Raines, Elizabeth - Sold [Wicked Missions 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (14 page)

Something had been nagging at her, making her feel anxious and afraid. She hadn’t been able to put her finger on exactly what, but the thought of entering the tent only seemed to make the feeling worse. She glanced around for a familiar face in the line streaming into the entrance. “Do you see Simone?”

“Who?” Brandon took her hand and gave it a squeeze as they walked away from the dock, heading toward the gathering.

“Simone Honeycutt,” Carter replied. “She was sold in the auction with Lyri.”

“Oh, yeah,” Brandon said with nod. “The one you told me you helped Tyler Honeycutt buy.”

“He married her right after the auction,” Lyrianna blurted out before nibbling on her bottom lip. She knew it was stupid to let her circumstances keep bothering her so much, but ever since she and Carter had seen Simone, the fact that her guys hadn’t married her had been eating at her. She’d made her choice to be with Brandon and Carter months ago, and she needed to learn to live with it and stop wanting more. The men were obviously happy with the situation the way it was. They took good care of her, gave her a beautiful place to live, and made love to her until her eyes crossed. She was foolish to want more. Yet she still did. She wanted them to love her the way she loved them.

“Young love.” Carter reached up to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear before taking her free hand. “Wanna go get something to eat? We can look for Simone and Tyler.”

She shrugged, not feeling very hungry but deciding that bringing up the topic of marriage would only sour things. No, she needed to let that resentment go, and hopefully the anxious feeling would go with it. Maybe one day, they’d feel about her the way Tyler felt about Simone. “Sure. Let’s see what they’ve got.”

The crowd in the tent was loud, probably fueled by the enormous barrels of ale and the numerous bottles of wine on the far side of the tent. Most of the tables were full of people eating or drinking. Others moved through the crowd talking or perhaps discussing what they could barter. The men had told her that they’d conduct a lot of business while at the festival, so she tried to give them distance and not cling, despite how she felt swallowed by the crowd.

Carter waved at a man gesturing to him from one of the far tables. Leaning in, he had to tell her twice before she heard enough of what he said to realize the he needed to go talk to that man. He kissed her cheek before he worked his way through the throng.

Brandon left her next, pointing to another man on the other side of the tent before handing her some money. More business to conduct, so she decided to find an inconspicuous place to park herself until her guys were done with all their business and ready to get something to eat. Tucking the uni-credits in her skirt pocket, she sat down and watched her guys while scanning the crowd from time to time for Simone and Tyler.

After about thirty minutes, the noise and heat inside the tent made her panic start to rise again, so Lyrianna finally stepped outside for a breath of fresh air. Once outside, she took a couple of deep inhales as she enjoyed the coolness that came with the setting of the sun. The guys had been right—she’d adjusted to the three-light, three-dark cycle. It seemed like part of her own internal rhythm now. She looked forward to the days she could watch the sun set over the surf as the waves rolled in, casting tiny rainbows over the wet sand. The days when the sun rose, she’d cook breakfast for all of them while she caught the first rays of sunlight, knowing she’d get to enjoy three days of feeling the warmth on her skin.

In the fading twilight, she walked along the boardwalk, figuring she’d stretch her legs and enjoying the freedom of being alone. She actually missed their island, realizing she’d come to think of it as home—the first one she’d ever really known. Rozale had been…busy. Bustling. Always something to do and someplace to go. But she’d never truly put roots down there. Belusia might have been where she’d been born, yet she’d left so young, no true attachments had formed. Her friend Hannah always bugged her to spend some time on Earth, telling her she’d love it there, but Lyrianna had been too busy doing her “work” on Rozale to take Hannah up on the offer.

But the island?
That
was truly home.

Turning the corner, Lyrianna figured she’d circle the block and start back toward the tent. If Brandon and Carter had finished their business, they could all—

A thick arm wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her body as a sweaty hand covered her mouth. She struggled, trying to stomp the man’s foot, but he slammed her headfirst into the closest wall, making stars dot her vision. “Miss me, sweetheart?”

Syrus Graveland
. Lyrianna struggled harder, ignoring the blood that dripped into her line of vision. Dozens of questions about how he’d managed to get all the way out to Pagonna and why he’d come after her blended with her panic. He was so much bigger than she was, and before she could prevent it, he had her back pressed against the building, his forearm jammed against her throat. Only this time, she didn’t have a gun to push into his gut to save herself.

“You’re a dead woman,” he said, spittle flying from his frothy mouth. “A walking corpse.”

“Why?” she croaked. If she was going to die, she damn well wanted to know why. What kind of hatred could possibly make a person travel that far across the universe simply to kill her?

“You think I’d let you fuck me over like that and live?”

How was she supposed to answer that? Was he talking about getting caught in the raid? How in the hell was that
her
fault? The man was insane.

“Look where I am! The fucking Tadoorni System out with the fucking Pilgrims! I used to run the drug trade on Rozale. I controlled most of the crime in the Prime Sector. But thanks to you, too many people wanted my head on a platter. Other bosses. Police. Judges. All because of you!”

“I…” She coughed. “I…don’t know…what—”

Syrus pressed his arm harder against her windpipe. She wheezed, hardly able to draw a breath. “Bullshit!” he shouted in her face, his stinking breath making her want to retch. “Your missionary friends came looking for you. When they found out you were sent to prison they made it their mission to get you off Delta moon. But the judge, the matron, and the guards had already pocketed their money and sent you here. Once they got caught, I lost all my contacts. The new judge sentenced me to prison!
Me!
The fucking kingpin of Rozale! I go to prison, and I’m a dead man. I had to run from all the people wanting to ice me! Cops. Judges. Fucking guys who used to work for me. But I got away and made it here, you bitch—all for one reason.”

Let me guess…to kill me
.

“To kill you, you stupid whore. You’re dead, Lyrianna. Did you hear me? Dead! If I’m going to hell, you’re going with me.”

Such a moron, blaming his downfall on her swiping some of his stolen vaccines. She figured the lack of oxygen to her brain was forcing her to remain calm in the face of his hatred, and despite the blood dripping in her eyes, she was tempted to roll them at him. The fact that he’d gone to such great lengths simply because he wanted to make her pay seemed a bit extreme, but she’d never pissed off an underworld boss before. They obviously took their vengeance seriously.

Syrus widened his stance, finally giving her a chance to retaliate. With the last of her strength, she brought her knee up hard between his legs. He groaned, stumbling backward until he released her. Lyrianna collapsed to her knees, taking big, gulping breaths as she tried to crawl away. Stumbling to her feet, she held herself up against the wall, looking around for anyone or anything that could help.

Two blurs moved from the darkness, one grabbing her by the waist and pulling her away while the other fell on Syrus and started whaling on him, throwing punch after punch.

“Lyrianna,” Carter said, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her close.

“Help…Brandon,” she said between breaths.

Carter glanced toward Brandon and smiled. She saw why—Brandon had a bloodied and subdued Syrus pinned to the boardwalk. “Doesn’t look like he needs my help,” Carter said with a chuckle. “Do you know who that man is?”

She nodded, swiping her forehead with the back of her hand and then seeing the blood smeared across her knuckles. She’d probably need stitches. About to ask what they could do to keep Syrus contained until help could arrive, Lyrianna breathed a sigh of relief when Tyler came heading down the boardwalk.

“You found her!” Tyler called before he hurried over to where Brandon sat on a huffing and puffing Syrus. Judging from the cuts and lumps on his face, Syrus was no match for her Brandon. “Who the hell’s that?” Tyler asked when he cast confused brown eyes on Lyrianna.

She didn’t have the strength to answer him. Thankfully, Carter swept her into his arms and started back toward the tent. Over his shoulder, he called, “I’m getting her some help. Catch up when you can, Brandon.”

* * * *

At least she hadn’t needed stitches. Her head throbbed, but the doctor who’d inserted her implant was able to close the wound with skin glue. She’d probably have an ugly bruise, but somehow, she’d survived.

A shudder ripped through Lyrianna as she thought about Syrus Graveland. Brandon must have noticed because he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “Are you in pain?” He tenderly ran his fingertip across her eyebrows.

“Not much. Just a headache,” she replied. “What happened to Syrus?”

“The guy who attacked you?” Brandon asked. She nodded. “He’s going right back on the transport that he came in on. This time in restraints. Seems like he’d been asking around about you for a few days, but the sheriff hadn’t been able to round him up to bring in him for questioning. No one is sure how he got on that government transport, but we’re damned well going to find out. He’s heading back to the Prime Sector. Evidently has a very long prison term waiting for him.”

“He said he had government connections.” She took Carter’s hand when he reached for hers. “He told me he knew I’d been sent here from Delta moon and that he knew who arranged it. The missionaries I helped with the vaccines evidently uncovered the judge and prison officials and guards trafficking innocent women for the auction. I imagine that’s what happened with Simone, too.”

Neither of her guys commented on that, but she knew that information held some great significance. The fact that she was wrongfully convicted and brought here could even be her ticket to freedom. Did they realize that as well?

She couldn’t read any emotion from either of them. Both men held tight to whatever they were feeling. Frustrating, but she knew it could simply be that they were processing the ramifications of Syrus finding her here on Pagonna. If he could locate her, then she could get a message back to her sister. Not that she wanted Callinda to come for her. She simply wanted to ease her worry. “Could we send a message to Callinda on that transport?” Lyrianna asked, her voice barely a whisper.

The question made both men’s faces contort into angry scowls, but Carter nodded. “We’ll try.” He glanced at Brandon, and she could tell they wanted to talk privately. Unfortunately, with the doctor, the sheriff, Tyler, and Simone all packed around her, the men would have to wait.

When the man who’d run the auction shoved his way inside the room as well and started asking questions, she knew that things could quickly get out of control. She wasn’t ready to make any choices about her future, nor did she want Carter and Brandon having all these people around when she tried to talk to them about their relationship. Lyrianna closed her eyes and prayed for patience. It didn’t arrive. Instead, the gnawing anxiety came rushing back, drawing her down like a relentless undertow.

Everything was suddenly too much, and she needed to escape the drowning feeling. “I want to go home!” she blurted out, needing to see her island. Because of Syrus, things were going to change, and she wasn’t at all ready for it. She needed to think. To plan. And to pray. “Please, Carter, Brandon… Please can we go home now?”

“Sure, honey,” Carter replied. “Sure.”

Chapter 11

“Do you know who that is?” Lyrianna nodded toward the small motorboat rapidly approaching the shore.

Carter and Brandon both came to stand at her side. “Looks like Preston Archer,” Brandon replied.

“Who?” She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand and tried to make out the face. “Oh, wait. I recognize him. He’s the auctioneer, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Carter replied. He grabbed her hand and tugged her along with him as he turned and started walking toward the veranda. “Why don’t you go inside and wait until we find out what he wants?”

So they were trying to hide her away. Evidently they thought, just as she’d assumed, that this visit was ominous and had been coming ever since the night of the festival. “You don’t want me to talk to him?”