Page 11 of Triplets for the Barbarians

“He should be here any minute,” Yossul says, checking his military-grade pocket watch. Sapphire City was a treasure trove of army equipment when we first conquered it. The inner-city barracks, in particular, held a plethora of useful things, including a batch of synchronized watches, which proved especially useful during the missions that followed. “Three o’clock, he said.”

“Assuming he can get out without his superiors noticing,” Fadai says.

I stay close to the buggy, my sidearm loaded and ready to fire at a moment’s notice. Tension gathers in my shoulders as Yossul glances my way. I don’t know if Fadai told him about what happened the other night between us—I can only assume he did. They’re brothers, after all, and this bond concerns the three of us. I’m still reeling from that mind-crushing orgasm. I’m still recovering from the number Fadai’s foreplay did on my senses. And I am aching for more.

“The city’s surveillance drones,” Fadai says.

We hear the buzzing, and we spot a cluster of black dots flying across the red sky. “They’re not headed our way,” I mutter.

“That’s good,” Yossul says, inching closer to my side. “It means they haven’t spotted us just yet. It’s likely just one of their regular rounds.”

“They won’t see the buggy from that angle either,” I whisper, paralyzed by the feel of his hand brushing against mine. It’s one of those rare moments when our bodies do the talking for us, and I can tell from the look in his eyes that he and Fadai absolutely talked about the other night. I see it in both of them. The longing, the burning desire. I feel it, too.

“How much longer?” I ask, moving away from Yossul’s disconcerting touch.

He checks his watch again. “Another minute.”

“I can’t hear anything,” I say, looking around for the umpteenth time. “Surely, he wouldn’t walk over here.”

“No, it wouldn’t make sense,” Fadai replies, then grabs the binoculars to survey the city’s southern sections of the wall. “I don’t see him anywhere.”

“He’ll be here,” Yossul insists. “Lemuel hasn’t let us down in the past.”

He’s tempted to come closer again. This time, Fadai matches his movements, making them seem like panthers on the prowl, but the sound of incoming buggies has my pulse jumping on the opposite side of the spectrum as I see Sky Tribe soldiers quickly approaching us.

“Oh, no,” I mumble. “This can’t be happening.”

But it is happening.

Whether Lemuel ratted us out or not doesn’t matter at this point. What matters is that a dozen Sky Tribe warriors are heading our way, their buggies racing across the vast open space that stretches between the Three Fingers and Ruby City.

One glance through the binoculars, and I’m able to see their weapons, too. They’re not driving over for a quick chat.

“The ceasefire doesn’t apply anywhere outside Diamond City,” Yossul growls as he grabs one of the laser rifles from the back seat. “Prepare for combat!”

“We can’t outrun them,” Fadai adds and does the same.

I snag the third sniper piece and aim it at one of the Sky Tribe’s buggy drivers. A sudden burst of adrenaline ignites my whole body. There’s no time for me to wonder how the hell they were on to us so quickly.

“Shit, they flew the drones away on purpose,” I whisper mostly to myself. “They wanted us chilling out here, not expecting a raid.”

“Motherfuckers,” Yossul snaps and starts firing his weapon.

The enemy buggies are getting dangerously close and too fast. I look through the scope and shoot one of the drivers. I get him in the shoulder, and the hit is hot and unexpected enough to make him jerk on the steering wheel. The buggy flips over and explodes, the orange flames bursting outward and swallowing the rest of the armed passengers before the laws of physics manage to hurl them away from the deflagration.

There are too many of them, though.

And they’re only a handful of yards away.

“We have to kill them all,” Fadai gasps, reloading his weapon.

They’re here. Four buggies left, and soldiers are jumping out, firing at us. I take cover behind our vehicle, but they’re not aiming their guns at me. They’re trying to eliminate Yossul and Fadai. Of course. I’m the grand prize here.

“Bastards,” I hiss and poke my head out long enough to shoot one of them through the chest. I hear him drop dead before I take cover again.

Yossul fires a rapid succession of shots. Fadai does the same, but the first of the Sky Tribe soldiers gets close enough to knock the rifle out of his hands. The fight gets hard and bloody as Fadai struggles with his assailant.

I’m back up and shooting over and over again. Six of them left.

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