He was on the move, ghosting through the gloom before his mind caught up to the reality of the situation. Sass was racing toward a tall man dressed all in black, holding a blaster in his hand.
“Franco, you bastard. What have you done?”
The large male’s smile was cruel. This was one who enjoyed killing. And Sass knew him. Had she contacted Franco? Had she betrayed him?
“Why, I’ve disabled your friend. Artemis thought you could use some help.”
The crushing sensation in his chest wasn’t from the blaster hit. Disappointment, anger, and despair threatened to choke him. He’d believed Sass to be his destiny.
A cold sensation rushed through him, followed by blessed numbness. A man could still live without his heart. He was living proof.
They both had to die.
It would destroy him, but it had to be done. Duty had always sustained him. This time it would be the end of him.
“We both know that’s not why you’re here.” Sass sounded so calm and collected. Had he really known her at all? “She sent you to kill me.”
Franco raised the blaster, this time aiming it at Sass, who wasn’t wearing any kind of body armor.
The scene rewound in his brain, playing again, but this time with all the information. Artemis had likely tracked Sass through her communicator and sent someone to kill her. Her aim? To leave a dead-end for the Gravasians to trace. With the buyer dead and the auction items missing, the trail would go cold.
With a roar, Spear threw two knives in quick succession. The assassin dodged the first one but couldn’t avoid the second. It pierced his arm.
Well-trained and ruthless, Franco raised his good arm, weapon aimed at Spear’s face, having learned from his first attempt that hitting the body didn’t work.
Sass jumped at the man, taking him down. Their bodies entwined, they rolled across the ground. Someone groaned.
No! Don’t let it be Sass.
He reached them and pulled her body off the man. The knife was jammed straight into Franco’s heart. His eyes were open and empty, staring into a void of nothingness.
He was dead.
She’d killed the man sent by her boss to save him. And herself, a voice reminded him.
Panting hard, she whirled and ran her hands up and down his chest. “You’re okay. Tell me you’re okay.” Her eyes were wide, her pupils so large they almost drowned out the blue color.
“Battlesuit,” he reminded her.
Her chest heaved and she lowered her head. “I saw you fly back. I didn’t know. I didn’t know,” she repeated.
Truth.
She was trembling now and clutched his biceps. Her eyes were spitting fire when she raised her head. “Next time move faster.”
A smile twitched at the corners of his lips. Her fierceness warmed him, driving the cold numbness away. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Bastard,” she muttered. What was usually a derogatory term was fast becoming a term of endearment.
“We need to move.” So far, no one else had come to investigate the noise. Their luck couldn’t hold. Sure enough, in the distance, he caught the sound of running feet. “Now.”
He yanked her to her feet and started to pull her away.
“Wait. Should we search him?”
“No time.” His keen hearing was picking up on stealthier sounds coming from the opposite direction. “We’re about to have company from all sides.”
“Fuck.” She started jogging, her body weaving slightly but then steadying. Sass was one incredible woman. After everything she’d been through, she was still composed and ready for whatever came at them next.
They wound their way through the streets and alleys of Oasis, heading as directly as possible for the docking station.
“You expecting more trouble?” he asked. She’d know Artemis better than he.
“I wasn’t expecting Franco. And that was a miscalculation on my part. I know how Artemis’s mind works. I should have been expecting it.”
“How did she know about me?” It was a question that needed answering.
“I’m not sure she did. Franco was sent to kill me and retrieve the items. You were simply collateral damage.”
It was the same conclusion he’d come to.
Her footsteps slowed until she’d come to a complete halt. “You thought I’d turned on you, didn’t you?” She said it slowly, as though trying to decide if she had the right words. It was difficult to decipher what exactly she thought of that, as she’d donned her professional assassin’s face, her features a blank slate.
“Yes.” He wouldn’t lie to her. Not now. Not ever. He might not tell her everything, but he would not lie when directly questioned. “Just as you’d thought I was going to kill you back at the warehouse.”
She tipped her chin in acknowledgment, her lips pursed together in a thin line. “Fair enough. Where does that leave us?”
“Move now. Talk later.”
She looked as though she might argue but swallowed it back and started trotting, setting a fast pace.
Bringing up the rear to protect her, he kept track of all the noise around them. They couldn’t leave Oasis fast enough.
****
Stomach roiling, emotions battering her, Sass took her seat in the control room of Spear’s ship and pulled on the safety harness in preparation for departure.
They’d run into no trouble, no squads searching for them on their way back. There’d been several regular security patrols, doing their normal sweeps in pairs, but they’d deftly avoided them and moved on. The docks had been relatively empty at this time of night. Those who were there minded their own business. No one wanted any trouble or anyone looking too closely into their own activities.
Safe now, she replayed the scene over and over in her brain, watching Spear being thrown back by the assassin’s blast.
Why hadn’t he sensed their attacker?
Why hadn’t she?
They’d been distracted by each other.
I almost killed him. And herself. Because Franco had been sent to cut off the loose end—her. What was happening to Zaxe and Delphi? Were they all right?
She pressed her hand against her stomach as Spear dropped the ship from its berth at the docking station and headed out into space. As soon as they’d cleared the area, instead of hitting the boosters, he turned to her.
His golden gaze ran over her from head to toe. She was very aware she was sweaty, dirty, and slightly bloody from their fight and subsequent flight.
“What?” she demanded.
“You thought I was going to kill you.” There was no inflection in his voice, no indication he was upset about that. She knew better. Or thought she did.
She ran her fingers through her short hair. “Shouldn’t we be getting away from Oasis airspace before they discover all those bodies and send an Alliance patrol ship after us, since we’re likely the only ship to leave this time of night?”
“There’s time.” He was all Mr. Calm while her nerves were jumping like they were being blasted with an electric shock.
“Fine. Yes, when you threw that knife in my direction, I assumed you were going to kill me. What else was I supposed to think?” The shock had held her immobile. Up until then, she’d believed in her heart and soul he’d had her back.
“I wasn’t aiming at you.” The bastard was going to drive her insane with his unnatural composure.
“I know that. Now.” She wanted to jump out of the chair and pace but remained in place in case they had to blast out of here in a hurry. Her knee started moving up and down. She clamped her hand down on it to hold it in place. She had all this energy and no outlet.
“You thought I’d betrayed you.” And it had never crossed her mind, even for a millisecond, to do such a thing.
“A miscalculation.” He monitored the scanners around the ship.
“A miscalculation?” That was what he called ripping her heart from her chest. Her body ached from fighting, her arm bruised and throbbing
from the slight blaster hit, but none of that came anywhere near the pain in her chest, the agony coursing through her.
If this was love, she hated it. It hurt too damn much.
“Yes. When you responded to the male by name and knew that your boss had sent him, I assumed he was there to help you take me out.”
“It was a stupid assumption.” She was being illogical but didn’t care.
“You still have your communicator,” he pointed out, his tone that of a teacher explaining the facts to a slightly slow student.
“Which you monitored. Remember?” She swallowed back her anger. If he could be calm, then so could she. Even if it killed her. It was either that or wrap her hands around his thick neck and strangle him.
A muscle twitched in his jaw and his lips thinned as he gave a curt nod. “I won’t apologize for that.”
“Fine.” She threw her hands up in the air. “So what do you want from me?”
“Trust.”
They stared at each other, both of them searching. “Is that even possible?” She wanted it but wasn’t sure they could ever reach that point. Not really. “We’re both trained killers.”
“It worked well tonight. I protected your back. You had mine.”
“I distracted you.” He’d never have been shot if it hadn’t been for her.
“You did.”
“Well, don’t sugarcoat it. Give it to me straight.” She rubbed her hand over her face. What was wrong with her? She didn’t want him to lie or evade. So why was she saying such things?
“I will never lie to you.” It was a vow, a promise. The knuckles of his hands that were wrapped around the arms of his chair were white. His posture was erect.
“You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
If he’d tried to convince her, she wouldn’t have believed him, but the stark, unadorned facts he laid out were the truth.
“You distracted me, too,” she told him.
“I know.”
That teased a laugh from her. The tension gripping them both leaked from the room, leaving her tired and worried. “We really should leave.”
“But where are we going? I have to make a report to Gravas. Let them know what I’ve discovered.”
Her stomach lurched again. Her adrenaline crash was making her queasy and exhaustion settled over her. Her body needed care and rest. Just hold on a bit longer. “Will you tell them about me?”
His gaze captured hers, holding her captive. “Yes.”
****
It wasn’t fear in her eyes but resignation. “You will not be harmed.”
“You can’t guarantee that. You’re an assassin. What’s to stop your commander or whoever is in charge from sending another one after me? After both of us?”
Her frown accentuated her exhaustion. Her skin was pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
“Maybe it would be safer if we split up.” She covered her mouth as she yawned. “Sorry. It’s been a long day … and night.”
There was only one way to settle this. “Computer, open direct channel to King Agman el Gravaso.”
“Opening channel,” the computer replied.
“What are you doing?” She was poker straight in her chair now, her eyes wide, her expression one of dawning horror.
“The only thing I can.”
A familiar face appeared on the screen. His father was in his early sixties, his hair and beard laced with gray, but he was still as imposing as ever. A warrior to his core, he’d passed his values and beliefs on to all his sons.
“You have news.” His gaze flicked over to Sass before returning to Spear, his expression giving away nothing.
“The items are secured, and a message has been sent. There are loose ends that need to be handled.” Beside him, Sass shifted slightly in her seat, drawing a knife. Did she expect him to kill her or was she expecting the king to order her death? Maybe it was reflex, an assassin’s response to a perceived threat.
“Go on.”
“Granter, the informant. I assume the tag on his phone is active.”
“That has already been taken care of.”
“A man named Seether was the contact on Oasis.” He rattled off a description. “I gave him one of the marked credits, but he’s not the kind to hold on to it for long.” He’d hoped to deal with the man himself, but there’d been no time.
“Wait.”
As the king’s face momentarily disappeared, Spear swiveled his chair around to face Sass. “Everything will be fine.”
“I’m a loose end.”
“No, you’re not.”
His father appeared again, his brows raised slightly as he caught the end of their exchange. “Seether will be dealt with. Anyone else?”
“This is Sass. She helped me recover the items and saved my life.” Best to lead with that.
His father steepled his fingers together but said nothing. Even over the screen, the force of his personality was palpable. But Spear had a lifetime of dealing with his father and kept his silence.
Sass, unfortunately, couldn’t hold up under the scrutiny of the king of Gravas. “I was originally there to get the items for myself,” she began.
“Sass,” he cautioned, but she shook her head.
“I won’t lie.”
“A wise decision,” his father told her. “Continue.”
Sass laid it all out, omitting nothing, except for their sleeping together, but his father was astute enough to read between the lines. “So I did save his life, but if he’d been alone, it wouldn’t have been necessary. I’m not asking for my life.” Her earnestness could not be denied. “But my brother and sister had nothing to do with this. When you bring your force against Artemis, I’m asking you to spare their lives. I know I’m a loose end that needs to be clipped. Honestly, it was only a matter of time. I’ve already lived longer than I ever expected to.”
Now he understood why she was acting so out of character, spilling her guts to his father. No, not his father, as she was unaware of that. She was making her case to the king of Gravas.
“They are not your siblings. Not really.” His father was poking at her to get a reaction.
“They are,” she practically yelled before pulling her emotions back under control. “Birth isn’t everything. We’ve been a family since we were children.”
“You understand loyalty.”
“I do.”
“What about this Artemis? She took you in. Gave you a home.”
“She did, but it was for her own gain, not because she ever had a care for me or any other child she ever took in. We’re all of us expendable. Weapons to be aimed and used for whatever is her whim, solely to expand her power and increase her wealth.”
The king nodded and stroked his beard. “So be it.”
“Thank you.” Sass slumped in her chair, radiating sheer relief instead of fear. “I know a Gravasian’s word is solid, that honor is everything in your culture.”
Spear’s lips twitched. The minx was basically reminding the king that his honor was on the line. Ballsy.
His father’s brows lowered and his mouth turned down. “I’m well aware of that, young lady.”
“Yes, your majesty.” The correct reply but there was little deference in her tone. She was meeting him as an equal, warrior to warrior.
And the king respected that. After all, he was married to such a woman. Spear’s mother, Steffa el Gravaso, backed down from no one.
“Is there anything you’d like to add?” his father asked him.
“No. While you have people looking into this Balthazar, I’ll deal with the Artemis problem.”
“See that you do. My honor, it seems, is in your hands. Send a location as soon as you have it.” He paused and then nodded. “You have done well.” The screen went blank.
“By the two sun gods of Brenam, I actually spoke to the king of Gravas.” Sass tilted her head back, stared at the ceiling, and gave a shaky laugh. “Zaxe and Delphi would n
ever believe it. He’ll keep his word, right?” Anxious now, she sat forward, her hands gripping her knees.
“He will. As you reminded him, his honor is on the line.”
“I did do that, didn’t I? Oh, gods.” She leaned forward, her head between her knees, her breath coming fast and hard.
Spear smothered a grin and shook his head. She’d fought and killed tonight to save both their lives and achieve their goal and it hadn’t fazed her, but talking to his father did.
He lifted her chin, waiting until she was truly seeing him. “You have no worries when it comes to his word.”
She swallowed and nodded. “So when are you going to kill me?”
Chapter Eleven
Everything was going to be okay. Well, maybe not for her, but for Zaxe and Delphi. Surprisingly enough, she wasn’t as scared as she should be.
For a short while, she’d seen how life could be, how it should be. Working with Spear toward a greater purpose than herself, instead of the whims of a power-hungry woman, made her feel as though her life had value.
She’d traded that life for that of her family. She had no regrets. If she was going to die, better it be at the hand of someone she knew, someone who might mourn her than a complete stranger.
And that was total bullshit. Well, not the working toward a greater purpose and saving her family, but the accepting death part. She’d always been a fighter. Otherwise, she would have perished as a child.
Every muscle in her body tensed as Spear stared at her. The urge to fight, the need to take the offensive was making her twitchy. But she’d made a promise of her own. And her word was as good as the king’s.
“Well?” She was sweating now, the waiting interminable. His golden eyes studied her. His fingers tightened almost imperceptibly on her chin. “What are you waiting for?”
Waiting to die sucks. Her breathing was faster now as she struggled for composure.
He lowered his head toward her. He wouldn’t? Would he?
She reared back just before their lips could touch. “We’re not doing that.” Jumping up from her chair, she backed away.
“Why not?” Like a great beast of prey, he prowled toward her.
“What do you mean, why not?” She moved to the right, placing each foot carefully to maintain perfect balance while keeping him in front of her. “You’re going to kill me. That doesn’t include kissing.”
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