Logic had nothing to do with the emotions churning inside him. He was scared to death. Not for himself, but for her.
“Halt.” A big male armed with a blaster stepped outside the guard station.
Delphi stopped and rocked back on her heels. In her leather pants and a lightweight shirt with a deep v-neckline and her hair bouncing around her shoulders, she was a sight to stop any man in his tracks. “Hey, I need to get to my ship.”
“No one gets inside without a pass from Balthazar.”
Ivar had moved a step forward before he stopped himself. He hadn’t known about that particular security measure. Had she?
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m almost out of credits. I’ve got some food on my ship. Figured that could hold me over until I could win my money back at a game of chance.” Her smile was pleasant and open, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Even her voice was different—the pitch softer, the accent thicker.
His fingers dug into the thick bark of the tree he leaned against.
She stood there with her hands down by her sides. Her only visible weapons were her two knives tucked into sheaths at her waist.
A lump in his throat made swallowing almost impossible, especially since his mouth was bone-dry. The muscles in his legs tensed as he prepared to rush forward.
“You own that rust bucket in the last berth?” The guard slowly lowered the blaster and grinned.
Delphi pressed her hand against her chest. “Is that any way to talk about my pride and joy?”
The guard actually chuckled. “It’s a wonder you made it here.”
“Aye, well, she looks rough, but she’s all heart.” Delphi continued to move closer to the guard. “Hot one today.”
She was fearless, moving into danger without hesitation. Ivar’s heart picked up speed and sweat rolled down his back.
“It’s hot every day,” the guard shot back before swiping the back of his hand over his forehead. “You still need a token from Balthazar to go to your ship.”
Seemingly unconcerned, Delphi shrugged. “I might have a bottle of Andalusan wine on board that I liberated from a former friend.” She paused. “If you’re interested. For your trouble.”
“Liberated, you say?” The man scratched his chin.
Delphi shrugged again. “My former friend wasn’t paying attention to his belongings. His loss was my gain. You strike me as a man who’d enjoy it. Or if not, it would fetch a pretty penny or impress a lady. Not much of a drinker myself. I just want food and a change of clothes.” She sniffed her shirt. “I’ve been in this long enough.”
He glanced around. “It will have to be quick.”
“I can be very fast.” She struck, hard and, indeed, fast. Launching herself at the guard, she had both knives out and slammed into the arteries of his neck. He went down like stone.
Ivar was beside her before she’d yanked her knives free. He grabbed the blaster and checked the charge without thought. It was almost full.
“We have to hurry. Grab his legs.”
He did better than that. He tucked the blaster into the waistband of his pants, hefted the man up, and dragged him into the guard station, ignoring the pain in his ribs. Delphi scuffed up the ground, burying the blood that spilled. Ivar dropped the man on the floor, sparing him a moment’s pity. But if he worked for Balthazar, he knew there were prisoners that were being tortured. That made him just as guilty as the rest of his jailers.
While he dealt with the body, Delphi yanked open the drawers in the small room, tossing aside nutrition bars and beverage containers.
“What are you looking for?”
She gave up her search at the small desk and started patting down the dead man, stuffing her hands in his pockets. With a grin, she pulled out a small scanner.
The key to the hanger.
Beyond those heavy steel doors were her ship and freedom. It didn’t matter where they went as long as they were together. She’d promised the Gravasians didn’t want to hurt him. To discover if she was telling him the truth or not, they had to get off of this planet.
“Lead the way.” He waved his hand. If there was going to be trouble, it was likely to come from behind them. This way, he could watch her back.
She snuck a peek outside before bolting forward. He had to hustle to keep up with her. There was no cover anywhere, by design. They were wide open if anyone cared to look. She raised the scanner, pressing several buttons.
Nothing happened.
They were almost at the door. He pulled the blaster. This might get through the lock, but it would also attract a hell of a lot of unwanted attention.
Delphi was swearing softly, working the scanner. “Come on. Come on.”
Squinting against the powerful sun, he kept his back to her. So far, all was quiet. Too quiet. A certainty settled over him. “It’s a trap,” he whispered just as the door in front of them slid open. Not the small door she’d been trying for, but the large one. It rolled back, the mechanical gears grinding slightly as the heavy weight was pulled away.
A large man stood there, hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. The sun glinted off his red hair and beard. Behind him were a dozen men. All heavily armed.
“Well, well. Leaving so soon? Was my hospitality not to your liking?”
Balthazar had found them.
****
Delphi wanted to yell in frustration. Instead, she dropped the scanner and held up her hands. Ivar reluctantly released his own weapon, letting it fall to the ground at his feet.
“Don’t shoot.” She swung around and pointed at Ivar. “He forced me to help him.” Ignoring the flare of pain in his eyes, she faced Balthazar.
The only way to get them out of this was if she stayed alive.
Ivar would believe she betrayed him. The pain in her chest made breathing difficult. Focus. If she didn’t, they were dead.
“Now, why should I believe you?” Balthazar strode forward, fury in his eyes. When he reached her, he casually backhanded her across the face. He was a strong man with huge hands. Expecting it, she moved with the hit, avoiding the worst of it. She’d taken harder hits training with her brother.
Dropping to the ground, she curled into herself and moaned.
“Bastard,” Ivar roared. She rolled to her feet and knocked him aside as one of Balthazar’s men shot toward him. The laser exploded into the sand where he’d been standing.
A deep booming laugh filled the air. “A might protective of you, isn’t she? I don’t think you were forced at all,” he told her. The large knife he pulled was razor-sharp, meant to intimidate. He ran the edge of the blade over her cheek. It was as cold as his eyes. He didn’t break the skin but the threat was abundantly clear. They were so close she could smell the whiskey on his breath and the soap he’d used to bathe.
Thinking fast, she flashed a grin, hoping to take him off-guard, and talked fast before he decided to slit her throat. “What can I say? He’s pretty, and there’s a bounty on his head I plan to collect.” If there was one thing that could be counted on, it was the man’s lust for money.
Speculation filled his gaze. “A bounty, you say?” He eased the knife away and rubbed his red beard. “Well, now. That makes more sense. I see why you were protecting him.”
Ivar’s face was bone-white, his hands fisted at his sides. He didn’t give her a second glance. Did he believe her lies? Probably. Not like they’d had time to build up much trust.
She blinked against the hot sun. Balthazar had the advantage with it at his back, not to mention his armed men. There had to be a way out of this. She just had to figure it out.
There were too many men for her to handle on her own out in the open. If she could get them all inside the docking bay, there were plenty of places to hide. Then she could hunt, taking them out one at a time.
The unknown factor was Ivar. Would he fight with her or against her?
“He has to be alive to claim the bounty.” That would keep him safe, even if her life was forfei
t. She was trusting Balthazar’s greed to overcome his legendary temper.
“Who helped you?” he demanded.
“No one.”
When he shook his head, the sun glinted off the red in his hair. Hands on his hips, he glared down at her from his great height. “You don’t expect me to believe a little thing like you took out four of my men and rescued him”—he pointed at Ivar—“on your own.”
She gave a negligent shrug. “What can I say? I have skills.” Bragging would either set him off or intrigue him. She prayed for the latter.
Ivar was silent. She longed to look at him but didn’t dare. Anything could set off their captor.
Balthazar ran his gaze down her body, lingering at her chest and her crotch. Even though she was fully clothed, it made her uncomfortable. “You have skills I haven’t discovered, but I will. You owe me. I’m down five men, if you include the one who manned the guard station. Good men are hard to find.”
She tossed her hair. “How good were they, really, if I got by them? You should thank me for weeding out the weak ones.”
He gave a deep chuckle. “You’re either crazy or have balls of steel, girl.”
“What I am is enterprising. A girl has to eat. And I have a taste for the finer things.” Her brother would kill himself laughing at that one. They’d grown up lean and mean, fighting for the right to live. They’d never had a taste of the finer things until the time they spent on Gravas.
He licked his lips. “You are fine and I plan on having a taste of you. You owe me for missing our dinner date.”
“The two of you deserve each other.” Ivar spat on the ground between them, his golden eyes ablaze with fury.
Her heart cracked, even as it hardened, becoming as impenetrable as titansteel. She’d always known she and Ivar wouldn’t last, but never had she imagined things going so horribly wrong so soon.
Balthazar’s smile was cruel. The bastard was enjoying himself. “What did you think?” he mocked. “That she cared for you? A slovenly prisoner with nothing to his name? Come to think of it, not even his name.” He pinned her with a green glare. “What is his name?”
“All in good time. I want to make a deal.” Her goal now was to keep Ivar, and hopefully herself, alive. His brother knew he was here and would bargain for him, if it came to it.
“You want to make a deal?” He shook his head and glanced over his broad shoulder at his men. “She wants to make a deal.” The men dutifully laughed, amused and all but salivating at the chance to kill her … or worse.
Don’t go there.
Whatever she had to do to keep Ivar alive, she would. This mission was about saving a life, not taking one. Although, she would slit Balthazar’s throat before she was done or she’d die trying.
Sweat made her shirt stick to her torso. A droplet trickled down her temple. “I have the contract, not you.”
He flipped his knife through his fingers, nimble and quick. The man had skills. Well, so did she. And unlike him, she wasn’t advertising. “I can make you talk.”
“I’m sure you can.” His smirk irked her enough to add, “But I wouldn’t tell you the truth.”
“You’re good at lies, aren’t you?” The bitterness in Ivar’s voice almost broke her. She turned to face him, her heart bleeding. Anger, hard and deadly, burned in his eyes. Her throat almost closed. She swallowed the need to reassure him that she was on his side until it was nothing more than a ball of acid in her stomach.
She forced herself to laugh when all she wanted to do was cry. “A girl has to make a living. I live by the knife and spear.” She threw the word out there, hoping he’d understand that he wasn’t alone. If she died, Spear would come for him.
“A spear isn’t very handy,” Balthazar interrupted. The man hated being ignored, always had to be the center of attention.
“A spear can move soundlessly through the air and kill.” That was the pure truth. Spear el Gravaso was arguably the best Gravasian assassin, maybe the best in the known universe. Her smile was genuine this time. Their captor frowned, his green eyes darkening.
“Is that a threat?”
She shook her head. “A promise.”
He grabbed her by the hair, dragging her head back while at the same time yanking her up until she was balanced on her toes. “Torture is an art form. One I’ve mastered. It might take time, but I’d break you. I think I’d rather enjoy it.” He pulled her close, pressing his lower body into her.
The sadistic bastard was turned on by the thought of violence. “But would it be in time?” she taunted. Keep talking, Delphi. If it was just her, she’d fight and kill as many as she could before dying. She’d already lived longer than she’d ever thought she would.
Zaxe would blame himself. So would Sass. The guilt would eat them alive. She was sorry for that, but it was no longer about them. It was about her and Ivar. This was her chance to do something good, something noble. Taking all those lives had eaten her soul. Being with Ivar had given her a taste of something better.
Didn’t matter that it was over before it barely began, that he believed she lied and manipulated him. She knew it was real. That was all that mattered.
“Time?” He yanked hard on her hair. It hurt, and normally, she’d chew off her own tongue before letting him know that. Instead, she cried out. The weaker he believed her to be, the easier it would be to lull him into a false sense of security.
Then she’d strike. But first, she had a question of her own. “How did you just happen to be waiting for us?”
Chapter Twelve
Ivar banked the fury threatening to consume him, shoving it behind an impenetrable wall. Pain, worse than any meted out by Balthazar during his captivity, threatened to break him. Given enough time, his body would heal. His heart would forever bear the scars of Delphi’s betrayal.
And for what? Money. All her talk of keeping her word was as false as the disguise she sometimes wore. He was nothing more than a bounty.
Every word she spoke damned her. He must be an idiot, because he still didn’t want her hurt.
Delphi had risked her life to liberate him from prison. Their time together in the cave had been special, at least to him. It wasn’t a lie that she’d been a virgin. Their lovemaking had been sweet and tender and passionate, a gift, one she hadn’t needed to give him. Then why had she?
A spear can move soundlessly through the air and kill. Her words echoed in his brain. Spear was the name from the dream. And according to Delphi, the reason she was here.
Your body is a weapon. So is your brain. Use it.
It was the unknown voice, except this time, he was sure it belonged to Spear.
Heart racing, he really looked at her, trying to see beneath the in-control image she projected. Her eyes spoke of determination and anger rather than fear. This was a woman fully at ease, confident in her ability to deal with the situation.
Their captor had his hand fisted in her curls, ruthlessly dragging on her hair, making her cry out in pain. For that offense alone, he deserved to die.
Then her question to Balthazar penetrated his thoughts. How had he been waiting for them?
The giant of a man laughed again, finding pleasure in their torment. “You went missing around the same time as my guest.” He winked at Ivar. “I know you wouldn’t willingly leave my hospitality.”
Ivar crossed his arms over his chest and glared. “Yeah, real five-star accommodations, but the chef could use some work.”
“Better than dead. But there’s only one way on and off the planet. It was only a matter of time until you showed up. I’ve had men stationed here since the jailbreak. Just pure chance I happened to be here. Lady Luck smiles on me, she does.”
“Then why do I have a buyer for him and you don’t?” Delphi interjected, drawing their captor’s anger.
She’s doing it on purpose.
All the breath whooshed from his body in a single breath. She was lying, only not to him but to Balthazar. All this was about buying them t
ime while doing her utmost to protect him.
Sweat dripped into his eyes, the salt making them sting. The sun’s rays burned his skin. There were twelve men and Balthazar against the two of them. Those were slim odds.
He was the liability. She was healthy and capable. He wasn’t anywhere near top condition and had no idea what skills he possessed. In hindsight, this was something they should have considered before venturing out of the cave.
As long as they were alive, the possibility of escape existed.
It was a huge leap of faith. His mind argued he was seeing more than what existed between them, giving her more credit than was due. What had she said about his memories? She wouldn’t tell him anything so he wouldn’t make false ones to match whatever details she doled out.
Was that what he was doing here? Creating the ideal situation, believing in her when every word out of her mouth contradicted that? The whole spear reference could be nothing more than pure coincidence.
Only he didn’t think so.
Balthazar used his grip on Delphi’s hair to shake her. “Tell me what you mean by time?”
“You want to ease up on the hair.” Her matter-of-fact tone seemed totally out of place, given the situation.
Baiting Balthazar wasn’t a good idea. Being familiar with the man’s temper, Ivar feared she was pushing him too far. He softened his knees, ready to spring into action if an opportunity presented itself.
“Don’t try my patience, little girl.”
Delphi was slender and about five and a half feet tall, but she exuded an energy and confidence that made her appear much larger. Next to the bulk of her captor, she appeared tiny, almost fragile.
“Listen, you like business. I like business. He’s worth ten million credits, if you know who to contact. I’m willing to cut you in on the deal. But it’s time-sensitive.”
“Ten million. Do you take me for a fool?” He glowered down at her.
“You’re nobody’s fool.” That seemed to placate him, as he released her hair. She ran her fingers through it, patting it back into place. Ivar bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling at her audacity. Even with all the armed men surrounding them, she seemed in control of the situation.
Ivar's Escape (Assassins of Gravas Book 2) Page 11