“What the hell are you talking about, Captain?”
Kepp rubbed his jaw, wondering how much to say. “Sir, I’ve been under your command for five years. Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?”
“No, Kepp, never.”
“General Battarq didn’t send me here to protect the secretary’s wife. You can take my word for that. Tell the general that I’ve found it and I need to get it somewhere safe. That’s about as specific as I can be. I guarantee he’ll know what I’m talking about, and he’ll authorize our evacuation.”
Kepp waited in silence while the commander considered his words.
“All right, I’ll contact him, and I’ll pass on your message. I won’t have a heli-jet available until late tonight or early tomorrow morning. Can you hold out that long?”
“If there’s no other choice,” replied Kepp. “If we’re not here when the heli-jet arrives…”
With an abrupt buzzing sound, the burn set cut off. Shit. Time to formulate plan B.
* * * *
“Sergeant Till, would you walk with me?”
Lira had decided she would leave her room today. Why not? She had three strong men to protect her. The red-haired man shot her a crooked grin.
“Sergeant Till, is it? After last night you’d think we would be on a first name basis.”
Lira laughed. For the first time in a long time, she felt at ease. “What would you have me call you in public?”
“Oh, ‘big guy’ might be nice,” he teased. “Call me Red.” The man extended a muscular arm, and Lira took it without hesitation. “You look very pretty today, my lady.”
“Call me…” Lira hesitated. “Perhaps you should call me Lisa, as Regnan does. There are many ears about.”
“I’d prefer not to call you by that name, if you don’t mind.”
“What will you call me, then?”
Red winked at her. “Mine.” He laughed. “Although I may have to beat Kepp and Wat off with a stick. Perhaps I should just call you ours. How does that sound?”
Lira laughed with him. She steered him away from the keep toward the relative isolation of the garden. “Then you have no second thoughts? I will not force any of you to act against your conscience.”
She heard a guffaw. “I don’t recall being forced,” he said, his voice dry. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so eager to participate in a group exercise in my entire life.”
Lira blushed at his words.
“Don’t worry.” Red patted her hand. “It’s our secret. Well, yours, mine, Kepp’s, and Wat’s.”
Lira looked around. “Where are Captain Kepp and Arms Master Watso?”
“Right here,” came a low voice from behind a rock wall. Lira turned around just as Tanner and Wat got to their feet. Apparently they’d also sought out the garden for a little privacy.
“Where is Mr. Speth?” she asked in a whisper.
“Not here,” replied Wat.
A shudder ran through Lira’s body. She was grateful when the three men surrounded her and kept her huddled in their midst as they passed through a high, arching gateway. Lira stopped beneath the thick branches of a flowering quince.
“What did he beat you with?” Tanner asked the question.
“A horse crop.” Lira tried to keep her voice matter-of-fact, like his.
As she watched, a look of fury passed over Tanner’s face, and the smell of righteous anger reached her. She studied the three grim faces before her. If Mr. Speth could see what she saw in their eyes, he might express some concern for his longevity.
Tanner practically growled. “It won’t happen again. I can promise you that. He won’t get anywhere near you. We won’t let him.”
“I know.” She reached up a hand and pulled a bright pink blossom close to her face. The fragrance was sweet, light, a perfect match for the fresh, hopeful spring morning. “I knew that the instant you tossed him into my room.” Lira let go of the flowered branch. Her eyes met Tanner’s, then Red’s, and, finally, Wat’s. “This morning is far too quiet,” she announced. “Usually Speth or the man named Uke stand outside my door. They follow me everywhere. Today they are nowhere to be seen.”
“That’s because we’re here,” said Wat.
“No.” She shook her head. “They have something planned for me, I can feel it, but first they will have to get rid of the three of you. I think you should leave this place as soon as possible.”
Red pulled her against his side, wrapping her in his protective embrace. “Not without you.”
“That’s right.” Wat spoke up. “We don’t go anywhere without our woman.”
Tanner crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. His eyes issued a challenge. “You want to be rid of us so soon?”
Lira relived the feel of the three of them in her, on her, surrounding her with their strength. Her body warmed at the memory. “No,” she murmured, and she looked into the questioning eyes of each man. “I don’t want you to die. I’m in no serious danger. Regnan won’t kill me, but he won’t hesitate to get rid of you if he thinks it’s in his best interest. If the three of you leave now, you can bring back help.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt Regnan wants us gone,” answered Tanner. “But I think his plans extend to you. He knows his secret is out. The sooner we get you away from here, the better. Do you remember how Regnan brought you in?”
“No. All I can recall is the smell of the sea, but that could have been because of the location of Land’s End.” Lira nodded her head at the high wall. They could just make out the noisy crash of the waves beyond. “I climbed into the royal jet, took my seat, and fastened my seat belt. F’yit sat behind me, two guards sat across from me. The pilot announced that we’d been cleared for takeoff. That’s the last I knew until the moment I found myself standing on wobbly legs in the marble entryway, covered from head to toe with that thick, black veil, Regnan’s vile voice hissing in my ear. He said my little sister would suffer if I didn’t cooperate.”
“Where are your guards?” asked Wat.
“I don’t know. Dead, I assume.”
Red rubbed the copper stubble on his chin. “What did he mean by cooperate?”
“He wanted me to lie down and spread my legs for him,” Lira spat.
“Why didn’t you, if you thought your sister was in danger?” The question came from Tanner.
Lira felt a rush of indignation. “Because I would rather lie with my maid a thousand times than bring such dishonor upon my body and the House Zhinshu.”
Tanner reached for her and placed a big, warm hand on each of her shoulders. “Weren’t you afraid for your sister? That’s all I’m asking.”
Tears stung Lira’s eyes, and she willed them not to fall. They fell anyway. “Yes. I was terrified for her. But even Battarq could not be so cruel and so stupid as to abuse a sixteen-year-old royal daughter of Zhinshu. Even though I thought Battarq held her as a hostage, I believed Regnan to be bluffing. I am the heir. It’s my body he needed, not hers.”
“We’re being watched,” commented Wat, in a casual voice. Lira shot a glance in his direction. He leaned against a redbud tree, his pose casual, relaxed.
Tanner’s hands dropped from her shoulders. “Who?”
“Two guards up left, one up right. Fuckin’ A. Can’t get out of here soon enough for me,” Wat added.
“Let’s move,” said Tanner. “You should return to your rooms. Red will keep an eye on you. Wat and I are working on finding our way out of this place.”
He wrapped an arm around Lira, prompting her to turn. Together they stepped forward. Red and Wat automatically followed his command, flanking them. Lira knew she had chosen well. These three men would stand with her. She would die before she’d let them down.
Chapter Ten
“This way,” Kepp signed to Wat, using combat hand signals. Silent as a stalking tiger, the big man followed him down the dank passageway. The algae-slicked walls and ceiling dripped water on the floor, making the footing slippery a
nd the going slow.
Wat had managed to get the young cook’s assistant alone. Terrified, the tearful girl admitted she’d seen Speth and some of the other guards enter and exit through a small door hidden behind the shelving in the pantry. Getting her to show them the location of the secret passage had taken quite a bit of persuasion. Not only did the girl fear losing her job, she worried she’d receive the kind of beating Lira had been subjected to, or worse. It seemed she’d been trysting with one of the delivery boys back there for several months. Although she hadn’t witnessed Lira’s appearance, she’d seen the men coming and going on three separate occasions. The third time had been this morning. She’d watched Speth vanish through the doorway at dawn. He may have returned, but, if so, she hadn’t seen him. She’d hightailed it out of the pantry as soon as he’d closed the secret door behind him.
Lucky for them, the girl was a cautious one, and she knew how to keep her mouth shut. She claimed she was certain Speth had no idea she and her delivery boy had been crouching in a dark corner behind the stacked fifty-pound bags of flour when he’d passed right by them.
Despite the infrared goggles they wore, the men had to watch their step. The passageway was black as deepest night, and they couldn’t risk using any artificial light. Since the girl hadn’t seen Speth return, for all they knew he was still holed up somewhere with the man who’d brought in the zodiac. Besides, neither man wanted to sprawl headlong into the muck, sprain an ankle, or give the guards any advance warning of their approach. The tunnel twisted and turned, always heading in the general direction of the sea. At times, the salty seaweed smell hit them with a powerful blast of cold air, but they’d turn a corner and the sea smell would diminish and fade into the background. At last they arrived at a fork, and both men stopped. One passageway led right, one left. Tilting his head back, Kepp opened his mouth and sniffed the air. From the right passage, he detected cooler, fresher air, and the sea smell was stronger. He motioned for Wat to follow him.
Just as the tunnel narrowed to the point where only a single man could pass through at a time, Kepp arrived at the top of a steep flight of stairs cut into the rock wall to his left. The stairs spiraled down toward a small square of natural light. As Wat reached him, Kepp pointed to the opening in the rock wall below. Both men removed their night goggles and pulled out their combat knives. Kepp knew in his gut that the stairs led to the way out and the small stretch of beach would be guarded by one, if not two or three men. Better to be prepared and hope to hell they weren’t.
* * * *
Lira set her book aside. She hadn’t read it anyway. She’d stared at a single page for an hour. Something was wrong. She felt it in the churning of her stomach. Something was very wrong. Pacing might burn off some nervous energy but that would tip off any guards watching her. And where had her maid got to? She hadn’t seen F’yit since breakfast, and the single member of the household staff she’d managed to question had no idea where she was. Head bowed, eyes glued to the floor, the woman said, “No, Mrs. Regnan, I haven’t seen her.” Where could she be? To the best of Lira’s knowledge, F’yit had never wandered farther than the kitchen gardens. She needed her maid. The woman was her eyes and ears. Well, if she didn’t appear within the hour, Lira would search for her, guards or no guards.
Perhaps the continued captivity was taking a greater toll on her maid than Lira realized and F’yit simply needed time alone. Without question, it was taking a toll on her. Lira’s skin crawled with the need to be away from this prison. Regnan could fill her suite with luxuries, but it was a prison nonetheless.
Lira needed some activity to settle her mind and occupy her body. She hurried to change into her skintight practice jersey. Barefoot, she stalked into the main room, her one consolation the thought that Red kept a wary eye on her. If he noticed anything amiss, he would crash through the adjoining door in a flash. Trying to slow her racing heart, Lira pressed her palms together and closed her eyes. She began the Kinji Watah, taking several deep, cleansing breaths, repeating her private mantra with each exhalation in an attempt to clear her mind of negative thoughts and emotions.
The sound of a heavy thud against the wall jerked her to full awareness. Lira’s eyes flew open and, throwing caution to the wind, she ran for the door to the adjoining room, ripping it open with one swift movement. Red lay prostrate on the floor in front of her, fresh blood on the side of his head. Two guards stood over him, Uke and another man she didn’t recognize. Uke held a gun in his hand. He glanced up at her and, with a grin that bordered on demonic, pointed the gun at her helpless mate.
Without a second thought, Lira growled and threw herself over Red’s helpless form, landing a vicious kick against Uke’s kneecap. She felt the flat bone crack beneath the sole of her foot, and he crumpled to the floor with a scream. Moving quickly, before the other man recovered from his shock and could unclip his holstered weapon, she downed him with a swift kick to the solar plexus. Unable to inhale, he fell to his knees beside Uke. Quick as a flash, Lira kicked the weapon from Uke’s hand and scooped it up. She’s never participated in true combat before, and she took no pleasure in injuring anyone, even Uke who had laughed as he beat her. However, she couldn’t risk their escape. They would warn the other guards. She saw Uke already dragging himself toward the open door. A swift kick to the side of his head stopped him and he lay still. The other man watched her, his eyes glazing over as he slowly suffocated. Lira took pity on him and stopped his heart with a well-placed strike to his chest.
You will not vomit, Lira ordered herself as she knelt beside Red. Her fingers sought the pulse point on his neck. His heartbeat felt strong and regular, his breathing was even, but he’d suffered a blow to his temple, and although the man might be tough and hardheaded, this injury could be serious. She had to get him out of the keep. How? Lira sat back on her heels. She could perhaps fight her way out, but not if she had to support Red.
Quick as a fox, she stripped the holster from Uke’s prone body. She strapped it about her waist and snapped the gun into the sheath. She took the holster from the other man and wrapped it around one shoulder and over her chest, clipping the weapon belt in place. Water. She needed a good look at Red’s injury. Keeping an eye on the doorway, Lira ran to the bathroom and flipped on the spigot. She soaked a towel with ice cold water and returned to Red, pressing the wet cloth to the side of his head. When she heard him groan and saw his eyelids begin to flutter, Lira let out a sigh of relief.
“Red,” she whispered, “Red, it’s me, Lira. We have to get out of here as quick as we can.”
“Lira?”
“Yes, I’m Lira. Red, you were attacked by two of the guards. You were hit on the head. We have to move before anyone else comes. Do you think you can sit up?”
“Yeah, gimme a minute,” groaned the big man. “My head feels like it’s been split in two.”
“Well, it pretty much was,” Lira commented, lifting his head into her lap.
“Did you save me, honey?” Red’s grin was lopsided and when she saw it, she knew he would be all right.
Lira planted a kiss on his forehead. “Yes,” she smiled a weak smile, “I guess I did.”
“You sealed the deal then, darlin’.”
“You are my consort, my beloved. I had no choice, and even if I did, I would choose the same. Can you rise?”
Red sat up with Lira’s help. “That was pretty stupid,” he said, feeling the side of his head. “One man walked in and said something about your maid needing my help, and that was the last thing I knew until I heard your voice. How long was I out?”
“Not long. I heard the thud of your big body…”
“And you came flying to the rescue,” Red interrupted. He stared at the two dead men. “You do this?”
Lira’s face grew warm. She did not want to look at the men she’d killed. “Yes.”
Red must have seen her distress because he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Sweetheart, you did what you had to do. You don’t have to
like it. I don’t expect you to like it.”
Tears filled Lira’s eyes. “It is not in my nature to kill a man, even an enemy.”
“Well,” said Red, climbing by slow degrees to his feet, “it was them or me, so I can’t say I’m all that conflicted.” Digging into one of his pockets, he leaned on Lira. When he opened his hand, Lira saw a small communications device. “It’s a perdi,” Red volunteered, pressing a small tab. “It’s like an emergency buzzer, and it can be used as a beacon if necessary. I’m buzzing Kepp and Wat. You haven’t seen them, have you?”
“No, and my maid, F’yit, is missing. Perhaps the guards realized she was not what she seemed and they’ve taken her away, or worse.”
“Maybe,” Red replied. “But we can’t worry about that right now. Right now we’re going to get rid of those bodies, grab Wat’s bag, and get the hell out of here. I know where Kepp and Wat went, I just hope to God they’re all right.” He and Lira dragged the bodies into the bathroom and locked the door from the inside, closing it behind them. At least there was no blood trail.
“Which is Wat’s bag?” Lira asked.
“The big, black one, over there.” He pointed to the farthest bed.
She helped Red to lean against the desk. She retrieved the bag and slung it over her shoulder.
“That sucker’s heavy,” commented Red. “I should carry it.”
“No.” Lira shook her head. “You concentrate on walking. I’ll carry the bag.”
“Give me one of those pistols, at least,” said Red. “Even if I can’t see straight, I can still shoot straight.”
Lira unclipped the safety strap and handed Red one of the guns.
“Can you fire that if necessary?” he asked, pointing to the other gun.
“Of course. My training also included marksmanship. I’m a very good shot.” She tried hard to keep the hint of pride out of her voice. She must have failed because Red flashed that grin of his.
Barrett, Julia Rachel - One Four All (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7
