Tenants and Tyrants (Book 5 of The Warden series) (29 page)

“General Clark shot Hirem.”

Danato looked to Clark for answers for this new accusation.

Clark raised his chin as if he were proud to admit it out loud. “Hirem charged me with a weapon. It was self-defense, not to mention strictly within the guidelines of irrepressible insurgence.

Cori didn’t know what that meant, but she could see Danato’s eyes soften, like he was unhappy that he could no longer direct his rage at Clark, and would have to go back to her. She waited for him to fix his eyes on her before she spoke. The buck in her chin paused his scolding expression for a moment. He was expecting her to try to mollify his temper with long winded explanations, teary eyes, and pleads. She wasn’t going to do that—at least not yet.

“Hirem only attacked him after he shot his lover Dr. Jillian Frank in cold blood.”

Clark’s head snapped to her. The shock in his eyes, made her mouth tip with pleasure. He narrowed his eyes at her. He didn’t presume Cori had any idea who she was. He had no doubt hoped to keep that secret with the bullet in her brain. “How…” The word got caught in his throat, but he didn’t continue the statement.

“Who’s Jillian Frank?” Danato asked sensing the tension developing between them.

“Our singer for the evening,” she said not taking her eyes off Clark. She wanted to watch him squirm at the knowledge she had. “She was Hirem’s lover. She came here to relieve Hirem of his miserable existence. She was the doctor responsible for creating the elementals.”

Clark’s narrowed eyes, widened at the extent of her knowledge, and she dared to let her mouth show her amusement. The insult to injury spurred him to cross toward her with his hand dangerously rising in a fist.

She expected that Danato would come to her rescue, and he was on his way, but his stunned cognizance gave him a belated response. Though she wasn’t in any danger with Ethan right in front of her, the opening left room for a savior she hadn’t expected.

Before Clark could reach her Daniel had him in his grips, crumpling his manicured uniform. They were face to face, and Clark’s wrath slowly faded in the face of Daniel’s vacuous chasms that only pretended to be his eyes. “What the fuck are you?” he asked drawing his head back as far as he could.

“Don’t you even try to hurt her.” His voice was so quiet, Cori almost couldn’t hear him. Ethan lost his militant façade, and glanced back at his friend to see what had transpired behind his back.

For a moment, all the interest and concern in the room were off of her. The soldiers holding her eased slightly, as if preparing to aid their senior officer. Danato approached Daniel instead of Clark. He kept his movements slow and steady, like Daniel might go off like a bomb if he jarred him. Even Ethan took a step away from her.

She was aware of Daniel’s power per Ethan’s description, but she didn’t understand the grave concern that everyone had. Perhaps her perception had been skewed by seeing his healing ability. Or perhaps Ethan just didn’t elaborate on how very dangerous Daniel was.

“Daniel,” Danato placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder, but it didn’t seem to do anything to ease his attack. Clark didn’t struggle in the face of Daniel’s threat. He seemed to sense the drastic change in the room.

Cori didn’t wait for the threat to dissipate. She didn’t care if Daniel killed Clark; part of her wanted that more than anything. She wasn’t sure if it was her or Jill, but in the end it didn’t matter, because Jill’s vengeance belonged to her now. “I went upstairs to rescue Hirem. I wanted to talk some sense into Jill. I wanted to offer her hope. Something she lost when Clark took Hirem away from her six years ago.”

“How the fuck do you know all that?” Clark sneered barely taking his eyes off Daniel, who was still teetering on the brink of murder, despite her interruption. That was fine by her.

Ethan turned his attention to her again. He was more than a little interested in the answer. She decided that was a conversation for another time. No sense adding possessed jewelry into a perfectly nice conversation about murder. “I stopped Jill before she could shoot Hirem. She was unarmed when Clark shot her.”

“After she shot two of your guards, Danato.” Clark turned to Danato, but he was still barely listening to anyone. His eyes were still on Daniel, the current locale of his directed anger. “I was within my right to defend my level.”

“I had it under control!” Cori shouted not able to forget the anger she felt at seeing a woman she now knew so well being executed inches from her.

“You don’t get to take control on my floor!” Clark overlapped her. “The only actions that need to be persecuted here are hers. I am within my right to take her into custody. She breeched the rules of our contract, and I expect you to allow me to question her, contain her, and sentence her for her crimes.”

“I should have let you die like Garr wanted! He was right that you weren’t worth saving!” Cori wrenched against the guards despite the uselessness of the effort.

“I can remedy that,” Daniel vaunted. The contrast between her screeching voice and his low drawl once again startled the room. Danato pulled on Daniel’s shoulder a little harder, but he wouldn’t let go.

Daniel didn’t look at her, but she got the sense he was waiting for permission. She didn’t understand him. His contradictions in personality thus far had perplexed her, but somehow she knew that all she had to do was say the word, and Clark would be headless.

The temptation to sick her husband’s weirdly heroic friend on Clark was nearly beyond her control. She even opened her mouth to say the words,
kill him
, but there was one thing that stopped her.

Heaton, Daniel’s ever present friend, babysitter, and designated leash holder, was staring at him with pained eyes. He seemed to understand more than anyone what Daniel was, and he was the only one not trying to stop him. He was mortified by Daniel’s potential homicide, but he wasn’t about to get in the path of it. He was afraid; afraid of getting hurt, afraid of Daniel getting hurt, afraid of the consequences of what was about to happen. It didn’t matter who the fear was for, but it did remind Cori, that she was not a killer. No matter how much easier it would be that way.

“No, Daniel,” she said calmly and Daniel’s intense gaze shifted as if he were uncocking his gun. “I respect Danato enough not to take the easy way out on this. Clark is the villain here, and as soon as Danato figures that out, he’ll make this right.” Danato looked at her, still baffled by so much of the night, and not quite able to direct his anger through the questions on his face. “But until then, I imagine Clark is right to detain me, because I did do it. I helped the elementals escape.”

Danato’s eyes fell slightly at that omission. His questions disappeared, but the anger that should have been revealed was hijacked by disappointment and perhaps a little embarrassment. He refocused his attention to Daniel who still hadn’t let go of Clark. He squeezed his shoulder tightly making him wince, and pulled him away.

Heaton came to Daniel’s side and tugged him away by his arm. Cori couldn’t hear any exchange between them, but Heaton seemed to be offering some advice that prompted him to look at the floor and breathe deeply. Clark stumbled away from Daniel and straightened his suit.

“All I ask, for my cooperation, is that we don’t send the collectors until we can get this sorted out,”

Danato looked at her over Ethan’s shoulder. Now there were too many emotions to interpret. The mesh of all of them made him look vacant. His duty was telling him what to do right now, but his heart was saying otherwise. He didn’t answer either way.

“You should have reported this to me,” Danato said gruffly. At first she thought it was directed at her, but Danato shifted his attention to General Clark. “I have the right to investigate any mistreatment of your prisoners, while in my facility. Including these most recent deaths, which if I am not mistaken, you had no intention of reporting.”

“Actually, Cori and I spoke at depth about the meeting we would have with you tomorrow. She was present at the incident. I assumed that it wouldn’t go unmentioned to you, so I told her we would discuss it with you together in the morning when our minds were clear. I had no idea she would plot a takeover rather than wait a few hours to discuss it civilly.”

Cori felt the sting of that little jibe. Luckily Danato ignored it. “I also have the right to review our contracts and revoke them if you have in anyway lied about the circumstances bringing the prisoners into incarceration.”

General Clark smiled, and Cori knew why. His documentation was just vague enough about the medical procedures causing their powers, and just honest enough about their crimes, that Danato would have difficulty revoking it based on that condition. She hoped his need to review them meant that he really didn’t know, or understand what he had read the first time. Perhaps there was hope that he hadn’t knowingly housed innocent men.

“Be my guest.” Clark displayed his palms like the end to a magic act.

Danato looked at her again and she gave him the slightest nod before lowering her eyes. She knew this was coming, but it still felt like parental scolding. “Ethan, let them pass.”

“What?” Ethan probably heard everything that was said, but he still looked baffled by the conclusion being reached. He looked back at Danato for confirmation.

Danato clenched his jaw, but Cori could tell it wasn’t from anger. He was quite literally biting back his emotions. “Ethan, back away.” Ethan’s head whipped back and forth. She had once again put herself between Ethan and Danato. He was forced to choose between helping her or obeying Danato.

Cori wanted to apologize, but there was a laundry list of things to reveal before she could unveil her remorse. She didn’t want a premature apology to signify her regret of her actions. The only thing she was truly sorry for was once again putting them both in this position.

“Ethan.” There was almost a question in Danato’s voice when he said his name. He was just as curious to see where Ethan’s loyalties would land.

After a short strongly deliberated pause he made his choice. “Yes, sir.” Ethan’s cheeks tucked in as his mouth pursing his lips with resentment. He stepped back to let the men pass. The soldiers pushed her forward. She caught his eye on the way by seeing the pain he was hiding under his angry facade. She hated herself for putting it there.

As the men came upon Daniel and Heaton in their path they paused facing them down as well. Daniel and Heaton both crossed their arms simultaneously. There was a chain reaction of glances between the soldiers, the General, and Danato, which resulted in Danato shrugging. He wasn’t going to exhibit authority over them.

The soldiers bypassed Heaton and Daniel, letting them keep the stand they had made. She watched Danato as she passed. His cold stare did more to hurt her, then Ethan’s agony. She had wanted him to loosen his grip on her. Perhaps she should have specified not to drop her completely.

They didn’t bother letting her grab her coat. Surrounded by three green berets was going to be warm enough apparently. After several tries to open the door, Danato finally had to open it for them. The frame released the door with the squeaking crack of wood against wood.

As they hauled her through the door, she started to feel the fear of being separated from her home, and her family. She dragged her feet at the last second and offered Danato one last look that hopefully conveyed her love. Since he pinched his eyes shut and turned away, it must have.

Without any hopes of redemption for her crimes, Cori let the soldiers drag her out to join the ranks of the prisoners.

Sneak
Peek

The Warden

The Ring Bearer

Danato let the door to his office slam into the wall. The seemingly indestructible glass rattled loudly. Ethan unloaded his firearm into the bin beside the door as he always did. The three men who accompanied General Clark to the late night—or rather early morning—meeting, made no attempts to offer up their weapons.

“Put your guns in the bin,” Danato instructed impatiently midway to his desk.

General Clark smirked innocently. “Really, Danato, I don’t think all that is necessary. We are all gentlemen here. I think we can keep our tempers in check enough not to shoot each other.”

Danato had never had much cause to associate with General Clark, but the little he knew of him, he didn’t like. Clark was a typical high-ranking military officer who assumed that he owned every situation simply by wearing a uniform. Conversely, Clark knew little of Danato, and even less about the importance of his rules. “Given what I’ve heard this evening, I’m not so sure about that, but suit yourself.” Danato gave Ethan a hard glance that would hopefully make him stand down without a verbal order. He didn’t want to appear at odds with his successor in front of Clark. Ethan was no doubt struggling with his decision to let Cori be arrested and detained, but so far, he was still obeying him.

Danato headed to his chair and Ethan took position against the wall like a stone statue. One of Clark’s soldier drones entered the room with his gun still firmly holstered. He looked as smug as his commander—no doubt pleased that he could keep his weapon in hand. Men like that had the skill to use a firearm, but they lacked deference for its power. To them it was just an extension of their cock. They didn’t have any intimate understanding of its consequences.