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“And why exactly can you not inform ‘our friend’ yourself?” Raum parried.
“I’m assuming you haven’t been in contact with him since he assigned you this task?” Balthazar inquired.
“Your assumption would be correct.”
“And he contacts you directly at all times? No middle man?”
“I trust only him.”
“Hmm, well, after I received the memo about your arrival, one of his lackeys contacted my contact, and I was thus informed that our esteemed leader had put out a cease and desist on all activity that could, in any way, be linked to him, and has gone into a communication lockdown until further notice. No contact in or out. I assume this doesn’t apply to you, though.”
“Why would you assume such a thing?” Raum looked agitated. It was as if thinking of Gabriel, the twazzock, possibly being in trouble was something he couldn’t stand even the thought of.
“Why? Because he is the only being you take orders from.”
“I don’t take orders from anyone.” His voice could have frozen the fiery pit itself. “But, I do respect his counsel, and trust his judgment, so I guess you have a point.”
Balthazar silently breathed a sigh of relief.
“Alas, for you, I cannot say the same. I will be interrogating the prisoner, as per my orders. One way or another, I will have the answers he seeks, possibly the ones you seek too.” Again with the subzero tone. It was like his voice contained literal ice.
“If you harm any part of her, I will take it out of your hide. There is nowhere you could scarper off to that I would not find you. Not now, anyway.” Shit, he really needed to keep a lid on the vengeance thing, he really didn’t need to let them know he’d never given it up when he’d left his post.
“Don’t worry, Balthazar, I won’t lay a hand on her at all. I won’t need to. There are so many more fun and interesting ways to get answers from others, especially from such unworthy ones.”
Well, those words definitely weren’t reassuring. Why did Balthazar think it would have been better if he’d left well enough alone and kept his mouth shut? It probably wouldn’t have been, but now he had a ball of dread weighing down his insides at the possible implications of Raum’s words.
“I need to get back to my pet, see what progress he’s made.” Raum stood to leave.
“Your presence for that would be disruptive, surely? Why not give him some more time? We can watch from here and have a drink and something to eat before you begin your entertainment.”
Balthazar leaned forward and grabbed the small black control screen from atop his desk before once again reclining into his own seat and swiveling around. Suddenly the windows behind the old walnut desk lit up with images of the cells from multiple angles.
“Before I pop the sound on, I’m going to pop an order in for lunch. Any preferences?” Balthazar wanted Raum to get comfortable, and he could see Raum knew it too. It was a game they both must play.
“Surprise me?” Raum’s response did indeed sound playful, almost . . . interested? A thought which sent a wave of bile to the back of his throat. No way was he becoming Raum’s next pet!
After speaking quickly into the intercom, he jacked up the volume and zoomed in on the two images with the best view of both Jezzie and the new addition. Fuck! He felt sorry for the poor guy. He wasn’t much older than Jezzie, at least in looks. Who knew what kind of being he was though. He’d felt like an angel, familiar too, but there was something else. Something that shouldn’t be there. That was impossible, but it was so slight he couldn’t grab hold of it long enough to unravel the mystery. How he’d ended up with the prick currently invading his home he couldn’t imagine.
“Hey, how long have you been here?”
The words from Raum’s pet were hoarse and low. Thanks to the awesome surround sound, though, they came through crystal clear.
“Long enough that I know better than to trust just any pretty face, sweetie. Aye, there be snakes in this ‘ere garden, don’t ya know? Plus,” Balthazar prayed she didn’t put her delicate little foot in it so soon. “I know I’ve been out of the dating loop for a while, what with being stuck here and all, but, you can do better.”
She winked at him. He should have known better than to think she’d rein in her sass, even in a situation as volatile as this one was. Behind him, he heard Raum chuckle.
“You’re right, Balthazar. Let’s give them some more time. I think it will make what comes after much more effective. Oh, good, the food’s here.”
As Satari’s temporary replacement positioned the tea trolley beside the desk and left in a hurry, Balthazar couldn’t help but think his time was running out.
Chapter 17
With the others gone, Marco found himself alone in the large, elegantly appointed meeting room. He was almost stunned into stillness. It felt like the last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind of confusing revelations, emotional explosions, and even more questions. Then it ends up being Mrs Briars who snapped out orders like a drill sergeant setting everyone to their tasks, and when the dust finally settled . . . Silence. An utter cessation of chaos, ringing louder in his ears than the cacophony of what had come before it.
All too soon the silence ended though, as Mrs Briars popped up through the floor directly in front of him.
“Arrggghh!” He jumped a fucking mile and squealed like a scream queen in a B-grade horror flick.
