by S. E. Smith
Harden’s eyes flashed with cold fury. “Then he should have taught her to keep her hands off of other people’s merchandise. I don’t give a fuck whose daughter she is. She is dead.”
“I want to kill the gray man,” Moss said again. “You kill the girl. I kill the gray man who killed Mace.”
Crane threw his hands up in the air. “Fine! You kill the girl. Moss kills the gray man. I just want to get the fuck out of this alive and richer.”
“Then you’d better make sure while we are doing the killing, you get the kid,” Harden replied. “Let’s get this fucking job done once and for all.”
Chapter 15
“So, you’re staying?” Skeeter asked quietly as she stepped into the galley later that night. “Until when?”
“There are three Zion warships headed this way,” Krac said, looking up from the tablet he held in his hand. “When they arrive and have Violet Jefe in their protection, then I will leave.”
Skeeter bit her lip and shifted from one foot to the other. He hadn’t really answered her question about how long that would take and she really wanted to know how much time she had before he left. She didn’t understand why, but she wanted to know more about him.
“Would you like a drink?” She asked, nervously twisting her hands together when he looked back up at her again. “I’d like a drink and it is only polite to offer. I mean, since I’m getting one and you’re sitting here and…. I’ll just get you a drink.”
Krac’s lips twitched as he watched her turn quickly and walk over to the counter. His eyes greedily roamed over her lush figure as she stretched to get a couple of cups out of the cabinet above her head. She was built differently from Anastasia and Gracie. She had wider hips that made his hands itch to hold them. He bit back a groan when she bent to pull a container out from under a lower cabinet.
He quickly schooled his features to a calm mask when she glanced over her shoulder and gave him a shy smile. He closed his eyes the moment she turned back around and breathed deeply. If she didn’t quit biting her lower lip, he was going to kiss her again.
He glanced blindly down at the tablet in his hand. He was trying to clean up the mess that she called a security system. He’d had a long talk with Froget while Skeeter was bathing Violet and putting her to bed. He had to agree with the little male; Ti’Death needed to be shot for letting his beautiful but naïve daughter out of his sight.
*.*.*
“She’s got a heart of gold that gets her in trouble,” Froget had told him soberly as he worked on the auto-pilot. “I don’t know why she wants to be a freighter captain. She can’t pilot one worth a damn. That’s why she’s got all the buttons color coded, it’s to help remind her what they are supposed to do. On top of that, she is constantly volunteering to haul stuff for free or minimum cost. The only reason we weren’t overtaken by pirates a few weeks ago is because she got nervous and backed the freighter into them. I’ve never seen that happen in open space before.”
“She… pirates?” Krac had muttered. “What else?”
“I’m her fifth co-pilot. I think,” Froget said glumly. “You don’t say no when Bulldog asks you to do something. Especially when the last co-pilot is floating in a freeze tank behind him when he does.”
“What happened to her other co-pilots?” Krac asked carefully as he connected with her defense systems. He grimaced when he saw most were offline or deactivated. “Why did Ti’Death kill him?”
“Which one? Druss? He was going to sell Skeeter to one of the brothels run by Ti’Death’s arch enemy,” Froget said, hissing when sparks flew out of the panel. “Still, I’d rather be dead than have what happened to co-pilot number three,” he added with a shudder.
“What happened to the others?” Krac asked again, wishing the man was still alive so he could kill him.
“Well, co-pilot number one was drunk and had taken on cargo that was highly volatile. He didn’t correctly secure it down in the cargo bay. You may have noticed the large red bird on the side of the freighter. Skeeter painted it as a symbol of flight when one of the canisters broke loose and blew as they were coming into Sallas. There was a hole the size of a Zion battle tank in the side. The freighter was in planet-side dry dock for three months to repair the damage. The kicker was her co-pilot took the escape pod and fled, leaving Skeeter to bring the freighter in on her own. No one knows how she managed that.”
“And number two?” Krac asked, clenching his jaw to keep the curses from escaping.
“Oh, Bulldog killed him after Skeeter told him about the private dance he asked her to give at Zemora’s dance club. It seems that he offered Skeeter to three Zion warriors with the promise of a private dance at the exclusive men’s club, if you know what I mean. What he didn’t know was that she was into studying some ancient Maori Haka Earth dance called The Dance of Life.” Froget grinned at Krac. “I saw a vidcom of her doing it. I don’t recommend ever asking her. It scared the hell out of me. She is dangerous with a stick. I heard she almost knocked the balls off of one of the men and knocked the other two out before they knew what was happening.”
Krac’s mouth tightened when he thought about three other males who needed to be killed. Bran, Cooraan and Rorrak forgot to mention that little fact in their story. He gritted his teeth when he thought of what the last male must have done.
“And co-pilot number three?” Krac bit out darkly. “What did he do? What was he killed for?”
Froget looked up in surprise at Krac. “Oh, Terry isn’t dead, but he probably wishes he was,” he replied. “He is now a monk on Cramoore.”
Krac grimaced. He had heard of what happened to the males who went there. The planet was one of the smallest in the star system and had a complete male population of eunuchs.
“What did he do?” Krac asked, wanting to know what the male could have done that was worse than what the others had done. “Try to kiss her?”
“Oh no, something much worse,” Froget replied as he slid the cover back over the opening in the panel. “He became Skeeter’s lover in the hopes of tapping into Bulldog’s bank account.”
Froget cursed and looked around frantically when all the lights on the control panel started flashing wildly and the main lights dimmed. He quickly pulled the cover he had just tightened down back off. He looked up to ask Krac if he had any idea of what might have happened as everything returned to normal but the huge gray man was gone.
“Must have been a short somewhere,” Froget muttered under his breath with a shrug. “Hope it doesn’t happen again.”
*.*.*
Now, as he watched her prepare them something to drink, he couldn’t help but be angry at the thought of another male touching her. He looked down again as she carefully picked up the tray she had placed the drinks on and carried it over to the table. He had no right to be angry. It was true, she had kissed him, but it was probably more out of curiosity of what it was like to kiss a monster than out of true desire. This is what the whore the scientists brought in told him.
“I hope you like tea,” she said, setting a steaming cup in front of him. “Be careful, it is hot.”
“Why did you kiss me earlier?” Krac asked, tilting his head as she sat down across from him.
He watched as her eyes grew wide before her cheeks turned almost as red as her hair. He hadn’t meant to ask that question but he couldn’t forget the kiss. He could still taste her on his lips. He… liked it.
“I don’t know,” she finally answered in a soft voice. “I just wanted to.”
Krac frowned at her and sat forward. “Do you always do what you want?”
“No, not always,” she said, looking away.
Krac’s frown deepened when he heard the sadness in her voice. He didn’t like it. He liked it when she was laughing; like she did when she was with Violet. He liked it when she smiled as well.
“Are you sad because of the male called Terry? He wasn’t interested in you. He was only interested in Ti’Death’s credits. Why would you be
sad for such a male when it is obvious he never cared about you?” He asked, staring at her.
“I… You… Terry…. That is the most horrible thing anyone has ever said to me!” She whispered in shock as she stood up. “Who told you about Terry? Never mind! It is none of your business,” she hissed out, leaning over the small table. “I wish now I had never kissed you! To think I thought you were cute. You… you are not cute any longer and the sooner you are off of my freighter the better!”
Krac’s heart twisted as her eyes filled with unshed tears. He had said something to put them in her eyes. Something that was very, very wrong. Frustration ate at him as she pushed away from the table, spilling a little of her untouched tea and turned away from him. His eyes followed her as she hurried out of the galley.
He growled out a curse and stood up. Tossing the small tablet on the table, he rounded it determined to follow her and find out what he had said wrong. He glanced down the corridor frowning when he saw that it was empty. She couldn’t have gone very far.
He started down the corridor toward the bridge rationalizing that she would have gone there since she was the Captain. Froget shook his head when he asked him if he had seen her. He spent the next hour searching from one end of the freighter to the other before finally heading back toward her cabin again. She hadn’t been in it the first time he checked.
He strode down the long corridor until he was outside her room. The door was still open and the twinkling lights hanging from the ceiling were on. His eyes moved to the open door leading to the bathroom, but only the dim emergency light glowed from it.
His eyes swept the room, pausing on the small body curled up in the bed. Violet was surrounded by small cloth animals in all different shapes and sizes. Her tiny arms were wrapped around a dark red Triterian.
He blinked several times before looking carefully around Skeeter’s bedroom. This time when he looked, he tried to see it through her eyes. As he ran his eyes over it, details that he had ignored the first time became clearer.
The walls were painted with beautiful images. The more he stared at them, the more detail emerged. Bright colors were mixed with more subtle shadows as the different worlds she had visited came to life. He looked at the wall that was filled with hundreds of small sculptures. He glanced back at Violet, who was sound asleep before walking over to the wall and picking up one of the delicate pieces.
“A Flying Sea Dragon,” he murmured as he recognized the shape of the tiny replica of the small creatures on Sallas.
He turned the piece over and over in his hand, admiring the attention to detail and the accuracy of the body in flight. He set it back on the shelf before he picked up another and then another and then another. Each piece was painstakingly carved and painted. Some had tiny jewels for eyes while others were just painted. He felt like they were staring back at him.
The last piece he picked up was of a Razor-tooth Triterian. He recognized the features of Bulldog in the miniature. He rolled it in his palm with a deep frown.
“Most people think of him as a monster,” Skeeter’s voice said softly from the doorway.
Krac slowly turned to look at her. He could see that her eyes were puffy and her lashes were still damp from her tears. He stood still as she walked toward him and gently took the sculpture out of his hand.
“But you didn’t?” He asked quietly.
Skeeter smiled at the figure of her ‘dad’. “No, never. While others saw his scary teeth and sharp claws, I saw my own personal dragon come to save and protect me. He was larger than life and the most beautiful creature I had ever seen,” she said with an uneven smile. She laughed quietly as tears filled her eyes again. “He still is. He’s my hero and he always will be,” she admitted, looking up at him.
He reached over and carefully picked the sculpture up and set it back on the shelf before turning back to her. He wasn’t sure what to do or say so he didn’t do either. He just looked down at her.
“I could really use a hug right now,” she whispered, looking at the figure on the shelf. “Daddy always knew when I needed one.”
Krac didn’t wait. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. His eyes closed as she stiffened in resistance before tentatively wrapping her arms around his waist. The heat inside him turned into an inferno. For the first time in his life, he wanted someone for himself.
“I should not have said what I did,” he admitted.
“No, you shouldn’t have,” she agreed as she rested her cheek against his chest and sighed. “Why did you?”
“Because I do not want you to think of that other male,” he grunted.
Skeeter pulled back and tilted her head back. “Why?” She asked, confused.
“Because,” Krac whispered. “Because I wanted to kiss you and I did not like that you might be thinking of him when I did.”
Skeeter shook her head. “That will never happen,” she murmured as he bent his head. “He didn’t fire me up the way you do,” she breathed as their lips touched.
Chapter 16
“What part of ‘no’ didn’t you get? Do you not have any balls? I have to tell you, I do and I’d like to keep them,” Froget’s voice growled from the doorway.
Krac hissed when Skeeter bit down on his lower lip as she jumped at the sound of Froget’s voice behind her. He released a deep, controlled breath as he pulled back. His eyes narrowed on the other male who was standing in the doorway to Skeeter’s room with his hands on his hips and impatiently tapping one large foot.
“Sorry,” Skeeter whispered, pulling back.
“You are not the one who needs to be sorry. I think I will kill him so he does not interrupt us again,” Krac growled. “I have killed for much less.”
“Fine! Threaten me all you want, but when you go to take a piss and have to sit down, think of me laughing at you from the great beyond,” Froget snapped. “Now, get your ass out of her bedroom.”
Skeeter’s giggle wasn’t the only one that echoed in the room. Three pairs of eyes turned to the bed. Violet was sitting up, the large red Triterian held tightly to her chest as she looked at them with sleepy eyes.
“Ohhhh, Frog said a bad word,” she giggled. “Mommy says she is going to wash Uncle Rorrak’s mouth out with soap when he does that. Skeeter, are you going to wash Frog’s mouth out? Why was Uncle Krac kissing you like daddy kisses mommy? Is he your Prince Charming?”
Skeeter blushed furiously as she tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “I… He… Back to sleep, little one.”
“I’m thirsty,” Violet yawned.
“I’ll get the kid a drink. Uncle Krac will help me to make sure I do it right, won’t you Uncle Krac?” Frog replied as he looked pointedly at Krac’s larger form.
Krac waited until he was in the corridor before he turned to Froget with a fierce scowl. “I don’t like you very much.”
“Well, that certainly has me shaking in my boots,” Froget replied sarcastically, rolling his large eyes.
“It should,” Krac growled as Froget started toward the galley.
The soft giggles coming from the bedroom let him know that both females had heard his remark and Froget’s response. He shook his head. Back on Earth he was considered a monster. He was something created in a lab by scientists from horrible alien creatures from the past. Just the color of his skin was enough to send most men and all women except for Anastasia and Gracie screaming in terror. That was why he normally wore a cloak to conceal his identify.
The female in the other room had turned his carefully controlled, organized world upside down in a matter of hours. He glared at the back of the male walking away from him. His eyes narrowed as a slow, menacing smile curved his lips.
If that little amphibian piece of shit interrupts me when I’m kissing Skeeter again, I’m going to eject his green ass out the nearest disposal tube, Krac thought as he adjusted the front of his pants.
*.*.*
The next four days were spent in a dance of frustration with Frog a
nd Krac squaring off on either side of the Skeeter. It was so bad, even Violet was watching the two males with delight.
Frog had taken it upon himself to be Skeeter’s chaperone and protector. If he wasn’t with her, he made sure Violet was. Skeeter couldn’t help but laugh when she got up the first morning and almost tripped over her co-pilot who had made a pallet on the floor outside of her and Violet’s door.
“What are you doing sleeping on the floor?” She had exclaimed in surprise.
“Making sure that horny gray bastard isn’t sleeping in your bed and you are not in his,” Frog had replied grouchily.
“There isn’t enough room in Skeeter’s bed, silly,” Violet giggled. “And she can’t sleep in his bed because she has to sleep with me so I don’t get scared.”
“You just remember that,” Frog had muttered before he grabbed his blanket and pillow and stomped off.
Now, she sighed in regret as she stared out the front viewport of the Lulu Belle. The Conqueror had contacted them to inform them that it would be within visual in two hours. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Raven and the Galaxy would arrive shortly after. That meant her time to discover if there could be something between her and Krac was about to end.
“What is wrong?” A deep voice asked from behind her.
Skeeter turned in the Captain’s chair to see Krac standing in the doorway. She had never realized how small the bridge of the freighter was until he stepped inside it. Truthfully, there was just enough room around the Captain and co-pilot chairs to access some of the instrument panels but for her, he filled every part of it.
“I was just thinking,” she replied, gazing at his dark features and thinking he looked sexier every day. “We’ve only got a couple more hours until your friends arrive. I’m going to cry when Violet leaves. It has been fun having her around. I’ll miss her.”
“Is she the only one you will miss?” Krac asked in a husky voice as he stepped closer to her chair. “Is she?”
Skeeter leaned back as he placed his hands on the arms of the chair, caging her in. She licked her lips as he leaned forward. Desire flared hot inside her, pooling low between her legs and making her ache.