Not to Dagan. What mattered most to him was keeping Jadi safe. He didn’t know how he was going to do that with everything fighting against him, but he was determined. Then a light went on in his head and he straightened slowly. “Hang on.”
Jadi grinned, scrambling to his feet. “You have an idea.”
Dagan smiled. “You sound far too gleeful for my comfort.”
“I always did like your ideas.” Jadi laughed, a sound Dagan hadn’t heard in a while. “Tell me.”
“Go get Torin and Rain. They’re in this too and the more people I have helping keep your ass safe, the better.”
Jadi bolted for the ship, where Torin and Rain had disappeared earlier to clean up and eat. Dagan blew out a breath and sat down heavily. He might as well be on a ship with no controls and trying to steer it anyway. As if he could will this massive, unmovable thing in the direction he needed it to go.
There was no room for error now. Jadikira’s life depended on it and Dagan was not going to let him down again. He’d get Jadi his freedom, no matter the cost. He only hoped it made up for the past when Dagan hadn’t been able—or maybe willing—to give him what he needed.
This time he would.
Chapter Fifteen
“Just stay close. If we get spotted, scatter. Except you, Jadi. You stay with me, understood?”
Under normal circumstances, Jadi might bristle at the order—and it was an order—but this was maybe one of the most dangerous things he’d ever done and he was kind of glad for Dagan’s presence. “Gotcha.”
Jadi threw his hood up over his head, put his hands in his pockets and closed his fingers around the barrels of the gun he had in each. He didn’t want to have to kill innocent guard members just following orders, but if that’s what it took, he would do it. Rain had, of course, encouraged everyone to aim to wound, not kill. Jadi didn’t have any such reservations. What mattered was stopping Kalar and he’d do what it took to make sure that happened. He wasn’t nearly as softhearted as the captain’s husband.
He did stay close to Dagan as they slipped out of the warehouse and, in single file, kept to the shadows against the wall and moved as quickly as possible through the maze of industrial and abandoned buildings and alleyways. It was a toss-up whether this part of the city was a plus or a minus in terms of getting caught.
On the plus side, there was some truth to the idea that the criminal element stuck together and sort of protected their own. But the criminal element was also, well, criminal and thus lacking in some of the more key morals and principles, which led to plenty of folk willing to turn you over for a few credits. Kalar was offering a hell of a lot more than just a few credits.
So they moved as silently and as quickly as they could, Dagan leading the way. They were nearing the edge of town when Dagan drew to a halt and reached back to keep Jadi from running into his back. He didn’t speak, just held his fist up.
Jadi held his breath, his view blocked by Dagan’s bulk. He had to literally dig his nails into his palms to keep from jumping out of their line and peering around Dagan to see what was going on.
Then there were voices, authoritative voices and Jadi didn’t need to see to know those were palace guards. Oh shit, oh shit.
Dagan’s friends weren’t supposed to be in town. Dagan said the guards he’d contacted for help—those who were angry about the takeover and willing to fight back—were supposed to meet them outside town and then escort them to the base. Which meant either these guards just happened to be patrolling the area, or Dagan’s ‘friends’ weren’t friends at all, yet again.
Please God, let it be the former.
A minute or so later, the voices faded and Dagan’s hand unclenched, two fingers flicking in a forward motion and they resumed their quick, shadowy trek. Jadi found himself ridiculously glad that those guards weren’t Dagan’s friends betraying them. Dagan had enough guilt over bringing Kalar into this when she’d been the traitor all along. He didn’t want to think of how Dagan would blame himself if this went bad because he’d trusted the wrong people again.
Besides that, it was a brilliant plan and the only one that might work. The guards they were meeting would escort them to the base, pretend they caught the lot of them trying to escape the city and bring them to his uncle. Once there, they could tell Leven everything and between them hopefully find the perfect way to overthrow Kalar.
It didn’t take long before they were out of the city and Jadi knew he wasn’t the only one breathing easier as the buildings and crowded spaces disappeared behind them.
“Off the road. My colleagues won’t be the only people on it tonight, the last thing we need is to actually get arrested.” Dagan waved them all down off the main road and into the wooded area along either side.
“How far?” Rain asked, glancing behind them.
“Maybe ten minutes at this pace. There’s a crossroad, they should be waiting there.”
What would happen if they weren’t? Dagan didn’t say anything, so Jadi didn’t ask. They had to be there, that was all there was to it.
Dagan glanced back at him. “You holding up alright, little bird?”
“I’m fine. I just want this over.”
“I know. I’m trying, Jadi.”
Guilt hit him and he glanced back at Torin and Rain before coming up alongside Dagan and looking up at him. “I know you are. I didn’t mean it that way. Thank you for helping. You didn’t have to.”
Dagan glanced away. “Yes, I did. You still don’t get it.”
“Get what? Dagan, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say the wrong thing.” He sighed. “I was trying to say thank you, that’s all.” He was too tired, emotionally and physically, to argue anymore so he fell back into the line and didn’t say anything else. He didn’t know what he could say anyway.
As it turned out, he didn’t have time to say anything either, as they came up on the crossroad. Jadi’s heart leaped right into his throat at the sight of a contingent of guards, half a dozen or so. Heavily armed, in full uniform—they were intimidating. They could be just waiting to trade them in for the reward, or they could be the key to the whole plan.
Either way, they were about to find out, because Dagan didn’t wait and observe, he just stepped right out of the trees and strode toward them. Jadi wanted to hesitate, but he’d promised to stay with Dagan and so he glanced back at Torin and Rain, jerking his head in encouragement, and darted out after Dagan.
“Wait up!” he called softly.
And then there were guns, lots of them, all aimed at the four of them—Dagan, Jadi, Torin and Rain all froze, halfway between the guards and the trees. Like sitting fucking ducks. Goddammit!
Dagan let out a chuckle, then, and Jadi’s eyes widened as he resumed striding closer, seemingly unconcerned with the guns aimed at him. He walked right up to the guard who appeared to be in charge and they clasped hands, leaning in and clapping each other on the back. The rest of the group lowered their guns. “Christ, Gale, I nearly shit my pants!”
“Hey, we had to make it look good, just in case anybody was following you.”
Dagan turned and waved them closer. “It’s fine, come on.” Jadi, Torin and Rain approached a little less enthusiastically. “Gale, this is Jadikira, and his friends Torin and Rain.”
Gale and the others stared for a second before—as a group—they sank to one knee. “Your Highness.”
Dagan rolled his eyes. “Get up. Jesus. He’s not going to be prince for very much longer if we don’t get him to his uncle and take care of Kalar.”
Jadi was grateful when the men stood back up, though they kept casting him sidelong looks as if he was some mystical creature. “Thank you for your help. You’re sure you can get us in to see my uncle?”
Gale shouldered his gun. “Yes, Highness. Your uncle has very wisely shown no interest in
asserting his right to the throne, instead leading Kalar to believe that he’s glad to have the duty off his shoulders. Whether she believes him fully is irrelevant, she can’t move against him now. So she’s ‘stationed’ him here at the base as an acting overseer, though everyone knows it’s a precaution so that if he shows any sign of changing his tune he’s contained and easily controlled.” Gale smirked. “Or so she thinks.”
Rain’s eyes lit up as he stepped forward. “So he has a plan?”
Gale shook his head. “Not that I know of, at least not solidly yet. But he’s gathering allies there as we speak. Suffice to say Kalar might have the palace guard in her pocket, but the rest of the military isn’t so keen on her taking over.” He glanced around and then gestured to his men. “Sorry guys, we have to cuff you for the rest of the way.”
Jadi’s insides tightened in instinctual protest as the cuffs closed around his wrists, a soft, almost-silent whizzing sound as they sealed. He met Dagan’s eyes and found the other man watching him, as if expecting Jadi to look up and need his reassuring smile. And he did.
They were loaded into the waiting military vehicle—Torin, Dagan, Rain and himself in the back with four of the guards ‘securing’ them, the other two in the front driving. No one said anything out of concern they might be spotted. It’d be very unusual for guards to be seen joking and talking with prisoners being transported. So they all tried to look as serious as possible, while Jadi and the others wavered somewhere between defeat and anger. It was difficult, but got easier as they approached the base and adrenaline began to really pump.
This was it. The last hurdle. If Dagan’s friends were wrong and personnel loyal to Kalar got involved, things could go bad very fast.
It turned out he didn’t need to worry, as Gale leaned out of the vehicle’s window at the checkpoint entrance, chatted with the guard on duty a bit and informed him of their capture and plan to take them all to Leven, who’d want to hand them over to Kalar personally. The next thing they knew, they were being waved through and Jadi could breathe again.
Gale and the others were visibly rough as they unloaded Jadi and the others, and Jadi didn’t have to fake a scowl as he stumbled when nudged by the barrel of a gun. Christ, did they have to be so authentic? Dagan gave him a quelling look. Jadi sighed and allowed himself to be herded along with the others up some steps and into a large building.
It was sparse and nondescript, the way most military buildings were, full of offices with shut doors and cryptic acronyms on the signs telling the average person absolutely nothing about what went on inside. Gale and the other guards didn’t stop at any of the small offices and Jadi didn’t expect they would. Wherever his uncle was being kept, it wouldn’t be some tiny, stuffy office.
“Wait here.” Gale’s voice brought everyone to a halt in front of a plain, nondescript door with a useless acronym on the window. So much for assumptions. “I have to brief him.”
Dagan shifted closer to Jadi, as if he could do something to protect him in cuffs. Although, knowing Dagan, he could probably take out the other five guards without even breaking a sweat.
It wasn’t more than thirty seconds later that Gale was back and waved them inside in a hurry, glancing out and up and down the hall. “Hurry, inside. We’ll wait outside.” Before he left he quickly uncuffed them all, then gave Jadi a quick bow, Dagan a smug smile and slipped out.
“Jadikira.”
Jadi turned, heart thumping at the sight of his uncle standing just a couple of yards away beside a large desk. He looked so much like his father that for a second Jadi thought he was seeing a ghost. Dagan moved closer and his presence was, again, a solid comfort. Jadi gave his uncle a shaky smile. “Uncle.” He didn’t know what to say or do, and was grateful when Leven made the first move and came over, hugging him. Their family had never been much of the hugging type, but it warmed him where moments ago he’d been cold. Jadi let out a breath and hugged him back.
“You shouldn’t have come, Jadikira. It’s dangerous.”
Jadi took a step back. “That’s why we had to come. We need your help.” And suddenly he knew what they had to do, the idea so breathtakingly simple that he almost laughed. He looked up at Dagan. “I think I know how to win this.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Premier Kalar Anesko.”
It took all Jadi had to not roll his eyes right out of his damn head. Premier. She might as well have given herself the title of Grand Supreme Goddess of the World. He wanted to knock her fucking teeth out.
Instead, he tried to look cowed as his uncle led himself, Dagan, Torin and Rain into the main hall of the palace, Gale and the other guards surrounding them. He hadn’t been prepared for how it would feel to see an imposter, a traitor, sitting on his father’s throne. For all that he didn’t care about having the crown or the job for himself, it was like a punch in the gut to see that turncoat slime sitting there looking for all the world like she genuinely thought she deserved to be there. Delusional.
He glanced behind him at Rain, who tugged innocuously at the cuff of his coat, middle finger pressing a button inside. Jadi cleared his throat to cover the soft beep and looked away. Here went nothing.
His uncle bowed low, then glanced up at Kalar. “The criminals were discovered on the road out of town and brought to me. I brought them immediately to you.”
Kalar rose, glaring down at them. “Have they been questioned?”
“No, Your Excellence. I thought for sure you’d want that pleasure for yourself.”
Kalar smirked. “You were correct.” She stepped down off the dais, approaching. Jadi met her gaze steadily, and beside him so did Dagan. “How could you do it, Jadikira? Your own father.”
Jadi’s jaw clenched and he tilted his chin up. “We all know I had nothing to do with that. Was I here? Yes. I have every right to be. This is my home.”
“No, you abandoned it. Ran away to play at being a pirate, like some childhood game you never got over.”
“And you stayed and became more and more bitter over what you couldn’t have, didn’t you? The power, the throne that I—a silly little boy—was born to? You didn’t think I deserved it. You thought it’d be wasted on me.” Jadi shrugged. “You’re right. It would be. So tell me, Kalar. Did you kill my father or was that just lucky timing for you?”
Kalar’s eyes narrowed and she strode toward him angrily. Jadi stood his ground, though beside him Dagan growled softly at the threat. Kalar gave him a disdainful look. “Oh please, stop snarling like a wild animal, Dagan. You always did have a weak spot for him. Chasing after him all those years, making excuses, coddling him. It’s no wonder King Adar went to you. I should have anticipated that.”
“Why, so you could pay him off like you did all the others? Because it just wouldn’t do with your plans for this planet and the gradium supply for me to be found, would it?”
Kalar scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You have no idea the plans I have.”
Jadi laughed. “That’s where you’re wrong. I know all about the deal you have with Shengo. I know how you’ve been smuggling gradium off-planet for months, maybe longer, and pocketing the money to fund your little coup. I know you intend to give a dangerous criminal a monopoly in the gradium trade from now on and pit us all in a war against the C.O.P.”
Kalar let out a laugh. “Oh, is that what you think you know? You’re barely half-right, little boy. Shengo Lark is a fool if he thinks I’m willing to risk going up against the Coalition in just so he can line his pockets with my money. No, he was a convenient ally when I needed the stuff smuggled off-planet and sold without anyone tracing it back to me, but as a business partner? Not a chance.”
Jadi was surprised, actually, hoping he could keep her talking. “So you’re going to double-cross him? That’s not much less dangerous than dealing behind the C.O.P.’s back.”
“Wh
at do you know? The Coalition is going to be quite happy to continue working with me. Especially when they show up here in a couple of days and find Shengo waiting for them on a silver platter. Do you suppose I’ll get a reward for handing him over to them?”
Jesus, she was insane. She was going to try to turn Shengo in? Did she really think even if the Coalition arrested him that he didn’t have an endless supply of cronies who would make her life—and the life of everyone on Hadrian—a living hell? The Coalition only cared about receiving their gradium; they didn’t care about helping the average citizen. It was going to be a war zone in no time.
“Kalar, you know that isn’t going to end well. You have to know that.” Dagan took a step forward, only to find a handful of guns aimed at him. “What are you going to do with us? Do you honestly think the people of this planet will simply stand by and let you get away with murdering their crown prince? No matter what crime you say he’s committed? They won’t believe it.”
Kalar shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t care if they do or don’t. I’m in charge now. And those that don’t believe his guilt will learn that to cross me means death and dishonor. Those who do believe his guilt will call me a hero for capturing and punishing him.”
She really was delusional. It was time her delusion came to an end. He flicked his gaze to Dagan, who nodded and in a heartbeat Gale and the other guards had swung their guns around and formed a loose circle around Jadi and the others, their weapons now aimed at Kalar’s guards.
“What are you doing?” she snapped, backing up a step.
With her guards neutralized, Jadi swiped his finger across the lock of the cuffs holding him and they fell away. Dagan, Torin and Rain did the same. Beside him, Jadi’s uncle straightened, his demeanor every inch that of the royal he was.
Jadi’s eyes narrowed as he moved toward Kalar. “You might not have killed my father, Kalar, but you did put him in his grave. By plotting against him, by making sure I never knew he wanted me back... His life could have been extended in a lot of ways that you stole from him. Now it’s my turn to steal a little something from you. Your freedom, for one, and everything that isn’t rightfully yours, for another.” He glanced to Rain, who grinned and stepped forward.
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