Page 16 of Enthraller

“Take it to the top, Hyt. Harden sounds like he’s compromised, if not completely involved. Shanïha is more likely to be straight.” Ed could see Hyt didn’t like it. He made a sound of annoyance. “What’s the problem?”

“There’s a protocol to these things. Going over Harden’s head will be breaking that.”

“Like he broke protocol with Wren?”

Ed saw Wren give a nod.

“We don’t know he did. He might have been fed lies, too,” Hyt said.

“He heard a story about how they set only two guards on her and after she was taken, waited six days to suit up, only for her to have rescued herself, and he didn’t do a damn thing about it?” Ed was incredulous.

Hyt rubbed the back of his head again. “No. He couldn’t but know that was ridiculous.”

There was a knock at Hyt’s door, and they all froze, looking toward it.

Ed turned back to Hyt. “You called someone in?”

Hyt shook his head. “I swear I didn’t. I thought about it, but no. This isn’t the rescue squad.”

Ed hesitated, but Wren caught his eye and gave a nod, like she believed him.

“Go stand in my bedroom, out of sight,” Hyt said, as the knock came again.

Ed did it, but reluctantly.

He waited until Wren was all the way inside, then angled himself so he was in total darkness, but he had a partial view of Hyt as he opened the door.

“Jenik. What are you doing here?” Hyt kept his voice easy, with just the right amount of surprise.

“Just thought we’d check you’re all right, sir.” Jenik’s voice was a deep rumble. “We thought we saw Ed Zeneri come in here with a woman.”

“You watching my place?” Hyt sounded offended.

“Just patrolling, sir. After what happened this morning.” A second voice spoke up, another man.

Hyt gripped the door, his arm creating a solid barrier to entry. “Mornes, I set up the patrols, last time I looked. What I have you on roster for is keeping watch on Ed Zeneri’s place. So unless you followed him from there, and your comms broke down so you couldn’t call me to warn me he was on his way, I want to know what you think you’re doing?”

Suddenly, Hyt was shoved into his apartment, and a large man came in, fist swinging. Hyt ducked by dropping down to his knees and then punched his attacker straight in the crotch.

The big man went down with a cry, and Hyt rose up, leaned forward and grabbed the second man in the hallway, threw him in, closed the door, and leveled a laz at him as he lay on the floor.

The soldier lifted his own laz, but Ethan got off a shot with his first.

The captain must have had the laz on him since he’d come out of his bedroom to talk, Ed realized. He guessed he couldn’t blame him, after the blow Ed had landed earlier that day.

He should probably be grateful that it looked like it was on a relatively low setting, but Jenik was clearly unconscious.

“I’ve suspected the two of you of the attempt to kill Ed Zeneri and Wren Thorakis since I learned about the timing of your transfer to my unit, but thanks for confirming it for me,” he said to Mornes, and then glanced at Ed as he stepped back out into the living area. “Secure him for me, will you?”

Ed caught the manacles Hyt tossed his way with one hand, and noted the surprise on Mornes’ face. He didn’t recognize the man, but then if he was recently from Nanganya, he wouldn’t.

“This morning was a ploy to smoke us out?” Mornes was shaking his head, as if he couldn’t believe it. His eyes widened even further, and Ed didn’t need to turn around to know Wren had stepped out of Hyt’s room, and was standing watching them. It was as if he had an extra sense where she was concerned.

“Sure it was a ploy,” Ed said easily as he tightened the restraints and took Mornes’ own manacles off his belt and used them on his ankles. “You think the captain doesn’t know who his new artifacts consultant is when he sees her?”

“That’s where you went wrong,” Hyt said, bending to restrain Jenik, who was still out, as soon as Mornes was secure. “You waited too long, tried too hard to put her death on me, rather than on the Nanganya SF.”

“You took a risk,” Mornes said. “We nearly had her, and this one, too.” He stared up at Ed.

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