Once Bitten

by Once Bitten (lit)

  His brow went up. "Not by you. You’re not equipped for that anymore, if you’ll recall."

  She frowned, but moderated her reply. "Regardless of how it gets done, I’ll need to know where their money has come from, too. Their suspect accounts have grown from skimpy to succulent almost overnight. I could, er," she shifted her eyes to the general, "trace that, but it will take time and might end up in blind walls."

  A gleam appeared in the man’s eye at her reference to hacking. "Interesting. I think we could make more progress than you on both counts, though I’ll give you credit for being resourceful. I’d also discourage it. There are better ways to conduct an investigation. You don’t by chance think this is your father’s work?"

  She jerked at the abrupt question. "No."

  "Are you certain? His body was never found."

  She clenched her jaw. "If I thought for a moment it was him, I would be carrying around a suicide pen. I spent years being his favorite experiment; I know how he thinks. He’d want to study me, note the changes the years have brought ... tinker." She drew a slow breath. "Death by injection would be far kinder, trust me." By his expression, she suspected the question had been a device to distract her, to override her objections. It had worked.

  She’d learned today that she wasn’t the cold-blooded mercenary she’d thought she was, had hoped to be. Without Lore, she would have been dead of inexperience and fear. Domino had stayed cool under fire and called in help. Back at her hotel, Icki had been the one to save her. She was a soft target, unarmed in all the ways that mattered. Hard as it was to face, she would have to drop some of her defenses if she wanted to live.

  Depending on someone else would be hard. These men had proved themselves worthy, but the old fear was slow to die. Still, she paid men to protect her and thought nothing of trusting them. The currency had changed, but the principal was the same. This time the cost was cooperation, trust and respect.

  Respect. She could do that.

  She took a deep breath. "So tell me what you had in mind."

  Over the general’s objections, she returned to Domino’s that evening. He had sufficient security to deter all but an armed warhead, and the general loaned him an anti-missile team and assigned them additional security. While nice, she doubted they would need the men. Her enemy had twice tried grand measures to take her out. She didn’t think they’d bother with a third. She expected the next attack would be more subtle, better thought out.

  Assuming they weren’t dealing with a madman, of course.

  Chapter 20

  Domino entered the sitting room and discovered her with her feet up on the couch, a thoughtful expression on her face. Easing her feet up, he slid under them and massaged her instep. "Rough day?"

  She rewarded him with a droll smile. "Interesting, at least. Whoever wants me dead has money and rather grand ideas. Today was overkill, though. Someone had the connections to set up a missile site on extremely short notice. I’m also being watched. It’s not as if I advertised my intentions today. By rights, I should be dead. Someone is going to be very frustrated, very angry."

  He studied her face, surprised that she was so calm. "You’ve no stranger to this, are you?"

  "I’ve had practice. I’ll be glad when Datsu gets here. He’s been through this with me before." She was silent for a moment, then seemed to pull out of her deep thoughts. "So tell me about your mutations. My father seemed very proud of them."

  He jerked back, caught off guard by her sudden mood change and the vague malice behind her question. "Feeling nasty, are we? There’s no need to take it out on me."

  "I think we’ve avoided the issue long enough. I’d like to know if your presence was incidental or providential in our attacker’s eyes."

  "If you’re looking for enemies, I have my share, but no one knows about my time with your father."

  Unblinking, she studied him. "I remember the chains he used on you. He must have enhanced your strength. What else did he do?"

  Domino sighed and released her feet. "A number of other things, none of which matter. The adaptogen in my system changed me back to normal. He’d be disappointed to know that his "great creation" completely wiped out his painstaking work." His lip curled in remembered hatred.

  Bali remained silent. There was no belief in her face.

  An unpleasant smile curved his mouth. "My race is naturally stronger and faster than your own, pet. We withstand the heat far better, have sonic capabilities and superior hearing. Apparently, we also resist tampering with our genes. If that’s not enough for you, you’ll have to remain disappointed."

  "I’m not disappointed."

  "But you don’t believe me."

  "No."

  "Why?"

  She thought about it. "I spent too many years hiding what I was to think you would openly admit anything."

  "Fair enough. As long as you spend some time contemplating what you know for certain. I want you, and I will protect you. Do you doubt it?" His hand moved from her ankle to the inside of her calf in a slow circle.

  Her eyes began to glimmer. "Convince me again," she whispered and leaned into his kiss.

  Chapter 21

  Icki was rummaging around in the fridge when she got up the next morning. Domino had already kissed her good-bye and gone about his business, so they were alone in the house. She eyed Icki thoughtfully as she slid onto a stool. He was still a little pale, and it looked ghastly with his brown skin. "Should you be doing that?"

  "Don’t start. I need real food, and I’ll start clawing the walls if I have to lie in that bed any longer."

  She grunted. "I take it you don’t heal quite as fast as I do."

  "Probably for the best," he countered. "My body doesn’t get depleted as fast. Here, have some." He slid reheated pasta her way and sat down to dig into his own.

  They ate in comfortable silence for a while. Finally she felt awake enough to inquire, "You heard about yesterday?"

  He glowered at her. "You’re lucky to be alive. Thank God you had Lucky with you."

  "Lore."

  "Whatever. You take too many chances. Domino was supposed to keep a better eye on you."

  "He does his best. You know I don’t leash well."

  He looked like he was dying to say something about that but refrained. "You had a message. Datsu should be here in a little while. Maybe he can keep your head on your shoulders."

  While glad, Bali refused to be distracted. "How old were you when father got his hands on you? I don’t remember any other children."

  The lines around his mouth deepened. "It was before your time. Leave it."

  She studied him thoughtfully. "You always knew what I was. How?"

  He shrugged and cleared away their bowls. "Like knows like. You outright admitted it when I became your doctor."

  She smiled. "Who else would I trust? You’ve saved my life more than once. Thank you for that, by the way."

  He searched her eyes. "So I’m forgiven for sending you to Domino?"

  Pensive silence stretched between them as she mulled it over. "We get on well enough. He’s good to me. However things turn out between us ... yes, you’re forgiven."

  He looked away and released a deep breath. "You’ll come to love him."

  She laughed and took a sip of steaming tea. "Icki, he’s my lover. I’m not in love. You should know the difference," she added, giving him a sardonic look from under her lashes.

  He studied her warily. "It’s not the same. You’re not the same. You’re not going into this with your heart guarded. You think you are, but you don’t know the first thing about protecting yourself from him."

  "Are you going to give me pointers, heart thief?"

  "No. I want you to fall in love. You need him."

  Piqued, she demanded, "Is this an official prescription? Fall in love and all my troubles will be over?"

  Strain made his face tighten. Icki walked slowly to the couch and sat down with a grimace. He sighed and slowly relaxed into the re
cliner. He closed his eyes. "I don’t have the strength for this conversation, bittermelon. You might want to do whatever it is women do in the mornings. Datsu will be here soon, and he’ll want to talk."

  Frustrated, Bali left him alone. He wasn’t always going to be sick. They’d have it out when he was better.

  Chapter 22

  Datsu was a brick-built big wall. Icelandic, built like his Viking ancestors with a braided blond beard, a long braid down his massive back and huge, hairy arms, he stood almost seven feet tall. In his mid-forties his blue eyes showed the fearlessness that came from a long life of warring. Gruff, disinclined to shows of affection, he only grunted in the face of Bali’s cheery hello.

  Undeterred, she gave his arm a squeeze and introduced him to Icki, Domino and Lore.

  Lore eyed the miniscule clearance between the top of Datsu’s head and the apartment doorframe. "That has got to be annoying."

  Datsu made a low sound that might have been a growl of annoyance or assent. "I hear you’ve had some trouble."

  Bali quickly filled him in and handed him a data disk. "That’s everything I know. You’ll have to talk to Domino’s general to find out what they’ve got. The general won’t talk to me."

  "You’re still new to Draconian customs, wife. He tells me what he knows and I pass it on to you. He won’t consider telling you, since you’re a woman. He’d feel it might endanger you."

  "Bloody stupid," Datsu rumbled. He sat down with his laptop and popped in the data disk, ignoring them all. Less than three minutes later, he stood and looked at Domino. "I need to see the entire building."

  "Be my guest."

  Bali trailed along for the tour as Datsu made his way from basement to rooftop, inspecting even the ladies room in his tour. More than one woman had met her end in a secluded restroom. He spoke little, but seemed mostly satisfied with the building’s security.

  "Might get a weapons and explosives sniffing dog," was his only comment when he saw the club’s guarded entrances.

  Domino appeared to consider the idea. He nodded his head and let Datsu finish his tour before demanding, "Well?" Bali, Datsu and Domino had adjourned to his private booth in the club for lunch.

  Datsu considered him over his mounded platter of food. "Your security’s good. She’s not likely to die in here. It’s when she leaves the place that you’ll have problems." He finished a sandwich in three bites.

  Lore returned from his errand and joined them at the table. Datsu eyed him. "Will you stay with her?"

  Lore raised his brow as he selected a morsel from a serving platter. "Why not? I’m on extended leave. Domino’s is as good as any place to spend my nights. Most of the women congregate here, anyway." He grinned wickedly.

  Datsu grunted and forbore to lecture him, willing to judge by observation for a while.

  "Now that that’s settled," Bali said brightly, "I’ve a mind to do some shopping. I need some time to myself."

  Three frowns came her way.

  She shrugged. "Make the arrangements. That’s Datsu’s forte. No more than three stores, I promise, but I must get out. I’ve never taken confinement well."

  "Can it wait until this afternoon? I need to hire at least two more men," Datsu said slowly, frowning in thought. "Give me time to get them in place, then we’ll go."

  "Who did you want to hire?" Domino asked coolly.

  "Ferret. He’s an information specialist and security equipment guru. Zag Tramysin. He’ll be my backup."

  "A little redundant, don’t you think? We’ve got myself, Lore and some military personnel in the building already, besides my personal security."

  "You can’t be at her side night and day, your security covers only the building and the military will draw too much attention, besides not being trained for the work. Lore said he’d be here nights, which leaves me and Zag with her during the day."

  Domino nodded. "Very well."

  Chaffed by the unaccustomed bargaining going on over her head, Bali said irritably, "If you’re through, boys, I’ve got some work I may as well do. I assume it’s safe to walk up the stairs alone?" She didn’t wait for an answer before she wandered off.

  Datsu waited until she was out of sight. "You’ll have to fight that mulish streak of hers. She doesn’t like being owned."

  "She’s not."

  The first humor he’d shown crinkled Datsu’s eyes. "That’s not what I see when she looks at you. She’s owned and doesn’t like it ... yet."

  Lore winked at Domino. "You’ll have to work harder at that, Dom."

  Domino just smiled.

  Chapter 23

  Bali stormed the mall and returned victorious with her loot. In spite of Datsu’s grim hovering, she’d enjoyed selecting a handful of books, a movie and a new jacket to replace Icki’s shredded one. She’d been so completely relaxed, so focused on cheering up her friend, that when she’d looked up and saw her reflection in the department store mirror, she flinched. For a moment there, she’d thought she’d seen something of Icki in her face.

  Hours later, she was still troubled by the thought. Granted, her mother had been half Japanese, but she was long dead, and she’d never had any other children. Maybe it had been nothing more than an odd fancy.

  Domino was still in the club’s office when she returned, and Icki was in his room. Knowing it was crazy, she sat down at her computer and looked up Icki’s birth records. Since it was in a restricted database, the search took a little time, but when she was done....

  Bali sat back, stunned, and stared at the screen. Then her mind began to whir as events clicked into place. The attack in her apartment, the murder attempt in the plane--either they were aimed at her, or they were aimed at removing her. With her out of the way, the true target became vulnerable. If that were the case, then the question became ... who would want her brother?

  One person came to mind. There was someone she’d publicly denigrated, one who’d have enough knowledge of genetics to know that the Draconian bite had rendered his experiments null. Only one who would care.

  Was her father alive?

  They’d never found his body. The explosion had left so little of the building, that hadn’t been a surprise. Had he staged his own assassination? It wasn’t much of a reach, and if he were still alive....

  Feeling grim, Bali pondered the possibilities, then called for Datsu.

  Chapter 24

  "You look a little moody this evening," Domino commented over dinner.

  Bali picked at her food. "Just some business left undone. I’ll get back to it later." She was debating what to tell him. For one thing, she hadn’t confronted Icki yet. He’d sent her to Domino, set her free from her father’s curse. He’d saved her life. It wasn’t easy to confront him now and demand answers, but it had to be done. She wasn’t fool enough to let this go, and she wasn’t that good an actress. He’d know something was up, and he wasn’t the only one.

  With a sigh, she rose from the table. "Domino, let’s go talk to Icki. I need some answers."

  Icki was lying in bed with a book when they knocked. It lay face up on his stomach when they walked in. He blinked at them sleepily. "Yes?"

  Bali stared at him a moment, then crossed her arms. "Why didn’t you tell me you were my brother?"

  Icki’s mouth dropped open. The expression was at odds with his normally cool facade.

  "Direct, isn’t she?" Domino said admiringly from his post at the foot of the bed. Despite his surprise, he looked raptly interested.

  Shooting him a quelling stare, Bali looked back at her brother. "I saw your birth certificate. Don’t ask," she said, cutting him off. "All I want to know is, why didn’t I know about you?"

  Icki frowned and visibly cast about for words.

  "Did you think I’d hate you because of father? Didn’t you know I’d have loved to know I had a brother?" She gestured irritably. "Now I know what happened to you: he got to you first. Let me guess ... you were taken into protective custody? Either that or mother left him, th
en saw you settled before she died." She brushed the hair from her eyes. "All he ever told me was that she died. How did she end up with you and not me? Did he hide me from her? He certainly had the influence."

  Icki grimaced. "Give a man a chance to speak, will you? Though you seem to have answered most of your own questions."

  "He hid me?"

  He sighed. "She tried to get you back, but the courts were too slow, and she was afraid to expose what he’d done to me. She didn’t want to ruin my future. She grieved for you, Bali. She didn’t live long," he said, his face softening with remembered sorrow. "She’d been ill for some time, and the strain weakened her."

  A pang twisted Bali’s heart. She’d never known her mother. From the sounds of it, she’d ended up with the worst possible parent. Of course, how could one get much worse than Itara? "Oh." It was all she could manage.

  "I wanted to tell you, but...." He shook his head. "The old man wanted someone to run his empire. You were very public about hating him. It gained you some friends and some powerful enemies, him included." He looked at her searchingly, then glanced at Domino. "He contacted me."

  She sucked in a breath. "After his supposed death?"

  "Just before. He wanted to meet with me. I wasn’t polite." He was silent a moment. "I’m not sure he’s dead."

  She looked at Domino. "I think the attack on us at my hotel was aimed at capturing Icki. He’s in danger. If my father’s alive...."

  Domino nodded. "Then you’re both in danger."

  That wasn’t what she meant. "I’m always in danger. It comes of being that old rotter’s daughter. We need to focus on Icki."

  Domino shook his head. "I’m going to talk to security. You two have a lot of talking to do."

  An awkward silence descended in his absence. Icki scratched his nose. Bali shifted in her chair. Seconds ticked by.