Gauntlet: Chapter 10 (final)

Chance snorted, but Clio was amused to know, despite the nervous twisting in her stomach, that he did draw himself up and assume his most off-putting air. He gripped her arm to complete the look.

Clio let Chance tug her along somewhat, like she was at his mercy. It wasn’t hard, considering how much faster he was and the strength of his grip–and that bothered her a little. But it seemed to work, since the two of them made it into the main square without being challenged.

A murmur of voices rose around them; Chance nodded at a trio of uniformed men as they passed. The flutter in Clio’s stomach intensified as she heard them fall into step behind her and Chance. Someone darted into the building they were approaching.

She expected to see August waiting in the entry hall, but he wasn’t there. They passed through the room, under countless curious stares, until another one of August’s guards silently pointed them toward a salon.

August sat on an ornate wingback chair inside–one leg leisurely swinging over the edge of the intricately carved arm, his face dimpled by a smile. Sunshine stood next to him, glowering in counterpoint to his master’s cheer. August’s good humor seemed genuine as Chance dragged her into the room with their silent escort behind them.

All of Clio’s loathing for August hit her full force again. Her nose wrinkled as she looked at him, but he merely swept his gaze to Chance.

“You finally caught the little mouse,” August drawled. “I was starting to think you weren’t committed to the search.”

“She found a bolt-hole,” Chance said simply. “Ran out when she heard your announcement.”

August laughed. “It worked!” He rose from the chair and fussed with his already immaculate clothing, flashing the new band he wore around his wrist–which dangled Clio’s heart charm–before he pulled his cuff over it and gave his attention to Clio. She couldn’t help but grit her teeth as his eyes roamed over her.

“She looks like a drowned rat.” His eyes narrowed. “Why is she so cooperative? What did you do to her?”

“Nothing.” Clio didn’t take her eyes off of August, but in her peripheral vision, she saw Chance glance at her. “I just convinced her that I’m on her side.”

It took a moment for the words to penetrate, but something cold settled in Clio when she turned to him in feigned shock. Well, mostly feigned. A nagging sense of paranoia helped fuel the act.

He’s playing August, not me, Clio told herself. He’d rejected her bracelet. He was on her side. But the not unnatural fear of betrayal still made her hands tremble.

“You…you said this would save Britt!” Clio cried at Chance.

“It won’t. Britt isn’t here.” Chance snorted, and his glare was disturbingly dark. “You were a fool to trust me.”

Clio bit the inside of her cheek and tried not to panic. Then she realized she should look like she was panicking, and started tugging at Chance’s grip and pounding his arm with her free fist. She hit him…maybe harder than she needed to.

“You bastard!” she shouted. “You lied to me!”

August found her reaction extremely entertaining, judging by his nasty, suggestive laugh. “Well done, Chance. Maybe there’s hope for you still.”

Clio’s flaring fear twisted into anger, so she unleashed it on the man she knew was her enemy. She snapped her head to August.

“Pig!” she snarled. She lunged forward, ready to rip out handfuls of August’s artfully styled hair and shove them down his throat.

Sunshine reached for her even as Chance jerked her back against his chest, holding her arms in an iron-like grip. He talked over her like she wasn’t there. “She’s mine, right? No one–” Chance turned his glare on Sunshine, “can touch her.”

Clio’s stomach churned. She looked up at Chance, but his eyes were locked on August.

August smirked. “Of course,” he cooed, seemingly delighted by Chance’s claim. “Once I’ve gotten what I want.”

“You’ll get it,” Chance promised flatly. “She found a way out.”

That wiped the smile off August’s face. “What?” he snapped, unable to hide his avid expression. “Where?”

“Do you want to talk about that here?” Chance’s head cocked only slightly, but August’s gaze slid past him–to the silent guards and the people gathered in curious knots in the room behind them.

“No.” August shook his head. “Not here.” He snapped his fingers and strode out of the salon.

Chance followed, keeping a tight hold on Clio. Sunshine was right behind them. The guards brought up the rear, but they weren’t allowed in August’s room–they remained outside as Sunshine shut the door.

Clio tried to slow her racing heart.

August sat down for a moment, then almost immediately sprang up. He was practically shaking with eagerness. “Well?!”

“The west tower,” Chance answered.

“The tower…” August’s eyes narrowed, but then he gave a wide smile. “So she found a way in. You’ve been a busy girl, huh? No wonder we couldn’t find you.”

“I guess I found the corner of the kingdom not even the king can enter,” Clio said through her teeth. She tried to flash a mocking smile.

August sneered. “You’re boring me now. Give me the bracelet and you won’t have to spend any more time down in my labs. Of course, if you want my attention, then I suppose we can do it the hard way.” She tried to ignore the hard shine in his eyes.

“Can’t do it,” Clio retorted. “I don’t have it anymore.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not.” Clio raised her bare arms up and away from her body. She added, as evenly as she could, “You’re welcome to search me.”

August stared for a moment; he snapped his gaze at Chance in dawning fury. “You didn’t make sure she had it before you brought her here? Where did you hide it, you little–”

“She didn’t hide it,” Chance interrupted, cutting off August’s burgeoning rant. “She gave it me.” He slipped a hand into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the bracelet.

August gaped almost comically, and then he began to laugh. Slowly, he clapped his hands. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“To be honest, I was just as surprised as you were.” Chance didn’t look at Clio, but she knew he was thinking about the moment she’d put all her trust in him. She nervously clenched her hands.

“I always knew how it would end,” August said exultantly. “And I told you, even though you never believed me! But I was right. Now give it to me.” August extended his hand, palm up, with exactly the audacious entitlement Clio expected.

Chance shook his head and tucked the bracelet in his pocket again. “After we’re out,” Chance countered. “We go together, with Clio. Then we part ways and I go with her.”

A measure of relief rushed through Clio, especially as August’s face tightened in a brief flash of anger. But it disappeared just as quickly.

“So you’re the one being played, Chance.” August shrugged. “Of course, if you really want to throw away everything we’ve built for her,” his tone made his opinion of Clio’s worth crystal clear, “then I won’t try to talk you out of it, and I’ll learn to live without your lovesick ass. I just have a few preparations to make first.”

“No,” Chance said sharply. “We go now.”

Clio watched the tense standoff nervously, but August backed down first. He walked to the far wall and touched the side of a bookshelf; it slid aside.

“Fine,” August said shortly. “Let’s go.”

Chance raised an eyebrow. “Through the labs?”

“No prying eyes.” August smirked. “Coming?”

“After you.” Chance pulled Clio closer.

August ducked through the revealed door, Sunshine following right behind. Chance pulled her through before she could hesitate.

The white, stark halls were exactly as Clio remembered. August stopped at one of the doors that lined the wall and glanced back.

“I need to get something from my office.” He flashed his teeth. “You don’t mind, right?”

Clio threw Chance a wary look, but he only shrugged. “Stay out here,” he told her before following August and Sunshine into the room. She clenched her teeth and stood just outside the door to watch.

August pulled a small case from a drawer. “Everything I’ll need for now is in here. Well, everything...” He turned and leaned casually against the desk, “except for the bracelet.” He grinned, and added lightly, “Sunshine, take it from Chance.”

Sunshine was a blur of movement before Clio even processed the words.

She gasped when Chance staggered across the room from the force of the impact, his back cracking into a display case and sending things crashing to the floor. Sunshine was on him a second later, his hands squeezing Chance around the throat.

Clio screamed Chance’s name and launched herself at Sunshine, instinctively dragging at his bulging arms. Chance’s face was red, his eyes had gone glassy, and his hands grasped ineffectually at Sunshine’s relentless grip.

August laughed behind them, and Clio almost choked on her terror. In another fit of desperation, she reached up–glad of her ragged, bitten fingernails for once–and raked her nails across Sunshine’s face.

She had only a split second to see the white lines bloom to a bright red before Sunshine swept one arm back viciously and knocked her to the floor. She gasped, winded, and heard Chance rasp out a string of words she couldn’t make out.

Sunshine slumped to his knees on the floor, his head lolling forward, and didn’t move again. Clio stared in shock from him to Chance, who bent over his knees and sucked in gulps of air.

It was August who moved next–fury contorting any remaining charm in his face. He lifted a syringe over his head, poised to plunge.

“Chance!” she cried.

Proceed to Chapter 10, page 3–>