Page 91 of Caught By Menace

Her gaze fell to her bedside where she discovered Menace in a cramped chair. He had his long legs stretched in front of him but held her hand. Head tilted back at a terrible angle, he snored. The sound brought a smile to her face, but the sight of his right arm and hand in a heavy cast made her frown. She noticed the bruises on his face and neck.

Movement near the doorway drew her gaze. Terror stepped out of the shadows. Her heart monitor beeped wildly as she laid eyes on her tormentor.

“Relax,” he said gently. “I’m not here to finish you off.”

“Like I believe that,” she snapped back, her voice gravelly and throat sore. Now that he was fully illuminated, Naya sawthe awful bruising on his face. His nose was broken and taped. One of his hands was in a brace. He leaned all his weight on his right foot because the left was in a cast. She spotted the crutches leaning against the wall.

She looked at Menace and then back at Terror. “Did he beat you up?”

“There was no other way to restore my honor and pay for what I did to you. I’m sorry by the way. For almost killing you,” he added lightly.

She pursed her lips. “Apology not accepted, Terror.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t think you’d be an easy sell.” More seriously, he said, “You’ll be happy to know I’m leaving theValiant. I think it’s best for everyone involved if I find a new home base for my operations.”

Good fucking riddance.She gestured to her broken body. “You’ll understand if don’t make it to your going-away party.”

He smiled, the subtle curve to his mouth softening his harsh face the smallest bit.

“No offense taken.”

Still irritated with him, she asked, “Did you get what you needed?”

“I did. Your actions saved the lives of countless citizens of Calyx and members of the Harcos forces. It won’t be forgotten.” He glanced at Menace. “I didn’t give him any choice when it came to you. He thought he was helping you by giving me permission to interrogate you. He believed that if he showed cooperation I would remember our friendship and not unleash hell on you.”

“I figured as much.” Naya narrowed her eyes at him. “After the way you twisted my arm, I could only imagine what you’d done to him.”

“That’s my job,” he answered simply. “Menace loves you, Naya. In my line of work, I see how very rare it is for two peopleto share what you have. After all you’ve been through together, you’d be a fool to let him go now.”

Her eyebrows shot up at Terror’s relationship advice. Maybe it was the meds making her hallucinate, but she actually thought it was sound advice.

“Besides,” Terror said with an evil grin, “think of the ammunition you’ll have to use against him the next time the two of you have a domestic dispute. You’ll win every fight from now until the end of time.”

Naya groaned. “Really, Terror?”

He laughed. “What? Is it too soon for the ammunition joke?”

“You are such an asshole.”

“I know.” He grabbed a small red envelope from the rolling tray near the door. Hobbling, he brought it to her. “I thought you two would want this as soon as it came through the office.”

She grasped the envelope. “What is it?”

“Open it when I’m gone and when he’s awake. I’m sure he’ll want to experience the good news with you. Oh and you should be receiving your settlement offer in the next few days.”

“Settlement offer?”

“We did almost kill you after wrongfully accusing you of terrorism,” he pointed out. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a rather large sum.” He considered her for a moment. “Maybe you could use the money to fund that little import-and-export business you had in mind.”

Naya gawked at the Shadow Force operative. “How the hell—”

“It’s my business to know everything that happens on theValiant.” Then, with a smirk, he added, “Plus, Hallie has the biggest mouth when it comes to bragging on her friends.”

She made a mental note to thump Hallie the next time she saw her.

Limping, Terror made his way to the door and grabbed his crutches. He waved his hand in front of the frame. Pausing in front of the open door, he looked back at her. “You know, if you decide to leave Menace, we could use a woman like you on our team. Your skills are quite impressive.”

Naya glanced at Menace, who snored even louder now. Love blossomed in her chest. “I’m flattered, but no thanks. I’m staying right here.”

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