Tiger of Talmare (10 page)

"Basically, when Sanderson gives the signal, the others will come out and overpower us." She paused. "Oh, and he's hoping that Sanderson will let them rape us before they kill us. He thinks he probably will. He usually does."

"Great," Mel grumbled, glancing at the huge hulk of the bodyguard as he stood whispering with Sanderson. A shiver of revulsion ran through her at the thought. No way was that happening.

"Okay, when we move, I'll take the big ugly one. Zach goes after Sanderson, and Leila just shoots anything else that moves. Hopefully Angie and Grace will back you up."

"Great plan," Zach muttered.

"Can you think of anything better?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Well, shut up then."

Sanderson had finished his conversation and turned back toward them.

"Right," Mel said, "it looks like something is happening. Are you ready?" No-one answered and she frowned at them. "Are you ready?"

Leila shrugged. Zach scowled. "Not a lot of choice. What a fucking mess. Why...?"

She glared at him, and luckily, he bit off what he was going to say.

Mel looked back at Sanderson. If she hadn't been expecting it, she would have missed the slight gesture he made with his left hand. Unfortunately, she couldn't have missed the three men who slid out of the cover of the rocks and arrayed themselves around him. They were all armed, and their blasters were out and pointing at her.

"I hate to say I told you so," Zach said from beside her.

"Don't then," she snapped. She caught sight of Leila's expression. "What is it, Leila?"

The girl was staring at the man on the far right. Her eyes narrowed, gleaming, ice cold, almost glazed.

"Leila!"

She finally glanced away. "I know him," she said.

"Who? How?"

"From Talmare. He was the man in charge of the camp. He's the man who killed my mother, raped me, and sold me to that place." She took a step forward.

"Leila, wait!"

Mel reached out; put a hand on her arm. The muscles were rigid with tension beneath her fingers, and for a moment, she was sure that Leila would shrug off her touch. But instead, she went still.

"I want him."

"You can have him," Mel promised. "He's yours. Just wait till we make our move.

Leila nodded sharply.

Mel took a deep breath and strode across to stand in front of Sanderson. Hands on her hips, she looked him slowly up and down. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, her fingers itched with the need to draw her weapon.

"What's going on?" she asked. "We agreed only one man each."

"Well," Sanderson said, "there's been a small change of plans. You really should have followed my orders, you know."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm afraid I'm saying that you and your friend here are going to have to die. A pity, but there it is. I have to be sure." He smiled at Zach. "More deaths on your conscience, Zach."

"Smug bastard," Zach said. "I just want you to know that I never liked you." He turned his head and stared at Mel. She nodded. In the next second, Zach kicked out almost faster than she could follow, ramming his foot into Sanderson's crotch. Sanderson screamed and fell to the ground, hugging himself.

Mel drew her weapon at the same time Zach did, and they both blasted the bodyguard closest to Sanderson. The shots hit him directly in the face, and he crumpled to the ground.

"Mel, look out!"

Zach leapt across the space between them and shoved her to the ground. The beam of a blaster zapped past only inches from where she lay.

The air left her lungs, and for a moment, she lay breathless. She would be dead if he hadn't pushed her. She looked across at him but had no time to think further as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the cover of the rocks, blasters firing in all directions.

She peered out into the clearing "Crap!"

"What?"

"Sanderson's gone."

"Right, stay here," Zach said.

"Why? Where are you going?"

"I'm going after him."

****

Zach made his way around the edge of the clearing, keeping under cover of the rocks, his eyes glued to the spot he had last seen Sanderson. The slimy bastard had done a disappearing act at the first shot, but he couldn't have got far.

He was halfway around the edge of the clearing when something caught his eye. He glanced across to where he'd left Mel tucked safely away.

"Shit."

What the hell was she up to, and why couldn't she follow orders? She'd left the shelter of the rocks and was creeping across the open ground toward the fallen bodyguard. She reached him and fumbled inside his jacket, retrieved whatever it was she was looking for, stuffed it inside her shirt, and started to creep backwards.

As she straightened up, a pinpoint of light appeared on her chest. Zach glanced quickly around for the shooter but couldn't see where the target was coming from. "Mel!'

She obviously couldn't hear, and Zach swore softly. He had to make a fast decision. He took a quick, careful aim. And shot her.

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The blast took her across the backside, knocking her to the ground. The dot vanished but appeared again sweeping across the rocks behind her. Zach swore, loudly this time, and sprinted across the open ground. Mel was pulling herself up. She appeared dazed, and he grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the cover of the rocks.

"Which part of 'stay put' did you not understand?"

Mel wobbled as he let her go. She put an arm out to steady herself. Then frowned. "Someone shot me."

"I fucking shot you," he snarled through gritted teeth.

That seemed to bring her around. "You what?"

"I shot you in the arse, so someone else wouldn't get the chance of shooting you in the goddamn head." He realized he was shouting and took a deep breath. "What the hell were you doing out there?"

She didn't answer, just twisted her head around, and tried to evaluate the damage.

"Let me look." He took her arm and turned her. It was a clean burn, a single stripe across her bottom. "It's not serious." He stared for a moment longer. She really had a great bottom, it was a pity to shoot it, but needs must. Maybe she'd listen to him next time.

"Not serious! I can't believe you shot me."

"I saved your stupid life. What were you after, anyway?"

"The payment money. Sanderson's bodyguard had it."

He shook his head in amazement. "You risked your life for money?"

"Yeah. It's what I do. You might be a goddamn hero, risking your life to save the world. I do it for money. Anyway, it's mine. The payment was for bringing you here. Nothing else. I earned that money."

He ran his fingers through his hair and realized his hand was trembling.

"You shot me in the arse." She sounded as though she still couldn't quite believe it.

"Get over it," he said. "I saved your life. Twice. In fact, it's a total mystery to me how you've survived this long on your own. You need some serious looking after."

"Do not."

"Do."

"Oh, shut up. Anyway, I thought you were going after Sanderson?"

"I got sidetracked." He sighed. "He'll be long gone now."

"Shit."

"Yeah, that about covers it." He realized the shooting had stopped. All was quiet. He sighed again, the tension oozing out of him. They were still alive, and he hadn't expected that outcome. He'd really thought that this time he was a dead man. He reached out, grabbed Mel by the shoulders, and kissed her. It took her by surprise, and, for a few moments, she relaxed against him. God, it felt good. Then she stiffened in his arms, and he reluctantly raised his head.

"Get your paws off me," she said. "I don't want you doing any more damage."

He dropped his hands and stepped back.

****

For a moment, when he kissed her, she had quite forgotten the pain in her backside. Now it flooded back, and she regarded him through narrowed eyes.

"Okay," he said. "I'll let you go for now. But you and me have some unfinished business, sweetheart."

He was giving her that lopsided smile, and despite the burn in her arse, she was melting inside. Christ, she was turning into another Tiger groupie. "Well, don't expect me to be lying on my back for you anytime soon," she snapped. "You've definitely put a stop to that."

"On your back, on your knees. I'm not particularly fussy about the position. Just be aware it's going to happen."

"In your dreams," she muttered. But she could feel her body reacting in all sorts of ways to his words, and a graphic image appeared in her mind. Her, on her hands and knees, Tiger poised behind her. A shiver ran all the way through her body to settle low down in her belly.

"Like that idea, do you?" he purred.

She glanced up and found him watching her. His eyes were almost sleepy, heavy-lidded, a greeny-gold gleam from behind his thick lashes. An expression of extreme masculine satisfaction settled on his face.

She scowled. "Totally indifferent! Now are we going to get out of here?" She forced herself to look away from him. "Where's Leila?"

"Here," Leila spoke from the rocks above them. "I was just waiting for you to finish your little love scene." Mel didn't deign to answer, and Leila continued. "Sanderson's gone. I think the others are dead."

Mel shook herself and forced her brain to function. "Did you get your man?" she asked Leila.

"Oh yeah, he's definitely dead."

Mel examined at her closely; her clothes were stained with blood. You didn't get that much blood from killing someone with a blaster. "What did you do?"

Leila smiled, her eyes glittering with residual excitement. "I sliced..."

"Stop right there," Mel said. "I've changed my mind. I don't want to know. Are Angie and Grace okay?"

"Yeah, they've gone back to
The Revenge
."

"Good. Let's go." She took a step and groaned.

Leila jumped down and came toward her. "Are you okay?"

"I was shot. By Tiger here."

"Really?"

"Actually," Zach said, "I saved her life. Twice."