Chapter 8

I hammered on his door with the side of my fist. No answer, but the screaming abruptly stopped. Had he killed his victim? Kicking the door until its latch broke, I burst in and found him with a young woman of about Natasha’s age. She was tied to a chair, and gagged now. Tear tracks ran down her cheeks, making pink lines through gray dirt.

“You got no fucking business, here, alpha,” he spat. “Get outta my place.” He was swaying a little. Obviously high on something.

Pointing my disruptor at his head, I waited for him to notice what he was getting himself into if he fucked with me.

“Untie her.” I didn’t ask. Didn’t plead. That wasn’t my way.

“She’s mine. I found her.”

“Kidnapped,” I corrected. Changing tack, I pointed the disruptor at his balls.

His face changed from a smirk to wide eyes and the color drained from his face.

“No! Please! I’ll do it.”

If I’d been in a less forgiving mood, I would have shot him, anyway. As it was, I simply waited while his shaking hands fumbled with knots. When the chick was free, she collapsed sideways onto the filthy floor.

For his trouble, I punched the dirtbag hard in the stomach. He groaned and doubled over.

“You kidnap another woman, I’ll cut your fucking balls off with a blunt knife,” I warned him. He responded with a whimper of pain.

I picked her up and carried her out. She was floppy and barely responsive. Shock. If I were in a better part of town, I’d take her to the hospital, but not here. She couldn’t pay, and he’d only find her again.

Instead, I lay her on my couch and wrapped her in blankets. She stared off into the middle distance, the expression of someone who’d seen too much. There was a chance she would snap out of it in a couple of hours.

I made her some sweet lantana tea.

“Drink this.”

I held the cup to her lips. She moved them slightly, accepting the liquid. Carefully, I poured a little in. It reminded me of my childhood, when I’d found a stray puppy, rejected by its mother. Every afternoon, when I’d finished school, I’d taken milk out of our store cupboard—we were too broke to afford a food cooling machine—and carefully nursed the puppy with it.

When my mother had caught me taking our precious milk and feeding it to a stray animal, I’d been in deep trouble. Didn’t sit down for a week.

But I learned a hard lesson, that week. My mom was dirt poor, but she’d fight anyone to ensure we had food on the table. Even me. As an adult I cringed at the fact I’d taken that milk away from my brothers and sisters. For a fucking puppy.

The mangy fleabag had grown into yet another of the wild dogs that roamed the city. Maybe it would have lived anyway. All my life, I’d had a bad habit of trying to fix up strays. I resented myself for it. But I couldn’t help myself.

I tipped a bit more liquid into the woman’s mouth. She swallowed. I hoped she had somewhere to stay nearby, because two of them here was going to be impossible.

Over the course of three cups of lantana tea, the woman went from needing to be fed to being able to hold her own cup and drink from it. She sipped her fourth cup of tea before she finally spoke.

“Why me?”

I shook my head. It wasn’t a great question. Didn’t have a clear-cut answer. There were a great many reasons he might have targeted her, and I had no idea which was the truth.

“Probably opportunity. You live local?”

She nodded. “Two Gardens Court.”

I knew it. The gardens were nonexistent. Another huge concrete tower with hundreds of families crammed into one place. Much bigger than the building I lived in. It had been hailed as the future of housing, thirty years ago. Now it was just a dilapidated pressure cooker with ice on the inside of the windows at night. The communal areas weren’t big enough, so they had become flash points where a great many incidents took place.

But worst of all, Two Gardens Court was the territory of Regin, the leader of one of the most powerful gangs in Xanar. I’d had run-ins with him, before. I tried to avoid him and his crew. I’d been sent in there on a couple of assignments. They’d left me with nightmares. That was when I’d realized Imperial Command didn’t care about me. I was expendable. A tool. Or a weapon.

“Where did he take you from?”

She frowned. Already, her brain was trying to avoid thinking about what just happened.

“The front entrance. I forgot my entry chip and was waiting for my brother to let me in. This bastard just grabbed me from behind. I thought he was going to...” she trailed off, but her meaning was obvious, and she was right.

“He probably was going to,” I replied. “He’s a sick fuck.”

“I need to get home. My brother will be worried.”

“You shouldn’t go alone.” I didn’t want to send her back out into the streets by herself. She was roughed up and opportunists would take advantage of a weak target. “I’ll walk you there.” Going to Two Gardens Court wasn’t very high on my to-do list on any average day, but she needed someone to step up.

I checked I had my disruptor blaster before I headed out.

“By the way, I’m Erelle,” she said as we left my building.

“Ryon. Pleased to meet you.”

“I won’t ask what you do. Every male I know has the same answer. This and that. Usually shady deals and drama. Or entrepreneur. They’re the ones who sell whizz at the substation.”

I chuckled at her innocently astute observations. She clearly had no idea what the shady deals were. That was fine. It was nice to meet someone who so clearly had no involvement in the grimy underworld.

“And you? What do you do?” I couldn’t help asking. She was intriguing, and my imagination was having trouble figuring out her place in this sector.

“I’m an artist. One day, I’m gonna get out of here and go to those fancy parties with the tiny food on plates that move around the room.”

That explained why she was so naive. Head in the clouds. Probably spent all day in her room drawing or painting.

“Good luck with that,” I told her, not wanting it to sound sarcastic. I wanted to believe she might make it. I hoped everyone with a dream made it out of this shithole.

We reached Two Gardens Court. It was bigger and more imposing than I’d remembered.

“Can you stay while I call my brother?” She pressed the intercom then turned so her back was facing it. I guessed she didn’t want anyone to be able to sneak up on her again. Understandable.

“Sure. I’ll be right here.”

“Who is it?” A half-familiar voice spoke on the intercom.

“Erelle.”

“Where the fuck you been?”

“Can you let me in? I got attacked.”

There was a pause, then a different voice came to the intercom. I immediately knew it. Suppressed a shudder. Fuck. Regin.

“Who attacked you, sis?”

Regin was her brother? Fuck. Shit. Shitfuck. I gritted my teeth and tried to stay cool as she turned to me.

“Do you know that guy’s name?”

I did. And I knew if I told Regin, it would sign the man’s death warrant. Only a fool would kidnap Regin’s family. I hesitated, hoping I could lie. But it was near-impossible to lie to Regin. He could read people like a book. That was how he’d gotten this far.

“Who’s with you? Is that the guy who attacked you?”

“No. This is Ryon. He saved me.”

“Ryon?”

The intercom went dead. I exchanged a glance with Erelle. Then I looked up. Near the top of the building, a man in black watched us with his blaster aimed squarely at me. I recognized an assassin when I saw one. Erelle hadn’t noticed, and was watching the door expectantly.

The door buzzed. I knew if I didn’t go inside, that assassin had orders to shoot me. I toyed with the idea that it might be preferable to seeing Regin again.

I stepped into the mouth of the monster and let the elevator carry me alongside Erelle to floor twenty-eight. She started walking out the moment the doors moved. She headed straight for number two-eight-six. The front door was already open. Another man in black—or maybe the same one—stood beside it, blaster in hand.

“Your blaster, Ryon.” He held out his hand. I knew the drill. To see Regin, I had to give up my protection. No point arguing. I’d just get shot. So instead, I handed it over. Feeling naked, I went in.

The apartment was the same opulent place I remembered, although some of the expensive décor had changed and a couple of pieces of furniture had been replaced. Time did that to places.

Sitting on a huge armchair, looking like he was wearing an invisible crown, Regin reclined with a drink. The most powerful beta in the city. His lackeys stood around waiting for orders.

“Erelle.” He smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

“Ray,” she greeted him. “It was awful. I thought I was going to die—”

He held up a hand. “Slow down. Take a seat, both of you. Drinks?”

One of his men stepped forward with glasses of something that had already been poured, presumably while we were in the elevator.

“Thanks.” I took the cup. Knew better than to refuse when Regin wanted me to have a drink in my hand.

“Who took her?” He addressed me directly.

“Teranse. Lives next door to me.”

“He’s back from the prison colony, already?”

I nodded. “Three months.”

“He made a mistake, today. I’m gonna make sure he can’t ever hurt you again, sis.”

For the first time since I’d known him, I saw genuine affection in Regin’s eyes. I hadn’t thought it was possible, but then again, I’d always kept my distance. Even when I’d had to work for him as part of an assignment. Brief meetings to get orders, then I’d left as fast as I could.

“You still owe me, Ryon.” He threw the words out like an accusation. “You didn’t leave under a good light.”

“I saved your sister’s life. Doesn’t that count for something?”

He looked at her thoughtfully. “Yeah. But you haven’t finished the job. She isn’t safe until Teranse is dealt with. Take care of him.”

Shit. I didn’t want to kill my neighbor. Not because I was afraid, or cared about him at all. He had targeted women for the last four decades and barely got a rap on the knuckles earlier this year, when the enforcers had finally caught up with him. Seventy-five women had been kidnapped and killed, and he’d gotten out for good behavior.

To my mind the fucker could die in a ditch. I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire. But I disliked shitting and eating in the same place. However, I disliked being dead even more, so I knew I had to accept or I wasn’t getting out of this apartment. Not now Regin had decided I owed him something.

“Fine. I’ll sort him out.” I didn’t need to say that he’d be in the bottom of the river by sundown. That kind of talk was incriminating. Regin didn’t like to say anything that might be used against him by the authorities. I was glad he didn’t know I worked for them.

“Actually... bring him to me. I want to talk to him myself.”

Ugh. I hated being present when Regin wanted to “talk” to someone who had seriously crossed him and pissed him off.

“I’ll deliver him. Then, we’re even.” I didn’t ask. He’d correct me if I was wrong.

“Sure. But he’d better make it here alive.”

I nodded. “You got it.”

I knocked back my drink and left.

***

Ryon

Teranse was easy to find. Still in his apartment when I got there. The door hadn’t been fixed, yet. I walked straight in. Suppressing my urge to simply punch him in the face and hoist him over my shoulder, I kept my hands by my sides.

That was when I realized Regin still had my blaster. Fuck.

“You again?” Teranse glared at me. I didn’t move.

“Regin wants to see you. Gonna come quietly?”

His face paled. Even this gnarly, fucked-up sicko was scared of Regin.

“What’s he want?” His voice had risen half an octave. Good.

“You took his sister, you dumb fuck. Now he wants a conversation.” Watching the realization on his face was priceless. I’d wanted him to get what was coming to him for a long time.

“She was Regin’s sister?”

“His younger sister.”

“Oh, shit. You gotta help me, Ryon! Protect me! I’ll buy your services! Anything you want! Please, help me.”

I shook my head. “You made the hole. You climb in it.”

Tears sprang into his eyes. Pathetic. I wondered how many times his victims had begged for him to stop. To let them live. Fuck him.

“Please.”

“Are you gonna walk like a real male with a pair of balls or am I going to have to drag you there?” I wasn’t taking any shit. I just wanted to go back to my couch and finish my nap.

Crying to himself, he followed me. Pathetic fucking beta cuck. He could dish it out, but he couldn’t take it.

At Regin’s, I pressed the buzzer and was about to speak when Teranse turned and fled. I ran after him easily. My bigger alpha legs were faster. Launching myself at him, I knocked him to the dirt and pinned him down.

“Take your medicine, asshole.” I threw him over my shoulder and carried him inside. No one in Two Gardens Court would snitch if they saw me.

I dumped him on Regin’s doorstep.

“Delivery,” I told the heavy. “And I want my blaster back.”

“Sure.” He handed my weapon over and pulled a sobbing Teranse into the apartment. Not my circus. Not my primates.

I went back home and finished my nap. Hopefully, it would be a month or more before Teranse’s rent got into arrears and the owner moved someone else into the apartment next door. I’d enjoy the peace. If he hadn’t been such a disgusting sicko, I’d move in myself to avoid any accidents with Natasha. As it was, burning the place down wouldn’t make it clean enough for me to be comfortable in there, despite my very low standards, given the line of work I was in.