“You’ll have to bid like anyone else, Caris.” The two guards exchanged amused glances. “If Lothar doesn’t address you himself about the Jutak, Alonson, escaping.”
Caris’ sneer couldn’t hide the fear in her gaze. “I did everything I was told. Mischka ruined it. She didn’t notify Lothar of the Jutaks’ arrival. If I hadn’t left when I did, they might have caught me.”
While they argued, Kyele focused his gaze on his teammate. Sweat trickled down Vee’s face. He no longer bothered trying to disguise his limp and his usually gold skin blanched, lines of pain bracketing his mouth.
“Mischka will meet her fate as well.”
Caris perked up and her enthused expression disgusted Kyele.
“I hope he lets me watch her torture for failing.”
Had Mischka failed? Bane and Jaron’s reaction toward her were strong in different ways but at no point did it seem as if Mischka was innocent.
The male Marenians laughed. “You must hate her.”
Vee’s gaze sharpened. Kyele tuned in as well while pretending to be bored and looking elsewhere. Elsewhere was the sliver of opening on the other side of the curtain. There were dozens of customers seated and standing in a room packed to overflowing beyond the small dais where the auctioneer shoved a nude woman forward. To be sold. Kyele’s lips flattened.
“Mischka thought she was better than everyone. Working with the Breters as if she was actually one of us and not a Marenian. She had the privilege of being one of Lothar’s favored slaves and didn’t appreciate it. Without revealing my own secrets, I tried to get her to reveal her feelings for the Jutak soldier but she blew me off. Lied!” Caris’ voice rose on the end
More of it made sense to Kyele now. “That’s why you attacked her in the stairway?”
Caris shifted her glare to him. “Yes! I wanted to remind her of why she was there and to show Lothar she couldn’t be trusted.”
“You told him of our arrival?” Kyele continued.
She laughed and leaned closer in her eagerness. She reached out to trace his scar with the tip of her finger. Kyele jerked his head away with a twist and snarled. He was seconds away from breaking each of her fingers as a lesson except Vee nudged him with his foot putting him back on track.
“I told Lothar everything. When you were coming and that Bane Hardusho was walking. It’s too bad I couldn’t figure out how he managed to walk again. She failed on everything else but at least Mischka sent the damaged cybernetics and chip. My job was to kill her and him if she didn’t get the Jutak to bring his teammates there.”
Vee growled low in his throat and Kyele didn’t blame him.
“Impressive.” Kyele had to admit it was an elaborate scheme and worked to some extent. Mischka was the defining factor. She hadn’t harmed Bane and she hadn’t warned Lothar of Torkel’s arrival, foiling their plot. “Maybe the others will succeed where you two failed.”
“There were no others. Do you know how much time and planning it took to infiltrate that place?” she snapped. “I only got in because I was born Breter and my youthful discretions were sealed. Lothar made me an offer to work with him that I couldn’t refuse.”
“Enough,” the first guard said. “We need to sell them now. Demand is high to have one of the prized Jutak warriors though we didn’t have much notice to spread the word.”
The guards shoved them closer toward the curtained stage. The one guard in front stopped them just shy of going through and ripped the masks from their faces. “We want the buyers to get a good look at the merchandise.”
Kyele wasn’t worried about his image being exposed. He rarely went undercover on missions but Vee as a member of Team Three often did. They couldn’t afford to let images of their likeness get out. Their families depended on their anonymity. Vee sent him a decisive look. Kyele nodded.
As one they moved in opposite directions, Kyele shifted to his mist form and the plasti-cuffs clanked uselessly to the floor. Vee head butted the guard on the right while Kyele gripped the guard on the left in a chokehold. They struggled in a tangle of limbs.
“Get him, Irzak!” Caris yelled.
Kyele caught the barrel of the laser the moment the guard swung it around toward Vee. Instead, it fired to the left. Caris screamed then careened into the wall and slid to the floor, a fatal wound to her chest evident.
Screams shattered the smooth patter of the auctioneer’s voice beyond the curtain. Kyele cursed and slammed the guard’s fist against the wall until the weapon dropped to the floor.
Irzak kneed him in the crotch and flipped a knife from the holster at his waist. Pain shot up his spine and Kyele danced back.
Lowered to a crouch, he snarled, “You won’t escape, Jutak.”
Kyele swooped low and grabbed the knife from the opposite holster at his waist and jumped back. Now he grinned at the startled guard. “I’d rethink that if I was you.”
They came together in a clash. Kyele was clearly superior in the one on one match and had the guard disarmed with a series of cuts on his arms and across his chest. The guard collapsed to the floor, a hand pressed to the bleeding slash on his side.
The second guard broke free of V’hor and withdrew his weapon, firing. Vee ducked as laser blasts slammed into the wall behind them. Kyele joined him. Loud shouts came from behind the curtain. When Irzak rose to his feet, Kyele propelled himself forward and kicked and hit him in hard enough he flew backward.
More shouts and screams drew forth as Irzak’s body crashed through onto the stage next to the naked female. The bidding tapered off as those on the other side finally realized something was wrong.
Kyele launched forward in a roll and came up behind the remaining guard. He gripped him about the neck and whipped his arm down, slicing his throat in a clean stroke. The body fell to the ground and Kyele stepped over him.
“I hope this was worth it,” Vee breathed when Kyele came to lean on the wall next to him.
Kyele fought to control his own rapid breathing. “We know that Caris and Mischka were the only two involved in Lothar’s plot. Caris was sent to watch Mischka and make sure she stayed on task. If she failed to draw out Torkel, Caris was to take out Bane.”
Panting, Vee closed his eyes and struggled to remain standing. “We could have discovered that by taking one of the Marenians hostage.”
Kyele growled. “Didn’t have the time while we were being led away and Torkel’s life was on the line.”
At least they had the confession from Caris herself. Her gloating allowed Kyele to get the truth. He glanced at her slumped form. She’d paid with her life. Turning to Vee he said, “Let’s go home.”
Vee’s grin was shaky. “First, we’re going to shut this place down.”
Kyele peeked through the curtain. Overturned chairs were scattered across the floor while most of the crowd had fled. Surprisingly, the auctioneer was still trying to calm the remaining buyers and proceed with the sale. All while Irzak’s dead body remained on the stage.
“Agreed.” Kyele pulled his mask over his face. They rolled forward at the same time. “Jutak warriors!”
Vee slammed his knee into the alien holding the female slave and flipped him onto the floor. Holding the laser with one arm, he snarled, “Jutak warriors, you are under arrest.”