His footfalls faded and there was still silence. I glanced over at her and laughed when I saw her watching his retreating back, completely dazed. “I would drink it if I were you. If you don’t, I’m sure he’ll be back.”
“I, um…” I didn’t doubt that she was having some trouble stringing a sentence together. I chuckled and waited for her to continue. It took her another full minute to speak again. She tucked her hair behind her ear and I saw a vivid blush on her cheeks. “Well, I guess I was wrong when I thought he didn’t like me. It would certainly explain his giddy reaction to me waking him up after digging him out, though. He kept hugging me until I told him to get off. I wonder why he hasn’t said anything before now. I had always hoped we would be together but…”
I said nothing to that. None of this was any of my business. I slowly turned my head toward the now laughing group of men. Rig had slipped in the mud on his way back and gone down butt first. Cain was predictably laughing at his misfortune.
“Well, I am not going to squander this opportunity. Rig will likely go back to ignoring me after this if I do. Wish me luck.”
She stood after a few more seconds of staring at the crowd twenty feet away, tossed her auburn hair over her shoulder, and started walking. I didn't have to ask where she was headed. I had to applaud her guts as she strode up to Rig, now standing, and dragged him down to her level before planting a passionate kiss on his lips. As I looked away and shook my head, I heard the wolf whistles in response to her actions. I myself stood after another minute and gently stretched, turning to see her sashaying away from the group.
Rig looked like he had been clocked over the head as he watched her saunter away. Cain was laughing and nudged him toward her. Rig nearly fell over, still watching her as she left. Michael was rolling his eyes. Argon was the least affected of them all. He cat-called over to me. “You next, Rain? The kid and I’d be willing to be your next victims!”
Cain laughed and put more pressure on the piece of scrap metal they were using to pry the trike out of the sand as Rig took off after her. Michael was doing the same but not being of much help. There was too little to him to be of much use. I walked over and put my hands on my hips. “Sorry. I’m here for Cain.”
It was Cain’s turn to be dumbfounded. The pike he was using nearly snapped back and hit him in the face as he stared at me. “Huh?”
It was my turn to roll my eyes, now realizing that he had thought I was here for something I wasn’t. “So are the bikes salvageable? Or do we have to buy new ones?”
He blinked and then recovered. “Not sure yet. And as for buying them, are you volunteering? I was only given a certain amount of funds to cover the mission and it’s not nearly enough to get new ATV’s for us all.“
“Then use your own money,” I said incredulously. “They take credit cards out here. Moor En has an ATM.”
“And what makes you think I have any money?” he replied, returning to digging. “I mean, I know the press makes me look like ‘Mr. Moneybags,’ but still. I know you didn’t buy into that crap. You’re too smart for that.”
Apparently I hadn’t been. I stared at him openmouthed as Argon explained for him. “The government puts him up in that penthouse apartment in the elite quarter. It’s a lure for new recruits. You know, like… ‘Look what you could have if you join up.’ It's all fake. All Cain owns is a little shack at the edge of the city and that’s it.”
My brain reeled at this new revelation. I was seething. I had been double crossed but good. Of all the gall it took, Cain had pulled it off flawlessly. He had lied to me, making a promise he would never keep, and I had fallen for it.
“So you have no money of your own?” I asked in a forbidding voice.
One look at my face and Cain seemed to realize how he had sunk his own ship. He clearly had no lie prepared for this contingency and was struggling for one. His mouth opened and shut a few times. Argon and Michael both stared at him confusedly.
“Oh, crap. This puts me back into shaitan territory, doesn’t it?” he said with a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Worse,” I growled. “Just how stupid are you? Before you found out my true intentions, you had to know what happens to an assassin’s clients when they don’t pay up!”
“Pay what?” Argon asked, looking suspicious.
I threw my hands in the air. “He agreed to purchase the freedom of all the slaves on two auction Sundays when I completed this job.”
“With what?!” he exclaimed. He, too, looked astonished by this development as he looked over at his buddy. “You don't have any money!”
Cain shot Argon a murderous look and then looked back to me sheepishly. I didn’t react. I was past being upset. Numbness was becoming my norm. Truthfully, I could have cared less about the monetary end of this. What galled me was the fact I had assumed Cain was an honest man. That had apparently been one giant mistake and I could barely believe I had made it. Even worse was the knowledge that I had my guard down and placed some semblance of trust in these people. Even uttering the word friendship was taboo and I had done it.
“I was going to tell you,” Cain said, looking quite unhappy. “But I figured-”
I shook my head and turned away. “Why did you promise that? You could have just dangled the barter for services in exchange of escape in front of me.”
He had no answer to that. He avoided my glare and went back to working. Argon spoke first. “Well, we shouldn’t all be sitting around here. We need to head to Moor En. We can get you medical attention and see if we can fix these. If not, I think we’ll have to steal-”
“We are not stealing anything in my village!” I snarled. “I’m no thief! I have an emergency supply of cash that will do us for now-“
I cut off as I felt something catch in my throat. I pitched forward coughing, pain intensifying in my side. Michael rushed over to me as I hacked away, unable to stop coughing no matter how hard I tried. After a minute, he helped me up, bracing me against his side.
“Uh, oh,” he said, looking down at the ground in front of me.
I didn’t need to glance down to know what he was upset about. I had felt the blood coming out of my throat as I had coughed, working its way out of my lungs. It seemed my ribs weren’t only broken. They must have poked a slight hole in one of my lungs and now it was slowly filling up with blood. My yelling must have worsened the problem.
Michael called out to Ray for help and then continued to talk soothingly to me, taking my hands into his. But I was far past listening to him. I was starting to worry about what I was going to do now. Medical attention was hours sway at the very least and this was not a wound I could force myself to push through. It needed attention immediately or the consequences would be dire.
When I looked up to Cain, I could now see an echoed worry in his eyes; a worry that we wouldn’t catch up to the nuke fast enough and would be too late. If we didn’t me fix now, I would only slow them down from here. And as I struggled to breathe, I had to wonder if he was right. I had to wonder if we indeed were doomed as was the city.
Chapter Fourteen 03:05:12:44 to potential nuclear explosion
Only two of the bikes had worked. After flying across the desert like bats out of hell because of my injury, Cain, Michael, and I were back in Moor En. Argon and the others had been forced to stay behind and walk to Moor En since the bikes’ engines were too sand logged.
It was true I hadn't been feeling good. The fall must have damaged me a lot worse than previously thought. Breathing had been difficult.
The gates to the village were closing as we approached. Michael ran ahead and made sure we wouldn’t be locked out, looking for a doctor. One had been found and I was ushered to him.
Fluorescent light now peeped through my eyelashes while I awoke from my mini operation. I was still on the same bed where they had anesthetized me. To my right sat a bunch of blood-soaked gauze pads in a bowl. Hard to believe they all came from me, but they did. I still wasn't sure w
hat they had done, but supposedly my lung was whole once more and on the mend. Whatever pull Cain had, he had gotten me more of the miracle healing medicine. I was completely healed.
I remembered groggily hearing a lot of fighting the night before. While Michael had hovered over me protectively, I had blocked out the sound of the yelling, trying fruitlessly to breathe. Whatever doctor I had seen, they hadn’t wanted to heal me since I was a fugitive. And as I had coughed, there was a shadow of a memory in the back of my mind of Cain pinning the doc up against the wall, and jamming a gun up under his throat. After that, I had been too ill to keep my eyes open. But my mind had been active.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been shocked at his conduct, having been so completely volatile over the idea of my not being healed, but he was. He had been completely incensed. On the floor now were the shattered remains of some glass object that Cain had shot out to prove he had meant business. Needless to say, the doc hadn’t protested after that.
Now waking up a little more, I saw I was far from alone. The bed was dipping down on both sides. To my right side I saw Michael asleep next to me, looking well below his years. Surprisingly, Dantenn was causing the dip on my other side. And he did not look happy. “I told you you should have stayed here in Moor En.”
I dropped my head back and groaned, chest still a little sore. “Shut up.”
He shifted closer and leaned over me so I could see him. He was scowling. “So… how many more times do you intend to tempt God into keeping you? You’ve died how many times this week? I’ve lost count.”
“I’m not going to listen to a lecture,” I grumbled.
He winked at me, softening a little. “Just because the pupil isn’t ready to listen doesn’t mean the master shouldn’t speak.”
I rolled my eyes. Quoting the eldest master was so lame. “You’ve spent too much time with Master Shenyari. But unlike him, you’re not cool enough to pull it off.”
He chuckled. “If I count the discussion yesterday, I think this is the most I have heard you talk in our entire lives. The army looks good on you, I guess.”
“I’ve had to speak up against that asshole Cain,” I said with a sneer, appreciative that doing so hadn’t caused me any pain. “Where is he, anyway?”
“I don’t know. Nor do I care. But I still must express my displeasure with you and since you refuse to listen to what I say, I must resort to other methods.”
He got the same mischievous look he would get when he was planning something dastardly as a kid. I attempted to flee but it was too late. He leaned over before I could sit up and pinned me to the bed, putting us nose to nose. I jammed my teeth together to stop myself, but failed miserably. I giggled even though it hurt a little to do so, seeing his eyes crossed to keep me in view. “Stop it, Dantenn! I was only sick a few hours ago-”
“So you can giggle,” he said playfully, pinning my wrists above my head. “Not the desired reaction, but it’ll do for now.”
I now had to realize the precarious situation I had let myself in for. This was not the boy I had grown up with. This was a man who had devious intentions written in his eyes as he leaned down toward me. He smirked as my laugh died and I gulped. “That’s better.”
“Let me up. This is highly inappropriate-“
“I should hardly think so,” he murmured, leaning in closer.
But my one attempt to stall the situation backfired miserably. Turning my head away only provided him with more cannon fodder. I squealed again as he blew a raspberry against my neck. This time he laughed with me. But our laughter died as the door banged open and Cain sauntered through, prompting me to freeze and nearly choke on my laugh. He eyed Dantenn, then me, and shrugged. “Good to know she’s capable of laughing. You must be Dintenn.”
I blinked in surprise as he peeked through the shades on the window. That had been deliberate. Cain had said his name correctly to me more than once. What had prompted that slight? Dantenn stiffened behind me. “My name is-”
“My bad,” Cain interrupted, quickly pulling the curtains down. “But Dan, please remember that she was dying only a few hours ago. She should be resting, not playing to your… needs. I get that you’re probably hiding from Xorratti by coming down here, but still. Control yourself.”
“I hadn’t gotten to tell Sierr about our esteemed consulate guest yet,” Dantenn said, one eyebrow raised irritably as I looked at him questioningly. “And as for my needs-”
“Guest?” I interrupted, seeing the tension mounting between the two of them. Cain looked like he wanted to bop Dantenn and Dantenn was obviously swelling up in preparation to drag me home since he now knew I had been injured again.
Dantenn grunted. “Imagine my delight to discover you resurrected twice in a week. Xorratti’d been regaling us with tales of your demise. We’ve all been so very delighted with our esteemed political guest. We haven’t been able to tell him that it is perfectly rude to refer to us as ‘Indians’ considering he doesn’t listen to one word we say. Tell me, Cain, what charm school is it you generals graduate from?”
“I wouldn't know. I’ve never been. I’m beginning to think I was only promoted so they could try to chain me to a desk and stop interfering with their plans,” he said grouchily in return, sitting on the furthermost chair. He then looked at me. “Rig, Ray, and Argon were spotted by sentries on their way in so they cooperatively headed up to keep an eye on Xorratti and to try to dig up any information they can. We’re in charge of hunting Tiranshyck down. But as for right now, I can’t find any transport that will run on gas, so...”
“We’ll provide you with camels,” Dantenn replied.
McRattin wrinkled his nose. “Lovely.”
“Pretty boy doesn't like camels,” he hissed in my ear, trailing his fingers down my arm. “How predictable.”
I elbowed him hard and smacked his hand away. “There’s got to be something we can get. I can arrange for us to-”
I tried to stand but he grabbed the back of my clothes and I fell back with a pathetic wince, this time landing half on his lap. He hissed irritably in my ear. “You are not going anywhere. You are still recovering and once that is over, you are coming home.”
“I am not going home!” I sputtered, smacking at his hands which had circled around my waist so I couldn’t move. “I have a nuke to track down-“
Much to my irritation, Dantenn proceeded to interrupt me again. “Woo, here we go. I anticipated a fight. Don’t make me tie you up, Sierr. That would be too much fun. Anyway, enjoy the camels, McRattin. Do avoid the one called Monty. He has a tendency to bite one's valuables.”
I grinned at the memory of one of my teenage pranks. “Monty is still alive? You mustn’t have discovered that he likes gamba berry juice yet.”
He shrugged, then re-zeroed in on me. “And just what do you mean by that?”
“He finds them valuable,” I drawled, looking back at him. “Especially when one soaks their roommate’s underwear in berry juice.”
Dantenn turned a wonderful shade of purple and then glared at me, realizing what I had done. “That’s not funny. He still tries to bite me every time I go near him!”
I laughed. Cain watched the whole exchange with mystified eyes. Michael stirred, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Dantenn was muttering under his breath. “That was absolutely uncalled for! Why would you do that?!”
“Payback for the all the other pranks you pulled one me,” I replied truthfully. I snorted as he gnashed his teeth at me. “Oh, get over it already. I only meant to soak the buttocks portion of the underwear. How was I to know I soaked the wrong side? It’s not like I was overly acquainted with men’s undergarments at that age-”
“So long as you’re not acquainted with his undergarments,” he bellowed, pointing irately at Cain. ”I can’t believe you did that! How evil of you! Of all the nasty things-”
I sobered immediately as he ranted, hurt by the word he used. He knew exactly where to hit me. That was way below the belt. Anger welled up in me an
d I lashed out in return, rising from his lap. “Maybe I thought you needed to be castrated. When dogs mature, we neuter them. Human men sometimes need to be reminded of their place, too, and you’ll never learn I don't want you! I am not going home and no amount of coercing is going to change my mind!”
He stood and looked at me with murder clear in his eyes. “McRattin, Xorratti, if you would please step into the other room, I need to have a word with the neighborhood shrew. Alone.”
Michael was up and out of the bed fast but Cain was slower to move. He was looking at me but I was too busy glaring at Dantenn to care. I may have struck at him first, but he had hurt me way worse than I hurt him. And judging by the way the anger was starting to fade from his eyes, he knew it. He realized he had just used the word I begged him never to use.
He had pleaded with me to tell him what had happened to me those many years ago. Once I had, I asked him to never use that word on me. But now all these many years later, he had reneged on his end of the bargain and he knew it. His face crumpled into dismay, realizing he had gone too far. Evil was the one word that I would never forgive him for. “Sierr-”
“You never learn. You just can’t seem to keep your damn mouth shut,” I hissed, anger fading from my veins. I shook my head as he gulped nervously, waiting for me to retaliate. But I only looked away. I had nothing left to give.
“Go home,” I murmured, ignoring the hand he stretched out toward me as I stalked outside, slamming the door as I went.
Knowing he would follow me, I decided to put myself out of reach. I jumped for the low roof of the house and grabbed the edge, hauling myself up. I felt a hand snatch at my foot and fail to grab me before I pulled myself all the way up. I peeked down over the edge, seeing both Cain and Dantenn staring up at me; Dantenn looking remorseful and Cain downright irate at us both. But I didn’t care.
War Machine: Book One in the Destiny In the Shadows Series Page 18