Page 16 of A Merciless Bargain

Alberus—still holding his bleeding nose—and the other bodyguard froze at the sight of their colleague being vaporized. I took advantage of their shock to squat down to pull my underwear and leggings back up, then fasten them closed. Idarted toward the center of the room to snatch my bandeau, shirt, and vest from the floor where Alberus had left them.

The buzzing sounded again, and I faced forward in time to watch the second bodyguard vaporize. Damn, that was a powerful weapon. I stifled the urge to sneeze from the resulting singed ozone scent.

Dane pointed the disruptor at Alberus, who released his bloody nose to hold his hands out in supplication.

“Wait! Dane Ragis, surely we can come to some kind of arrangement,” Alberus said in a wheedling tone.

Dane walked to where his satchel had hit the floor, never taking his eyes off Alberus, his arm pointing the weapon never wavering. Dane kicked the bag toward me. I had finished pulling my vest back on when the bag stopped near my feet. I suspected what he wanted, and bent down to retrieve the second keycard from the bag.

“It’s a universal,” Dane explained, and I grinned before hustling to his side to wave the keycard in front of his restraints. With a gentle click, they separated and he shook them off. The cuffs fell to the floor with a softer-than-I-expected clink. Dane reached down to retrieve them.

We faced Alberus together.

“Tell us what you know about Bowyer Haled’s death,” Dane commanded while he put the restraints on Alberus, who remained stubbornly silent.

“Any arrangement we may come to includes you telling us everything you know about how Bowyer Haled was killed,” I elaborated, emphasizing the last word.

An unexpectedly defiant look surfaced on Alberus’s face. He shook his cuffed hands at us. “Why would I cooperate now? If you are going to turn me over to the authorities?—”

“We have not decided yet what we are doing to do with you,” Dane interrupted.

A sly look replaced the defiant one. “What do you already know?”

I wagged my finger at him. “Oh, no you don’t. Do we seem like dumbasses to you? We’re not providing you information that would enable you to make some shit up that sounds plausible.” I glanced at Dane and he tilted his head in agreement.

“I would never attempt to deceive you,” Alberus said indignantly.

Laughter bubbled up at the ridiculousness of that statement, and I bit the inside of my cheek to stay quiet.

“If you want any influence on how you leave this meeting,” Dane said, the threat clear, “you will cooperate. Tell us everything you know about Bowyer Haled’s death.”

Alberus sighed. “Understood. I operate my business in a similar sphere to the one Bowyer Haled did. Some of my clients had complained about his erratic service, that perhaps he was too focused on other things.” Here, he leered at me.

I resisted the urge to hit him and rolled my eyes instead.

“He was becoming all show and no substance. When I came to his party, it was in part to see for myself. That visit confirmed everything I had been told. If it was not me, someone else would have attempted to take over his territory,” he insisted.

“Seriously?” I asked, though had to admit I didn’t know if Alberus was telling the truth.

“I never intended to kill him,” he admitted.

“You did not?” Dane asked.

Alberus shook his furry head. “No, I did not. I intended to destroy his product, forcing his clients to switch to me.”

“A hostile takeover,” I concluded. “What happened?” Remembering what the investigator had said, the answer came to me even as I asked the question. “You didn’t know he’d used wood in some of the back rooms.”

Alberus shook his head, almost sorrowful. “I did not. I had intended to put him out of business. Not kill him.” He shrugged. “Not that I was sorry he died. At least I would not have to worry about him coming after me. But I certainly had not wanted the complication of a murder investigation.”

In a twisted way, that made sense. “What now?” I asked Dane.

He handed me the disruptor. “Keep this on him while I contact Magvu.” Dane glared at Alberus. “If he moves, shoot him.” With that pronouncement, he stepped away from me and Alberus.

Dane moved to the far side of the room and withdrew his communication device. He pitched his voice to prevent the sound from carrying to us. I remained steadfast in my focus on the Foulan standing before me. Even in restraints, I knew not to underestimate him.

“He is calling Magvu?” Alberus asked. “Bowyer Haled worked for Vadhea?” By the tone of his bitter voice, he likely knew he might be fucked.

“It appears so,” I answered, seeing no harm in the truth.