Valiant Alien Tailor

by Zara Zenia

  Corbin's eyes combed every inch of my face as I spoke. When I finished, he held my gaze for the longest time, leaving me in suspense over whether I'd passed his test.

  "What part is that?" he asked, holding my gaze.

  I wanted to look away from those cold eyes, but I didn't dare. I almost had him.

  "Why does a terrorist bent on driving the Trilyn back into space try to kill a dozen of his own people?"

  Corbin froze, just as I knew he would. He narrowed his eyes at me in obvious suspicion, but there was nothing there for him to find because I hadn't told a lie.

  "They were collateral damage," he said hesitantly. "Anybody with a brain could see that."

  I nodded. "That's what I thought, Mr. Corbin. But that didn't make sense either. A suicide bomber might be after collateral damage, but you and your brother wired the building, not yourselves. In fact, when you had the chance, you let the very man you were supposed to be there to kill beat the living hell out of you. You still have the wounds..."

  I let my voice trail off, leaving Jake Corbin to stew in the silence. If he got emotional, so much the better. The best chance I had of getting an honest reaction from him was to make him emotional. Scared, if I could get him there.

  "Look, I don't know who you are lady—"

  "Kelly Fillmore," I said. "Interrobang News."

  "Right," he said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "But if you don't mind, I'm kinda tired. So, if the point isn't coming somewhere in the middle of all that bullshit—"

  "I'm wondering why someone paid you half a million dollars two weeks before the attack, Mr. Corbin."

  The room was so quiet, I could hear my heartbeat thudding in my ears. Jake Corbin and I stared at one another in the dead quiet for several seconds. I had no way of knowing what he was thinking, but I knew for damn sure I couldn't be the first one to blink.

  "I don't know what you're talking about," Corbin said unconvincingly.

  "No? What about the quarter of a million six months before that?" I asked. "You're not a terrorist and you don't give a shit about the Trilyn. You're just a gun for hire, Jake. A mercenary."

  Corbin swallowed hard. His pale skin flushed and his eyes hardened. If he could have set fire to me with the heat of his gaze, I would have already turned into a pile of ash. I lowered my hands down into my lap, ready to grab Lortnam's stun gun from my pocket if Jake Corbin wouldn't take his loss easily.

  In the next second, the emotion disappeared from Jake's face. He leaned back and shook his head.

  "Run back to the slaver, bitch," he said. "This interview is over."

  "Yeah, I think it is." I slid out of the chair, straining my hearing to listen for any movement from Jake as I went for the door.

  The second I was back in the hallway— with the door between Jake Corbin and me —the adrenaline rush that had carried me through the interview evaporated. I leaned against the wall, taking a breath and focusing on the tile floor below my feet as my muscles trembled. It was the first time I'd been in the room with a trained killer. At least, that I knew of.

  Two sets of heavy footsteps approached me. The heavier of the two moved in front of me. Lortnam.

  His hands grasped my arms and squeezed gently.

  "Are you all right?" he whispered.

  I nodded, even though I hadn't quite stopped shaking. "His name really is Jake Corbin. But he's not an anti-Trilyn hardliner. He doesn't have any ideology at all, except money."

  "Do I want to know how you got that information?" Agent Yadav asked.

  I shrugged. "Probably not, but you don't really need to know, do you?"

  When the words left my mouth, I didn't look at Special Agent Yadav. I looked at Lortnam. For the first time since I took the case, I didn't care what sort of judgement the UEG or Human Union had in store for me. If I needed anyone to tell me it was okay to know what I knew if it could make a difference, it was the Trilyn Prince.

  And that was the problem.

  There had never been a time in my life where one person's word mattered more to me than any others— let alone one man's word. But here I was, looking up into his troubled blue eyes, hoping he wasn't angry. Or worse, too curious.

  But it was Agent Yadav that asked the question.

  "Do you trust her, sir?" he asked.

  Suddenly, I realized I needed the answer, too.

  The Trilyn Prince held my gaze as he answered.

  "With my life."

  Chapter 15

  Lortnam

  The simple phrase seemed to ease Kelly's lingering worries. Her shoulders relaxed, as did the soft flesh around her silvery eyes. I waited for the familiar warm smile to appear on her lips, but it did not. There was relief in her, that was plain enough, but no happiness.

  It will come, when matters are settled.

  The soothing words did nothing to calm the dread building in me. It had been growing ever since Kelly and I left her apartment. A gnawing idea that had refused to make itself obvious or leave me in peace to watch Kelly work.

  And she had been magnificent! My Kelly, with her way of seeing through the lies people told. With her way of leading us to the ugly truth in her own time.

  Would she really go so far to protect herself from me? All the way across her world?

  The thought of my Kelly disappearing into the Earth’s landscape without me made the breath catch in my throat. My mind raged against the idea the second I heard her tell Jake Corbin. It hadn't stopped.

  I wanted to kiss her. To pull her into my arms and shower her with my lips until all thoughts of leaving Baltimore— except in my palace —had gone from her mind entirely. But I could not. I would not. Not because of Jake Corbin, or Nora Morse, or even David.

  It was because when Kelly chose to be my wife— and I prayed she would —it had to be of her own free will. I would accept no less.

  "Then this is bad." David said, exhaling. "A terrorist nobody gives a shit about. But a mercenary? People will want a piece of that guy just to keep him quiet about his resume."

  I furrowed my brow. "Why would a member of the Human Union interfere? Technically, Jake Corbin is a prisoner of the Trilyn Empire. He's only being housed by the UEG."

  "Unless he could give us something or someone more valuable," Yadav said, folding his arms across his chest. "In which case, I'm sorry, your Highness, but the safety and security of citizens of the Human Union trumps the treaty. There's not a leader on this planet who wouldn't agree."

  From the turned down corners of David's mouth, I suspected that he didn't agree, but the situation and location prevented him from saying so. I heard the warning. If someone were determined to make Jake Corbin disappear, I would have limited time to come up with a plan to stop it.

  "What if the threat to the Trilyn Empire was more imminent?" Kelly asked.

  Her voice held a different tone than I'd heard from her before. It was softer, more fragile. It took every ounce of propriety I had in my body not to pull her into my arms then. But I could not stop myself from shifting closer to her, using my size to shield and protect her as best I could.

  "Imminent threats went out the window when you busted him as a mercenary, ma'am," David said. "If Jake Corbin was on the job, he's sure as hell not getting updates from his client while he's in a prison cell."

  Kelly sucked her teeth, lowering her chin for a few seconds in thought. The same sensation of awe that I felt watching her interview Jake Corbin crept over me once more. She had been right about going into that room. It was my fear that was wrong. There was no point in trying to rid myself of it. Kelly Fillmore meant too much to me for that. But perhaps, over time, I could learn to channel it into something better. Anything for her.

  My Kelly's eyes widened and a hint of a smile sprang to her lips. "Wait a minute, we're not the only ones who know he's not really a terrorist, right? At the very least, whoever hired him knows what he really is and that the UEG has him. So why is he still here?"

  Yadav's brow furro
wed and he tilted his head to the side. "Huh, good point. Maybe the purse can't afford to spring him?"

  Kelly shook her head. "Not from the dollar amounts I saw. The Corbin brothers... might not look it but their services command a high price."

  David's jaw clenched. "Interesting theory. You wouldn't happen to know what they've been doing with that money, would you, Ms. Fillmore?"

  I snapped my head in David's direction, intending to correct him for his tone. Friend or not, this was my potential mate. My Princess. No man living would speak to her that way. Not in my presence. Not while I drew breath.

  "Haven't the faintest idea, Agent Yadav," Kelly said, gently brushing her hand against mine. "But if I had to guess, I'd say the Corbin boys enjoy fast livin' and pretty women. Besides, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that someone who can afford to stage a terrorist attack can afford to get the guy who did it for them out of trouble. Especially if all it takes is giving him a crime to pin on someone else."

  "You have a thought, Kelly?" I asked.

  She nodded. "If Jake Corbin is still here, it's because the person who hired him wants him to be. Maybe Jake isn't so happy about that."

  "Fair point," David conceded. "But how does that help us?"

  Kelly turned to me, her silver eyes sparkling with mischief. "It would mean Jake Corbin is in need of a job."

  This time I couldn't resist. I swept Kelly into my arms, claiming her lips against her muffled squeal.

  "Lortnam!" she scolded when I pulled away, her face flushed.

  Kelly. My brilliant Kelly.

  "You've given me an idea," I said, caressing her cheek with my finger. Then I tore my eyes away from her and turned to David. "I need to have a word with Jake Corbin."

  David nodded. "He won't have gone far. I'll have him brought back."

  He disappeared down the corridor, likely to have Corbin returned to the interview room and smooth any frustration the lost time created in the staff.

  I pulled Kelly deeper into the hall and into a recessed doorway, giving us the closest thing to privacy we could have and still be found when I was needed. With no eyes on us, I gave into the desire to pull her into my arms and hold her.

  "What will you do?" Kelly asked.

  I took her face into my hands, caressing her cheeks with my thumbs. She didn't resist the affection. She never resisted it when we were alone.

  "End this. And then... perhaps we can continue to explore our future."

  "Lortnam," she said hesitantly. "Don't risk anything for me. I'm not worth it."

  David spoke before I could. "Sir? He's ready."

  I nodded, but I didn't look away from Kelly. “Thank you, David. We will be there in a moment.”

  How could she say such a thing? Did she still believe she wasn't the most important thing in my life?

  Kelly lowered her chin as she held my gaze. "Promise me."

  "You are worth anything and everything I have to give, Kelly Fillmore. And you forever will be." I pressed a last kiss to her forehead before following David back to the interview room.

  The last thing I wanted was to be away from her, even for even a moment. But I was leaving her with the only Human on the surface I could trust.

  Hate and rage flared in Jake Corbin's cold eyes as I entered. Knowing the truth about him made them easier to dismiss.

  "You think that was a cute trick, dontcha your Majesty? Well, guess again. My lawyer is gonna rip that woman and anything she’s got apart."

  I waved a dismissive hand. "I'm not interested in that anymore."

  Corbin blinked in surprise. "Right, and I'm the Queen of England."

  "In which case, I'd be butchering your honorifics, but alas we find ourselves in possession of different fates."

  "The slaver's got jokes," Corbin spat. "That's a new one. So, what are you here for if not to gloat?"

  "I have a job offer, Jake Corbin. I realize these aren't the usual circumstances in which you find your clients—"

  "No, most Humans are smart enough not to talk about illegal shit in the middle of a federal lock up. You big boys must be a special kind of stupid."

  I smirked. "The laws of the Human Union only apply to Human citizens.”

  Corbin tilted his head. "So?"

  He sensed a trap, a man like him would have to, but if Kelly's hunch was accurate, he would find my offer him irresistible.

  "Your intervention was unnecessarily violent, but I can't deny it forced me to reconsider my position here. The truth is, I've grown tired of your planet and your people."

  "And how the hell would a guy like me help you with that?"

  "By following through with your plans, Jake Corbin," I said. "Kill one of the seven, and all of us will be recalled back to our planet. If it must be one, I would prefer it not be me."

  A cold smile spread over his lips. "Did you have a particular brother in mind?"

  "Yes, and you should have no trouble finding him. He looks almost exactly like me."

  The smile widened. "Yeah, I know the one. That shouldn't be a problem at all, assuming the price is right."

  I leaned back in my chair and steeled my stomach. "As a representative of the Trilyn Empire, the country of Norna, I will hire you for this task—"

  "And my brother," Corbin interrupted. "I'm not leavin' Blue behind."

  I shrugged. "The both of you then. To facilitate your employment, you and your brother will be transported to my palace. Obviously, your stay with the UEG will be cut short. And when the task has been completed, you will both be rewarded handsomely for your efforts."

  "How handsomely, your Highness?"

  "Very. To start with, there's a mountain of trinkets of worth to your people I've been given during my time here that I have neither the use nor desire for. Statues, art, jewelry, and the like. For you to take them would be a kindness."

  "What about that smart-ass reporter?" he asked. "How're you gonna keep her quiet?"

  "There's no need to keep her quiet," I said. "I believe she already told you she plans to leave. I need only facilitate that plan."

  How I hoped I was wrong. I didn't want to lose Kelly Fillmore. When I heard her tell Corbin she planned to leave, I hoped it was a lie, but I knew her well enough to know she had told the truth. Whether she still planned to leave, I could not say, but she had considered it.

  "Hm. Guess I was wrong about her being sweet on you then, good." Corbin leaned forward. "I'll take it, on two conditions. The first is we go now. I've had enough of the UEG's brand of hospitality. The food gives me the shits. The other is that we go now."

  "Give me time enough to arrange the transport and have a guest room prepared for you," I said, climbing to my feet.

  "Not a chance," Corbin snapped. "I know where my little brother and the rest of my crew are now. I might not in a few hours. Just like your job offer could evaporate into thin air."

  Damn it. "Have you any other demands?"

  "Just one. Get the brunette to come too."

  "Why?"

  "The hell do you care?" Corbin shrugged. "She's nice to look at."

  "No."

  He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I can just stay where I am, your Majesty."

  "If that were true, you wouldn't have listened to my offer in the first place." I took a breath, willing my heartbeat to slow. "She is neither my slave nor employee. I cannot command her to go anywhere."

  "Then ask her. Real nice-like," Corbin said.

  I didn't want Kelly in the same physical space as Jake Corbin ever again. But the logic I used worked both ways. I couldn't command her to go nor would I command her not to.

  "I will pass your request on to her," I said.

  "Then we're going to get my brother first, right? A deal's a deal, your Highness."

  I paused, struggling to find a hole in his logic that would shift the advantage back to me. There was none. If I wanted to take Corbin off the field of engagement, I had to appear to be making good on my promises.

  "
My people will come get you when the arrangements have been made."

  Kelly had already emerged from the viewing room by the time I stepped into the hall.

  My gaze slid from her to David who was steps behind her. "Make the arrangements to have Jake Corbin transferred into the custody of my security team."

  "Sir, you can't seriously be planning to use him—"

  "To convince his team to reveal themselves and commit another crime in the estimation of both governments," I said.

  "That's entrapment on our planet, sir," David said.

  "On mine, such a thing does not exist when it comes to regicide. Which is why it had to be one of my brothers."

  "Where are they all?" Kelly asked. "Will they be safe if something happens?"

  "The ones that have wives are with them, two here on Earth, two home on Trilyn," I said, taking her hand. "Those that don’t have wives will be in their palaces miles in the sky, I will make sure of it. They will be far beyond anyone's reach. I've risked nothing but myself."

  "And me," Kelly said. "I'm going to be with you."

  "I have to advise against that, sir," David said. "We have no idea what we'll be walking in to."

  "Then I suggest you use the time we have left to secure a weapon and body armor from my security team," I said, ending the argument before it began. "If you plan to see this through with me."

  David shrugged. "I was never here for Jake Corbin."

  Thanks to the massive amount of digital and physical forms required by the Human governments, it took nearly an hour to transfer Jake Corbin from UEG custody. The powers that be objected, but as Corbin had been my prisoner all along, and merely held in their jails, there was nothing they could do to stop it. While I awaited the paperwork, I called my brothers to warn them of what was taking place. They were not happy, but they understood the plan and took measures to make themselves safe.

  “Thank you for the heads up, brother,” Akrawn said when I called. “I have news of my own to share.” He smiled.