He gasped as his knees buckled, and in the next instant he was dead, collapsed at my feet. I sucked in a breath of satisfaction. Simple. Easy. They deserved what they’d gotten.
I didn’t feel an ounce of remorse.
I couldn’t leave them like this, however, because I didn’t want anyone to realize I was responsible for this carnage. If they knew, they might begin to wonder how a delicate other-worlder interpreter, a peaceful Raka, had bested two burly human males.
Though I didn’t possess any fingerprints, I cleaned the knife with the men’s clothing to remove any evidence I might leave behind and placed the hilt in one of their hands. The other guy needed a weapon, too, so I performed a thorough search and found one strapped to his ankle. I dipped the tip in the other’s blood before wrapping his fingers around it. There. Done. They looked like they’d fought with each other, and both emerged the loser.
Satisfied with my work, I cleaned my hands in the grass as best I could and strolled back to the house. I whistled along the way.
“Where were you?” Claudia asked the moment she spied me. She stood on the porch steps, staring down at me in concern.
“I went for a walk,” I said, all innocence.
“But…” Her eyes grew wide, concerned. “There’s blood on your shirt.”
I glanced down and spotted the crimson splotches. Jonathan and Lucius joined her in the doorway, avidly watching and listening to our conversation. I felt Lucius’s questioning stare all the way to the marrow of my bones.
“Jonathan,” I said, forcing myself to tremble, “two of your men are knife fighting just over the north hill. I was coming to tell you.”
Lucius’s eye flared.
Jonathan frowned.
Claudia raced to my side. She wrapped her arm around my waist. “Knife fighting? Dear God. Let’s get out of here.”
I had to contain my smile as she ushered me to the limo.
That night, I waited for Lucius to come to me.
I stayed crouched under the window, in the shadows, practically glued to the wall. It wasn’t a comfortable fit, but I didn’t mind the pain. Anything to best Lucius.
I’d reinforced the balcony lock with steel pins, which would force him to crawl into my room through the highest, smallest window above me. I grinned because I knew he’d have to climb down from the roof to fit. Would he make the effort?
Oh, yes. He would.
I heard the gentle slide of glass, which meant he’d already disabled the security box. A moment later, I saw his booted feet peek through. Silently I jolted up, grabbed his ankles, and jerked him inside. Not expecting the action, he propelled to the ground, crashed hard and grunted. The wire he’d used to rappel from the roof snapped his feet back up.
I was on top of him in the next instant, my knife at his throat.
He wore all black, but no face mask shielded his face from view. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. He remained where he was, silhouetted by shadows and moonlight, staring up at me.
“Think you’re funny?” he bit out on a quiet breath.
Like Lucius, I wore black pants and a black shirt. I’d hoped, by wearing these clothes, I’d ensure we wouldn’t become sidetracked.
“Well?” he said.
“Yes, I do.” I tapped the silver blade against his cheek. “Think I’m funny, that is.”
His gaze slitted. “Where’s your dog?”
“In the bathroom.” I’d locked her in and petted her to sleep on a fluffy pallet. I hadn’t wanted her to worry if Lucius and I tussled. “Sneak in on me once, and that’s my bad. Sneak in on me twice, and it’s yours.” I cut the wire to his feet.
His legs dropped to the ground with a thump, and Lucius sighed. He tangled a hand through his hair. “You’re turning out to be more than I ever expected. I’ve told you that, haven’t I?”
“Yes and I still take it as a compliment.” I inched off him and sat down, remaining in a crouch.
He pulled himself up and met my stare. “That’s how it was meant. Now, tell me what happened at Jonathan’s. Why was there blood on your shirt? Why were those two guards dead?”
“I did a little exploring, and those men followed me. They dragged me outside, behind some bushes, hoping to steal my skin and hair.”
His ice-blue eyes became hard, steely. “For the gold?”
“Yes.”
“And?” he prompted when I said no more.
“And I killed them.”
“Were you hurt?” Once again his muscles tensed as he waited for my answer. He reached out and gripped my arm with vise-like strength.
“Not even bruised,” I assured him. I tossed the blade aside.
Instantly he relaxed. I told him what I’d learned about the solar flares, and he nodded. “That’s good stuff. There’s more there, I know it. Keep digging.”
“You do realize I’m winning, right? I’m truly kicking your ass.”
He grinned. “Yes, I realize you’re winning. You want to hear what happened after you left Jonathan’s or not?”
I tried not to let my eagerness show. “Tell me.”
First, he surprised me by tugging me to his side. I didn’t protest, but all the while I told myself I wasn’t going to have sex with him again. We’d been there, done that. Didn’t need the added complication. Again. One of his hands gently caressed my back, the other clasped my palm. “The men were found, but Jonathan assumed they’d simply killed each other. After we cleaned up the mess, Jonathan pulled me inside his study for a chat. He wouldn’t say EenLi’s name, but he offered to put me in touch with a man who could help me ‘obtain’ you.”
Excitement pounded through me. This was it. We were so close. Without removing my hand from his, I leaned back and rested my weight on one of my elbows. My hair spilled over my shoulder and onto his stomach, gold against our black clothing. “It won’t be long now.”
“No. It won’t be long.”
I nodded as satisfaction blended with my excitement. “I’m glad.” EenLi would soon send someone to abduct me. God, I couldn’t wait!
With his free hand Lucius wound long strands of my hair around his palm and tugged my face close to his. “I know having you taken is the plan, but I expect you to be armed. From this moment on, wear your weapons twenty-four/seven.”
“I do, anyway.”
“You’ll also inject the isotope I brought. It bonds to your cells and helps us track you.”