one?” He cuffed the elder skrammon as Tamin looked at the wound on his leg. From what he could see, it wasn’t fatal and much less urgent than the dramatic sounds of pain coming from Krilis.
“He—he,” she stuttered, her arm shaking where she still held the gun up.
“Shhhh,” he soothed, making sure Tamin had control of Krilis before he moved to comfort his wife. He took the blaster from her shaking hands, more grateful than ever that she’d asked to keep it with her while they were apart. “It’s over now.”
“No,” she whispered against his chest. Nova’s body trembled where she burrowed against him. “It’s not, Axis. It’s really, really not.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was the buyer.” Nova’s voice was bleak as she looked up at him with eyes swimming in tears she was trying to hold back. “Krilis was the buyer that Cruum and Talis were working with on Euphoria.”
“How—” Kaine’s shocked voice broke through the stunned silence her announcement had left among the men now filling the room.
“He told us,” Poppy answered with a sniff.
“He told us everything,” Pixie added from the circle of Dathrow’s arms. “He’s been working with the Verge this whole time.”
“Where are the others?” Kaine moved forward, his eyes locked on the injured elder glaring up at him.
“You’ll never figure it out, Kaine.” Krilis chuckled softly as he looked around the room at the faces watching him with varied degrees of disgust. “Maybe they are dead.”
“She’s not dead!” Kaine yelled, the veins on his neck popping out as he stood over the other warrior with his fists clenched. “Where. Is. She?”
“Out of your reach,” Krilis shot back with a smile. “You won’t find either one of the women you seek. I’ve made sure of it. Bosch was the last link to the women. Why do you think I killed him?”
Axis reached Kaine just as the other warrior reached for his blaster. “Don’t.”
“He—”
“He will tell us what we need to know,” Axis interrupted, already knowing the answers Krilis held were essential if they wanted to find the others. “Trust.”
“Tamin,” Kaine growled at the doctor still tending Krilis’s leg. “Patch him up enough for interrogation but nothing more. We’re not delaying this.”
“Understood,” he answered just as the door behind them slid open again.
“What did I miss?” Rodin asked as he hurried in, his med bag swinging from one hand. The moment he saw the elder on the floor, he skid to a stop. “Whoa! What happened?”
“A lot. Should I start with why Krilis has been shot or why he’s wearing restraints?” Tamin asked cheerfully as he wrapped the injured limb of their newly found traitor.
“Who shot him?”
“I did,” Nova admitted, giving the doctor a little wave.
“Did he deserve it?” Rodin asked, his eyes wide as he took in the rest of the scene, including the tearful faces of the other women.
“He totally did,” Indigo added her opinion as her two men fussed over her. Paine and Rowe had her completely trapped between them and were checking her over closely. “I’m fine, you guys. Promise.”
“The thought that we could have lost you—”
“You didn’t,” she said quickly, cupping Paine’s face to pull him down for a kiss before doing the same to Rowe.
Paine pulled her back into his arms the moment Rowe let her up for air. “We’re going to take our wife home now.”
“Go.” Kaine nodded towards the door. “Axis and I can handle Krilis from here.”
“Send word if our assistance is needed.”
“I doubt it will be necessary,” Axis answered as he pulled Krilis up to his feet, despite the old warrior’s protests. “He’ll tell me everything we need to know. It is time to end this for good.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“You have something to drink now.” Kaine pushed the glass of water towards Krilis where he sat. “Talk.”
The interrogation room was silent. Despite pleading for something to drink for his parched throat, Krilis didn’t make a move to ease his complaint. He just stared at the glass.
Axis watched Krilis closely, noting each and every single move the counselor made. The elder had been stalling for some time now, requesting all manner of things before they started. His requests had been outrageous. He’d wanted food, medicine for his injuries, and last but not least, a bottle of wine to ease his parched throat. His list of demands before they began had been laughable, and Kaine didn’t waste any time in telling him so. The most he was willing to offer the other councilman was a simple drink, which had,