Ivar's Escape (Assassins of Gravas #2) - N.J. Walters Page 0,25

to retreat. But he’d already proven she lost all sense of self-protection when he touched her.

“You think I’m working for Balthazar.” And that had hurt more than it should. He was nothing more than a job. His opinion shouldn’t matter.

He released a huff of frustration and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “What am I supposed to think? You won’t tell me anything.”

Sympathy welled up inside her. How did it feel to not know anything about your past? She’d forgotten much from her younger years, but her memories were her own.

“I was told not to. It’s the best medical advice I have. You could believe whatever I say, even a lie, and build false memories.”

A frown marred his handsome face. “Is such a thing possible?”

“I’m no expert.” She shrugged and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “But the way it was explained to me was that the mind naturally wants to make connections. If I tell you something, you could conceivably create a memory to suit it.”

“So all we can rely on is what I remember?”

“Yes.” She touched his arm but quickly yanked her hand away. Best not to push her luck. “Look, I know you’re finding it hard to trust me. I get it.” It stung, but she understood. Delphi stuffed her hand into her pocket and withdrew the metal disc. “This is a tracking device. I smuggled it onto Tortuga under my skin. It was the only way to avoid detection.” It was a precautionary measure in case she was taken prisoner. And it was a good thing, too, considering no tech was allowed outside the docking bay.

“I’m on Tortuga?” He began to pace, walking in and out of the streaks of sunlight pouring in through the slits in the ceiling.

“You didn’t know?” She’d assumed he did. Something she shouldn’t have done.

He shook his head, his pacing increasing speed. “I woke in the cell. I have no idea where I came from or how I got there.” Coming to an abrupt halt, he put his hands on his hips and stared upward. “Tortuga is a planet of outlaws, named for an ancient Terran community of the same name. It’s a haven for the undesirables, the criminals and the violent.”

She stayed quiet as he resumed pacing, still talking.

“Security is tight. It’s impossible to get tech of any kind past the strict security at the docking bay. But you managed.”

“What can I say? I’m that good.”

“Let me see that disc.” Ivar held out his hand, his posture, his tone commanding. This was a man used to being obeyed. Even in rough clothing with bruises and scars on his body, he was every inch a prince and a warrior.

Since it would do no harm to either of them or the mission, she dropped it into his palm. He raised it to the light and examined it.

“What’s it made of?”

“Titansteel.” Would he know what that was?

His fingers curled around the disc. “A Gravasian metal. It’s lightweight, virtually indestructible, and unable to be detected by current scanners because no one has ever been able to get a sample of it for testing.”

“That’s right.”

“And you had this under your skin.” This time, when he came toward her, she held her ground.

“That’s also right. It was given to me for this mission.”

He stroked his fingers along the curve of her jaw. “And I’m your mission?”

“Yes, finding and rescuing you.” Her toes curled in her shoes as he feathered his knuckles over her skin.

“For the Gravasians. You’re rescuing me so you can hand me over to them so they can torture and kill me.”

“What? No. How did you come to that conclusion?” The heat his touched generated turned to ice.

“What other conclusion is there? They want information about the Gravasian weapons I supposedly had. Information I don’t remember.” He squeezed his hand so hard, the edges of the disc dug into his skin, and blood seeped out from his clenched fist.

She wrapped her hands around his. “Stop it. You’re hurting yourself.”

“What do you care?” His accusation made her flinch.

Torn between telling him the truth and allowing him to discover it on his own, she sought a compromise. “Is that the only reason you can come up with?”

“Gravasians don’t stray far from home except onboard military vessels. The only exception is their assassins. Those bastards are tough and relentless. They’re also ghosts. If I was one, I’d never have been captured.” He opened his hand and stared at the bloody disc.