Secrets of New Pompeii (7 page)

“He wouldn’t happen to have a pain reliever
stashed in that trunk, would he?”

Max looked at Dario expectantly. Dario glared
at her for a moment then reached into the trunk and tossed her a
small packet. By the time she’d opened the packet and withdrawn the
twin tablets, Max had located a canteen. With an appreciative
smile, she washed down the medicine with the tepid water.

“Thank you,” she told Max.

“You’re welcome,” Dario replied then he
turned to Max. “You want one?”

Max just rolled his eyes. “What about your
chip?”

“Mine has been ‘malfunctioning’ for several
months now. Tarhee keeps meaning to have it replaced, but
procrastination is his middle name. Besides I’m such a nauseating
kiss-ass, he had no reason to think he’d ever need to locate me.”
He moved in front of her and pinned her with his cold black stare.
“I was really disappointed when I heard you’d be attending that
festival of horrors. You were the only member of the royal family I
thought possessed a soul. Now I know better.”

“I wasn’t there to participate,” she
objected. “I came with Stevon Poliantus. He—”

“I know who he is,” Dario snapped. “If it
weren’t for his media network, New Pompeii wouldn’t be accessible
to the masses.”

“We’d heard stories of abuse and torture. We
were there to investigate.” Why was she arguing with him? It was
obviously a waste of time.

His caustic laugh didn’t surprise her. He was
beyond rational debate. “I saw your idea of investigation. Which
did you enjoy more, the live tableau or our wrestling match? Are
you disappointed that we attacked before Max shoved his cock up my
ass?”

“She could be telling the truth.” It wasn’t
an impassioned defense, but anything was welcome. “I know she was
contacted by a member of the resistance. There’s a lot going on
behind the scenes that you’re not aware of.”

“Like what?” He turned on Max. “A tunnel
leading under the barrier? If I’m not mistaken, you knew nothing
about this escape route.”

“We’re under the barrier?” Naloni latched on
to the fact. At least it gave her some idea of her whereabouts.

“Directly under at the moment. Our ride is
still several hours away, so we’ll have to hang out down here.” His
dark gaze swept over Naloni’s huddled form. “However can we spend
the time?”

Max shook his head, expression grim. “You’re
not going to hurt her, Dario. Find another way to amuse
yourself.”

Turning his hostile gaze on Max, Dario put
his fists on his lean hips. The stance was aggressive,
antagonistic. “You’re going to challenge me over one of
them
? Why don’t we start by subjecting her to every
indignity her brother forced upon Arllo? That should keep us busy
for days.”

“Tarhee never touched Arllo,” Max told him.
“No one did. She was still a virgin when she arrived on Outpost
Nine.”

Lowering his hands to his sides, Dario took a
moment to reply. “What are you talking about?” He sounded confused
rather than defensive. “I knew she wasn’t at the festival, but I
thought… I thought they’d killed her.”

The raw pain in his tone tore at Naloni’s
heart. This was a glimpse into his motivation, revenge, frustration
and utter hopelessness. How many others just like him peppered the
houses of New Pompeii? Tarhee and Mikko played their sadistic
games, never thinking about or caring for the lives they destroyed
in the process.

“Arllo was rescued by the people I work with.
She was taken to Racine Colony, Outpost Nine. According to the last
report, which I have no reason to doubt, she is unharmed and doing
well.”

“How is that possible?” He shoved his hand
through his hair, creating even more dramatic spikes. His gaze
thawed, filling with relief and a conspicuous excess of
moisture.

“Apparently you’re not the only game in
town.” Max’s mouth curved just a little, but his eyes took on the
warm radiance that haunted her dreams. “Your people chose to go
under the barrier while mine found a way through. Both ways lead to
freedom. That’s all that matters.”

Dario rubbed his eyes then strode back to the
supply trunks. “We all need to change. Our costumes will draw too
much attention beyond the barrier.” He tossed Max a stack of
military fatigues and set aside a similar outfit for himself. He
continued digging, presumably for something that would fit her. But
Max took off his sandals and her attention shifted away from
Dario’s search.

Max pulled the multi-pocketed black pants on
under his tunic then tossed the tunic aside and reached for the
matching pullover shirt. As always Naloni was struck by the
symmetry of his body, each ropy muscle and long limb in perfect
harmony. Though his legs were covered now, the knit shirt clung to
his chest and broad shoulders. His gaze met hers as he wadded up
the tunic, his smile slow and compelling. He’d caught her staring
and didn’t seem to mind the attention.

With far less subtlety, Dario pulled off his
tunic and donned his new outfit. His body was every bit as
conditioned as Max’s, so why didn’t she react the same way to
him?

She didn’t want to consider the difference,
but her inactivity left her nothing to do but think or gawk at her
captors. Max was more than an amazing body. She’d sensed an
inexplicable connection the first time she’d looked into his eyes.
He could be ferocious and deadly. There was no denying his
ruthlessness, but he was more than bloodlust and pride. His
character ran deeper, with more texture and intricate elements.
Even when he thought her a lowly breeding slave, he’d treated her
with respect and caring.

Would those noble instincts change now that
he knew her true identity?

“You’ve seen ours, now it’s time to show us
yours.” Dario’s provocative words ended her speculation. He held a
third uniform but made no move to toss it to her.

Max reached for the neatly folded clothes,
but Dario twisted away. “Stop harassing her.”

“I’m not harassing her. I just want to see
her naked. She had more than an eyeful during our match.”

“She wasn’t responsible for that display.”
His second grab was no more successful than his first had been.
“Actually, you were.”

“It doesn’t matter, Max. I’m not ashamed of
my body.” She stood and dropped the blanket then unwound her
palla
. “But know this, Dario, you’re just torturing
yourself. If you harm me in any way, there is nowhere in this
galaxy you can hide. My father will kill you.”

Dario laughed. “I thought he didn’t value
females. Why would he bother?”

“Because I look just like my mother, and he
loved her more than life itself.” Tears burned her throat as she
registered the truth of that statement. He loved her so much he had
nearly followed her into the afterlife. Very few knew how close
Fedoros had come to losing their beloved emperor. While his
children had been avoiding his pain!

“You don’t have to do this,” Max’s voice was
tight and low, but anticipation smoldered in his gaze.

Looking only at Max, she unfastened the
jeweled broach at one shoulder. Her tunic sagged, catching on the
curve of her breast. Without changing her serious expression, she
unfastened the matching broach and the tunic slid down her body, a
whisper-soft caress as it pooled around her ankles.

“You sure as hell have nothing to be ashamed
of.” Dario’s voice was suddenly strained. “Turn around.”

She looked and him and shook her head. “Give
me the clothes.”

Before Dario could torment her further, Max
snatched the garments out of his hands and crossed to Naloni. He
stood in front of her while she dressed, his gallant gesture
ensuring his view of her naked body. The pants were a bit baggy,
but the waistband was adjustable. The shirt, on the other hand, was
nearly obscene. The fabric stretched so tight across her breasts
that her nipples were clearly visible.

“Did he do this intentionally?” she asked
Max, tugging the shirt away from her chest.

“Probably.”

“Is there a problem?” The amusement in
Dario’s tone confirmed her suspicions.

She could either give in to his harassment
and humbly ask for a different shirt or throw his immaturity in his
face and let his body punish him. She’d seen how he looked at her.
He was no doubt fighting a hard-on.

“Not at all.” She halted Max’s protest with a
subtle shake of her head. “It’s not my usual style, but it’s rather
cozy.”

Max looked at her breasts, gaze narrowed and
nostrils flared. Unfortunately, his partner’s idiocy was going to
punish him as well.

“Have you contacted my father?” She moved out
from behind Max and watched Dario’s reaction. With predictable
speed, his dark gaze gravitated to her breasts and he slowly licked
his lips. “Did you outline your demands?”

Dario shook his head and dragged his gaze to
her face. “The barrier jams most forms of communication. It will
have to wait until we’re safely off-world.”

“Then how do you know when our ride will
arrive?”

“It’s called a rendezvous, sweetheart.
They’re set up in advance.” After another lingering look at her
curves, he turned back to the trunks and asked, “Is anyone else
hungry? We weren’t allowed to partake of those lavish buffets of
course. We were part of the furniture.”

She’d been too anxious to eat before, but her
stomach wasn’t much calmer now. Dario found squeezable packets of
the nutrient-rich paste soldiers often lived on while in the field.
He tossed one to her and again she wondered at his obvious
connection to the military. Realizing there was nowhere else to
sit, she returned to the bed.

Max caught the packet Dario threw him then
sat on one corner of the bed, folding his legs in front of him.
“Stevon Poliantus is a not-so-silent partner in New Pompeii. Why
would he help you destroy it?”

“He’s a shrewd businessman, but he also has
this little thing called integrity. Regardless of the money it
makes him, he wants no part of the things we’ve heard about.” She
washed down a lump of paste with a swallow of water. Suddenly glad
their “ride” was only a few hours away. “He had several teams at
the festival tonight, compiling evidence.”

“What did he intend to do with the evidence
once it was compiled?” Max accepted the canteen from her
outstretched hand and took a healthy swig. “Gods that tastes
terrible.”

Dario laughed as he closed the lid and sat on
one of the trunks. “Food must be better at your
ludus
than
mine.”

Sparing him only a wan smile, Naloni went on.
“If the scenes were as damning as we expected them to be, we would
have shown them to Father. If Father refused to act, Stevon was
prepared to go public.”

“You’re serious about this?” Dario abandoned
his momentary isolation and sat on the opposite corner of the bed
from Max. “You’re really helping the resistance?”

Naloni sat against the wall, her legs
extended between them. “Laetif Xyell recruited Elaina and Elaina
recruited me.”

“Xyell’s sister and his wife are both part of
the resistance?” Dario shook his head then released a disbelieving
laugh. “That must be one dysfunctional family.” He was quiet for a
moment, apparently lost in thought then he asked, “Do you know if
Poliantus’ teams were able to record anything useful before we
threw a fly in their ointment?”

“I have no idea.” Naloni didn’t want to like
him. He was brash and obnoxious, but she was starting to understand
his sarcastic wit and his underlying motivation. “Is your timing
always this bad?”

He grinned. “Would you like to find out?”

“Not in this lifetime,” Max answered for
her.

Dario resisted surrender a moment longer.
“How do I know anything you’ve told me is true? You could both be
full of shit. I have no way to verify anything you’ve said.”

“I might have ulterior motives, but Max has
no reason to lie to you.”

“He could be protecting you.”

She shook her head and glanced at Max. “I
lost the right to his protection a long time ago.”

“All right, since we’re being all chummy
here, tell me how you met.”

Max passed the canteen to Dario, his gaze
carefully shuttered. “Go on, Your Imperial Highness, tell him how
we met.”

Squirming beneath the intensity of their
combined stares, Naloni debated what to say. The mystic regression
Bertram had guided her through left the events clearly etched in
her mind. “I don’t think rehashing all that is beneficial to
anyone.”

“Fine. I’ll start,” Max volunteered. “I’d
been on Fedoros less than a year when this incredibly beautiful
woman was pushed into my cell. She told me the founders were
pleased with me and she was my reward. I was still concerned that
she was being coerced in some way, but would you turn down…her?” He
swept his arm toward Naloni.

“Hell no.” Dario looked at her, eyes narrowed
with speculation. “Had someone bullied you into sleeping with
Max?”

She covered her face with her hand too
humiliated to look at either of them. “No. It was entirely my
idea.”

“So why did you do it?” Max’s question
sounded more like an accusation. “Once I found out who you were, I
couldn’t begin to understand your motivation.”

“Are you a gladiator…groupie?” Dario asked.
“Is that the right word?”

“Yes, the word is correct, but no, I’m not a
groupie.” If she admitted her mistakes and dealt with her feelings,
could she grow stronger from the events? Hadn’t that been what
Bertrom promised? She looked at Max again and chose her words
carefully, needing to purge her pent-up emotions without risking
further pain. For either of them. “What I told you was not that far
from the truth. Father was about to sell me to a lecherous old
man.”

Max’s brow shot up. “In other words, he’d
arranged a politically beneficial marriage without consulting
you?”