about the feats of
his Amate. When Hunter told him about how Jesse had saved
his life, not once, but twice, he thought his brother had been
exaggerating. Now, after meeting Kali, he realized that Hunter’s
stories had probably downplayed what really happened.
He pushed aside his disappointment that he
had only caught a brief glimpse of her tonight. He needed to find
the answers to his questions – he had to because time was running
out. He had already delayed his decision to level the city by using
his injuries as an excuse. He knew it was because of the female and
his reluctance to give the order confused him. There was no
rational explanation for his reaction to her.
When he regained consciousness, he was sure
he had been mistaken about his response to her. At first, he tried
to justify his feelings as being due to his injuries. He had almost
convinced himself that was the case until he caught her scent from
the cloth lying on the table next to his bed in the medical unit.
It was the one that she had tied around his leg.
Razor slipped his hand into the pocket of
his pants and touched the soft piece of fabric. He carried it with
him everywhere, even though her scent had faded from it, replaced
with his own. Angered at the traitorous response of his body to
her, he had set out on a ruthless mission to discover any
information he could find pertaining to her and her brother. What
he had found out about them had been disturbing.
Allen’s forces outnumbered Parks’ by almost
two-to-one. Unless something was done, and soon, Chicago would have
to be declared a hostile zone and he would be forced to order the
Destroyers in. When that decision was made, all inhabitants that
resisted would be immediately eliminated without prejudice. He had
a feeling Kali and her brother would be two of those who would
refuse to leave. He would not risk his men’s lives in trying to
negotiate with the remaining rebels; enough Trivator warriors had
been wounded or killed over the last six years. Yet, the thought of
ordering Kali’s almost certain death had been more than he could
do.
A frustrated growl escaped him as he stood.
“I know the fighting has escalated. I want you to tell me something
I don’t already know, Cutter. I want a meeting set up with Parks,”
Razor snapped out as he slid the viewer back into the clip at his
waist.
“Are you sure that is wise?” Cutter asked
cautiously. “So far both sides have refused to negotiate. Allen is
demanding he be recognized as the leader of Chicago and given
assurances that neither the World Government nor the ‘fucking alien
bastards’ as he likes to call us interfere. Parks refused to meet
with any alien representatives, he didn’t give an explanation as to
why, but I found out Badrick made a personal call two years ago. He
was his usual charming self I suspect.”
Razor glanced at Cutter, noting a fresh cut
on his face. “I will meet with Parks before I make a decision as to
whether the Destroyers should be brought in. What happened to you?”
He asked, nodding to the thin cut on Cutter’s cheek.
Cutter grimaced and touched his face. “I got
a little too close to a resident of the city on my way here,” he
replied with a slight curve to his lips. “I’ll have to be a bit
more careful next time.”
“Did you kill him?” Razor asked as he
stepped into the small transport and nodded to his pilot.
Cutter stepped in behind him and sat down on
the narrow metal seat. He pulled the straps over his shoulders and
hooked it. He was quiet for several long moments before he looked
up to see that his commander and friend was studying him with an
intense expression that made him wince. Razor always seemed to know
when he was trying to think of a way to avoid answering a direct
question.
“No,” Cutter sighed, looking out the open
door as the small, military transport rose off the roof of the
building. “I need to know in advance if you plan to level the
city.”
“Why?” Razor