Exposing herself in the light went against all her training, but these were exceptional times. She strode to the front of the room, knowing Spear was at her back. She should have followed his lead and wore something hooded. Too late now.
The locked metal box was coded and attached to a huge metal stand. The sides of the box were clear, and a light shone on the two objects contained within. It was a blaster and knife, seemingly ordinary objects.
There was just enough of a difference about them to make them interesting.
Spear didn’t say or do anything. He didn’t have to. Her skin was prickling from the fury radiating out from him. The dapper little man swallowed heavily and took a step back. That quickly, the threat faded, the heat turning to icy composure.
“Is it truly Gravasian?” She needed to get all attention off Spear until he had himself fully under control. These had to be his brother’s weapons.
“Oh, yes,” the auctioneer continued. “Certified.”
“How?” Spear’s voice was deep and filled with menace. “How is it certified?”
A bead of sweat rolled down the man’s temple. “I’m simply the broker, but I was guaranteed it was Gravasian. And the tech has been certified by my expert.” He snapped his fingers and another male stepped from the shadows. This one was shorter still and almost as round as he was tall.
“Never seen anything like this,” the newcomer insisted. “Far superior to anything on the market.”
They were all marked for death. Had to be. And she’d help Spear carry out the mission.
She managed a smile. Even though it felt forced, it seemed to relax both men. “We’ll take our seats.”
“Here’s an auction paddle.” He handed it to her and motioned her toward the chairs no one was currently using.
She moved off to the left, clenching the paddle in her hand. When she reached a secluded area, she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could get a word out, Spear kissed her. The heat shot straight to her toes, making them curl in her boots. She gripped his biceps, tempted to pull him closer instead of pushing him away.
What the fuck was he doing? Had he lost it?
His lips left hers and tracked toward her ear. “They’re listening.” His voice was practically soundless, the words almost impossible to make out.
Of course, they were. She kept her mouth shut, knowing his hood would block any visual and audio.
“We need to kill them all once the bidding starts. A message needs to be sent that bidding on Gravasian tech will get you killed.”
Seemed extreme, but that was the point. She gave a slight nod to let him know she understood.
“You take the patrons. I’ll take the guards in the rafters and on the ground and the computer operators. Leave the auctioneer alive. He may know something.”
She turned her head so their lips were almost touching. “Take out the computer operators first. They may have more people nearby in case of emergency.”
His smile was lethal when he eased away.
She was tempted to glance up at the rafters, but that would be giving away their advantage. Made sense they’d have people up there in case things got out of hand. Paddle in hand, she took an aisle seat in the center row. Almost all the rest of the bidders were congregated in the back, bunched together like beasts awaiting a slaughter. This location would allow her to move into the shadows and have a good line of sight for taking them out.
Spear didn’t sit beside her. He faded into the shadows. Her job was to keep the bidding going while he took care of as many guards as he could before the shooting started.
Placing the bidding paddle on her lap, she listened to the people around her. Most were silent. It was likely they were all like her—proxies for the rich and powerful. Disposable.
Her upper lip curled in derision. She despised Artemis and her kind.
The auctioneer cleared his throat. “If you’ll all have your seats, we’ll begin the auction.” He tugged on the cuffs of his suit jacket and smiled as everyone settled in. Anticipation hummed in the air, along with a rising tension. There could only be one winner and all of them wanted, or needed, to be it.
“Up for auction tonight, we have two very unique and priceless items—a Gravasian blaster and blade.”
“How do we know they’re real?” someone shouted from the back. “You won’t let anyone touch them and we only have your word and that of your expert.”
She swung around in her seat and found the blue-skinned Dansker who’d asked the question. Several people around him were nodding.
“See here, my good fellow, my reputation is golden in his community. I’ve been brokering the sale of such goods since before you were born.” Indignant at having his integrity questioned, the dapper little man launched into a lecture.
Biting back a smile, she settled back in her chair. Any delay could only work in their favor.
Chances were good some or all of these bidders had brought more associates, who were either inside or outside the building.
Her shoulders started to bunch but she forced them to relax. Spear could handle himself. She just had to trust him. He had this.
****
He might have bitten off more than he could chew, but he did enjoy a challenge. Motionless, he stood in the shadows and studied the upper beams of the building. Not only were there six snipers up here, there were about eight more like himself, partners of someone below.
It might be quicker to do the job himself, but he waited and watched as the eight silently removed the snipers from the equation. Then they went after each other. It was all done without a word spoken.
Down on the floor, the auctioneer was finally getting ready to start the bidding after fending off the doubts and questions of those below. He was out of time.
“Bidding begins at the bargain price of fifty million Alliance credits.” The auctioneer’s voice easily filled the room. “Thank you, bidder number two. Do I hear sixty?”
Spear’s closest opponent was only two steps away. The fool didn’t even know he was there. Dagger in hand, he struck, slamming one hand over the man’s mouth and driving the blade through the back of his neck and into his skull. His victim tensed and slumped. Spear eased him down onto a joist platform and moved.
The beauty of a titansteel knife was that it could sever the spinal cord and penetrate the brain in one swift motion, rendering an opponent unable to move or cry out as death took them.
It was a deadly game of cat and mouse being played out forty feet above the ground. All the people up here were professionals. It was a shame he’d have to kill them, but they’d signed their death warrant by coming here. The reputation of his people should have been enough to keep them away. The smarter ones had and would survive. These ones had given in to greed and the lust for power.
There might be some like Sass—here not because they wanted to be, but because they were being compelled. He couldn’t worry about them.
His mission was clear. Get any information about Ivar, kill everyone, recover the tech, and get out. And he had to do it all while staying alive and protecting Sass.
It was an odd sensation to have to be worried about someone else.
He shut down that line of thinking and got back to the task at hand. Any distraction could get them both killed.
On the far side of the rafters, two assassins battled it out. Several were already down. Two more were hiding. Or trying to. He knew where they were.
Silent as a gentle breeze, he made his way to one who was crouched behind a stout metal beam. His prey was too busy studying the floor below and setting up a shot to pay attention to his surroundings. Three seconds later and another blade to the skull, and the man was down.
While he’d been busy, the two fighting across from him had finished. From his count, there were two left.
“One-hundred million credits from one of our absentee bidders.” Excitement rang in the auctioneer’s voice.
Where were the two remaining targets?
Where was the other one?
He caught the movement off to his other side and silently swore. They were working together.
Two against one, the odds were still in his favor, but only if he set the battleground. Agile as a cat, he leaped from beam to beam, leading them to one of the platforms. It was a gamble that paid off when they both came after him instead of splitting up. They must have thought they had the advantage because they outnumbered him.
He didn’t stop at the platform but jumped, landing lightly on an eight-inch metal beam. He cursed when a slight spill of dust kicked up from his feet. As long as there was no guard standing directly under him, it shouldn’t be an issue.
“One hundred and fifty million? Do I hear one-fifty?”
His hands were steady, his heart rate only slightly elevated. His attackers both landed on the platform at the same time. At the exact moment their feet hit the wider area, he threw two daggers. They flew through the air, piercing their throats. He launched himself toward them, catching them before they could topple off and onto the ground below. Slamming his hands over their mouths, he held them down until they ceased moving.
He silently cursed as his victim’s boots scuffed along the metal. Ducking down, he stayed still in case anyone glanced up. He hoped they were all too intent on the auction to notice. Bidding was heating up.
After retrieving his weapons, he wiped them on the clothing of the dead men and sheathed them before heading to a nearby girder.
“Two hundred.” Sass’s voice skated over him like a caress.
He wrapped his arms and legs around the beam and slowly eased back to the floor. There were still six guards that needed to be dealt with. The mood in the room was shifting as some of the buyers were being shut out as the price climbed.
The men on the floor weren’t the same caliber as those who’d been above. Spear went about systematically taking them down one at a time until only the big one by the door was still standing.
Trusting that Sass was ready, he pulled his blaster and aimed at the first computer operator.
****
The man at the first computer cried out and was thrown out of his chair and onto the floor. In quick succession, the rest went down before they could grab a weapon.
Now!
She sprang from her seat, blasters drawn, and began to shoot the other bidders. Staying in motion, she ran through the shadows, firing and running, hitting the first three targets before the rest caught on to what was happening.
A huge roar came from the giant on the door.
Not my problem.
The auctioneer was imputing a code into the box. He was going to grab the items and run. Shoving one blaster back into its holster, she grabbed a knife and threw it. It slammed through the man’s hand, making him scream. To give him credit, he didn’t stop, even though he was bleeding profusely. The old guy was tougher than he looked.
“Down.” Recognizing Spear’s voice, she dropped instantly. Two blades flew past her head. Bastard. She was already on the move, sliding deeper into the darkness. This was where she operated best, where she was most at home.
The more seasoned and wily ones took to the darkness, too. The rest ran for the door and were taken down by her or the ones who still hoped to steal the auction items.
She stilled and controlled her breath. There were others out there. The floor was littered with bodies. The auctioneer had the box open and was gathering the items from within.
Fuck!
Going against all her training and every instinct, she put her blaster on stun and fired. Even though she’d done it on the run, the slight flash from the weapon gave away her position long enough for someone to hit her.
She cried out and fell, but kept rolling. If she stayed in one spot, she was dead. Harder to hit a moving target. The auctioneer was down. She’d managed to stun him before she was hit. All she had to do now was stay alive.
Her left arm hung useless by her side. She had no idea how much damage had been done. Walling off the worst of the pain, she used the remainder to focus herself.
The guard by the door was down. Two competitors took out each other when they both fired at the same time.
A man screamed before his body was pitched toward the front of the room. Blood rolled down his face and torso. Spear came out of the shadows, an angel of death. There was no mercy to be found as he strode toward the man on his knees.
“You shot her.” There was no inflection in his tone and no heat. A chill raced down her spine. He drove his blade into the man’s heart and yanked it out. His body fell forward onto the ground. Golden-brown eyes pierced the darkness and unerringly found her. “How bad?”
“Not bad.” She honestly had no idea if she was lying or not. There was no time to worry about it now. “They all down?” Blaster still in hand, she eased from the shadows. Until she knew for sure, she was taking no chances.
His gaze narrowed and his arm came up. A knife flew toward her. Then it whizzed past and landed with a thud.
Heart racing, she whirled around. The appraiser, the round little man lay on the ground, a blaster in his hand.
Spear strode past her and kicked the weapon from the man’s hand. “What do you know about the Gravasian weapons?”
She placed her hand on her chest and sucked in a breath. He’d been saving her life, not trying to kill her. For a second, she’d thought he’d betrayed her now that he had what he wanted.
The man laughed. “I’ll never tell.”
“Oh, you’ll talk.”
Shivering again at the lack of emotion in his voice, she went around the room, removing weapons from the dead and tossing them into the center of the room, while making sure they were all indeed dead and not faking.
They’d done their jobs well.
She checked the computers last, pleased to note no distress call had been sent. “We likely only had a limited amount of time until reinforcements come if some signal isn’t sent.” Walking toward Spear, she gestured to the man on the ground. “He’s stalling.”
“Then he is of no more use.” Spear slit his throat without hesitation. Blood gurgled from the wound. The man’s eyes went wide and he gripped his neck, but there was nothing he could do.
They walked over to the auctioneer. Blood seeped from his hand. “Sorry about that. He was going to run. It’s only a stun. Shouldn’t take much to bring him around.”
Spear grunted and retrieved the blaster and dagger from the man’s pocket. He examined them before stashing them in his own. Then he slapped the auctioneer in the face. “Wake up.”
The man groaned, his eyes fluttering open. They widened and his pale skin went even whiter when he saw Spear above him.
“By the power given to me by the king of Gravas, I hereby sentence you to death for dealing in stolen Gravasian tech.”
“No.” The dapper old man shook his head in denial.
“If you tell me everything you know, the death will be easy. If you do not, it will be hard.”
Sass swallowed the lump in her throat and took a step back. Would she ever hear that tone directed toward her?
“You’re one of them, aren’t you? A Gravasian assassin?”
“Yes.”
“How?” He licked his lips. “How did you find out about the auction?”
Spear’s smile was cold and cruel. “There is nothing you can hide from us.”
The man’s entire body was shaking now. “I’m only a broker.”
“You dealt in Gravasian tech, knowing the penalty. We’ve made it quite clear.”
“Yes, but I’m just a broker.”
She almost felt sorry for the man until she saw his hand easing i
nto his pocket. “Hand,” she called out at the same time Spear grabbed it and squeezed. Bones crunched and the man cried out, tears leaking from his eyes.
Spear reached into the pocket and drew out a communicator. He opened it, pressed the auctioneer’s finger on the pad to open it, pushed some buttons, and then closed it and placed it in his own pocket.
“Talk. I’m running out of patience.”
“I was contacted. The man called himself Balthazar.” The information tripped off his tongue.
“Is that everything?”
“Yes. Yes. It’s all done by communicator. He had his men here tonight to keep an eye on things.” His gaze darted around the room and quickly skittered away from the dead bodies. Snot ran from his nose, his former pristine appearance gone, leaving a dirty, bloody mess in its place. “I’m really only the broker. I’m an old man.”
If he was looking for sympathy, there was none to be found.
“And those weapons you were brokering belonged to my brother.” Spear drove his dagger through the man’s heart. Back bowed, the auctioneer gave a final gasp. Then he was gone.
Spear stood and sheathed his weapon. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Ten
She’d thought he was going to kill her. He’d seen it in her eyes, the momentary flash of fear and accusation. He tried not to take it personally.
They were moving silently through the night, heading back toward his ship before any alarm was raised. He slipped his hand into his pocket and touched Ivar’s blaster and then the knife. He had a name. Whoever this Balthazar was, Spear would find him. He was one step closer to finding his brother.
His excitement was dimmed by the woman beside him.
She’d thought he was going to kill her.
His mind occupied, he reacted a millisecond too late to avoid the blast. But he’d moved enough to keep from taking it in the center of his chest. Small blessing. As he was thrown back, he flipped his body in the air, landing on one knee and skidding backward into the shadows of a darkened building.
Not for the first time, his battlesuit had saved his life. That blaster had been set to kill.
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