But he didn’t have that urge tonight. Mostly because he knew that Dancer would arrive eventually.
Though why the bastard was dragging his ass, he couldn’t even begin to fathom.
And then he heard it.…
Granted, he thought he was hallucinating at first. Good bet given the ringing that had yet to cease in his ears.
But there was no mistaking the next shout that came from upstairs. “Hauk!” a Bolodorian called out.
“What?” Dancer answered.
“Surrender or we’re going to kill them all! Piece by piece, until their screams echo in your ears!”
Dancer laughed at the threat. “You do that and I will eat you, piece by fucking piece. The three of them are theonlything keeping you alive right now. Release them and we’ll let you live. It’s your choice on how you leave this place. On your feet or feet first. You have thirty seconds to decide.”
Bastien let out a relieved breath. Finally…
It’d be over soon.
Or so he thought.
One of the assassins came in to take Thia. Bastien went for him, but that didn’t last. Weakened by the beatings, he couldn’t get his body to do what he needed it to.
He hit the deck hard.Get up, you worthless piece of shit! Get on your feet!
It was no use. Instead of rising, he felt the world go black.
***
Bastien wasn’t sure how long he’d been out, but when he came to, both Dancer and his woman were in the room. Thia was holding on to Dancer like a lifeline while Sumi untied Darice.
The kid didn’t move at all. Though unlike Bastien, he didn’t appear to be harmed.
“Darice? Are you in shock?”
He blinked slowly as he scanned the room full of bodies and then looked to his uncle. It appeared as if he couldn’t comprehend what Dancer had done. He frowned at Sumi. “But he works in IT.”
She laughed at Darice’s confusion. “He doesn’t work IT, sweetie.” Ruffling his hair, she cut Darice loose and went to check on Bastien.
He closed his eyes as she touched him and savored the gentleness she showed him. He hadn’t felt the hand of any woman, other than the Andarion high priestess, on his body in years. And while he was a reprobate and Unira still attractive even at her advanced age, he wasn’t willing to chance Andarion hell by making a pass at her.
If their Tophet was anything like their real world, he’d take the Kirovarian version of damnation any day over that.
“Is he alive?” Dancer asked.
“Yeah, but they beat him terribly.”
Thia looked up at Dancer. “He refused to tell them anything about you or the base.”
“Damn right,” Bastien breathed, then groaned as he rolled himself over. Hissing, he grimaced. “Bastards hit like kindergarten girls. I think one of them even pulled my hair and said I had cooties.”
Snorting, Dancer set Thia down next to Bastien. “I’m going to call for an evac.” He placed every one of his weapons down beside them, except for his two personal blasters. He changed out their cartridges before he tucked them into his holsters. “Anything moves, shoot it with extreme prejudice.”
Sumi dropped her gaze to Dancer’s side and leg where he was bleeding profusely. “We need to tend those.”
“Call first. I’ll be back in a few.”
“You’re a stubborn beast, Dancer Hauk!” she called as he made his way to the door.
