27. CHAPTER 27 #2
“Miya.” Zayne's hard voice broke through her stupor, and she saw him looking at the gun.
Shaking. She shook terribly.
The handle burned in her hands now. She wanted to drop it. To run from death in any form.
“I didn't tell anyone,” Zayne repeated.
“You said that already.” Her voice sounded wild. So did her heartbeat. Miya pushed her hair back from her face, unable to gain back control of herself, this man, or this situation. Of her life.
“You seemed like you needed to hear it again. I'll open the window. You can—”
“No.” She stabbed her finger at him. “You don't move. Give me one minute. I'm not leaving or screaming or shooting you. I'm not a threat.”
“Neither am I.”
She laughed at that, and it sounded as out of control as her heart.
“Not to you, at least,” he said.
“You searched the restricted database.” Miya walked the length of the room. “The captain already vetted me. I thought I was safe.”
“Well, Christopher's an idiot. I thought you were deep under cover for the United.”
“What now? Are you taking me to Ciondo?”
“No. Never. I'm not taking you anywhere you don't want to go.”
“Then what? What are you doing to me?”
He lowered his arms but didn't reach for any weapons. “I'm here to help you escape and hide somewhere safe.”
“Don't treat me like I'm stupid.”
A groan, a shrug, and the son of the High General said in all seriousness to her, “I'm a traitor.”
Miya stared, her mouth no longer working to question what he meant.
“I'm fighting to destroy the Phaedra's regime,” Zayne said. “My friends are the ones who ruined Christopher's mission with Becka Rogers.”
Nope.
Not buying anything he wanted to sell her, especially not that.
Chortling, Miya resumed her pacing, chewing her thumb nail. “You really do think I'm stupid.”
“We both know the truth about each other. We could destroy each other. So, we'll both stay quiet.”
Her breath was starting to come back in spurts, her heart slowing just a little. “You, the golden boy of the empire. A traitor? Please.”
“Turns out I'm not very golden. Do you want to sit down?”
“No.” She nearly screamed the word.
“Okay. You just look really shocked.”
“Yeah, well, I am really shocked.” Miya tried to shake the numb feeling from her hands and breathed out slowly. Maybe she did need to sit. “Do you know what Christopher plans to do to my family?”
“I didn't until yesterday.”
“Then you should know I'm not leaving. Tell the Phaedra I'm not falling for whatever twisted plan this is. He'll have to arrest me and force me away.”
A pained look came over his face. “Christopher Garrison is a cruel, sadistic man who will crush you for the fun of it once he gets bored or you stop being useful.”
“I know all of this. I'm still not leaving. He's going to kill my entire family and lay Caspador to ruins.”
Zayne sighed. “What if I can handle it for you?”
“What if? What if. Well, if you aren't lying to me, and if you really are a traitor, can you stop this?”
An uncomfortably long pause. “Possibly.”
“At least you're honest.”
“Christopher already almost killed you. I should force you out of here.”
“So why don't you? Instead, you told me to point a loaded gun at you.”
“Because I'd do the same thing in your position, and you should get the choice.” His hands curled into fists. “I've recently been made aware that I'm a piece of shit for forcing my protection upon women and civilians.”
The amusement caught hold of her as she fell into the abyss, saving her from being lost for good this time. “You're growing?” She chuckled. “Good for you. How very enlightened.”
“If you want to stay, I won't stop you, but you shouldn't, and I'm not okay with it.”
“Incredible. So, who handed your ass to you over this? Your fiancée or the woman you love?”
Zayne's expression soured into the least amused face she'd ever seen any man make. “If you insist on staying, then I know someone who can help you.”
“Be sure to let whoever inspired you to become a new man know what progress you've made respecting the choices of your damsels in distress.”
A low groan. “Looks like you aren't losing your shit anymore.”
“No, this helped. Thank you.” Miya sat on the bed now, savoring the full breath she drew into her sore lungs. Yeah, that helped. “Am I obligated to beg you to escape the Phaedra before he tears you limb from limb, or do I not have to since you have all these scars and fear no suffering?”
His eyes could not narrow more without closing. “Seducing me doesn't work, so now you'll test my temper?”
“I was simply mocking you, but that is a useful strategy.”
Miya lied.
She was toying with temper on instinct, clawing her way back from the doom that almost sent her running out of the room despite the soldiers.
Zayne didn't like Miya discussing his feelings, and that tipped the conversation enough for her to seize back her control. What else could she learn about him?
He leaned against the dresser, crossing his arms over his chest, the flex of the Phaedra's seals all she saw. If he told the truth, then Miya needed him on her side.
“Do you want my friend's help or not?” he asked.
“Yes. I do.” While Miya refused to drop her guard, she should explore her options in case he did betray the Phaedra. “I need to get Lance out of here.”
“If you're staying, Lance stays. Christopher will kill you if I extricate him. You'll be suspected. Another reason you should take my original offer.”
Miya wanted to snap at him, but he was right. If the other half of the captain's bridge to Bale disappeared, he'd turn his fury on her. “I'm in a position to destroy the captain and help the United protect Caspador.”
“If he doesn't destroy you first.”
“As long as the captain needs Lance, then he's safe. Help me get him out after I make it to Bale.”
Zayne nodded. “Fine. Keep him alive until then.”
Miya leveled a look at him. “I do not take orders from you, High General's son. Obviously, I'm going to keep Lance alive. Keep talking like that to me and see how it works for you.”
A smile. A real smile. It almost let her see beyond the marks of war and power to the person underneath. “I'll try my best.”
It wasn't fair to judge him by his marks when she hated anyone doing the same to her, but he scared her too much to overlook all she saw.
“So much growth.” Miya sidled against the dresser beside him, leaning back to see where the two snakes climbed his neck and bared their fangs at his skull.
Eager to consume his mind. “If we're being equitable, it's not fair that I'm in a robe, and you're fully dressed.” She yanked down on the back of his shirt. “Take it off.”
Obviously, he wouldn't, but she needed a glimpse. Miya almost pulled his shirt enough to uncover the skin between his shoulder blades and check for the most ruthless badge of honor in the empire. But he caught her hand, tossing it back to her side.
“Stop hunting for information that I'm not offering,” he said.
She lifted her ring finger with the black band. “I showed you mine. Now show me yours.”
“I don't have any other tattoos. This is it.”
While his story was compelling, she wouldn't believe anything if said he wore the golden crest over his shoulder blades. Only the cruelest soldiers who killed over a hundred traitors to the Phaedra received that mark.
With a sigh, he turned his back toward her. “Go ahead. Next time, ask without playing games.”
Miya didn't care about being polite. She ripped that shirt down before he changed his mind.
No crest.
Only scars.
Maybe he told the truth. He wanted to destroy the Phaedra.
“You swear you'll protect Lance?” Miya asked, releasing his collar.
“I swear.”
“Then tell me what you want from me. You need something too.”
A different look came over his face, one she didn't know how to discern, because he hid his emotions so well. “Tell Becka Rogers there's a plan to free her daughter and she can't give up the location of the Followers.”
Miya watched him for several more seconds, piecing together what she heard during that meeting with the captain. “You don't want me to thwart the channel to her?”
“No. Any more mistakes, and the Phaedra will send my brother. If he meets you, you're dead. He'll know you're working Christopher and report it.”
Great. Fear rekindled the panic she managed to shove down. “Okay. That's easy.”
“Tell her the only way to save her daughter is to keep quiet. If she talks, I'll kill her.”
“Is that true?”
“Then let my partner know how Becka reacted. You're the only hope to save hundreds of people.”
Miya didn't appreciate his habit of ducking questions, but this did reveal more to her.
Zayne avoided discussion of Kira. Did he feel guilty because he planned to kill her if necessary, or because of a more personal reason?
“I asked you a question. Answer me. I want to know what kind of man you are.”
“I won't kill her.”
Miya eased closer, testing the waters of his temper again. “Is she the one who told you what a piece of shit you are?”
He should have bristled or angered, but didn't alter his demeanor in any way. Zayne allowed Miya to see his frustration earlier. Not this time. He definitely wanted to hide Kira.
“Yes,” he said, a good enough liar to sound indifferent.
Miya didn't push him further about Kira. She didn't want to corner a man like this unless she had no other choice. Especially not about a woman who Miya suspected he went to such great lengths to protect. “We have a deal.”
“My friend Ashantae will be in touch. Establish an emergency plan with them.” A pause, and then he added in an unconvincing, “Please.”
She smirked.
He retrieved his gun and disconnected the silencer. “Christopher has never been to war. One of his golden scars is from an appendectomy. He doesn't know pain. That's his weakness.”
Miya nodded at the confirmation of her suspicions. “Thank you.”
When Zayne started for the door to the adjoining room, he hesitated. “I couldn't delete your file entirely, so you're searchable in the restricted database. But I did remove what I could. The Phaedra will have little intel to use against you if he ever finds you.”