They arrived twenty minutes ahead of the meeting and got everyone into position before heading into the bar to meet up with Silas.
This time Silas was at a table instead of a booth and Kaia took the chair across from him while Rafe, Baz, Tuck, Micah, and Calix fanned out behind her in a show of force. She didn't miss the way Silas’ gaze narrowed on Baz before he turned to her.
“Kaia, Kaia, Kaia. Word on the street is Drago compound was attacked a few days ago and Drago is dead. Yet, it seems I don't have what we agreed upon to clear up your little friend's debt.”
Kaia leaned forward and placed her hands on the table. “And you won't be getting her. You lied to me, Silas. You're planning on selling her to the highest bidder, as if she's your property, and that fucking shit doesn't fly with me. And no, you're not getting Aimee for your skin trade, either. You're going to forget about the inventor and forgive Aimee’s debt, or you can come after us and lose a whole fucking lot more than Recha. Your choice.”
“You're reneging on our deal?” he snarled at her.
“You broke our deal when you lied to me,” she countered. He didn't need to know she wouldn't have turned her mate over anyway.
“You're going to regret this, Kaia,” he hissed, standing.
“The hard way it is, then,” Kaia replied, standing as well.
As they approached the doors, several men moved to intercept them. “You boys really don't want to do this,” Kaia told them, but they didn't move. “I guess you do,” she said as the men went on the offensive and attacked.
The fight was quick. While the men were brutes, they weren’t well trained and they went down fast, even before The Denizen's bouncers could intervene.
“Let's get the fuck out of here while the getting's good,” Kaia said, wiping blood from her lip. One of the guys had gotten a good hit in on her.
“You okay, beautiful?” Baz asked, touching her lip.
“Yeah, I'm good. Let's go.” She stormed outside and their people joined them. Soon they were on their way back to Silverspell compound and their allies.
When they pulled into the compound, Shar rushed out to meet them. “You're back! Thank the Goddess. I was worried.” Then she frowned. “Kaia, your lip!”
“It's nothing, it'll heal in a few days,” she replied. “We ran into a little trouble leaving the bar and one of them landed a good hit on me, that's all.”
“You're sure you're okay?” Shar asked.
“I'm sure. But I'm beat. Let's go to bed. We're going to be busy preparing for Silas’ attack, so we need to get our rest now while we can.”
“Kaia's right, we should get some rest,” Rafe said, and it was obvious he was exhausted.
They all traipsed to their room, stripped, and crawled into bed, this time with Rafe curled behind Kaia while Baz cuddled against Shar.
Silence filled the room as one by one her partners fell asleep. Her last thought, before sleep took her, was that all too soon it would just be the three of them—her, Shar, and Baz—and she wasn't sure how she was going to get through losing one of the loves of her life.
Chapter Ten
Kaia
The compound was a flurry of activity over the next couple of days as fortifications were built up in strategic places. Scouts were sent out to Duskcairn, where Silas resided, and the surrounding area, and sent back word of any suspicious activity. On the third day the call came in that Silas was on the move.
“Avaxa to homebase, Silas is on the move. By my count he has twenty men with him.”
“Makai says you've done your job, it's time to head home.”
“Will do. Tell him I said kick some ass for me.”
Kaia laughed at that. “Twenty men. Unless he's meeting up with more along the way, we far outnumber him. This is going to be a bloodbath.” She ran a hand over her face. “All right everyone, listen up. Silas is on the move. At present, he has twenty men with him. We have two other scouts between us and him, so we'll know if he picks up more along the way. Anyone who isn't fighting, I want you in the bunker, now. Aimee, Calix, Tala, Micah, I'm trusting you four to keep them safe. Watch each other’s backs. That goes for everyone. Watch each other’s backs out there. Silas is after my mate. He doesn't care if our communities die from a lack of water. Once this fight is over, construction of the drill will begin and priority will be given to communities already struggling for water. You have my word, wewillshare once it's completed.”
Cheers went up all around her and people moved into action.
“Thank you for letting me help with the fight,” Aimee said. “I know that wasn't easy.”
“No, it wasn't, but you've trained for this and I trust you. Just watch your back.”
