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WHY SHOULD I CARE WHAT they think? Talia hadn’t missed the condescending glances from Dolok’s team, especially Gedrin, and knew they were judging her for what she did for a living. Screw them, they don’t know anything about me.
She sat at one end of the long rectangular table bolted to the floor in the gathering room facing the ship’s small kitchen. Dolok might have given her his word that they wouldn’t seize her ship, but she still wasn’t sure if she could trust his team. Gedrin, with his squinting golden gaze and constant frowns, was at the top of her list.
Her stress level was slowly on the rise. She hoped Rex followed her order to remain locked down in the control room, not come to check on her again. She crossed her arms over her chest, digging her nails into the muscled flesh of her biceps to hide her frustration. Dolok had taken the seat to her left. Gedrin and Corran were leaning against a counter drinking the coffee Lexa had prepared for them.
Corran was too busy ogling her sister—something he’d been doing since their arrival—to pay attention to what was going on in the room.
Ross, the only human in the group, was currently trying to portray himself as Talia’s best friend. “Look, we want to know where to find Harris Tremaine.” He propped his ass on the edge of the table. “We are aware that you have a contract with Harker Trask, and we’ll even make sure you get your money after we bring Tremaine in.” He held his hands out in a placating manner.
Talia wasn’t buying the let’s-make-nice-with-our-prisoners act, nor was she going to correct Ross’s assumption that she was going after Tremaine for the money. So far, he hadn’t told her anything she didn’t already know, including the fact that they were the ones who’d followed her here from the Tridorcian.
What she wanted to know was when they were going to get the hell off her ship so she could go after the cutthroat bastard herself. Since it didn’t appear as if her wish would be granted anytime soon, she eased back in her chair and glared at him.
“Talia doesn’t have to tell you anything.” Lexa smiled sweetly at Corran, then sauntered across the room. For some reason, her younger sister always acted as if Talia was the one who needed protecting and not the other way around. In this instance, the support wasn’t unappreciated.
Lexa plopped into the seat between Ross and Talia, her gaze pinning him with murderous intent. “You’re a Tremaine and the bastard’s nephew, so why should we trust you?”
Talia had recognized Ross the minute he’d stepped out of the cargo bay. She’d seen at least one image of him from the data she’d collected. Her intel, if it was to be trusted, stated that he’d also been one of his uncle’s victims and had been working with the hunters. She hadn’t believed the rumors until Trask had shown her an informational vid proving Ross was nothing like his uncle. The younger Tremaine had been a prisoner until his family and crew, along with the hunters, had rescued him.
Lexa was also aware of the facts, but she enjoyed testing boundaries to see what kind of reaction she could get out of others. Her taunts usually got her into trouble, and, judging by the amount of red appearing on the skin above Ross’s shirt collar, Talia would say that her sister had hit her mark.
“How did you...” Ross muttered and dropped his hands to the side. White hazed his knuckles from where his hands had gripped the edge of the table.
“We did our homework, that’s how.” Lexa leaned back in her chair, a proud grin displayed on her face.
Talia understood Ross’s motivation, knew this was personal for him. It was something they had in common, but it wasn’t enough of a reason to believe she could rely on what he said. She might have been more empathetic, and less reluctant to chastise her sister’s behavior, if Ross wasn’t playing a part in holding them hostage to get information.
One glance at the determined look on Lexa’s face and Talia knew her sister was nowhere near done provoking Ross. So far, no one had mentioned prison or the fact that Lexa had drugged Dolok, and Talia wanted to keep it that way. She placed a stilling hand on her sister’s arm and shook her head. They’d always been close, which meant verbalizing their thoughts wasn’t necessary. Lexa pursed her lips, an indication she’d gotten the message and wasn’t happy about it.
“We”—Ross tapped his chest, then motioned to the rest of his group—“have been searching for a long time and want to make sure Tremaine is punished for his crimes.” His tone was rough, harsher, less charming.
So have I. Talia’s frustration was steadily mounting. She would have screamed the words at him if she thought it would help. Stating she’d been looking a long time implied searching prior to Trask’s contract and would invite a round of questions. Questions she didn’t want to think about. Questions that were too painful to answer.
“I think that’s great.” Talia was in total agreement that Tremaine should be punished. It was how the punishment should be carried out that resulted in differing views. She knew survival in the fighting arenas was short-term, had heard too many stories about the suffering and deaths to believe her father had survived all these years. There was no way she was going to tell the four men silently studying her that she had no intention of turning Tremaine over to Trask alive or that prison was too good for the bastard.
Talia wanted closure for what had happened to her parents. She needed to seek justice for her mother’s death and hear from Tremaine’s lips what he’d done to her father. She wasn’t a killer, but Tremaine had destroyed her family, along with numerous others, and she was going to make him pay—with his life.
Talia slid her chair away from the table, causing metal to scrape on metal. “Since this discussion is going nowhere, why don’t you follow me back to your ship, and you can be on your way to do whatever you guys do.” Her flippant attitude wasn’t scoring her any points with the men, but she didn’t care. They were uninvited guests who needed to go.
Dolok placed his hand on Talia’s arm to keep her from rising. “Everyone leave the room. I would like to speak with Talia alone.”
Crap, so much for getting them off my ship. Talia should have known Dolok was going to give her trouble and wouldn’t comply. The man had remained close by and hadn’t taken his eyes off her since his friends arrived. The way his green gaze rolled over her was a little unnerving and caused her insides to flutter. It was as if he were memorizing every inch of her and studying her at the same time.
Lexa pushed out of her chair and slammed her hands on the table. “What? No. I’m not leaving her alone with you.”
Dolok seemed unaffected by Lexa’s outburst and didn’t release his grip on Talia’s arm. “Your objections are noted. I insist you leave on your own.” He glanced at Corran. “Unless you would prefer assistance.”
Corran appeared eager to follow Dolok’s directive. He quirked a brow at Lexa, daring her to argue.
“It’s okay. I’ll be fine.” Talia decided it would be easier to negotiate with Dolok directly than have to repair the damage caused by one of her sister’s tantrums.
“Are you sure?” Lexa asked.
Talia nodded. “I’m sure.” She wasn’t sure at all, not with the warmth from his touch caressing her skin and intensifying the fluttery feeling she was already experiencing.
Lexa narrowed her angry glare on Dolok. “You do anything to upset my sister, big guy, and you’ll have to deal with me.”
“Understood.” He glanced at Corran, who motioned for Lexa to precede him from the room.
Once everyone was gone and the door slid shut, Talia slipped her arm out of his grasp. She regretted losing the contact but knew she wouldn’t be able to focus if he kept touching her. She remained silent, patiently watching and waiting. If he wanted to talk, she’d let him, without any prompting from her.
“Please tell me what you know about Tremaine.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together. “From what I have learned, I do not believe he has discontinued the fighting arenas. More males will die, more families will be torn apart if we do not stop him.” His gaze softened, and the timbre of his voice was deep, soothing. It didn’t have the harsh, demanding tone he used when issuing commands.
He wasn’t telling her anything she hadn’t already considered. “What makes you think I know anything?”
“We have been tracking you since leaving Tridorcian.”
That tidbit of information wasn’t news to Talia either, only a confirmation of what she already knew. “If you’ve been following me, then you know as much as I do.”
“Wrong. You did not alter your course like the other trackers after leaving the planet.”
Talia shrugged. “And?”
“And it implies you were aware of Tremaine’s location before or shortly after the meeting,” Dolok said.
Talia crossed her arms. “Or maybe I’m very good at my job.”
“I believe that is true.” He tapped his fingertips together. “It does not explain why you chose to visit specific cities after your arrival on Haspridian. I do not think they were random, rather that you had a purpose.”
“If I give you the information, are you going to leave and let us do our job?” Talia already knew the answer. She’d been suspicious when his team arrived, and the nervous knot in her gut had been gradually forming into a large tangle ever since.
“I am afraid that is not possible. We cannot take the risk that something will happen and have Tremaine escape. If you cooperate, then as Ross stated, we will ensure you are compensated.”
They were back to the money thing again, and Talia had to remind herself that he thought she was nothing more than a scavenger. If that’s what he thinks, then I’ll be happy to play. She drew on her anger, pushed aside her disappointment, and straightened in her seat. “I have a better idea. You agree to my terms, and I’ll consider telling you what you want to know.”
Dolok frowned. “You are in no position to negotiate.”
“Really?” Talia smirked. “Then good luck trying to find Tremaine on your own.”
“Female, if you were not my...” Dolok gritted his teeth. “Fine, what are your terms?”
“I want your word that my sister and I won’t be left behind, that we will be included in your mission.” She held up her hand, cutting off Dolok’s low snarl. “Not as prisoners or guests, but as equal partners.”
Talia had had a lot of experience dealing with unsavory and lethal men in her past. She’d never had a problem blanking her emotions until she got what she wanted. With Dolok, it was different, and she struggled to maintain an aloof appearance against his infuriated gaze.
“And if I do not agree?”
“Then you get nothing.” She returned his stare, determined not to be the first to break eye contact.
“I could lock you in a cell until you give me the information.”
“You could...” Being confined wouldn’t be her first choice, and neither was starvation or torture. Even though she knew what suffering was firsthand, she didn’t believe they would resort to either of those methods. They could hold her indefinitely, but it wouldn’t do them any good. She wouldn’t give them the information.
Talia wasn’t worried about her sister breaking under their demands either. Lexa’s drive to stop Tremaine, to get justice for their family, rivaled Talia’s. She might be younger and appear carefree by nature, but Talia knew her sister used humor as a defense mechanism to shield herself from the pain of their past. The hunters could do whatever they wanted to make their lives unbearable. It was a delay she could deal with. Because, in the end, nothing was going to stop her from ending the malicious bastard’s life.
“You’ll be waiting a long time, so good luck with that.” Talia crossed her arms. “Oh, and if you’re thinking you can get the women I spoke with to give you any information, think again. They’re human and afraid. They aren’t going to speak with any hunters.”
Talia prided herself on being able to read people and gauge their emotions. Between speaking with the loved ones who’d lost someone to the arenas and dealing with the unethical, and usually dangerous members of her trade, her skills had become finely honed.
Dolok was masterful at disguising what he was thinking, but in this instance, not good enough. If she hadn’t been paying attention, Talia would have missed the twitch in the muscle of his jaw. “You already tried, didn’t you?”
His nonresponse confirmed her belief. She had him, and they both knew it. Talia leaned back in her chair, trying not to appear too smug. “So, do I have your word or not?”
