“Check for survivors,” my least favorite person in the world ordered the others.
I ducked out from my hiding place. “There aren't any more. I checked.”
If they were surprised to see me, they didn't show it. McRattin remained stony faced as always. Argon cocked his head. “Any more?”
I shifted my cloak aside to reveal the somewhat calmer child. She wasn’t wailing anymore at least. His expression softened. Ray came rushing over. McRattin stayed right where he was.
“I assume you’re not into cradle robbing, so the mother must be dead,” he said with a scowl, eyes roaming over the scene. “How long ago did you come up on this mess?”
“Only a few minutes ago,” I said, bouncing the child. “This couldn't have happened more than an hour past. The scavengers were only beginning to descend when I arrived and the bodies aren't stiff yet. These people weren't well off so I don't think they were robbed.”
“Slavers,” Cain muttered. He looked back to me, eyebrows raised. The child was playing with a lock of my hair that had fallen free of its bun. I made no move to stop it. On the contrary, I was relieved she had stopped crying. Her wailing had torn right through me. Her mother had clearly loved her and that had been ripped away.
“Poor thing,” Ray cooed, scooping her out of my arms. She patted the baby on the back and took off with her toward the ATV she had dismounted. I watched, suddenly irritated. I guess I wasn't trustworthy enough to protect her even though I was the one who had saved her. “We’ll have to drop her off in the next town.”
“That’s not a great idea either,” I snapped. “Orphans are either sold or left to die.”
Her hazel eyes widened. “That’s horrible!”
“That’s life,” I growled. “If you go to town, buy her some goats milk. That’s nourishing enough for now.”
The baby screeched and I cringed. Ray bounced her just as I had but she only cried harder. All the men seemed to shrink a little, afraid Ray would pass her on to them. Whatever she did, the kid didn't like her like she had me.
“Give her to me,” I said, holding out my arms. “If we don't get her quiet soon, it’ll attract all the predators; human and otherwise alike.”
She begrudgingly offered her back to me. The baby stopped crying immediately and gurgled, playfully tugging on my hair. I pulled the pins out of the top of my bun, bringing down the rest. That seemed to have a calming effect. The child was silent as she grasped my hair and closed her eyes.
“Don’t feel jealous,” I said in a side tone to the now disgruntled Ray, eyeing her auburn hair. “The mother’s hair was black. I’m playing charades right now. The baby doesn’t know I’m not her.”
“We don't have time to stop,” Cain said, pulling out a large set of binoculars.
“I’ll take her then,” I volunteered against my better judgment. “I can get her to MoiRai.”
“They take in orphans?” Rig said, coming up curiously.
“They took me,” I said softly, pulling the cloak back over the child.
“We get the idea,” Argon said, cutting me off. He glared, probably still mad at my departure. “We need to get going. Whoever did this is still lurking about and we only have a few hours of light left before we have to make camp.”
I nodded and backed off. Crouching down, I covered our heads because of the sand that would be kicked up by the wheels. But the engines never came to life.
“As a ward of the state, we can’t just leave them,” Cain’s voice said, coming through my muslin cloak. “And letting Sierrenna wander off with the kid simply won’t do on the paperwork.”
“Since when do you care about paperwork?” Argon snorted.
Dropping the cloak down, I saw Cain shoot him a supremely dirty look and then cast his gaze on me. “We can give you and the kid a ride. It beats walking and I doubt you can play mighty swordswoman with a kid on your back.”
I rose from my crouch with a frown. For the child’s sake, I was in no position to refuse and, judging by his triumphant expression, he knew it. He patted the seat in front of him. “Safety regulations dictate that the lighter of the two parties ride in front. Plus, we’re carrying precious cargo. I mean the kid.”
I made sure to sit down as hard as I could and elbow him in the process. He chuckled darkly. I was acutely uncomfortable. I could feel every breath he took through the back of my clothes considering he made no attempt to preserve my personal space. I couldn't see what he was doing behind me either, so that put me on edge all the more.
He started the engine and our squadron moved forward. Argon’s jetted forward leaving us in the dust. We went at a more leisurely pace, I gathered to spare the child from the wind.
“So, I never took you for the motherly type,” he said conversationally, snaking his free arm around my waist.
I stiffened and resisted the urge to smack his hand. “Children are a gift from God and should be treated as such. Love should be instilled in a child from the beginning. If they grow up without it, there’s more chance they’ll grow into monsters.” I blinked sentimentally and shook myself mentally. “Why are you being nice to me?”
I felt him shrug. “Being miserable toward you kind of backfired, so I’ve decided to try a different approach.”
I grumbled under my breath. “I.e.; you’ve decided to feel sorry for me after what you did last night. I can read between the lines.”
“Funny you said that. I tend to think you feel sorry for yourself. You’re a very angry person.”
“Look who’s talking,” I snapped, noting that he had made no attempt to apologize. “Daddy’s boy who’s trying to live up to a shadow of a memory; living up to standards left by a dead man and trying to surpass them. That’s why you ride yourself so hard to get ahead. How’s that working out for you?”
It was his turn to stiffen. When he did speak, he leaned in dangerously close to my ear. “You start judging me, I start judging you, princess.”
“You already have. You know absolutely nothing about me other than blind suspicions and they are all wrong.”
I think I felt him shrug behind me. “Perhaps. Maybe you’re not as bad as I thought with the way you’re comforting that kid. With all of the horrible things I’ve heard about you, I’d have pictured you roasting it on a spit over an open fire. But with Argon reading me the riot act, I figure I’d better step in and be nice. He’s mad you left by the way.”
“He’s interesting,” I said watching Argon fly over the dunes doing wheelies. “Doesn’t seem intimidated by me at all.”
“I think you remind him of his old girlfriend,” he said back. “She had the same coloring but different color eyes. She died so don’t be surprised if he’s cozier towards you than normal. It’s not personal. It’s the brain playing tricks with association.”
“Whatever,” I muttered, looking down at the now sleeping child. “We need to be careful tonight. Whoever did this will still be about. We shouldn’t light any fires or anything.”
“Our tents are camouflaged. They won’t be spotted very easily. We-”
I gripped the child tighter as he jammed on the brakes and everyone else did, too. I was about to ask what was wrong when I saw smoke on the not-so-distant horizon and then a large wad of tents dotting the hill in front of us. Cain backed the vehicle up, obscuring us from view. Everyone did the same.
“I think we found the bandits,” Ray called.
“Let’s hope they don’t find us,” Argon replied. “That’s a lot of men there. We’d be outnumbered to hell. We’ll have to go around.”
“We’re confederation troops,” Rig said. “They wouldn’t dare attack us.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Cain said, kicking the braek stand up. He went over to the edge of the hill, crouched down, and pulled his binoculars out. “Going around isn’t an option. They’ll see us for sure. Rain?”
I shuddered when he used my name and everyone turned around to look at me. I placed the baby in Argon’s open arms and
sank down next to him. The view through the binoculars told me my first instinct had been correct. I didn't recognize the tents.
“Slavers possibly,” I said in a hoarse whisper. “I don't know. If they are, they won’t hesitate to attack. We’re not large enough of a party for them to let us pass. Able-bodied men like you fetch a high price on the block and Ray is far too pretty for them to pass up.”
He cursed and backed down the rise. I stayed where I was peering through the binoculars. Those haunting tents were taunting me. What was it with this damned trip? Was absolutely everything I hated most going to be dredged up? Memories of Tiranshyck’s desert caravan and extravagant tent were coming to mind.
“Now what do we do?” Rig said, pulling out his ammunition and loading his gun.
“We aren’t going to slink away like cowards,” Argon declared, his aggressive stance contrasting with the way he was rocking the baby. “The longer we sit here, the more we risk. Either we ram them first, or we lose the advantage of surprise.”
“But how on earth do we distract them? We can’t just ride up and attack. They’ve got to have people on watch.”
Cain looked like he was deep in thought as I looked up at the sky. I knew exactly how to get their attention and keep it. They would be very easily distracted and it would be the perfect plan. But how much would it cost me? I sat up, brushing the sand from my hair. It was now or never. “I can distract them.”
All heads turned to me again.
“How?” Argon said suspiciously.
“I may know them,” I said sliding down the dune.
“And how’s that?!” Ray said, eyes narrowing. “You’re friends with slavers?!”
“No,” I said, looking down at the ground. I jammed my eyes shut. Out with it now, I prodded myself. “You wanted to know where I come from. Part of it is back there. That’s possibly Tiranshyck’s camp. I’m not sure.”
I dragged my hands through my hair. The admission crashed down like a black cloud on me. There was no sound other than the whistle of the wind while the others processed that. “I escaped as a kid. If he sees me, he’ll know me. He used to refer to me as ‘violet eyes’. I was his prize. He won’t have forgotten me or the slight on his pride from my escaping.”
More silence. I made no move to look up and see their expressions. I could hear the baby awaken and gurgle playfully. Argon hushed it.
“Well, we kind of figured,” he said, breaking the quiet. “But you aren’t in any shape to take him on. You’ll trigger a panic attack.”
“And you don’t think they’ll suspect something if a lone woman comes walking up out of the desert?!” Rig exclaimed.
“Well, we can’t go back to the tank,” Ray said, agreeing with me in some way. “They’ll most likely find our tracks. I say we give it a shot. If we find there’s trouble, we can just abandon-”
She cut off as she saw me turn toward her. I knew exactly what she was going to say. I was expendable. If they didn't like the odds, they could leave me. All of the other heads turned toward her as well. Argon made a wild gesture to shut up. Rig rolled his eyes. The others seemed to agree with her sentiment and murmured amongst themselves. Cain kept his gaze fixed on me. I wasn't fazed.
Rig waved at us from the top of the dune. “Guys, I don’t think it’s slavers. Though the tracks do indicate the slavers visited the camp, they’re now flying confederate colors. They just raised the flag. They must have just set up camp.”
I nearly crushed the device between my fingers in anger. That was even worse. It was everything I stood to destroy.
“In that case, I will remain here with the child,” I growled, standing.
“No need. We’ve been spotted. They’re sending a patrol to investigate,” Rig said. “Oh, crap. It’s Xorratti.”
Yet another name on my scratch list. He was heavy into the slave trade and as corrupt as they came. “Oh, joy. General Vinkent Xorratti in the flesh.”
“You have a grudge against him, too?”
My scornful laugh echoed off the dunes. “Evil, sadistic rat bastard-”
“This ought to be fun,” Argon said in a low tone.
* * *
An hour later I was still sitting outside the tents on the ATV. I had point blank refused to place myself in the presence of the demons in the camp. The aides to the general were still watching me through the flaps in the tent. I made no bones about how I felt. I was busy sharpening the already razor sharp edge of my left blade and made no effort to stifle the sound of the whetstone scraping.
Truthfully, I wasn’t sure why we were here for so long. We had a nuke to hunt down and yet here were sitting idle. It was aggravating me, knowing the delay was only to kiss another elite’s undeserving ass.
For now all I could do was glare at the white tents in front of me. I was watching over the child still, but she had fallen asleep a while ago. I had rocked and sung to her softly, trying to keep my voice down. I didn’t need the reputation of being a pushover, and as it was she was ruining my image. So while the sound from my blade sharpening wasn't disturbing her now, I kept it up. And then I had to stop. I was too busy staring at the menagerie coming my way.
Cain was looking nervously from me to the five-star jackass general striding toward me. His cigar stuck out of his ugly mug like a bulldog with a bone. He was substantially shorter than I would have anticipated. He was also older than the picture I had procured. His voice grated on my nerves. Most of the people I dealt with were just ugly on the inside and not on the outside. This one was both. He reminded me of a proboscis monkey except those weren’t as bad looking.
“Ah, the elusive Sierrenna! You really have brought me a treat, Cain! How do you do? It’s a pleasure!” He extended his hand out over his enormous belly once he had planted himself in front of my face. I looked at it and then went back to sharpening.
“Likewise, I’m sure,” I sneered.
He didn't seem to notice. “I was worried when Greyson told me you were dead. I’ve wanted to touch base with you for a while but now I hear you’re on the payroll.”
“I’m here on a private contract,” I said quickly, not looking up. I was wondering why he was being so friendly to me. I guessed Cain had concocted some lie about why I was out here with them.
“You’re not on Rogee’s payroll?” he asked sounding surprised. “Then who-?”
“Discretion,” I said, peeking up at him. My eyes darted to Cain who shook his head imperceptibly. My guess had to be right. Cain had lied.
But then I saw something that had me gripping the stone harder than I would have thought possible. Two sets of small eyes peeked out from behind him. The electronic tracking bracelets around their wrists made me see red. He had two child slaves with him. They couldn’t have been more than seven years old. I wanted to vomit and launch an attack all at the same time but couldn’t let on. I smiled coyly at him, forcing myself to keep my cool. “And who are these two adorable lovelies?”
“Oh, them?” he said dismissively, waving them off. “They’re still learning. Incompetent really. Pay them no mind.”
My intense irritation must have registered on my face because Cain (who had been shifting rather uncomfortably the entire time) jumped in. “General, I’m sure the sun must be terrible on you. Why don’t we go back inside?”
“Do stop fussing, boy! I can live with it just to spend a few moments with the illustrious minx you have in your company. Or are you vested in keeping her all to yourself? I wouldn't be surprised in that case. She’s stunning! But if she were under my charge, I wouldn't have her in those garbs. A woman like that she be adorned in silk and gems!”
Argon coughed loudly, which I suspected was covering a laugh. Xorratti turned around and bellowed toward the tent. “Boy! You should really come out here! You’re missing it.”
“Go screw yourself!” came the baritone reply and one I recognized. Uh, oh.
Xorratti turned back, massaging his forehead. “When will you learn? Either you come out or
I’ll have you dragged out by force!”
The tall, lanky looking fellow with dark brown hair emerged from the front flap. He had gotten taller since I saw him only a few nights ago. Then again, he wasn’t slouching now. Without the tuxedo, I could see he still had the gangly look of youth like he had had an enormous growth spurt and hadn't filled out much. He looked bored as if the whole thing was beyond his interest but I could tell by his posture and the fact his hands were curled into tight balls that was far from the case. He strode toward us and stopped in front of his father. His eyes sparkled with long suppressed anger. “What? Am I supposed to be impressed with her? She’s a killer. Can I go back inside now?”
I felt my stomach drop in shock when the general’s hand swiped out and grabbed his shirt front to yank him down to his squat level. He shoved his nose in Michael’s face. “You will not embarrass me this time. I have had it!”
“Then why do you keep dragging me along on these excursions? If you want a parrot or puppet on a string, then go get one!”
The general’s face turned a fiery shade of scarlet and looked very much like he wanted to hit him. I was so impressed with the fact Michael failed to react that I decided to intervene on his behalf. “Perhaps I could talk some sense into him, General,” I said sweetly. “Why don't you go inside and shield yourself from the punishing desert sun? We’ll be in shortly.”
My voice dripped with exaggerated honey. All parties seemed startled by my suggestion as I slid off the vehicle and sheathed my blades. I batted my eyelashes at him and walked away, adding a swing to my hips. “Are you coming, Michael? Do watch the baby, Cain. You have so much in common…”
I heard the general sputter something behind me. “Baby? What baby? She has a child?!”
As I turned back, I heard Cain say something about the refugees and how I had been watching over the kid to keep it quiet. But my eyes were on Michael. He was regarding me with open speculation. I cocked my head. “And why don’t you bring the two incompetent little slaves with you? We have things to discuss.”
War Machine: Book One in the Destiny In the Shadows Series Page 11
