Page 89 of Caught By Menace

Menace stuffed the empty wrappers into the drink bottle and screwed on the cap. “This wasn’t your fault, Vicious.”

“Wasn’t it? I should have found a way to rein in Terror.”

“After seeing Terror in action, I don’t think that’s possible. He may be beyond restraint.”

Vicious wiped both hands down his face. “I don’t know when it got so complicated.”

Menace didn’t either. He took aim at the garbage receptacle in the corner and shot the bottle toward it. It hit the rim and bounced into the can with a satisfyingthunk.

Hallie rounded the corner with two familiar faces in tow. Venom and Cipher followed her to the seating area. She handed Menace the disposable wipes, started to sit but then counted the open seats. Realizing there weren’t enough, she glanced at Vicious, who opened his arms and patted his lap. Vicious slid his arm around her waist when she perched on there. His lipsbrushed her temple. The sight of the couple sharing a tender moment gutted Menace.

Venom sat in the spot Hallie had once occupied. He hesitated before asking, “How is she?”

Menace shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Venom squeezed his arm. “The surgeons on this installation are amazing. She’ll be fine, Menace.”

He wished fine had a more concrete definition. The shots she’d taken had caused a great deal of damage. Not wanting to think about the awful possibilities, he changed the subject. “Did you get the guns?”

Venom’s face showed surprise. “Menace, we don’t have to talk about the mission. Let’s just focus on Naya’s recovery.”

“She almost died trying to complete Terror’s mission. I want to know if she succeeded.”

“She did,” Venom assured him. “We got the weapons cache and a huge amount of intel on the Splinter cell on Calyx. They’ve already grabbed three of them by instituting a planet-wide dragnet. One Splinter ship tried to flee the surface when they got wind of our raid on the factory. We snatched them up and took them in for questioning. Dankirk called in his friends from the free press to photograph the food stockpile and disseminate the information to the people of Calyx.”

“She did a great deal of good today,” Cipher said. “Her bravery saved a lot of innocent lives.”

Menace supposed that was some small consolation. “Her mother?”

Venom shook his head. “Pierce tagged her in the arm and chest but she managed to escape. We’ll find her. With those injuries, she can’t have gone far.”

“And her brother?”

“Dead,” Venom said. “He got hit with friendly fire. Hazard swears he saw the mother pop him but who knows.”

Menace wouldn’t put it past the old broad. “She probably considered him a loose end.”

“With that drug problem? He would have been easy to interrogate. A promise of Impulse and he’d sing like a bird,” Venom replied.

“His body?” Menace hated to ask the gruesome question but it had to be done.

“We brought him back with us. He’s in storage in the mortuary. I wasn’t sure if Naya would want to bury him properly.”

“She will.” Menace couldn’t imagine Naya doing anything less. No matter how badly her brother had treated her, he was still her family.

“I thought you would want this back.” Cipher held out Naya’s red notebook. “I’ve already given a decoded copy to the Shadow Force unit.”

Menace grasped the small book and ran his finger over the red leather. Protecting her privacy seemed a moot point now. “What was in it?”

“Not what Terror expected,” Cipher answered honestly. “It was her record of favors owed and debts repaid. She kept inventories of her acquaintances. Just initials,” he explained, “but tied to their occupations. I think it was her way of knowing who could help the people who came to her with various needs. The back section was filled with contact information for various shops and warehouses in Connor’s Run and The City.”

Regret gripped him. “I should have let you decipher it the night it came into my possession.”

“Hey,” Cipher said gently, “you couldn’t have possibly known what was going to happen. You did the right thing respecting your wife’s right to privacy.”

“A lot of good it did her,” Menace grumbled. His gaze swept the lobby and settled on a surgeon coming toward them. Hisheart stuttered and he leapt to his feet. Hands clammy, he fisted them at his sides—and waited.

The doctor nodded at the crowd. He stopped in front of Menace and smiled. “She came through the repairs beautifully.”

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