She wiped her eyes and followed Arghet and Katan into the resort. Upon seeing her, a security bot sounded the alarm. Resort staff hurried her to the administration building, where armed guards, Natla, Mr. Franklin, and two other men in suits waited.
“Mandy Jacobs?” one of suits asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m Victor Armlin. One of the owners of the resort and CEO of Armlin United.” He glared at her barbarian escort. “I need you to tell us exactly what happened when you left the resort a month ago. We had reports of a barbarian kidnapping, but when we tried to contact the witnesses, they too had disappeared.”
Mandy wanted nothing more than to sink into Zehn and Lore’s arms. But now that she had the freedom she’d been after for so long, she knew she had to be smart about her choices.Because it’s not just you anymore.She put a protective hand over her belly, knowing she’d need to think hard about her new reality.A baby.
She cleared her throat, realizing what she said next affected the relationship between the barbarians and the offworlders. “Well, Mr. Armlin, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I was accosted by several men from Earth. They tried to kidnap me from the resort and ended up nearly succeeding. The barbarians protected me. It then took several weeks to deal with the humans and get me back here safely. I nearly died.”
Armlin hadn’t been expecting that. Neither had anyone else, apparently. She saw the barbarians subtly relax.
Natla was dying to talk her, all but dancing behind the counter as she watched events play out.
“Later,”Mandy mouthed.
Natla nodded, her eyes wide.
Katan gave the Venetian a side glance and smiled. Nice to see some things never changed.
“Oh, I see.” Armlin glared at Franklin. “I was led to believe the barbarians had broken the treaty. I know they assaulted several humans before you left.”
“Yes, they did.Afterthe humans assaulted me. The Francisco family arrived and—”
“The Franciscos?” Armlin’s eyes narrowed. “In my resort?”
Hell. She should have kept quiet. Especially because she knew Red was somewhere on the premises, no doubt waiting to grab her. When he learned his son had died, she knew he’d come after her. Then the only way she’d be leaving the planet would be in a body bag.
“No. Oh no.” Armlin turned to the others, including Franklin, and barked a set of orders she couldn’t quite make out. The next thing she knew, Franklin, the suit, and a few security guards left.
“Natla kindly gave her testimony earlier, but Franklin said she’d made the whole thing up. Oddly, the name Francisco never came up.” Armlin frowned. “Probably because Red Francisco and I aren’t exactly friends.”
“He’s here at the resort, sir,” Natla piped up.
“Is that so?” Armlin smiled, and Mandy likened his grin to a shark’s. “Well, I’ll have to say hello, won’t I?” He turned to the barbarians. “Are you leaving today?”
“No. We’re staying to protect her.” Arghet nodded to Mandy. “We expect Francisco to come after her. His son is dead.”
Armlin laughed. “Excellent. I’ll see that you three are given our VIP treatment. Mandy, take some time before you come back to work. I insist.”
He left them, whistling on his way out, and Mandy sighed.
Natla hurried around the counter, gave the barbarians a side glance, then hugged Mandy. “Girl, I was so worried about you. Where are Zehn and Lore? Are they okay? What happened? Did Mike really try to kidnap you?”
“Come see me after your shift. We’ll eat, drink, and talk.”
“Yes.” Natla hugged her again. “You’re in the cloud suite in unit six.” She smiled. “Appropriate, eh?”
The barbarians grinned.
Mandy burst into tears.
***
Two evenings later, sitting by her private pool outside her suite in one of the most expensive units in the resort, Mandy dipped her toes in the water and stared up at the moons. She’d spent time with Natla the past two days, relating her adventures and catching up on gossip, and now felt nothing but longing.
For her mates.
