All For One [Nuworld 3] (41 page)

Tara kissed her daughter’s forehead gently and then made her promise to join her

soon. As she walked through the quiet house, she knew a distraction was what her

daughter needed. Someone new always helped numb the pain from someone old. She

pulled out her comm and called her son.

“Where are you?” Tara asked when his voice sounded in her ear.

“I’m in town with the guys. Do you need me?”

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“I would like to talk to you. Why don’t you meet me down at my trailer? I’m

headed there now.”

“So what is it?” Andru had waited until Tara finished talking to her advisors.

“It’s Ana.”

“She’s in a bad way, Mama. I’ve talked to her time and time again and have gotten

nowhere.”

“I know, so have I. But I have an idea.”

Andru shrugged. “I’m open to suggestions.”

Tara knew her son almost considered his sister more his charge than his parents.

She remembered clearly that after the dog-woman started visiting him, his assertiveness

grew and Ana’s passivity developed. At least, she was passive toward her brother.

Ana was an incredible warrior, defeating Runner and Gothman in every challenge

she encountered. She had a flair for militaristic strategies and implementing them,

easily outmaneuvering her peers in their war games. She was beautiful and enticing,

but quick to bring any teenage boy and even a few men to their knees any time they’d

made lewd advances.

But now Ana had a taste of passion still lingering in her senses. It was driving her

daughter mad, and Tara knew her plan might possibly work.

“Our Ana needs a distraction,” she began carefully. “I know there are several of

your friends who have made advances toward her in the past and you’ve nipped it in

the bud before she could send them running herself.”

Andru stood tall, devoid of emotion, and listened to his mama.

“Is there anyone of these boys who Ana has confided that she finds attractive?”

“She’s commented on several, although none recently.”

“Of course not. She’s distracted by the taste of something she didn’t get, mourning

its loss. All her thoughts are distracted by what might have been.” Tara paused as she

walked over to the landlink table and sat down, casually crossing her legs. She looked

up at her son’s attentive face. He was hard to read, like his papa, but she saw no sign

that he understood where she was leading. “Do you know of a boy who you would

approve of spending some time with your sister?”

He relaxed his body somewhat, suddenly appearing to understand his mama’s

intention.

“You think it would be a good idea to find her a new boyfriend.” Andru nodded his

head, and appeared to ponder the matter.

“Actually, I want you to find someone who would be a very attentive boyfriend.”

Tara watched her son.

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Andru rubbed his chin, giving the matter thought, but then stopped and lowered

his hand. He stared at his mama, and his expression hardened. “Mama, are you

referring to the right of first refusal that the Tree People have as one of their traditions?”

“The right of first refusal? What is that?” Tara searched her recently obtained

knowledge of the people, but couldn’t remember if her advisors had shared this term

with her.

“Gilroy and I were doing some research the other day and came across the right of

first refusal. It states if a man takes a woman’s virginity then he has the right to say

whether he shall claim her or not.”

“I didn’t know about that.” Tara leaned back and pursed her lips. “That sure gives

Roth motive for taking Ana, doesn’t it?”

“That’s what we thought. But if she isn’t a virgin, then if Roth takes her, he won’t

have the right to claim her. Ana’s virginity would already be gone and the right of first

refusal wouldn’t apply.”

“Let one of your friends know a time and a place where she will be alone.”

Andru’s mouth fell open. “I would be giving them permission to rape her, which

any of them would do wholeheartedly if she wasn’t my sister…and your daughter.”

“Ana can take care of herself,” she said quietly, and moved to the door. “That is all,

Andru. I want you to do it.”

* * * * *

The winter came on them with a vengeance as the days passed, and although Ana

finally ached to get out of the house, the weather now made that impossible. As

snowstorm after snowstorm attacked them, everyone in the household began to feel

cabin fever.

Ana began taking jaunts with Andru into the field behind their house. They never

ventured too far because inevitably the snow would start falling and the wind would

pick up while they were out. They also spent time standing off the back balcony

shooting at distant branches or trying to make their laser beams bounce off boulders

protruding through the snow.

Occasionally, Darius and Tara would join them and then the servants and guards

and whoever else might be in the house would chuckle as the apparent competitiveness

ran thick through the family. Shouting, accusations, denials and threats could easily be

heard from all four of them as they challenged each other to shot after shot. The

unspoken truth was simply that the women of the family were better shots than their

counterparts.

It was during this time period that a particular visit ran a disturbed hush through

the household. Darius and Tara commonly spent their mornings allowing audiences

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with the Gothman and Runners. The audiences were heard in the living room, long

before converted into a public room with two large wooden chairs that the lord and

lady lounged in while Gothman or Runner came to issue a complaint, offer a

suggestion, or submit a request.

Needless to say, as the weather worsened the requests for audiences diminished,

but it wasn’t uncommon for them to have two or three a day. So neither suspected

anything unusual when they met in the room and relaxed next to each other as Jolee

announced who requested to see them that day and why.

“We just got this request in,” Tara’s advisor began. “Moag and Betra wish to see

you.”

Tara straightened quickly but Darius didn’t move a muscle.

“Why?” he asked.

“Well, my Lord, it appears Rayla was found this morning. Dr. Digo has seen her.

She’s dead.”

Tara realized she was holding her breath and released it slowly and loudly then

lowered her head to her hands. She noticed Darius’ hand tighten into a fist next to her

but he said nothing. She turned and looked up at his hardened face. There was a

warped satisfaction buried into his burning gray eyes, and when he turned to look at

her, she saw very little that resembled concern or remorse for his dead sister-in-law.

“Show them in,” he said after a minute. This reason right here was why they

arranged to hear why their audience came before them. Darius took a moment to

compose himself, and prepare for what he anticipated being a heated discussion.

The Gothman couple entered with a confident air. Moag, a very large Gothman,

had a belly protruding well over his belt, and forearms the size of tree trunks. His

double chin hung low toward the top of his high-buttoned shirt and small-set green

eyes took in the room and all its contents quickly, then fell with determination on to

Lord Darius. His claim looked about the same and gave the Lord a similar gaze.

“Lord Darius, we come to you with terrible news,” Moag began without

introductions. “My step-daughter was found dead this morning. One of our servants

found her body, still warm, at the edge of my property. It was just within the past

couple of hours.” His voice choked momentarily. “The Runner doctor told us if

someone had noticed her half an hour earlier he might have been able to save her.”

“How did she die?” Darius spoke with such coolness and lack of emotion that Tara

almost cringed.

Moag obviously noticed the tone of indifference in the Lord’s voice because his

gaze froze as his jaw protruded. “She was shot with a Runner’s laser but apparently

that didn’t kill her. It’s obvious by the shuffle in the snow that there was a struggle and

she was beaten—” again his voice faded on him, “—until she died.”

“And the children?”

“They were at their home at the time with their nanny.”

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“She was with child, my Lord,” Betra suddenly bellowed out and began wringing

her hands together.

“Silence your claim or I’ll have her removed.” Darius sliced the air with his order.

“The twins shall be brought here and the oldest may live with you or wherever you see

fit.” Darius spoke his final words with the calmness of deciding when the streets should

be cleaned.

Moag stood before him silently for a minute obviously giving serious thought to his

next words.

“Was there anything else?” Darius leaned back and stroked a finger down his

claim’s arm.

“My lord, shall there be any discussion as to who murdered my daughter, your

brother’s claim?” Moag asked with incredible control.

“Do you have any suspects?” Darius raised an eyebrow.

“There are likely suspects, my lord.” Moag now spoke a little too quietly. He began

moving his giant jaw back and forth slowly and rotated his fingers to prevent them

from forming fists.

“You suspect my brother, don’t you?” Darius actually grinned. “Your daughter

publicly scandalized their claim, humiliating Torgo among Gothman with her

promiscuous behavior, she did. She then further tarnishes her own reputation by

announcing with no regret that her firstborn son, a boy Torgo held and loved as his

own, was in fact not Torgo’s but a bastard, yes. She successfully coerced my brother

into a claim that was not rightfully his. I would have killed her a long time ago, I’m

thinking.”

Betra clasped her hands to her mouth and Darius relaxed in his chair.

“Jolee, where is my brother?” He turned his head casually and looked at Tara’s

assistant.