Chapter 30
Once again feeling like himself, Nojan marched out of the bathroom, whistling an upbeat tune. He selected jeans and a T-shirt and ran his fingers through his damp hair. And then he wandered around the room, picking up random objects and books, waiting for his angel to arrive.
They had work to do. He wasn’t going to blind himself to that. There were issues of trust between them that had to be carefully dealt with. And then there was the problem of Mayra’s rock-bottom self-esteem.
Nojan swore to himself that if he ever saw that rat-bastard Rantel again, he’d make him pay for the number he’d done on Mayra’s self-worth. He didn’t understand how anyone could convince such a lovely and sweet woman that she was hideous and weak. He’d done what he could to convince her otherwise, but demons like these died hard. She’d already suspected him of telling tales when he praised her beauty. It would be an uphill climb to make her believe that this was how he really saw her.
Minutes passed and Nojan became frustrated. Where was she? He’d ordered the guards to bring her to him right away. What the fuck was taking them so long?
Nojan strode to the communication console and punched up the lieutenant who’d promised to bring his angel to him. “Where are you?” he asked when the lieutenant answered his ping.
“The private and I stopped by the mess to grab some lunch. Is there something you need?”
Nojan saw red. “I need you to bring Mayra to my quarters, like I asked you to over half an hour ago.”
“But, sir, begging your pardon, we already did.”
“What are you talking about?” He took a deep breath to calm himself. “I’m looking around and I don’t see her. And do you mean to say that you left her alone somewhere? After you were given strict orders by my brother to guard her at all times?”
“Sir, you yourself called off the guard.” The lieutenant was sputtering, clearly confused.
Nojan hit the button to cut communications. He slammed his way out of his room and hit the hallway at a dead run. In a few moments, he was in the mess, his eyes scanning the room. When he saw the pair who’d he ordered to guard Mayra, he wasted no time grabbing the lieutenant by his lapels.
“Where the fuck is the oracle? And why the fuck are you here instead of keeping an eye on her?”
“We were guarding her,” the lieutenant swore, his eyes wide. “We brought her to your chambers not ten minutes after you asked for her. She went in and came out a few minutes later. You stuck your head out into the hall and told us that she could find her own way back to her room and that we were dismissed.”
The other guard stood from his table, dropping his fork with a clatter. “He’s telling the truth, sir. You told us not to guard her anymore.”
“That’s fucking ridiculous.” What was going on here? Nojan certainly hadn’t dismissed the guard, and the only one who’d shown up at his room was Sanri. Speaking of…
He jogged to the communication panel in the wall, calling up the second guard detail. “Where is Sanri?”
“In her room,” said the guard that answered his ping. “She’s been here the whole time.”
“That’s impossible,” Nojan snarled. “She showed up in my quarters less than a half hour ago.
He cut the connection, the wheels turning in his mind. Something was going on here, some kind of conspiracy that involved both the women. And apparently, someone who could impersonate him well enough to fool one of the loyal guards. Unless they’d been paid off.
Nojan tapped on the panel again and soon heard the voice of his brother. “Zelup, I want you to meet me at my quarters. I want you to bring those two guards you assigned to Sanri, and the woman herself if you can find her. Something fucked up is taking place.”
“I can be there in five.”
Nojan headed back to the table, pointing at the confused guards. “You two, follow me.”
Zelup made it to his chambers with a minute to spare, the two guards in tow, equal expressions of shame decorating their faces. Sanri was conspicuously absent.
“The dark-haired temptress somehow managed to elude these two idiots,” his brother growled. “She wasn’t in her room.”
“She never left, I swear,” one moaned, but a fierce look from Zelup silenced him.
“Mayra is missing too. These guards say that they brought her here and I dismissed them myself. That never happened.”
Zelup strode to the console and started tapping buttons. “I’ve put the forces on high alert. They are to locate the women and report as soon as they’re found. But I’m afraid they might no longer be here.”
Nojan’s eyes widened. “You think they’ve gone off-world? But how? I know Mayra’s never piloted so much as a shuttle.”
“But you know nothing about the other one, and that little minx has an infinity of tricks up her sleeves.”
