The Ring Bearer (2 page)

“Efrat helped her. He was helping her the whole time, protecting her. If you ask me, I think they had this planned for a while. They looked quite cozy together, her ensconced in his arms while he defended her.” Clark didn’t offer Ethan any specific look, but it was clearly meant for him. Ethan maintained his indifferent façade, but his breathing hastened.

“What exactly did she need defending from, General?” Danato asked.

“Well, you didn’t think I was just going to let her attack us?” Clark scoffed.

“So you were up in arms against a seemingly defenseless woman?” Danato tipped his head. “I mean you didn’t know what the snow globe could do, so why did she need protection by Efrat?” Clark didn’t say anything. “I’m can make assumptions as to what defenses Efrat must have offered her, and I assure you if those defenses had failed, and she was hurt, we would not be conversing right now…because you would be dead.”

“Now, now, Danato, the top floor is my territory.”

Danato smiled and let out a laugh that puzzled everyone in the room. “General, before we continue with this conversation, it is very important that you understand what a valued tenant you are to me. Your contributions to our facility have been vital to maintaining a clean and safe environment. However, that aside, let me assure you, that every inch of this prison belongs to me.” Danato and Clark maintained a short standoff before Belus interrupted.

“Tell us about this unarmed woman you shot,” Belus said indifferent to the flagging egos in the room. 

“Dr. Jillian Frank was threatening to shoot one of my prisoners,” Clark said flatly like he shouldn’t have had to answer for it, least of all to Belus.

Danato knew of the woman in question, she was a singer hired to provide entertainment for last night’s party, a party that had been a present for Cori. He didn’t know the woman personally and as far as he knew, neither did Cori. Yet, she seemed to have intimate knowledge of her when Clark came to arrest her.

He couldn’t imagine that Cori had enough time to get the woman’s life story before the incident. Let alone get into his files. Something about the timeline of Cori’s night wasn’t adding up, and he wanted to know what it was.

“You did know her then?” Belus asked.

“Yes, she was the doctor that treated my prisoners prior to our relocation,” Clark answered the question dutifully, but kept his eyes on Danato rather than Belus. Like most military men, he preferred to speak to the senior officer. Even if Danato had the foresight to ask all the right questions, he still preferred Belus to take the reins so he could watch Clark wobble on his self-built pedestal.

“Cori said the doctor created them. How does one create elementals?” Danato offered the question to Belus just as much as Clark. 

“That’s classified,” Clark settled on the standard political avoidance.

“It says here,” Belus interjected again, “that you were forced to contain the elementals, due to volatile potential and issues of aggression, but it doesn’t actually say what they did.”

“That’s also classified,” Clark repeated.

Belus was about to object, but Danato was already on top of it. “Bull shit it is. Any prisoner housed in this facility has to have a detailed file. We need to know their issues of aggression and their volatile potential.”

“Is this really all because of the girl?” Clark changed the subject. “She committed a crime, I’m not going to simply slap her wrist and let her go. If you expect leniency from me than you better get my prisoners back.”

“Cori doesn’t break rules for no reason,” Belus argued a little more vehemently than Danato would have expected considering he liked to keep his emotions out of his job. “If she let your prisoners go, she must have seen something that caused her to believe they were being unlawfully held. Why don’t you just skip this need to know crap, because she will tell us anyway.”

“I don’t think so gentlemen. She’s in my custody now. Unless my prisoners are returned to me soon, the bitch is going to an American prison, where she’ll stay.”

Ethan lost his queen’s guard composure and stepped toward the general. “Watch your mouth!”

The nearest soldier intercepted him and pushed him back against the wall hard. “Stand down, boy.” The soldier was several inches taller than Ethan. It probably made him feel superior. He also had about twenty pounds of muscle working for him, but that didn’t stop Ethan.

Somewhere between them busting into the house, Clark insulting his wife, and this guy calling him
boy
, Ethan had met his limit on stoic obedience. He grabbed the soldier’s neck and slammed his face down into Danato’s desk. Blood dribbled out onto the gray metal top, but Ethan didn’t let him get back up. To prove his point he held the man’s head down with one hand. He grunted and struggled, but he was powerless under Ethan’s dragon grown muscles.

Ethan rarely flaunted his strength, which was best since he preferred to be a leader in the trenches, instead of a leader on high. At that moment though, Danato knew he was proud that he could best a man without breaking a sweat.

One of the other soldiers started to come to his partners rescue. “I wouldn’t advise that. He does have two hands,” Danato said shedding more limelight on Ethan’s effortless win.

“As I was saying,” Clark said ignoring Ethan. “The upper floor though rented, houses my prisoners, not yours. They are my responsibility therefore
any
threats against them or my men shall be dealt with by me. She has stolen and released property of the United States of America, so she will be prosecuted in America.”

Danato was surprised by this turn of threat. He expected Clark to use Cori as leverage to make sure he got his property back, but at the moment he seemed more concerned about punishing Cori than the risk of his escaped elementals. The General should have been an easy man to read since he was a walking, talking ball of harvested pride, but he wasn’t probing Danato’s anger for his amusement. He was establishing his rights to carry out his plans. Which left the remaining question: Why would Clark want to take Cori back to America?

Ethan released his prey. “That can’t be,” He seethed misinterpreting Danato’s silence as acquiescence.

“It won’t be,” Danato assured him without any ire in his tone. “
As I was saying
, every inch of this prison belongs to me. That includes Cori. She is not just another employee doled out by overcrowded prisoners. She’s a slave. A purchased property, registered with my corporate headquarters. If you even attempt to extradite her for this,
you
would be stealing.” Clark chuckled looking at something of no consequence on the floor. “Something you find particularly amusing?”

“This conversation,” Clark eyed Belus, like his presence suddenly offered him new offense. Belus peeked over the file at him, but didn’t waste his energy to glare back at him. “We’re discussing legal guidelines for an illegal operation. It’s like trying to get workmen’s comp for burglars injured during a bank robbery.” Clark pulled a handkerchief out of his pants pocket and handed it to his man with the bleeding nose. “I don’t really think that theft of a slave would be considered a crime where I come from.”

“If that’s the way you want to go, we’ll just forget about what I signed, and you can vacate the premises on the next available truck. You can find your own prisoners, and I’ll deal with Cori,” Danato said.

“You would lose a good deal of income without my prisoners.”

“That would be a shame, but I’m sure I would manage.”

Clark sighed. “I was hoping this meeting was going to be productive, but it appears that the wee hours of the morning, have made you cranky. My men are due for a break.” Clark stood flattening his uniform, despite the fact that his rounded belly had long since prevented him from looking regal in it. “I’ll make a deal with you, no contracts or signatures. Just bring back my prisoners, and I will release the woman.” Clark smiled like he expected Danato to believe he was offering a worthy solution out of the goodness of his heart.

“As soon as I have the whole picture, I’ll send out the collectors,” Danato lied.

Clark raised an eyebrow at Danato’s procrastination. “Very well, Danato, until then, Cori will be safe guarded by my men to ensure a rapid solution to this…drama.”

Danato was surprised by his lack of insistence. He was once again content with keeping Cori as his prize until his prisoners were returned. It was troublesome, because he knew Clark was a very regimented man. Anything out of the ordinary, off schedule, or not according to his plans, should have sent him into a panicked O.C.D. tantrum. Which begged another question:
Was
everything going according to his plans?

2

Clark and his men left, collecting their weapons on the way. Danato looked to Belus and gave him a nod that hopefully expressed his gratitude. Belus exhaled like he was finally just feeling the frustration Danato had been feeling for the last few hours. He moved to a chair to sit comfortably while he finished reading the files.

Ethan danced around looking like he wanted to punch something, but since he knew it was best not to, he just continued to get more worked up. “I can’t believe that guy,” he finally voiced his thoughts.

“He’s just doing what uptight American generals do.” Danato knew that was little consolation, but he didn’t want to further amp Ethan’s exasperation by agreeing with him.

“What? Exert authority where they have no business to?” Ethan asked sarcastically.

“Yes,” Belus and Danato answered simultaneously.

“We need to talk to Cori,” Belus continued tossing the files back on Danato’s desk. “Unless I missed something, there seems to be a big gap between Cori dancing happily ever after into the night, and going against the cardinal rule of this prison.”

“I agree. Her actions may have been based solely on preserving the elementals lives, but I don’t see how she went from barely trusting Efrat, to risking her life to save him.”

“She risked her life to save him before,” Belus pointed out.

“No, she risked her life to save you,” Danato corrected, which made Belus momentarily look away. “At any rate, I’m still surprised she didn’t come to me right after Jill and Hirem were killed. She should have known I wouldn’t tolerate that kind of action.” 

“She might have been suspicious that they were being held unjustly,” Ethan said putting his foot up on the vinyl chair. Danato didn’t bother correcting him. They had more important things to deal with than manners. “After her incident with Efrat,” Ethan continued. “She seemed off. She was asking about the elementals: who they were and why they had been put here. I told her as much as I knew. I thought she was satisfied with that.”

“So you had no idea she was going to do this?” Danato asked.

“Of course not,” Ethan said clearly disappointed that he would even ask.

“Do you know when she discovered the key to my drawer?” Danato asked.

“What key?” Ethan peered over the desk, like he had never realized there was a bottom locked drawer. He shrugged. “I didn’t even know there was anything in there. How do you know she…” Ethan stopped his attempt to help Cori evade the accusation. “Maybe she just stumbled onto to your key and got a little snoopy.”

“Surmising isn’t necessary. We just need to talk to her,” Belus said. “They’ve got her held up on the part-time level. None of the cells on the top floor even lock anymore.”

“I’ll go talk to her.” Ethan started for the door.

“No, Ethan.” Danato knew the look of dismay that Ethan would have, even before he turned around. “I need you to go home and sleep.”

“What? My wife is—”

“—is safely contained for the time being. I need you rested so you can deal with the council of the moon tomorrow…” Danato checked the clock. “Later this morning.”

“I won’t be able to sleep!”

“You will,” Danato insisted. “Just go home. I’ll talk to Cori. Belus will get on the taps to the higher ups.” Belus nodded to assure Ethan that he would. “We’ll get this all figured out in a matter of hours.”

“I need to see her,” Ethan said quietly, but with as much force as he could without simply demanding it.

“I know and I understand the urgency you’re feeling, but I’d like to speak with her first.” Danato’s tone offered the apology for his misuse of authority. 

Ethan shook his head. “I just don’t understand this. She hates Efrat. Why would she help him? And why would he help her? He’s tried to kill her more than once.”

Danato nodded. “I’m about to find that out. Please, go update Daniel before he obliterates the house, and get some sleep.” Ethan mumbled some kind of respectful compliance before leaving, but Danato couldn’t hear it.

“Daniel?” Belus probed about the mention of his former protégé.

“He didn’t take the General’s presence too well last night.”

“Did he attack him?” Belus rutted his brow. As much faith as Belus put in Daniel, he knew as well as anyone, that the power he possessed didn’t mesh well with his temper. It had taken Belus the better part of a year to instruct him in the finer points of anger management. Even Cori’s intense schedule couldn’t compete with the hours Belus had put into Daniel’s rehabilitation.