We watch him walk straight past my grandpas’ suite to the teleporting bay.
“What is he doing now?” Tirrian points as he activates the teleporter. “Can you see what his destination is?”
Silac frowns but leans forward and starts typing again. “Maybe.” His brow furrows in concentration, and his lips purse. He looks up. “He isn’t going anywhere. There is an incoming transport.”
We watch in stunned amazement as Smith appears on the teleporting platform, gun in hand, looking around in awe.
They say something to each other, which we can’t hear, before they leave the transport room and head back to the elevator.
“Should we stop them?” Saxon asks me, and I look at my Aaz’axian mate, seeing the pure fury in his eyes as he looks at the man who has held his daughter’s safety over his head for so many months. Smith is right within Brannock’s reach. I could let him take his revenge now.
Just as I’m about to give the go ahead, my warlock speaks up.
“If we get rid of Smith now, it may tip off the Syndicate to this being a setup.”
I heave out a sigh and nod. I hate seeing the disappointment on Brannock’s face, so I go over to him and give him a kiss on the lips before wrapping my arms around him.
“Xavier is right,” I tell him, even though I hate to say those words out loud.
He sags at my touch but nods. “Yes, I know, but it doesn’t mean I don’t hate it.”
“Me too, baby, but I promise you will get your pound of flesh,” I whisper into his ear.
“And entrails and organs. I like to rip out their heart while it’s still beating,” Zeydan says, and when I turn to look at my deity mate in shock, his eyes flash red and he glows green, his god powers pulsing.
“Whoa. Slow your roll, big guy. Evisceration is so messy. Getting body fluids out of fabric is tedious.”
I gape at my mates talking so casually about murder. Yeah, I am more blasé about it now, and I’ll do anything to protect my family, but this seems a little extreme, almost like they enjoy it.
“Oh, don’t look so shocked. You know we don’t work with the same stunted morals as Earthlings,” Saxon tells me, and I gulp in a big breath of air before turning my attention to the screen.
Smith and Lester just exited the elevator in the spaceport. I watch as they hurry toward the closest shuttle. It’s my grandpas’ personal one, which they left on board for my use. It’s how I planned to get the orb to the Syndicate meeting.
“Don’t let them steal my ship,” I tell Silac.
“It’s secure and can only be accessed by you or one of us,” he assures me.
We watch as Lester is approached by one of the spaceport crew. He seems to be the only one around, but before he can say anything, Smith lifts his gun and shoots him.
I scream and clamp a hand over my mouth. “Oh my god!”
“Fuck, they really mean business,” Xavier growls.
“We’re lucky he’s a shitty shot.” Zeydan points at the crew member. He’s down, but it looks like he was only hit in the shoulder. The other two keep moving to the next shuttle. This one is smaller and not as fast as my grandpas’ vessel. “As soon as they leave, you can get down there and heal him.”
“That’s going to take forever to get where they need to go,” I murmur as they are more successful this time. The door opens, and the two of them run up the ramp.
“Actually, it won’t. My aunt upgraded the technology on those crafts too.” Saxon nods at mine and the other three in the hangar. “They all have subsonic capabilities and are probably faster than this ship now. They are small and light and travel at a faster pace.”
We’re all silent as the shuttle lights up and slowly moves down the hangar, the big bay doors opening, and then it glides out into space. We switch the view so we are now watching it live as it crosses in front of the bridge viewing window. It doesn’t get very far before it jumps to warp speed and disappears.
“They are gone,” Brannock says flatly, and I squeeze him.
“That was always the plan.”
“Come on, man, cheer up.” Xavier slaps him on the back and heads for the exit to the bridge, whistling. “Let’s go get your daughter.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
