at the back of his head.
“Why’s she like this? Is she drugged?” he asked.
Melton looked as him as if he was assessing how he would take some significantly unpleasant news. “Can I speak to you privately? I promise I won’t try anything, my family’s here.”
Connor stood up. Melton had always been straight with him, even when he didn’t have to be. Main, on the other hand, wasn’t taking any chances and he had one of his soldiers pat Melton down for weapons before Connor moved him several paces away from the soldiers.
“Connor? If this one has a heart attack too, I’ll not cover for you again,” he warned.
Connor gave him a curt nod before turning to Melton.
“I haven't got time to muck about," said Connor in a cold flat tone.
“I’ll tell you everything I know if you make sure my family is protected.”
“No deals. Spill it, and I’ll think about it.”
“Fair enough. Firstly, I’m quite glad you killed Baxter, he’s the bastard that shot her, and it was him who performed that ‘experiment’ on her for Lord Tamas.”
“Tamas is dead too. I watched him have a heart attack a few hours ago.”
Melton nodded slightly. “Can’t say I’m sorry. Most of the aristocracy treat the rest of us as scum, but he was in a class of his own. Tenset was probably one of the most decent I’ve met, if you weren’t female.”
“Was?” Connor said sharply. Tamas had said Tenset was still alive.
Melton shrugged again, which ratcheted up Connor’s anger again.
“I’ve got to look after my own Federation. Tenset managed to walk out of the mansion under his own steam after I forgot to lock his cell door when I went to get more medical supplies. I hope he’s ok, but I’ve got to think about who’s going to be in charge of the estate next. With Tamas dead, and Tenset either on the run from your lot, or dead...”
“I’m not interested. Tell me about Chesara.”
Melton’s expression told him that he hadn’t expected Connor to actually care, after all, he probably considered him to be just like all the other aristocrats.
“Tamas split our main search party up after we caught up with her the first time. I found trail the next morning, well it was me and a snot nosed kid called Thompson. We caught up with her last night and we took her back to our temporary camp.” He smiled slightly. “She didn’t much appreciate it when I doctored her wounds.”
Connor couldn’t help returning Melton’s slight smile, but the man’s amusement dropped from his face as if it had never been, and Connor’s anxiety level went up. This was not going to be good.
“After I’d fixed her up and fed her, I went on patrol, knowing that you lot were creeping about. I chained her ankle cuff to a tree to stop her getting away. Thompson wasn’t the brightest spark, and I didn’t want to have to chase her down again.” Connor’s eyebrow lifted at the past tense reference to the other guard.
Melton coughed uncomfortably and looked away before continuing.
“While we were looking for her, Thompson hadn’t stopped going on about what Baxter said or the security film we saw of her and Lord Tenset. I told him to leave her alone when I left to patrol...” He swallowed nervously before continuing in a rush.
“To cut it short, I found both of the naked, him on top of her, stone dead and her in the state she is now.”
“Any marks on him? She’s got finger marks on her throat.”
Connor found his own voice surprising controlled.
“Not a thing, but the only time I’ve ever seen a dead man’s face like that, was when the old cook had a heart attack” he held up his hands. “I’m not saying she did do anything to him, but he was a fit nineteen year old.”
Connor stood in thought for a few moments. “So you think he tried to strangle her, maybe during a rape, and she gave him a heart attack to save herself? So what’s with this coma thing?”
“Hey, I’m just telling what I saw. I don’t know anything
“Why’s she like this? Is she drugged?” he asked.
Melton looked as him as if he was assessing how he would take some significantly unpleasant news. “Can I speak to you privately? I promise I won’t try anything, my family’s here.”
Connor stood up. Melton had always been straight with him, even when he didn’t have to be. Main, on the other hand, wasn’t taking any chances and he had one of his soldiers pat Melton down for weapons before Connor moved him several paces away from the soldiers.
“Connor? If this one has a heart attack too, I’ll not cover for you again,” he warned.
Connor gave him a curt nod before turning to Melton.
“I haven't got time to muck about," said Connor in a cold flat tone.
“I’ll tell you everything I know if you make sure my family is protected.”
“No deals. Spill it, and I’ll think about it.”
“Fair enough. Firstly, I’m quite glad you killed Baxter, he’s the bastard that shot her, and it was him who performed that ‘experiment’ on her for Lord Tamas.”
“Tamas is dead too. I watched him have a heart attack a few hours ago.”
Melton nodded slightly. “Can’t say I’m sorry. Most of the aristocracy treat the rest of us as scum, but he was in a class of his own. Tenset was probably one of the most decent I’ve met, if you weren’t female.”
“Was?” Connor said sharply. Tamas had said Tenset was still alive.
Melton shrugged again, which ratcheted up Connor’s anger again.
“I’ve got to look after my own Federation. Tenset managed to walk out of the mansion under his own steam after I forgot to lock his cell door when I went to get more medical supplies. I hope he’s ok, but I’ve got to think about who’s going to be in charge of the estate next. With Tamas dead, and Tenset either on the run from your lot, or dead...”
“I’m not interested. Tell me about Chesara.”
Melton’s expression told him that he hadn’t expected Connor to actually care, after all, he probably considered him to be just like all the other aristocrats.
“Tamas split our main search party up after we caught up with her the first time. I found trail the next morning, well it was me and a snot nosed kid called Thompson. We caught up with her last night and we took her back to our temporary camp.” He smiled slightly. “She didn’t much appreciate it when I doctored her wounds.”
Connor couldn’t help returning Melton’s slight smile, but the man’s amusement dropped from his face as if it had never been, and Connor’s anxiety level went up. This was not going to be good.
“After I’d fixed her up and fed her, I went on patrol, knowing that you lot were creeping about. I chained her ankle cuff to a tree to stop her getting away. Thompson wasn’t the brightest spark, and I didn’t want to have to chase her down again.” Connor’s eyebrow lifted at the past tense reference to the other guard.
Melton coughed uncomfortably and looked away before continuing.
“While we were looking for her, Thompson hadn’t stopped going on about what Baxter said or the security film we saw of her and Lord Tenset. I told him to leave her alone when I left to patrol...” He swallowed nervously before continuing in a rush.
“To cut it short, I found both of the naked, him on top of her, stone dead and her in the state she is now.”
“Any marks on him? She’s got finger marks on her throat.”
Connor found his own voice surprising controlled.
“Not a thing, but the only time I’ve ever seen a dead man’s face like that, was when the old cook had a heart attack” he held up his hands. “I’m not saying she did do anything to him, but he was a fit nineteen year old.”
Connor stood in thought for a few moments. “So you think he tried to strangle her, maybe during a rape, and she gave him a heart attack to save herself? So what’s with this coma thing?”
“Hey, I’m just telling what I saw. I don’t know anything
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