Crusader (Battle Born Book 1) (12 page)

With a sigh of frustration, she shoved the quandary to the back of her mind and focused on the task at hand. It wouldn’t be much of a search. The backup drive was either here or it wasn’t and she knew where it would be if it was here. Rather than explaining that to Bandar, though, she simply led him to the spare bedroom. The room was small, the limited floor space gobbled up by the queen-size bed and large mirrored dresser. However, the simple-looking closet was actually a cluttered walk-in and a small safe had been secured to a shelf behind the door. The casual observer would open the door and see the expected collection of off-season clothing and storage boxes.

After she pointed out the safe, Bandar crowded in beside her and closed the door. They were momentarily left in darkness, which amplified the awareness already crackling between them. He was doing it on purpose. She was certain of it now. He was using their attraction to keep her slightly off balance. Well, two could play at that game. If she came on to him and he backed off, she’d know it was all an act. If she kissed him and he responded, she’d know it was genuine chemistry,
mutual
chemistry.

She reached past him and grabbed a flashlight on the shelf next to the safe. He placed his hands on her waist as if to steady her. Flipping the flashlight on, she turned it sideways on the shelf and pointed it toward the opposite wall. She could see his face now, yet her hands were free. She touched his chest plate then slid her hands up to his shoulders. He was so damn tall she wasn’t going to be able to kiss him unless he bent down.

“What are you doing?” Amusement and desire made his voice rough and low.

“I was going to finish what you started last night, but I can’t reach your mouth.”

His hands tightened on her waist and he lifted her off her feet, holding her in midair as if she weighed nothing. “You really want to start this now?”

She ignored the obvious warning in his tone and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Just a taste,” she echoed his words from the night before, then covered his mouth with hers.

That was as far as she got before he took over. One of his hands lightly fisted the back of her hair while the other cupped her butt. His lips contoured to hers, urging them apart as his tongue pushed inside her mouth. Excitement surged through Ashley and she greeted him with an eager swirl, sliding her tongue over and around his until she heard him groan.

She clung to him with her arms and legs, but his armor was a frustrating barrier. She wanted skin sliding over skin as they rubbed against each other. At least his attraction was real. No one was that good an actor. Still, it wouldn’t take him long to figure out her deception or why she’d really kissed him. Dreading the inevitable storm, she savored the kiss for as long as it lasted.

He kissed her for a little while longer than eased her back and peered into her eyes. “This is delightful, but why are you trying to distract me?” He moved both hands to her hips.

“I don’t know what you mean.” She didn’t sound at all convincing, but she managed not to smile.

Without setting her down, he looked around. His gaze landed on the safe and his hands tightened on her hips. “I thought you said your father secured his research with biometrics.” His voice growled, his obvious displeasure even more ominous because of their intimate position. “How is the system maintained if there’s no power to the cabin?” He pushed her away.

She unwound her legs and he set her on her feet. She grabbed the flashlight off the shelf, careful to keep her expression blank. “You would have left me behind if I’d told you the truth. I have to be part of this.”

They were bunched together as it was, but he moved even closer, pressing her back into the clothes. “You’re right. Until my shadow is apprehended, it’s too dangerous for you to—”

As if to prove his claim a strange
thunk
interrupted his lecture. The sound had been distinct, yet muffled, as if the disturbance had come from another part of the cabin.

“Stay here.”

She cringed at the directive. He was already pissed that she’d lied about the biometrics. If she ignored him now, she’d never earn his trust and any hope she had of learning what really happened to her father would be snuffed out. “Nazerel might have forgotten something,” she whispered.

“Nazerel would have warned us of his return. Stay here.” His steely tone and stern expression emphasized the order. Turning his back on her, he eased the door open and assessed the bedroom before slipping out of the closet.

She flipped off the flashlight and watched his stealthy progress across the room. He’d left the closet door cracked, so she took it to mean he didn’t care if she watched as long as she stayed out of sight. But he quickly reached the doorway and disappeared into the outer room.

Damn.
She stayed quiet and still, determined to obey. Seconds ticked by in frustrating silence then she heard angry voices, two or maybe three, yelling in a language she didn’t understand. The voices gave way to progressively louder crashes and she had to turn away from the doorway. Curiosity tugged at her like a powerful vacuum. She wanted, no needed, to see what was going on out there.

Stay here, could also mean the bedroom
. She smiled. Her inner voice could rationalize almost anything.

The door flew open, narrowly missing her as she dove for the concealment of the clothes. Someone grabbed her arms and yanked them behind her back as she was dragged out into the bedroom. She caught a glimpse of long, well-muscled arms and a tall, black-clad body. If this was the shadow again, where the hell was Bandar? The flashlight was snatched out of her hand and tossed onto the bed. She gasped then cried out as her captor’s rough hold jarred her shoulders and wrists. Using her arms to effortlessly control and propel her, he pushed her around the bed and toward the doorway. It all happened so fast, she didn’t have time to react, but the situation came into horrific focus as she reached the main room of the cabin.

Bandar’s shadow had returned, only this time he’d brought friends. Bandar and his shadow fought in the middle of the room, their flexblades morphing from one form to another with surreal ease. The coffee table was smashed and a lampstand overturned, yet two of the shadow’s companions seemed content to watch the fight. Both held sleek, compact guns, but neither looked anxious to use them.

Something cold and solid tightened around Ashley’s wrist. Before she realized what she was feeling, her other wrist was bound as well, securing her arms at the small of her back. Her captor moved to her side, one beefy hand encircling her upper arm. He was a hulking mass of aggression all dressed in black. In fact all of the Rodytes wore black body armor similar to Bandar’s. She glared at her captor, but like his companions, his attention was fixed on the fight.

She needed to escape or cause a distraction, anything but standing there like a witless fool. Even if she could get away from the man at her side, the two armed observers were a second line of defense. She’d never get through both. She couldn’t fight them with her hands bound behind her back, not that she could have put up much of a fight even if she wasn’t restrained. Each of these men was as big as Bandar and doubtlessly just as dangerous. She’d never felt so helplessness, or so frustrated.

Both men attacked with determined focus, yet they seemed evenly matched. Bandar drove the shadow backward with a brutal combination of swings and thrusts then was forced to retrace his steps as the shadow rallied. It was savage, yet oddly graceful, each movement skillful and strong.

Her captor growled out a Rodyte command, clearly irritated by the delay.

The shadow attacked with renewed purpose, swinging his long, thin blade in a deadly arc. Bandar spun away, his massive broadsword instantaneously shrinking into an ornate dagger as he thrust for the shadow’s side. The dagger skid across the shadow’s armor, creating a horrible scraping sound. Both men were still unscathed. If a flexblade could fire energy pulses, why didn’t Bandar shoot?

This wasn’t a real fight. It was a pissing contest.

With another impatient command, her captor drew his sidearm and shot Bandar with a defused blast of energy.

She screamed and rushed forward as Bandar collapsed. Tugging against her restraints, she awkwardly knelt at his side and rested her head on his chest, listening for signs of life. All she could hear was the frantic thud of her own heart and her anxious panting.

“He’s just stunned. Relax.”

She looked up at the shadow, so angry she shook. “Who the hell are you and what do you want with us?”

“
Us
? One night in his bed and it’s us?” A lascivious grin curled the shadow’s lips and his companions chuckled, warning her that they could understand every word. “If I’d known a rough tumble was all it would take to gain your cooperation, I would have stabbed you with my other sword.”

“You’ll likely get a second chance,” her captor grabbed her arm and hauled her back to her feet. “But we don’t have time for this right now.” He motioned the two observers forward with a curt, “Restrain Bandar securely. He’s slippery as a Bilarrian slime eel.” Then he turned back to Ashley, forcing her to tilt her head way back to meet his gaze. “Is your father’s research here or not?”

“What’s your name? I’m Ashley.” She’d heard somewhere that forming a connection with her kidnappers would increase her chances of survival. Make sure they called her by name, saw her as a person rather than a means to an end.

His smile was even more lurid than the shadow’s had been. “You’ll call me master before the night’s through, so be a good girl and answer the question.”

“No.” She kept her face absolutely void of emotion.

He shifted his hand to her hair and narrowed his blue-ringed gaze. “No, the research isn’t here or no, you won’t answer my question?”

“There used to be a safe in the office.” She motioned toward the other side of the cabin. “It’s gone, not empty, actually gone.”

“Then what were you doing in the bedroom?” The shadow stepped over Bandar as he waited for her answer.

“What people usually do in bedrooms.” She shot him a provocative smirk, hoping anger would distract him from his purpose.

“The bed hadn’t been touched and you were in the closet,” her captor reminded. “Odd place for a lusty romp.” Without further explanation, he released her hair and grabbed her arm, dragging her back toward the spare bedroom. They retraced their steps with him in front this time. The shadow followed silently, his expression tense and watchful. When they reached the closet, her captor muttered, “Watch her.” Then stepped into the tiny room.

The shadow moved in close. She tried to retreat, but he wrapped his arm around her waist. His touch was firm without being hurtful. Still, his nearness was unsettling. “Don’t provoke him. You won’t be harmed if you cooperate.”

She whipped her head around and glared at him. “Says the man who tried to kill me.”

His voice dropped to an urgent whisper and his grip on her tightened. “If I’d wanted you dead, little girl, you’d be dead. You were never in any real danger. I knew Bandar would take you to his ship.”

“Then why did you stab me?”

“I’ll explain what’s going on as soon as it’s safe to do so. For now you’ll just have to trust me.” He nodded toward the closet. “That’s Erkott. I’m Letos. Bandar will understand the significance of those names. I mean you no harm, but Erkott is extremely dangerous.”

Had he lost his freaking mind? There was no way she would trust him. She looked at him with utter confusion, but Erkott returned before she could reply. Letos buried his face in her hair and slowly reached for her breast.

Erkott slapped Letos’s hand away before he actually touched her, almost as if Letos had planned it that way.

“She’ll be given to me first,” Erkott snapped. “We both know she will. So keep your hands off my slave.”

A chill sped down her spine as indignation surged. “I’m no one’s slave.”

Erkott ignored her objection and motioned toward the closet. “Open the safe or I’ll shred your clothes and let my men enjoy the view. No one will touch you until I’ve had time to break you in properly, but think how much more vigorous they’ll be if they’ve had a preview of your assets.”

Break you in properly
. The hateful phrase echoed through her mind as dread unfurled within her. She glanced at Letos, but he was glaring at Erkott. Letos said she wouldn’t be harmed if she cooperated. It sounded more like she wouldn’t be killed. Harm was definitely still on the agenda.

After only a moment’s pause, Erkott moved forward and grasped the hem of her sweater. “Last chance.”

A sudden burst of angry words in the outer room was followed by a yelp of pain.

“Sounds like Bandar’s awake,” Letos muttered.

Erkott called out in rapid Rodyte and the two soldiers guarding Bandar dragged him, kicking and twisting, into the bedroom. Another curt command from Erkott prompted one of the guards to press his pulse pistol to the side of Bandar’s head. Though his expression remained murderous, his struggles slowed, then stopped.

“Unlock the safe or you’ll watch Bandar die,” Erkott told her.

Bandar’s gaze locked with hers.
Give them nothing!

He pushed the thought into her mind so forcefully she gasped at the sting.