If Sumi lived a thousand years, she would never forget the shocked, tender look on his face as he held Kalea. And she knew Kalea would have another very fierce protector in her cousin.
She met Nero's speculative gaze. "You're being remarkably quiet."
"Not sure what to say, other than yes, I'll watch her and make sure nothing happens while you're gone."
A chill went down her spine. "You shouldn't pry into people's thoughts, Nero."
"You shouldn't have thoughts around me you don't want me to know about."
"What thoughts?" Darice asked.
"None whatsoever." Nero went to take Kalea, but Darice kept her in his arms. He smiled at Darice. "Why don't I take the two of you to the hospital to be with Hauk? Knowing Syn, he won't release him until tomorrow. He'll want to run every test known to make sure he's fine." He paused to meet Sumi's gaze. "See you there in a few hours?"
She nodded. "Thank you."
"No problem."
After he left with the kids and guards, Sumi went to their bedroom to dig out their backpacks that someone had delivered after their return from Oksana. No one had bothered to unpack them. She paused as she found the violin case in Hauk's pack.
A smile tugged at the edges of her lips as she remembered how beautifully Dancer played. When this was over, she was going to make him serenade her.
And that steeled the determination in her to see this to the end, and to make sure no one ever threatened him again.
She rooted around until she located her League gear. It was time for her to go to work.
Sumi slowed as she felt someone following her. Turning into an alley, she fell into the shadows and waited.
Once the tall male walked past her corner, she grabbed him. She started to punch him then recognized the familiar form. "Bastien? What are you doing here?"
He offered her an unrepentant grin. "I figured you could use the backup."
"I'm an assassin. I work best alone."
"Even Nemesis has backup for these kinds of missions."
She glanced down to his stomach where he'd been marked a Ravin by The League. "I thought you hated the killing business."
"This isn't business. It's personal, and that I understand better than anyone."
She supposed he did. "You're planning to go after the one who killed your family?"
He nodded. "Once you're squared away, and I don't have to worry about the debt I owe the two of you. Hell, yes."
"You don't owe us anything."
"I disagree, and Hauk would never forgive me if I let something happen to you. Besides, I don't want someone who's done so much for me to lose what he loves most. So let's get this done."
She smiled at him and the kindness he denied having. "You're a good man, Bas."
"Not really. I just strive to not be a bad one... or on most days, a total dick."
Unsure what to say, she started back down the street to the apartment building she'd been headed for. Like her, Bastien wore a cowled coat with the hood up, concealing his face. Luckily, they were both tall for humans and dressed in Andarion clothing. As such, even though it was the middle of the afternoon, the Andarions on the street ignored them.
That was the first law of assassin training - to blend and not stand out.
Since the apartment lobby was guarded by private security, Sumi headed to the back of the building. With a link in her ear that kept her in contact with Bastien, she handed him her coat and then scaled the side of the building to reach the apartment that housed her target.
Sumi jimmied the electronic lock, deactivated the alarm, and slid herself into the back bedroom. In the late-afternoon shadows, she took a moment to get her bearings.
Pera was in the living room, on a call. "Listen to me. It's going to be all right. Don't panic and don't say anything. All they know is that you were so upset at having lost the bastard's pledge, that you overreacted. Keep telling them that. You're pregnant and your hormones are all over the place. They will believe you. I'll take care of everything else. Just breathe and stay calm." She hung up as Sumi skirted past her, unseen.
She didn't bother to decloak until she had Pera's link in her hand and the path to the door blocked. A strange calm permeated her as she watched the female who had planted the tracker in Dancer's back and set loose the assassins on him.
That knowledge was what had led Sumi here.
Once she'd had Pera's name and basic information from Darice, everything else had been easy to find in The League database that she'd hacked. The contracts Pera had placed for Dancer's life. The deal she'd made with Kyr against the Hauks. And the one contract Sumi was sure no one knew about.
"Does Dariana know you put out a hit for her son?"
Gasping, Pera turned around and pinned her with a vicious glare. "I don't know what you're talking about, human."
"That would be 'agent' to you, bitch. Bet you never dreamed Kyr would want Dancer brought in for interrogation rather than death, huh?" Sumi moved closer to her. "That is why you went to The League before you paid for the private contracts, is it not?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Sumi snorted. "Don't worry. I'm not wired. I'm not recording this, in any way. I don't want witnesses, any more than you do."
"And why is that?"
"Because I'm here to kill you."
Now it was Pera's turn to laugh. "You? You're a human. What are you going to do? Make me choke to death on my own laughter?"
Sumi tsked at her disdain. "Had you been at the match today, instead of at Dancer's house trying to kill him, you'd have seen exactly what I plan to do to you."
Again, Pera scoffed. "You didn't do anything. You spared Dariana."
"For Darice only. I didn't want to kill his mother in front of him. But it's just you and me, now. And there's only two ways out of here. The window behind you and the door behind me." Sumi glanced meaningfully at the glass. "You might survive the window."
Pera held her arms out. "I'm completely defenseless. You're really going to kill me?"
Sumi's gaze went to the computer screen where Pera had been working. "You were about to post payment on a contract for Darice's life to have him brutally slaughtered. He's fourteen. A child. And you went after my male and attacked while his back was turned. What do you think?"
"I think you're human and weak."
"And you would be mistaken about both." Sumi pulled out her blaster and shot her. The blast went straight into the image and struck the wall behind her.
Shit! It was a hologram.
Furious, Sumi glanced around, trying to locate her target. "Pera!"
She heard a sharp click behind her. Turning, she dropped to the floor at the same time a blast of color went past her face, narrowly missing it.
Pera headed for the door. Sumi dove at her, knocking her into the wall. Backhanding her, Pera tried to kick her off. But Sumi returned the strike with a punch of her own. She grabbed Pera and fell to the floor, rolled with her and kicked her into the doorframe.
When Pera moved to shoot her, Sumi beat her to it. This time, it wasn't a hologram. Cursing, Pera fell and tried to crawl away before she collapsed on the floor.
Careful to keep her blaster on Pera in case it was a trick, Sumi felt for her pulse.
There wasn't one.
She took another shot, just to make sure.
Once she knew for certain that Pera would never threaten anyone she loved again, Sumi went to the female's computer to cancel the contracts on Darice and Dancer.
Just as she sat down, she felt a whisper of wind. Jerking out her blaster, she aimed at the shadow that hadn't been there before. She started to fire, then recognized the tall, dark form that was barely discernable in the darkness.
It was Nykyrian.
She lowered her weapon as he gave her a respectful half smile.
He walked over to Pera's body. "Nice work."
"You, too."
He snorted as he double-checked Pera's vitals. "I should h
ave known when you didn't get into the ambulance where you were headed."
She finished canceling the contracts, then pulled the hard drive. "No one threatens my family."
"Hence, why I'm here."
She heard sirens approaching. "Guess we weren't that quiet."
"I'll make sure the authorities know that it was self-defense. No one will question it." He jerked his chin to the HD in her hands. "What's that?"
Sumi gave it to him. "She had a contract she was posting on Darice. I figured there might be other incriminating things on here Syn can pull."
Nykyrian frowned. "Why would she put a hit on Darice?"
"I'm thinking he either knows more than he's told us, or she thought he knew more."
"I've never been able to stomach anyone who would go after a kid." Nykyrian slid the HD into his pocket. "How are you doing?"
"Been a heck of a day."
He hugged her with one arm. "That it has, kisa. That it has." He glanced down to Pera. "But how are you feeling?"
She considered what he was really asking her. "Normally, I'd be sick to my stomach. However, this time, I'm strangely okay about it."
With a knowing glint in his eyes, he nodded. "Ready to go check on Hauk?"
"That I am."
He took her out the way she'd entered, through the bedroom window.
Bastien was still waiting for her on the street. Along with Darling and Jayne.
He winked at her. "When I heard shots, I started to help, but saw the big guy here and decided the best place for me was making sure no one disturbed you two. Then the next thing I know, these two came up out of the shadows at me."
Darling shrugged. "Should have known Nyk would leave us so that he could have all the fun."
Hand on hip, Jayne nodded in agreement. "He's bad that way."
"Don't get all pouty with me." Nykyrian pointed to Sumi. "She beat me to the punch."
"Well, that's just not right," Jayne groused. She narrowed an irritated smirk at Sumi. "What? You think you're sleeping with Hauk, or something? You have all the rights to kill the person who killed him? Gah, the nerve of some bitches."
Sumi laughed at her teasing.
Maris tsked at her as he came out of the shadows behind them. "Jaynie... jealousy does not look good on you. It makes your butt look even fatter than your head."
Gasping, she lunged playfully at Maris. "I don't want to hear that from you! Do you even own a mirror at home? I bet you've put on twenty-five pounds since you've been with Ture... at least!"
Horrified over her words, Maris grabbed at his rear and turned his back to Darling. "Tell me the truth. Is my butt fat?"
Darling snorted. "I'm not looking at your ass, Mari. I don't want to go blind. But so long as Ture's happy, who cares what I think?"
Sumi shook her head at their good-natured barbs. She'd always wondered what it would be like to have lifelong friends, and Dancer was lucky to have all of them. No wonder he was so devoted to his family.
She looked over at Bastian and Nykyrian.
Now that they were side by side, she saw the family resemblance. Dancer had told her that Bastien's mother was the youngest sister of Nykyrian's father. And it was her death, along with the rest of his family's, that Bastien had vowed to avenge.
He thought to do it alone. But as she looked at the group that had shown up here to go after the female who'd threatened their brother, she somehow doubted that would happen. The one thing about The Sentella... they were a family, first and foremost.
And they always took care of their own.
Darling tapped the link in his ear to turn it on. "Yeah?" Cringing, he pulled it out and held it for all of them to hear Syn's ranting shout on the other end.
"So I see how it is. The lot of you go off, leave me with the big baby to tend, and hunt down the bitch without me. Thanks a lot, guys. Tell Nyk to pick up his link!"
Rubbing at his ear, Darling grimaced. "I think somebody wanted to come with us."
Nykyrian took the link and cut the transmission.
"Ooo," Darling said with a hiss. "Somebody's gonna get it later for that."
"Yeah," Jayne said, slinging her arm over his shoulders. "You are. It's your link."
Darling cursed. "Great. Just great."
"C'mon." Nykyrian jerked his chin toward the airbike he'd ridden. "Let's go help Syn hold the big baby down for treatment."
"Um, yeah," Darling said. "I-I got a migraine. I can't do Andarion babysitting right now. I'm still in therapy and having vicious flashbacks from the last time I tried." He looked up at the sky. "Why, Lord? Why? I'm a new father. I need to live, and raise my son!"
Jayne grabbed a handful of his suit and hauled him after her. "Don't worry, Darling. We have a secret weapon now that doesn't explode."
"And that is?"
She glanced back, over her shoulder. "Sumi. She's able to bring down a thundering TAM with nothing more than a quirked eyebrow."
Darling grinned. "Oh yeah, thank the gods, we now have the power." He let out an evil laugh. "Let's go make the most of it. Thinking I have payback to make."
Sumi paused just outside the doorway. Her heart hammering, she looked into the hospital room where Dancer sat in bed with Kalea snuggled against his chest while she read to him. Of course, she was too young to actually read, so she was making up stories for the pictures.
"And see this one here is the sweet kitty, Daddy. And he's saying that he don't want to go to bed. He's not tired. Not even a little."
"But what if it's past his bedtime?" Dancer asked with a smile.
"You're not listening, Daddy. See, little baby kittens know when they need sleep and when they don't."
Sumi smiled. "Luckily, it's not bedtime for little baby kittens."
"Mommy!" Kalea sat up and smiled. Then she stood on the bed and launched herself.
Gasping, Sumi caught her. "Careful, sweetie! You could get hurt."
"Sorry, Mommy."
Sumi sat down on the bed and took Dancer's hand. "Syn said that he thinks he got everything out?"
Dancer nodded. "He's paranoid, so I'm here until morning." He released a highly irritated breath. "I can't stand this crap. I'd rather be beat than locked in a hospital."
She fingered one of the braids at his temple. "I know, baby. But remember, if you're a good boy..."
He laughed at her promise. "I'm being very good. I only hit Syn once." Sobering, he brushed a portion of her face paint off and scowled at the bruise he uncovered. "That wasn't there earlier. What did you do?"
She glanced about innocently. "How do you mean?"
His eyes darkened with anger. "Someone hit you. Who?"
Kalea gasped. "Mommy got a boo-boo!"
Sumi rubbed at the tender bruise Pera had given her. She met Dancer's gaze. "It's fine. I just went and made sure you were safe."
"Pera?"
She nodded.
Hauk was stunned. He'd expected one of his friends to take care of her. But he should have known it would be his little mouse who did it. "You could have been hurt."
There was no denying the ferocity in her gaze, or the sincerity. "No one comes after what I love."
He reached out and touched Kalea's head, then Sumi's cheek. "I know the feeling. At least tell me you didn't go alone."
"I tried," she said with a laugh. "But the number of beings wanting a piece of her just kept growing and growing. It was the weirdest thing, honey."
He smiled. "Yeah. They're like space barnacles that way. No matter how hard you try, you just can't avoid them or scrape them off once they've latched onto your ass."
"See," Jayne said from the doorway. "I told you guys. He's totally whipped."
Hauk glanced past Sumi to see Jayne, Syn, Darling, Maris, Fain, Nyk, Nero, Bastien, and Caillen outside, laughing at him. He ran his finger along Sumi's jawbone. "Not whipped, Jayne. Tamed."
Crossing her arms over her chest, she led the others into his room. "Is there a difference?"
"Yeah, a big one.
Whipped means I'm broken." He stared into Sumi's eyes as he considered everything she'd brought into his world. Everything she'd given him that he never had before, including a beautiful daughter he still needed to kill Nykyrian over. "But for the first time in my life, I feel whole."
More than that, he was finally whole. And best of all, he was finally accepted.
So no, he wasn't whipped. He'd been tamed by a fearless little mouse who had boldly stood up to the beast inside him, and found the heart that no one else had ever claimed.
The heart that no one else would ever own.
For the first time ever, the War Hauk was at peace.
But he would always be ready to war anytime, anywhere against anyone who came for, or at, his family.