Pierce wouldn’t meet his pissed-off glare but Torment simply shrugged. “We’re running low on options, Venom. We have to stop the fuel rods from leaving this planet. Saving Terror would be nice too.”
Venom could only imagine what Torment and Pierce were feeling at the moment. Their brother-in-arms was missing and sure to face horrendous torture at the hands of the Splinters who had taken him.
Dizzy soothingly caressed his neck and drew his attention. “Venom, I’m just going to find Hopper and get her to draw some maps. That’s it.”
“It’s never that simple.” Venom gritted his teeth and tried to stem his rising anger. He didn’t want Dizzy to think he was upset with her. She had no doubt been sweet-talked into this by Torment or Pierce. Knowing those two they had likely used her love for him to manipulate her.
“I’ll be with her the entire time, Venom,” Pierce tried to reassure him but it didn’t work. “She’ll be safe.”
“You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t believe you. You seem to be forgetting that I watched Naya get tagged in the gut three times and nearly bleed to death on that filthy warehouse floor.”
The haunted flash of regret in Pierce’s eyes said otherwise. “No, Venom, I haven’t forgotten. If there was any other way—”
“There isn’t,” Torment interjected. “This is the best and safest option for the SRU team. If we don’t send Dizzy out to find her friend and get a layout of these tunnels, your team goes in blind, Venom. We’re talking miles and miles of dark, subterranean hell.”
Venom’s jaw worked back and forth as he reluctantly accepted that Dizzy’s contact was the best way to get the intel they needed. Possessiveness overwhelmed him and he held her tighter. “I should go with her.”
“No.” Dizzy shot down his idea. “You’re too big. You are, like, the epitome of a Harcos male. Anyone who sees us walking down the street together is going to be suspicious.” She gestured to Pierce. “He’s leaner and shorter. He’ll fit in better.”
He considered the spook. The man was a damn killing machine. “If anything happens to my mate—”
Pierce touched his chest. “My life for hers,” he swore.
“Guys,” Cipher cautiously entered the conversation, “we have a bigger problem than sending an untrained woman into the field. What the hell are we going to do about communication?” He pointed toward the sky. “That debris field is too thick. Most of it is burning up in the atmosphere but I’m finding it impossible to route communications through our satellites. We’ll be virtually cut off from the Valiant and I have no idea how we’re going to relay our signals.”
“I don’t know much about your technology,” Dizzy said nervously, “but what about tapping into the pirate radio relays? Everyone has wireless equipment here. Most of it is cobbled together but they’re reliable.”
“Pirate radio?” Cipher brightened. “Yeah. Sure!”
“What happens when we’re in the tunnels?” Raze asked.
“There are transceivers in the tunnels,” Dizzy assured them. “The last time I went to one of Hopper’s parties at the Subterranean—her tunnel hotspot—we listened to the Mouth’s live show.” She noticed their curious looks. “The Mouth from the South? She has a pirate radio show that comes on at night. It’s extremely popular.”
Cipher flicked his fingers. “Come give me a list of frequencies.”
Nodding, Dizzy followed Cipher to his communication equipment. With his wife out of earshot, Venom put a finger in Torment’s chest and hissed, “You crossed the line on this one.”
“Probably,” Torment agreed, “but she wanted to come. She wanted to help you and save her father.”
Venom’s anger eased some but the uneasy feeling continued to bubble in the pit of his stomach. “What’s the deal with Jack Lane?”
“He’s either being held captive or he’s hiding.” Torment lowered his voice so Dizzy wouldn’t hear. “Or he’s already dead.”
Venom’s eyes shut briefly. He hoped like hell that wasn’t the case. “After she gets the maps and the info from this Hopper woman, I want her secured and back on this damn ship.”
“Understood,” Pierce replied with a nod.
With the communications issue squared away, Dizzy returned to his side. Feeling absolutely sick to his stomach, Venom walked her over to a corner and boxed her in with his bigger body. Her hands rested on his bare forearms as they peered intently at each other.
There was so much he wanted to tell her, so many pointers he thought she could use while out in the field, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her with information she wouldn’t retain under such stressful circumstances. Instead he touched his forehead to hers and said, “I love you so much, Dizzy.”
“I love you too.”
“Please be careful. Do exactly what Pierce says.”
“I will.”
He cupped her beautiful face and kissed her ever so gently. “When we get home…”
“Yes?” she asked breathlessly.
“I’m going to put you across my lap and wallop your backside for this stunt.”
Her sweet mouth curved with happiness. Rising up on tiptoes, she kissed him lovingly. “Yes Master.”
Before he could recover from hearing her claim him as her master, Dizzy slipped away from him and followed Pierce to the cargo door. She smiled back and waved as if she were simply headed out to the market rather than into the unknown danger that awaited her. Her bravery filled him with such pride.
“She’ll be fine.” Raze clapped him on his back. “You need to clear your head and get back in the game. She’s got two of the deadliest men in the entire Harcos arsenal on either side of her. She’s the safest of all of us.”
“She better be,” Venom murmured before turning back to the team. Inhaling a cleansing breath, he refocused on the mission that awaited him. Dizzy was in safe hands. Now he had to make sure he survived this mission to take her home.
As she led Pierce through the mucky, dark streets of Low Town, Dizzy’s gaze jumped to the night sky. As the bits and pieces of the Night Bird burned up in the atmosphere, the brilliant streaks lit up the inky blackness like a meteor shower.
“It’s almost beautiful, isn’t it?” Pierce said, keeping close to her side. Before leaving the Valiant, he had changed out of his uniform into civilian clothing that looked as if it had been purchased from somewhere in The City. He blended in perfectly and easily played the role of boyfriend or husband to her.
“Almost,” Dizzy agreed as they hurried along.
“How much farther?”
“Hopper likes this little all-night café where the arts-and-music crowd hangs. It’s only a few more blocks.”
“Good. We’re running out of time.”
“I know.” She tried not to think about the mission that awaited Venom and the SRU team. The Splinters had already killed dozens of men trying to get hold of those rods. They weren’t going to give them up without a fight.
“There,” she said, pointing out the café with a lift of her chin.
“I’ll let you do all the talking but I’m not letting you out of my sight. Venom will have my balls in a vise if anything happens to you.”
She didn’t doubt that in the least. Halting on the sidewalk, she studied Pierce with a critical eye. Unlike Venom who had tattoos snaking down toward his wrist and knuckles and up along his neck, Pierce seemed unmarked. It was probably something they did to fit in as spies. Even so, his haircut was too neat. She lifted the hood of his black jacket into place. “Cover your hair.”
Hoping they would look like a couple out for a very late cup of coffee, Dizzy grasped his hand and tugged him along. It felt so very strange to interlace her fingers with another man but she tried to remember that she was putting on this charade to save her man.
When they entered the bustling, candlelit café, Dizzy ignored the odd sensation of Pierce pressed against her back. He wasn’t trying to come on to her or be inappropriate. The cramped and packed space necessitated such close touching.
“What’s with the candles?”
“The power grid has failed again,” she explained. With a swift tug on his hand, Dizzy steered him toward the back corner where Hopper liked to hold court. She spotted Hopper’s shockingly orange hair. “There she is.”
Pierce lowered his face so he could whisper against her ear. “What’s with the hair?”
“She’s a misfit with a fondness for hair dye.”
“She looks like she’s about twelve. Are you sure she can help us?”
Dizzy rolled her eyes. “Yes. I’m sure. And she’s not twelve. She’s only a few years younger than me.”
“If you say so,” he grumbled.
Across the shadowed café, Dizzy met Hopper’s gaze. It wasn’t surprise that crossed Hopper’s face but relief. Smoothly and without alerting anyone, Hopper left her corner spot and headed for the rear exit of the café. Dizzy and Pierce wound their way through the jostling crowd and finally made it to the back door.