Page 103 of Escape Velocity

Chapter Twenty-Two

Both Max and Rafe went stock-still. Both looked queasy as they watched Tudor press the beamer to her flesh.

Max held up his hands in surrender. “Okay.”

Tudor looked at the new guards who had come in. “Restrain them.”

Two of the blue-uniformed men came forward. One backed Max against the wall. The other did the same to Rafe. The henchmen manipulated four of the wall tiles, revealing metal rings, another proof that Tudor had been waiting for their arrival. When Max and Rafe were secured to the shackles, both breathing hard, the guards stepped back. It all happened so fast that Amber barely had time to blink.

“That’s better,” Tudor said, sounding more relaxed, and Amber realized that he hadn’t been quite as confident as he’d appeared. He shifted slowly, stepping far enough to the side so that he could meet Amber’s gaze. “That was quite a show of old-fashioned chivalry from your knights in tarnished armor. It seems they have an investment in you.”

“No,” Max answered, but she saw the look of horror on his face.

Ignoring the denial, Tudor asked Amber in a conversational voice. “Did you fek both of them?”

“No.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” Addressing Max again he said, “I’ve been wondering whether you were going to show up, after that incident on the Freedom Station.”

Amber couldn’t hold back a small strangled sound.

She didn’t have to ask what incident.

Tudor addressed her again as he said, “When Cortez didn’t deliver you as expected, I contacted eyes and ears in places where you might show up. The two men who tried to bag you were found dead on Freedom Station. It looked like they had killed each other over some petty dispute. But what if that was a setup? What if they’d really run into you—and your friend? I couldn’t discount that possibility, so I kept digging. And I contacted my spy in the Swamp Rat’s camp.”

When Amber sucked in a sharp breath, he grinned at her.

“What spy?” she asked.

Instead of answering the question, he went on taunting them. “Did you think I wouldn’t keep up with the goings-on over there? Those men think they are so macho, but really they are like little boys playing warriors and lording it over their women.”

He set his beamer on the table so that his hands were free, then stepped behind Amber once more. Bringing his arms up in the parody of an embrace, he cupped her breasts, stroking them like a lover. His touch made her skin go cold and her stomach knot. When she heard an angry growl from across the room, she kept her gaze down because she didn’t want to see Max’s face.

Tudor’s touch grew worse as he gave a savage twist to each of her nipples, making her cry out.

“I can tell you’re dying to know who is working for me over there. Is it one of the women? That arrogant bitch who’s married to Gatroux? One of the young bloods?”

When she made a low sound he continued, “I know a lot about them. My spy brings reports when he’s supposed to be hunting. He’s a devious lad. Guess who it was.”

“LaTour,” she spat out.

His hands went still.

“How do you know?”

“I saw his face as we were getting ready to leave, and I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what.”

“Well, no matter. I made sure my guys didn’t harm him when we took down some of the eager marsh pigs. He’ll still be there to keep me up on the camp.” He laughed. “He would have brought the guards this morning, if you hadn’t played with everyone’s head.”

From across the room Max made an angry sound, but Tudor ignored him, still speaking to her.

“Let’s get you secured too,” he said. “Horizontally with your legs in stirrups so I can have a good look at your cunt.” He turned to one of the men in blue. “Bring me the medical table from the other room.”

Lowering his mouth to Amber’s ear, he gave a painful bit to her lobe, then said, “If I don’t find your maidenhead intact, I’ll have to cut the balls off your friends.”

Amber whimpered. Her heart was pounding so hard that she thought it might break through the wall of her chest. Everything that had happened in the past few days played through her head, and the scene with Camille and the knife came into sharp focus.

Her captor flattened his hand against her crotch, making her jump.

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