Stark Surrender (30 page)

“I’d like to kill her myself,” Kiri said, not for the first time.

Logan nodded, and dark intent rolled off of him.

“I get that, but instead we’ll use her to draw him out. She’ll go straight back to him now, and we’ll let her. Let him think we’re divided, can’t cooperate long enough to fight him.”

“That’s tricky,” Taara said, smiling. “I like it.”

“But why would she do that you, after you gave her your protection?” Zae asked.

“Because she’s wired that way,” Logan said. “To want someone stronger to look out for her, tell her what to do and what to think. She’s not like you three, strong and brave.”

“And you gave her jewelry,” Taara added. “That necklace was amazing.”

“Yes, tell us about the necklace,” Kiri said, widening her eyes at Logan. But something of the real anger and pain she’d felt seeing it on Liss’ throat must have shown in her eyes, because Logan rose, focused on her.

“Joran, fill them in on the rest,” he said. “Kiri and I need to talk.”

She preceded him from the room, because she needed to hear his explanation, and not in front of the curious although sympathetic eyes of their families.

Logan walked her into his room, and closed the door.

“I’m sorry you saw the collar on her, kitten,” he said, stepping close to look down at her.

“How could you give it to her?” she asked around the lump in her throat.

She was not going to cry again. But when he’d put it on her the night of the ball, it had meant something, something powerful between them. While she wore it, she’d felt beautiful and cherished.

“That stings, hmm?” His hand cupped the side of her throat, his fingers wrapping around her nape, and his gaze held a world of tenderness. “I’m sorry it’s gone, kitten. But once it was off of your throat, it was really just a lovely piece of metal. I wouldn’t have put it on you again, not after another woman wore it.’

‘I’ll have something new made especially for you. Something unique and beautiful, to suit the woman you’ve become—you grow stronger and more sure of yourself all the time.”

His thumb caressed her throat. “I’m thinking topaz and chocolate diamonds, set in gold.”

She squirmed, evading his gaze. “I won’t wear it. Not after you gave one to another woman.”

“You will wear it. Because I didn’t give Liss the collar, she found it in my duffel. I’d brought it with me because I knew it meant something, even if I couldn’t remember what. Liss put it on, then couldn’t get it off. After that, I didn’t want it back. I told her to sell it, get enough to set her up in a business if she wished. But evidently, independence does not interest her. Being the mistress of a powerful man does.”

He brushed a kiss to her forehead, his gaze tender.

“Kitten, when you were down, you made some stupid moves—the gambling, for one. But you did it your way, on your own. Even when I offered to take care of everything for you, you would only accept a loan, and you paid every cent of that back to LodeStar—yes,” he said dryly, “I do get reports on all my financials. I know you’ve been sending regular payments every month.”

“I wasn’t going to take money for—” She swallowed her words when his eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Don’t ever say that again,” he bit out. “It was never that way between us and you know it.”

“I certainly didn’t then.” He’d given her lavish gifts and searingly hot sex, but little of himself.

But Logan was already moving on.

“My point is, Liss doesn’t want to make her own way. Even when her pimp abused her, she stayed with him. And I’m not saying it wouldn’t have been very difficult, but she could have gotten away from him if she wanted to badly enough.’

‘There are places, some funded by LodeStar, for victims of abuse. Where they can start over, learn new skills to make their own way. Plenty of other prostitutes and abused domestic partners have.’

‘I even had her talk to our female counselor on staff here about the possibilities. But she prefers to be the mistress of a man she perceives as having power.”

“I’m sure breaking free of prostitution would be incredibly difficult,” Kiri said. “But Mordacity, or one of his minions—ugh.”

“Right. Now, back to what you said earlier. You are mine,” he said against her mouth. “Not because I gave you gifts, or helped you, but because we belong together. No matter what happens, don’t ever forget it again.”

Then he kissed her again, and this time, against her better judgment, Kiri let it go on until it turned heated and wet and deep. God, why couldn’t she resist him, even after all he’d put her through today?

“Do you understand, Kiri?”

She gathered what was left of her thoughts after that kiss. “That depends. Am I going to have to watch you smile and put your hands on that woman again? Because even knowing it was fake, it may cause me to lose all memory of you.”

She froze as a low, feral growl came from deep in his chest. There was still plenty of the old Logan in him, it seemed. And possibly some of Lode.

So swiftly she lost her breath, she was whirled around and pushed against the wall, with him behind her. His breath burned her ear while his big hands yanked her sweater up, and her tights down. “Then by all means, let me burn myself into your memory,” he told her.

He flattened one hand on her bare belly, his little finger grazing her mons, and drew back his other hand. His hard palm landed with a hard, stinging smack on her bare ass.

Kiri let out a shriek, of shock more than pain, and he laughed, a dark, taunting growl of amusement, and nipped at her ear. “That’s right, let me hear you, kitten. Now, do you want me to let you go, or show you how I feel about your words?”

“By all means, show me how you feel,” she dared him.

His palm landed again, and again, in stinging succession, until her ass was hot and she was fighting him.

“Oww. I hate you.”

“Do you?” he nipped at her ear again, and then dove his face into the curve of her throat, opening his mouth against her sensitive skin as his hand slid down her belly and his fingers speared into the cleft of her thighs. “All you had to do was tell me to stop. But you haven’t, and you’re so very wet for me, Kiri mine.”

He groaned as he delved two fingers into her labia, then up into her pussy, his palm riding her clitoris. She let out a sob of anger and need as sensation pulsed under his touch. She needed his hard fingers thrusting inside her, needed that pressure on her clitoris, needed him.

He moved in behind her, already freeing his cock. The hot, silken length stroked her hot, stinging bottom and he groaned, driving himself against her bare flesh.

“Say it,” he commanded, pushing her legs farther apart with his booted foot, and positioning his shaft between her thighs. “Say it, Kiri.”

“Logan,” she whimpered, arching her back as he yanked his fingers from her and replaced them with the hot, prodding head of his cock.

He paused at her entrance, caressing her clitoris with the tip of one finger. “Say it.”

Kiri broke, her orgasm already fluttering through her, the joy of having every iota of his attention focused on her flooding her heart, her mind.

“All right, all right. I’m yours. Logan, please.”

“Yes.” He thrust up into her. It wasn’t easy or sweet, because she couldn’t widen her legs with her tights binding her at the knees, and he didn’t give her time to ease the way. He held her there and took her, hard and fast and glorious, his heart pounding against her back, his breath thundering in her ear, his hands in a bruising grip, his cock impaling her.

“You’re mine. You’ve been mine since the day I saw you, you’ll always be mine.”

The words were harsh, and punctuated by the jolting of their bodies together.

“Yes,” she moaned. “Yes, Logan.”

She came in a long, hard spasm that left her weak and trembling in his arms, dazed with the force of her pleasure. He followed, stiffening inside her and giving a muffled shout, flooding her with heat.

Slowly, he relaxed, and leaned his head on the wall beside hers, panting. He cupped her mons and caressed their joining with a grunt of satisfaction.

“Oh, my God,” she breathed. “That was … amazing.”

He stroked her swollen clitoris lazily. “Does that mean I can spank you when you give me the sharp edge of your claws, kitten?”

“No,” she said, but then pushed into his touch with a sigh. “We’re in a—a pressure tank here. I won’t put up with that again.”

He stroked faster, and she came again, sweet aftershocks around his softening cock.

“Are you sure about that?” he asked.

“You two about finished making up?” Joran’s amused voice asked in their ears. “Because we got shit to take care of.”

Kiri stiffened, realized it was only an audio link, then gave a mewl of embarrassment because even if Logan’s brother couldn’t see them, he still knew what they’d been doing.

Logan smiled against her temple. “I believe we’ve had sufficient time.”

“Good,” Joran said. “Didn’t like the look on your woman’s face earlier.”

“Neither did I,” Logan said. “Now cut out, little brother.”

Then it was only the two of them in the quiet room. Logan withdrew from her carefully, tended to her with his handkerchief, and stroked his hands down her bare legs to grasp her bunched tights.

“I can do it,” she mumbled, wondering what the hells she’d just allowed to happen, but irrationally happy at the same time.

“Let me take care of you, kitten,” he said, tugging her tights up over her hips, and settling the waistband, before pulling her sweater down. Then he held her, his arms tight around her, his head tipped down alongside hers. “Joran’s right. You shouldn’t have had to see that collar on her. I’m sorry.”

He turned her to face him, his gaze intense. “Forgive me one last time, kitten? Please.”

She wanted to, but she was still reeling, part of her still back in the doorway of his office, watching him with Liss. “Logan, I’m fine. We need to get back.”

He frowned, but nodded. Then he kissed her again. “Tonight you’ll sleep with my seed in you, but for now, go and clean up. And don’t change your ensemble, because you look lovely in this.”

“Logan Stark,” she sputtered. “Do not think you’re going to boss me.”

He smiled and gave her bottom a squeeze. “Very well, tonight you can be in charge.”

She frowned at him. “If you tell me I get to be in charge, it’s not the same. We have work to do with the whole balance of power between us.”

“Right. Listen, we’ll keep Liss out of the penthouse from now on. But if you meet her elsewhere in the building, be careful. We’re watching her, she’s no longer a danger. But she may try to get a reaction out of you.”

“I’m perfectly capable of keeping my feelings to myself.”

His smile was tender and amused. “You did a splendid job this morning. But, right now, you look well loved. It’s a look I cherish and intend you’ll wear every day from now on. But I don’t want her to see it. So I’d prefer the two of you don’t meet.”

Had he just said ‘well loved’? Yes, he had. And the look in his eyes said he’d meant it.

She stopped him with her hands on his chest. His heart beat under her palm, strong and vital.

“Logan, you’re not going against Mordacity directly, are you? I—your family just got you back.”

“You’ll never lose me again, kitten.”

His absolute sincerity was clear, but she still wanted to hang on to him, because he couldn’t guarantee that, not now of all times. He’d cheated death once, but could he do it again against a monster like Mordacity?

Chapter Thirty-Two

Logan bent to give Kiri a last kiss. “After you’ve freshened up, join me in the sitting room. It’s important.”

It wasn’t fair—he’d just had sex, and he looked perfectly normal, except for a flush on his hard cheekbones and a certain lazy look in his eyes. She probably looked like she’d been dragged out of a cryocleanse unit backwards.

In the lav, she looked in the mirrors and groaned. Sure enough, her hair was mussed, her cosmetics blurred and her glitzy top hung twisted around her torso.

She tidied up, gave herself a sec to take a few calming breaths, and then followed Logan to the sitting room.

To her surprise, their whole party—although not Liss—was gathered there. Logan stood before the windows, while the others were ranged around the sitting room. Natan had clearly been there, as hovertrays bearing after dinner drinks and coffee service floated at convenient intervals.

When Kiri walked in, all eyes turned her way. She groaned inwardly as her face flushed, and went to sit by Kai on the nearest divan. He gave her a searching look, but said nothing.

“Well,” Taara said, smiling at Kiri, “I guess I won’t have to break your neck in a leg-lock after all, Logan.”

Logan’s brows flew up.

Creed grinned. “She’s Serpentian. What else can I say?”

Joran chuckled. Kiri caught Bronc Berenson’s eye. The big man winked slowly.

She glared at Logan, daring him to smile too. He pursed his lips and looked down.

“What I want to know,” Kai said, “how long is all this subterfuge going to go on? Stark, if you have further plans, we all need to know about them. Your master of the universe stance won’t work any longer.”

“Our scheme may saved Kiri’s life, and yours too, Kai” Logan said mildly.

“I’d like to know how,” Kai demanded. “And now, we’re facing a—a war of sorts, and you’ve alienated Tal Darkrunner, too. And like him and his people or not, seems to me they’re the most valuable allies you could have against this Mordacity. They know this city and those who live here, and they have resources you don’t—and beings who aren’t afraid to fight dirty, the way the GloJacs do.”

Logan nodded gravely. “Like your sister, you have a way to getting to the heart of things, Kai. And you’re right, it does look bad ... because that’s precisely how how we wanted it to look. As if we’re alone, trapped in this complex with no allies. As if Mordacity can gain the upper hand with little trouble. And after Liss reports to him or whoever her contact is there, that’s what he’ll believe.”

Kai raised his brows. “You mean, the fight with Darkrunner wasn’t real, either?”

Logan shook his head. “No. We want it to appear we’re enemies too, and won’t help each other—let Mordacity think we fear each other as much as him and his gang—the old divide and conquer scheme. In reality, Darkrunner’s gang are, as you said, valuable allies for us, and us for them. We’ll exchange intel and resources as needed.”

Logan’s gaze turned inward before he went on. And being him, he held everyone’s attention effortlessly. “I’ll explain. When I was lying in bed after Daron Navos worked with me,” he said, “I had nothing to do but think. And I realized some things, that I’m sure all of you—” his gaze swept his brothers, the women at their sides, before returning to Kiri, “—will agree with. I have indeed lived my life as if I was the only one who knew best. And I acted on that, not only with my businesses, but with all of you.

“By doing so, I earned a vast amount of credit and the power that goes with that. But, I also nearly alienated my brothers, and I lost the woman who belongs at my side.”

This proud, autocratic man was actually opening up to all of them, and admitting that he was not always right—even enumerating his mistakes. Kiri’s heart swelled, and she gazed back, knowing her heart was in her eyes, but not even caring.

He smiled at her, his gaze tender. Then he looked at the rest of them.

“But lying in that filthy alley, waiting to die ... I had just enough time before I blacked out to realize the reason I was there was not because I went against Mordacity’s GloJacs, but because I did it alone. And because of that, I was going to die alone, in a wet, cold, filthy alley—right back where I began, as if I’d never climbed out of that gutter.”

His deep voice hardened with the absolute force of will that made him who he was.

“I believe absolutely that we can wipe out this monster, once and for all. But from now on, none of you will be kept in the dark. The time for action is coming—but we plan, we strategize and we fight together.”

Joran rose and went to his brother, his eyes bright with moisture. He reached out his arms, not to shake hands, but to give Logan a hug.

“Thank you, brother. For all of that.”

He murmured something else in Logan’s ear, too low for the rest of them to hear. Kiri’s eyes filled with tears as she watched Logan’s face tighten with emotion, his eyes closed.

“Thank you,” he said.

Creed moved to join them, and Joran stepped back to let him embrace Logan as well.

“I’ll never be able to repay you and Joran for raising me,” Creed said. “Also, you brought me Taara. Cancels out those episodes of bossiness, by my reckoning.”

Joran laid his hands on both their shoulders, and the three strong men stood together, powerful but positive emotion emanating from them, filling the room.

Without thinking, Kiri reached for Kai’s hand. It closed around hers, holding tight. She swiped tears away with her free hand and smiled at him.

“And he brought you home to me,” she murmured. “So I guess I have to forgive him for being bossy too.”

He grinned at her. “I’m definitely worth it. Is he?”

Joran winked at Kiri. “I was you, I’d make Logan work for it a little more.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Kai drawled, his narrowed gaze on Logan. “She will.”

Logan was smiling at her. “I have no doubts, Kai. No doubts at all.”

The light in his gaze said of course he’d win in the end. He may have reached a pivotal moment in his life, but some things about him clearly hadn’t changed.

And that was all right. She loved Logan just as he was.

* * *

A chime announced arrivals at the penthouse door.

“Rak and Opal,” Bronc said. “Want me to get our other friends on holovid?”

Logan nodded. “Yes, please.”

Rak and Opal walked into the sitting room, moving to the chairs Logan indicated near Bronc. Kiri turned to greet them, but a familiar and unexpected voice behind her froze the words in her throat.

“So, Stark, did our little squabble have the desired effect?” Tal Darkrunner drawled.

Kiri whirled, to see a life-size holovid of Tal and Scala, leaning on the desk in his gaudy office.

Scala winked at Kiri, then frowned. “Hey, what’s up with you, girlfriend? Is Stark mistreating you?”

Logan raised a brow at Kiri, and waited.

“It’s been ... an interesting day,” Kiri said. “How are you doing?”

Scala shrugged. “Be better when we get rid of the GloJacs. But we’re all right.” She leaned into Tal and smirked. “Nothing like a good fight to make life exciting.”

“I knew you’d be perfect for him.”

Tal gave Kiri a sour look. “Appreciate it if we could get to the business at hand. We have a war to plan.”

And just like that, the mood in the room darkened again.

But not as much as it had been the day before. Because now they had Tal and Scala on their side. Kiri had seen glimpses of Tal’s wealth at Flash, and she’d seen how the denizens and patrons of his club revered him, enough to know that he must have a great many beings at his beck and call. And now he had Scala. Kiri knew firsthand how tough and courageous she was.

She poured herself a cup of decaf with creamer, one for Logan, and sat down to listen.

“Word from the streets is, the GloJacs are on the move,” Tal told them bluntly. “Amassing their troops. Whatever Mordacity’s planning, it’s definitely gonna start tonight, when we don’t show up as sacrificial goats.”

“Good,” Logan said. “That means Liss went straight to him with her intel on our split, believing that she’s in my confidence. Bronc?”

Bronc shifted uncomfortably. “Tracked her to the old warehouse area near the space port. Then, I’m sorry as hells to say, we lost her. She must’ve found her trackers, or someone else did. We had several on her—clothing, hair, even her boots.”

“Damn,” Joran bit out. “That means we don’t know where his HQ is.”

“Yeah, we do,” Tal said grimly. “Two of my best disappeared while I was gone. One of ‘em, Bette, dragged herself into a noodle shop out there today. She and her partner were captured by the GloJacs, taken to Mordacity. She hung from her wrists while they tortured him to death, working to get intel on my operations. But she managed to get free, grab his body, and jump. Fell three or four stories through a hole in the floor, into a stinking sinkhole. Crawled out before they could find her, hid out until they quit looking and then made it to safety.”

“Oh, my God,” Taara said. “Is she all right?”

“Broken arm, cracked ribs, exposure, and she’s in a regen unit pumped full of antibiotics,” he said. “Acid burns on one leg, as he was flinging it when she jumped. Sinkhole mud probably helped that.”

Kiri met Taara’s horrified gaze. The woman had narrowly escaped Logan’s fate. But better to have acid burns on a leg than her face. And Tal had a good medcenter to care for her, with a regen unit.

“But she still managed to give us the location of the warehouse,” Scala said proudly. “So we’ve got eyes and ears on Mordacity’s HQ. Even the cops didn’t know that one.”

“Do we attack?” Bronc asked. “Or let the uniforms handle it?

Logan shook his head. “We can’t attack him ourselves—not overtly. We’re in plain sight here, probably every news station in the city has holocams trained on us. I don’t want the police or the IGSF feeling they must arrest us.”

“Then what’s our plan?” Joran asked.

“Not sure we can plan for this,” Creed said. “If we’re in reactive stance, rather than proactive, we gotta wait for them to come to us.”

“Oh, they’ll come,” Tal said. “But don’t worry, while you’re holed up in your citadel, me and mine will be on the GloJacs.”

“You can’t afford to get arrested either, Tal,” Joran pointed out. “And you gotta know the cops have eyes on you too.”

Tal gave him a sly look. “They always do, and all they see is my people going about their everyday lives, running my club, shit like that. Nothin’ I don’t want them to see.”

Bronc and Logan exchanged a look, and something pinged in Kiri’s mind.

‘They don’t see what I don’t want them to see’. Tal’s words, but Logan employed Bronc to oversee LodeStar security—he had to with his vast wealth. Was this building more than just a corporate headquarters? There was the huge lab below ground level—perhaps the spider explorers weren’t the only tech being worked on. Logan had said this building was virtually impregnable. What other secrets did it hold?

“Anyway, I’ll repeat, you won’t have long to wait—none of us will,” Tal went on. “Mordacity is a megalomaniac and a sadist. He wants to own this city, turn the parts he doesn’t want over to other slimers. The darker their reign of terror, the happier he’ll be.”

“Then it’s unfortunate for him that we stand in his way,” Logan said. “And we’re not moving out of it. If we have to, we’ll call in every branch of Intergalactic law enforcement.”

“I don’t think he realizes the pull you have,” Joran noted.

“I hope not.” Logan said. “But for now, we make sure we survive the night. Also, we need to meet with my staff, let everyone know exactly what’s going on. Bronc, call everyone to the ballroom.”

“Ballroom?” Kiri echoed. There was no such space in this complex.

Bronc nodded. “Tech cave, where the spiders are. We call it the ballroom when the demo area is opened up all the way, to fit all staff in, plus any guests we may have. C’mon, you’ll see.”

Kiri expected Logan to stride away with his brothers, but instead he put a hand on the small of her back and escorted her into the elevator, then stayed by her side as they all exited on the tech level. She wanted to lean into him, draw his warmth and strength into her, but she managed to cling to her dignity instead and stay upright as they walked along the passageway.

“What other tech have your people invented down here?” she asked.

“Hmm, the spiders, and they’ve worked on a type of underwater vehicle, but I believe that may have been scrapped, as the Aquarians have their own. A new, very light and flexible body armor. A few other things.”

“Maybe you could wear the body armor,” she suggested hopefully, “while we’re here.”

But they’d arrived on the tech floor, so there was no more time to talk.

The cave no longer looked quite so cave-like with all the lights on. The back wall and ceiling were the same, but the spider vehicles had disappeared. The floor was immaculate, and the lab windows were dark, the big doors closed.

Along the front and far side walls, step-seats had appeared, looking as if they’d always been there. They were nearly full of LodeStar employees, in their various uniforms. White for the medtechs, shades of gray for everyone else, except for a few beings in civilian clothing. The room hummed with low, tense conversations.