Page 11 of Shadow

Icut the motorcycle’s engine and coasted to a stop in front of the citadel.

The imposing structure was nothing more than a facade, a tool to project strength and mystery. My actual residence, tucked deeper into the territory, was far cozier and more suited to my farm-boy roots. If the woman ever left here, we wanted her superiors walking away with as little knowledge about us as possible. Me living unguarded among the Cuban people was not information they needed.

Two guards swung open the heavy doors as I dismounted, and the wave of indoor heat wrapped around me like a second skin. The sun was an hour from setting, and this was the warmest time of day inside the usually cool citadel. We preferred heat over cold. K-5 ran just beneath the surface, and warmth kept it stable.

I glanced over my shoulder as the doors closed. “Boot and the woman?” I asked.

“Boot is in your office,” Knet replied, his tone edged with frustration.

Knet wasn’t pleased with his current duty. It was a punishment; one he had earned for repeatedly testing myauthority. His transgressions hadn’t been severe enough to warrant a beating, but he was skating close. I filed that thought away and headed toward my temporary office.

The door stood slightly ajar, and I pushed it open to find Boot seated at my desk, his son Che perched on his lap.

My ire rose instantly, and both looked up, freezing under my gaze.

“Hi, Che,” I said, ruffling the boy’s hair as I passed. “Go find your mother and tell her she needs to take you home.”

Che gave his father a quick hug before darting out the door, leaving me alone with Boot.

My tone sharpened the moment the boy was out of earshot. “Explain.”

Boot set aside the book he had been reading to Che, his eyes meeting mine for only a split second before sliding away.

“His mother is expecting,” he said evenly, “and she’s resting in my room. Che needed to stay out of her way for a little while.”

“No children or women were to be present once the negotiator arrived. Did you misunderstand my order?”

“No, Alpha. My wife is the problem,” he admitted, his tone resigned. “She does poorly at following direction.”

Most did. Boot’s wife was particularly incorrigible.

My jaw tightened. “Where is the woman?”

“The Federation woman?”

Boot wasn’t my brightest soldier, but he was one of the gentlest, which was why I had chosen him to handle the woman in my absence. His softness was supposed to balance out our intimidating presence.

“Yes, the woman,” I said, forcing more patience into my voice than I felt.

“The green room,” he answered, his tone devoid of any urgency.

Before he could blink, my left hand clamped around his throat, lifting him clear off the chair.

His eyes widened as my grip tightened. “You left her in the goddamned green room?”

A garbled “Yes” escaped his lips before I hurled him across the room.

His body collided with the wall, the impact reverberating through the space.

If Marinah was dead, Boot’s unborn child would grow up fatherless.

“Beck!” I bellowed as I strode into the entry hall, not pausing to look around.

If his hypersensitive ears didn’t pick up the call, word would spread fast enough.

My pace quickened as I headed for the green room, each step fueling my fury.

When I reached the door, I shoved the outer latch aside and threw it open.

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