“You have a beautiful home,” Riley said.
“Thank you,” he replied. “Though, I can't take credit for it. Paige is the one who decorates and makes this house what it is. Please, sit.”
He had arranged the chairs on his desk so that we were facing one another in a small semi-circle. He'd also thoughtfully arranged food and drink on a small table in the center of our little meeting spot.
“I'm sorry Paige isn't here to meet you,” he said. “She had a lot to do at her club today.”
Riley cocked her head. “Which club is that?”
“The Mahogany Tavern,” Baz replied.
Comprehension – or perhaps just familiarity – crossed her features. “I've been there before,” she said. “I had no idea your wife was the owner.”
Baz nodded, beaming proudly. “She is the owner,” he said. “She's really made something of herself – and her club, I have to say.”
Riley took a can of soda from the table and opened it. Not being familiar with human food and drink, I leaned back in my seat without taking one. Riley though, giggled and handed me one.
“Dr. Pepper,” she said. “At the very least, give it a try.”
I looked at her skeptically, but raised the can to my lips. Baz was watching me very closely, probably waiting to gauge my reaction. The bubbles in the drink tickled my nose, but it had a good flavor. I held the can and looked for at it for a bit. The soda, as she'd called it, had been very good. Different than anything I'd had before, but good.
“I like it,” I said.
“It's become one of my favorites too,” Baz said as he leaned back in his seat. “So, what can I help you with today, Jendrish?”
“To be perfectly honest, I don't know anymore,” I said.
“Well, what do you want to have happen?”
“I want what Tarkonil wanted,” I said simply. “I want to make Optorio a world to be proud of again.”
“So what is stopping you?” he asked.
“There is but one of me,” I replied. “And the Regents have an army.”
“Sometimes, the smallest fighting forces are the most effective,” Baz said. “Especially those with absolutely nothing left to lose.”
“Nothing left to lose?”
I cocked my head and looked at him. He smiled and took a drink of his soda. Birds chirped in the trees all around us. As beautiful as Optorio was, this place was extraordinary. I snuck a peek over at Riley, who was trying to be discrete about her presence, and was hanging on every word of our conversation.
“I still have a connection with Anjol, my biosystem,” Baz said. “I never closed the link. He told me that there was a death notice out for you. Though, you should take heart in the fact that bringing you in alive is worth a little bit more than bringing you back dead.”
I sighed. “Yeah, that wasn't expected.”
“It's not fair,” Riley finally chimed in. “He saved our lives and now he can't go home?”
A rueful grin touched Baz's lips. “It's because he saved your lives that he can't,” he said. “He made some powerful enemies by doing that.”
“So, what should I do?” I asked.
“You're going to have to cut out that corruption,” Baz said, all trace of warmth gone. “You're going to have to break the power of the Regents. Destroy the Council. And then establish something in its place to govern Optorio.”
“Oh, is that all?” I asked, my words dripping with sarcasm.
I looked up and something had caught Baz's attention. Though he appeared to still be focused on us, I could see that his eyes were focused on something behind me – something in the forest.
“Don't turn around,” he saids softly.
The urge to turn and look was very strong and I had to actively fight it. I looked over at Riley and saw that she was having the same internal battle.
“It looks like that bounty on your head must be a good one,” Baz said. “I count a pair of those lowlives in forest back there.”
My heart started to race and I felt the familiar tension in my body I would get as I readied for battle. Baz stood up and walked inside the house, leaving Riley and I staring at each other.
“I'm scared, Jendrish,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Don't worry,” I replied. “Just act like everything is normal.”
Her laughter was more of a dry, barking sound – and definitely not the laughter of somebody who genuinely found something funny.
“Normal,” she said. “Nothing in my life has been normal in a good, long while.”
I nodded. “I know. And I'm sorry for that. I truly am.”
Baz re-emerged fom the house and set another tray down on top of the table – actually, on top of the tray already there. It was covered by a napkin, and I looked at it questioningly. Baz nodded and tipped me a wink and I had the feeling that there was something beneath the napkin would make the coming fight a little more even.
“Riley,” Baz said. “I wonder if you'd be so kind as to go in the house and see about putting on some coffee?
She looked at him, an expression of offense upon her face before she realized what he was actually asking – go inside, stay inside, and keep her head down. Without another word she stood up, and excused herself, disappearing into the house.
“They still out there?” I asked.
“Yeah, they're creeping closer though.”
“We're going to need to question one of them,” I noted.
“Of course,” he replied.
“On the count of three,” Baz said.
I nodded and began mentally preparing myself for the coming fight. It had been a little while since I’d last seen combat – or had been involved in any sort of a fight. But I was well trained and I was ready.
Three...
I cleared my throat and tried to clear my mind.
Two...
I was doing this for Riley. I was doing this to help keep her safe.
One...
I reached and yanked the napkin on the tray Baz had carried out. And sure enough, there were two weapons of Optorion design sitting there. Picking up the first gun, I spun and fired – blindly, of course. I had no idea where the assassins were. I was simply hoping to draw them out long enough for Baz to get a good shot.
But no shot came. These assassins were ridiculously patient. I snuck a peek at Baz, and he was a little uneasy too, not knowing what was going on.
“Come,” Baz said.
I followed him down the stairs and into the meadow that spanned the distance from his deck to the forest beyond. Holding our weapons out in front of us, we walked slowly toward the forest with no idea where they were.
The sound of a twig snapping underfoot drew my attention quickly. Gun raised, I spun and saw one of my would-be assassins – and he was holding Riley, a gun to her head. My heart lurched and my stomach seemed to be folding in on itself. I looked over at Baz and saw that he was angry, his face darkening.
“Let her go,” I said.
“I'll do that,” the first assassin said. “But you'll be coming with me.”
The second assassin appeared and held a gun pointed at Baz. “You scum are the worst of the worst,” Baz hissed. “Have you no shame? No pride?”
“I like getting paid,” the first assassin said. “There's so little of that on Optorio as it is, that you need to take advantage of things when you can.”
“And you're part of the problem on Optorio,” I said. “Work with me. I want to bring down the Regents and make it a better world for all of us.”
The two men shared a look and then burst out into laughter. “Now, why would we do that?” the second assassin said. “We like getting paid and the Regents pay a lot more than anybody else.”
“So, let's have you put down your guns,” the first assassin said. “Drop 'em on the ground and then we'll let your girl and the cowardly king here go on about their business.”
“Fine,
” I replied. “Just don't hurt them. Either of them.”
“You have my word.”
I was just about to toss the gun away when I saw Riley spring into action. She drove the her elbow back into the midsection of her captor at the same time she brought the heel of her foot down on the top of his. The man screamed and cursed, his hold on her loosening up slightly.
Just enough, actually.
Riley threw herself to the ground and I raised my weapon again, squeezing off a shot without hesitation. The assassin grunted and then fell as my shot took him square in the chest. He dropped immediately, dead before he hit the ground.
The second assassin turned and looked at his dying partner – a big mistake. With the lapse in concentration, Baz reached out and seized the man by the neck, giving it a vicious twist. I heard the snap from where I stood. The man fell to the ground, as lifeless as his partner.
Riley was on her knees, looking at the two bodies and then back at us. Tears stood in her eyes and her lower lip quivered.
“They will keep coming,” Baz said. “This was just the first of them.”
I moved over and dropped to my knees, pulling Riley to me in a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around me and held on tight, sobbing into my chest. Baz was angry. He looked like he would have relished the chance to kill both men all over again.
“What can I do?” I asked Baz.
“You need to end this,” he said. “One way or another, you need to take the fight to the Regents. Bring them down once and for all.”
“I'm one man.”
“Sometimes, that's enough,” he replied softly. “But I still have friends there. You will have some support. You have my word.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I had no idea what else to say. Or where to start. Or what to do. Yes, I'd been in the military, but I wasn't a tactician. I was a soldier.
“Jendrish, listen to me,” Baz said. “These assassins will keep coming. You have to cut the rot out of the fruit. Take control of Optorio back from the greedy and the corrupt. Give it back to the people.”
I nodded. “I will. I don't know how, but I will.”
I kissed Riley on the top of her head and didn't know how I was going to keep that promise – but was determined to try.
Book 4 – Silver Lining
Chapter One
Jendrish
I knew Baz was right. I really had no other option than to confront the Regent Council with what I knew and find a way to take them down. Or else, I'd always be living in fear of another assassin coming after me. Or worse, coming after Riley. And even worse than that, if I failed to act, I would forever be haunted by the knowledge that I turned my back on a crime against people. That I did nothing while the Regents turned women like Riley into sex slaves.
I would never be able to live with myself if I turned away.
I was quiet, deep in thought while sitting at Riley's place. She was there with me, her head resting in my lap as she stared up at me with eyes that were wide. I idly stroked her hair, not knowing what to do. She was worried. Scared. Not that I blamed her. I was worried too. Going back to Optorio would mean starting an all-out war. In order to get the Regent Council ousted from power, I'd need backup. I'd have to call on former brothers of mine, as well as Baz's supporters, to help fight. It was a fight that would more than likely leading to some deaths. Maybe even a lot of deaths.
Maybe even my own.
“Are you okay?” Riley asked me, staring up at me with eyes that were haunted.
I stroked her face with the tips of my fingers, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and smiled. She made me happy – even when the weight of the world felt like it had settled down upon my shoulders. Leaving her behind wouldn't be easy and I knew she wouldn't like it. But to guarantee she'd always be safe – as well as other women like her – I had to do this. I had to fight.
“I'm just thinking. Trying to come up with a plan,” I said.
She sat up abruptly, her face darkening with emotion. “So you really are going back?”
She bit her lip and twirled a strand of her dark hair as she waited for an answer.
“I have to, Riley. There really is no other choice. I'm sorry – ”
She cut my words off with a kiss. It was a kiss full of passion. Emotion. Worry.
“Don't ever be sorry for doing the right thing, Jendrish,” she said. “I'm just scared for you, that's all.”
Because she cared about me. How this woman – who'd been abused by so many men in her life – could care this much for me was amazing beyond words to me. I wasn't even sure I was worthy of it. In fact, I knew I probably wasn't. But I couldn't deny the fact that I loved it. Because I felt the same for her.
She got up from the bed and went over to her closet, grabbing a backpack.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I'm packing,” she said calmly.
“Packing?” I cocked my head and asked. “Are you going to be staying with a friend? That is actually probably the best, given all that's happening – ”
She shot me a look that made me stop speaking. “No, I'm going with you, silly,” she said. “I'm not letting you go into this fight alone.”
“Riley,” I said, standing up and going to her, “you need to stay here, where it's safer for you. I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't know how this is all going to play out, but no matter what happens, I want – no, I need – to know that you are safe.”
She dropped the backpack on the bed before taking my hands in hers. She stood across from me, holding my hands and staring deep into my eyes.
“Where you go, I go,” she said. “I know this is crazy given the fact that we haven't known each other long, but our fates are now intertwined. We're bonded together. And I'm not leaving your side, no matter what.”
I wanted to argue and opened my mouth to say so, but Riley wasn't having any of it. She shook her head and gave me a withering look, as if she knew what I was going to say. She probably did. Not much got by her.
The idea of leaving her behind hurt, of course. But the idea of losing her forever if things got bad – and I expected that they would – hurt me even more. It wasn't expected, nor was it even rational, but I was falling for her. She filled my heart with emotions I'd never before experienced. And there was no way I could lose her or risk her being hurt.
I tried to tell her that. Tried to convey what she meant to me and what it would do to me if something happened to her.
“And I feel the same way,” she argued. “I care about you, Jendrish. More than I can possibly explain. More than I even understand myself. But I can't wait here, always wondering what happened to you. I'd rather die beside you than live the rest of my life here without you. Without knowing what happened to you.”
My heart ached to hear those words because I knew I couldn't argue with that. In her shoes, I'd feel the same way. I did feel the same way. And to know she felt that strongly about me was amazing beyond words. But of course, it was bittersweet as well.
“Where you go, I go,” she said one last time, throwing some clothes into a bag. “So let's make a plan and be smart about it, because you're not going to talk me out of it. You're not going to get rid of me, Jendrish, so get that idea out of your head right now.”
Her strong spirit is what drew me to her in the first place. She had an aura about her that projected strength and fire. And now, it was keeping her with me – even though I fought to make her stay home where it was safe. As humans say, you have to take the good with the bad.
Since I knew there was no way to win this argument, I decided my only course of action was to protect her at all costs. No matter what, I would protect her. And I'd keep protecting her, making sure she would return home safely once more.
I did it once, I would do it again. Perhaps it was foolish to make such a vow, but I made it anyway. Because living a life without Riley, I was learning, was not a life I
wanted to live.
“Okay then. If there really is no way to talk you out of this – ”
“There isn't.” she said and gave me a lopsided grin.
“Well, I'm going to reach out to some of my former Royal Guardsmen and ask for their help,” I said. “When we were part of the Guard, our honor and code meant something to us. So I have to believe that many of these men will help me. And there are a lot of them.”
“Enough to overthrow the bad guys?” Riley asked.
I couldn't help but laugh at her use of the word, “Bad guys”. It was such a – human concept.
“I hope so,” I said. “But this is going to be bad, Riley. It will likely come down to an all-out war. The Regent Council, or as you call them “The bad guys” are not going to want to relinquish their power or control. And they very likely will not go down without a fight, I'm afraid. Some of the former Guardsmen have since become the private army of the Regents.”
“I'm not afraid, Jendrish.”
“I never said you were.”
“Good. Because I'm not,” she said. “And while you're doing that, I can free the other women still being held captive.”
“I don't know – ”
She shot me another one of her looks that said I wasn't going to win this argument. I wondered if this was going to be a common theme in our relationship.
“We'll see, Riley. We'll take it step-by-step,” I said, not willing to concede the point entirely. “If it appears safe, you can free the other women.”
But even as I said it, I knew that Riley had her mind made up already. And nothing I said was going to dissuade her. She was going to free those women because like me, she knew she had to do the right thing. Even if it killed her.
I'd just have to make sure that didn't happen.
ooo000ooo
“We'll be ready for your return, Jendrish,” Vink said. “I'll have the army ready to go to battle as well as having the proper procedures in place to arrest those involved.”
“Thank you, Vink. I knew I could count on you,” I said, overcome with a sense of relief about how easy that part had been.
Optorio Civil War Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 6): A Sci-fi Alien Warrior Invasion Abduction Romance (Optorio Chronicles Book 2) Page 12
