Hanna and the Hitman - Honey Phillips Page 0,19
Hanna sat down next to her and waited silently.
“He won’t let me talk to anyone outside the compound, and he’s made it pretty clear that I can’t leave,” Zemma finally continued. “I tried to play along, hoping that he’d get tired of me and let me go, but he’s begun talking about taking me with him when he leaves.” She shuddered. “I have to get away from him!”
“We’ll get you out,” Hanna said, trying to sound confident.
Zemma snorted. “How?”
That was when the sky lit up.
Chapter Eight
“Why do you think I am anything other than what I am?”
Aidon kept his voice calm, but inside his boots, his natural claws started to extend. Fuck. He forced his body back under control before he could rend the leather, barely managing to prevent a shift back to his natural form. His time was running out.
“You’re no more a dumb aging fighter than I am. Remember that I’ve seen you fight. You can learn a lot about someone from how he fights.”
Aidon wondered if Chotgor realized the irony of that statement. He had seen the other male fight as well. He was strong, fast, and brutal—and he fought dirty, using any trick necessary to win the match.
“You used your wits as well as your strength,” Chotgor continued. “So tell me the real reason you’re here.”
He abandoned his own pretense of drunkenness and said calmly, “Retirement has not been as interesting as I had hoped. I am, quite frankly, bored. I did come here looking for entertainment, but I’m also looking for an…investment opportunity.”
“I see.” Chotgor tapped his claws on the desk. “Tell me. What did you think of my companions tonight?”
Aidon hesitated, then went with honesty. “Half of them are devoted to you, and half of them hate your guts.”
“Half?” Chotgor tilted his head. “I would have guessed one-third, but perhaps you are right. Sometimes I miss the fight pits. Life was much simpler then—kill your opponent before he killed you.”
“You don’t seem to have suffered from hanging up your weapons,” he said dryly.
Chotgor laughed and abandoned his attempt at nostalgia. “Perhaps not. Let me show you something.”
Chotgor’s hand disappeared beneath his desk, and a moment later, the wall behind him slid open. Interesting. That had not been on the plans. Aidon kept his face impassive as he followed Chotgor through into what could only be a laboratory. Tables cluttered with equipment were scattered about the room, an assortment of liquids bubbling quietly. It must have been the original ballroom, he decided, but the tall, arched windows that lined one wall had been covered with black paint, and the inlaid floor was marred with scratches and chemical stains.
“Drugs?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “They can be profitable, but the production and distribution is quite tedious.”
Chotgor barked a laugh. “You are partially right, but you need to think more expansively. What is Hothrest’s number one export?”
“Sothiti,” he said immediately. The healing drug had an almost miraculous ability to work on a wide variety of species. “But no one has ever been able to synthesize it.”
“No. And as a result, the Hothians have been permitted a great deal of independence from the Empire. If that were no longer the case, that protection could be withdrawn and there would be an entire planet of fighters ripe for the pits.”
“Not to mention the value of the drug itself,” Aidon said dryly.
“Of course. The possibilities are almost limitless, but the supply would need to be controlled. If it were too easily available, it would lose its value.”
“Agreed. But why are you telling me this?”
“I believe we are close to succeeding in reproducing it. It was always theorized that sothiti was derived from plants. Instead, it appears to be created from a parasite. We managed to obtain a very small sample at great cost. If our testing proceeds as my scholars anticipate, we could be only a few months away from experimenting on live subjects.”
“Congratulations.” He forced his face to remain calm even though the male’s words horrified him. “I’m still not sure how I come into this?”
“It has been an expensive process, and I don’t expect to be able to reap the rewards for some time. I need to return home for the next fight season to make sure that the fights provide sufficient income to continue the project, but someone must remain here to oversee.”
“You’re asking me?” Aidon didn’t bother to conceal his astonishment. “You have a room full of males.”
“As you pointed out, only half of them are