Page 79 of Caught By Menace

Menace swayed on his feet. “Naya, sir?”

Orion’s mouth settled into a grim line. “I believe he took her to the surface. She wasn’t on the stolen ship when he returned fifteen minutes ago. I’ve got him under arrest outside the Shadow Force sector but he’s not talking.”

“We’ll see about that,” Vicious ground out angrily. He turned to Hallie as if he meant to send her back to their quarters but stopped himself. “You’re coming with me. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

She relaxed with relief. “Thank you.”

Vicious crooked his finger at Menace. “Let’s go get some answers.”

Nodding, Menace fell into step behind Vicious and Hallie. Two of Orion’s top officers joined them in the lobby. The elevator ride was cramped but short. They entered an area of the ship Menace had never before visited. He’d never even seen this section on the schematics.

Wearing black cargo pants and a gray shirt, Terror leaned back against the wall outside a door. He looked calm and peaceful. Menace had never wanted to hit his friend harder in his entire life. Did Terror have any concept of the hell he’d wrought? Did he even care? For the first time in their manyyears of friendship, Menace finally understood why so many people hated Terror. He was a bully. Period. Full stop.

Toe-to-toe with the man he’d once considered a best friend, Menace glared at him.

“Where the hell is my wife, Terror?”

“Don’t you mean ex-wife?”

Menace drew back his fist but Vicious grabbed him, stopping him from striking Terror. Regaining control of his fury, Menace asked, “What have you done with her?”

“What I should have done the moment I realized who she was,” Terror replied. “I punted her ass back to Calyx where she belongs.”

“You contravened one of my direct orders,” Orion interjected. “I realize you and Vicious are friends and you two tend to confuse the chain of command between yourselves, but that shit doesn’t fly with me. I am the admiral in charge of this entire sky battalion. When I give an order, it’s followed.”

Terror didn’t even blink. “I exist outside the chain of command. If you don’t like the way I handle the affairs of the Shadow Force, you’re more than welcome to contact my superiors.”

“Is that so?” Jaw set, Orion glanced at one of his men. “When we’re done here, ready a ship for Terror and his men. I want them off theValiantwithin the hour. If he refuses to leave, vent him.”

Terror’s stone-cold expression didn’t slip. “As you wish, Admiral.”

The door to the Shadow Force sector hissed. Surprise registered on Pierce’s bruised face as he peered out into the hallway. “We’re less than two minutes from the agreed meeting time, Terror.” He frowned at the group assembled. “It’s going to be a tight fit.”

Terror stepped toward Pierce. “They’re not coming.”

Menace grasped Terror’s arm. “The hell we aren’t.”

“Seeing the proof of her treachery won’t ease the pain, Menace. Let it go.”

“And if you’re wrong?”

“I’m not.”

“Well, I’m not as arrogant as you. I know I was wrong to trust you. You showed me some incriminating things but there wasn’t one piece of real evidence that tied Naya to any of this. How else do you think my lawyer got me out of holding?”

“I don’t need a smoking gun, Menace. My gut tells me everything I need to know.”

“My gut tells me I screwed up yesterday. Whether or not Naya did all those things you accused her of as a teenager, she wouldn’t have done this. It’s not in her character to hurt other people.”

“And like always, Menace, you’re a day late and a credit short,” Terror replied. “You should have made your case yesterday. It’s too late now. What’s done is done. She’s not coming back.”

“We’ll see about that.” Vicious shoved his way by both of them, dragging Hallie right along behind him. “Menace, let’s go.”

Vicious cleared a path to the control room where Pierce and some of the soldiers who had tossed Menace’s quarters were working. A flat-screen display covered one wall. A live feed from Calyx flashed onto the screen. A digital label in the lower corner marked it as a feed from a hotel in The City.

The familiar sight of Naya’s dark ponytail zinged through him. He took a step closer to the wall. She walked back and forth in the small hotel room. What the hell was she doing there?

As if reading his mind, Pierce offered the answer. “It’s one of the locations we use to meet informants. It’s wired to transmit live sound and audio. There’s a four-and-ahalf minute delay tous, but we’ve got a guy in the room next door listening.” He glanced at his watch. “She’s probably already talking to her contact.”

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