Caught by Menace

by Lolita Lopez

  There was another knock before the cell door opened. Pierce dangled a pair of cuffs from one hand and a black hood in the other. Her gut soured at the sight of the hood. The man gestured for her to stand. He pointed to her neck. “I need your collar.”

  Naya took a step back and brought her hands to her throat. She touched the soft blue leather and the dangling silver tag. “Why?”

  His expression softened. “Your bond has been dissolved. You don’t have the right to wear it anymore.”

  Dissolved? Divorced. Like a pallet of bricks dropped on her head, the realization that she and Menace were no more left her dizzy. Her heart beat wildly and her chest constricted painfully.

  With trembling fingers, she reached back and unbuckled the collar. Her eyes closed briefly as the memory of Menace locking it around her neck tormented her. She could almost feel the heat of his adoring gaze on her skin. Swallowing hard, she pulled the collar away from her neck and handed it to Pierce. His jaw twitched as he took it from her.

  “I’ll make sure he gets it back,” he promised as he pocketed the collar.

  His words gave her hope. “Is he all right?”

  Pierce studied her. “Not really. He’s torn up about this. You have to understand that he didn’t want it to go this way, but the evidence against you…”

  She found some consolation in the idea that he’d struggled with the decision to give her up. “Are they really going to send him to prison?”

  Pierce motioned for her to extend her wrists and started to cuff her. “If they don’t get the weapons or good intel on this Splinter cell on Calyx, he’s got a one-way ticket to Kovark. Terror and Vicious won’t let him go down for treason.” He tightened the cuffs around her wrists. “If you’re able to get Terror what he wants, it’s very likely Menace will only get a year or two in prison. He’s strong. He’ll survive it.”

  She understood what he was saying. If she really loved Menace, she’d do whatever it took to get that information for Terror. It was the only way to ensure his life would be saved. “I’ll do my best.”

  “If you hope to save your life, you’d better.”

  Naya took a chance. “You know I’m innocent.”

  “What I think doesn’t matter. Terror has made his decision. There’s no going back.” Pierce glanced at his watch. “We have seven minutes until Terror expects us. I can let you record a message if you want.”

  She smiled sadly. “My last will and testament, huh?”

  He looked uncomfortable. “Something like that.”

  “I don’t know what I’d say.” The pain was too raw for her even to contemplate a final message to Menace.

  “Maybe you’d like to warn a friend.”

  His message came through loud and clear. Hallie!

  Pierce retrieved a small recording device from his pocket. “You’ve got two minutes. Make it quick.”

  Naya didn’t waste any time. She sat down on the edge of the rack, hit the record button and started to talk into the small screen. She prayed her friend would remember the old codes or at least be able to piece the information together. “Hallie, I’m sorry I missed brunch today. I got some bad news about an uncle of mine. I’m on my way to visit him. I’m hoping Aunt Ruthie isn’t sick too. If I make it back, I guess I’ll have to quarantine myself so I don’t infect anyone else on the ship.” She bit her lower lip before whispering, “Good luck, Hallie.”

  “Done?”

  She handed him the recorder and stood. “Yes.”

  Pierce slipped it into his pocket and opened the hood. A few seconds later, the dark fabric covered her head. “Say goodbye to the Valiant, Naya.”

  A silent tear dripped down her cheek. Trapped in the darkness, she surrendered totally to Pierce’s control. Her fate was sealed.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Why won’t they let me see her?” Menace paced the length of Vicious’ office. He’d been freed from custody earlier that morning after his court-appointed attorney had poked a million holes in the case against him. “It’s been twenty-six hours since they arrested us. My lawyer says there’s no reason we can’t see each other.”

  “I don’t know, Menace.” Looking haggard, Vicious rubbed his face with his hands. Not only was Vicious trying to deal with the fallout of a suspected terrorist living onboard the ship for over a month, but there had been major malfunctions in the Valiant’s many systems overnight. “I’m getting stonewalled by Pierce. No one will tell me where Terror is or where he’s put Naya. I’m assuming he has her in one of the segregated cells in the Shadow Force sector. Only Orion has the capability to override the passcodes there but the malfunctions have frozen him out.”

  Menace’s gut turned queasy. “I need to see her. I need to get her an attorney.”

  “You can’t.” Vicious wouldn’t meet his gaze. “You can’t do anything for her anymore.”

  “What?” Cold crept up his neck. “Why not?”

  “They severed your bond yesterday afternoon. She’s in legal limbo at the moment. She isn’t one of us and she’s no longer a citizen of Calyx. I don’t even know what rights she has but I’ve got my legal team looking into it. This terrorism charge complicates things even further.”

  Menace felt as though he might puke. “Vicious, this isn’t right. How the hell can Terror just railroad us like this? The evidence he presented to me in that interrogation room looked impressive but my lawyer is right. It’s all circumstantial. They can’t prove Naya has ties to anything criminal.”

  “They don’t have to,” Vicious said. “Terror’s position is bolstered by the recent changes to our laws. The Shadow Force can hold suspected enemy combatants for six months without charging them.”

  “Six months?” The bottom dropped out of his stomach. He didn’t even want to imagine the horror she would endure in that amount of time. “Vicious, I made a mistake yesterday. I have to talk to her and apologize. I have to make this right.”

  “Menace, I want to help you. I’m doing everything I can to—”

  The door to Vicious’ office burst open and Hallie stormed into the room. The general’s secretary was two steps behind her. “Ma’am, you can’t just barge in here! You have to follow the proper procedure.”

  Hallie pinned the young soldier with a glare. “You can stuff your proper procedures where the sun don’t shine.” She pointed to the door. “Now get the hell out!”

  The secretary didn’t linger. He beat a hasty retreat and closed the door. The furious little sprite turned her gaze on her husband. “What have you done?”

  “Good morning to you too, Kitten.”

  “Don’t ‘Kitten’ me, Vicious!” Hallie’s hands were drawn into tight fists. She was shaking with anger—and fear. “Am I next?”

  Menace watched his friend’s face contort with confusion. Vicious walked around the side of his desk. “Hallie, what are you talking about?”

  “I know what happened to Naya.” She wiped at the tears now dripping down her face. “I know what you did to her. I’m not stupid, Vicious. I can read the writing on the wall.”

  “You are not stupid.” Vicious caressed her face. “There is no writing on the wall, Hallie.”

  “Don’t lie to me!”

  Menace hated to interrupt the couple’s tiff but he needed answers. “Who told you Naya was arrested?”

  Hallie narrowed her dark eyes at him. “She told me herself.”

  Menace reeled with shock. “They let you see her?”

  Hallie shook her head. “She sent me a message. It arrived twenty minutes ago but the time stamp was from last night. I got the warning loud and clear.”

  Vicious stiffened. “What warning?”

  “That she’s been compromised and I’m not safe.”

  “Compromised?” Vicious cupped Hallie’s face. “Do you know something about Naya’s activities with the Splinters?”

  “Is that why she’s being persecuted?” Hallie gripped her husband’s wrists. “Naya is no more a terrorist than I am. An
yone who thinks that our work with the Red Feather was in any way connected to the Splinter cell on Calyx is crazy.”

  “She ran guns,” Vicious said forcefully. “She didn’t deny it during her interrogation.”

  “And I forged documents,” she countered. “A lot of us did shady or stupid things back on Calyx. It doesn’t make us terrorists.”

  “No,” Vicious agreed, “but Terror’s evidence against her is persuasive.”

  Hallie pursed her lips. “You better than anyone should know that Terror isn’t infallible. Do I need to rehash my trip to the colonies when Terror was my escort?”

  Vicious paled. “No.”

  Menace wanted to ask Hallie if he could see the message but the door opened again. This time it was Admiral Orion crossing the threshold and he looked pissed.

  “Orion?” Vicious let his hands fall from Hallie’s face and stepped beside her.

  “We have a huge problem, Vicious. Your man contravened a direct order.”

  “My man?”

  “That one-eyed son of a bitch,” Orion shouted. Recovering from his outburst, the admiral shot Hallie an apologetic look. “Excuse me, ma’am.”

  Vicious growled in frustration. “What did Terror do now?”

  “Yesterday he requested two pilots and a stealth ship to conduct a covert mission. After the Splinter attack, I ordered all unnecessary missions grounded for forty-eight hours so we could reassess the security situation. That electrical spike that fried so many systems last night? That was your man sabotaging my ship so he could go off on one of his covert ops.”

  Menace swayed on his feet. “Naya, sir?”

  Orion’s mouth settled into a grim line. “I believe he took her to the surface. She wasn’t on the stolen ship when he returned fifteen minutes ago. I’ve got him under arrest outside the Shadow Force sector but he’s not talking.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Vicious ground out angrily. He turned to Hallie as if he meant to send her back to their quarters but stopped himself. “You’re coming with me. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  She relaxed with relief. “Thank you.”

  Vicious crooked his finger at Menace. “Let’s go get some answers.”

  Nodding, Menace fell into step behind Vicious and Hallie. Two of Orion’s top officers joined them in the lobby. The elevator ride was cramped but short. They entered an area of the ship Menace had never before visited. He’d never even seen this section on the schematics.

  Wearing black cargo pants and a gray shirt, Terror leaned back against the wall outside a door. He looked calm and peaceful. Menace had never wanted to hit his friend harder in his entire life. Did Terror have any concept of the hell he’d wrought? Did he even care? For the first time in their many years of friendship, Menace finally understood why so many people hated Terror. He was a bully. Period. Full stop.

  Toe-to-toe with the man he’d once considered a best friend, Menace glared at him. “Where the hell is my wife, Terror?”

  “Don’t you mean ex-wife?”

  Menace drew back his fist but Vicious grabbed him, stopping him from striking Terror. Regaining control of his fury, Menace asked, “What have you done with her?”

  “What I should have done the moment I realized who she was,” Terror replied. “I punted her ass back to Calyx where she belongs.”

  “You contravened one of my direct orders,” Orion interjected. “I realize you and Vicious are friends and you two tend to confuse the chain of command between yourselves, but that shit doesn’t fly with me. I am the admiral in charge of this entire sky battalion. When I give an order, it’s followed.”

  Terror didn’t even blink. “I exist outside the chain of command. If you don’t like the way I handle the affairs of the Shadow Force, you’re more than welcome to contact my superiors.”

  “Is that so?” Jaw set, Orion glanced at one of his men. “When we’re done here, ready a ship for Terror and his men. I want them off the Valiant within the hour. If he refuses to leave, vent him.”

  Terror’s stone-cold expression didn’t slip. “As you wish, Admiral.”

  The door to the Shadow Force sector hissed. Surprise registered on Pierce’s bruised face as he peered out into the hallway. “We’re less than two minutes from the agreed meeting time, Terror.” He frowned at the group assembled. “It’s going to be a tight fit.”

  Terror stepped toward Pierce. “They’re not coming.”

  Menace grasped Terror’s arm. “The hell we aren’t.”

  “Seeing the proof of her treachery won’t ease the pain, Menace. Let it go.”

  “And if you’re wrong?”

  “I’m not.”

  “Well, I’m not as arrogant as you. I know I was wrong to trust you. You showed me some incriminating things but there wasn’t one piece of real evidence that tied Naya to any of this. How else do you think my lawyer got me out of holding?”

  “I don’t need a smoking gun, Menace. My gut tells me everything I need to know.”

  “My gut tells me I screwed up yesterday. Whether or not Naya did all those things you accused her of as a teenager, she wouldn’t have done this. It’s not in her character to hurt other people.”

  “And like always, Menace, you’re a day late and a credit short,” Terror replied. “You should have made your case yesterday. It’s too late now. What’s done is done. She’s not coming back.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Vicious shoved his way by both of them, dragging Hallie right along behind him. “Menace, let’s go.”

  Vicious cleared a path to the control room where Pierce and some of the soldiers who had tossed Menace’s quarters were working. A flat-screen display covered one wall. A live feed from Calyx flashed onto the screen. A digital label in the lower corner marked it as a feed from a hotel in The City.

  The familiar sight of Naya’s dark ponytail zinged through him. He took a step closer to the wall. She walked back and forth in the small hotel room. What the hell was she doing there?

  As if reading his mind, Pierce offered the answer. “It’s one of the locations we use to meet informants. It’s wired to transmit live sound and audio. There’s a four-and-a-half minute delay to us, but we’ve got a guy in the room next door listening.” He glanced at his watch. “She’s probably already talking to her contact.”

  His mouth went dry. “Contact?”

  Pierce shook his head. “No, not that kind of a contact. He’s the fixer you ran into during your trip to retrieve Flare’s bride.”

  “Dankirk?”

  Pierce nodded. “From what we can tell, the man knows everyone and everything that goes on in the seedy underbelly of The City and Connor’s Run. She still maintains that she has no ties to the Splinter cell or her mother and brother, but she didn’t deny that Dankirk might be able to help her find them. He’d be an interesting asset to catch.”

  Menace wondered what kind of pressure Terror had applied to Naya to make her lure a friend into what was very possibly a trap.

  On screen, the door opened and Dankirk appeared in the room. Menace held his breath as he watched the two old friends stare at each other. Dankirk cursed loudly, closed and locked the door and then rushed to Naya. The sight of her collapsing into the other man’s arms ripped out his heart. It should have been his arms that held her tight, that gave her security and support, but he’d turned his back on her like a coward.

  “What in the blue hell is going on, Naya?” Dankirk cupped her face. “I don’t hear from you in weeks and now this? Did he hurt you? Is that why you ran?”

  Naya shook her head and wiped at her wet face. She took a step away from him and turned her back on the camera. “It’s worse than that, Danny. They know.”

  The man’s face slackened. “About you running guns as a kid? Shit!” He rubbed his face. “I tried to get one of my guys on the inside to grab your records, but they were already gone.”

  “They have it,” Naya confirmed, using her hands to emphasize. “They think I’m working
with the Splinter cell that attacked one of their ships and stole a weapons shipment. They told me that the guns are here in The City. Is it true?”

  Dankirk nodded and started to pace. “Of course it’s true.” He jammed his hands in his pockets as he walked. “You knew when you left that line of work that the Sixers were getting into bed with those Splinter dicks. The day that bomb went off, what did you tell me?”

  Softly she answered, “That the risks and consequences were real now. That I couldn’t compartmentalize what I was doing to justify the money I was making.”

  “And I told you to run, to get out of that line of work and start over,” he said. “You built a good life for yourself but then what the hell did you do? You just had to swoop in and save Jennie. That backfired, didn’t it? Now you’re the one who needs saving and all you’ve got is me.”

  “We’ve gotten out of tighter scrapes.”

  Dankirk dropped his hands to his side in resignation. “I don’t think we’re getting out of this one.”

  “We’ll see.” Naya wiped at her face again. Knowing she was crying and he couldn’t do anything to soothe her pain killed Menace. “Danny?”

  “Yeah?”

  “They told me something else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “That my mother is here in The City.” She hesitated. “That was just one of their lies, right? That was just some tactic to trip me up and make me beg for a deal, yeah?”

  Dankirk perked up. “Did you? Cut a deal, I mean? Because if you did, I get it, Naya. I won’t mind taking it in the neck for you.”

  The realization that Dankirk was willing to go to prison to protect Naya made Menace feel even worse. It drove home the point he’d been mulling over all night. He didn’t deserve her trust. In his rush to protect her from the threat of Terror unleashing Torment, he had capitulated too easily. He should have demanded to see her first, to speak with her, to let her know he loved her and would find a way to save them. Instead he had trusted in the justice system and left her to believe the very worst of him.