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Stenikov stopped in front of a three-story building with peeling red paint. The windows on the bottom level had been boarded over and displayed anti-alien graffiti. “This is the address my informant gave.”
“Not the type of building I’d enter alone either. Why do you trust me to be your backup?”
“Tekklans do not make mistakes when it comes to science. They said you are free of the og’dals’ control. I need no other reassurance.”
She smiled at Stenikov’s honesty and his ability to trust her so absolutely. She only wished Zirkov were here with her. There was so much she wanted to say to him, mostly that she missed him. Even if he never loved her, he had put his life on the line for her, several times.
“How many people are you meeting?” Maggie asked.
“One. On the second floor.”
“I need you to be honest with me, Sten. Why am I here, when you could have asked Konnitch or Zirkov?”
“Zirkov ordered me to go alone. As a warrior, I am trained to handle any situation by myself.”
“Then why did you bring me?”
“The informant said he had information about you. I thought it would be wise for you to be here, to ask your questions, but only since you are a marshal and can handle yourself.”
“Technically, I’m a citizen now. But you were right to bring a partner. Backup should be required for warriors and marshals. I learned that the hard way.”
“Loss of your title does not change who you are. Your skills remain. Zirkov is no longer a warrior in title, but very much in skill. Yes?”
“I didn’t realize you knew Zirkov before coming to Earth.”
“All warriors on Zyan know of Zirkov. He gave up his title of warrior willingly and asked the Warrior Council to remove his tattoos.”
“He asked? I thought they’d taken his title as a punishment.” Before Stenikov could respond, she grabbed his arm, stopping him from entering. “There’s movement in two windows above. You said one informant.”
“I will proceed without you.”
“Forget it.” Maggie drew her gun. “Ready?”
Stenikov slid a knife from his boot. “Ready.”
She ran her eyes over him. Jacket, pants, knives in various sheaths including his boots, but no other weapons. “Where’s your blaster?”
“I lost it.”
“How do you lose a blaster?”
His face drew tight. “Zirkov took it from me. To teach me a lesson.”
She laughed, wondering what circumstance led to that. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh, but…lessons… He’s big on those. And making his own rules. Okay, since I have the firepower, stay behind me.”
Stenikov nudged the main door open. “All I need are my knives,” he said as he slid into the shadows ahead of her.
“Damn warriors must take a course on how to be cocky,” she mumbled as she followed him into the building.
Graffiti, dirt, garbage, and dried blood splatter covered the floor, walls, and doors of the three first-floor apartments. On the stairs, mud and grime coated the dark wood, except where boot prints had disturbed the dirt.
Gun raised, Maggie followed the warrior up the stairs. The condition on the second floor matched the ground floor, except for apartment 2A. Someone had removed the wood slats nailed to the door, and the door lay open an inch.
Stenikov waited as she positioned herself to the door’s right. Slowly, he pushed the door open allowing her to enter first. The moment she stepped inside, alarms went off in her head. The interior wasn’t the bombed-out, rat-infested hovel she expected, but clean and furnished. There was a sofa, chairs, a table and a kitchen. Perfectly clean, but without any indication someone lived there. The apartment remained barren of personal items such as pictures and knickknacks.
She motioned Stenikov to check the bathroom while she searched the bedroom. As she entered the plush room, a hand clamped down on her gun and tore it from her grip. Before she could scream, lips crushed against hers and a massive body pinned her against the wall, with one hand holding both her wrists above her.
The taste of Zirkov’s lips and tongue woke her entire body as if she’d been asleep for a thousand years. His hands moved down her arms to hold her head steady as he slanted his mouth and took her deeper.
