Razor's Traitorous Heart: The Alliance Book 2 (18 page)

“Kali did not tell me,” Razor responded
quietly. “I will deal with Badrick once I have Kali back.”

“Sure you will,” Destin muttered. “What
about the women Colbert gave to him? Will you deal with that
too?”

Razor’s eyes flash with a cold
determination. “Yes,” he promised. “I will send a team to find and
return them.”

Destin studied the hard features and steady
gaze before he slowly nodded. Holding out his hand, he waited until
Razor gripped it firmly with his own. A man was only as good as his
word. He planned on doing everything in his power to make sure that
this Trivator warrior kept his.

“You better not be fucking with me,” Destin
said, dropping his hand to his side. “Keep up. We are going to be
moving fast and the tracks are icy so watch where you step.”

Razor watched as the human took off at a
steady pace. He glanced at Thunder and Vice who had been silently
listening to their conversation. He nodded to the two men. When
this was over, he would send them after the females that had been
taken.

“You promised to keep that bastard away from
Chicago,” Colbert said, sitting back and staring moodily at
Badrick. “Why should I believe you now?”

Badrick kept the bland expression of calm on
his face even as he seethed in anger. His private security team had
discovered a tracking device that had been planted on his
transport. He knew exactly who had ordered it placed there. It was
time to depart this horrid planet before Razor discovered the
extent of his deceit. His hope of using the unusual female
population to repay some of his debtors had seemed a good plan
until Razor was brought into the conflict.

“If your men had killed him like they were
supposed to he wouldn’t be an issue,” Badrick pointed out. His eyes
flickered to the unconscious female that had been brought in just
minutes after he arrived. A small smile curved his lips. Perhaps he
could have a limited amount of satisfaction before he left. “I have
submitted my recommendation that he be removed from his position to
the Alliance Council.”

Colbert straightened and stood up. He
stepped down from the raised platform where a single chair sat. He
liked being higher than those that came in. It gave him an
advantage that he wielded with an iron fist. He was the top dog of
the group of men who followed him.

Colbert’s eyes flickered to Kali’s
unconscious body. Blood covered her forehead and down the left side
of her face from a small cut. Resentment boiled inside him. She was
the reason Destin chose not to join him. Destin’s desire to protect
her, shelter her from the real world of the streets, tore them
apart. Without Kali in his life, it would have been easy for Destin
to embrace the life that Colbert had followed. They could have
ruled together, even before the presence of the aliens. He had been
moving up the ranks, graduating from the local street gangs to the
harder core men who really ruled the city.

“I don’t have a lot of faith in your
recommendations,” Colbert replied sarcastically, walking past him
to a small table where several blueprints were spread out across
it. “My sources say that the bastard isn’t easy to kill.”

“He would be dead if not for the
interference of Kali Parks,” Badrick threw back at him. “She
rescued him.”

Colbert threw another disgruntled glance at
Kali’s limp body. “Why am I not surprised? Kali has always managed
to land on her feet. Even as a kid, she was a thorn in my
side.”

“I can remove that thorn… permanently,”
Badrick responded with an insincere smile. “I must return to the my
planet. She could no longer hinder your plans if she is no longer
on yours.”

Colbert’s dark chuckle echoed in the dim
lower level of the former metro station. He knew what the bastard
really wanted. He wanted Kali. Colbert’s eyes narrowed as he
thought about it. It was true, if Badrick took Kali he wouldn’t
have to worry about her inference any longer. He could offer a
peace treaty with Destin, console him in his anger and grief. With
Kali somewhere far, far away there would be no way of her ever
coming between them again. Yet…

“I need a way to defeat the Trivator forces
if they attack,” Colbert said, turning and leaning back against the
table. “I want some way of making sure they don’t use those
Destroyers on the city. I also want complete control of Chicago.
You give me that, I’ll give you Kali.”

Badrick’s mouth tightened into a straight
line as he studied the smug human male. His long fingers curled
before he relaxed them. He could make a hundred promises and the
male would never know that he was powerless to provide them. By the
time Allen found out, he would be light years away from this world,
with Kali Parks as an enjoyable distraction.

“That is simple,” he replied with a wave of
his slender blue hand. “Join with Parks and agree to rebuild the
city. That is the only thing the Alliance wants. If you do this,
the Trivator will not attack. I will document that you are to have
control over the area in appreciation for your cooperation.”

“Simple,” Colbert repeated in a suspicious
voice. “What guarantees can you give me that they will accept your
documentation giving me control?”

Badrick’s eyes flashed in fury. “I am a
member of the Alliance council,” he growled in a low dangerous
voice. “I have favors owed to me, thanks to some of the females you
sent. There will be no questions as to the approval.”

Colbert threw his head back and laughed. As
he stood straight and walked over to Badrick. It was a shame the
bastard was a little too dangerous for his taste or he might have
enjoyed getting to know him a little better. He made a rule to
never have sex with anyone capable of killing him in the middle of
it. Something told him this guy would like it rough. Colbert’s eyes
flickered to Kali. She was tough. She might actually live through
it, the first time.

“Deal,” Colbert said, holding his hand
out.

Badrick glanced down in distaste before he
held his own hand out and limply gripped Colbert’s hand. He cursed
when Colbert suddenly tightened his hold and jerked him forward. A
shudder went through him when the human male ran his lips up along
his jaw to his ear.

“You better be fucking sure you aren’t
trying to screw me,” Colbert whispered in his ear. “Because if you
do, I’ll tie your ass up and fuck it before I kill you.”

Badrick stepped back and smoothed the
sleeves of his jacket before he raised his eyebrow at Colbert. A
fake smile curled the edges of his tightly pressed lips. He gave a
brief shake of his head to his Security guard when the warrior
stepped forward after Colbert released him.

“Perhaps if our paths cross in the future,
I’ll take you up on the first part of your threat,” Badrick replied
in a mild voice. “But only if I get to do the same.”

*.*.*

Kali lay still listening to the conversation
between Colbert and Badrick. Her pounding head made it easy to
pretend she was still unconscious. She silently cursed the bastard
who had Tasered her. The stinging in her back, along with the
tenderness, made lying there in the awkward position she had been
dropped even more excruciatingly uncomfortable.

She cracked her eyelids open just a fraction
so she could get a bearing on where everyone in the room was
located. Badrick and Colbert were about ten feet away while two of
Badrick’s personal guards stood stoically near the door. She opened
her eyes a fraction more to see how many men Colbert had with him.
She counted three, including one of the bastards from the
alley.

She quickly closed her eyes when Colbert
turned toward her again. Keeping her breathing steady, she listened
as he walked across the concrete floor. In her mind’s eye, she
pictured Colbert. He was left-handed and always wore a pistol
tucked into the back of his pants where he could grab it easily.
If, and it was a big if, he leaned over her to check on her, she
could grab him by his arm, roll and come up with the pistol. She
would need to keep his body between her and his guards, otherwise
she would lose her advantage.

Just as she hoped, he reached down to turn
her onto her back. The moment he touched her, she grabbed his
extended arm and rolled. Her right hand held onto his left while
she reached behind him for the pistol. His loud curse echoed in the
room as she twisted around pulling him up at an awkward angle so he
was still off balance. She held the pistol firmly to the back of
his head while holding his left arm behind his back.

“Don’t,” she muttered in a dark voice. “I’ll
do it, Colbert. I’ll end this now.”

“You’ll be dead too, Kali,” Colbert bit out
harshly.

Kali jerked on his arm, ignoring the growing
panic inside as she felt her own body tremble. She still wasn’t up
to her full strength and it wouldn’t take much for Colbert or any
of his men to overpower her. Pressing the end of the pistol into
his scalp a little harder, she jerked up on his arm until they were
both standing. Because of their differences in height, she
redirected the gun to the center of his back.

“Yeah, well, I’ve got to die someday and
taking you out first might just be worth it,” she snapped back in
frustration, watching as the other men stepped closer. “I wouldn’t
if I were you. I’ve got this gun pointed right in the center of his
back. One shot and you’ll be looking for a new boss.”

Badrick’s chuckle drew her attention to him.
“I understand what you mean now about a thorn in your side,” he
commented dryly. “Unfortunately, I do not have time for this. My
starship is prepared for departure. Kill him, I have no further use
for his services.”

Colbert’s mouth tightened into a straight
line as he glared back at the Usoleum Councilman. “You bastard!
Kill them all!” He ordered, flashing a look at his three
guards.

Kali stumbled forward when Colbert jerked
hard to the left as his men opened fire on Badrick. The force of
his sudden move, combined with her shaky limbs, almost sent her
sprawling. She caught herself at the last minute as she lurched
forward.

Colbert spun around and kicked out. His
booted foot caught her in the side, knocking the wind out of her as
he connected with her ribs. This time she wasn’t able to prevent
herself from hitting the floor. The pistol she had taken from him
flew out of her hand as she hit the unforgiving concrete.

She rolled away from Colbert as gunfire and
laser blasts lit the large open area of the former metro station.
She crawled toward a stack of crates in an effort to find some form
of protection. A harsh cry ripped through her as one of the blasts
from the laser cut a path along her right thigh. It stung, but she
was pretty sure it was just a glancing blow as she tumbled behind
the crate and leaned back against it.

Kali glanced down at the wound and breathed
a sigh of relief that it was just a thin slice; more like a long
scratch from a branch than a deep wound. Her hand trembled as she
pushed her hair back. From the sound of the fighting, others had
joined in.

Her eyes swept the area to see if there was
any possible way to escape. She was boxed in. The crates offered
her protection, but if anyone decided to come looking for her she
was toast.

Leaning her head back, she was about to
close her eyes in resignation when she saw the rungs that led up to
the exhaust vents. Hope soared inside her as she calculated how
fast she could make it up them. She was still weak from the Taser
and her head injury, but she felt confident she could make it. She
moved her wounded leg to see how bad it felt.

Not bad at all,
she thought as she
looked up again.

Biting her lip, she gave a nod. It was good.
She had run with worse. Twisting around until she was on her feet
again, she crouched and listened to the exchange of gunfire. If
anything, it sounded even louder. Turning on her heels, she placed
her hands on the floor and breathed deeply in and out as she
imagined the route she would take.

“Jump on the crate, push off the wall, grab
the second rung and use the back wall to walk up,” she murmured as
she forced everything else going on away from her mind until all
she saw was the crate, wall and metal rings. “One, two, three!”

Kali exploded upward with the graceful
motion of a gymnast. She jumped up on the crate, used her forward
momentum to push off the wall with her feet and twisted in midair
where she captured the second rung. Before her body could hit the
wall, she was using her feet against it to push her up, while her
hands grabbed the next hand grip.

She didn’t stop until she had reached the
top. She swung over the side railing onto the narrow platform high
above the fighting. It was only as she glanced down that she saw
men that she had fought beside day after day, month after month for
the past six years.

Her eyes widened when she saw her brother
fighting side by side a Trivator warrior that she knew all too
intimately. From her vantage point, she could see everything going
on. The Alliance councilman was lying in a puddle of dark blue
blood as were one of his security men. Three of Colbert’s men were
dead. Unfortunately, more had appeared when they heard the gunfire.
Now, they battled her brother and other Trivator warriors. While
her brother’s forces were outnumbered, the Trivator warriors
fighting beside them were drastically evening the odds.

Kali couldn’t contain her cry of dismay when
she saw William in the mass of bodies that had fallen. The old man
who had livened up the small world she lived in lay to one side, a
deep red stain coating his chest. She bit her fist when the sound
caught the attention of Razor who was cutting through the two men
attacking him.

Her eyes locked with his for a brief moment
before he turned when another one of Colbert’s men tried to thrust
a knife into his back. It almost found its mark. The shift of her
gaze and the look of horror had him twisting to deflect it in
time.