Caught by Menace (39 page)

thing. The one thing she wanted she couldn’t have

anymore.

“Look, I know you loved him, but he turned his back

on you.”

The need to defend Menace overwhelmed her. “You

don’t know him. You don’t know Terror either.” Al the

things she had been thinking during the long flight to

Calyx poured of her mouth. “I don’t think he wilingly

gave me up. I think Terror played us both. Menace is so

damn decent he probably believed that lawyers and

judges would sort this out. He believes Terror is his

friend. He has no idea what that man is realy like.”

friend. He has no idea what that man is realy like.”

“Maybe,” Danny said with an unhappy grumble. “It

doesn’t realy matter now. You can’t go back to that

world. In a few months, you won’t even remember him

anymore.”

She didn’t think that was possible. What she’d shared

with Menace eclipsed anything she’d ever felt for any

other man. She didn’t know if her heart would ever

recover from this one.

“Let me come with you,” Danny pleaded as he

wrapped her arm. “I can help you.”

She shook her head. “You can help me more by

getting a message to Halie. She needs to know where

they take me so the Harcos team that comes to retrieve

me can get their hands on the weapons, the Sixers and

maybe even the Splinter cel. If Terror gets what he

wants, he’l leave Halie and Menace alone.”

Dankirk put up both hands. “Wait. Back up. Who is

going to take you where?”

She roled her eyes. “The Sixers, Danny! Finding their

headquarters is going to be impossible.
You
don’t even

know where it is. Anyone who does know sure as heck

isn’t going to tel us. The only way to get to their

isn’t going to tel us. The only way to get to their

stronghold is to have them drag me right into it.”

“So what? You’re going let them take you?”

“I’m not going to give them a choice. I’m going to

make the rounds of the underground and drop crumbs.

They’l have to come get me so they can question me.

They’l want to pump me for information before they

finish me off.”

Dankirk grimaced. “It’s a big risk, Naya. They might

just walk up to you and pop you right on the street.”

She swalowed hard. “They might.”

“I’l put my eyes and ears on you but I’l tel them to

stay back. They won’t lose you. You better hope Halie

comes through.”

“She wil.” Naya didn’t doubt her new friend for a

moment. If Halie could help, she would.

“If those sky warriors engage the Sixer crew, the

distraction ought to buy you some time to escape. It

won’t be much time but it’s a chance.”

“If I get an opportunity, I’l take it,” Naya promised.

“I’d love to see my twenty-fourth birthday next month,

but it’s out of my hands.”

Her arm patched up and her plan laid out, Naya dug

Her arm patched up and her plan laid out, Naya dug

through the secondhand clothing until she found an outfit.

She stripped down to her undies and bra and hopped

into the loose-fitting cargo pants and a blue-and-white-

flannel shirt. An old belt helped keep her pants in place.

She stuffed her feet in a pair of slightly too-large men’s

boots and shrugged into a brown jacket with an even

darker hood. Winter had come a few weeks early to

Calyx. She needed to stay warm.

“Here.” Dankirk thrust a sheathed knife and smal

pistol into her hands. “You’l need these.”

“Thanks.” She slipped the knife into her boot and

tucked the gun into the back of her waistband.

“My offer stil stands, Naya. You can come with me

and we’l go to the colonies. You can leave al this

behind.”

“I can’t.” She turned him down gently. “If it was just

about me, I’d be tempted to say yes. I can’t let Halie or

Menace get hurt.”

“Even though he hurt you?”

Naya sighed. “It’s not that simple, Danny. You can’t

possibly understand the kind of pressure Terror exerts.

It’s not like the secret police here. This guy—he’s

unfeeling. He’s a monster. He doesn’t care who gets hurt

unfeeling. He’s a monster. He doesn’t care who gets hurt

so long as he accomplishes his mission. I know what he

did to make me come here and attempt this. I can only

imagine how he twisted Menace’s arm.”

He looked as though he wanted to argue with her but

didn’t. Instead he hugged her tightly. “Good luck, Naya.

Be safe.”

She lingered in her friend’s embrace, enjoying the

comfort of another person’s heat and strength. His

friendship and love bolstered her courage. Puling back,

she cleared her throat. “I’l see you soon.”

Naya fled the safe house through a side door. She

breathed in the cold, crisp winter air. She’d gotten so

used to the climate-controled interiors of the
Valiant

that the chily wind burning her cheeks and nose was

something of a novelty. She burrowed down a little

deeper into the brown coat and pushed her hands into

the pockets.

Head down, she traversed the dirty streets in search of

the bars, pawnshops and secret gambling dens where the

kind of lowlifes she needed were sure to be found. She

made sure to talk loudly and stupidly at every stop. She

wanted people to hear her asking for a place to buy a

gun or that she was looking for work of the smuggling

gun or that she was looking for work of the smuggling

variety. She wanted a big, honking sign on her back that

said “kidnap me!”

She stopped for lunch midafternoon. The food carts

that lined the retail sector of the city drew her closer.

Danny had given her some money to tide her over. It was

more than enough to buy a hot meal and a drink. She

found a discarded cable spool and joined the handful of

day laborers gathered there to eat. She savored every

bite of the sloppy, spicy sandwich, fuly aware it might be

her last meal.

Her gaze moved around the bustling sector. A series

of paper advertisements plastered on the crumbling wals

caught her eye. The shock of recognizing an old

acquaintance arced through her. Eladee, a felow

homeless child and orphan, had been part of Dankirk’s

pack of street urchins.

Even back then, Ela had been strikingly beautiful.

Naya couldn’t believe where that gorgeous face had

gotten her. Apparently she’d risen from humble

beginnings to find a career as a designer’s muse. Naya

was happy to see someone had escaped that helish

existence.

existence.

She finished her meal and drank the last of her tea.

Naya scanned the area while she dumped her trash. The

sensation of being watched had grown stronger. She’d

spotted one of Danny’s tails earlier but had lost track of

her in the crowd. This felt different. No doubt the Sixers

or maybe even the Splinter cel they worked with had

gotten wind of her.

Flipping up the hood on her coat, Naya hugged her

arms across her chest and started walking again. Her

heartbeat fluttered wildly. She made a split-second

decision to take a less crowded side street, knowing ful

wel she was probably going to be accosted. She said a

silent prayer that they wouldn’t try to knock her out with

a club of some kind. Nothing like a head injury to slow

her down when the seconds counted…

It seemed the universe heard her plea and decided to

do her a solid. She heard the rushing footsteps but didn’t

try to outrun them. Before she could turn around, two

arms grabbed her around the waist. She threw back both

elbows and hit her mark. Her attacker grunted but got

the upper hand by smashing a wet cloth to her face. The

sickly-sweet scent invaded her burning nostrils. Her body

went slack but she fought the urge to black out.

went slack but she fought the urge to black out.

Her assailant turned her in his arms. Her sleepy eyes

widened briefly at the sight of the familiar face before she

slipped into an unconscious state.
Nattie.

When she woke, her head pounded so hard it made

her nauseous. She roled onto her side, wincing as cold,

unyielding stone pressed into her flesh, and pushed up

onto her hands and knees. The urge to vomit was too

strong to deny. She retched pitifuly onto the dirty stone

floor. So much for her last meal…

“Here, pet.” Nattie’s familiar voice filtered through her

dry-heaving. “Drink this.”

Stil groggy and unsteady, Naya crawled away from

the mess she’d made and tried to adjust her hazy vision.

She was in a dank cel. Her brother crouched on the

other side of the bars and wiggled a bottle of water at

her. “Nattie?”

“I think I hit you with too much of the sleepy juice,” he

said with an apologetic smile. “You’l be fine though.”

Limbs trembling, she made her way across the cel to

the bars and flopped down on her butt. Her nose burned

so badly. She rubbed her forehead. “Why did you do

that to me?”

He pressed the water into her hands. “Why did you

He pressed the water into her hands. “Why did you

come back?”

She fought with the lid and finaly managed to twist it

open. “You know why.”

He sighed heavily. “It won’t change anything.”

Naya swished a mouthful of water and spit it into the

corner. She gulped a few swalows of the expensive

purified water and eased the pain in her throat. Her vision

started to clear and she got her first good look at her

brother. He looked even worse than the photograph she

‘d seen. Something had happened to his right eye. The

iris was milky-gray. Red streaks marred the sclera. The

pockmarks on his face were even deeper and harsher.

His teeth were brown nubs in spots.

“Hel, Nattie.” She reached through the bars and

gripped his hand. “When did you start using Impulse?”

He glanced away from her. “After Sindee died.”

“Sindee is dead? How?”

“A new strain of the cough got her in Safe Harbor,” he

said. “It came off one of the sky warrior ships. They took

too long giving the treatment to the hospitals in the

colonies.”

She stroked his hand. “I’m so sorry, Nattie.”

She stroked his hand. “I’m so sorry, Nattie.”

He shrugged, the movement twitchy and jerky. “It was

a long time ago.”

“That doesn’t mean it hurts any less,” she countered.

“Is that how you feel about me taking your money?”

Her bely lurched as the pain of his betrayal became

fresh again. “Sometimes,” she admitted.

“It was wrong of me to do that. I know what you

risked and how hard you worked to get that money

together. I should have taken you with me.”

She sighed. “It was a long time ago, Nattie. We can’t

change what happened.”

He didn’t say anything. Instead he pointed to the

ceiling. “They told me you got taken by one of the sky

warriors.”

She nodded. “His name is Menace.”

“Menace?” he repeated with a laugh. “Not exactly

warm and fuzzy.”

“No,” she agreed with a smile.

“Do you love him?”

“It’s complicated,” she answered honestly. “And what

I feel doesn’t matter. We’re not together anymore.”

“But you’re doing his bidding,” Nattie said and

“But you’re doing his bidding,” Nattie said and

scratched at a phantom bug on his neck.

“I’m not doing his bidding. It’s another man who sent

me here. A very, very dangerous man,” she insisted.

“You don’t want to be here when he comes.”

Regret and sadness flashed across his good eye. “I

don’t have anywhere else to go, pet.”

Even though Nattie had hurt her so much, she couldn’t

shake the need to gather him close. He’d always been so

weak and so easily manipulated. It was no wonder he’d

ended up in this position. “You could come with me.”

He seemed to be considering her offer. Eventualy he

shook his head. “Where you’re going, I’m not keen to

folow. Come on.” He rose slowly, using the bars for

support. “Mama wants to see you.”

Not exactly thriled by the thought of her impending

family reunion, Naya took her sweet time climbing to her

feet. She took another drink of water. Shivering with

cold, she finaly realized they’d taken her coat and pistol.

A flex of her ankle told her the knife was gone too.

Defenseless, she stood back as Nattie opened the