There’s a moment of silence before Marius says, “Sure.”
“Well, the sooner the better. We have company.”
“I am aware.”
Vexar takes a few more cautious steps, drawing the attention of all three guards. The wind roars past my ears, but I can still see at least 300 yards. The storm hasn’t hidden us yet.
“What do you need from me?” I ask.
“Tell me about your bond with Vexar.”
I frown. “I don’t think now’s the best time for a story,” I say, sliding along the wall while keeping my eyes bouncing between all the potential hazards. So far, none of the guards have made a move, but I can feel the tension. We’re one spark away from this all going to shit.
“Indulge me,” Marius says calmly.
Fine. “He was wounded. Gaius set the whole thing up. I entered?—”
“No,” he interrupts. “You misunderstand me. I want to know about the bond.” There’s a sharp inhale before he continues. “How did he realize you had bonded? Did you accept it? Did you complete the blood exchange?”
“Blood exchange?” I ask.
“Yes, did you exchange blood?”
“Why would we—” I cut myself short as a chill runs down my spine.How does Marius know about the bond?I clear my throat and consider my next words carefully.“What exactly did Vexar tell you?” My eyes catch on the metal bar that’s still pinning Gaius’s microphone to the wall, and I start inching towards it.
Marius doesn’t respond.
Vexar was talking to Marius for less than a minute. There’s no way he had time to talk about our bond.
“Marius?” I ask, breaking the silence.
“Did Vexar tell you he made a small fortune off investments in the very company that landed you in your … current line of work?”
My mouth goes dry as I realize what’s happening. Marius is trying to drive a wedge between me and Vexar.
He’s not on our side.
I take a few more steps towards the metal bar. It’s about two feet away now. Almost close enough to reach if my hands weren’t shackled together and trying to hold the holoCom to my ear. “You’re not working on getting the ship here, are you?”
There’s aheavy sigh before Marius says, “Unfortunately, I’ve been locked out of the onboard systems.”
Vexar said Marius was theonlyperson with that access, so why is he locked out? Is he lying?
I creep closer to the metal bar, moving slowly to avoid drawing attention. There’s a haze of sand in the air now, clouding my view of my arena. It’s good. In this weather, I doubt a sniper could get a clean shot.Unless they have thermal scopes.Shaking off that terrifying thought, I pin the holoCom between my shoulder and ear and extend my hand towards the bar.
“How about you stop reaching for that weapon and just go with the guards, yes? It would make our lives so much easier,” Marius says coolly.
I drop my hands and spin in a circle.He’s fucking watching us?
Focusing on keeping my voice calm, I ask, “So, did you decide to take a trip to the desert, or are you more of an ‘experience it from home’ kinda guy?”
My eyes scan for a camera, but I don’t see anything obvious. Then again, Yuxta did say, “They are watching.”
I need to get Vexar’s attention.
There’s a chuckle on the other end of the line as the guards raise their weapons. But their fingers aren’t on the triggers.They’re waiting for something…
Oh, fuck me. They’re waiting on Marius, aren’t they?
