Do Or Die [Nuworld 4] (24 page)

“You’re pregnant.” He stated the obvious.

“You’re observant.” She laughed and stretched as she pressed on her lower back.

“I’ve come for a reason, Mog. Do you have a minute? Could I speak to you alone?”

“For the heir to all Runner clans, you may have my undivided attention for as long

as you wish it.” He smiled again, a charming gallant smile, and gestured with his arm

for her to enter.

“I met an aunt who I didn’t even know I had a few cycles ago, and sometime during

the night she disappeared,” Ana began after Mog made a fuss over making sure she

was comfortably seated and had a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. “I thought we were

becoming friends and I can’t believe she’d leave without saying anything to me. On an

impulse, I followed the tracks of her trailer and here I am.”

“So let me guess, once again your parents don’t know where you are.” He smiled

then laughed when she nodded. “Either this is one incredible aunt or you don’t have

very many friends to take off like this after her.” He gestured with his hand. “Especially

in your condition. Don’t you have a Gothman husband?”

“They’re called claims. And yes, I do.”

“Ah, so I should be expecting a ring of angry Gothman on my doorstep soon as

well.” Mog glanced out the open window.

Ana looked down at her hands. “I hope not, Mog. She’s here somewhere. I just

want to talk to her. I won’t stay long if you’re worried that I’d compromise your

safety.”

“I don’t think we’re in any great danger here. Tell me her name and we’ll find her

for you.”

Ana’s face lit up. She looked up at Mog who leaned against his counter with his

arms crossed. He was an attractive man, she’d thought that before, with his straight

brown hair and chestnut-colored eyes. His face was unshaven although he didn’t quite

have a beard. His legs were long and muscular and his button-down flannel shirt

spread nicely across his broad shoulders. There was something about him, though, the

lack of something…was it drive or maybe charisma? She couldn’t put her finger on it

but he lacked a certain glow in his eyes she was accustomed to seeing.

“Her name is Lara. She’s very pretty, brown hair, blue eyes…she’s not shy. I don’t

know what time she left our clan exactly but she probably got here this morning

sometime.” Ana described Lara’s trailer to him and Mog pulled out his comm.

The door to his trailer opened then and a young woman entered and immediately

walked over to the refrigerator. She pulled off her Runner headscarf though Ana saw

Mog give her a look as if to say he didn’t want her there right now. The young lady

smiled at him and ignored the looks he gave her. Instead, she poured some cold water

out of a clay pitcher and then walked around him toward Ana.

“I’m Meah. I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” The young girl tugged at a long

thick black braid that dropped over her shoulder. Her hair was as black as midnight

and reflected the morning sun from the large window behind her. She appeared to be

close in winters to Ana. Her eyes were large and a washed-out blue-green. The color

reminded her of the still mountain ponds with thick moss growing on rocks under the

water. As Meah’s eyes met hers, Ana realized the young lady was trying to sum her up

as well.

“My name is Ana. I’m from the Blood Circle Clan.” Ana pulled off her headscarf

then reached out to shake hands.

“Ana of the Blood Circle Clan? As in Ana, daughter of the Lord of Gothman and

Tara the Great?” Meah’s eyes danced and the blue and green seemed to swirl around

her pupils. “I don’t suppose you brought your brother with you?”

Ana giggled. “No. I’m by myself.”

“Excuse my sister. She was just leaving.” Mog glared at his sister.

“Oh no, I wasn’t.” Meah plopped down on the couch, pulled up her legs and

crossed them, smiling smugly at Ana.

“I’ve found your aunt for you.” Mog frowned at Meah, but his expression softened

when he looked at Ana. “One of my guards will bring her to you.”

“Oh no, don’t do that.” Ana struggled to her feet quickly and Mog moved quickly

and offered his hand to help. “I don’t want to make her think she’s in trouble or

anything. I’ll go see her. Just show me where she is.”

Mog picked a flat landlink up off the counter and pushed several buttons. “Here is

a layout of the trailers and the red blinking dot is your aunt’s trailer.”

Meah grabbed the landlink from her brother. “You have absolutely no social skills.

Ana, allow me to escort you.”

Meah stood up and displayed an incredible figure. There was one word to describe

her—stunning. Ana felt like a fat old lady in comparison. Just then, Mog’s comm

beeped and he reached for it. He spoke only for a second and then put the comm on the

counter and ran his fingers through his hair.

“As I feared, we’ve got Gothman on the outer edge of our camp.”

“Oh no. Not yet.” Mog and Meah both looked surprised when Ana sounded more

angry than scared. She put her hands on her hips—or where they would be if a growing

baby weren’t in the way. “I need more time. Have they contacted you? Or have you

contacted them?”

“Neither yet.” Mog rubbed his unshaven chin. “Ana, if they ask about you, I can’t

lie. I don’t want any trouble with them.”

Meah rolled her eyes. “The Runners have an alliance with Gothman, remember?”

“And we have one of their claims.” He waved his arm around in the air at Ana.

“One of their very pregnant claims.”

“Fine. Just calm down, big brother. I’ve got the perfect solution.” Meah patted Mog

on the shoulder as if appeasing an overexcited child. Ana saw a similarity in the way

Andru treated her. Were all brothers and sisters like this? “Ana needs a distraction. I’ll

be that distraction.”

“I already don’t want to hear this.” Mog drew his eyebrows together.

“How many Gothman are there?” Meah ignored him.

“Three.”

“Any idea who they might be?” Meah asked Ana.

“I’m sure two of them are Gilroy and Andru…my claim and my brother. The third

one could be my papa, but it could be someone else.”

“Perfect.” Meah rubbed her hands together and her greenish-blue eyes danced at

the thought of an adventure. Ana knew that look. That was the look she’d missed in

Mog’s eyes. “I’ll go out for a little joyride and ‘accidentally’ let them find me, or maybe

I’ll find them.” She winked at Ana.

“Those are three Gothman out there,” Mog suddenly exploded and both women

looked surprised. “You can’t go out there by yourself.”

“I’ve fended rather nicely against all of your friends over the winters.” Meah

slapped his chest with the back of her hand.

“Fending off Gothman, as you so casually put it, would be no more than foreplay

for them,” Mog snarled.

Ana snickered and then covered her mouth quickly when Mog looked at her. “I’m

sorry. You two just remind me of my brother and me. He is so unnecessarily

overprotective.” She nodded understandingly at Meah. “Actually, you would be the

perfect distraction. Don’t worry, Mog, they won’t do anything to her.” She winked at

Meah. “Unless you asked them to.”

“Okay.” Meah handed the flat landlink to Ana then walked over to the main

landlink and picked up another portable one. “I’ll go out for a little recreation and

accidentally run into them. I assume they will ask if I’ve seen you, and of course I won’t

have, but I’ll invite them back here to have a look for themselves. That should give you

about an hour or so to see your aunt. Then, if you need somewhere to hide out until

we’ve satisfied these men of yours, you can go to my trailer.” She pointed to where it

was on the computer in Ana’s hand and Ana nodded.

“Perfect. I’ll wait for you in your trailer, and you can fill me in on what they said.”

Ana smiled, and Meah smiled, but Mog simply frowned at both of them.

Ana rather enjoyed the surprised look on Lara’s face when she answered her door.

She regained composure quickly and moved aside so Ana could enter.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Lara snapped as soon as the door was shut.

Ana tried her best to look hurt. She was impressed with herself when she managed

to bring a tear to her eye. She eased into one of Lara’s chairs and spoke quietly. “I

thought we were becoming friends. But you just left. Why did you leave, Lara?”

“I have things I have to do.” Lara sat down opposite Ana and studied her carefully.

Ana could tell Lara was trying to determine if her emotional reaction was legitimate or

not.

“What things do you have to do? Let me do them with you.” Ana didn’t mean to

say that, it just slipped out. But she looked up hopefully at Lara who simply laughed.

“Let you help me? Why should I trust you? You have the title that should be mine.

I’ve made my feelings perfectly clear to you.”

“You trusted me yesterday not to let you bleed to death.” Ana looked around the

trailer. “Is there anyone who can hear us?”

Lara chuckled her notorious chuckle and glanced down the hallway. “I don’t think

he can hear us.” But she offered no more information.

Ana followed her glance and then leaned forward, the best that she could, and

whispered. “If you want to know a secret, I don’t want to rule the clans. I’m not cut out

to rule them. I guess it’s my Gothman blood. You’ve said it yourself…I follow orders

too easily. Please, let me help you.”

Lara stared at her for a long moment. Her expression was callous and her blue eyes

penetrated Ana, obviously still full of doubt.

“No. First of all, you’re lying. Not about being a leader. I agree with you there,

you’re not cut out to rule. You want it, though. Who wouldn’t? But I wouldn’t care if

you wanted to rule the clans or not. It really makes no difference to me or to my plans.

I’m saying no because you are a magnet for trouble. Your ‘men’ will follow you around

Nuworld and cause me nothing but trouble. And you’re way too pregnant to be any

good to anyone right now anyway. Go home, Ana. Enjoy your men. Crator knows

there’s not another woman in Nuworld who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to trade

places with you.”

Lara got up and moved to the door but Ana made no attempt to get up. She leaned

back instead and took in the contents of the trailer. It was barren, obviously temporary