Page 54 of Salvation
Nick stepped into a large, sparsely furnished room, Dante right behind him. A few chairs and a medium-size table were shoved to one end of the room. At the other end, Mystery Woman gestured wildly at a viscomm screen. He frowned at the Matiran woman on the screen. Given the draping black coverings over her head and face, she clearly did not want to be recognized. There was no doubt of her gender and race, though.
He turned his head and carefully kept his voice low. “Any idea who they are, Dante?”
“I feel I should know the woman from the trail,” Dante murmured back.
The woman on the screen moved. Vivid, jewel-tone aqua-marine eyes met Nick’s gaze. He frowned. He’d seen her eyes before, somewhere.
“Haesi Velo,” Dante spat the name like a curse, and with good reason.
Whoa. ItwasHaesi! The last time he’d seen her was the day he’d helped take control of the slave ship. Graig had stopped her from killing Alex, but the woman had escaped. After the role she’d played in the down-fall of the Matiran Guardian Fleet and the ensuing invasion of Terr, he had hoped the galaxy had seen the last of her. Apparently that had been too much to wish for.
Disgust rose in the back of his throat at the memory of his first encounter with the traitor. He had been eighteen when she’d walked into the slave cell he shared with his sister, Gryf, Dante, Graig, and a few others. The brief, possessive touch of her hands had elicited a strong reaction from his teenage self. A reaction he wished he could forget ever happened.
“Nicholaus Bock.” Her voice was honey-smooth. “The promising youth has become a man.” Her gaze raked him from head to foot. “A very desirable man. It is a shame you had to interfere with my plans. I had hoped to one day reap your field.”
“Right.” He jutted his chin in the direction of the Terrian woman. “So, who’s your little side-kick here?”
“You just don’t know how to shut-up do you?” Mystery Woman said.
“Not really, no.”
“That’s Kelly Rossler, Nick,” Dante said, his narrow glare directed at the woman.
Mystery Woman reached up and pulled her scarf down, tucking it under her chin. “I’d like to say it’s nice to see you again, Nick Bock…but it isn’t.”
Jesus Freaking Christ! This was turning into a reunion of people he could live the rest of his life without seeing again. Back during their Camp One days, Kelly had had a vendetta against all things alien. Not surprising since her eight-year-old son hadn’t survived the invasion. But everyone on Terr had experienced tragedy and loss, and most had been able to move on with their lives. Not Kelly. It was because of her and her small, boisterous, anti-aliens group that the dissenters had been moved off Terr in the first place.
Apparently she now made exceptions for some aliens; why else would she be in cahoots with Haesi, of all people? He and Dante were in deeper shit than they’d realized. “What the hell is going on here, Kelly? Why are Dante and I here, and where’s Sakura?”
Kelly’s laugh was sharp and humorless. “She’s probably wondering where you are, would be my guess.”
Nick blinked rapidly. Saku wasn’t here? “You lied to me about her, then?”
“I never said she was here, idiot.” Kelly’s grin was full of animosity.
“Yes you….” No, wait. She’d never actuallysaidshe had Saku. Shit.
“Ska!” Dante jerked and turned to face their guide, one hand clamped over his upper arm.
Their guide scampered back a few paces, clutching an empty syringe in one hand. Nick’s gut clenched. “What was in the syringe, Kelly?”
“I warned you not to do anything stupid, but you did anyway.” Triumph lit Kelly’s eyes. “You stupidly did exactly what I told you.”
Haesi’s chuckle drew his attention back to the viscomm screen. “It was time to test my serum on ’Ferthian sympathizers. I wonder how long the good Healer Dacian will last? Or you, for that matter.”
Nick whirled. Something hard and sharp scraped over his bicep. Fuck! He grabbed the newcomer’s wrist and released his Gift. The man’s dark eyes widened, and a choked cry of agony hung in the space between them. Then the man’s legs gave out and he crumpled to the floor.
“Oh, my god, did you justkillhim?” Fear reflected in Kelly’s eyes as her gaze darted between the dead man and Nick.
A growl welled up in Nick’s chest and he bent to retrieve the unused syringe. “Damn right I did.” The ass-clown had been coming at him with a lethal injection. Nick cast a quick glance at the needle. “I’m thinking it’s time to try this out on a couple ofotherguinea pigs.”
Kelly and the guide retreated a few steps, fear lurking in their eyes. “Don’t be a fucking moron, Bock.”
“Oh, I’m not. Not this time.” He stepped toward them. How many times had Graig drummed it into his head, stupidity will kill you? He was damn lucky to be alive right now. “If you think you can get your gun clear of its holster and a bullet into my head before I jab this needle into your neck, go ahead.”
That was apparently all the encouragement Kelly and the guide needed. They turned and bolted from the room. Nick followed them, stopping at the doorway long enough to shove the heavy, metal door in place. The clang of the bolt hitting home filled him with satisfaction. One problem taken care of. Now for the other. He turned his attention to the viscomm. It was blank. Haesi must have cut the connection. Damn. There was nothing he could do about that now.
He met Dante’s gaze. “You okay?”
