The Illegitimate Claim (37 page)

the women’s eyes toward him.

Meah looked quickly from Ana to Gilroy. His expression was hard and she scowled

at him before turning her attention to Ana.

Ana’s first expression was defiance and she opened her mouth as if she would tell

him what she thought. Meah turned her attention back to Gilroy and saw the warning

look she’d seen one too many times in the very recent past. What a bully, she thought,

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as her dander went up. But then she looked back at Ana and watched her shut her

mouth, and simply stare up at him for a minute as if giving second thought as to what

her response might be.

“That’s a good idea.”

Meah almost jumped when Andru’s voice sounded right next to her. She didn’t

realize he was so close to her. “Meah, go stay with Tia. She needs you, and you need to

keep her safe.”

“Excuse me?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. “You

don’t tell me what to do.”

“Watch your place, woman,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

A vein began throbbing in his neck, as muscles tightened through the thin, short-

sleeved shirt he wore. Incredibly sexy…and annoying. How dare he try to tell her

where her place was.

Meah was very aware that Darius stood directly behind Andru and that Ana and

Tara were behind her. She couldn’t stop herself. Her anger flew out of control. She

made a show of looking down at her Runner outfit and at the sash around her arm that

indicated her first assistant status. She then raised venomous eyes to Andru.

“I am in my place, my lord.” She spat the words at him. “I’m the first assistant to

the heir of the Runner clans, and I’m standing right next to her. I’m a Runner, and the

leader of all Runner clans is here too. And we’re conducting a search for a child whose

mama is a Runner.” Her face was red with fury. “Maybe, my lord, you should

remember your place.”

Tara caught Darius’ eye. He glared at her with gray eyes smoldering in fury. She

gave him a triumphant smile. Gilroy and Ana noticed the exchange but Andru and

Meah were too busy glaring at each other.

“I don’t care where we are. You don’t talk to me like that.” Andru spoke in a low,

fierce growl that was barely a whisper.

Meah knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’d never seen him that outraged

before. What she didn’t know was that no one standing around her had ever seen him

that angry before either.

Ana squinted and tried not to flinch from the rage that slammed up against her. She

realized her actions were obvious enough to get her papa and Gilroy’s attention. She

felt her mama’s hand suddenly on her arm and fought not to turn into her.

“Ladies, report to my trailer. We’ll gather our reports and determine our next

move.” She looked up at Darius. “I’ll let you know what we decide to do.”

A commotion stirred behind them and Meah intentionally ignored Andru—as if

their conversation was over—and looked beyond him as she turned toward Ana.

“What is this?” Darius questioned, as he turned to his guards who were arguing

with Beel.

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“He wants to come in, my lord,” one of the guards offered, and pointed a finger to

Beel, who stood with several guards around him. “I told him it was a secured area, I

did.”

“Let him in.” Darius waved his hand, dismissing the issue and turned back to the

matter at hand.

“Make arrangements to go home to the children,” Gilroy said to Ana while Darius

was distracted with ensuring his bastard son’s entrance.

Andru looked at Gilroy when he spoke then gave Ana a hard look before turning

back to Meah. Before he could speak, Meah jumped in quickly.

“I tell you what, Andru.” She spoke so quietly almost no one but he could hear her.

“Gilroy and I are the same rank. I’ll submit to you when he submits to Ana.”

Her words seemed to silence the entire field. Meah could hardly believe she said

them herself. She had no right.

But she did have a right. She had to take a stand or these two men would control

them for the rest of their lives…and they’d control the Runner clans. Andru’s gray eyes

burned as red as his cheeks and throat. The muscles in his arms bulged and his fists

tightened. He was ready to leap. It took all the strength she could muster to

intentionally turn away from him and look at Ana.

“Are we ready to go, my lady?” she asked Ana quietly but with enough

determination that it was clear she was asking her to take a stand with her.

Tara moved quickly when Andru took a step toward Meah.

“Let’s go,” she said.

Beel joined them at the same time Ana and Meah turned to follow Tara. The three

women barely started toward the gliders when Gilroy spoke up.

“Meah, half-sister of mine,” he began, and Meah turned in surprise to look at him

as did everyone else. “Keep in mind that if life had been slightly different for you, that it

might be you fighting with the guards to gain entrance to a place that today you

entered without being questioned.” When no one said a word, he added in a lower

voice. “Or it might be you in that cottage, cleaning up after not flinching when being

called a slut or a whore. Think about that the next time you assume you know your

place. You are one of the luckiest bastards on Nuworld.”

Meah looked at him dumbfounded, before turning around so quickly her braid

spun around and almost slapped Andru in the face. Ana hurried after Meah. Tara

stared at the four men and then, much to their surprise, smiled widely. Darius took a

lunge toward her and she laughed out loud before dashing off toward Ana and Meah.

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Chapter Nineteen

“He is going to beat the living crap out of you,” Ana said as the three women

entered Tara’s trailer on the Runner clan site.

“I had to say what I did, Ana.” Meah pulled off her Runner headscarf and tossed it

on the counter. “I’m not going to have some man telling me what to do for the rest of

my life.”

“I wish I had your courage.” Ana sighed.

“That’s why Crator has put Meah with you, my dear.” Tara situated herself in front

of the landlink and began flipping screens. “She’ll help you to be strong. I have to agree,

though, you’re going to have a fight on your hands. Remember what happens more

often than not when a woman decides to fight with a Gothman man.”

Meah’s eyes widened, when Tara and Ana both smiled at her.

“I won’t be his mistress.” Meah looked from one woman to the other.

“Mistress?” Tara frowned, and looked up from the screen in front of her.

“I’ve created too much of a scandal for Gothman since my return. It won’t look

good for Gothman. Those are Andru’s words. He said he’d take me as a mistress.”

Tara snorted but looked back at the screen without commenting. Ana simply shook

her head. “You’re not his mistress. Trust me on this one. You’re his claim.”

The rest of the day turned up no sign of Tory. Everyone seemed on edge and

grouchy. Meah complained loudly when Tara and Ana agreed, over their comms, to

meet at the Bryon house for supper and brainstorming. She wasn’t ready to see Andru,

although it wasn’t because she was afraid of him. Meah told the women she wanted to

have supper with Tia. When Tara told her that Andru had already arranged for Beel

and Paleah, who’d spent the day with her, to bring Tia to the Bryon house for supper as

well, Meah simply shrugged. She would go to be with her daughter.

“Do you think you and I could just sort of slip away later tonight and go look for

Tory ourselves?” Meah asked quietly as they walked behind Tara around the garage

and toward the large Bryon house.

“After the way you spoke to Andru this morning, do you think either of us is just

going to be able to slip away?” Ana looked at her with a crooked smile grossly similar

to Andru’s.

“Ugh, you’re probably right.” Meah turned her attention toward the backyard

when the sound of children running toward them distracted her.

Tia ran directly for her arms and Darien beat her by a minute as he wrapped his

pudgy arms around Ana’s waist. Meah looked past her daughter as she lifted her into

her arms and kept walking. Andru stood in the backyard staring at her. He had an odd

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expression on his face and she noticed how gray his complexion was. She almost

dropped Tia when her little girl spoke quietly.

“Mama, I have a baby sister now.”

Meah, Ana and Tara all stopped and stared at Tia.

“What are you talking about, child?” Meah looked into deep gray eyes.

Tia pointed to the other side of the yard. All three women turned their heads and

looked toward the house. As they did, Andru turned and walked into the house. Gilroy

followed him.

“My lady, she just arrived.” Fulga stood in the yard holding a tiny infant in her

arms. “I told his lordship about it, I did. But I daresay he didn’t say one word, not even

about the note. What am I to do with her? I’ve got my housework to tend to. I don’t

have time to tend to no newborn, I don’t.”

Tara frowned as the housekeeper continued her whining over being stuck with a

baby. Meah felt her heart stop beating and threaten to explode on her as she stared at

the wiggling baby. She couldn’t look at the other women. Tia just said she had a baby

sister. That could mean only one thing.

“What are you talking about?” Tara pulled the blanket away to glance at the tiny

infant. “Where did this baby come from?”

“An old man just dropped her off and left. There’s a note. I’m sure I don’t know

what it says.” Fulga handed a wrinkled piece of paper to Tara.

Ana and Tara looked down at the scribbled handwriting. Meah buried her head in

Tia’s curls. Beel and Paleah came out the back door and stood behind Fulga.

“It says she’s Andru’s child. Some woman named Magi had her and died giving

birth. The woman worked in the brothel and there’s no other family so they brought her