“I could’ve changed my mind at the last moment.”
Bronsen chuckled, letting the cane fly.
Caught off guard, Griffin let out a shout.
“But you were there and you were armed. And even if you hadn’t been so cooperative, Alfred still would’ve died.”
“And I still would’ve taken the fall.” Christ, had there been a time in the last two years when someone higher up the food chain hadn’t been using him?
“Mm, right now, I want to know about Prudence. And then we’re going to talk about your pathetic little rebellion.”
The cane sang.
Griffin tensed his ass, but this time the cane sliced across the backs of his knees. He bit down on his cheek to restrain a shout. He pressed his face to his shoulder, breathing heavily. He was starting to have trouble focusing. What the hell had they been talking about? “Christ, your mother flogs harder than you.”
Bronsen circled him, his shoes echoing on the hard floor. He made one full circle, then kept on until he stood in front of Griffin.
Ah, fuck. Unable to do anything to protect himself should Bronsen strike, he gripped the top of the A-frame in his hands and grit his teeth.
The tip of the cane stroked down his chest, over his abs to his groin. Bronsen tapped the edge against Griffin’s testicles. “Are you suggesting my mother is into S&M and that you’ve had the pleasure?”
His heart thundered in his chest and a hefty dose of adrenaline spiked through his system.
Keep your mouth shut.
He knew remaining silent would be in his best interest, but he’d be damned if he’d let the son of a bitch think he was cowed. “Nah, man. I don’t fuck skanks.”
The cane sang.
*****
Lucan watched Prudence pace his living room for the umpteenth time. She was a lovely woman, even-tempered, sweet, and head-over-heels for his lunatic brother. What the hell was Griffin thinking? He couldn’t want to choose a suicide-mission over a life with Prudence. Could he?
“We’re gonna find him, Angelica.”
Her lavender eyes were full of concern. “What if he already left? What if he refuses to come back? What if he hurt himself? He wouldn’t, would he?”
“Of course not.” But he had the same concerns. Griffin never could bear to walk away from a situation where someone was being hurt. The guilt from his time in the military must be driving him crazy. “We’ll make him come back. Merrick was pretty fucked-up when we first met. He still had a lot of survivor guilt from his stint in the army. He acted a lot like you said Griffin’s been acting. Some days were good, some bad. He started going to Dr. Lambert and it took a while, but he got better.”
She paused and put her hand to her stomach. “He’s been gone so long. What if he’s in trouble?”
Lucan locked onto the gesture. He’d seen her touch her stomach like that quite often in the last twenty-four hours. “Does he know?” His gaze flicked from her flat stomach to her eyes. “About the baby?”
Her hand dropped to her side, before swinging out in a helpless gesture. “I didn’t want to add to whatever’s going on with him. I want him to want to be with us, but I want him to stay for the right reasons.”
While he did understand her concern, he didn’t think keeping Griffin in the dark too long would be fair. “But either way, you will tell him?” He couldn’t stand the idea of his brother not knowing he was going to be a father.
“Once Griffin has made his choice, I will tell him.” She walked to the window and stared out. “If he doesn’t want to stay, I’d still make sure he had access to his child.”
“Me and Merrick, too?”
A small smile curved her lips. “Of course. I wouldn’t deny my baby her uncles.”
He got to his feet and walked over to her. “Then let me be the first to congratulate you.” He wrapped her in his arms, catching the tremor that ran through her. “Everything is going to be fine, Mama.”
The shop door opened downstairs.
“Merrick is back.” Lucan released her and went to the stairs, but one look at Merrick’s face told him the news wasn’t good. He forced a smile for Prudence’s sake. She didn’t need all this stress, not in her condition. “Angel, I’m gonna go help Merrick. You stay inside and don’t answer the door. I don’t need to be searching for two of you.”
He waited for her nod and then went downstairs and straight into Merrick’s arms. For a moment, he took comfort in his partner’s strong embrace.
“Come on, babe.”
Silent, Lucan followed him outside, surprised when Merrick kept walking. He stopped at the corner and turned to Lucan. “The Blue Helmets have Griffin.”
Though he knew something bad had happened, his head still went fuzzy with shock. This hadn’t been one of his concerns. “What did he do? Where are they holding him? What’s bail?”
Merrick shook his head. “No bail. I’m pretty sure from the background they have him up at the compound outside the spaceport, but I need you look and tell me if I’m right. You’re better at noting the details of a place and your memory is better.”
Lucan nodded. The compound belonged to the spaceport’s commander and chief. Earlier that year, he’d been invited to do a small mural of the Grand Canyon in the dining room.
“I need you to brace yourself.” Merrick cupped his cheek, his eyes full of concern. “They’re showing him on the mega holo-projector in the square and he’s a mess. I need you to focus on the background and tell me if that room is part of the compound. I need you not to react. Blue Helmets are crawling all over the place. You can’t let them know he means anything to you.”
Lucan’s stomach rolled into a tight knot. Though Griffin never spoke of any of it, he knew his brother had been in tight spots before. But Lucan had never witnessed the brutality of Griffin’s life—his career—first hand.
Merrick’s hand slid into his and they walked down Main Street to the square. People crowded around in groups of two or three, whispering. The selling stalls were abandoned. The children weren’t playing. It was as if they whole town had gone into mourning.
His gut twisted into a sickening knot.
Merrick led the way, walking past their neighbors and friends until they reached a spot where they could see the holographic projection of Griffin.
Lucan bit down on his cheek, his hand tightening around Merrick’s.
For a heart-stopping second or two, he thought Griffin was dead. The hologram rotated, showing Griffin secured to an A-frame from every angle. His back, ass, and thighs were raw with a multitude of deep welts and lacerations, several of which bled freely. As the hologram turned it showed the same was true for his front. His chest had turned purple in some places, in others long, deep welts crisscrossed his flesh. His groin had been pixeled-out, but there were long, angry red welts across his thighs suggesting nothing had been spared. The worst, though, was his face, his features were so swollen and discolored, Lucan couldn’t tell if he was conscious or not.
Griffin’s head lolled to the side and he jolted upright as if waking up, a slurred, “Fuck you,” sliding between swollen lips.
A ticker ran along the bottom of the hologram with a picture of Prudence off to one side: This is what happens to traitors. If you have seen this woman, contact spaceport authorities. Harboring this woman is an act of treason. This is what happens to traitors. If you . . . .
Merrick squeezed his hand and leaned down. “The background.”
Lucan jerked his attention back to the hologram, this time he watched the background as the holo-camera panned around his brother. He didn’t recognize the cement floor. The walls were plain white, and could be from anywhere. But when the camera panned across the door, he saw what he needed—the moldings and the door handle—they were unique. The compound had band moldings around the doors with decorative corner blocks and the door handles were silver with marble grips. The compound was the only place in Asteria with fancy Earth decorations.
“I’ve
seen enough.”
God, he’d never been so grateful for Merrick’s strength as he led the way through the crowd. A few neighbors they were close to, who knew Griffin was his brother, reached out to touch him as they passed, their eyes full of compassion. When they passed Grady, the tall, thin man gave them a nod, slipping a piece of paper into Lucan’s palm.
Lucan unfolded it in his hand and glanced down to read the short note: Let us know when. We’re ready.
Taking a deep breath, he blinked, trying to alleviate the sting behind his eyes. They had friends. Good friends. They’d help get Griffin back.
Jesus, that was his brother he’d seen. That bloody, mangled mess was Griffin. The Blue Helmets had been merciless. When Griffin had been in prison, he’d guessed that they’d abused him, but they had to be careful so the Earthers watching the trial wouldn’t know.
The Blue Helmets had no such qualms here on Asteria.
Merrick bowed his head closer as they walked. “Was that the compound?”
“Yeah.”
They turned off Main and Merrick pulled him into the alley next to their place. He wrapped him in a warm embrace.
“Ah, God, that was Griffin.” He pressed his face to Merrick’s chest. “What the fuck did they do to him?”
“They’re desperate to get their hands on Angelica.”
“Who the fuck is she?”
“Your brother’s lover.” Merrick tipped his face back and stared into his eyes. “Do we need to know more than that?”
“No. Griffin’s protecting her with his life, and so will we.”
Merrick tightened his arms around Lucan. “I’ll get him back, babe.”
“I’m going with you.”
Merrick framed Lucan’s face in his big hands. “You haven’t been trained.”
Lucan snorted. “You trained me. You mean to say I’m not experienced, but I will be after tonight.”
The set of Merrick’s jaw said his lover wasn’t giving up. “I’ve got plenty of men ready to go. As soon as they realized who they were looking at on the hologram they started letting me know they wanted to go after him.”
“Grady gave me this.” He lifted the note.
Merrick smiled. “See, you don’t need to worry about this. I know you’re angry with Griffin because you hate that he puts himself at risk, but you’re brother has earned his place in their hearts. He was the only one brave enough to try and change things.”
Sometimes Merrick irritated the hell out of him. While he tended to be the more affectionate of the two, he also had a streak of dominating masculinity. Most of the time, Lucan enjoyed it; today, not so much. “I just got him back, Mer. I’m going, because if he doesn’t make it . . . .” Lucan looked away while he tried to compose himself. “I’m not throwing away the possibility of having a chance to talk to him again. He’s my brother.”
“All right.” Merrick pressed his lips to the corner of Lucan’s mouth. “Fine. What do you want to tell Angelica?”
Lucan shook his head. “Nothing. We’ll head out tonight as soon as she’s in bed. I’ll tell her we’re going to do another round in case he’s been holed up somewhere all day.”
“Come on, babe. Do you think that’s fair?”
“No.” He sighed. “She’s carrying our nephew.”
A range of emotions ran over Merrick’s features, surprise, joy, and sadness before they merged into the determined set of his jaw. He looked mean as hell now. “We’ll get him back. I swear to God, we will get him back.”
Lucan didn’t have a doubt in his mind. His concern was whether Griffin would still be alive by the time they got him.
Chapter 32
Prudence finished the last of the dishes and wiped her hands on the dishcloth.
Something had happened. Both Lucan and Merrick were jumpy. They’d remained quiet throughout dinner. And when they thought she wasn’t around they spoke in hushed, urgent tones. Whatever had happened, neither of them seemed inclined to share the details, which meant she’d have to find out on her own.
“I’m going to bed.”
Both men turned to stare at her, but remained silent.
“You’ll wake me if you hear anything?”
“Of course,” Lucan said.
“Right away.” Merrick nodded.
Neither of them managed to look her in the eyes while they lied.
She went to her room, locked the door and went straight to the window. Below, the front awning of the store front stuck out several feet. She climbed out onto the low roof. Goddess, keep me safe. Lying on her stomach, she shimmied over the edge feet-first until she hung by her arms, then she let herself fall the last couple of feet.
Only waves and wind dared brake the silence of the town. She didn’t recall Diamond Fjord being this quiet last night. She had no idea where she meant to go, but she couldn’t imagine Griffin had gone too far without his weapons. She walked down to the corner and turned onto Main Street. All the shops had closed for the evening. A few people milled about farther down the street, but the evening had a strange, somber quality. As she approached the square, she noticed a bunch of candles flickering in the breeze.
Had someone passed away?
The thought brought her to a halt. The few people still in the square all faced to the left, looking at something she couldn’t see. A child wept in his mother’s arms.
She crept forward.
Half a dozen Blue Helmets stood at the base of a mega holo-projector. On the hologram, a severely beaten man had been tied to a metal frame and below that, a small picture of her sat next to a ticker: If you have seen this woman, contact spaceport authorities. Harboring this woman is an act of treason. This is what happens to traitors. If you see this woman, contact—
With a cry of alarm, her gaze shot back to the man. Her hand flew to her mouth as the holo-camera panned, bringing his swollen face into view. Griffin.
Bronsen, the Parnell’s head of security, strode onto the hologram, holding a long, thin stick. “Requests for Payne’s release have been coming in all day, but as of yet, I have received no news of the woman. Here is my offer, I’ll trade him for her. In six hours, I’ll hang him.”
He strode off the hologram and the view resumed panning around Griffin.
Did Merrick and Lucan know? They must. Merrick had been out here most of the day and he’d brought Lucan out earlier this evening. Why weren’t they doing anything?
And what would they do? Griffin would never forgive them for trading you for him.
She couldn’t let Griffin suffer for her. She didn’t want to go back, but Randolph wouldn’t dare damage her to such an extent. He thought he needed her.
Bronsen strode back onto the hologram repeating his message. Goddess preserve them, it was a recording. How long had this been playing? Two hours? Five?
Panic welled up inside her.
“Hey!” She walked into the square right in front of the Blue Helmets. “You heard him, he’ll trade Chief Payne for the woman. Here I am.”
The Blue Helmets stared at her for a heartbeat as if she were mad. She must be. Never had she imagined she’d ever go back to Randolph. But she’d escaped once, she’d find a way to do so again. Once they got over their surprise, the men surrounded her and took her into custody. They led her to a nearby hover-car and as they drove off, she looked out the window to see Lucan and Merrick staring back.
Prudence whipped her head around to stare out the back window. Why in the world were they wearing Blue Helmet uniforms?
*****
The compound they took her to was within two hundred yards of the spaceport. As she expected, no one abused her in any way on the trip. They brought her into the front entry of the building and had her wait with a couple guards. The entry was a large room that led to long hallways to both the right and left, but straight ahead the room opened up into a massive recreational space for the Blue Helmets who were not on duty. She’d never seen so many in one place before.
This building appe
ared far more Earth-like than any of the others she’d seen. The walls were plaster and there were real light bulbs lighting the space instead of glow stones.
A man cleared his throat and Prudence turned to see Bronsen. “Prudence, I’m so pleased to see you’re safe. Randolph has been very worried.”
She gave him a thin smile. “I’m sure.”
“I’m not sure if you remember, my name’s Bronsen. I’m your fiancé’s head of security.”
On the surface, he seemed polite, nice even. She’d never dealt much with Bronsen, though she’d seen him with Alfred and Randolph often. She wasn’t quite sure what to think. “Bronsen, I’d like to see Chief Payne.”
He smiled and motioned her down the hall. “Of course. This way.”
They walked in silence for several minutes while she took his measure. She’d never been too good a judge of character. Humans were far too good at subterfuge to be able to take anyone at face value. They turned into another long, narrow hallway and Prudence coughed to clear her throat. “Everyone in Diamond Fjord knows you have me now. They’re expecting you to be a man of honor and release Chief Payne.”
“He means a lot to you?”
Prudence worded her response carefully. She didn’t want to bring any added attention to Griffin. “I don’t know him well. But he’s the people’s soldier and you and I both know there will be needless bloodshed unless he’s released.”
Nodding in acknowledgment, he seemed to accept her answer. “He will be released.”
Prudence tried not to allow her relief to show, but felt lightheaded from it.
Bronsen’s hand slid onto her back as he opened a door and ushered her in.
Griffin. She needed every ounce of control not to run to him. He looked even worse in person. Not an inch of his body had been spared. The walls, ceilings and floor were speckled with his blood.
Since she’d last seen him on the hologram, the holo-camera had been removed and an odd-looking table with restraints had been brought in. Several buckets of water were lined against the wall.
The Last Marine Page 25