Warrior Prince Page 9

The last thing she needed was to be hunted as a criminal, even if she could claim self-defense. She’d already stopped off at the police station to fill out a report on the explosion at Grace’s house. How could she possibly explain her involvement in a gang war, which is how this would appear?

  Zohar and Borius exchanged a glance. “Stand back.” Zohar changed a setting on his firearm.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting rid of this scum. There will be no witnesses left to tell tales.”

  “Wait, rageesh.” Borius held up a hand. “Let me get a scan. I can analyze it later.”

  “Good thinking. Go ahead.”

  Borius withdrew his portable device, punched a couple of keys, and swung it back and forth. With a satisfied nod, he slipped the instrument back into his jeans pocket.

  Zohar aimed at the bodies strewn on the asphalt and fired. One by one, they vanished in a burst of light.

  Nira regarded Zohar with horror. He’d vaporized them, just as he’d done with Rayne. Yet what other choice did he have?

  This had been a trap. By luring Lord Magnor here, possibly under the pretense of offering information, Zohar’s enemy had waylaid him, knowing Zohar would be summoned.

  On the other hand, Borius claimed he’d set a rendezvous with Magnor who changed it at the last minute. Was he telling the truth, or had he set this up to make himself appear innocent?

  Very likely the thugs didn’t even know who’d hired them. And they hadn’t expected Nira to accompany Zohar. So it couldn’t be the Trolleks after her again.

  No, Zohar had someone else who very much wanted him dead.

  Chapter Nine

  Zohar exulted when they slipped into Drift World without a hitch later that afternoon. It had been a tumultuous morning, with Lord Magnor’s disappearance and the ensuing ambush.

  He couldn’t fathom how Nira insisted on completing their errands afterward. She’d been rattled by her first kill but rebounded swiftly, to his admiration. He had barked orders to his crew via his comm unit before parting from Borius. Then they each had resumed their tasks. Nira hadn’t once requested time to rest. He suspected she didn’t care to reflect on what she’d done or her composure might unravel.

  His team had hung onto the outfits they’d borrowed from the staff at Drift World. After checking into their safe house earlier, he’d donned the khaki uniform. He gave Nira an employee badge to wear on her outfit. Then they had breezed inside the staff entrance using the pass she’d given him. Fortunately, it still worked. He hoped that was an oversight and not a lure.

  Nira stood patiently beside him around the corner from the medical center. Wisps of short hair teased her face. A sprinkle of freckles scattered across her complexion. It had been hard to keep his hands to himself while accompanying her all day, but now he edged closer, unable to resist her draw.

  Cursing his weakness, he dragged his gaze from her lush mouth to focus on their surroundings. Guests crossed the plaza, bustling to their posts. Some of them nibbled on a confection called a funnel cake. The sugary aroma made his mouth water. He also smelled the snack called a hot dog, although the elongated meat had nothing to do with the domesticated animal.

  His pulse accelerated when a couple of Trolleks marched into view, their ugly features making his skin crawl.

  “What now?” Nira slunk back against the wall.

  “Wait until they pass.”

  “We have to get into that clinic to find my blood sample, or at least the lab report. I’ll ask one of the guests who works there, but we have to get by the receptionist first.”

  “A confounded human will be under orders to sound an alarm if we’re not properly tagged.”

  “Trust me, Zohar. I know what I’m doing.” She shook her head. “Damn, I hate this buzzing sound in my ears. I get it whenever I’m near the Trolleks.”

  “Remember our main objective is to follow them to the village where they retire each night.”

  “Yes, but if they do a vector shift to get there, we’ll be left in the dust.”

  “We shall see.” He peered around the corner. “The entrance is clear. We may proceed. Stay with me.”

  His hand itched to hold a weapon, but he forced himself to approach the door with an air of nonchalance. Pretending to be a staff member, he’d claim to have been sent here under orders.

  And if he met a Trollek face-to-face?

  He’d have to hope Nira’s immunity transferred to him.

  They had no backup now. His teammates had their own assignments. This mission rested on his shoulders.

  Pushing open the door, he allowed Nira to precede him. A receptionist greeted them from behind a wide counter.

  “Hello, comrades. How may I help you?”

  Zohar assessed the dark-haired woman. Trollek or human? Unlike the males, Trollek females showed no overt physical traits, and he lacked the ability to detect their pheromones. The only way to tell the difference was by the cunning in their eyes and the irresistible allure of their beauty.

  “We’re here to pick up a lab report.” Nira maintained a bland expression.

  “Your ID card?” The woman peered at her staff badge.

  Nira presented her pass instead.

  “Down the hall, around the corner, third door on the right.”

  Restraining a grin, Zohar trailed Nira down the sterile corridor with open doors leading into different treatment rooms. She stopped halfway, peering into a room holding chairs, metal instruments, and various other medical paraphernalia. For a pretend theme park, it looked real enough to send a chill up his spine.

  “Here’s where they took my specimen.” She grimaced. “I hope we don’t run into Gort.”

  “Who?”

  “He’s the Trollek technician who drew my blood.” She bowed her head when a white-coated man emerged from a door ahead.

  “Hello, I’m Dr. Dibell. May I help you? Are you hurt, injured?” He consulted his clipboard. “I’ve finished my roster of patients for the day. We’re just getting ready to close. But if it’s an emergency…”

  “We’re looking for the lab.” Zohar kept any inflection from his voice. “We have orders to retrieve the results from a test done yesterday.”

  “Ah.” The human’s impassive face showed little emotion. “This way, please.”

  “He’s role-playing a doctor,” Nira whispered as they trailed the man.

  Zohar nodded. “After orientation, he would have been assigned this position to enhance his experience. He’ll go home and tell everyone how real it felt.”

  They followed the guy into a room strewn with lab equipment including racks filled with vials of blood. Zohar squinted at them. Surely, there were too many here just for practice. And if a Trollek tech obtained them, that refuted the role-playing aspect. Were the beasts collecting specimens from the general human populace for some other reason?

  He glanced at Nira, who might have been sharing the same thought from the look of concentration on her face.

  “Do you know the test subject’s name?” Dr. Dibell stopped at a computer console.

  “Nira Larsen,” she replied, meandering to the counter to peer at the specimen labels.

  “I’ll check the database.” A pause. “Sorry, that name isn’t registered. Please spell it for me.”

  He still came up empty, while Zohar hoped he wouldn’t summon his kabak for instructions. Nira, her lips pinched, rubbed her forehead as though the strain of their subterfuge gnawed at her.

  “What do you do with these vials?” Zohar pointed to the racks. There must be dozens of them.

  The false doctor shrugged, still engrossed in his role from the glazed look in his eyes. All the better to get answers from him, Zohar thought.

  “We run them through our routine tests. Depending on the results, specimens are either destroyed or sent out.”

  “Sent out where?”

  “I’m not given that information.”

  “Where are the samples from yesterday?” Nira’s voice s
ounded strained. “I mean, tell me where I can find yesterday’s specimens.”

  “They’ve been processed by now, mistress.”

  She turned to Zohar. “We have to find my results.”

  “Move aside.” Zohar lifted the man out of the way, plopped into the chair, and began typing. Cracking encryptions had never been his strong point, but he might find something useful.

  “You’re violating protocol.” The doctor backed away, his gaze darting between them. “I’ll sound an alert.”

  “No, you won’t.” Nira advanced toward him, a determined gleam in her eyes. “You will obey me.” Her forehead creased as though it took an effort to speak each word.

  “As you command.” The doctor snapped to attention.

  “You’ll tell no one about our inquiries. The receptionist is aware of our presence, so inform her we left empty-handed through another exit.”

  Zohar gaped at her. “Why does he listen to you?”

  “He’s in a suggestive state.”

  “If you say so.” It sounded logical. Frowning, he glanced at the monitor. “Here’s a database that might be relevant, but I need Paz to interpret it.”

  “Copy everything.”

  Zohar grunted his agreement. She made good suggestions, thinking outside the box. So far, she’d been a beneficial addition to his team.

  Focusing his attention away from her riveting eyes, he withdrew a crystal from a pouch on his belt.

  “This can hold the data. Do either of you know how to transfer it from this antiquated machine?”

  Nira addressed the fake doctor. “Tell me if this computer has wireless capability.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “Can your crystal receive the signals?” she asked Zohar.

  “It will receive a targeted transmission if this computer recognizes it as another drive.” The doctor’s responsiveness baffled him. Confounded humans shouldn’t act so malleable when ordered around by another human.

  “Copy the file and then forget we made this request,” Nira commanded. The fake doctor complied.

  Zohar heard voices from the corridor. Uh-oh. It appeared a Trollek was coming to shut down the hospital for the evening.

  “Hurry,” he urged.

  Several heart stopping minutes later, he and Nira pushed out a rear door, scurried across an open square, and dipped into a shadowed corner of the theater complex.

  “Are you sure that man won’t sound an alarm?” He backed against a wall, listening for sirens clanging an alert.

  “He’ll obey my orders.” She sounded confident.

  “If he describes us…” Zohar stared pointedly at her recognizable hair color. Most inhabitants on this planet possessed shades of brown, black, or yellow. Red indicated a less widespread genetic disposition.

  She pursed her lips, changing his focus to her mouth. His body responded instantly as his blood surged south.

  Her gaze flickered beyond him toward the plaza. “Look. The guests are leaving.”

  Twisting his neck, he confirmed her observation. All remaining guests streamed toward the exit to the main parking lot. Waiting to see what would happen next, he swiped his forehead. Although the sun descended, the early evening heat made sweat bead on his skin. Spotlights flicked on as the darkness progressed.

  Staff members had yet to exit the park. If his theory was correct, they’d enter the underground complex to change before going home. He had every intention of being among them.

  Minutes ticked by at an interminably slow pace. Spotting their chance when a uniformed couple strode by, Zohar tapped Nira on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

  They fell into place behind the pair. Washing his face of emotion, he followed them down a flight of steps, through a maze of utility corridors, and into an employee locker room.

  A dozen or so other humans congregated inside the cramped space that smelled of old socks. Gray walls and harsh overhead lighting added to the institutional setting. An oppressive silence prevailed as the staff members shed their uniforms and dumped them into a laundry bin before donning street clothes.

  Zohar pulled open an unlocked cubicle and tore off his uniform, switching his belt to the black trousers he wore beneath with a dark shirt.

  Oh, no. A beefy Trollek arrived to stand just inside the door. The ugly brute wasn’t one of the usual staffers judging from his back country attire and the laser carbine slung across his shoulder.

  Zohar’s eyes widened. Was that a RAD-4 Special? Those were conscribed to military troops for restricted use.

  His blood ran cold. At their last encounter several years ago, Trolleks had still preferred their old methods of knives, axes, and the occasional shell shredders. The fact that they’d progressed to military-grade energy weapons so rapidly concerned him. This confirmed his notion of a leak in imperial supply lines. Deeper worries consumed him until he noticed the Trollek’s gaze had shifted in his direction.

  Zohar bent over and pretended to fix his boot while his heart pounded, and his throat closed. When he risked a glance up, his instant relief that the fellow was no longer looking at him changed to consternation.

  The Trollek shook each person’s hand as they left. Extra insurance to make certain their confounding hadn’t gone awry?

  His hand hovered over the dagger tucked inside his boot.

  No, he’d have to take the chance. This would be the ultimate test to see if Nira had conveyed her immunity to him.

  Her fingers brushed his arm. “Zohar, do you see that? He’s touching everyone.”

  “I know. If I…if things go wrong, you must complete the mission. Go to the village and look for the jamming device. It must be deactivated. Then use your ring to summon my men.”

  He turned away, willing his countenance to go vacant.

  Joining a row of other humans, he shuffled toward the exit mimicking their robotic movements.

  His heart jumped when the Trollek grasped his hand, beady eyes seeming to rip into his soul.

  “Good job,” the large fellow bit out in a gruff voice. “Remember, tell no one about your work here. You may rave about the guest experience and recommend a visit. Act normal. Return tomorrow at the same time.”

  “As you command,” Zohar murmured, keeping his head low.

  He heard Nira’s subdued voice as she followed behind, repeating the words after being issued the same instructions.

  “Wait.”

  The Trollek’s command made Zohar freeze. He spun around, prepared to fight. The Trollek grasped Nira by the elbow.

  “You are different.” Twisting her arm, the Trollek surveyed her skin. “Ah, you have the mark, chosen one. You’re intended for the village. Move ahead then.”

  The village? Even while Zohar breathed a sigh of relief and hustled onward, he wondered why humans were being sent there.

  Catching a moment when they wouldn’t be observed, Zohar steered Nira away from the trail of exiting staff members and into a corner.

  He rolled his shoulders. Tension made his muscles taut and his neck ache. “Either that Trollek will spatial shift alone, or he will join others of his kind. My plan is to jump in on their vector after them.”

  “Oh, great idea. As soon as we land on the other side of wherever, we’ll get taken.”

  “What did he mean, you are marked for the village?”

  “How should I know? He noticed the needle stick mark on my arm from yesterday. When I took the Bandaid off this morning, I noticed a red circle penciled there. The tech must have done it, but I don’t remember.” Her mouth parted. “The Trollek’s touch had no effect on you.”

  Zohar’s lips curved. “Apparently not.”

  “That’s terrific.” She beamed at him, eyes sparkling in the harsh overhead lighting.

  “Indeed.” Her scent entered his nostrils, compelling him to edge closer. “I’d better get another dose of immunity.”

  Stealing a kiss, he stifled a moan of pleasure when she responded by wrapping her arms around him. Chariots of t
he gods, she drove him mad. Their universe shrank, and his mind hurtled into a netherworld of warmth and longing and light.

  Encroaching footsteps broke the spell. He flattened himself against the wall, drawing her with him, still feeling the imprint of her soft body and the plush fullness of her lips.

  Focus on your mission, not on the effect she has on you. What kind of leader are you if you fail your men?

  A fallen warrior like his father, who’d succumbed to a woman’s wiles until she stole everything that made living worthwhile.

  Fighting Trolleks was nothing compared to the battle that raged in his heart. More than lust was involved here. How could he protect Nira from harm when he had to guard her against himself?

  Clenching his jaw, he listened to a set of heavy footfalls recede down the corridor. The Trollek from the locker room lumbered toward a section off limits to humans. Did the beasts collect there to spatial shift en masse? Or did they use more mundane means of transportation to reach their village?

  He’d have to risk discovery to find out.

  Signaling Nira to remain close behind, he zigzagged from wall-to-wall, keeping a safe distance behind the Trollek. He stopped when he saw the beast enter a room and heard a murmur of voices from within. Shouts of greeting and laughter told him this was their gathering place.

  Waiting until the voices quieted, he ventured forward, Nira at his heels. When he reached the room, he halted in surprise.

  A raised platform stood at the far end under a pavilion supported by four posts. One of the columns held a control panel. No one was inside.

  A low chuckle sounded from behind them, followed by another person’s hearty laugh.

  Grabbing Nira’s arm, he hauled her behind a stack of sealed cartons just as a couple of Trolleks stomped into the room.

  Say, weren’t those boxes similar to the ones he’d seen in the mailroom? Scanning the labels, he sucked in a breath. Could these solar calculators be destined for the village? And if so, why would the Trolleks be sending them there?

  Nira nudged him. “Watch what they do.”

  He pulled out a small telescopic device from a compartment on his belt and aimed it at the Trollek fingering the control pad. He caught the series of numbers before the two fellows stepped onto the dais and vanished in a flash of light.