“Is that her?” Hans asked with a nod in her direction.
The man raised his arm, finger pointing at her. “That’s her, all right.”
“You sure?” Erik asked, a strange calmness to his voice.
“There’s no mistaking her,” the man said, “not with that color skin and eyes.”
“All right.” Hans looked at Erik, a silent command in his gaze. “Thank you.”
Erik took a stack of notes from the table, which he handed to the man. “You can go.”
The man licked a finger and flicked through the notes, counting them before pocketing the money. With a last sneer in her direction, he disappeared through the door.
Swallowing, she faced Hans. “What’s going on?”
“I think you know,” he said, taking two steps toward her.
Shit. She’d been found out. That oily bastard had ratted on her. For money. Son of a bitch. She lifted her chin. It was her word against his. “I have no idea what’s going on here.”
What frightened her most wasn’t the fact that Hans stopped so close to her the tips of his boots touched hers, it was how softly Karl closed the door, almost like an apology.
“Karl? Erik?” She looked between her brothers.
“Where were you tonight, Liv?” Hans asked.
“I went for a walk.”
He smiled. “Like the other night?”
“Yes, like the other night.”
His smile broadened. “No, you didn’t. You went to the bar.”
Shit, shit. Her heart beat with a furious rhythm.
Erik crossed his arms, disappointment lacing his tone. “What were you doing in the bar?”
“I’ll tell you,” Hans said, his mocking smile cold now. “You met a K.”
She was so fucked. Why the hell did the man have to run his mouth off?
“You’ll believe that cockroach over me?” she asked, acting defiantly.
“The whole town is talking about the K in the bar,” Erik said. “Did you honestly think a K in the middle of the jungle would go unnoticed? We’ve known since last week the Ks are sniffing on our trail.” Hurt infused his tone. “We just didn’t know it was because of you.”
“Why, Liv?” Karl asked, his hands spread wide. “Why did you betray us?”
She had to think quickly, but it was hard with the way she was shaking. “Who said I betrayed you?”
“Why else would you meet with a K? That fucker,” he pointed at the door through which the man had left, “said you kissed the K.” His face drew into a distraught expression. “Tell me it’s not true.”
“The blood on your collar…” Hans said. “The two little cut marks. The K bit you.”
There was no point in bluntly denying it. They already knew too much. She could only hope to sell them a different reason.
“Fine,” she said on a huff. “I met a K in town and didn’t tell you because I couldn’t. I only wanted to know if it was like everyone said, and you would’ve freaked out.”
“What exactly are you saying?” Erik asked, his stance tense. “What was like everyone is saying?”
She shrugged as if she didn’t care, but she felt close to vomiting from stress. “If it’s true that their bite is pleasurable.”
“You let a K bite you on purpose?” Karl asked, his eyes wild and his face red.
“It’s no big deal,” she said. “Calm the heck down.”
“Twice?” Karl exclaimed. “Because we know you met him again. Juan saw you.”
Ah, so the oily man had a name. “You paid that bastard for information on your own sister? He’s a creep who tried to attack me.”
“As it turns out,” Hans said, “we’re not the only ones dishing out money for information. There’s a big reward offered for information on a Resistance cell running in this little ol’ town. Isn’t that a coincidence? I wonder who’s offering it?”
“I told you, I met a K out of curiosity about what the tabloids say. That’s it.”
Hans’ voice softened. “I’m sure it is.”
“You believe me?” she asked hopefully.
“Go,” Hans said to Karl, motioning with his head toward the door. “It’ll be easier.”
“I’m sorry, Liv,” Karl said, his voice broken. To Hans he said, “Remember your promise.” He stormed to the door, yanked it open, and rushed out into the night.
Erik stepped into her line of vision, his face pale and drawn.
“Don’t do this, Erik,” she pleaded.
“I love you, Liv,” he said, “but I told you this was bigger than you or me or our family. If it had been Karl, I would’ve done the same.”
The twins were inseparable. Hearing Erik’s confession, that he’d be willing to hand over the one person he loved more than anyone, more than himself, told her there was no way out for her.
With a last look in her direction, Erik, too, walked to the door. When he was gone, Hans flicked his fingers. The two soldiers moved forward, grabbing her arms.
“What are you doing?” she cried, fighting them.
“You can’t do this,” she yelled as they pushed her down on her knees behind a chair, her chest against the backrest.
“You leave us no damn choice,” one of the men gritted out.
They forced her arms around the chair back, so that she was hugging it, while Hans secured her hands and feet.
Cold sweat starting dripping between her shoulder blades. She knew what this meant. She’d seen it before.
“Please,” she pleaded with one of the men when he stepped into her line of vision. “Don’t do this.”
Instead of replying, he turned his face away, but not before she’d glimpsed the pained look on his face.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
She wish she could confide in them, tell them that she was trying to save them all, but they’d never believe her. Besides, saying so would compromise Zavir. They’d know what he was planning, and they’d set a trap. Zavir would be killed, and it would be her fault. No, she couldn’t do that to him, not when he’d vowed to save her brothers and get them all out alive. Not when she still felt him so deep inside her, in parts of her she didn’t care to examine.
Hans dismissed the men, and when the door closed once more, he crouched beside her.
“It could’ve been me, Liv. You could’ve given me a chance. You know how I feel about you.”
She jerked her head up to look at him. There had always been interest from Hans’ side, subtle hints, and vague suggestions, but never the fireworks she’d felt in Zavir’s arms. No lust, no passion, no desire, just a common goal and a lifelong tie that comes with family friendship and the responsibilities they share.
“Hans,” she said through dry lips, “please.”
Features hardening, he pushed to his feet. “Why did you meet with a K, Liv?”
“Hans.”
She could only appeal to him as a friend, hearing his footsteps as they fell behind her and farther, to the side of the room where they kept the torture instruments. She counted five, six seconds, and then he walked back to her.
This time, her voice shook. “Hans.”
He gave her no warning. Fabric tore with a harsh sound as he ripped her shirt from the collar all the way down to expose her back.
Dragging in a breath, she gritted her teeth, already knowing what was coming before a sharp zip slashed through the air and exploded in a line of blinding agony on her back. Her whole body convulsed in pain. A streak of fire burned diagonally across her back. A whip, she registered through the haze of pain. It was hard to focus on anything more than the pain, which was what the instrument was designed to do.
She prided herself too early on not having made a sound. When the second lash fell, a scream tore from her throat. She hugged the chair harder, the wood pressing into her chest. Her knees wobbled. Only the binding around her arms held her upright.
Whoosh.
The ache was searing, agonizing, burning like ten fires. He’d broken her s
kin. That was the only explanation for the intensity of the pain. The wetness that dribbled down her back confirmed it.
“What were you doing in the bar, Liv?”
Whoosh.
“Hans!” She gasped for breath, barely keeping her head up.
“What were you doing in the bar?”
Whoosh.
Her back arched from the excruciating pain. “I met a K!”
“Why did you meet a K?”
“I-I wanted to know what it was like.”
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Her head bobbed, and blackness threatened at the edge of her pain. If only the darkness could take her.
“Did you give the K information about us?”
She couldn’t tell him that, so she said, “They would’ve killed us. All of us. The mission was doomed from the start.”
“He brainwashed you.”
“No! Please, listen to me. I don’t want anything to happen to you or my brothers.”
“You disappoint me, Liv. I trusted you. You betrayed us.”
Whoosh.
God, she was going to pass out. She gritted her teeth so hard, they had to have cracked.
“The Ks are coming for us,” Hans said, bitterness lacing his tone. “When?”
She barely had the strength to shake her head.
Whoosh.
The bite went deeper this time. She tried to pull into herself, but the cruel chair held her up as Hans struck repeatedly.
“When, Liv? When are they going to attack?”
She couldn’t take more. She’d rather die. She lost track of the count as more lashes rained down on her with the smell of blood thick in the air. She wasn’t conscious of screaming, but her voice was hoarse when Hans finally gave her a reprieve.
“When, Liv?”
Friday. It was on the tip of her tongue. Friday was the magic word that would make the agony stop. Then there was Zavir with his gray-green gaze and strong hands and cocky words. Friday was the word that would get him killed as surely as she was being whipped on her knees. She couldn’t do that to him, not when he was risking his life to take them out alive instead of executing them all for plotting to kill many thousands of his kind, including their human charl.
A gush of air left her lips as she gave up, accepting her fate and the pain that came with it. This was for Erik and Karl. The last thing that registered in her mind as darkness crept into her vision was Hans’ voice when he said, “Fine, Liv. Let unconsciousness take you, but I’ll wake you up again sooner than you care for.”
Chapter Six
Of course, Zavir didn’t tell the beautiful informant the truth. Doing so could not only potentially compromise him should her team members question her, but also her comrades. If they believed they could bring down Lenkarda’s protective shield, they were even more ignorant than the worst so-called freedom fighters. They didn’t realize how easy it was to take them out. All he had to do was use advanced technology to fabricate an electric field around their compound, and they’d fry to death. If he was to take them alive, he had to catch them unaware, when they least expected it. Which wasn’t Friday. No, it was today.
It would be messy. He didn’t like it, but for someone who didn’t give a damn about honor or deals, he sure didn’t want to break the pretty human’s heart. Under the brave veneer she kept up, her feelings were tender. Her tears had proven it, as had the way she’d melted in his arms. No, he wasn’t noble, and he wasn’t going to pretend to be, but if he killed Liv’s brothers, she’d never forgive him, and that wouldn’t serve his purpose. Korum had convinced the Council to agree to Liv’s terms, albeit reluctantly, and only because Zavir had convinced him Liv wouldn’t otherwise give up the Resistance cell’s secrets.
Leaving the transport pod a safe distance away in a clearing, he continued his approach on foot. It was more discreet with less chance the Resistance’s scanners would pick up his aircraft. Checking his weapons, he pulled a protective shield around himself, courtesy of the advanced Krinar technology. The shield enabled him to move undetected, both invisible to the naked eye and infrared.
It was new moon. The night was dark. Since he didn’t need the protection of the thick vegetation for camouflage, he took the fastest way to the compound, which was via the road. The hologram in the corner of his night vision device confirmed the information Liv had supplied was accurate. Every landmark he passed corresponded to the map.
A short way from the camp, he stopped. The building where the men were supposed to be sleeping was dark. There was no movement around. The only window from which light shone was the office. A quick heat scan confirmed the number of humans and their positions. A few soldiers guarded the outlook points. The apparatus showed two bodies in the office. The rest were in the sleeping quarters. This was going to be loud. Pulling up the launch sequence on his wristwatch device, he selected the first target before giving the voice command.
“Fire.”
Chapter Seven
Icy coldness pulled Liv from the mercy of unconsciousness. She blinked at the sting and gasped for air as another wave hit her in the face. Coughing, she shook the drops from her eyes. Water. Where was she?
“That’s my girl. Welcome back, Liv.”
Hans.
At the same time, she placed the voice, memories flooded her mind to mix with the excruciating pain as her nerve endings jump-started to life. Her back was on fire. The ache was unbearable.
“When are the Ks coming?” Hans asked, his voice coming from behind her.
It took all her energy to turn her head enough to look over her shoulder. Hans sat on his knees behind her, a knife in his hands. Her feet were bare, her boots lying to one side. He had to have removed them while she was unconscious. A bucket filled to a quarter with water in which ice cubes floated stood next to her shoes, which explained the water in her face.
“Hans,” she said through parched lips, despite the fact that her hair, face, and upper body were drenched.
Grabbing her left foot in his hand, he gently caressed the sole. “Last chance, Liv. When are they coming?”
Her shoulders sagged. Hans was relentless. He wasn’t going to give up. Neither could she.
“Give him up,” he said, as if he could read her mind. “No K is worth your torture. This is hurting me more than you, sweetheart. Tell me what I want to know, and the pain will stop.”
It wouldn’t. Hans would kill her. He’d have no choice. He’d have to set an example for the men. Her fate would have to be the same as for all traitors in their camp. It would be a public execution, long and agonizing. Death wouldn’t come quick or painless. Maybe Karl or Erik would have mercy and put a bullet in her heart. Or not? Maybe their belief in this mission was too strong.
“Liv?” Hans prompted softly, his thumb brushing the sensitive hollow of her foot. “Who is he? Give me a name and date, and we’ll bring him down together. We’ll have his head. I know he brainwashed you. We’ll fix you, I promise. Trust me.”
She took a shaky breath. She wouldn’t do this to Zavir. Even if Hans killed her, Zavir would come on Friday, take the men prisoner, and set them free when he’d rendered them harmless. She wouldn’t be dying for nothing. Yes. She blew out the mental confirmation with a puff of air.
“What was that?” Hans asked.
She could only shake her head. It was best she saved whatever energy she had left for what was coming. She didn’t have to wait long. If she’d thought the whip was harsh, it was nothing compared to the knife. The sharp point inserted just below her big toe, burning through her flesh like acid. A scream she couldn’t contain broke free, but the sound was feeble. The burn cut across her sole to her little toe. Instead of cutting off her toe like she’d expected, he was making an incision in her foot. God, it hurt. She tried with all her might to move her foot away from the torturous pain, but Hans’ hold was too strong. Her leg shook in his grip.
Another cut.
Another scream.
Over and over.
Pinching her eyes shut, she forced herself not to look, but she could feel the blood trickling down her heel. Her body started quaking all over as it went into shock.
“Liv,” Hans said on a groan. “Give me something. Make it stop.”
She gnashed her teeth, scraping together the little she had left of her physical force to face him squarely from over her shoulder. “Sorry, Hans. I’m not letting my brothers die.” Her voice was unsteady but her words strong. “Give it your best shot.”
“All right,” he said solemnly, pushing to his feet. “As you wish.”
Her heart sank as he went for the pliers. Teeth or nails? Which would it be?
Please, let me be strong. No, let me die now.
There was no such luck for her. Placing the pliers in her line of vision, Hans walked to the corner where they kept the cleaning utensils and returned with the iron.
No, not that. Not the iron. She whimpered as he plugged it into the wall to heat. Pride deserted her. Shamelessly, she called for her brothers, even if they probably couldn’t hear her. They wouldn’t have stayed in earshot, not for this. Had they agreed with Hans’ methods of making her talk?
“Do Erik and Karl know what you’re doing?” she asked in a cracked voice.
“I promised them I wouldn’t hurt you, that I’d just scare you a bit, but you and I both know you’re too strong to be scared. You left me no choice. Talk now, and all this will be over.”
She shook her head. “Karl, Erik, they’ll never forgive you.”
“I don’t need their forgiveness. I need to know what you’re scheming with the Ks.”
Hans returned for the pliers. He drew the cold metal over her shoulder, watching her with a sad look as he made sure she registered the new instrument of torture.
His tone carried regret when he said, “Stick out your tongue.”
His intention had barely registered when a bright light penetrated the room. Blinded, she squeezed her eyes shut. A split-second later, the room shook with an explosion. Glass rained down on them as the windows shattered. Her ears rang from the noise. She forced her eyes open. What should’ve been flames and debris were ripples of thick air, like waves of energy. They rocked her body and splintered the wood of the chair. As the backrest broke into pieces, she fell facedown, her hands and feet still tied. Her brain was going to combust. The white light kept on expanding, pulling her body tight with spasms and making it impossible to think.
The Krinar's Informant: A Krinar World Novel Page 5
