Warriors of Poseidon 05 - Atlantis Redeemed

vamp in the region, you understand. I like having my full quota of blood.”
    Litton rounded on him, his eyes bulging. “You do what I say, do you hear me? We don’t have to listen to Devon anymore, that pretender. Jones is in charge now, and he called me not twenty minutes ago and told me to go ahead. You answer to me, you overpriced bodyguard, so do what I tell you or get out.”
    Smitty stood calmly through Litton’s tirade, even when the scientist started yelling at him.
    When Litton finally stopped, Smitty simply nodded. “You’re the boss.”
    “Yes, I am. Don’t forget it,” Litton said smugly.
    Brennan couldn’t believe that the scientist, supposedly a genius, could be so completely unaware of reality. Smitty was no tame thug. The man could reach out and snap Litton’s neck in an instant. Clearly, Smitty had a reason for being here beyond payment.
    Or else the payment was really, really good.
    Brennan had money, too. He could work with that kind of motivation if he got another chance to speak to Smitty alone.
    He glanced at Tiernan, trying to communicate with his body language and facial expression that she would be safe. She was staring at him with such hopeless defeat that the pain of it knocked him back a step.
    “Tiernan, it will be all right. I’ll be back soon, and remember what I told you last night. Have faith in them. Have faith in me.” He stared into her eyes, memorizing every detail.
    “Brennan, if they take you away . . .” She stopped and glanced at Litton and Smitty. “You know what will happen. I’ll—I’ll do my best to remind you. To help you remember, okay? Don’t worry.” She offered him a shaky smile of reassurance, and again he was knocked off balance.
    She wasn’t afraid for herself. She was afraid for him.
    “This is very touching, but I’m afraid it’s time to go,” Smitty said. He nodded to the guards over by the control monitors. “Turn it off.”
    Atlantis Redeemed – Warriors of Poseidon 05
    Page 176 of 232
    They did something, and suddenly the constant buzz of electricity shut down. It was so abrupt that Brennan almost missed his chance. He froze for a moment, but then blasted an emergency call through the mental pathway so loudly that Alexios would surely hear it—unless he’d gone back to Atlantis.
    Come now. They have Tiernan and they’re going to try to manipulate our brains. Come now.
    He tried to give a visual of their location, but by then Smitty was advancing into the cage, holding out a small metal device.
    “Let’s not try anything, shall we?” Smitty said. “You’ll notice that my chums have their guns trained on your lady friend, and they’re all trigger-happy. It’s so hard to get good help these days.”
    Brennan tensed, every fiber of his being wanting to pounce, to kill, to rip Smitty’s arms off and use them to beat Litton to death, but Tiernan made a small noise and he turned to see that four of them were all lined up around her cage, pointing their guns at her head and chest.
    There was no way they could miss at that range.
    He nodded. “Yes, I will go willingly.” He put his hands on top of his head and clasped them together in the universal posture of a prisoner, but then he pinned Smitty with a look that held every bit of his intent. “I will hold you responsible if any of them hurt so much as a single hair on her head.”
    Smitty slitted his eyes nearly shut and grunted noncommittally. It was the best he was going to get, so Brennan walked slowly out of the cell. Litton scurried out of the way, careful to stay several paces away from Brennan. So. The man had at least some wisdom.
    Before he left the room, he stopped and looked back at Tiernan. “Trust me,” he said.
    “I do,” she replied, tears streaming down her face. “With my life.”
    Brennan nodded, vowing to Poseidon himself that he would honor that trust. Then he followed Litton out of the room.
    They led him only a short way down the corridor to another room, this one enormous, all white walls and gleaming metal, with the astringent smell of chemicals permeating the air. Litton rushed over to a huge chair that dominated the room, all but dancing around it like a pagan preparing for a human sacrifice.
    Brennan knew who the sacrifice was going to be. He knew an instant of pure, icy terror, and adrenaline shot through his veins, kicking his fight-or-flight instincts to a frenzied peak. Smitty narrowed his eyes and raised his gun, but Brennan had no fear