by Cyna Kade
“I don’t believe you. You always have something. You can willingly surrender it or
I can play rough until you do surrender it. Either way, I’ll get it.”
Tamara thought about delaying. She knew the pirates couldn’t stay long. The space
police would have received the alarm from the cruiser. They’d be here soon but not
soon enough to help her, she realized. Gage wasn’t going to leave her here so there was no point in leaving her stash to be found by a cleaning crew. Besides, if she cooperated maybe she could keep herself in one piece long enough to escape without too much damage.
“Darling…?”
“It’s in my cabin.”
“Then let’s go get it.” He dropped his arm and grabbed her hand, engulfing it in his large one. Not hard enough to hurt but firmly enough that Tamara knew she couldn’t escape.
Chapter Two
Tamara led the way back to her cabin. Neither one spoke. Gage’s grip on her wrist
didn’t loosen. Once in the cabin, she pointed to the air vent.
“Get it,” Gage said. He released her wrist and stood in the doorway.
Tamara pulled over a chair and turned the screws to loosen the vent. She dropped
the cover plate to the floor and reached into the dark opening.
“Darling, be very careful of what you pull out of there.”
Tamara looked over her shoulder to see Gage aiming his pistol at her. “You don’t
need that,” she said. “You know I don’t do guns.”
“Things change and I don’t know how much you’ve changed yet.”
Tamara frowned and pulled out a tiny brown cloth sack. She jumped off the chair
and held it out to Gage.
He shook his head and said, “Open it.”
Her heart nearly broke as she spread her stash on the bed. She knew he’d take it all.
Three years of work going to enrich him just grated. She nearly braved the laser pistol but instead she kept her face stoic as she watched him examine her collection.
She always converted everything to gems. They were small, easily concealed and
quickly negotiable. All were good to excellent. The handful of sparkling white, blue, red and green gems were various sizes. The combined worth could have bought a small ship. Why hadn’t she just retired? Why had she tried for this last heist? She’d been foolish.
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been a busy little girl but where is it, darling?”
“Where’s what?”
“Did you think I’d just let you walk away with the Dialor Gem? Where is it? Did
you sell it?”
“I never touched the gem. I left Sigil with nothing but the clothes on my back. I
didn’t take it Gage.”
“You really think I’ll believe that you were that close to a fortune and you walked away with nothing? Besides, if you didn’t take it, who did? There was no one else there.
Don’t lie to me. The score was gone and you were the only person who could have
taken it.”
“I wasn’t…” Tamara trailed off as she realized Gage didn’t know she wasn’t the
only person who could have taken it. Randall Fells had been there. He could have easily walked off with the loot. But how could she tell Gage that she’d left when she saw the cop. That might be almost as bad as him thinking she’d stolen the score. And why would he believe her? Randall was a space cop. If he’d seen Gage, he would have
arrested him. But Gage was here, not in jail, so that bastard must have stolen the score and left Gage to blame her?
Typical. If Randall had arrested Gage, he wouldn’t have been able to walk off with
the score. She wanted to tell Gage her suspicions but his temper was too uncertain.
Better to wait. Besides, would Gage believe her? Would he believe that a space cop was that bad? Maybe. There was no love lost between the authorities and space pirates.
Maybe she should wait until Gage was in a more receptive mood.
Before she could say anything else, the alarm blipped once.
Gage tapped the communicator in his ear. He didn’t say anything and he didn’t
take his eyes off Tamara. He didn’t give her a chance to escape. She’d hoped that, if she gave him her stash, he’d let her stay here. He tapped the communicator again, turning it off.
“Repack it.”
Tamara poured the gems back into the bag.
Gage held out a hand. She gave it to him and he tucked it in his pants pocket. “Let’s go,” he said, waving the pistol toward the door.
“And if I say I don’t want to go with you?”
“You can say anything you want but it won’t change the outcome and, if you fight
me, I’ll stun you and carry you. Your choice.”
Tamara hesitated then sighed. He’d do it. He rarely bluffed and she was certain he
wasn’t bluffing now. “Can I at least take my bag?” She pointed under the bed.
“You won’t need clothes, but sure, bring it. I’ll search it later. I’m sure you have some interesting things in there but don’t try anything. Grab it slowly.”
She reached under the bed and pulled out her go-bag. She slung it over her
shoulder then they left the cabin. They walked along a corridor, headed back to the pirate ship. At the airlock she knew she had to try one more time. Once she was onboard his ship there’d be no escape. “Gage, you don’t need me. You have all my
stash,” she said.
“Oh, darling, that’s just a little side benefit. You’re the one thing I really wanted from this ship. It’s time for us to play. I’ve wanted you for too long to let you go now.”
He waved his arm, motioning her forward.
Gage led Tamara through the airlock and onto his ship. It was newer than the ship
he’d had when Tamara had known him. “New ship?”
“Mercury with a few upgrades.” He smiled down at her.
Tamara stumbled. “How did you get it?” All the Mercury ships were military issue.
They weren’t sold to private owners because their configuration was strictly for war and defense and their weapons could easily blow apart any civilian cruiser. No wonder Gage had been able to board the luxury cruiser so easily.
“Friends in the right places.” He chuckled. “The same way I found you. Come
along, darling,” he said, wrapping his hand around her arm. “Let me show you my
lair.”
“I’d rather have a tour of the ship.”
“I’m sure you would but we’ll save the tour for another day. Right now, I want you
well secured until we finish this operation.”
She really hadn’t expected him to agree. They both knew it would be harder for her
to escape if she didn’t know the ship layout and she’d never seen the specs on a
Mercury vessel. They were top secret. She’d never made the effort to find them.
Why should she? She never expected to be aboard one.
Gage led her to a lift. Once inside, he moved to stand in front of the controls. Then he leaned against the wall and watched her through narrowed eyes. His surveillance was unnerving but she stood stiff and pretended to ignore him.
They went up but she couldn’t see how far. All she knew was that the exit was
down. The lift opened to an alcove. Gage exited the lift. Tamara hesitated. Gage looked back over his shoulder and cocked an eyebrow at her. She sighed and exited into the alcove. Gage smiled then placed his hand on a flat, shiny surface beside the door. A light flashed and the only door off the entryway whooshed open.
She walked in and stopped. The captain’s quarters looked more like a suite in a
fancy hotel than a spaceship cabin. One entire wall was a series of viewports. Each port was small but combined they gave the impression that the entire wall was glass. She could see the Luxor Astra off the bow. It hung i
n space like a silvery shimmer with no hint of anything wrong.
“The military takes good care of their officers,” Gage said. “And even I was
surprised by the fact that they provided such a convenient prison.”
Tamara cast him a startled glance. His cold smile was unsettling. He stood in front of another door, cocked a finger and motioned her toward him.
She swallowed hard and briefly considered fighting him but she knew he’d treat
her better if she behaved. She walked to the doorway. Gage pulled her go-bag away. He tossed it on the floor then his hand slid around her throat, holding her still. “Don’t
panic. They aren’t my toys. My tastes are more conventional. I just haven’t bothered to redecorate.” His other hand palmed a door plate. The door slid open silently.
Bright lights revealed a torture chamber. Cages were scattered across the floor.
Whips lined one wall. Long chains that were fastened to the far wall ended in wrist restraints. Tamara felt faint as she processed the tools and implements. The room was designed to break the strongest man. What would it do to her? “Gage?”
“Welcome to your temporary quarters. You really shouldn’t have scammed me.”
“It wasn’t like that!” Tamara tried to pull away. Gage simply tightened his grip on her throat. She squirmed but couldn’t fight free.
He led her over to a cage that reached the height of her breasts. He opened the door to the cage and forced her inside. Then he closed the door and stepped back.
Tamara scrambled to her knees. The cage was too small for her to stand. She
watched Gage through narrowed eyes. He pulled over a chair and sat staring at her. She stayed still but his intense frown had her wondering if an apology would get her anything.
“I like the waif look. You’d almost pass for a kid, except for your breasts of course.
I’ve felt them but never seen them. Take your shirt off, Tamara.”
“Tara. I prefer to be called Tara.”
“You were with me for six months and never told me your real name. I thought we
trusted each other, Tamara.”
“Gage, there’s an explanation. I had a reason—a good reason—for leaving. Don’t
you want to hear it?”
“Three years ago I wanted to talk to you but you were long gone. We don’t need to
talk now. Take your shirt off.” His voice remained level, almost conversational as he denied her request but she’d known him long enough to know he’d made up his mind and nothing she said would dissuade him. Better to just obey before he forced
obedience.
Tamara sighed and pulled off her shirt. She’d always liked fancy bras and panties,
hidden under unremarkable shirts. It was a gesture of defiance and a luxury few
women could afford. Her black bra was lacy and flimsy, barely containing breasts that were much larger than might be expected, given her small stature.
Gage smiled. “Oh, darling, business must be good if you can afford that kind of
luxury. It’s a nice look for you,” he said. “Now take it off.”
“Please don’t do this.”
Gage’s smile faded and his eyes seemed to grow colder. “One good humiliation
deserves another. Besides I’m not stupid enough to leave you with the weapons or tools you’ve got hidden in your clothes. I remember how resourceful you could be.”
Tamara gulped and decided she needed to acquiesce to his demands. She’d try to
explain her actions later. Now was not the time to defy him. She reached back to release the catch on her bra.
Gage held out a hand. Tamara passed the bra through the bars.
“Sit up, darling. Three years ago I ached to see you and you denied me. Not this
time. Hold them up for me.”
Tamara kept her eyes on Gage’s face as she lifted her breasts for his inspection. She tried to ignore the heaviness gathering in her pelvis as he confidently made his demands. She’d always been able to turn off her sexual desire, had never experienced it, really. Why couldn’t she do it now?
She’d seen his explosive temper in action and she knew she was walking a very fine
line between safety and pain. Why did it turn her on? Could she change his anger into sexual desire? Was that the way out of this mess?
Tamara stayed on her knees and arched her back a little, causing her breasts to jut out more. Her nipples had tightened and Tamara couldn’t tell whether it was from the cold in the room, the cold in Gage’s eyes, or her desire for him.
Gage smiled but otherwise seemed unmoved. “Take the rest off.”
Ignoring her disappointment, she remained silent. She pulled her pants and
underwear down then sat on the cold metal and pulled them off. She threw the pants
outside the cage and pulled her knees against her chest. Gage stood. Tamara could see his cock had hardened. So he wasn’t immune to her charms. That was good to know.
Would he let her out now?
Before she could find out an excited voice announced, “Captain, to the command
deck. Captain, to the command deck.”
Gage shook his head. “Lucky escape for you,” Gage said. “I don’t have time to deal
with you now but don’t worry, darling, I’ll be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, maybe you should think about the mistake you made when you stole from me. Fakzi will keep you company.”
“Fakzi?”
Gage pointed to the corner of the room and Tamara realized there was some kind of
furred creature behind one of the cages.
“What is it?”
The creature raised its head and said, “I am male. Not an ‘it’!”
The creature’s voice was deep and raspy. Not unpleasant but not smooth either.
“As you’ve just discovered, Fakzi is sentient. Be nice to him. He’s a liock.”
“What?” Tamara shuddered. She’d heard of the liock but she’d never seen even a
picture of one. They were rare and dangerous. “You’re leaving me—”
“Fakzi will keep an eye on you but he won’t hurt you. Will you Fakzi?”
“I have been well fed today. Of course I like to play.”
“Fakzi?”
“No fun, but I will behave Gage. I will watch. I will not harm the she creature.”
“Thank you Fakzi,” Gage said. He looked at Tamara. “You might also want to get
some sleep since yours was interrupted.” He smiled. “Besides you’re going to need all
your energy when I return.” He strode to the doorway where he flicked a switch. The bright lights dimmed, leaving the room barely visible.
Tamara’s breath raced as she watched him leave the room. Part of her hoped he
would never come back.
Tamara felt more than heard as the creature stirred and slowly padded toward the
cage. He walked on all fours but she had a feeling he could stretch up on two legs if the need arose. The liock vaguely resembled a cat. A very large cat. The animal was as long as Tamara was tall. His eyes were golden slits. His mouth was filled with very sharp teeth that he displayed and Tamara wondered if he was like dogs who showed their teeth when they were happy. Tamara kept watching the creature.
Fakzi moved close to the cage and stuck his snout between two bars. She eyed
Fakzi’s paws and realized that his fur covered very sharp claws and that the liock could easily reach between the bars and slash her to bits. Tamara swallowed hard.
“Tell me your name,” Fakzi said.
Tamara briefly considered ignoring the demand but then decided such a protest
would be futile. “I’m Tara.”
“Gage called you Tamara.” The creature’s voice rolled the r in her name. “Tara is a lie. I do not like liars.”
“I’m not lying,” she protested. “Tara is a nickname for Tamara. I prefer to be called Tara.”
The creature cocked his head and stared intently at Tamara. She could almost feel
him in her mind. Was it true? Were the creatures truth-sayers and mind readers? She didn’t know much about liocks. She’d thought they were a myth and tales of their prowess must be false.
They’d been discovered in the far reaches of the galaxy a hundred years ago. The
first encounters had not gone well and tales of their savagery quickly rippled through the galaxy. Since their planet held little of value, it had been marked as off limits. How had Gage gotten one of the creatures to travel with him?
She decided to ask. “How did you end up with Gage?”
“You should know that if you question me I will have the right to question you.
Those questions may lead places you are not ready to go yet. If you remain silent so shall I.”
Tamara pondered the creature’s strange statement. Did she really want to know if it meant having to answer his questions? Not yet she decided. She turned her head away from the creature and proceeded to ignore the crawling sensation in her mind.
Tamara hung her head and concentrated on her breathing. Her heart was racing.
She wouldn’t be able to figure a way out of this mess until she controlled her panic.
She’d been in trouble before. Her whole life was one series of escapades after another.
She’d been alone since she was sixteen. Luckily she’d learned most of her father’s scams before he’d left her. She was better off without him. She was better off without anyone, including Gage.
She calmed and focused on freedom. Ignoring the liock, Tamara lifted her head and
catalogued her position. The cage that held her was small. She couldn’t stand. She could lie on her back if she bent her knees. She realized she’d have to struggle to straighten her legs and that she’d soon be worn down by the lack of room to move. She crawled to the cage door. It was another palm lock. If she had her go-bag, she could defeat it. A little dust, plastic over her hand and the sensor would think it was Gage’s hand. But she didn’t have the right tools with her. Despite Gage’s precaution in removing her clothes, he hadn’t frisked her hair. She still had her lock pick but it wouldn’t work on the palm lock. She wasn’t getting out by herself.