The Stolen Sky (Split City Book 2) Read online

  Dade shook off the punch and danced back. It was fancy footwork that wouldn’t have worked in a street fight. Yet here it delivered just enough distraction that when he launched himself forward to deliver a blow, the other man didn’t see it coming.

  His hit had power behind it. It landed solid and clean. Even though the guy dwarfed Dade, the punch was substantial enough to take him down.

  Arden was already moving before the opponent’s body hit the mat, forcing herself to move faster than she should. Her body screamed in agony each time she was jostled by the crowd as she pushed her way through.

  The Twins stepped up beside her. They blocked the unwanted elbows from contacting her seemingly without any effort. She wondered why they’d helped when they hadn’t even spoken to her once.

  They led her backstage, this time into an anteroom filled with people. It was as crowded as the club had been, but without the bloodlust that had stirred the audience. Some were fighters waiting for their turn in the ring. Others had been chained along a wall to await their return to their cells.

  In front of them, their owners chatted with one another in a laughing camaraderie. They reminded Arden of the birds from the Wilds, the kind with teeth and talons and razor-sharp feathers, dressed in their slickly made tunics of brightly colored fabrics.

  Disgust made her stomach sour.

  Dade was already there. He sat on the floor with his back pressed against the wall. His head was tipped back, and his eyes were closed. The wraps, already taken off his hands, lay strewn on the ground beside him. He held a towel but hadn’t used it to wipe the blood off his face yet.

  Arden knelt next to him. She took the towel from his loose grip and began to clean his wounds, inspecting them as she went. The cuts were bloody but superficial. None of them would need quick-seal. Between the new cuts and the old bruises, his face was a mess.

  Dade opened his eyes and watched her. He looked exhausted, his lids heavy and dark rimmed. She suspected that while some of his fatigue was from the fight, most of it came from keeping secrets. She should have pushed him for answers earlier. If this thing between them was going to work, they had to have trust.

  “We work better together,” she said.

  He nodded.

  She pulled the towel away to look at him directly. “You need to remember that.”

  He took her hand in his. “I will.”

  Arden squeezed his hand before letting go. She went right back to checking his bruises and split skin, making frustrated noises as she cleaned off the blood.

  He asked in a dry, scratchy voice, “Are you okay?”

  “Me? I’m not the one who just got pummeled.”

  Dade laughed. It was a brief sound, more of a croak than a chuckle. “I won.”

  This time she gave him a genuine smile. “Barely. We’ll have to work on that.”

  “I thought you didn’t want me fighting.”

  “I don’t, but if you’re determined to get yourself killed, you need to be better at it.”

  His eyes sparkled. He took her arm just above her elbow and steered her in closer. “I hurt, maybe you can kiss it and make it better.”

  “Yeah, where?”

  He pointed to a spot just beside his lips. “Right here is the worst.”

  Arden managed to look serious as she leaned in. Her lips swept against his skin in a light caress. She didn’t want to hurt him. There didn’t seem to be any undamaged skin on his face. Not to mention, this wasn’t the place for a make-out session.

  Dade didn’t seem to care, though. He turned into the kiss, his lips meeting hers, deepening it. His arms came around her, reeling her in.

  She went along with it. Falling into his embrace was too easy.

  He kissed her with intensity. It felt like a soul connection, full of need and want. His lips and his touch had become something she craved.

  His hand reached up to gently stroke her cheek as he pulled away. Then he rubbed his nose against hers. “I love you, you know that?”

  It was the first time he’d ever said the words out loud. Her body lit on fire near to bursting. The beat of her heart sped and almost swallowed her whole, but she managed, “Yeah, I figured.”

  “Oh, how’s that?”

  Her breath rushed out. “Because I love you too.”

  “It’s me and you, right?”

  “Forever.”

  Their lips met again, feverishly searching. This time the world fell away.

  Turned out their moment didn’t last long.

  The prickling sensation of being watched tingled at her subconscious. It was like an itch that got stronger and stronger the longer their kiss went on, irritating her enough that she pulled away, though she was still caught in the traction of Dade’s gaze. She blinked and scanned the area.

  The Twins stood a foot away, shoulder to shoulder. Their heads tilted at the exact same angle, and their gazes watched them with an eerie intensity. They looked curious, as if they’d never seen anyone kiss before.

  Arden shivered. The little freaks were totally skeevy. She leaned into Dade and asked them nastily, “What do you want?”

  Dade’s arms tightened.

  The Twins grinned.

  “Boss wants you both—”

  “In the back.”

  “Come—”

  “Quickly now.”

  The syncing, the way their speech went back and forth in the singsong lilt, was not right.

  “He said—”

  “Not to let you dawdle.”

  “Time is money—”

  “Money is time.”

  The Twins reached for both Dade and Arden, each offering a hand to help them gain their feet. They appeared slight, but there was strength in their grips.

  Arden allowed herself to be pulled up, then followed them. She could fight, but it was best to save her strength for when she needed it. And she was interested in what Crispin had to say. She was mentally ready for battle by the time they’d left the crowded hallways and entered the inner sanctum.

  Swaggering over, Crispin met them at the end of the hall and greeted them jovially. “There you are.”

  Arden didn’t know what to think about Crispin. She didn’t trust him, yet there was something likable about him. Under other circumstances, she’d find him entertaining. She wanted to know who he was beneath the crafted charm.

  “As if we’d be anywhere else.” Arden looked pointedly at the Twins before she looked back at Crispin with her eyebrow raised. “I agreed to talk. I don’t appreciate the intimidation.”

  That earned a huge grin from Crispin. “You’re feisty.”

  A slow blink later, she still stared at him. When he continued to look delighted, she realized that she amused him. Arden was positive that wasn’t a good thing. Further, she didn’t understand it. He’d anticipated her visit, and then he found her . . . engaging? She didn’t think that had ever happened. It completely put her off her game.

  Crispin turned to Dade. “That was an excellent match. I have two heavier-weight boxers in the lineup next week. Fighting them will make you a bigger profit. Or rather, will make me a bigger profit.” He laughed at his own joke.

  Dade grunted.

  “Now that Arden has joined us, let’s talk in my office.” After a gesture down the hall, he led them to a door similar to all the others. Crispin slapped his hand on the scanner. The laser glided under his palm, and then the door slid open. “After you.”

  Arden felt thrown by Crispin. Unable to figure him out. So when Dade looked at her with an eyebrow raised, she just shrugged. She didn’t understand what was going on either. Though whatever this was couldn’t be good. One thing was for certain: Crispin had played this scenario nicely.

  They all stepped into the office: Arden, Dade, Crispin, followed by the Twins. But Crispin stopped abruptly as soon as he entered, and his back went stiff. Arden looked across the room, wondering at his reaction.

  Her eyes widened and then narrowed.

  A girl stoo
d at the desk, examining the knickknacks scattered there. She picked one up, testing its weight. Her back was to them, and she didn’t bother to turn around.

  Not that Arden had any problem identifying her. She knew that stance, knew that power packed in a little package. She knew the girl’s seemingly benign behavior was false. She was a predator.

  One that even Arden had a healthy fear of.

  Arden’s heart took a leap as adrenaline shot through her body. But she couldn’t tell if it was from excitement or fear. Maybe both. Whichever, it felt good—like she was finally alive again. This was what she’d missed.

  She’d last seen Mina on a buy for Lasair. Mina was a highly connected weapons dealer, one whom Arden met with often. At that meeting, the girl and her thugs had attacked her in order to make sure that Arden was who she said she was. Then, once reassured, Mina had given Arden a warning about the rumors of a mole in Lasair, as if they were friends. Maybe they were, sort of. They had a working relationship that Arden had trusted. At least until Arden had been attacked. Which was why Arden was confident the reason Mina now stood in Crispin’s office had to do with her.

  Mina turned and gave them a sharp smile. She carefully placed the tchotchke she was holding on the desk before she leaned her weight back against the metal surface and folded her arms, looking at Crispin first, then Dade, and then finally Arden. There her gaze stayed the longest, her head tilted with consideration. She appeared delighted.

  Absurdly, Arden was too. There was a promise in that expression of fun or at least some sort of dangerous adventure. Arden craved that, though she knew to caution herself. Trust was tentative between them, situational at best.

  Mina was pretty and petite with curly dark hair, dusky skin, and wide almond eyes. For a while, Arden had assumed this look was a synth-mask. But then she’d realized that no, Mina was crazy enough to walk around and do business without wearing a false appearance.

  There were phasers strapped to her belt, and she wore a black running suit made to repel phase-fire. This wasn’t a social call. Arden had seen Mina dressed in various outfits over the years, but never had she seen her dressed to do battle. And yet she appeared as wholly relaxed as when she wore her more usual bright sheets of color and glittering jewelry.

  Crispin’s skin had gone a blotchy red. His eyes burned and his jaw clenched. He didn’t lose his cool—not yet. But he was close. The congenial veneer was gone, had slid away so completely as if to be forgotten.

  Arden had to give it to Mina. She brought out the best in people.

  “What are you doing here?” Crispin asked.

  “Come now, Crispin,” Mina tsk-tsked with a silky-smooth tone tinged with the accent of another of the planet’s cities. “Is that any way to greet an old friend? I’m here for the same thing as you, a piece of the power couple.”

  Yep, things were about to get sticky. Arden grinned.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Dade stood just inside the door, watching the exchange in Crispin’s office from behind Crispin and Arden. He had been the last to enter and because of that, his view was obstructed. But he recognized the voice of the girl who’d crashed the party. It was one that he remembered all too clearly. A chill straightened his spine.

  Not now. This was the worst timing.

  The Twins moved around him with easy speed, flanking Crispin like avenging demons. Their demeanor had morphed from general oddness to a lethal promise in seconds. Their daggers were drawn, two each, the wicked-looking blades assuring a deadly end.

  Dade inched around Arden’s side and looked past her shoulder. When he saw Mina, he exhaled hard. Though he’d guessed, there had been a small hope that he was wrong. He hadn’t expected to see her for weeks.

  His stomach tightened with anxiety. He had yet to tell Arden about his business with Mina. Kept putting it off, convincing himself that there would be a better moment. Now the window of opportunity he had was gone, and the delay was going to cost him.

  He cursed softly.

  Mina didn’t look bothered by any of them, not the Twins or Crispin, who glared, or Arden, who’d gone deadly still. She leaned on the desk, the side of her mouth curled slightly, and Dade realized she enjoyed creating chaos.

  “Arden, you look like crap,” Mina said.

  “Why does everyone keep telling me that?” Arden folded her arms and glared.

  The fact that Mina and Arden knew each other didn’t surprise Dade. What caused the sinking in his gut was the confirmation that Mina most likely had manipulated his rescue—or maybe even his blast off the skyway—to trap Arden. He’d thought long and hard about Mina and her crew and why they’d picked him. Trying to reason out what they could want. Sure, he had knowledge of some privileged information because he was a Solizen, but not anything that they couldn’t access another way. The only thing of value that Mina could want from him was his connection to Arden.

  Seeing Arden and Mina adjust to each other in the room, Dade realized that they were more than just acquaintances. The way they moved, each seeming to anticipate the other, their unspoken communication, the narrowing of Arden’s eyes, which made Mina laugh. Not friends exactly, but not enemies. Something in between.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Mina?” Crispin asked. The polished, sociable veneer was still in place, but Dade could tell that anger simmered under the surface. His voice had gone low and smooth, without its usual joviality. And his body tightened as he adjusted his posture.

  It was a fighter’s stance, Dade realized. He wondered then if Crispin had once fought in the rings himself, if maybe he hadn’t always been the one in charge.

  “Call off your children, Crispin,” Mina said, the flick of her gaze indicating the Twins. “I’ve got no quarrel with you.”

  Dade heard the same unstated yet he was sure everyone else did. It was a threat that possibly only Mina could get away with.

  Crispin and Mina were deadly players. They each had connections, and they both could make someone disappear with the snap of their fingers.

  The tension escalated. For a moment, Dade thought Crispin would ignore her to prove that she wasn’t in charge here. If something did go down, Dade didn’t know whom he wanted to win or if he should simply hope for the best.

  Arden didn’t look concerned. She looked rather bored, actually. That more than anything settled him.

  Finally Crispin waved his hand to dismiss the Twins. They obeyed, retreating into the hall. Crispin didn’t look happy about it. His mouth puckered, and his eyes were slits. Though by the time he lowered his hand, he once again wore a smile. Only it had morphed, bordering on cruel with too many teeth showing and gold caps shining. “How’d you get past my guards?”

  Mina’s eyes twinkled as she straightened from the desk. “You know I don’t like to gossip. But I’m sure we could trade secrets if you’re so inclined.”

  Crispin grunted with what was supposed to be a laugh, but his tone expressed annoyance rather than mirth.

  Arden watched in tense silence, so still that she seemed not to breathe.

  Dade shifted, and that snagged Arden’s attention. She looked at him, her gaze unreadable. Then she took two steps backward to stand at his side. Reaching out, she took his hand, sliding her palm against his. Her fingers gripped tight.

  It felt like an assurance that they would get through whatever was happening here unscathed. That she would take care of everything.

  Except she didn’t know what he did.

  Dade squeezed back, wishing she could hear the silent screaming in his head. The frustration churning in his gut was not something he enjoyed. There was no way to warn her of what was coming. He had to stand here and watch it happen with no way to stop it.

  “Shall we?” Crispin held up his hand, indicating the sitting area.

  Mina inclined her head. She slid away from the desk, and took a leisurely stroll through the room before she sat herself in the center of a couch. Dade and Arden positioned themselves on the couch ac
ross from her, while Crispin chose the chair closest to the door.

  “Now that everyone is settled, care to tell us what you are doing here?” Crispin asked.

  Mina shrugged with fluid grace. She tipped her chin at Dade. “I have a prior claim on Dade. I’m here to collect him.”

  Dade’s stomach pitted.

  Arden sucked in a harsh breath. He could feel when she turned to stare at him, but he refused to look at her. Didn’t want to see the accusation or her disappointment. Moons, he’d screwed up so bad by not telling her. His mouth felt dry and his head a bit too light.

  She turned back to Mina. Yet she leaned into him, her side glued to his. He couldn’t read her intention. Didn’t understand what it meant. Was she protecting him? Wanting to show a united front? Or maybe she was planning to kick his ass as soon as they left the room? Whatever the reason for her closeness, it made him feel sick to his stomach.

  “What claim do you have on Dade?” Arden asked.

  Mina blinked. The reaction seemed to show surprise, but Dade thought that it appeared way too calculated. “He hasn’t told you that I saved his life?”

  Dade’s breath popped like a balloon. And now it began. He forced himself to sit up straighter. If Mina was making him do this with an audience, he wouldn’t be a coward about it.

  “When?” Arden’s question was little more than a hiss of breath.

  “When I fell over the skyway,” he said, “Mina and her crew were the ones who put out the net. She saved me.”

  Arden shut her eyes, her face pinched in a moue of distaste. “Of course she did.” When she opened her eyes, they focused on Mina, her stare unblinking.

  Crispin leaned back in his chair, one leg folded over the other. For all intents looking like the king of the castle. “Dade is working for me. He’s paying off a debt. As I have prior claim and am in need of his services, I’m sorry, but I can’t let him go.”

  “It’s his debt?” Mina asked. The toothy smile informed Dade that she already knew the answer. He wondered just how many spies she had.

  Crispin looked reluctant when he answered, “No.”

  Mina clapped her hands like they’d reached an agreement. “Then he’s free to go.”