Nikol's Surrender (A World Beyond, #10)

by Howard, Michelle

  His comm vibrated with another incoming call. The ID reflected exactly who he expected. “Nikol here.”

  “Where are you?” Lothar demanded, urgency and anger transmitting across his earbud.

  “On Tua-20. I was about to contact you. It seems we’re under attack.”

  Lothar let out a string of curses. “I’m on my way to you. Reports are coming in of two more attacks on our facilities. Complete destruction. My men gone.”

  The intensity of these attacks had drawn him out. It was exactly as Nikol had hoped but didn’t expect without heavy convincing. Lothar rarely left Marenia unless in depth planning was done weeks in advance and had several guards to accompanying him.

  Nikol eyed the Overseer, who watched his conversation. He had to tread carefully. “Wouldn’t it be best if I leave and meet you on Nzoni? It’s closer.”

  “Nzoni was one of the targets hit. Don’t try to leave. The last messages that came in before we lost contact after the attack with them claimed all ships fleeing from Nzoni and Rhuttan were blown out of the sky.”

  Lothar actually sounded worried for Nikol. He’d be impressed if he wasn’t aware the concern centered around blood line only and not on Nikol’s wellbeing. Nikol pretended outrage. “Two other auctions were hit?!”

  “Yes,” Lothar snarled.

  Nikol bit back a grin. “This isn’t random. It sounds like a planned attack. What do you need me to do?”

  “Calix and I are on our way to you. It may be necessary to extract you undercover. Don’t worry, Nikol. We’ll find who did this and make sure they suffer.”

  “It might be too dangerous. Dain and I can scout a way out. My ship will not easily be destroyed. It would be safer to meet you elsewhere.”

  Lothar muttered under his breath. “Not worth the risk.”

  Perhaps there was a small bit of concern on Lothar’s part for him. Not enough for Nikol to stop what he’d set in motion. “I’ll await your arrival.”

  He ended the comm and faced the Overseer, who edged in his direction with a hopeful look in his eyes. “We might have a way out?”

  “Not you,” Nikol said and withdrew his laser and shot him dead center of his chest. The man who’d taken particular delight in raping the male and female slaves before they were auctioned fell to the ground.

  He was lucky he hadn’t touched Darcy or his death would have been much slower and far more painful. Nikol commed Dain. “All clear. We wait for Lothar’s arrival.”

  “I’ll stay outside and make sure no one attempts to join you.”

  Dain was excellent at what he did and Nikol trusted his friend was going to have a bit of fun eliminating the few others here with a reputation for being unnecessarily cruel to slaves and buyers alike.

  Chapter 32

  Lothar made good on his promise and reached Nikol in under two hours. He must have pushed his ship to the limit since it wasn’t as fast as the one destroyed by the Antila weeks ago. If he didn’t hate him as much as he did, Nikol might have felt a bit of pride in the rush.

  Lothar entered the door to the empty office, where Nikol waited sitting on the edge of the dead Overseer’s desk. Lothar glanced at the body and his lip curled in a sneer. “Was he a part of this?”

  Nikol snort laughed and shook his head. “No. He was a part of a different mess I decided to clean up.”

  When Calix walked in behind Lothar, Nikol tightened visibly. Lothar shrugged off the death. “I trust your judgment.”

  Resting his hand loosely on his thigh, Nikol asked. “Did you have any trouble landing?”

  “Nothing. No sign there’s anyone here. There’s a bit of damage at the station but not like Nzoni and Rhuttan, which were completely obliterated. It will take years to rebuild.”

  Or not. Nikol didn’t go through all the work and subterfuge to get rid of those prominent auction houses for Lothar to rebuild.

  “There are other areas of business for us to move into. Expanding the slave market beyond Marenia has drawn nothing but trouble from the Alliance and their authority.”

  “I’m not worried about them,” Lothar stated, glancing around.

  Nikol clenched his free hand on the desk. “You should be. This has grown in a way it shouldn’t have for years.”

  Calix wore a familiar sneer. “He doesn’t have what it takes, Lothar. Your son has grown soft because of the tutanis in his kitse. She has his cock in a vise.”

  The mention of Darcy caused Nikol to tense. His gaze narrowed on Calix. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Prove it. Why did you kill the Overseer here? He knew something. Or maybe he saw something he wasn’t supposed to,” Calix lashed out.

  The retort was so close, yet so far from the truth, Nikol laughed. “I killed him because he sampled the wares as they came through. Anyone who caught his eye, he took, often damaging the product to the point it couldn’t be sold.”

  Surprise crossed Calix’s face at Nikol’s honest answer. “That still doesn’t explain what’s happened today with the businesses. Someone had the information and detail needed to blow up not one, not two but three of our facilities. There had been no signs of tampering prior to the explosions. Maybe that someone was you.”

  “Our facilities?” Nikol arched a brow. “When did you become a member of this family?”

  Calix snorted and stepped forward. “You shouldn’t have a part either then. The only good thing you ever did was kill Mirim and even that was under force. I only wish we could have had you kill her sniveling baby too as a true test except a tutanis took care of that for us.”

  Red hazed Nikol’s vision and his hand dropped to the weapon holstered on his thigh.

  “Enough. Let it be, Nikol. Calix, my son has proven himself to me over the years and I have no doubts he will handle this matter to my satisfaction.”

  The farce had gone on long enough. Nikol shifted his gaze to Lothar. “You’re right that I’ve proven myself.”

  Lothar beamed.

  “But not to you. I’ve proven that I have what it takes to finally end this. You should never have gotten into advancing the slavery beyond Marenia.”

  A slow grin curved Lothar’s mouth. It wasn’t the reaction Nikol expected. “And how do you plan to stop me?”

  Lothar waved a hand around at the remains of the building they were in. The explosions on Tua-20 were contained because Nikol knew he’d face off with Lothar at this location. “This is nothing. I can and will make a bigger and better auction house.”

  Laughing outright, Calix added, “I will help him, of course. Perhaps I’ll be rewarded with your pretty red-haired punan since you seem to be offended by the slave auctions suddenly.”

  Nikol dove for Calix and punched him in the face. Calix head snapped to the side and he staggered back a step. Fire lit his gaze and he went to swing a fist in return. Nikol ducked and delivered another punch. He struck Calix’s midsection, sending him bending to the waist.

  Blood stained Calix’s front teeth when he straightened. “You fight for her? A suare?”

  “She is my First Placement. It is a title worthy of respect and you will be careful how you speak about her.”

  Nikol didn’t like the glint in Calix’s eyes when he spoke. If Lothar was evil in the guise of physical appeal, Calix was a ruthless killer who lacked any grain of integrity. Nothing had value to him, which made him a perfect complement to Lothar’s brand of cruelty.

  “Well, well, well. I really must try her myself if she was able to get you to give her such a lofty position,” Calix taunted, running a hand down his groin meaningfully.

  Something broke. Snapped. At the thought of Calix anywhere near Darcy. Nikol was on Calix before he realized he’d moved. Blood filled his vision, all sense and planning tossed to the side in his desire to end the one who threatened the woman who was his heart.

  “Nikol, stop!” Lothar yelled.

  Ignoring his father, Nikol punched Calix again and again until he was dazed and begging. It w
asn’t enough. Not nearly. He slid his knife from the sheath on his thigh and hunched over Calix, holding him up by his shirt collar. He raked the blade across Calix’s throat with a quick slash and dropped him to the ground. “That was for Mirim.”

  Clapping sounded behind him. “Well done, son.”

  Nikol straightened and stepped over Calix’s body. He pulled out his laser and aimed it at the man who’d done his best to ruin his life. Nikol had waited long for this day. “It’s over, Lothar.”

  “Not yet, my son.” Lothar lifted a single hand in the air and signaled. “I suspected something strange about the explosions. Calix isn’t the only one who was suspicious about your motives of late. You’ve really disappointed me with your obsession over the Earth woman.”

  Nikol kept his laser pointed at him. “This isn’t about the Earth woman. It has nothing to do with Darcy.”

  A grimace marred Lothar’s handsome visage. “It really does. Perhaps something about her reminds you of my former tutanis. I wish I knew how Mirim pulled such fervent loyalty from you at an early age when I could not.”

  “That’s easy. She loved me. You only wanted to control me.”

  Lothar laughed outright. “Guess Calix was right about you being weak if you’ve done all this for a frivolous emotion.”

  Nikol didn’t get to answer. Steady footsteps approached their location. More than one person. Was it Dain?

  The door to the warehouse opened a figure he least expected eased through. Garmon held a laser pointed at the head of the struggling woman in his arms.

  Eyes wide, Darcy scanned the area until her gaze landed on Nikol. Relief eased the terror on her face. Then she noticed Lothar and stiffened all over again.

  Heart in his throat, Nikol tried to remain calm. Lothar glanced at Garmon and Darcy then back to Nikol. “You should have thought this through better. Calix has always been worried you’d try to betray me one day. I held out hope, though.

  Until now. This place only suffered minor damage in comparison to the others. Why? Why not destroy all three? Unless it was deliberate to draw me out. And who would want to lure me off of Marenia in such a manner? The answer was easy enough to figure out.”

  “Why is she here?” Nikol asked, turning away from Darcy’s frightened face. He couldn’t watch Garmon’s hands restraining Darcy and not launch across the space and kill him. There had been nothing and no reason to suspect Garmon had betrayed him.

  “Don’t play games. We both know why I brought your punan here,” Lothar spat, losing all congeniality.

  Nikol controlled his flinch at the derogatory term. Of course, Lothar wouldn’t see her as anything more. Females had no value in his eyes beyond being a tool he could use and discard at leisure.

  “This changes nothing. I have been carefully dismantling the bulk of your smaller illegal businesses. These three prominent auction houses were a necessary to draw you out and now they’re destroyed. Give up.”

  Lothar laughed. “I don’t care what you’ve done. Want to know why you could never win against me, Niko? Because Calix was right about one thing. You’ve never had what it took to replace me.”

  The statement should have hurt but it didn’t. Nikol’s life goal had been to fight falling into a state of apathy that would have made him succumb to being what his father wanted him to bee.

  By maintaining a shred of decency in this nightmare life, Nikol had won. “I don’t want to replace you.”

  Undeterred, Lothar smacked a palm to his chest. “I’ve killed when needed. Lied and cheated to attain my status and despite what you wish to think, there are those who respect that.”

  That didn’t make what he’d done right. Nikol shook his head in wonder that Lothar could be so blind. “You never knew me.”

  “Really?” Lothar arched a brow. “I’m willing to wager my life you won—”

  Blood suddenly sprayed from Lothar’s neck then he dropped to the ground with a gurgle. Nikol lowered his weapon after taking the shot, whirling about at Darcy’s scream. Garmon stared at him in shock.

  Darcy was crying, her hands digging into the forearm Garmon had clamped about her throat.

  “Why?” Nikol asked simply.

  Edging toward the door he’d use to enter, Garmon pulled Darcy backward with him. “I saw your feelings for her. It’s why I sent her to the bacchul instead of Tashire. Lothar deserved to know and rewarded me greatly for any information I could share.”

  “And Tseju?”

  Garmon stopped retreating and snorted, lifting his weapon away from Darcy to say, “Weak! The Earth woman was getting to him too. I was going to have Crox poison her at the medics but she sensed something and ran back to your kitse before I could have it done. It worked out better anyway because Tseju thought she was escaping and had her whipped.”

  Garmon laughed outright. “He actually cried that night. Cried over hurting a tutanis. You were all turning soft and something needed to be done, so I took care of him!”

  The laugh signed his death warrant. Garmon’s head leaned back at the right angle and Nikol shot him between the eyes. Darcy screamed again as they fell to the ground in a tangle. Nikol raced to her side and dropped to his knees. Darcy flinched when he touched her. Nikol shoved Garmon’s dead weight off of her. When he pulled her into his arms, she was trembling and crying. “It’s over. You’re alright. It’s all over, astéri.”

  Behind him, Lothar gagged and choked. Nikol squeezed Darcy. “Wait here.”

  She whimpered and clung to his shirt, shaking her head. “No, no. Don’t leave me.”

  “Only a minute. I have to go to him.” Nikol battered back his rage.

  Her fingers released his shirt one at a time. Nikol set her aside and rose all at once. Vengeance filled his heart as he went to Lothar and squatted beside his bleeding form. A good chunk of his neck had been blown away from Nikol’s shot. He must have moved at the last second, otherwise, he’d already be dead as Nikol had intended.

  Nikol leaned forward, wanting to make sure Lothar heard every word. “Harat lived.”

  Lothar’s gaze widened. Nikol smiled grimly. “He wasn’t killed by a jealous tutanis. I took him to Enotia as a baby right after you killed Mirim. He grew to be honorable. A perfect reflection of his mother.”

  Rage and helplessness darkened Lothar’s midnight eyes as he panted, unable to draw breath. His death was too easy after all he’d done to others and Nikol wanted it over. But not before giving Lothar every bit of his satisfaction at winning the twisted game Lothar had started by killing Nikol’s mother Seri.

  “Harat joined his adopted home’s military.” Lothar’s brows arched, still not understanding what Nikol was imparting to him. This was it. Years in the making. “He goes by the name...Torkel Alonson.”

  The greatest gift possible aside from his death was watching the full comprehension of Nikol’s betrayal flare in Lothar’s gaze. His fingers gave one last sporadic twitch, mouth pursed tight then the light in his eyes faded.

  Now it was done. Nikol stood and went back to Darcy. He lifted her in his arms and stepped over Garmon’s dead body. He was taking her home where she belonged.

  Much to Nikol’s relief, Dain greeted him as soon as he walked out of the building. His friend was holding his left arm close to his chest and there was dried blood on his shirt but otherwise, he was alive. Dain grinned at Nikol. “It appears Smiki came through a little too well.”

  Nikol threw back his head and laughed. This wasn’t exactly how he’d envisioned things going but it worked out perfectly. Darcy reached up and fingered his lips. He gave her a warm smile before facing Dain again. “I’ll have to thank him for getting his...former associates to set up the undetectable shock bombs.”

  They shared another laugh.

  “Let’s get home,” Nikol said.

  He held Darcy in his arms the entire trip back to Marenia, refusing to let her go. She was safe and thinking about how close she came to being the exact opposite sent his heart crashing.

&
nbsp; He harnessed them together, ignoring her protest and was grateful when she eventually fell asleep. Dain stared then murmured, “She’s good medicine for you.”

  Nikol frowned. Darcy was good for him. She brought out the side of him he’d hidden deep down inside himself. But what an odd way to phrase it. “Good medicine?”

  “Yes. Since she’s been in your life, you haven’t had the head pain you suffered from your captivity on Enotia that was getting worse.”

  Was it true? Nikol couldn’t pinpoint when it had stopped. Now that he thought on it, he couldn’t remember one single attack from the moment Lothar sent Darcy to his suite. He grinned over at Dain and rubbed the side of his horn against Darcy’s cheek. “I think you’re right.”

  Darcy was good medicine for him.

  When they landed on Marenia, he carefully adjusted Darcy making sure not to wake her as he carried her down the ramp.

  Dain’s gloating expression rubbed his raw edges and he snarled, “Have a medic see to that.”

  The laser wound to Dain’s arm had stopped bleeding but there were shrapnel slivers and other detritus in his arm and shoulder from the explosion. It had been far too close to where Dain had hidden from Lothar and Calix. “I will though I’m not sure Crox will be gentle once he hears the news of Lothar’s demise.”

  Nikol snarled, “Kill him after he treats your injury and save me the task. We have other medics who can take his place.”

  Dain’s grin widened and his step quickened. “It will be my pleasure.”

  Crox had been brutal to Dain’s sister years ago when they had sex shared. Giana had not recovered and succumbed to an untreated injury from the encounter because she refused to let any medic touch her afterwards

  ***

  Lying on his bed on his back, Brax woke with a jerk. Nikol grinned down at him. “I warned you what would happen if you touched her again.”

  Before Brax could form a single word, Nikol pinned his throat to the pillow with one hand and squeezed his jaw until it opened. One slice and he cut Brax’s tongue clean off. Blood spurted from the severe wound and Brax reached up to grip Nikol’s wrist, gasping. Pain leached the color from his bulging face and it was a sight Nikol savored.