Page 71 of Caught By Menace

“Come on.” Venom grasped his upper arm and jerked him forward. “Move, Menace.”

They entered the bedroom. Naya stood next to the bed, eyes wide in panic, and gripped the top sheet to her shield her body. He started to speak, but Venom’s grip tightened.

Venom shook his head and addressed Naya. “Ma’am, you have five minutes to shower and dress. If you say one word, I’ll be forced to separate the two of you.”

Menace watched her expression morph from one of pure fear to one of resignation. She hurried to the closet, grabbed her clothing and rushed into the bathroom. Menace followed her lead. He shot Venom a glance as the other man trailed him into the bathroom. He’d spent enough time living in close quarters on the front lines to have no issue going about his morning bathroom ritual with another man watching. Naya was a different story.

She didn’t meet his eye as she jumped in and out of the shower or when she toweled off and slipped into her clothing. Her usual modesty and embarrassment fled. Fear had activated those survival instincts that had kept her alive and safe so long in Connor’s Run. He hoped she could stay calm and cool while they dealt with whatever the hell this was.

Rinsing off in the shower, Menace let his brain spit out various scenarios. Each seemed more unlikely than the first. Obviously something screwy was going on here. He didn’t believe for one moment that Terror actually believed he was guilty of anything. They’d known each other since they were children. Their bond and trust was much too deep for that. But Naya…

Menace spotted her waiting near the door. Even with that brave expression and her squared shoulders, she was still afraid. Lingering in the bathroom and near him made her feel secure.His chest ached at the realization she wouldn’t have him to lean on when they were taken from their quarters.

As he dressed, he remembered her fear of Terror. He’d written it off as the usual feminine fright. Had he been wrong? Was Terror really after Naya? Why? What in the world could she possibly know that would make him this upset?

Those answers would come soon enough. Venom stepped between them, preventing Menace from even touching Naya, and walked the two of them out of the bathroom. Menace’s jaw dropped as he saw how quickly Terror’s team of Shadow Force operatives had tossed their quarters. The mess would take hours to clean and they were still dumping drawers. Terror stabbed the mattress with the gnarly knife he carried and ripped the protective covering. What he thought he would find hidden in there, Menace could only guess.

“Found it, sir!” A young operative Menace had never met held up Naya’s red notebook. Triumphant, he brought it to Terror who thumbed through the encoded pages.

He glanced at Naya, narrowing his one eye, and then slapped the book against the young man’s chest. “Get this to Cipher.”

“Yes, sir.” The operative scurried from the room.

Standing near the doorway, Raze kept his weapon lowered. He met Menace’s questioning gaze and gave the tiniest, almost imperceptible shake of his head. Whatever was going on here, neither Raze nor Venom wanted any part of it. Menace suspected both men had demanded they take part in Terror’s witch hunt to safeguard him and Naya. At least with Raze and Venom present there would be witnesses if this thing went even further south.

Terror approached Naya. Menace stepped between them, refusing to allow his friend to intimidate his wife. Terror gave him a hard look. “I’m trying to protect you, Menace, but if you make things difficult for me, all bets are off.”

“Protect me? You just searched my home without a warrant.”

“I don’t need one. When I want something done, I just snap my fingers,” he snapped, “and all sorts of men rush to get it done.”

For the first time in his life, Menace was afraid of Terror. Not because Terror would hurt him. He wasn’t afraid to face whatever pain the man had in store. No, he was terrified for Naya and the possibility of her having to deal with an unrestrained Terror.

“I want her cuffed.” Terror spoke to Venom. “Take her down to central holding. Put her in an interrogation room.” He eyed Menace. “If you make one fucking peep about her being in cuffs or going into interrogation without you, I will have her sent to theArctisfor questioning. Understood?”

“Loud and clear.” Menace set his jaw. On board theValiant, Naya had Vicious’ protection. No matter what Terror accused her of, Vicious would never allow Terror to harm her or unleash Torment, his master interrogator. As long as she stayed on theValiant, Menace could be reasonably assured of her safety. He hoped they would give him enough time to find a lawyer and fight whatever charges they were bringing before Terror did anything rash.

Venom removed his cuffs from his vest. As if getting arrested were the most natural thing in the world, Naya relaxed her shoulders and dropped her hands behind her back. Venom affixed the metal cuffs and took hold of her upper arm. “Move.”

Menace watched Venom lead her out of their bedroom. At the doorway, she cast a lingering glance over her shoulder. The tears glistening in her dark eyes made him sick. He felt useless and impotent.

With a heavy sigh, Menace put his hands behind his back. “Cuff me. Let’s get this over with.”

For the first time that morning, Terror showed genuine regret. He looked pained and put a friendly hand on Menace’s arm. “I’m sorry this is happening. You deserved so much better.”

Puzzled by Terror’s remarks, Menace allowed Raze to cuff and perp-walk him out of his destroyed home. In a sign of friendship and respect, Terror made use of the hidden access points and elevators to take him down to the on-ship jail. Menace breathed easier at the knowledge that none of his colleagues or neighbors had seen him in cuffs. It made the humiliation a little easier to bear.

They took him to a room between interrogation cells. Inside the dim room, Vicious waited with Torment and Pierce, Terror’s Shadow Force cohorts. Stone-faced and always cool, Torment showed only the barest hint of recognition as Menace entered the room. Pierce, on the other hand, had a bruised and battered face and a hand and an arm wrapped in gauze. He’d been through the wringer and very recently.

Vicious cursed loudly. “Terror, get him out of those cuffs now.”

Terror stood his ground. “It’s procedure, Vee. Menace is under arrest for aiding and abetting the enemy.”

Menace’s stomach dropped as though it were a runaway elevator. “What?”

Pierce gestured to his face. “The gun shipment that I was on last night was attacked. We took heavy fire. Eleven men were killed and seventeen were wounded. We barely made it to the escape pods. The Splinter ships grabbed the cargo boxes from the debris field and fled.”

Terror stepped forward and tapped the frame of the one-way mirror to activate it. Menace’s gut clenched at the sight of Naya sitting alone in a cold interrogation cell. Last night, he’d helped her live out a fantasy in a cell like this one. Now she was living a nightmare. She kept her gaze fixed forward and her featuresschooled. If she was afraid, she wasn’t going to let anyone else know it.

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