Betrayed & Seduced

by Shelley Munro

  “You lock your chamber? Why?” Kaya’s blue eyes flashed, and her suspicion increased when she noted Jazen’s already packed bag. Her mouth tightened, a hint of bright blue highlighting her high cheekbones.

  Without warning, the woman radiated danger, and Jazen eyed her warily. She scrambled to supply an answer. “Some of my jobs…my employers consider my services come with extras.”

  “Fine, you can tell me about the ass-hat men during our journey to Viros.” Kaya’s stance softened a fraction but Jazen didn’t kid herself. She’d need to tread with care while onboard the Indy since the crew appeared more intelligent than the beings she usually dealt with. They were protective of each other in a way she hadn’t witnessed. Their welcome had been lukewarm, and they continued to treat her with suspicion. It frustrated her, but patience would net results. It always did. According to Azarious, she was a master at building trust and wriggling seemingly unimportant pieces of information free to complete a capture.

  She would not fail.

  The Indefatigable was an immense ship, and once Jazen boarded, she saw the exterior hid surprise additions to increase performance. She’d learned something about ships while hanging out with the fly-boys on Cahedro. That job had been one of her more memorable ones.

  “This way,” Kaya ordered, taking Jazen’s arm.

  Jazen jerked her forearm free and straightened her uniform. “Where should I put my bag? How long will the journey take?”

  Kaya directed her along a narrow corridor painted a cool, pale blue. Unusual. Most ships came in one color. Gray. The corridor led to the bridge. When they entered, Mogens and Nanu were already present, and from the sounds of it, they were amid an argument. Their discussion ceased when she and Kaya entered the bridge.

  Nanu blinked, the rigidity leaving his muscles. He dropped onto a seat and leaned his crutches against an instrument panel.

  “Jazen, you’re here.” Nanu’s amber eyes glowed in a weird manner. She blinked at his warm smile and then wondered if she’d imagined the unearthly shimmer.

  “How did you arrive before us?” she asked.

  “Never mind that. Sit. Sit.” Kaya pushed Jazen into a chair. “I’ll strap you in.”

  Jazen batted Kaya’s hands away. “What is wrong with you? I can do it myself.” She clicked the seat harness into position. “Would someone explain why we’re in such a hurry?”

  They exchanged a quick glance before Mogens answered. “The queen is giving birth. Camryn and I must be present.”

  “The queen of Viros?”

  “Yes,” Kaya snapped. “What is it with you and questions?”

  Nanu growled and everyone froze. Jazen stared at him in bemusement, and he pinged back the intense regard until Mogens ambled to a position that blocked their connection. Strips of black slashed across the white of Mogens’s face, but Jazen had become used to the seer’s changeable moods. If only she recalled where she’d seen Nanu. Her brain plucked through her memories, yet nothing gelled. Most frustrating.

  Ry and Camryn bustled onto the bridge.

  “Mogens, is Nanu up to flying?” Ry plonked his butt on the seat next to Nanu.

  “Nanu can act as the pilot for part of the flight,” Mogens instructed as if he were captain. He regarded Nanu, and Jazen imagined Mogens’s pale violet gaze drilling into him. “You will inform me when you tire.”

  “Yes,” Nanu promised.

  He sounded meek, but Jazen couldn’t tell for sure because Mogens stood in the way.

  “Give me your bag,” Kaya ordered. “We don’t have junk on the floor of the bridge. It’s dangerous.”

  Unwillingly, Jazen handed over her belongings. Apart from the weapons in the false layer beneath her clothes, she stored nothing incriminating. But still… After living at the brothel, she hated to lose sight of her possessions. There were too many beings with light fingers and no scruples, ready to steal and on sell for profit.

  Camryn sat on the seat to Jazen’s right and buckled the harness into place. Nanu also buckled up and commenced the pre-flight sequence.

  Kaya reappeared and took the seat on Jazen’s other side, and the Indy took off, almost before Kaya had strapped into her seat.

  The air of urgency set Jazen on edge. She watched the green planet of Narenda grow smaller in the viewport. Her skin itched, a signal of danger, yet she failed to pinpoint the exact source of her unease. She scrutinized Camryn, then Kaya.

  “What’s wrong?” Kaya asked, intercepting her peek.

  “I…nothing.” No, she had to ask questions, to understand. “I don’t understand why we are in a hurry.”

  “We told you,” Kaya said. “The queen is giving birth. She ordered us to come.” A grin flashed. “Used her queenly powers and mentioned dungeons with big biting insects. We decided to obey.”

  Camryn let out a rude snort. “Kaya, you try pushing out twins and see how you enjoy the experience. Jannike needs reassurance. She supported me, and I can do nothing less for her. She is our friend and crew mate.”

  “You’re personal friends with the queen?” Jazen had learned the crew based themselves on Viros, and she’d heard rumors about royal connections, but she hadn’t believed them.

  Kaya didn’t reply. She merely stared at her, a mocking twist to her lips that made Jazen’s hands curl into her thighs, the urge to punch the pointy-eared woman almost getting the better of her.

  Jazen inhaled to the point of bursting and pushed the breath back out while focusing on the back of Nanu’s skull. His strange hair lifted a fraction, the fat strands writhing from side to side. Jazen gave her head a hard shake and refocused.

  His hair hadn’t wriggled.

  It had not.

  Her imagination conjured one of the snakeill nests common in the markets of Cahedro. A delicacy the locals cooked into a thin soup. Personally, after seeing the creatures hiss and sway, she wasn’t a fan.

  Jazen stared at Nanu again. Nothing extraordinary happened. Her mother had always stated her imagination rivaled a seer. Her next breath contained wild herbs and the sweetness of honey. The tension seeped from her muscles, and she relaxed enough to concentrate on her job. Information. It was a scarce as the native Cahedro dodo bird, yet she required more to ascertain her next step. Should she give up this lucrative contract and seek another? Other hunters had tried and failed to locate Amme Vanak.

  Jazen risked a peek at Kaya, met her glare and decided to quiz Camryn. “How long have you known the queen?”

  “Several rotations,” Camryn said.

  Jazen waited, and the pause dragged out. Frustration stalked her mind. Most people rushed to fill the empty space with their chatter. Camryn did not.

  “Jazen, your references state you worked in Cahedro for a time,” Ry said. “What is your opinion of the job prospects on Cahedro? Is the spaceport large? We’re always searching for trading opportunities.”

  “I heard you have a business contract with the dragons.”

  “We do.” Ry batted the conversation back to her without adding more.

  “I nursed an elderly lord until he died. I didn’t sightsee on the planet.” Jazen stopped adding details. The less she lied, the easier to keep her fibs straight. “Where will I be staying while I’m on Viros?”

  “With us,” Camryn answered without elaborating.

  Jazen got the message. They didn’t intend to proffer information or answer her questions. Urgency had made her push too hard, and now she paid the price. She pulled out her comm and occupied herself with a quest game. Normally, she’d play the 3D version, but she didn’t wish to draw further attention.

  Nanu and Ry discussed weather conditions and journey times and how hard to push their ship. Dull procedural stuff. She stopped listening to concentrate on her game.

  “We’re out of orbit now and into hyper-speed,” Nanu stated.

  Camryn and Kaya unbuckled their harnesses and Jazen closed her comm and followed suit.

  “I’ll show you your quarters,” Kaya said. “And giv
e you a tour.”

  After a quick tour, where she learned she was sharing a cabin with Kaya, Jazen settled in the rec room—painted in the same blue as the corridor, this one had actual paintings, rendered by the artist directly onto the walls. Each seemed to depict foreign lands with unfamiliar races and scenery. A unique way of recalling places they’d visited. When none of the paintings yielded clues, she studied the holo unit, the food station and other things, which were a mystery to her.

  Her comm buzzed, and she pulled a face at the screen. Yet another message from Chobe.

  When can I have the currency? You will lend it to me, right?

  Huffing, she replied in the affirmative. She’d take another contract to replace her savings. One large contract might even be enough. I have funds in my account. I can transfer quarter of the amount you need. The rest is in my bank vault and I must visit in person.

  A transfer to Chobe would stop the incessant messages and allow her to focus on her task. And since her success had been minimal, she’d search through the files for other outstanding warrants.

  When can you send it?

  As soon as I reach Viros. I’m between planets.

  Viros? Lots of wealthy marks there.

  Jazen snorted, imagining his whistle and the glitter that would leap into his narrowed black gaze.

  When will you have the rest?

  What? Didn’t she rate a thank you? The trail has gone dead. I intend to search through the warrants again. I might find something else that I can cash in on quickly. Why can’t you take up a contract instead of hassling me?

  Viros! Try getting cozy with one of the society marks.

  The air hissed from Jazen, and her temper rose. She refused to prostitute herself to raise currency for her brother, and he had a phrullin’ cheek insinuating she should.

  I could offer you the same advice. Some of them enjoy males. She shut off the communication part of her comm. Chobe knew her opinion of prostitution. They’d run away to avoid becoming trapped in that life and now her brother expected her to sell herself to help him. Grata, this was a mistake. If he wanted to buy a property, he should earn currency himself!

  The longer she stared at Chobe’s message, the higher her temper rose. Lucky for her brother, this conversation wasn’t in person because the temptation to dent his pretty face clenched her hands to tight, white-knuckled fists.

  Enough.

  He owned the skills to raise the funds himself. He kept coming to her, treating her as his personal banker. Giving him her hard-earned currency was teaching him nothing. Grata, she’d yet to hear his thanks!

  Her vision narrowed until red haze filled her sight. She gripped the comm so hard, the casing creaked.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Jazen started. She hadn’t heard Camryn enter the rec room. “No. Family stuff,” she added because Camryn’s expression showed doubt at Jazen’s denial.

  “Where do your family live?”

  “We used to live on Grumseics, but my brother is living in Cahedro at present,” Jazen said.

  “I have a brother,” Camryn replied. “They are annoying sometimes.”

  “Yes.” She didn’t even try to withhold her irritation.

  “If you want to talk, I’m willing to listen,” Camryn said.

  “I-I…thank you.” Nonplussed by the offer, Jazen stuttered. “That is guaranteed to put me in a bad mood. He wants me to give him a loan.”

  “Ah. Oh, well. The offer stands. I came to ask you if you’re hungry. I’m making sandwiches for everyone.”

  “Sandwiches?” She’d never heard of that food and learning about a new type piqued her interest.

  “Come to the galley. You can help me make them,” Camryn said.

  Sandwiches, she discovered, were practical and delicious, much like pies. They made a change from the bowls of gruel and stew she ate in marketplaces and dives during her work assignments. Perhaps she could make these sandwiches as an alternative to pies. If she hated gruel and stew, others would too.

  After her meal, she settled in the rec room on a seat with a view of the entire space. She’d notice anyone approaching. She’d use the free time to search through the warrants. See if anything popped.

  She scanned the open warrants from the Beasley Corporation based on Ijiot and noted several fugitives with residences on Viros. The main city on the planet was also called Viros. Jazen studied the information packets on the city and planet, refreshing and supplementing the information she’d gained during her short stop there before leaving for Narenda. A king and queen ruled Viros, their home the castle at the summit.

  Oh! The royal family comprised a triad, and a duke dwelled in the same residence as the king and queen. Interesting. She hadn’t known that.

  The castle lay in the center of the city and the rest of the populace lived on the lower ring roads that wove down the rise until they reached the surrounding walls and ran out of space. Those with rank and importance lived near the castle while tradesmen and those with less standing lived farther down the hill. A central bank of steps connected the different levels. If the place had fortified walls, and the military noted arrivals and departures, that might hamper her freedom.

  If she captured a fugitive, she’d leave via the first public transport for Ijiot. She read further, confidence in her fledgling plan growing. After the newest king had taken power, he had built a spaceport. That would make her life easier once she captured a fugitive.

  She ignored the pang in her chest at leaving, of never seeing Nanu again.

  Don’t get emotional, Jazen. A successful warrant-taker locks away his or her personal emotions and finishes their job.

  The mantra instilled in her by Azarious, her trainer, flashed into her memories several times each cycle, and she grimaced. Something about Nanu pushed her off her normal stride. The man teased and asked many questions. It had become difficult not talking about her true life, the lies she spouted as a natural smokescreen jabbed at her mind and itched her throat every time she uttered one. That had never happened before and destroyed her equilibrium.

  Impatient with her dithering and wishful dreams, she clicked over to the Camgib Corporation and flicked through those files. She scanned details of the crimes, last reported whereabouts and the size of the bounty. Any with connections to Viros, she marked for further investigation.

  Her comm signaled an incoming call from her brother, and she clicked ignore. She’d had enough of him demanding she finance him. This time he’d gone too far with his joking insults. He needed to take responsibility instead of relying on her.

  Jazen recommenced her scanning, noting the details on automatic pilot. She thumbed past an old warrant after noting the details didn’t make it attractive and jumped to the next before her mind caught up with her fingers. The warrant showed a young man who resembled Nanu. She gaped at the depiction and reread the details. Her mouth widened in shock at the size of the bounty. Her hand trembled and her comm wavered. Blinking, Jazen read yet again, taking in the details. A joint bounty for Jaipur Sidish and his younger brother Ganga Sidish.

  The man, along with his younger brother, had murdered the wife of a high-ranking official. They’d flown the woman off her home planet of Indra, killed her and attempted to cover up the crime. Secondary charges of abduction added to the bounty on the brothers’ heads. To encourage success the leader of the Indra Corporation had increased the size of the bounty each rotation.

  Jazen stared at the man’s face, comparing what she knew of Nanu. The name wasn’t correct, but beings changed their names all the time, for many reasons. The face and the hair were similar. Her pulse raced a little faster, and she swallowed.

  Every instinct screamed that Nanu and Jaipur Sidish were the same man. She could forget her search for Amme Vanak. Nanu’s bounty was worth three times more, and the man resembled a ripe fruit, in front of her for the taking.

  Betrayal

  Nanu landed the Indy at their usual berth and powered down. “H
ome,” he said with satisfaction. And even better, Jazen was on his home turf too. He refrained from looking at her, but every particle of his body hummed at her presence.

  Camryn and Mogens unbuckled their harnesses and raced from the bridge. Shiloh had promised to have transport waiting to whisk them to Jannike, leaving the rest of them to make their way to the castle.

  “How is the leg?” Ry asked.

  “Stiff and it aches.” Nanu went for honesty even though every instinct screamed at him to say he was fit and healthy and preferred to seize Jazen instead of rest his leg. “And I’m antsy and unsettled.”

  Ry leaned closer. “Because of the woman?”

  “Yes. I must wait for my leg to heal to at least ninety-five percent, and I need to sort out my gattoc. I can’t do a thing until everything is settled, but my inner beast doesn’t care about such trifles.” A bead dropped off the end of one of his dreads and pinged against the metallic floor of the bridge. Only a few beads remained intact, which meant his body was changing faster than expected.

  “Are you positive this is what you want?” Ry asked in an undertone.

  “Yes. It’s too late now. There is no going back.” Nanu sought Jazen, and he found her eying him and Ry with suspicion. Her distrust cut to the bone, and a growl rumbled from him before he exerted control of the instinctive reaction.

  “We’ll meet in my suite once we get back to the castle.” Ry spoke softly to avoid Jazen overhearing. “I have relayed instructions to Ellard and Gweneth. They have prepared a chamber for Jazen and armed it for us to keep an eye on her comings and goings.”

  “Thank you.” Nanu powered down the ship and moved onto the final berthing procedures and electronic admin work for the spaceport authorities.

  While he did this, Ry, Kaya and Jazen loaded the luggage into one of the utility vehicles the locals used around the city of Viros. After securing the Indy, Nanu limped into the chubby pewter-gray flymo along with Jazen and his two friends for the journey to the castle. His leg throbbed, and he was glad to drop into a seat and relax.