heartofthebetrayed_195-8e3.htm

by Heart Of The Betrayed (lit)

"It’s not your business."

  "Don’t start with that again. What got into you last night?"

  When she made to step past him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to face him.

  The sudden movement made her stomach churn and head pound worse.

  The wench had a hangover. Cam, Jase and Red exchanged grins. They all knew how that felt!

  "Sorry, lass." Gentling his grip, Garret transferred it to her elbow. "Sit here and steady yourself."

  Swallowing against the nausea, she muttered, "I have to go."

  The wench was going to be stubborn. It was time to probe deeper. "Your meeting was not a pleasant--what did you call it last eve--reunion?"

  Her pale face lost any remaining color. "That’s a low hit."

  "What happened there that upset you so much?"

  The Daamen was too observant.

  "Garret, are you expecting more merchants?" Simon asked.

  "Nay, why?"

  "There’s several approaching."

  Impatient at the interruption, Garret strode over to the ramp and peered out at the six men arriving on horseback. Feeling a warm presence beside him, he automatically put his arm out to prevent Dana from walking past him. He wanted to get to the bottom of her puzzling behavior.

  "Damn him to hell!" she cursed savagely.

  Curiously, the traders studied the approaching men, wondering which one was the focus of her ire.

  None of the men dismounted, and it was the middle-aged one that spoke. "So, Dana, have you decided?’

  "I have until midmorn. It’s not that time yet."

  The Northlander’s gaze flicked to the traders before fastening again on her. "Word in the settlement proves correct."

  "And what’s that?"

  "You were in a brawl last night. Seems you got as good as you gave." He hesitated before adding, "I trust you weren’t badly hurt?"

  "It’s a little late for concern." Swinging around, she strode back to the platform lift. "You will have your answer at midmorn. Until then, I don’t wish to see your face."

  A muscle jumped in the Northlander’s clenched jaw, his gaze intent as he watched the platform clank out of sight.

  Garret studied the man, feeling that he should recognize him but unable to do so. "You’re the one my friend had a meeting with last night."

  "What if I am?"

  "Upset her and you upset me."

  "And us," Jase added.

  "She was upset?" The Northlander looked sober.

  "It’s a warning, that’s all." Garret met his gaze steadily.

  The Northlander gave him a narrow-eyed look, then whirled his horse around and rode away, his men falling in behind and around him.

  "So he’s the cause." Red broke the silence.

  "It would appear so, but there’s one way to know for sure." Garret crossed to the platform lift, his friends following.

  ~ * ~

  Sitting on a stool at the end of the long table in the dining cabin, Dana propped her elbows on it and buried her face in her hands. Seeing him again was just as painful as her first sight of him the eve before had been. As soon as he’d walked into the room, all the hurt and betrayal had come rushing back, as sharp and real as though it had just happened minutes ago.

  "Dana?"

  Dropping her hands, she saw Garret enter the cabin. "Is he gone?"

  Sitting on the nearest stool, he swiveled it around to face her. "Aye. What’s going on, lass?"

  "Nothing."

  "No more avoiding this. He upset you so much you got drunk and reckless, neither of which is normal for you. You knew him before last night, didn’t you?"

  Wearily she rubbed aching temples. "What makes you think that?"

  "You mentioned a joyous reunion, though it was obviously anything but."

  Dana noticed the other traders listening closely. Cam sat at the opposite end of the table, Simon and Jase in two of the four armchairs on the other side of the cabin, and Red leaned against the food counter.

  "Talk to me," Garret ordered softly.

  "You won’t let this go, will you?"

  "Nay."

  "Very well. Have you heard of Southland and Northland?’

  "On a planet called Orkra? Aye." He grimaced. "Strange system they have there, men living apart from wenches."

  "That man was Diago, leader of Northland. His son was captured by Southlanders. He wants me to go in and rescue him."

  "Are you?"

  Abruptly she stood up, one fist slamming down onto the table. "Damn it all to hell! I have no bloody choice!"

  "Easy, lass. Of course you do. Just tell Diago nay."

  "That is not an option I have, although I wish to God it was!"

  "You’re not making sense." Garret frowned. "You’ve refused people before, what makes this so different?"

  "Can I refuse to help my own brother?" The words produced a shocked silence. The traders stared at her.

  Finally, Jase stammered, "Your... your brother?"

  "You have male relatives alive?" Cam asked incredulously.

  "Did you not know he still lived?" Red added, wide-eyed.

  Before she could answer, Garret said slowly, "If the son of Diago is your brother, then..."

  "Aye, Diago is my father," she finished bitterly.

  "I don’t understand. Aren’t they dead, like the other Reeka males? What’s going on?"

  Drawing a deep breath, she resumed her seat. "Time for a little history lesson, traders. Diago left us fifteen years ago. I was six years old. When the males of the Reeka tribe started to die, he believed it was the women who murdered them. He took my brother, Rominac, and walked away."

  "Hell," Simon said. "That must have broken your mother’s heart."

  "It did. She begged and pleaded but he wouldn’t listen." Her eyes were bleak at the painful memories.

  "I’m so sorry." Garret rested his hand atop hers. "I never knew."

  "Why should you? He was the only one who left. The other men were strong and true and stayed. And died." Pulling her hand away, she stood up and walked to the door. "Rominac was only five when he left, and he cried as much as I did, that I will never forget. I do this for him."

  "Where are you going?"

  "To tell Diago that I’ll do it." She left the cabin.

  "A joyous reunion indeed," Cam muttered.

  Garret stood up. "I’m going with her into the settlement. She shouldn’t be alone right now."

  His friends nodded.

  Hurrying from the cabin, he heard the lift groaning and realized he’d missed it. Yanking open a door to the left of it, he ran down the stairwell and entered the cargo hold in time to see her walking down the ramp.

  She glanced up when he fell into step beside her. "I don’t need a caregiver."

  "You need a friend."

  "I needed a father, but I made it without him."

  He glanced at her set face. "I’m not your father."

  They walked the rest of the way in silence.

  Garret’s mind whirled with what Dana had told them. No wonder she’d never trusted men and had such a grudge against them. All the times she’d held men at arms length with the razor sharpness of her tongue, it now made sense.

  She rapped sharply on the door of a double-storied stone dwelling. When it opened, she pushed past the man and strode into the room on the left.

  Straightening up from where he leaned against the mantle, staring into the empty hearth, Diago gazed expectantly across the room at her.

  "I go."

  "I knew you would."

  Hazel eyes darkened with suppressed emotion. "I don’t do this for you, I want you to know that."

  He nodded slowly. "You do it for Rominac. Always, you and your brother were close."

  "Mayhaps we still would be, but now we will never know. ‘Always’ turned out to be such a short time."

  Standing behind her, Garret saw a flicker in Diago’s eyes and he realized that there was the familiarity he’d recognized. Father and daugh
ter shared the same color eyes, eyes that reflected what they thought and felt--only the Northlander hid his feelings more efficiently.

  "Who’s my contact in Southland?"

  Diago gestured to the table in the middle of the room. "There are no contacts, Dana. You’ll be on your own."

  "How appropriate." She picked up the sheet of paper he indicated. "Are these names of Southlanders?"

  "Correct. Dana--"

  "Women of high-standing, I take it." She didn’t look at him.

  Curiously Garret watched Diago, tensing when he lifted his hand as though to reach out to her. If he made to hurt her, he’d be across the room and have him pinned to the wall in seconds. She’d suffered enough because of this man.

  Diago dropped his hand.

  "Anything else?" Dana asked coldly.

  "No."

  The paper was folded decisively. "That’s it, then."

  "You will travel with us, of course."

  "Like hell!"

  "It’s only right, after all, you... work for me."

  "I don’t work for you, not now, not ever! I do this for Rominac!" She glared at him. "Let’s get one thing straight right now, Diago. I want you to be as far away from me as possible, which means that until I return with Rominac, I’ll not see you again. Understood?"

  "How are you going to get to Orkra, then Southland, without my help?"

  "I’ll find a way." Panic built up inside her suddenly, unreasonable and alien, and she fought to keep it hidden.

  Then she felt him, a steadying warmth at her back. Garret’s reassuring hands came to rest upon her shoulders.

  "There’s no reason to worry, Diago. The lass comes with me." The deep voice rumbled through her from the massive chest at her back.

  The panic disappeared and Dana lifted her chin.

  "With you?"

  "Aye," Garret stated quietly, his tone indicating he’d brook no interference in his decision.

  Stiffly the Northlander studied the giant standing behind his daughter. What was this Daamen trader to her?

  "Give me the coordinates. That’s all I require of you." Tossing the paper down onto the table, Dana folded her arms.

  For several seconds Diago stared at her, then with a grunt took the paper, picked up a pencil, scribbled on it, then handed it back. His eyes narrowed when she took it with care, ensuring their fingers didn’t touch.

  Without further words, she turned and left the room. The giant, with one last, hard look at him, followed. Then he was alone.

  ~ * ~

  Standing in the doorway of the rented room above the tavern, Garret watched Dana retrieve the backpack from the robe and start to pack it.

  "I must thank you for putting a stop to Diago’s plans."

  "No need, lass."

  "Not that I’d have let him go ahead with it. Don’t let me hold you back from your trading trip any longer."

  One dark brow rose. "I beg your pardon?"

  Picking up the backpack, she reached for the sheathed sword. "Goodbye."

  "This isn’t goodbye, lass. I’m your ride to Orkra, remember?"

  "You can’t be serious." She stopped and looked at him.

  "Never more so."

  "There’s no need for you to get involved in this."

  Plucking the backpack from her hand, he slung it over one broad shoulder. "You’d prefer to go with Diago?"

  Soft lips tightened. "Over my dead body."

  "Well then, let’s get started."

  "I don’t need you, trader."

  "You need someone, and it might as well be me. Unless you’d prefer that I notify your sister warriors? Knowing Reya and Tenia, even with their babes so young, one would insist on accompanying you."

  "No, they wouldn’t."

  "They are still the leaders of the Reekas. One would."

  Damn him, it was true. "You win." She stalked past him. "For now."

  He followed leisurely, saying softly to himself, "I always do, lass, where you’re concerned. I keep and care for what is mine."

  He caught up with her on the stairs and their return journey to the ship was silent. Once on board, he showed her to the cabin she was to use on the trip, then went to inform his friends of the change of plans.

  "This may or may not prove dangerous," he said. "For I don’t intend to simply drop her off and wait at the Northland settlement. I’m going to get as close to the border as I can, and if she runs into trouble, I’ll be going in after her."

  "Sound plan." Red nodded. "When do we leave?"

  Garret hesitated. "I don’t want anyone to feel pressured in coming. If any of you want to be dropped off on Daamen first, I understand."

  The traders looked at each other.

  "Bloody inconsiderate, isn’t he?" Cam raised his brows.

  "Thinks to send us home while he goes off adventuring." Simon shook his head sadly.

  "Just what he’d like." Jase’s blue eyes twinkled. "To have the ship to himself and the hotheaded wench he lusts after. I don’t think so!"

  Red grinned. "Sorry, Cap’n. You’re stuck with us."

  He hadn’t really expected anything else from them. The Daamens were a loyal group. "All right. Red, start the engines. Simon, these are the coordinates. Try not to get us lost."

  "Might be able to pick up a pretty little wench while we’re on Orkra," Jase commented to Cam as they left the dining cabin. "Think how grateful she’d be!"

  "You live in fantasyland. What wench in her right mind would want a barbarian like you? Now, if ‘twas me..."

  Their voices faded down the corridor and Garret was left alone to ponder the day’s revelations. The effect of her father turning up wasn’t a good one on Dana. That was proven with the way she’d snapped and turned on the bounty hunters. Apart from that, however, there was no real emotion being shown.

  He found the same with her throughout the evening meal. Having kept to her cabin all afternoon, he thought she’d be ready to talk, but all he received were monosyllables to any questions. Afterwards, she retired to her cabin.

  Worried about her, he did the same not long after, but instead of sleep he tossed and turned. The lass couldn’t keep up the wall of controlled silence forever. Could she? It wasn’t good, bottling up her feelings like that.

  At midnight he gave up any pretense of sleep and decided to read. Switching on the light, he muttered to himself when he remembered that he’d left the book in the dining cabin. Pulling on his pants, he padded barefoot down the corridor to find the light on already. Entering the cabin, his gaze went immediately to the woman sitting on the edge of the table, her slender legs waving slowly backward and forward while she sipped from a glass of berry juice and stared into space.

  Barefoot and dressed in a cotton nightgown that reached her knees, Dana looked far-removed from the leather and rawhide booted warrior. In fact, Garret thought she looked very soft and delightfully mussed from sleep. It was only when he drew closer that he saw the shadows beneath her eyes and realized that she’d spent a restless night also.

  Becoming aware of his presence, she glanced up toward him. Their gazes locked for several seconds before she looked down at the glass she held.

  "You’re up late."

  "I could say the same about you, lass. Troublesome thoughts keeping you awake?’

  He drew to a stop beside her. Unnerved, she raised the glass to her lips.

  "It must have been some shock to find yourself face to face with your father."

  "I don’t want to talk about him."

  "Sooner or later, you have to."

  "You can’t tell me what to do." Glaring up at him, she was disconcerted to find Garret closer than she’d first thought.

  One big hand rested near her thigh as he leaned on the table. "You’ve allowed your feelings of hurt and betrayal to fester into a distrust and near hatred of the male species, Dana. Don’t let it grow worse by hiding your feelings now."

  "When did you turn into such an expert on feelings?"

&nbs
p; Grey eyes regarded her steadily. "I’m no expert, but I know you’re hurting and I’m here for you."

  As her father had never been. Clenching her jaw against the painful thought, she turned her face away.

  A gentle hand under her chin brought her back to look at him. "Talk to me."

  "Of what?" she asked bitterly. "What do you wish to hear? Of the nights my mother cried after he walked away? How I can still hear my little brother calling my name and fighting to break free of Diago? The pity the other Reekas had for us? Is that enough?"

  His thumb brushed her cheek compassionately. "You were so young."

  "Young enough to cry for a father who deserted me, and old enough to realize how faithless males can be. How one man can cause a woman to die from a broken heart."

  "Your mother died from a broken heart?"

  "It took several months. Gradually she stopped eating and just sat there, staring at the hills, waiting for her beloved to return. It was our leader, Karana, who cared for us."

  "Tenia and Reya’s mother."

  "Aye. She hunted and fed us, taught me to hunt, and took me in when eventually Mother laid down and died. Diago robbed me of my whole family." She looked at Garret. "That’s in the past. I learned my lesson."

  "‘Twas not the correct lesson. We’re not all like that--"

  "I have no inclination to argue this." She slid down off the table.

  "Lass, I hate to see you suffer."

  "I suffer nothing and it’s no concern of yours, as I’ve pointed out countless times before. Once you drop me off on Orkra, your self-appointed task is finished."

  He watched her leave the room with long, angry strides. "That’s what you think, lass. One day that dam holding those emotions will break and I’ll be there."

  "We reach Orkra in three days, trader. I’m sure I can hold on until then." The door slammed shut behind her.

  Garret grinned. The stubborn wench was in for a surprise.

  ~ * ~

  Realizing how dangerously close she’d been to throwing herself into his arms and crying her heart out, Dana ensured she was never alone with him for the next three days. On the fourth morning while prowling restlessly around the ship, she neared the control cabin and overheard two of the traders talking.

  "Have you rechecked the coordinates, Simon?"

  "Aye, why?"

  "Garret wants to know if you’ve found a place near the Southland border where we can safely wait for Dana."