Arantxa

by T. J. Quinn

  But she didn’t get too far. Biurk grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her against his chest, covering her mouth when she opened it to scream for help.

  “Oh, no, you won’t,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ve invested too many credits getting you here to go empty handed. You’re mine,” he ranted, in a low tone as he pulled her harder against him.

  She bit his hand as hard as she could, surprising him and making him uncover her mouth. “Never. If you take me out of here, my friends will call the authorities, and they will have you arrested for this. They know I’m not going through with the marriage.”

  “Don’t be so naïve. Your friends will never see the light of the day,” he said, as he waved his fingers and a small group of men, from the same species as Vulk surrounded them. “If you don’t come willingly with me, I’ll have my men kill your friends before we leave. It’s up to you,” he threatened her, his tone harsh and cruel.

  “You can’t do this… the authorities would easily find you…” she muttered, her heart pounding in her chest as fear crept through her.

  “By the time they find them dead, we’ll be long gone,” he replied, his hand tightening the grip around her arm, making her wince at the pain.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked, trying to see through him.

  Would he really kill Djorg and Samantha? Would he go that far just to get his hands on her?

  “I already have a buyer for you. And he’s the kind of people you don’t let down… it could cost me my life, and I certainly won’t die, just because you changed your mind,” he said.

  “My friends will tell the authorities about my disappearance…” she warned him, trying to buy enough time to think of a way out of that ordeal.

  “You’ll call them in the morning and tell him you changed your mind and decided I was the perfect male for you. You’ll convince them of it, or I’ll have them killed,” he instructed her. “Either way, I’ll have you.”

  “They won’t believe me…” she assured him.

  “You’ll have to convince them, if you want to keep them alive. Now, let’s go.”

  He dragged her through the gardens and she cursed her luck in silence. How the hell was she going to escape this one?

  ***

  Chapter Twenty

  Kyor looked at Korben, and he strode back to the vessel. “Are you really letting her go?” he asked his friend.

  “I have no idea what are you talking about. Our job was to bring Arantxa here, safe and sound and that’s what we did,” Korben replied, in a somber tone.

  “Come on… you barely left her bed during the whole fucking trip here,” Rhyos said, joining the conversation. “And now, you’re simply letting her walk away?”

  Once inside the vessel, Korben turned to look at his friends. “You’re assuming there’s something between us. There’s not,” he said, in a cold tone, even though a screeching little voice inside him called him liar.

  “In all these years we’ve known each other, you never acted around a female like you did around Arantxa. Don’t tell me that doesn’t mean anything, because I don’t believe you,” Kyor said, crossing his arms over his chest while looking at Korben.

  “We were just having fun… there’s nothing special about it. There’s no place for a female in my life. I’m very happy with my life…”

  “No, you’re not. If you were, you would have never accepted this job from a slimeball like Biurk,” Rhyos cut him.

  “Even if I felt anything for her, and that’s a big ‘if,’ she clearly feels nothing for me,” he said, still refusing to admit he already missed her and she had only been gone for a few minutes.

  “For a male that has bedded females from all over this galaxy, you don’t seem to know a damn thing about them,” Suriak said, shaking his head. “She only had eyes for you. How could you not see it?”

  “She was only grateful that I took her away from Pakly, that’s all.”

  “All the passion you shared with her came from gratefulness?” Tulyn asked, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. “Come on, Korben, we could all feel the energy flowing between you two.”

  “You have no idea how jealous we felt each time you dragged her to your bed… the way she looked at you as if there was no one else around… that’s priceless, my friend,” Kyor stated.

  “And you’re letting it go…”

  Korben shook his head, unwilling to hear them. Love was not a part of his life. He had banned it the same day he left Gorun alone.

  As a young male, he had fallen in love with a female from an upper social class. In Gorun, mating between different classes was forbidden. He had been so in love with Ellora, he had challenged the laws and the conventions, sure she would do the same.

  She hadn't. She loved her privileged life more than she loved him. She had denied even knowing him, calling him delusional. Appalled with her reaction, he had left Gorun promising to himself never to fall victim of feelings such as those again.

  No female would crush his heart again.

  “You’re talking nonsense,” he blurted, before he walked away, towards his quarters.

  Korben shut the door behind him and closed his eyes. Perhaps, he should have told her to stay a little longer with him… He was sure he was almost cured, that the spell she had over him was wearing off and soon he wouldn’t need her the way he needed her now.

  He took a deep breath, to ease the heaviness on his chest, and her scent filled his nostrils, ripping a growl from his lips.

  Damn.

  How was he supposed to forget her if her scent was all around him, evoking the memories of her and making his heart ache?

  Rubbing his face, he paced the room not knowing what to do.

  The communication device on the wall next to the door buzzed.

  “The ship has been refilled with fuel and food. Do you want me to head back to Gaeshlai?” Kyor’s voice came from the other side of the line when he took the call.

  “No… we should stay here to make sure Biurk won’t bother her. I don’t trust him. We all know what he’s capable of,” he decided, as he told himself it was just for security reasons.

  “Very well,” Kyor accepted. “If you don’t mind, we’re heading downtown. I believe we deserve some fun,” he said, with a naughty grin. “Why don’t you come with us?”

  He started shaking his head, but then, he changed his mind. He could use the time to find out what Biurk was up to.

  “I’ll meet you at the entrance,” he said.

  “Perfect. Don’t be long. Valkyrian females are quite attractive, and I plan on finding myself one,” Kyor said, his smile wider.

  Once outside, they headed downtown. They had been on this planet several times in the past, and they knew where to find the kind of fun they were looking for. Korben was sure he too would find what he was looking for.

  The club they went to was hidden in a narrow alley. The place’s patrons belonged to a very distinctive kind of people. Not the kind of people you would invite over for tea, and though most wavered on the blurred edges of lawfulness, there were a few with prices on their heads.

  Just the kind of people Korben was looking for.

  They sat at a table and ordered a few drinks and even greeted a few people, acquaintances from their lives as mercenaries.

  Mbambo, one of Biurk’s usual suppliers, even came and joined them at the table, when they were about to leave the place, around midnight.

  “What a surprise seeing you guys here. I thought you no longer worked together,” he said, with his nasal voice, emptying his drink in one single gulp.

  “We don’t. We’ve just arrived from a special mission we did for Biurk,” Korben told him, his eyes locked on the other male’s face.

  Mbambo’s eyes shined. “Of course, you were the perfect people to get his prized female. Did you have too much trouble with the Paklyors?”

  Korben glanced at his friends. “The usual…” he said, not giving him any details. “Why do you call h
er a prized female?”

  Mbambo smiled. “He promised her to Zulkor, as payment of his debt,” Mbambo explained. “Zulkor has been on his back, pressing him to deliver what he promised. He’s not exactly a patient fellow.”

  Startled, Korben looked at his friends. This was bad news. Zulkor ran the biggest criminal organization in this quadrant, and no one dared to mess with him.

  “Why does Biurk owe him that many credits? A human female is worth a small fortune,” Kyor asked, in a grave tone.

  “Zulkor asked him to transport some of his merchandise from Stalia to Valkyr, and his vessel was attacked on its way here. Or so he said,” Mbambo shrugged. “With Biurk, you never know. But Zulkor forced him to pay for his losses, or he would pay with his life. Biurk was already making plans to get his hands on the human female, so he ended up offering her to save his own ass.”

  Korben jumped to his feet. “We have to leave,” Mbambo tried to get up as well, but Korben invited him to stay. “Have another round, we’ll pay it,” he offered.

  “Sure… it was great seeing you guys,” he accepted.

  “We’ll see you around.”

  Korben walked to the bar and paid for a few more drinks for Mbambo before they left the bar, as calmly as possible.

  The moment they got outside, Korben jumped into their vehicle and called Djorg, Samantha’s mate.

  “Korben… What’s the matter?” he asked, looking sleepy and a bit confused.

  “Where’s Arantxa? I need to speak to her immediately. It’s urgent,” he asked, going straight to the point.

  “Can’t it wait? It’s the middle of the night,” Djorg protested, running his fingers through his hair.

  “No, it can’t. I’m on my way to your place, but I need to talk to her right away,” Korben insisted, printing his urgency in every single word.

  Djorg frowned but nodded. “I’ll call her.”

  Korben waited a couple of minutes, as he drove across the city, at full speed.

  “She’s not here,” Djorg’s startled voice drew his attention back to the small screen on the vehicle’s dashboard.

  “What do you mean she’s not there?” Korben yelled at him.

  “Her room is empty, and the door to the gardens is open. I have a few of my androids looking for her and checking the security footage from the house’s premises,” Djorg informed. “What’s going on?”

  “Biurk got to her. His life depends on him delivering her to Zulkor,” Korben shouted, feeling so furious with himself for leaving her unprotected.

  Djorg’s face paled. “Zulkor? Are you sure?” He too knew what that meant.

  “Yes, I’m sure. We have to find Arantxa right away.”

  “I’m calling the law enforcement group. They can help us recover her,” Djorg said, in a grave tone.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Korben asked, with a slight frown. He had never trusted those groups.

  “Yes, of course. If we want to get her back, we’ll need a small army and my men are exactly what we need,” Djorg said, with absolute confidence.

  “Your men?” Korben asked, surprised.

  “I’m Valkyr’s war minister,” he said.

  “We’re almost there. We’ll talk later.”

  “We shouldn’t have left her alone,” Suriak said, his voice filled with self-deprecation.

  “I forgot how persistent Biurk is. He would never accept his defeat that easily,” Korben said, in a self-scolding tone.

  They reached Djorg’s estate before his friends could say anything else, so they jumped out of the vehicle and met the couple at the door.

  “A small group of males entered the house’s premises and took her about an hour ago,” Djorg informed them, without wasting any more time, as he guided them to the security control room. “Samantha identified the male that grabbed her as Biurk, but his face does not correspond to the one we have on file.”

  “Biurk is a Tlaxion, he can adopt whatever form he wants to,” Korben said, as he watched at the footage. “And those are definitely his men.”

  “Do you think she will be alright?” Samantha asked, wriggling her hands, nervously.

  “We’ll get her back,” Korben assured her, in a somber tone.

  Samantha’s communication device buzzed, and she opened the message. Arantxa’s voice filled the room, and they all heard the message, but no one believed it.

  “She was forced to send that message. She would never change her mind like that. I’ve known her almost my entire life,” Samantha said, rubbing her face, clearly distressed.

  “Where can we find them?” Djorg asked, with a deep frown.

  “Biurk is a creature of habits. He must have taken her to his quarters, just outside the city,” Korben said, with a dark expression. He hated to think what he might be doing to her.

  “This is the chance we had been waiting for to get our hands on Biurk and his group. We had heard of a small group operated by a Tlaxion, but we didn’t have enough information to get them,” Djorg said.

  “Have you called your men?” Korben asked, ready to go after Biurk.

  “Yes, they should be about to get here.”

  Korben pulled up a map of the city on the screens near him and showed Djorg where they had to go. “This is where he has his hideout. The place his heavily guarded. If we simply barge in, by the time we get to his quarters, they will be long gone. The place has a few secret tunnels that he can take out of there.”

  “What do you suggest?” Djorg asked, with a frown.

  “Your men should surround the place and get ready to attack at our call,” Korben said. “Tulyn and Suriak will help you plan the attack. He knows all the entrances and some of the secret exits. Meanwhile, I’ll pay him a visit with Rhyos and Kyor. I’ll tell him I’m there to collect the reward. He won’t suspect.”

  “How will you tell us when to strike?” Djorg asked.

  “I’ll send Suriak a secret message,” Korben replied. “He’ll know what to do.”

  A few vehicles packed with soldiers parked just outside Djorg’s home. They went out to meet them and give them their instructions. A few minutes later, the vehicles left the house guided by Tulyn and Suriak and commanded by Djorg.

  Korben was surprised to see the male taking the leadership of the operation. Most ministers he had met would never leave their desk.

  Rhyos, Kyor and he left right behind them, after assuring Samantha they would bring her friend back as soon as possible.

  After he had learned of Biurk’s plans for Arantxa, he hadn't had a moment to think clearly. His mind was clouded with regret and self-scolding. Knowing Biurk the way he did, he should have never left her alone. He should have known Biurk would never give up on her.

  His hurry to get as far away from her as possible had put her in danger. He would never forgive himself if they hurt her. Fear was clutching his gut like never before. Korben knew he would only get rid of that feeling once he had her with him.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “We’re in place,” Suriak’s voice came through the communication device.

  “Were you able to confirm Biurk’s presence in the house?” Korben asked, his voice as somber as his expression.

  “Yes, he’s definitely here. They seem to be expecting visitors. There’s too much disturbance around the premises,” Tulyn warned them.

  Korben punched the steering wheel, enraged. “He must have called Zulkor. We need to get her out of there before he arrives,” he said.

  “We’re ready when you are,” Suriak told him.

  “I’ll let you know,” Korben ended the call and stepped on the accelerator.

  A few moments later, he was parking his vehicle in front of Biurk’s place. The guards, four of them in sight, stepped forward, with their guns up and ready when they walked towards the door.

  “We’re here to see Biurk,” Korben announced.

  “Do you have an appointment?” one of the males asked, in a scornful tone.

  �
�Just tell him Korben is here to collect his pay, and he’ll see me,” Korben said gravely.

  “Biurk is busy, come back later,” the guard said, dismissing Korben’s request.

  In a matter of seconds, Korben had disarmed the guy and held him against the wall, by his throat, his claws, digging into the male’s flesh. Rhyos and Kyor had the other three at gunpoint. They had reacted too slowly to Korben’s attack.

  “I don’t think you’ve understood my words. I’m here to see Biurk, and I will see him now,” he snarled in a low tone, in the guard’s ear. “Now, call him and let him know I’m here.”

  “He… he said… he didn’t want to be… interrupted…” the male stuttered, knowing his life hanged by a thin thread.

  “Do I look like I care what he wants?” Korben snarled, his tone a little louder than before.

  The man shook his head. “I’ll… call him…” he said, as he reached for his communication device.

  “Good!”

  The guard pressed a button, and a few moments later he was talking with Biurk. “Korben is here to see you, boss.”

  There was a moment of silence on the other side of the line. “Let him in,” Biurk ordered. He knew better than to piss Korben beyond his limits.

  Korben let go of the guard, and his friends dropped their guns. With a cruel smirk on his face, he straightened the male’s suit. “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked, letting him know how little he thought of him.

  The male huffed his contempt before he opened the door. He waited for Korben and his friend to go in before he shut the door behind them with a loud bang.

  Korben walked straight to Biurk’s office. If he were meeting Zulkor, he would be there, in a futile attempt to look in control of a situation that he no longer commanded.

  “Korben, my friend, I wasn’t expecting you tonight,” he said, leaning back on his chair, behind his impressive desk.

  “You should be since you already got what we brought you and yet you didn’t call us to pay us,” Korben said icily, as he walked to the middle of the room, Rhyos and Kyor standing a few steps behind, attentive.