. “I want access codes to your system.”

  Carl lifted his chin and glared at Sergei. “I’m not telling you anything until you explain why you’re here.”

  Sergei motioned to one of the armed men who stepped forward and delivered a swift blow to the side of Carl’s head with the base of his weapon. Carl jerked back with blood trickling down the side of his face.

  “Sergei, stop!” Kayla cried in shock, trying to reconcile this violence with the same man who had been flirting with her the day before. “Why are you doing this?”

  Sergei ignored her and continued to focus on Carl. “That was only warning. What are your codes?”

  Carl wiped his face. “The main terminal code is CRYETZ64, but you won’t be able to get into OmniLab from here. Access is restricted.”

  Lars walked in from the hallway and spoke sharply to Sergei in Russian. Kayla watched both men closely, trying to pick up clues to determine their intent in attacking the camp. Carl was right. The main access code would only give them access to the camp’s records. If their goal was to target OmniLab, they were in for a disappointment. OmniLab might be able to access the camp’s records, but the flow of information didn’t go both ways.

  Lars took that moment to look over at her. His piercing blue eyes held her gaze for a long moment, and she was once again struck by the familiarity. She knew him from somewhere. He pulled out a small tablet-sized computer and handed it to Sergei.

  Sergei glanced down at it and then looked up at Carl. “We will discuss rest of codes later. When did your guest arrive?”

  Carl glanced at Kayla and frowned. She shook her head, not having any idea why they were asking about Brant.

  “He arrived yesterday,” Carl admitted.

  “I see,” Sergei said, checking something off on the tablet. “What is his position at OmniLab?”

  “Security,” Carl bit out.

  Kayla glanced at Carl again. He was still bleeding. It wasn’t too bad, but she wasn’t going to just sit there and do nothing. Making her movements deliberately slow so they couldn’t be confused, she stood up. She’d be damned if she let them think they intimidated her.

  One of the armed men pointed his weapon at her and motioned for her to return to her seat. Kayla shook her head and pointed to the food preparation area. “Call off your goon, Sergei. I’m getting a cold compress to stop the bleeding. You can either shoot me or tell him to get the hell out of my way. If you want the rest of the codes from Carl, it’s in your best interest to make sure he’s healthy.”

  “Kayla, don’t,” Carl warned, reaching up to pull her back.

  “They could have killed me already if they wanted me dead,” she said in irritation as she shot Sergei a meaningful look.

  Sergei’s expression was mildly amused, and he held up his hand to the guard. The guard lowered his weapon slightly but continued to watch her. Kayla ignored them and walked over to the food preparation area. She grabbed a wet cloth and then took out a cold compress from the bottom bin. She brought them back over to Carl and gently dabbed at the cut on his head. He eyed the intruders and asked in a low voice, “How do you know these guys?”

  “I met them at Leo’s camp,” she admitted and handed him the compress. “But they weren’t such assholes over there.”

  Sergei overheard her comment and chuckled. He walked over to her and removed the forgotten pin from the strap of her tank top. Kayla’s eyes narrowed as he pocketed the miniature device. Was it a tracker?

  “You forced us to change our plans, Milaya. Meeting you at Leo’s camp was unexpected surprise. If you stayed, we would not have needed to raid this camp just yet. Your ICS agent was ordered to bring you back to towers. We were not willing to risk you slipping out of our hands.”

  Kayla blinked. How did he know Brant was an ICS agent? “You’re here because of me? I haven’t known you long enough to piss you off yet. What did you do with Brant?”

  “He is being… questioned. But no, you have not angered us. We are far more interested in what you can do for us.”

  Carl looked at Kayla in alarm and whispered, “Do you know what he’s talking about?”

  She shook her head, but a troubling notion entered her mind. They wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble just because she’d programmed their little doohickey. Something else was going on.

  Sergei put his boot on the seat of one of the chairs and leaned forward to study both of them. “You are Carl, correct? Employed by OmniLab as trader?”

  Carl nodded and continued to eye Sergei with suspicion. “Yes. My name is Trader Carl Grayson, and this is my camp.”

  “You hire ruin rats to work in your camp? That is how you met Kayla?”

  Carl’s jaw tightened, but he gave Sergei a curt nod.

  Kayla sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. This was stupid. Once again, they were playing twenty questions. Only this time, Sergei didn’t bring her anything to drink and had men pointing weapons at them instead. She much preferred the first round of questioning.

  “Why are you here, Sergei? I thought you wanted to unify the facilities. Raiding an OmniLab trader camp is just going to piss them off. I know I’m pissed, and it’s not even my camp.”

  A slow smile spread across Sergei’s face. “We have our own ways of doing things.”

  She leaned back and pouted. The foreigner was just as infuriating today as he was yesterday.

  A moment later, several men came into the room carrying boxes of supplies from the tech and storage rooms. Sergei glanced at the boxes before motioning for the men to take them outside. Kayla scowled as the men stripped the camp. Some of those toys were hers!

  Zane leaned over to Cruncher and whispered something to him. Cruncher nodded and shifted positions slightly to move in front of him. Kayla stiffened when Zane slid out his commlink and opened it. Crap. Not good. Even with Cruncher trying to block his activity, Zane was right in Sergei’s field of vision.

  Kayla stood to try to distract the armed men. Holding out her hands, she said, “Sergei, if you tell me what you want, we can work it out.”

  “In due time, Milaya.”

  She huffed and put her hands on her hips, slightly shifting her position to draw his eyes away from the activity behind her. “You co
uld save us all a lot of time and trouble if you just tell us what you want. Once we come to an agreement, we can be done with this. These weapons and threats aren’t necessary.”

  Sergei’s eyes made a slow perusal of her body, lingering on her curves before returning to her face. The corner of his mouth lifted in a small half-smile. “We have what we want. We are now tying up loose ends.”

  Carl’s jaw clenched as he stood and grabbed Kayla’s hand, pulling her behind him. Sergei chuckled at the protective gesture and shifted his gaze to something behind Carl. Sergei narrowed his eyes and pulled out his side weapon. Without saying a word, he fired. Jinx cried out as Zane collapsed on the floor.

  Kayla spun around, her eyes widening in horror as Zane clawed at his chest, choking and gasping for air. Jinx tried to prop him upright, but it didn’t help. Kayla dropped down next to Zane and yanked up his shirt. There was nothing. No wound, no injury… nothing to indicate what was preventing him from breathing. A moment later, Zane’s eyes unfocused and his body went still.

  Kayla felt for a pulse, knowing it was futile. Jinx looked at her hopefully. It was no use. Jinx choked on a sob. Veridian bent down and pulled the weeping woman into his arms.

  Kayla continued to kneel next to his body. Her heart wrenched as she realized he was truly gone. It had happened so fast. He’d been alive one moment and now…

  She shook her head in disbelief. There would be no more playful banter, no more stealing his fruit sticks, no more competing against him for the best times at working locks. Kayla pulled her hand away. The strange weapon had managed to kill Zane without leaving any sort of mark.

  Sergei walked over to Zane’s body and picked up the dropped commlink. He threw it to one of the other armed men and spoke harshly in his language.

  Kayla rose to her feet. “You slack-jawed, repugnant bastard!”

  Without waiting for a response, Kayla leapt at Sergei. Carl wrapped his arm around her waist and held her back. She struggled in his hold and glared daggers at Sergei. She’d kill him. She’d drag his rotting carcass on the back of her speeder through all four districts. She’d attach electrodes to his balls and flip the switch. She’d douse him with his own vodka and light him on fire. She’d—

  “Kayla, don’t,” Veridian warned.

  Carl leaned down and spoke in her ear. “He’s right. Don’t antagonize them. I don’t like the way they’re looking at you.”

  To hell with that. She glared at Sergei. “Screw them. If they want to kill us, they will. The bastards are just playing with us.”

  Sergei raised an eyebrow. “You are quite spirited, Milaya.”

  Asshole. I’ll show him spirited. Just wait.

  Carl’s arms tightened around her, but his next words were directed at Sergei. “She’s right. Look, if there’s something you want, start talking. We’ll cooperate. There’s no need to hurt anyone else.”

  Kayla stopped struggling, but Carl continued to cage her with his arms. Lars stepped over to Sergei and spoke to him quietly for a moment. Sergei nodded, and Lars headed down the hall toward the tech and communication rooms.

  In that moment, something had changed—she just wasn’t sure what. Carl sensed it as well because his body tensed behind her.

  Sergei motioned to the table. “Sit. We finish soon.”

  Carl pulled Kayla back and nudged her toward the chair. She scowled but sat next to him. Sergei turned back to the tablet computer in his hand while the guards continued to watch over them.

  Kayla fumed silently until an idea occurred to her. She fidgeted in her seat for a moment, trying to decide the best way to implement it. At Carl’s curious look, she casually tapped her fingers on her belt where a small knife was embedded. It had come in handy last time she was attacked in the ruins by Ramiro’s henchman.

  His eyes widened in alarm. He leaned toward her and said in a voice too low to overhear, “Let’s just see where this goes, Kayla.”

  She didn’t respond and instead kept her focus on Sergei. He was still studying the computer screen in his hand. “Hey, Sergei, are you going to keep us long? I need to pee.”

  Sergei glanced up from the computer and studied her for a long moment. She blinked at him and tried to keep her expression innocent. The bastard had no idea what he was about to unleash.

  Finally, he inclined his head and said a few words to one of the guards. The guard motioned for Kayla to go ahead. She walked down the hall toward Carl’s office and private quarters with the guard following close behind her.

  There were more men searching through Carl’s office. They glanced up as she entered and almost immediately turned back to what they were doing. Angered by their trespassing, Kayla clenched her hands but forced herself not to react as she continued into Carl’s private quarters. There was another man in there going through his belongings.

  In total, there had to be at least twenty men in the camp. This was a well-orchestrated attack. The options for getting out of this situation were growing increasingly limited. She had the knife in her belt and Brant’s secondary weapon in her bag. If she could get that weapon or steal one of the guard’s weapons, it might buy them some time. At the very least, it would give her a chance to contact Alec and let him know the proverbial excrement had hit the ventilator.

  Kayla ignored the man rustling through Carl’s belongings and headed toward the bathroom. Her commlink was on the nightstand next to the bed but there was no way to grab it while the guard escorting her watched so closely. He followed her inside the bathroom and slid the door shut behind them. He motioned toward the toilet and waited, clearly indicating he wasn’t going to give her any privacy.

  She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Carl was going to strangle her for what she was about to do, but there weren’t any other options.

  Throwing herself into the role, Kayla turned around and gave the guard a coy smile. “I don’t know if you understand what I’m saying, but I’m pretty sure there are some things that are universal.”

  The guard looked at her questioningly and motioned again toward the toilet. Kayla shook her head and sauntered toward him, putting an exaggerated swing into her step. She reached down and gripped the hem of her shirt. With another small smile, she slowly pulled her shirt over her head. The guard’s eyes widened and immediately lowered to her breasts.

  Kayla tossed the shirt onto the counter and crossed the distance between them, lightly resting her hands against the guard’s chest. He swallowed, took a half-step back and barked out some words in his language. He gestured toward the toilet, but it didn’t have the same emphasis it had a moment ago.

  She shook her head to say she didn’t understand. Lowering her head a fraction, Kayla peered up at the guard through her lashes. Suspicion was etched across his face, but he continued to watch her intently as though waiting for her to make a move.

  She complied.

  With single-minded determination, Kayla reached up and slowly began unzipping his jacket. He grabbed one of her wrists with his free hand and said a few more words to her. She didn’t bother to respond. Instead, she ran her free hand up his chest and brushed her fingertips over his mouth. When she licked her lips, the guard’s gaze dropped to her mouth. Kayla bit back a smile at the turmoil in his eyes. Show a man some boobs and they short-circuit.

  She ignored the weapon he held in his other hand. If she gave it any attention, the ruse would be up. Instead, she stepped closer to him, allowing her breasts to brush against his chest.

  The guard’s eyes widened slightly at the contact and he released her wrist. His gaze lowered again and there was no mistaking his interest.

  Yeah, you’re getting the idea now, she thought in annoyance but hid her emotions. He still held the weapon in his hand, but judging by the growing bulge in his pants, she had his complete and total attention.

  The guard put the weapon on the counter and pulled her against him. It was the move she’d been waiting for. Kayla worked her hand down to her belt as though she were go
ing to unfasten her pants. The knife embedded within her buckle slid out. She palmed the knife and reached up as if she were going to kiss him. In one fluid movement, she neatly sliced the knife across his throat. Almost as soon as he staggered, she brought the knife back down in the other direction.

  He gripped his throat with a strangled cry and emitted a high-pitched keening noise. Blood gushed from the wound as Kayla shoved her hand against his mouth to keep him quiet. He gurgled and thrashed as he collapsed on the floor but became still in a matter of seconds. When she was sure he was dead, she removed her hand. A wave of nausea hit her at the sight of the blood on the floor and the realization of what she’d done.

  Kayla ran to the toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach. It was too much. She retched again and sank to the floor shaking uncontrollably. Wrapping her arms around herself, she leaned back and took a deep breath, reminding herself why she was doing this. They’d killed Zane. They could kill the others. She did what had to be done. An eye for an eye and all that crap.

  Kayla crawled to the sink and splashed water on her face. She wanted to scrub her skin to remove the memory of the man’s touch and erase the image of his death. She peered into the mirror and at her reflection, barely recognizing the ghastly image of the woman staring back. A watery mixture of blood and soot from the fire smudged her cheeks and dripped down her face.

  Her gaze caught on the emerald necklace still hanging around her neck, sparkling in the light. It was a sharp contrast to the macabre image in the mirror. She reached up and gripped the necklace, renewed determination filling her. Alec. She needed Alec.

  Grabbing a nearby cleaning cloth, she wiped herself off before picking up her shirt and pulling it on. She shoved the knife back into her belt before bending down to search the guard. Other than his weapon, the only other thing of note was a strange commlink unit. She flipped it on and frowned at the strange, foreign letters that appeared on the screen. It might come in handy. She stuffed the commlink into her back pocket and grabbed the weapon from the counter.

  It looked somewhat similar to the device she’d used in the towers. Unfortunately, all the settings were written in that unfamiliar lettering. She’d have to just hope for the best. Gripping the lightweight weapon in her hand, she cracked open the bathroom door.