Forged (Star Breed #10) - Elin Wyn Page 0,52

door was sliding open.

And the first person through was Jenke, his blaster trained on me, his eyes unblinking.

I carefully kept the grin from my face.

Sure, he hadn’t been able to break cover before. But now, now we’d get some help.

Behind him came another guard, big, but not as big as we were, carrying a covered tray. The second guard put the tray down at the far side of the room while Jenke kept us covered.

“Denau decided to keep us alive after all?” I said.

“If you survive, you might be useful,” Jenke said flatly. “The chancellor likes to keep his options open.”

“A blaster hole through the chest doesn’t keep most people’s options open,” I said.

“If he really had wanted you dead, it would’ve been through your skull,” the other guard commented.

That was cheerful.

And put an interesting perspective on Yasmin’s favorite uncle.

Jenke waited for the second guard to rejoin him by the door. “Head on out. I’ll catch up with you shortly.”

“Protocol demands that—”

Jenke shot the guard a look. “Do you really think either of them are in any shape to take me?” He smiled cruelly. “Besides, the big guy and I have some history. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to even a few scores.”

The second guard laughed, slapped Jenke on the shoulder, and left the room, sealing the door behind him.

I finally let the grin break through.

“About damn time,” I said. “When are we getting out of here?”

Jenke shook his head slowly. “You aren’t.”

“What?”

“I’m not here to help you,” he snarled, his nostrils flaring slightly. “I’m here to make sure you know that. You’ve been abandoned. Just like we were.”

Instinctively I checked the corners where the walls met the ceilings for the telltale glimmer of trackers or cameras.

Jenke saw what I was doing and laughed.

“The room isn’t bugged,” he spat. “I’m not putting on an act for Denau or ExaTek. I’ve waited years to have the chance to tell one of you the truth.”

I thought the blast to the chest hurt.

I’d been wrong.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I snarled back.

Thalcorr stood, and even in the torn remnants of his robe, managed to look snooty.

Now that I knew it was an acquired expression, I was actually impressed.

“Sir, I’m afraid we haven’t been introduced. But let me assure you, that if you have a grievance—”

“Don’t bother,” I interrupted him. I’d managed to get to my feet, and as long as I stayed leaning against the wall, it seemed likely I would stay there. “This doesn’t have anything to do with the Empire. Leave it to me.”

Thalcorr nodded and stepped back.

“Nobody abandoned you, or your squad.” I forced the words out, the fact that I’d even need to say them aloud bitter on my tongue. “Your messages never got to us. And even if they had, we’ve been fighting for our lives. The Daedalus was lost, most of us were captured, Doc was presumed dead. What mission records survived were salvaged only by the slightest chance.”

A muscle in Jenke’s jaw twitched. “We were supposed to be a Pack. Brothers,” he snarled. “Isn’t that what that old bat always said? But instead, we were left to die on our own out here.”

“That’s not how it was,’’ I insisted. “You don’t have all the facts.”

“My loyalty is strong. But it’s not to you, not anymore.”

The bitterness pooled in my gut and my muscles tensed as I prepared to fight.

“Are you here to kill us?” I asked. “Get your revenge?”

He snorted. “No. But I’m not going to help you, either. I wanted to make sure you were clear on that, let it eat you away like it did me when I realized I’d been abandoned.”

I started to argue again, then realized I was wasting my breath. Breath that could be used for something more important.

“Fine. But whatever your issue is with the Pack, help Yasmin. She’s innocent of whatever bad blood there is between us.”

“Denau’s niece?” Jenke smirked. “She’ll need more than help from just a lone wolf if Denau decides she’s been disloyal.”

The door sealing behind him closed with an emphatic click.

And I was left to try to make sense of whatever the hell had just happened.

One thing was for certain.

My ace in the hole had turned out to be a joker.

Yasmin

I’d always prided myself on the ability to see things clearly.

To accept reality as it was.

But as I stared at the walls of the executive quarters that had become my prison, I had to wonder.

Had I been lying to myself all