Page 27 of Havik: Warlord Brides
The warlord sank to his knees, sitting on his heels. Havik gasped.
The serious one, Seeran, tossed a critical glare at Havik. “As bait,” he said.
“Bait?”
“Unacceptable,” Havik interrupted. “To endanger a female, even one—”
Paax held up a hand, silencing Havik. “It is a dangerous proposition to bring them to justice but not without reward.”
“Justice like law and order justice, or justicelike stabby-stabby bang-bang?” She made finger pistols andpew-pewsound effects. She would never have dared to be so flippant with Nicky, for fear of what he might do, but the worst had already happened to her. It was freeing, even if it made her reckless. “Honestly, I’m fine either way, but I’d like to know.”
“Law and order, if possible. If you do this, I will compensate you with an amount of credits that will enable you to go anywhere. My mate called it ‘fuck you money.’”
“I like the sound of that.” With enough money, she could go to school, get certified, and be a nurse for real, or even go back to Earth and take a contract out on Nicky. For a moment, the thought of ending Nicky’s life filled her with a dark joy, but she wasn’t a killer. A thief, yes, but she did what she had to do to survive. She couldn’t kill unless her life depended on it. “What’s the catch?”
“Let us discuss this in a private location,” the warlord said, rising to his feet.
Havik
The warlord kneeled, placing himself below all four individuals present. Havik had never seen such a thing. To purposely let himself be placed in a vulnerable position would be to invite a challenge. Havik’s father would never allow any display of weakness, from himself or his son.
Paax led them to a private meeting room above the plaza. With every step, Havik’s questions about the warlord increased. He had heard the rumors about Paax. They were impossible to avoid. He had been a scientist and poisoned his warlord, then plotted with a scheming assassin to upset the warlord. How else could a scientist defeat a distinguished and skilled warrior? The Council mistrusted Paax, who had a record of ignoring orders.
Surely Havik and Ren could find a more suitable warlord to serve.
“Sir, I must protest the involvement of a civilian,” Havik said.
“What’s wrong with me?” the female demanded, planting a hand on her hip.
“You’re a common thief,” he said. “I observed this female steal credits from passing civilians in the crowd.”
“And no one noticed?” the warlord asked, sounding disappointingly intrigued.
Havik’s shoulders slumped. The law meant something. Order meant something. If this warlord so readily overlooked the foundation of honorable behavior, then this clan held no future for himself or Ren. They would complete their mission and continue their search.
“You noticed because I’m rusty as hell,” Thalia said. She perched on the edge of the conference table; her feet dangling off the ground. “But it doesn’t matter. I donated the credit.”
“Why?” he demanded, stepping forward. This close, he could detect the odor of cooking herbs and mint clinging to her person. She smelled palatable, not appetizing. Her scentdid notmake his mouth water.
“Because this big red dude was chasing me. By the way, you’re not subtle. You might as well have been flashing a neon sign over your head.” Her eyes rolled. “There was a kid inside the shop selling candy as a fundraiser, which, I have to tell you, is weird to see in space. You’d think that an interstellar society would fund their schools better, but at least I got this.” She fished out a foil-wrapped square from a pocket. Unwrapped, the confection released a wave of sugar and chemical dyes. “I think it’s taffy. Want a piece?”
“I will not partake of your criminal deeds,” Havik spat.
“My standards are flexible, and I like candy. I’m Ren, since someone has no manners. Pleasure to meet you.” Ren stuck out a hand in a Terran greeting.
“Thalia.” She broke off a piece for Ren, the traitor, and one for herself. “Fizzy,” she said, chewing the piece of ill-gotten confection. “So, you have a job for me as human bait?”
The warlord ignored the female’s insolence. He ran a hand along his damaged horn and even seemedamused.
Havik did not know how to process this information.
“Seeran, if you will,” the warlord said.
“Yes. The big red one,” the other male said, stepping forward, “has come to track those who took you. He is, as you observed, not subtle.”
“I get results,” Havik said.
The warlord’s attention snapped toward him, all his mirth and good humor gone. “Yes. I have been told about your results, specifically ones that involve my engineer and endangering his mate.”
