Do Or Die [Nuworld 4] (26 page)

trailers. “But I don’t understand, how could she escape from the Blood Circle Clan?”

“She’s very dangerous. She claims to be a Runner, although she was raised by

Freelanders and has also claimed to be a she-witch. Unfortunately, we believe she has

Runners working with her. She claims to be the rightful heir to rule all Runner clans

and has threatened my sister.”

Now this information surprised Meah and she saw no harm in letting her reaction

show freely. She looked from Andru to Gilroy and finally to Lord Darius. They all

stared at her intently.

“This is disturbing news.” Her words were almost a whisper and she cleared her

throat and spoke louder. “I suggest you begin your search with Lara’s trailer. Come, I’ll

show you where it is.”

Ana was about to leave the trailer and chance getting out of the clan site an hour

later when Meah finally walked through the door.

“They haven’t left yet,” Meah said as soon as she pulled the door shut.

“But Lara has left,” Ana offered.

“How do you know?”

“I bugged her glider.” Ana pointed to the black monitoring device on the counter.

Meah’s face lit up. “Excellent.”

“Where are the men?” Ana walked over to the kitchen window and scanned the

view she’d memorized.

“They’re waiting outside. They want to go after Lara. They think she might have

taken you with her.”

Ana snorted in disgust. “They have no faith.”

“It’s obvious what they think of women…especially women who look like you and

me.”

“If you plan on hanging around with me, then you better make sure you’re on birth

control.” She made an obvious show of looking down at her large belly. “Although I’d

just taken my six-month dosage when I got pregnant.”

Meah laughed and waved the comment off dismissively, but then her expression

changed quickly and she gaped at Ana. “What do you mean, if I plan on hanging

around with you?”

Ana smiled with her newfound confidence. “I’ve been searching for the right

person to be my first assistant. I think you might be perfect for the job, but I’ve only

known you for part of a day. So here’s the deal—work with me to resolve this

mysterious Norther Clan and eliminate Lara, and we’ll take it from there.”

Meah slapped the counter and grinned broadly. “You just got yourself a first

assistant. Now, how are we going to get you out of here?”

Ana held a finger up then secured her comm. She contacted her mama and filled

her in on Meah and the men searching the clan site, and Lara’s disappearance.

“I’ve got a solid lock on her but the men are waiting outside the trailer for Meah to

change clothes and prepare a program for their search.”

“I’m surprised they were willing to wait outside. I saw her while she flew around

the field and displayed her abilities. Those three descended on her like hawks after their

prey. I could see their expressions through my viewer when she pulled off her

headscarf.”

“Yeah, she’s good, Mama.” Ana chuckled as she pictured what their expressions

must have looked like. “I think you’re going to like her.”

She quickly told her mama the proposal she’d just offered Meah.

“I’d say you have more bravery than I have.” Tara laughed. “I’ve made it a point of

keeping all good-looking women as far away from your papa as I could.”

“I’m not worried.” She looked up at Meah. “Andru needs a claim anyway.”

Meah looked up at her, shocked. Her heart about exploded.

“Well, it sounds like our men have you cornered. Do you think they know it?” Tara

decided not to comment on Ana’s idea to fix her brother up with a woman as

headstrong as her daughter had just described Meah as being.

“When it’s all said and done they’ll tell you they did.” Ana walked over to the door.

“But I’m going to open the door and invite them in.”

“I’m on my way.” Tara disconnected before Ana could comment.

Ana opened the door to the trailer quickly and three men looked up casually…then

three mouths fell open.

“Why, you little hellion.” Gilroy was the first to react. He leaped toward her

intending to grab her but she backed up quickly into the trailer.

Ana moved backwards to the middle of the living room when her foot caught on

the leg of an end table and she struggled to keep from falling. As she regained

composure, one of the warning cramps tightened her tummy and took her breath away.

Her hand shot to the underside of her belly and she exhaled as she rode out the cramp.

This act immobilized her, and Gilroy lunged across the room and grabbed her free arm.

He’d about lifted her off her feet when Andru and Darius stepped into the trailer.

“I don’t take lightly to the heir of all Runner clans being manhandled in my living

room.”

Gilroy looked up as Meah spoke and saw the laser she pointed at his face. He didn’t

have time to react and pull his own laser, but Lord Darius and Andru did.

“Put your laser away.” Darius spoke calmly, but the deadly undertone couldn’t be

denied.

Meah simply raised her laser so it pointed directly in between Gilroy’s eyes. She

flashed blue-green eyes at Darius and Andru, who stared back at her with cold glares.

Her long black eyelashes didn’t flutter for a second at the two lasers pointed directly at

her.

“I don’t hesitate, and I don’t miss.” Meah whispered the words with enough

coolness to even alert Ana’s attention.

“Meah, please,” she murmured.

“I have no intention of surrendering my home to Gothman. Part of your proposal

includes my vow to protect you, Ana.” Meah never took her eyes off Andru and Darius,

and her arm didn’t sway from its target. “Now I can’t imagine you’d give your sister to

someone who could be replaced easily. Put your lasers back into your pockets or I’ll

make sure it becomes public knowledge that a Runner woman successfully disarmed

the Lord of Gothman, the heir to Gothman and the commander of all the Gothman

armies.”

No one moved until Meah took her gaze from Darius and Andru and turned to look

at Gilroy. Andru took a step toward Meah. But faster than he’d ever seen his sister

react, Meah pulled another laser from her pocket and shoved it into Andru’s nose.

“Back off, Blondie,” she growled.

Fire shot through Andru’s charcoal-gray eyes.

Ana snickered then whimpered when Gilroy twisted her arm back. Meah continued

to stare into those dark smoldering eyes but a shot from her laser made everyone jump.

A hole appeared in the wall directly above Gilroy’s head.

“Did she miss, or did she mean to do that?” Meah’s full red lips parted slightly and

she grinned mockingly at Andru. “What’s it going to be? Shall we get to work, or do

you want to play some more?”

Ana couldn’t believe this woman’s nerve. She was either an incredible fool or the

bravest woman she’d ever met. One look at her brother and she knew he was trying to

figure out the same thing.

“Andru, Papa, she’s on our side, really she is. Put your lasers away.” Ana ran her

free hand up Gilroy’s muscular arm and he turned from Meah to look at her. “I asked

her to keep my presence a secret.”

“Nonetheless, you lied to us. Drop your weapons and prove your allegiance.”

Andru showed less concern for the weapon pointing in his face than anyone Meah had

ever seen. He’d never respect her if she bowed down to him, and she knew it.

“I believe the instructions given were for you to disarm, my lord.” Meah couldn’t

have made the title sound more like an insult.

Just then the trailer door opened and everyone turned quickly. Meah took

advantage of the distraction and jumped at Andru, knocking him over and disarming

him in the same instant. Gilroy released Ana and turned to grab Meah but Ana lunged

at him.

“Don’t hurt her, Gilroy. She tried to protect me,” Ana screamed.

“That’s enough! All of you.” Tara stepped into the room and pulled the door closed.

“What were you going to do? Kill each other? Now everyone, put your lasers away.”

“Tara, it’s an honor,” Meah whispered and climbed off Andru.

Tara tapped the laser in Darius’ hand and wrapped her arm around him before he

could growl at her. She turned to look at her son who got to his feet quickly and raised

an eyebrow, while she tried to hide a mischievous grin.

“Meah, I’m sure you heard the words my daughter said to me on your behalf.” Tara

nodded at the young woman, who looked like a child in between the large Gothman on

either side of her.

Meah quickly straightened her clothes and brought herself to full attention. Then

her eyes widened as she remembered the reference to becoming Andru’s claim.

“You better watch out, Gothman view that type of behavior as foreplay.” The

crimson color that spread across Meah’s face brought a smile to Tara’s face, and she

glanced up at Darius who glared at her, but when she ran her fingernails down his back

his eyes danced.

“Now then, since you three insist on being part of a Runner matter you may stay

and listen.” Tara made herself at home in Meah’s trailer and plopped down on one of

the stools next to the extended countertop that separated the kitchen from the living

room. She patted the seat next to her and Darius sat down.

“You may consider this a Runner issue, you may, but when you and my daughter

leave without telling anyone, it became a Gothman issue.” Darius’ anger came out with

his words.

“Not to mention you are way too pregnant to be traipsing around Nuworld like

this.” Gilroy glared at Ana, and she fought not to cower in front of Meah.

“Agreed,” Andru barked and then paced into the kitchen, more to put distance

between himself and that vixen who’d just disarmed him and knocked him to the

ground. He turned and stood just behind his papa. “Now, would you mind telling us

exactly what is going on?”

“I recorded the conversation I had with Lara,” Ana began and then handed the disc

she had in her pocket to Tara. “But what we need to do now is make plans to follow

her. This will inevitably take us into the Norther Clan site.”

“Is that the name of her clan?” Andru asked.