Lover Enslaved: Thieves of Aurion, Book 1 (32 page)

Mara stared at the male Jerrick deliberately bumped into.
Baggins
. Her heart knocked increasingly faster.

The bounty hunter wasn’t hideous by any means, but he wouldn’t win any male-model awards either. A bulbous nose staked claim to the majority of his face. It looked sort of off kilter, like it’d seen one too many fists in its day. Thinning brown hair swept low over his wide brow, not quite obscuring the coldest, flattest gray eyes she’d ever seen.

Overall, he looked like the sort of individual who enjoyed committing murder. And lucky her, she got to seduce him.

Shivering, Mara stood and tucked her coin purse beneath her arm. She ignored the hot, interested stares of the males occupying the neighboring tables and strolled in the direction of Baggins’ table. Rather than approaching from behind, like Jerrick, she took the other aisle so the bounty hunter wouldn’t miss the show she intended to provide.

Almost there
. Mara slowed her pace. When she was almost on top of Baggins’ table, she shifted her arm. The coin purse plummeted, landing between her sparkly high heels. “Jeez, could I be any clumsier?” She bent low, thrusting her butt in the air, and reached for the coin purse. Several male groans floated from the nearby tables.

Mara’s fingers curled around the metal clasp of her coin purse. Satisfied she’d given everyone plenty of time to gawk at her butt, she straightened with a toss of her hair. Her gaze shifted, locked with Baggins’ lust-filled one.

She bit back a smile.
We have contact
.

~ * ~

Dash growled as the countryside raced outside the Cloud Chaser’s windows. “Something will go wrong. I know it.”

“Geesh, nothing like being Mr. Positivity.”

He shot a glare in Piper’s direction. “Why didn’t you talk me out of leaving?”

The sprite shrugged as she bounced on the center console. “Didn’t know I was supposed to.”

“Of course you’re supposed to. You’re the lousy sidekick—it’s your job.”

“I’m the sidekick? Cool.” Piper’s wings fluttered excitedly.

Dash’s grip tightened around the steering wheel. “It’s bloody torture, knowing I’ll just be waiting for them to show up.
Maybe
.” He knew he was being pessimistic again, but he couldn’t shake the queasy feeling in his gut. And this time it had nothing to do with lust and love sickness.

“Then don’t.”

He jerked his head around and stared at Piper. “What?”

“Just because they want you to go to the hideout doesn’t mean you have to do it.”

She had a point. But he’d also made Mara and Jerrick a promise. “I’m not supposed to go anywhere near Zupello’s.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t stake the place out from a distance.”

A grin stretched across Dash’s mouth. “You’re one damn good sidekick.”

Piper fluffed her pink hair. “I try.”

He slammed on the brake and the sprite knuckled the console to keep from colliding with the dashboard. “Sorry.” Glancing to make sure she hadn’t been catapulted through the air vent, he pulled onto the side of the road.

“No problem.” Piper resettled onto her perch before frowning at him. “I just realized something—you’re not wearing your disguise.”

Dash’s hand eased off the throttle. “Sonofafairy.” Much as he’d rather give himself a lobotomy than put the damn thing back on, he didn’t have much choice. He couldn’t risk blowing everything by having Baggins or some other goon recognize him.

He jumped out of the vehicle and grabbed the disguise from the bags nestled in the backseat. The road was deserted so he stripped down right there and zipped himself into the jumpsuit before donning the boots and wig.

Impatient with the time lost, he hopped back into the Cloud Chaser and broke every land record driving to Skalage’s entertainment district. He spied the cherry red Air Racer parked in the lot next to Zupellos.

“There’s an available spot,” Piper said, pointing towards the lot.

“I can’t see the restaurant from there.” Spinning the wheel, Dash shot across the opposing lanes and nosed into a tight alley that seemed more suitable for pedestrian traffic than the wide-bodied Cloud Chaser. Following the lane until it branched off behind the cluster of buildings, he hung a left, heading back to the street. He slowed once he reached the mouth of the walkway. Convinced he’d find no better stakeout position, he shut off the ignition.

Four minutes into the mission, he discovered first-hand that Piper was a fantastic sidekick, but a lousy stakeout partner.

“I have to pee,” she said, her voice whiny.

“The alley’s right behind you. Have at it.”

“You’re going to make me go out there all by myself?” Her lips pouted. “What if a Gorinna cat tries to eat me?”

“Good gods.” Grumbling, he hitched his door open. There was barely enough room for him to squeeze from the vehicle. “Come on.”

Piper flitted out. She sent him a censorious look. “No peeking.”

“Don’t worry. You’re not my type.” Shuffling sideways, he reached the rear of the Cloud Chaser and parked his ass on the tail end. An oily puddle filled a pothole near his foot, reflecting the overhead security light.

“Now I can’t go.”

“Then get back in the vehicle.”

“I said I
can’t
go. Doesn’t mean I don’t still
have
to go. Maybe if you hummed real loud.”

He ground his fingers into his temples. “Why?”

“So you won’t hear me tinkle.”

“Good gods, would you just bloody do it?”

The Cloud Chaser rocked beneath Dash, jostling him and making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Jumping from the tail, he whipped around. Four burly thugs fronted the hood of the vehicle. A lecherous grin stretched the mouth of the tallest. “We’ve got ourselves a pretty one.”

Dash suddenly remembered the blonde wig. He snatched it off. “Hate to disappoint you, but none of you are my type either.”

“He’s a fucking transgender.”

Perhaps taking the wig off hadn’t been the smoothest move. Wings brushed by Dash’s cheek and he caught a brief glimpse of Piper streaking past. “Hold on,” she shrieked. “I’ll bring backup.”

“
Backup
? We have no bloody backup!”

She sailed over the heads of the thugs and darted from the alley. When Dash realized she was heading in the direction of Zupellos—to Jerrick—his heart lurched. He’d handle the thugs. Jerrick needed to stay put and keep watch on Mara. Protect her.

“Get your tiny ass back here,” he bellowed.

Piper either didn’t hear his shout or chose to ignore it. The thugs paid the sprite no heed as their leader reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bat.

Dash grimaced. He’d envisioned all sorts of scenarios where this mission could go horribly wrong. None of them had included getting clubbed to death for wearing a fur-trimmed jumpsuit.

The leader’s mouth twisted in a menacing smile. “Get him, boys.”

~ * ~

“You’re not from around here.”

Mara resisted the temptation to shiver in revulsion when Ortis Baggins stroked his fat thumb down her arm. Instead, she picked up the Fairy Fire Ball he’d insisted on purchasing for her and took the barest of sips. She couldn’t afford to let any alcohol go to her head. Like Dash stated, people were less likely to do stupid things when their guard remained in the upright position. “I recently moved to the area.”

“Aren’t I the lucky bastard?” Baggins’ leer dipped to her breasts.

Ugh. Where’s a wire scrub brush when you need one?
Feeling dirty, and not in a good Dash sort of way, Mara gulped and forced herself to take advantage of the perfect opening he’d provided. “Not yet. But the night’s still young.”

Baggins lifted his head and revealed a lewd grin. “My business is finished here. No reason we have to stay.”

Mara’s pulse drummed.
Get a grip
. She couldn’t let her nerves get the better of her this close to the finish line. Besides, Jerrick would be right behind her. Looking to reassure herself, she peeked towards the bar. He wasn’t there.

Panic squeezed Mara’s chest. She darted a desperate glance around the restaurant and spied a flash of black leather near the front entrance. A second later, Jerrick’s broad back disappeared from sight.

Where the hell is he going?

“Well, what do you say?”

Frowning, she returned her attention to Baggins. “Pardon?”

His fleshy lips parted as he leaned closer, and it took all her willpower not to jump away from him and his stale breath. “Care to join me for a cocktail back at my place?”

Oh crap
. She couldn’t go anywhere until Jerrick returned. Damn it, what possessed him to go outside in the first place? Didn’t he know they were in the middle of a mission?

“Would you excuse me a sec?” Grabbing her coin purse, she gave Baggins an apologetic grin. Because she knew the bounty hunter’s eyes were trained on her, she sashayed towards the bathroom facilities with a seductive shimmy. It made her ill having to perform for the disgusting cretin, but she had to keep up the pretense. Once she reached the privacy of the bathroom, she locked the door and slumped against it.

“
Oh gods
.” She didn’t know what she’d do if Jerrick didn’t return within the next few minutes. Baggins wouldn’t wait forever.

Stalling for time, she walked to the sink and splattered water on her hands and arms. It didn’t completely remove the taint of Baggins’ touch, but it was better than nothing.

One minute stretched into two. She couldn’t put it off any longer or her quarry would lose interest. Wrestling her anxiety into submission, Mara opened the door. Baggins stood on the other side. She gaped at him, trying to find her tongue.

He pulled something from his pocket. The strange metallic object glinted as he palmed it. “Should have said yes. Less complicated and messy.”

She stared at him. “What?”

Rather than answer, he jammed the strange object against her shoulder. Excruciating pain ripped through Mara, right before her world went black.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Dash watched two of the thugs climb on top of the Cloud Chaser’s hood. The other pair took the more logical approach and simply squeezed between the vehicle and the brick walls of the buildings on either side of it. He prided himself on being damn good with his fists, but he wasn’t a fool. The odds definitely didn’t favor him being the victor in this fight.

Backing up, he splashed through the oil-slicked puddle, scouting for a potential weapon. Nothing. “Oh bloody hell.”

Left with no alternative, Dash turned and loped towards the back intersection of the alley. The stupid platform boots were weights dragging beneath his feet. He hurtled over another puddle and almost lost his balance when he made jarring contact with the ground. The thugs sounded close—too close—behind him. Up ahead, the cross street taunted him with possible escape.

Something struck Dash between his shoulder blades and he went down hard. He didn’t know which hurt worse—the searing pain in his back, or his blasted kneecap. A foot landed on his side and kicked him over. Growling, he swung his leg up and slammed the platform boot into the gang leader’s groin. The man dropped to his knees, screaming.

One down, three to go.

Unfortunately, all three of them swooped on him at once. Jabs came from everywhere. He’d have to be a Mer’dacian octopus to fend them all off.

“
Sonofabitch
. I can’t leave you alone forty minutes without you getting pounded on.”

Dash caught a glimpse of Jerrick’s livid face when his brother yanked the nearest bruiser off him and crunched the heel of his hand into the man’s nose.

The addition of a new combatant caught the remaining two thugs off guard, giving Dash an edge. He swung his leg, introducing one of them to his boot in the same manner he’d given their leader. His eyes rolling back to reveal their corneas, the man grabbed his crotch and fell with a mute scream.

The final thug hurtled towards Dash. Jerrick scooped up the bat that lay discarded near the wall and practiced his swing on the man’s head. He crumpled, landing face first in the puddle of water.

Jerrick tossed the bat aside. “Mind explaining what you’re doing here?”

Wincing, Dash heaved himself up. “I could ask you the same thing.” Holding his side, he glared at his brother. “You’re supposed to be in there watching Mara.”

“She’s fine. Baggins is wrapped around her pinky.”

Dash’s aching jaw tightened. Hearing the news made him want to kill the bastard more. “Get your ass back in there.
Now
.”

“For someone who just got his balls out of the wringer, you’re sure damn ungrateful.”

“I’ll send you a bouquet of thank-you flowers later.”

Jerrick ignored his sarcasm and stalked down the alley. Probing his jaw, Dash determined it was still functional. He returned to the Cloud Chaser and found Piper waiting in the backseat.

“That was so
cool
.”

He gave her a narrow-eyed look. “Next time I tell you something, you damn well better listen.”