The Betrayal Chapter 22 Snippet

The bastard never changes, she thought as she approached the desk.

“Katherine,” he said as he puffed at the cigar. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

“Cut the ****, Claudio,” she said, using his first name for the first time in her life. “This isn’t a social call.”

“You’re right,” he said with a near mumble. “It’s not, is it?”

“You’re such a bastard,” she muttered under breath. “What do you want?”

“I need you to help me,” Reyes said.

“After all you’ve done to me,” Kate found a bitter, hard laugh escaping her lip. The nerve of the man, she thought as she rolled her eyes. “You’re out of your ****ing mind.”

For long moments an uncomfortable silence filled the air. Looking into Reyes eyes was like looking into the darkness of night, she thought, and about as kind. No, he had brought her to him for some ulterior motive, that much was for certain, and she was willing to be it was the shut-down codes he had embedded into her processor.

He wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble to get me to come here, she thought as she kept her eyes on him. Unless he felt he had an ace up his sleeve.

“Now,” she said to break the silence. “What is the real reason you wanted me here?”

“I told you I need your help,”

“Oh,” Kate rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Silly me! How could I ever forget! You created me to be your ‘right hand of vengeance.’ To hell with what I thought or felt!”

“You have an exaggerated sense of importance about yourself,” Reyes sighed.

“You always were an arrogant son of a bitch, Claudio,” she said as she shook her head. “And this just proves it!”

Kate felt her eyes harden slightly as she saw Reyes sit his pocket computer on the desk before him. So, she thought to herself, he actually thought she didn’t know about the shutdown codes! Chuckling under her breath, she looked Reyes in the eyes for a sign of when he decided he needed to make his move.

“I need your help if we’re all going to survive what is coming,”

“I tell you what,” Kate said. “Why don’t you tell me about those shut down codes you have embedded in my processor?”

Reyes’ face flashed with surprise for a split second before he clamped it back down into his unreadable mask. It was obvious, she mused, that he didn’t know she had a clue they existed. Taking all of her self-control, she barely kept herself from laughing in triumph.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Reyes lied.

“Don’t play your silly little mind games with me,” Kate said as she placed both bands on his desk. “My ships doctor discovered them while working on trying to defeat your memory block-which failed on its own by the way.”

“You’ve been very busy, Katherine,” Reyes mumbled as his hand slowly made it’s way towards the pocket computer.

“You proud of me?” Kate asked, keeping her eyes on his hands.

“Not particularly,”

Moving with a speed and grace the left even Reyes stunned into inaction, Kate stepped towards his desk. She brought a gloved fist down onto the desk top, shattering the pocket computer while cracking a hole in the top of his desk. That was going to take care of the damned shut down codes, she thought to herself.

Moving in reaction to Kate’s motion, the guards started to move. She reached onto her belt and threw the throwing knife at one of the guards, the blade striking him in the chest, as the impact slammed him into the wall. His dying breath escaped him as he slid to the floor, the pistol in his hand dropping to the deck.

Not waiting to watch the results of her throw, Kate dropped to a knee, her hand grabbing her knife. Pulling it out, she threw it with unerring accuracy, striking the second guard in the neck. Sputtering as he choked on his own blood, he dropped to the floor dead. Kate came back to her feet, turning to look at a stunned Reyes, her eyes burning with hatred at the man before her.

“Now,” she said with a tone colder then space itself. “Why don’t you tell me about those shutdown codes?”