Believe me, there’s no security that can lock me out. It’s why The Sentella hired me. Only two creatures alive are better at this kind of forgery than me, and both happen to work for The Sentella.” She passed a happy gasp at Qorach. “Oh look! And one of those two just happens to be sitting beside me! What luck is this?”
Snorting at her enthusiasm, Qorach pulled out his own link and began feverishly tapping.
Galene passed a worried frown to Felicia. “Talk to your mother and tell her that if she does this, I will make sure nothing happens to her. Ever. And let’s pray.” She touched Morra on the shoulder. “While you work on it, I’ll see if I can get to Talyn before he confesses to save Felicia and gets in so deep we can’t get him out.”
Talyn felt the air around him stir as someone neared his cell, but he didn’t bother to look up or move. He was in too much pain for that.
“Baby?”
He savored the unexpected sound of his mother’s voice. Bracing himself for the pain, he slowly sat up.
She gasped as soon as she saw him. “What did they do?”
He wiped at the blood on his cheek and winced. “Interrogated me. Since they have no real evidence, they were hoping I’d make their job easy and confess.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “What did you tell them?”
Talyn snorted at her question. “Not a damn thing. If I had, they’d have stopped. Maybe. But you know me, Ma. I don’t like to answer questions. From anyone. And my relationship with Felicia is none of their damn business. She’s my best friend and that’s all they need to know on the matter.”
Her brow knit with furious concern, she reached through the bars to brush her hand against his throbbing jaw. “Don’t worry. She’s getting everything together to set you free. As soon as she can reach her mother and get the file number, they’ll take it to the repository and have a copy made of your contract.”
Talyn had no idea what his mother was talking about. She had to be high. But, he wasn’t quite dumb enough to contradict her when he was sure they were being watched. Probably recorded.
Nor was he dumb enough to indict himself on anything. Hence the beating they’d given him. If his childhood, and Ring training, hadn’t taught him how to endure pain, his armada basic training had. Name, caste, rank, CO. That’s all anyone was entitled to. And it was all they’d ever get out of him. Which had pissed them off to no uncertain end, and made him quite happy with being their personal barnacle.
Talyn glared up at the camera in the ceiling outside his cell and smiled. “I know why I’m here and who’s responsible for it. One day, we’re going to meet in the Ring, you coward, and I will bathe in your blood. Probably your urine first, as I’m sure you’ll piss your pants in fear. So keep hiding like a scared human bitch. It only makes me that much more determined to have it out with you, Andarion style.”
“You shouldn’t taunt them.”
He shrugged. “What are they going to do? Beat me? Ooo, so scared of that,” he said sarcastically. “Besides, they’re all a bunch of quivering cowards, hiding behind their mamas. I am a Batur and an Andarion officer. I don’t fear lesser beings, no matter what blood they believe flows in their veins. Personally, I think they should be tested to make certain they have the lineage their mothers claim. Surely those impressive families couldn’t produce such inferior pansy stock, and if they did, then it’s time to clean their gene pool. One fatality at a time.”
She winced at his growled words. “What happened to my baby who would never say more than three words, and never anything so harsh against anyone?”
Talyn fingered his swollen lips. “He got tired of being force-fed shit.”
The door behind his mother opened. A huge mountainous Andarion walked in and eyed Talyn. For several seconds, Talyn expected the bastard to haul him back to the interrogation room for another fun-filled round of I-ain’t-telling-you-shite.
Instead, the guard applauded. “You’re bold, boy. Stupider than hell, but bold. And you ain’t got nothing compared to the fight in your female.”
Talyn scowled at him as a sick sense of dread went through him. If anyone had harmed Felicia, he wouldn’t rest until he’d slaughtered them where they stood. His back tingled with a fierce warning