On the other hand, she was essentially homeless if she went back now. Those “friends” she’d mentioned earlier were more like old coworkers who would feel too bad to turn her away. She’d probably have a couch to crash on for at least one night.
She wouldn’t bet on them offering more than that.
She was back to square one.
“Just the trial period, that’s it?” she asked, making sure their terms were perfectly clear.
Chapter Twelve
Paine knew two things: he trusted Rowe with his life, and he would take great pleasure strangling his brother if Rowe’s plan cost them their bride.
He hadn’t quite understood what Rowe was thinking when he’d mentioned the stipend. In fact, Rowe deserved a punch in the mouth for even uttering the word. The compensation that the women had been promised was exactly the temptation to return to Earth that he didn’t want dangling in front of their bride.
When Rowe had asked for his trust, Paine had given it. Their bride was just as important to Rowe as she was to Paine. His brother wouldn’t jeopardize losing her after such a long wait. Knowing their shared desire, Paine would have to wait and see what path Rowe was leading them, and it wasn’t long before it became clear.
He’d been baiting the hook.
The stipend made the brides comfortable by giving them a choice to return if they so chose, but so far, none of them had taken it. Each of the brides they’d encountered were more than happy with their husbands and their new lives.
“Basically, yes,” Rowe answered Indigo. “We have a few conditions though.”
Paine raised his brow at Rowe at the use of the word “we.” So far, his brother made it look as if they were a united front, but he hadn’t had any part in this offer or its “conditions.”
“You do?” Indigo asked, looking back and forth between them.
“Yes, we do,” Paine answered, jumping into the conversation with more confidence than he felt. The first condition was easy for him to think of, considering what she’d already shared with them. “First, you have to actually give us a chance to make you happy.”
“That includes living with us in our private quarters on Phaeton One,” Rowe included with a nod.
“Whoa,” she said, holding up her hands. “I don’t think that’s necessary—”
“But it is, love.” Rowe leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “The trial period states that the matches cohabitate for the thirty-day trial period, and we accept no less.”
“I can’t,” Indigo said, shaking her head again. Dropping her eyes to the blanket puddled in her lap, she twisted the fabric in her hands. “It was a stupid idea anyway. I need to go back.”
Paine could tell there was something deeper bothering her than what she’d previously hinted at.
“Tell us why, love.” Rowe reached for one of her hands, covering it with his huge one.
Paine mimicked him on the other side, needing the connection with their bride just as much as his brother obviously did. He’d been entranced with her when she was simply a photo and a list of statistics. With her in front of him, he could see himself easily becoming obsessed. Not in a scary or unhealthy way, of course. He simply wanted her happy and to feel cared for.
Which is where he and his brother came in.
“Indigo, let us take care of you.” Letting go of her hand, he tipped her face up, so she looked at them. “We’re here for you.”
She snorted. “You’re here for your bride. Any of those women could have easily taken my spot. You’d sing the same song and dance to them.”
Paine shook his head before she’d even finished, and he saw Rowe trying to contain his anger as well.
“That’s a lie,” Rowe argued, pointing his finger at her. “I see it in your eyes that you know it too.”
“What are you talking about?” Indigo asked, looking towards the door as if planning an escape.
“Don’t even think about it,” Paine warned, figuring now was as good a time as any to tell her all about the mess they were in. “It’s locked.”
“What?” Indigo drew her legs up to her chest, eying him and Rowe warily.
“From the outside,” Rowe added. “We’re locked in from the outside, while Kaine decides what our punishment is for being assholes.”
“Assholes?” Indigo repeated, furrowing her brow in confusion. “I’m seriously lost now.”
Rowe gave him a narrow look. “Want to tell her, Paine?”
Paine winced at the look of blame Rowe sent in his direction. “Remember when we said that we tracked you down in the tunnels and brought you here?”
“Yeah…” Indigo drawled, her eyes darting back and forth, seeking answers. “Although I’m not quite sure where here is technically.”
“We are currently on the cargo ship that was orbiting Djaromir while the static storms raged.” Rowe nodded to the small round window that looked out into space. “We were escorted here the moment we arrived back on the ship with you.”
“But…why?” she asked, her forehead creasing in thought.
“We didn’t actually have permission to go down to Djaromir.” He shrugged. “Rowe and I shuttled down without clearance ahead of the others.”
“Jesus Christ,” she yelped, startling both men in front of her. “With everything that’s happened, I didn’t even think about the fact that you guys weren’t supposed to be there until morning. I’m seriously losing it.”
Although Indigo said the words out loud, Paine had a feeling they were meant for herself.
“So what?” she asked, her eyes wide. “You guys hijacked a shuttle and what? Snuck me out all by yourselves?”
“Yes,” they answered in unison.
“But…how? I figured you had at least a few others in the mines with you. From what I’d seen of Djaromir, it’s basically an underground fortress,” she pointed out, her voice more than a little shocked. “I was there over a month and couldn’t remember my way around half the time. How the hell did you guys manage something like that?”
“It was pretty easy, actually. Paine has a convenient talent of being able to retrace his steps easily. We moved quick enough we were able to dodge the Djaromir we heard coming down the tunnels. It didn’t take long to work our way back to the gate without issue,” Rowe said plainly. “Plus, you slept the whole time. You didn’t even wake up when we bundled furs around you to get you to the shuttle safely.”
“That was a lot of furs,” Paine added. “We didn’t want to chance the outside temperatures causing you harm, so we borrowed almost every last one of the extra furs they keep by the gates. I still don’t believe I’ve thawed completely from that run.”
He couldn’t stop the memory from sending a shiver up his spine.
“When we got back to the ship, everyone was waiting.” Rowe grimaced.
“And extremely irritable,” Paine said with a shrug. “I don’t care if they are angry. The others would have done the same if they’d had the chance. In fact, I think half the reason they’re so upset is because they weren’t invited on our mission.”
“You are probably right, brother,” Rowe conceded. “We are locked in here with our bride as they wait to see if their brides have been stolen by a Djaromir.”
Holding out his fist, Paine didn’t have to wait more than a blink before Rowe had bumped it with his own. One thing the men agreed on was that they had no regrets.
Not when it came to their bride.
“Seriously?”
They turned their attention to Indigo simultaneously. Paine winced at the anger on her face. Anger directed at them.
“Are you seriously telling me that you guys stole a ship, snuck onto Djaromir, and kidnapped me in the middle of the night?”
“Well…” Rowe began.
“Yes,” Paine finished. “It was either that or wait here knowing the warlords planned to introduce you to more males. We got bored waiting and did what needed to be done. Kaine and the council knew we were on Djaromi
r the minute we landed.”
“How?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “You just said the two of you snuck down.”
“Because we sent our coordinates back to Finch knowing he would relay the information along the appropriate channels. Hix and Finch were both waiting for us when we docked. They escorted us here and left.”
“I can’t believe this. It’s like I’ve gone off and fallen down the rabbit hole. Again.” Indigo rubbed her temples. “What happens now?”
“Well.” Paine rubbed his chin, rustling the bristles there. This was where it got tricky because he wasn’t quite sure what exactly was going to happen.
When they’d come up with their original plan to sneak Indigo away from Djaromir, they’d neglected to consider what would happen once they’d returned to the ship. This was their big mistake. They’d angered Kaine, the council, and the friends they’d left behind.
“We’re under lockdown for now. They were waiting for us the moment we docked and escorted us straight here.” Rowe nodded to the locked door. “Although, I think that is more for our safety.”
“True,” Paine noted, and shot Indigo a sheepish smile. “There has been a little bit of tension on the ship, and our decision to rescue you from Djaromir has been met with mixed emotions.”
“The others want to kill us,” Rowe delivered, his voice deadpan. “Painfully. There is nothing mixed about it.”
Indigo’s eyes widened.
“Don’t worry,” Paine said, hoping to ease her worry. “They’ve been ordered to bring us directly back to Phaeton One once they’ve picked up the other women. Kaine and the council will be our judge and jury. Not the men we’ve angered.”
“Well…we did anger Kaine,” Rowe pointed out.
Paine waved his brother off. “That’s nothing new. We always make him angry. You especially.”
“True.” Rowe turned back to Indigo. “Once things calm down, I’m sure they will release us. I can’t see the council holding us here the entire trip back to One.”
“If they don’t though, we will be more than comfortable, considering the amenities each room has on board the ship. It’s not that bad.” Paine gestured around the room. “It’s much more pleasant in here versus the brig.”
“Let me see if I get this straight,” Indigo said before clearing her throat. “The Phaeton council has locked us, me included, in here because you pissed off everyone to the point that they want to kill you?”
“Err—”
“And,” she continued, her voice cracking, “this entire situation is somehow not that bad because we all could have been crammed in a jail cell instead?”
“Yes,” Paine answered unapologetically, ignoring the head shake that Rowe sent him.
“I can’t believe it,” Indigo giggled, her laughter growing in volume the longer it continued. “This could only happen to me, right? I mean—fuck,” she hiccupped.
Paine looked at his brother in confusion.
What do we do?
Rowe shrugged, making a face back at him.
Chapter Thirteen
Indigo was losing it.
Listening to their version of events made her want to laugh and cry, so they had to watch in horror as her mind and body tried to do both.
It wasn’t a pretty sight.
“Do you need a tissue?”
“Would you like a drink?”
The offers only made her cry harder. She wasn’t even sure why. Her brain and body were overwhelmed with exhaustion. It was just too much. The men didn’t scare her or anything. She didn’t feel threatened at all by the fact that they were essentially locked in a jail cell together, which probably should have worried her. Instead, their tale had been another testament to how fucked up her life was. It was probably the fact that she’d now been kidnapped—twice—that had pushed her over the edge.
“No, thank you,” Indigo answered the men who looked like they were beginning to panic as she’d brayed like a donkey. She sniffed back the tears. “I need a few minutes.”
She could only imagine how awful she looked. Patting her face with the blanket, she dried the wetness on her cheeks.
“I know that was a lot to hear, but give us a chance,” Rowe pleaded, reaching for her hand. “We can make you happy. Please.”
“That’s not it, Rowe.” Indigo’s voice cracked with emotion. She didn’t want to hurt them, but she’d never planned to stay. She couldn’t live with the guilt of it hanging over her head any longer. Closing her eyes, she blurted out the truth before she could change her mind.
“I’d never planned on staying in the first place.”
Her admission was met with silence. Indigo cracked an eyelid to sneak a peek at them. Sitting completely still, the men stared at her. There was a bit of disappointment on their faces, but she saw no anger.
Letting out a huff of air, she waited for them to say something.
Anything.
“Why?”
Rowe’s question didn’t surprise her. From their short time together, she could tell he was the methodical one. While Paine looked at her like he wanted to make her happy, Rowe seemed to study her, trying to figure her out.
“It was a stupid idea, really.” Indigo felt the sting of embarrassment heat her face. Fidgeting with the blanket, she kept her eyes down.
“Where is the bravery we saw when you first woke?” Rowe mocked, reaching out to tip her head up.
“Don’t make fun of me,” Indigo said, giving him a look.
“Never, love. I was simply curious where the hellion went that looked ready to strike earlier.” Holding up his hands in surrender, he lifted an eyebrow at her. “Tell us why you signed up. Don’t we deserve that much?”
“I would hope so, considering we did save her from a bunch of slack-jawed miners,” Paine teased, easing some of the tension.
Indigo snorted. The Djaromir were anything but a group of dumb miners. From what she’d witnessed firsthand, they were pretty clever. Their planet was deadly with temperatures and animals that could kill, but the miners had not only survived, they’d looked extremely good doing it.
If she hadn’t planned on bailing out of the Pact to begin with, staying on Djaromir wouldn’t have been an awful backup plan. Hanging out with a bunch of hot miners for the rest of her life wouldn’t have been too hard, but she’d learned her lesson.
She had to make amends.
“I signed up to get the stipend.” Indigo held her breath, waiting for an answer. When she said it aloud, it sounded as bad as it felt.
“We figured that much out, love.” Rowe gave her a look she could only interpret as “duh.”
“Why did you need the money?” Paine asked, his gaze searching. “Are you sick? Do you need medical care?”
Rowe nodded, giving her a searching look. “We’ve heard stories. One bride only signed up because she couldn’t afford her insulin.”
“Dear Lord, someone signed up because they couldn’t afford their insulin?” Indigo whispered as she fought back the awful feeling that stirred in her stomach at the knowledge. The reality of women choosing the Pact over death was jarring. She felt selfish in comparison. Covering her face with her hands, she rocked back and forth.
She felt physically sick.
No wonder. Karma had swung back and slapped the shit out of her.
“Do not be ashamed,” Paine argued, oblivious as to why she was so upset. “Let us help you. We have access to the best medical care in existence.”
“We even have some diagnostic equipment on board this ship if your condition is urgent,” Rowe finished and rubbed her back as she sat slumped over, stewing in shame. “We can message One and have the doctors on the comms to walk us through whatever you need done.”
She winced as each word felt like a stab straight into her guilt-filled heart. Indigo knew she couldn’t hide from them forever—they wouldn’t let her, even if she tried. Mentally pulling up her big girl panties, she prepared herself to be judged and found lacking.
“I’m not sick,” she said bluntly.
Both men looked at her as if she were trying to pull one over on them.
“I promise. I mean...” She sniffed, grimacing at the sound her nose made. “I think I may be fighting a little bit of a cold, but that’s about it. I didn’t sign up because I was sick and needed space doctors. The reason I signed up was stupid. As in, so stupid that I don’t even want to say it out loud because I’m embarrassed stupid.”
She waited silently for a moment, gearing herself up for the looks they were surely going to give her once they learned how selfish she was. Her throat tightened.
“I signed up because I needed—no, that’s not true. I wanted the money. I didn’t see the whole picture at first, but I see it now. It was wrong—epically wrong for me to do what I did. A tiny voice inside kept telling me it was wrong, a bad idea, and I ignored it. That’s on me. All I can do is try to fix it from here on out.”
“Fix it?” Rowe tilted his head with a sharp look. “What does that mean?”
“I have a feeling we’re not going to like it; whatever it is she says.” Paine sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I signed up under false pretenses. The promise to stay and all that jazz.” Indigo waved her hands in the air. “Every bit of it was a lie. I never planned on staying, not even for a second. I know that makes me an awful person and I’m sorry. I promise to make it right, though. I’ll confess everything to the council or whoever needs to hear it.”
Swallowing hard, Indigo rubbed her hands anxiously together as she focused on a spot in her lap.
“You know what’s funny?” her voice caught on a sad laugh. “I don’t even want the stipend any longer. I mean, I have no idea what I’m going to do without it, but yeah. Just thinking about taking that money makes me feel gross. Especially after hearing that women are signing up because it’s literally life or death for them.” Indigo forced herself to look up and make eye contact with each of them, feeling truly sorry for her deception. “I’m sorry. I know how much your people needed this to work, and I feel like shit for…well, for everything really.”
“Ar—” Paine stopped when Rowe shook his head.
Warriors of Phaeton: Paine and Rowe Page 10