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“Now we’ll go and find a nice quiet place to wait. You’d better hope Celenk is willing to cooperate. If not…”
His voice trailed off and she shuddered. He laughed and spurred the horse into motion.
CHAPTER 17
Celenk didn’t know where he was going, just that he had to move, to try and outrun the pain in chest. But no matter how fast the horse ran, all he could see was Lottie’s pale, distraught face, all the warmth and trust and love draining out of it.
I was foolish to believe I could have her and do the freking job, he thought bitterly. Why didn’t I just tell her the truth from the beginning?
“Because she would have refused to come with me,” he muttered, and kicked the horse into an even faster gait.
The road flashed by under the horse’s hooves, but he was barely aware of it. It had been so easy to fall into the trap of pretending that they had a future together over the past few weeks. So easy to ignore the reality of the situation. He’d even started to think that perhaps he wouldn’t have to leave - that he could pass the information to Marshall and remain on the farm with his wife. To have a home and companions again.
But now he’d lost her and all that was left was a hollow ache in his chest, as if someone had ripped his heart out of him. A heart I didn’t even know I still had until I met her.
No matter how fast he rode, the pain didn’t ease and he finally reined in the horse, slowing to a walk. He’d run away once before - run away from Karthika and his past - but this wasn’t a pain that he could escape. The memories of her softness, the taste of her kiss, the warmth of her smile - they would haunt him forever.
There had to be a solution. He could only think of one option - honesty. He would start by telling Temel about Marshall and what he had sent him to do. He knew the other male would order him to leave, but he’d ask, beg if he had to, that Lottie be allowed to remain in the house that had made her so happy. He would move to Wainwright and hope that with time, she might consent to see again, to let him beg her forgiveness.
It wasn’t much of a plan, and the thought of not seeing her every day, of not touching her soft skin or hearing her laughter, caused him to clench his fists against a fresh wave of agony, his claws digging into his palms. But what else could he do? If he told the truth, if he proved that he was willing to face the consequences, perhaps she’d be willing to give him a second chance.
He finally looked around to see where he’d ended up, then headed back cross country to the farmhouse. If nothing else, his afternoon rides had given him a thorough knowledge of the local terrain. Afternoons that would have been better spent with Lottie.
No one was in sight when he rode into the stable yard, so he took a few moments to wipe his horse down and cover him with a blanket before heading into the house. The kitchen was empty for the first since he’d arrived and he frowned as he passed through it towards Temel’s office. But he didn’t have to go that far. All of the warriors were gathered around the dining table, with Tomlin standing discreetly behind Temel’s chair.
“I need to talk to you,” he said abruptly, but Temel shook his head, his eyes cold.
“No. You need to talk to all of us.”
He looked around at their faces, all of them cold and remote, even Borgaz’s, and saw Kalpar pull out a knife, flipping it casually.
“You know, don’t you?”
“Why don’t you tell us what you think we know?”
Temel’s voice echoed with command, and he stood at attention and reported.
“I was hired by a man named Marshall to infiltrate the farm.” Only S’kal and Tomlin showed any reaction to the name, and he kept going. “He gave me the survey device I’m wearing. It’s beneath my belt if you’d like to examine it.”
He slowly removed his outer belt, keeping a careful eye on Kalpar’s knife, then removed the belt with the device attached. Tomlin stepped forward and took it.
“I don’t know what type of survey it’s conducting and I didn’t ask,” he continued. “My only instructions were to cross the entire farm while wearing that device. Once it had sufficient information, it would shut itself off and I was free to leave.”
“It’s still active,” Tomlin said calmly, his face expressionless. “Either you didn’t cover enough of the farm or it hasn’t found what it’s looking for.”
“And you didn’t even bother to ask?” Borgaz said, his voice hard.
“No. The only question I ever ask when I take a job is if there are women or children involved.”
“There are both on this ranch,” Naffon snarled, his usual cheerful expression replaced by a dangerous scowl.
“I had no reason to believe that simply sweeping the land for information would endanger them. If I had thought that, I would never have brought Lottie.”
His voice caught on her name, just the tiniest bit, but Temel noticed.
“Tell us about her.”
“We met in Port Cantor. She was working in a tavern and the owner fired her after I had to prevent three of the spaceport guards from harassing her. Since it was partially my fault she was fired I offered her a job as my wife.”
