Do Or Die [Nuworld 4] (32 page)

you after I talk to her.”

Gilroy told Andru he’d contact him again in a few minutes and pulled off his

comm.

“What are you going to do, Ana? Will you turn her away as your first assistant?”

Gilroy reached for her when she turned away from him instead of answering.

“I don’t know. I feel really strange inside right now. I’m going to have to talk to her

about it. We can’t work together with it hanging between us.” He moved in behind her

and wrapped his arms around her. She looked over her shoulder at him and felt her

eyes fill with tears. “If I thought I could lose you to her, or to any woman… I mean, I see

how incredibly handsome you are and how so many women watch you and…” He

caught a tear as it fell to her cheek. “Well, I wonder sometimes if you’re with me

because it was a condition to an arrangement made so long ago. Or if you’re with me

because you want to be.”

“Oh, Ana,” he whispered gruffly and spun her around then lifted her in his arms so

her face was inches from his. “It never occurred to me that such thoughts would go

through your head. My lady, I love you more than anyone I’ve ever known in my life.

You are the catch, everything else is a triviality…not the other way around.”

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

He cursed silently that he’d created this doubt in her. He’d accepted her with the

knowledge that Andru would always possess part of her heart but she wasn’t required

to possess only part of his heart…and she wanted all of him. For some reason that filled

him with joy and strengthened his carnal desires for her.

“I’m so sorry I’ve conceived this doubt in you. You don’t deserve it, that’s for sure.”

He smiled gently as she relaxed in his arms. “I guess you’ll have to let me spend the rest

of our lives showing you how much I love you. I have no intention of sharing any

details of my infidelity with you, I wouldn’t torture you like that, but I daresay, if asked

to, I’m not sure that I could. The whole thing is quite fuzzy. To be honest, I don’t

remember most of that night at the clan site, and if I hadn’t approached Andru, I might

question if anything ever happened at all.”

That seemed to make her feel better. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed

him gently. But as he turned the kiss more aggressive, she wrapped her legs around

him as well and he groaned.

“Down with you, wench.” He struggled to speak as she drove him to madness with

her seductiveness. “Go meet with her and report to me as soon as you’ve finished.”

Ana arrived at the clan site before Meah did. She made arrangements for a trailer to

be prepared for her and then walked over to the jail in time to see Meah driving her

glider toward her with a flat trailer secured behind her.

“You brought her in all by yourself.” Ana praised Meah’s abilities as well as

expressed her astonishment as she looked at Lara’s bound body, in she-witch attire,

prone on the trailer. “How long will she be out?”

“Probably for the rest of the day, but we could probably force her into

consciousness if you want to talk to her.”

Ana noticed that Meah no longer had a bruised face but was a lot thinner and

looked in dire need of a shower. Her plain traveler’s clothes were stained and her long

braid was loose in spots with several long strands tucked behind her ear.

Ana gestured to the guards behind her. “Lock her in a cell. Contact me if she wakes

up. I’ve prepared a trailer for you,” she said when she turned back to Meah. “Let’s go

get you showered and fed and then you can tell me your story.”

Meah showered and put on fresh Runner clothing. Ana put together a sandwich as

Meah brushed out her long, inky black hair. The young Runner’s eyes glowed as she

told Ana how she’d used Lara’s own “magic” against her. Meah had watched Lara use

a potion to rob a man while in Mogsven. Meah told Ana she stole the potion, kept in a

small bottle, out of Lara’s side pack while she was inside one of the stores, and then

poured it on her food. Lara passed out after eating and Meah tied her up, then managed

to talk a local merchant out of his flat trailer. She couldn’t keep Lara on the glider and

get it off the ground.

Ana listened to Meah and watched her silky black hair fall over the young woman’s

large breasts and groaned inwardly. She thought she could work with another beautiful

woman. But could she? Gilroy said he didn’t remember what happened, and for some

reason that made her feel better. As she watched Meah, though, she saw how incredibly

captivating her beauty was and wondered how any man could forget he’d taken her.

Meah finished talking as she began braiding her hair into one long, thick braid. Her

small nimble fingers worked expertly through her hair and when she looked up she

caught Ana frowning at her.

“What is it?” Meah asked, and then her smile slowly faded.

Ana’s heart pounded as she realized she needed to talk to Meah about this now. “I

know, Meah,” she said simply, and the hair fell from Meah’s hands as she froze and

stared at Ana. Her hands went to her mouth and Ana could see she was trembling.

“Sometimes, when I touch Andru…I can tell what he’s thinking. I know you were

with Andru and Gilroy. I screamed at both of them and that’s what threw me into

labor.” Ana took a breath and opened her mouth to continue but Meah jumped in.

“Ana, I’m so sorry. You don’t know how sorry I am. Dear Crator, I can’t believe

how badly I’ve messed this up. The chance of my lifetime and I ruin everything. This is

why you’re the only one here to greet me, isn’t it?” Meah spoke quickly and panic laced

her words.

“I told Gilroy and Andru I wanted to talk to you alone first. I haven’t told my

mama that you’re here yet.” Ana screwed up her face. “But what do you mean, you

messed this up?”

“Oh Ana, I seduced your husband, I mean claim. It’s all my fault, I know it is. I

mean, I hate to say this. I don’t remember it very well, but I know that um, Gilroy,

wasn’t paying any attention to me. I think that’s how it went.” Meah threw her head

down on her hands. “Oh Ana, how could I ruin my life and not even remember what I

did to ruin it?”

“Sounds like you should stay away from Gothman wine.”

“Don’t worry. I’m never touching the stuff ever again.” Meah looked up at Ana.

“And I promise I’ll never touch your husband—I mean, claim—again.”

Ana chewed her lip and stared at Meah’s tearstained face. “You and I have so much

in common. I decided on the way over here that I would share a story with you. It’s

about the night I conceived Darien.”

And Ana told her about the fools’ festival and Lara bringing her to Gilroy, and

Gilroy not recognizing her. She told her about the drug put in their ale and how Andru

came into the tent later. She watched Meah’s face go white as she quietly told her the

details of her night with the two men. When she was through, Meah simply stared at

her.

“Why did you tell me this?” Meah looked incredibly nervous.

“That night makes things a little awkward for the three of us sometimes but we’re

all bound together and so we make it work. None of us are going anywhere. You see,

Meah, it’s bigger than the three of us…or the four of us. It’s a matter of two nations that

need us to lead them. Andru chose someone for me because it was the best thing for

Gothman. I need to do what’s best for the Runners. And I believe that includes having

you working with me.”

Meah gasped, grabbed her heart and gasped again, then allowed a small smile. “I

can stay?”

Ana nodded. “It’s going to take me a while. But you brought Lara back, and

pending what my mama may have to say…”

Ana’s comm beeped and she wrapped it around her ear.

“Speak of the devil,” she whispered as she covered the small wire with one hand

then pointed to it mouthing it was Tara. “Hi, Mama, I was just going to contact you.

Meah’s back and she brought back Lara, she’s in the jail.”

“I just found that out myself.” Tara’s voice was cool. “I want both of you to report

to my trailer right away.”

Ana chewed the inside of her mouth as she stood up. She wouldn’t let her mama

get away with reprimanding her for not telling her Meah was back right away. Meah

brought back Lara and that’s what mattered.

“Tara wants to see us.” She tried to sound indifferent. “Are you ready to go?”

Meah nodded and followed Ana out of the trailer. She couldn’t believe Ana didn’t

send her flying right out of that clan site. She was going to stay. It would be strange.

Ana would always live with the knowledge that Meah had done something so terrible

to her. If only she could turn back time. Gilroy was nothing to her, she hardly even

remembered being with him. What had burned into her memory, planted its ugliness as

a permanent feature in her mind’s eye, was Andru. She shivered under the warm sun as

she thought about Ana’s brother. He was cruel, mean and hateful, and she couldn’t

believe someone as incredible as Ana could have an identical twin who was so

heartless. Somehow, she had to figure out how she could live day to day with these

people, knowing she could see him anytime…and that he had a lot of power. She

shuddered again. If only she could have her fantasies back.

“Come in. Sit down.” Tara gestured to two chairs across from her and Jolee. “Meah,

your mission was successful. You’ll get commendations for that.”

“Thank you, Tara.” Meah sat up straight and tried to remember to breathe. “Here’s

my log of accounts.”

Tara accepted the disc and handed it to Jolee. “Do you have a place to stay

tonight?”

“I arranged for her to have her own trailer.” Ana also straightened.

“Good. You were the commander of your armies at the Red Star Clan, is that

right?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, while you are here you will study how we command our armies.” Tara

slid a disc across the table then pulled another one out of her pocket and handed it to

Meah as well. “You might as well learn how Gothman conducts their strategies as well.

Prepare a report for me telling me how our strategies compare to ones you’ve

developed.”

Meah swallowed. “I can do that.”

“Now why don’t you get some rest? Ana, will you stay a moment?”

“I’ve suggested the possibility to Meah that I might make her my first assistant,”