Razor's Traitorous Heart: The Alliance Book 2 (9 page)

She remembered the sick feeling in her
stomach when the male first approached Destin. He had demanded a
private meeting with her brother. Her skin had crawled when he had
run his gaze up and down her with a licentious appraisal. Destin
had agreed, knowing that she would not be far from his side. She
had hidden inside a small closet in his makeshift office and
listened to the offer the horrid male had proposed. Destin not only
turned the male down, he had Jason and Tim escort the male from the
north side of the city with the promise that he would kill anyone,
human or alien, that tried to harm one female under his
protection.

“Leave,” she choked out as she shook her
head again and pushed the memories away. “Leave our planet then.
Leave us alone. We didn’t ask you to come here. We don’t need you.
Your people have caused enough pain and death to us. Just…
leave!”

“Your people did ask us to come. The
messages were sent long ago, but your people reached out and we
answered. It is too late to deny the existence of others outside of
your world, Kali. Most of the death and destruction to your planet
was caused by your species. Humans are in danger of dying out as a
species if preventive measures are not immediately taken. Your
people need the Alliance if you are to survive,” he added
cruelly.

Kali’s hand went to her stomach as it
rolled. She knew all about the talks of global warming before the
Trivators came. She knew that the climate of the world was rapidly
changing. She couldn’t do anything about that, but this… this was
something that she could fight against.

I have to stop him somehow,
she
thought in despair.
I can’t let him destroy everything I know
and love!

She
had
to warn Destin! Pivoting on
her heel, she refused to think of anything else but escaping back
to her brother. She let instinct guide her when she heard the
menacing snarl echo behind her as she darted for the edge of the
building. She might not have a fancy transport like him to fly over
the city, but she wasn’t above creating her own wings.

She felt her muscles tighten as she neared
the edge. She sent a small prayer of thanks that her eyes were
adjusted to the darkness. She jumped, stretching out for the tangle
of metal cable hanging like ghostly vines in the night. The palms
of her hands burned and she could feel the skin tear on the steely
threads, but she ignored the pain as she let the momentum carry her
across to the roof of the building next to the former
Harrison Hotel.

A cry of frustration escaped her when she
realized that she would not make it. The distance was too far for
her to try to safely land. She twisted her body as the pendulum of
momentum shifted and she found herself swinging back toward the
building she was trying to escape.

She blinked as the dark shadow of a window
caught her attention. She twisted as she made contact with the
frame. A small scream of pain tore from her throat as a jagged
piece of glass cut a long path along her shoulder before she
released the metal cable and crashed to the hard floor of a former
hotel room.

Panic swept through her, driving her to her
feet. She ignored the burning pain and the warm moisture that was
running down her back. Cursing when she ran into a small side table
that had been knocked over, she raced for the door. Pain poured
through her arm when she gripped the door handle and tugged on it.
If she wasn’t so desperate to escape, she would have cried in
frustration when she found she had to unlock it before she could
open it.

Kali stumbled through the doorway and turned
to the left. At the end of the long corridor there was the
staircase. She knew the set on this side of the building were still
intact until the second floor. She would have to switch to the east
side staircase to get to the first floor. She just hoped she could
make it down the stairs and escape into the maze of streets before
Razor did.

“Oh God, please let me make it,” she
whispered as she pulled the door open to the stairwell and raced
down the steps. “Please don’t let him catch me.”

Razor’s eyes narrowed as he stared over the
side of the building. His heart thundered in his chest as rage and
fear fought for supremacy. The first emotion he was familiar with;
the second he was not. The rough edge of the broken mortar bit into
his palms as he watched Kali’s dark form swing through the air. He
wanted to cry out a warning when he realized the impossible feat
she was attempting to accomplish.

He sucked in an uneven breath when she
twisted in midair as she was pulled back toward the building. A low
expletive escaped him when she hit the side of it and disappeared
into the darkness. The sound of breaking glass and a muttered cry
carried faintly above the icy wind that was beginning to build. He
pushed away from the edge of the building and turned back toward
the roof access. His mind raced ahead as he tried to think of every
scenario.

He knew without a doubt that she would do
everything she could to escape back to her brother. He had learned
a lot about her over the past two weeks, both from the Intel
submitted to him and his own personal observations. She was proud,
protective, and courageous. All traits that he admired. He also
knew without a doubt that she would fight.

Yes, she will not give in easily,
he
thought with a sense of pride.

His eyes swept the area where the human male
should have been. A dark scowl crossed his face when he realized he
was gone. The thought of the male reaching Kali before he could
retrieve her shot a rush of adrenaline through him that he hadn’t
felt in years. The primitive need to hunt down his prey and capture
it rose inside him. This is what made his species excel as
warriors. While the Trivator had learned to control their primitive
side, they were genetically designed to be predators.

He turned toward his Skid. She would have to
leave the building. He would capture her before she could escape.
He climbed onto the sleek air bike. Skimming his thumb over the
control, he rose silently into the air. Leaning forward, he
depressed the accelerator and shot over the roof toward the back
side of the building. A long, narrow road ran between it and the
next building.

He circled around the corner and hovered
approximately six meters above the ground. He programmed the
auto-pilot to maintain its position and snapped the small remote
securely to the thick wristband he wore. Swinging his leg over, he
silently dropped to the ground below. He knelt for a moment,
listening and scenting the air. Once he was satisfied no other
humans were close, he straightened before crossing over to where a
service door stood ajar.

*.*.*

Kali grabbed the wall to stop from falling
as she reached the bottom of the stairwell. Her legs felt shaky and
she knew she was running on empty. The last week of interrupted
sleep, combined with blood loss and the intense physical demands
from her escape were threatening to overwhelm her. She shook her
head in an effort to clear it. She couldn’t stop yet.

“Kali,” a quiet voice called out to her.

Kali jerked around, pressing her hand to her
chest and her back to the wall as she strained to see. A shuddering
breath of relief escaped her when Jason stepped out from the
shadows. She weakly held out her left hand to him.

“Jason! Thank God you are okay,” she
whispered back in a faint voice. “We have to get out of here. I
have to get to Destin.”

Warm fingers wrapped around her hand and
pulled her forward into his arms. A smothered whimper escaped her
as the cut on her shoulder and back pulled apart at the pressure.
She shivered as additional warmth ran down her spine.

“What’s wrong?” Jason asked in a strained
voice. “Did that bastard hurt you?”

“No, he didn’t hurt me. I’ll be okay once I
get back to our base,” she mumbled. “We have to move. I don’t know
where he is. He could come down the stairs at any moment.”

“Are you sure?” Jason asked, straining to
see her face. “If you’re positive you’re okay then let’s get the
hell out of here. That bastard is one scary son-of-a-bitch and I
personally don’t relish meeting up with him again,” he added,
rubbing his tender throat.

Kali nodded and leaned on Jason when he
wrapped his arm around her waist as she swayed again. She started
to protest when he pulled his hand back with another curse when he
felt the sticky moisture of blood coating the back of the black
sweat shirt she was wearing.

“Don’t…,” she started to say.

She grimaced when he ignored her and reached
into his front pocket and pulled out one of the small flashlights
they all carried. He looked at his hand before flashing it on the
wall behind her. A crude expletive escaped him when he saw the dark
smear on it.

“Turn around,” he ordered in a rough
voice.

Kali touched his face with the tips of her
fingers. “We don’t have time, Jason. We have to get back to Destin.
If that…” She drew in a deep, shaky breath before she continued.
“His name is Razor. He plans on flattening the city just like he
did Mexico City. We have to warn Destin. He said he is going to
give the order to wipe out Chicago. Once the order is given, Destin
and Colbert only have twelve hours to turn themselves in. If they
don’t… if they refuse… Razor said anyone who resists will die.”

“Fuck!” Jason cursed.

“Jason, if I don’t make it,” Kali started to
say before the words died on her lips as Jason laid his fingers
against them.

“You’ll make it, Kali,” he whispered. “You
are the strongest, most beautiful, most stubborn woman I’ve ever
met. You’ll make it.”

A weak smile lifted the corner of her mouth.
She didn’t respond. In truth, she couldn’t over the lump in her
throat. With a nod of her head, she wrapped her fingers around his
as he cupped her hand again. She ignored the burning pain and
pushed pass her exhaustion. He was right. She would make it.
Failure was not an option. She had sworn to protect Destin and
those who sought protection under him. She would do anything and
everything she could to keep them safe. She refused to give up
without a fight.

*.*.*

Razor stood in the shadows behind a long
counter. His eyes narrowed on the two figures as they pushed open
the doorway leading into the former reception room. The front
entrance was blocked by fallen debris from the helicopter and
damage from the building, making it impossible to escape through
it. His assumption that the slightly opened door was how they
gained entrance to the building was correct.

His nose flared in anger at the possessive
way the human male was holding Kali. Fear and concern swept through
him when he saw her stumble and cry out in pain. He stepped out
from behind the reception counter as she whispered to the male that
she would be alright.

“You are hurt,” Razor growled. “You need
medical attention.”

*.*.*

Kali froze as Razor’s voice echoed in the
silent room. A shiver of apprehension ran through her. His dark
shape seemed more menacing amid the clutter of debris and
destruction, especially now that she knew who he was. Only the
faint light of the flashlight Jason was holding illuminated the
area. She closed her eyes and leaned heavily on Jason as defeat
swept through her.

“I’ll hold him off,” Jason muttered in a
dark voice. “Run, Kali. Get to Destin.”

“Jason…” her voice died as Jason suddenly
pushed her toward the shattered front doors.

“RUN!” Jason snapped as he charged toward
the dark warrior.

Kali felt a sparse reserve of adrenaline
rush through her as she turned. The front was blocked except for a
narrow sliver of space barely wider than a couple of feet. It would
be a tight fit, but she was small and slender enough to squeeze
through it.

She forced herself to ignore the sound of
the struggle behind her. Grabbing the twisted metal frame of the
door, she stepped through and started crawling up the slated slab
of concrete blocking the way to freedom. As the space became
narrower, she dropped further down until she was lying on her
stomach. Lying flat, she ducked her head and began inching her way
between the thick sheets of concrete.

The sound of a vicious snarl reverberated
behind her before it was replaced with the distinctive sound of a
body hitting something hard. Kali’s breathing had turned to deep
gasping breaths as she clawed her way through the debris. Fear
engulfed her when silence fell from behind her. There wasn’t enough
room for her to turn her head to see what was happening. She could
only hope that Jason was able to hold Razor off long enough for her
to get through the obstacle course so she could disappear.

That hope died when she felt a pair of
steely hands wrap about her ankles. She cried out in frustration
and pain as she clawed fruitlessly at the concrete in an effort to
break away from the manacles pulling her back. Inch by inch she was
pulled backwards away from the narrow chance of freedom.

“NO!” She cried out as the hands moved up
her legs until an arm wrapped around her waist. “No, let me
go!”

“Calm, little
fi’ta
,” the dark voice
murmured. “Calm, Kali. You are bleeding again. I must get you to my
healer.”

Kali’s head fell back in exhaustion as he
gently turned her in his arms. She stared up at him with bitter
tears of frustration, pain, and hopelessness glittering in her
eyes. A low cry of denial burst from her lips as his arms tightened
around her as he picked her up.

“Jason!” She whimpered, trying to turn her
head to look for him. “Jason!”

“He will live but he cannot help you now,”
Razor growled. “I told you, Kali. I will no longer allow you to put
yourself in danger. You are lucky you didn’t break your neck! If
this is the kind of care your males give to the females, it is
amazing that your species has survived this long. This is another
reason why your species needs the help of the Alliance.”