One Four All (5 page)

“No. And this girl says he didn’t come in through either gate. He brought her up from the cellar with that terrified maid in tow like he’d smuggled her into the place in a crate or something. That’s not the bad part.”

Kepp stopped.

“I think I know where this is headed,” he growled.

“Yeah, well. I don’t like it any better than you, but I don’t know what the hell to do about it right now.” Red paused. “I’m guessing she fought him something fierce because he called for three guards to go into his room with him. She must have resisted because they beat her. After that first time, one of the guards quit. His body was found a couple days later in a ditch outside of the village. The local doc claimed he died of alcohol poisoning.”

“Who’s the other guard involved? Besides Speth, I mean.”

“One of his buddies up front, and there are four more of Regnan’s personal guards manning the main gate. The crew that works the side gate is made up of locals. Seems like nobody is too happy with the situation, but the pay is good, and Regnan is the biggest employer around here. You saw when we flew over. Land’s End sits smack in the middle of nowhere.”

“She, this woman he’s calling Lisa, try to talk to anyone? Has she asked for help?”

“Not that the girl mentioned. The woman is barely allowed out of her suite of rooms.”

“Red,” Kepp strode forward, “I know you remember the name of King Pakan’s daughter, the one he claims General Battarq kidnapped.”

“Yeah, I remember. So do you. So does Wat. Lisa…Lira, doesn’t take much imagination. Her private jet vanished over the ocean. As you recall, she was on her way to interview candidates to be her consorts. You know,” Red commented, “the heir to the throne of Zhinshu chooses three mates.” Kepp sped up his pace, and Red caught up to him. “If the heir is a woman, she spends a few weeks in what they call the pleasure pavilions so she doesn’t have to go to her marriage bed inexperienced. If she allows three men to take her at once, Captain…you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Kepp snorted. “You mean about
three consorts
?” Kepp laughed. “I’m trying not to think about that. No, I’m wondering about Battarq, wondering if the general arranged for her disappearance or if he discovered that Regnan did. The second reason makes more sense. That’s why Regnan pulls his sudden disappearing act and Battarq sends us to protect the little
hausfrau
,” said Kepp.

“We’re fucked, huh?”

“No. Not yet. I think he wants us to get him out of this mess without causing an international incident. The general wants to keep his hands clean. We do his dirty work.”

“So, what dirty work do we do, Kepp?”

“What we always do, reconnaissance and confirmation. And if she’s who we think she is, if she’s Lira and not Lisa, we get her out of here as quick as possible and hole up somewhere safe. If there’s a way out through the cellar, we need to find it.”

“Ain’t gonna be easy. Might have to bash a few heads,” Red commented. He glanced back toward the building. “Wat’s probably gettin’ antsy about now. I’ll go relieve him. Want me to give him the word?”

“I suspect he’s already figured it out for himself.”

Red turned to leave.

“Hold up,” said Kepp.

“Yeah?”

“You might want to knock. The way Wat was staring at the video cam, he’s probably jacking off.”

Red laughed.

“Shit, he’s done by now. I’m sure he hit it the minute we left the room.”

Chapter Seven

For the first time since she’d set foot in her suite of rooms, Lira thanked the Gods for the thick, lightproof electronic shutters Regnan had installed. He’d ordered her to keep them shut after sunset, so she asked her maid to close them, just as she had every night for two months. She prepared for bed as usual, brushing her teeth and donning one of the gowns Regnan had provided for her. Lira loosened her braid. When she came out of the bathroom, F’yit had already turned down the lighting. The maid brushed her mistress’ waist-length chestnut hair until it glistened in the soft, golden light.

When F’yit had finished and cleaned the brush, Lira spoke. “You are dismissed for the night. You may sleep in your own quarters.”

“Mistress, you don’t want me to, to spend the night with you?” F’yit whispered.

“It’s not necessary,” Lira insisted, keeping her voice even and just as soft as the maid’s. “
He’s
not here. There are three men next door who will keep Mr. Speth far away from me. There’s no need for you to worry. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

The maid rose from the bed, reluctance and concern evident in her face, but Lira pretended not to notice. “Please turn off the lights on your way out, F’yit. Good night.”

The maid’s steps were slow, but she did as she was told. The rooms were plunged into darkness as thick as heavy black satin. Lira heard the door close, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her stomach churning with anxiety, she lay back on the bed and pulled the quilts up to her chin. Reminding herself that she must feign sleep, Lira attempted to slow her breathing. Tonight, when the house was still, she would attempt the impossible. She must convert three of her enemies into friends. Not just friends, but her protectors, her defenders, her lovers. Her life, as well as the lives of many men on both sides, depended upon the outcome of this one night.

Chapter Eight

“Wat, get some sleep. I’ll take watch.” His friend could barely keep awake.

“Yeah, sure, Kepp.” Wat rubbed his eyes. “Just don’t stare directly at the screen, it’s too dark in her rooms to see anything if you do.”

“So, use my peripheral vision to pick up movement, and sit tight, unless Speth opens her door and then we bust through the wall.”

Wat chuckled and headed to the bathroom. When he came out, he stopped behind Kepp.

“We gotta find an opportunity to talk to her. Now might be a good time.”

“And scare the hell out of her?” Kepp shook his head. “Not tonight. Let’s give her a day or two before we climb into her bed.”

“Well,” said Wat, “if her bed is anything like these, we won’t have a problem sharing. I’ve never slept in a bed this big. I’m not sure I like this, too lonely. You wanna come on over and warm me up, boss?”

Kepp snorted. “Get some sleep. We’ll find someone to warm your bed tomorrow.”

Wat lay down and wrapped himself in the blankets.

“No question in my mind who I want warming it,” he muttered, and he promptly dropped off to sleep.

The only light in the room came from the edges of the video screen. The woman’s room was black as pitch. The captain sat sideways and leaned back in his chair, one eye on the screen.
Damn
. He tried to make sense of the situation. If Battarq had kidnapped a royal princess, the heir to the House Zhinshu, why would he risk exposure, international censure, and even open warfare by ordering Kepp here? He had to know Kepp and his men would realize that one plus one did not add up to two in this case. The only answer Kepp could come up with was that Battarq had uncovered Regnan’s treason but couldn’t afford to appear involved. He’d sent Kepp, not only to figure things out, but to deal with the problem in a way that would somehow keep the General’s reputation unsullied and, if they were lucky, avoid all-out war with the Zealots.

Battarq obviously didn’t want the woman vanished. The man was a pragmatist above all else. If the general wanted her disappeared, then she’d already be gone.

“She’d be dead and buried or burned or fish food,” Kepp murmured, careful not to wake the sleeping men.

No, Battarq wanted Kepp to rescue him from this predicament. That was the only explanation that made any sense. Well, how the fuck was he supposed to do that? Spirit her out in the middle of the night covered by a black veil, like she’d been spirited in? How the hell did Regnan do that, anyway? She hadn’t climbed out of a heli-jet or driven up in a car.
There must be another way in
,
a way known only to Regnan and a few of the guards
.

What about the guard who quit and was found dead a few days later? Alcohol poisoning? Unlikely.
According to Red, the kitchen staff claimed in all the years he’d worked here, the man had never drunk more than an occasional beer. Speth and his buddies had probably held him down and poured the drink down his throat. Yeah, they were sadists all right. The kind of guards a man like Regnan would surround himself with.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Kepp caught…
what the hell is that?
Something shifted on the video screen.
Is that movement?
He blinked to clear his vision and turned his head further to the side, squinting, hoping to isolate the nearly-invisible shape he’d caught. He rubbed his eyes.
Maybe I’m too sleep-deprived to see straight
.
There’s nothing on the screen
.

As if to deliberately prove him wrong, he heard the soft, metallic
phish
of a door opening on well-oiled hinges. His nostrils flared as a thread of jasmine perfume drifted his way, the same scent he’d caught earlier when he’d first met the woman.

Rising soundlessly on his bare feet, Kepp stepped toward the shadowy figure at the precise moment she crossed the threshold between the two rooms. Moving quickly, he grabbed for her, managing to wrap one strong arm around a slender waist and press a big hand over a soft, lush mouth. He heard a gasp as he drew her body hard against his, pinning her arms, but aside from that small sound, she struggled in silence. Light sleepers, Red and Wat were by his side in a heartbeat, holding onto her, careful not to cause her any injury, but using their bulk to force her to hold still.

It felt to Kepp like she’d swathed herself from head to toe in some kind of dark, gauzy fabric, and everything he touched during their struggle indicated she was naked as a jaybird beneath. His right arm circled her waist, his left he’d wrapped around her chest, and his hand had somehow ended up cupping her firm breast. Beneath the fabric covering her, a very erect nipple nestled in the center of his palm, bringing his cock to rapt attention. On his right, he sensed that Wat had caught hold of her arm. Red was on his left, holding tight to her hips. He knew both men had slipped out of bed, every bit as naked as she was. All four were breathing hard, and Kepp couldn’t blame that all on their struggle. Heat radiated from their bodies, circling them like a snake biting its own tail.

Kepp swallowed around the sudden dry lump in his throat. He placed his mouth against her ear.

“We won’t hurt you.” He kept his voice soft and slow, his words clear. “Why are you here? Why did you come into this room?”

“I could not…” The woman inhaled, and as her chest expanded, her nipple hardened even more against Kepp’s open hand. “The guards would have seen me in the daytime. I had to come now, in the dark. I need your help. I need you.” Her words ended in a quiet sob.

“It’s all right.” Kepp smoothed his voice, reassuring her. “We’re here to help you. Close the door, Wat,” Kepp ordered, speaking barely above a whisper. He heard the woman’s soft whimper, and he realized that as he held her, his fingers had begun to stroke her breast. His thumb flicked back and forth across that enticing little bud of a nipple.
Fuck
. His erection pressed uncomfortably against his zipper. He removed his wayward hand and reached between them, repositioning himself. There was no way she could miss his reaction to her presence. He guessed Wat and Red were each sporting a major hard-on too, although the four of them might as well be blind for all the light the video screen gave off.

“Sorry,” Kepp muttered, but he couldn’t quite stop himself from returning his hand to its previous position. He buried his nose in the woman’s hair. For fuck’s sake, she smelled delicious up close, good enough to eat. He felt the back of Red’s hand brush past his stomach, moving along her lower back, testing. Shit. This close to her, his friend was experiencing the same problem he was. Before he knew it, Wat had returned, and Kepp could feel him press his body in close. He bumped heads with Kepp as he dragged his lips along the edge of her shoulder. Kepp heard his friend inhale deep, taking in her scent.