by Lily Thomas
Zoe sidled up beside Je’lak. Maybe she’d be saved by the human alliance. She glanced down at Je’lak and worried her lip between her teeth. She wanted to be saved, right? Who wouldn’t want to be saved from the best sex of her life? Zoe shook her head. Now really wasn’t the time to be thinking about dick.
If she had a chance to escape, she would take it. She still had a life back on Guit’re. A lonely life with no real friends and a boss who drove her up the wall.
Zoe’s thoughts were interrupted as Kynt responded to Je’lak.
“Yes, they’re hailing,” he said.
The view screen lit up with the face of a gray-haired human commander decked out in full military dress. He looked more decorated than a Christmas tree, medals pinned across his coat in pride.
“Daen’su ship,” he began, “We will allow you to live if you hand over Miss Mallery, unharmed.” The commander’s mustache twitched with every movement of his upper lip.
Zoe held her breath, waiting for Je’lak’s response. She really wished she wasn’t on the ship of the damned. He had to see that they were outgunned. Hopefully he wouldn’t say something rash and get them all killed.
Je’lak gripped the arms of his chair but managed to keep his voice to a low growl. “It seems we’re at an impasse, commander. You’ll have to destroy my ship before I’d ever let you board her. Of course, you’d take the risk of killing Miss Mallery in the process. It could be hard to explain her death to your superiors.”
A face palm was extremely tempting, but Zoe stood stock still.
The commander’s eyes briefly flicked over her, but he immediately dismissed her as unimportant. He had to know the woman, Miss Mallery, was a brunette, and Zoe was a blonde. At least now she knew the woman’s name. Maybe she’d learn more during this conversation.
“How do we know Miss Mallery is even alive?” the commander asked.
Je’lak looked over at Zoe. He was probably wishing the two human woman looked more similar so he could pass her off in Mallery’s place. Instead, the poor woman was laid up in the medical bay, in an induced sleep to promote healing.
“We have a human doctor looking after her needs.” Je’lak tapped his fingers impatiently on the armrest. “She was badly injured after you all shot at her.”
The commander’s face tensed under the accusation, and Zoe thought she saw a vein begin to pulse along his forehead.
She stepped in to distract the commander. “Our patient is in a stable condition after surgery, and I expect a full recovery on her part.”
Je’lak cut her off. “End the transmission,” he barked at Kynt. “Initiate evasive measures. We need to take out their engines, and then get the hell out of here.” Je’lak went to take a position at one of the consoles.
Zoe rushed to sit in the captain’s seat as the ship executed a sharp turn toward the nearest human war ship. She didn’t want to get knocked around again, and it looked like Je’lak was going to test just how far he could go with the commander.
Hopefully, the commander was under orders to return Mallery alive.
Je’lak barked at Ji’hun. “Take out any missiles they send our way while I target their engines. We don’t need them taking ours out as well.”
The advantage of their ship was that it was small and maneuverable, while the human warships were built to pummel enemies with little movement involved. Targeting would be easy, but evading quick missiles would be a challenge.
Just then, the ship jerked and bounced, caught by the edge of a barrage.
“Keep us out of range!” Je’lak hollered at Kynt.
“Doing my best,” Kynt muttered, concentrating on his evasive maneuvers.
Their ship danced around the hulking human alliance warships as Je’lak shot up their engines. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Zoe clinging to the captain’s chair, but he didn’t have time to see how she was doing. He was just trying to keep them alive and out of jail.
Je’lak let off a final volley and let out a cry of triumph as the missiles found their mark. “Get us into hyperspace now!” he called out to Kynt.
Kynt adjusted the ship’s heading, and the vessel leapt into hyperspace.
They’d done it.
The relief of making a successful getaway spread through his body, and Je’lak relaxed for the first time since the human alliance had appeared on their sensors.
Je’lak looked back and found Zoe still seated in the captain’s seat. A smile spread over his lips. She looked beautiful sitting there with her straight blonde hair flowing around her shoulders. He surprised himself when he realized he could picture having her on his ship permanently.
Je’lak turned back to the console, but his mind wasn’t on the information scrolling across the screen. Instead, his thoughts were on Zoe. She hadn’t come to his cabin the last few nights, choosing instead to sleep on one of the patient beds in the medical bay.
Je’lak had to admit that her absence bothered him. He’d been thinking over their last conversations together, and he could see now that he had put Zoe into an impossible position. By kidnapping her and forcing her to treat the ambassador, he’d as good as made her an accomplice. The human government was sure to question her involvement after hearing her discuss the ambassador’s condition.
Je’lak tapped at the console absentmindedly. Unlike the rest of his crew, Zoe had nothing to look forward to after the job was complete. For all she knew, he could be planning to sell her to the Frirens after this. Je’lak’s fingers clenched at the thought of Zoe helpless in a Friren arena. He would never let that happen to her.
Je’lak glanced back at Zoe. Would it be crazy to offer her a position on his crew? It wasn’t a prominent hospital like she was used to, but it would present her with challenges, and she’d get to travel around space. Plus, he would have the money after this job to make some improvements to the medical bay. Je’lak smiled to himself. Zoe would like that. He just hoped it would be enough to convince her to stay.
Zoe let out a slow breath. Did the Daen’su not have a concept of death or a fear of dying? Her three shipmates seemed completely unaffected by their close brush with annihilation.
No offense to Je’lak, but she’d doubted they would make it out of that situation alive. A small Daen’su freighter up against two battleships wasn’t exactly an even match. And yet, they had escaped.
Zoe wouldn’t admit it to Je’lak, but she was impressed. To outwit two human warships was an inspiring feat in a rust bucket. Her mouth quirked. Although he probably wouldn’t take it as a compliment if she phrased it that way.
Je’lak made some final adjustments from his console before approaching Zoe. He raised an eyebrow when she remained in the chair. In response, she merely eased deeper into the cushioning, giving him an innocent look.
Je’lak fought a smile and failed. “Come. We need to get to the medical bay and make sure the medical equipment is still working properly.” He stepped up to her and offered a hand.
Zoe accepted it, and Je’lak lifted her lightly to her feet. Inches away, he gazed down at her tenderly, and Zoe felt a brief pang in her chest before she turned away from those mesmerizing orbs of silver.
Zoe mentally chided herself as she strode quickly down the corridor ahead of Je’lak. He had no business being so charming, and she should know better. Setting her mouth in a firm line, Zoe hardened her heart. As soon as Mallery woke up, Zoe was going to get them both back to human space and to safety. Her physical relationship with Je’lak had been fun, but she was under no delusion that they were in love.
They entered the medical bay, and looked down at their patient – Miss Mallery – Zoe corrected herself. Zoe picked up a tablet and checked Mallery’s medical readout.
“She looks fine. Actually, she’s healing faster than I expected. We might be able to lift the induced coma in a few hours. Of course, she still won’t really be out of the woods, will she?” Zoe raised an eyebrow.
Je’lak nodded, his lips pursed in thought as he contemplated Mal
lery’s sleeping form.
Zoe waved a hand. “Je’lak?”
He looked up, and despite her promise to herself, her breath caught for a moment as the swirling silver drew her in.
She looked away and set the tablet down hard enough to rattle the table. She had to focus.
“Who is Mallery?” she demanded. Steeling herself, she looked up at Je’lak. “It’s about time you tell me who I’m healing and why. Who am I going to tell, anyhow? The human military is already after you.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I think I have a right to know what I’m involved in.”
Je’lak hesitated. “She is a very important person,” he hedged. He picked up a medical instrument and fiddled with it, refusing to meet Zoe’s gaze.
Zoe rolled her eyes. “I gathered that,” she responded tartly. “You don’t see the human alliance worried about me, now do you?”
Je’lak dropped the instrument back onto its tray. “She is the ambassador to Earth,” he admitted.
Zoe’s jaw dropped. “You kidnapped the ambassador?” She stared at the comatose woman lying on the medical bed. She didn’t really keep up with politics. If someone had asked, she wouldn’t even have been able to tell them if the current ambassador for her people was male or female. Je’lak had no reason to lie, though.
Stepping back from the table, Zoe glared at Je’lak. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked. “Clearly you have a death wish.”
His lips drew into a straight line, and he shot her a glare. “Nothing is wrong with me. I’m getting paid twelve million credits for this delivery. It’s well worth the risk and the hassle.”
Zoe’s jaw dropped again. “Is money all that matters to you, then? You’ll kidnap a woman and hand her over like so much cargo? Seriously? Do you even know what’s going to happen to her?”
Je’lak huffed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not my concern what happens to her. I deliver her, I get paid, and I move on to the next job.”
Zoe shook her head in amazement. “This is the ambassador of Earth! She’s second only to the president.” A part of Zoe realized now why Je’lak had acted so recklessly during their encounter with the human alliance. He knew the military wouldn’t risk destroying their ship. Killing her would have ended that pompous commander’s career. “You’ll be hunted for the rest of your life,” she finished weakly.
“I’ve already told you, I’ve been a hunted man for years. One more government coming after me is not much of a concern. Although you humans are persistent, I’ll give you that.”
Zoe threw her hands in the air. “They may not have killed us last time, but it’s not going to last! The president will eventually give them the okay to blow us up. The ambassador holds valuable information about Earth and her defenses. They won’t want her to divulge any of that information to us. It’s only a matter of time, and the longer they’re after us, the more likely they’re going to reach that point.”
Je’lak glared at Zoe and stomped past her. “Inform me if the ambassador wakes up. Otherwise, I will be on the bridge.”
Zoe let out a gasp and spun on her heel, but he was already out the door. She shook her head. The moment the president gave that order, their lives were screwed. Why couldn’t Je’lak see that?
Zoe fumed for a short time in the medical bay, straightening equipment and supplies, banging doors. She should have told the military commander she wasn’t involved in this kidnapping. Instead she’d acted like she was the ship’s medical officer. He probably thought she was part of the team behind this idiotic plan. Great. They’d probably already run her face through their security systems and knew every detail about her life. They might even put out a warrant for her arrest as well.
Zoe bent her head over the ambassador. It was time for them to get off this ship, before things escalated even more.
Zoe’s anger disappeared into cold clarity. She’d never be able to return to her life if the ambassador didn’t set everyone straight. Mallery was the only one who knew she wasn’t involved, and she would be the only one the government would listen to.
“Where am I?”
Zoe’s head jerked up. “Mallery?”
The ambassador’s head turned in her direction, and Zoe peered into striking green eyes. Right now, though, those eyes were swimming with confusion.
“Who are you?”
“You don’t know me, but I’m Dr. Anderson.” Zoe rose from her seat by the medical bed and stood next to Mallery.
“Where am I?” Mallery’s hand came up to her forehead.
“Do you know what happened to you? How you got here, on this ship?” Zoe asked, as she picked up a pad.
Mallery shook her head and winced. “No. Sorry. One moment, I was traveling to another planet, and then I woke up here. Wherever here is.” She gave another glance around the room.
“I’m sad to say, but you’ve been kidnapped.” Zoe informed her.
Mallery’s wide jade eyes turned towards her. “By you?”
“No!” Zoe shook her head vehemently. “We’ve both been kidnapped by a crew of Daen’su. You were kidnapped as part of some deal on the Daen’su black market, and I was kidnapped to save your life after you were shot.”
“I was shot?” Mallery tried to sit up and winced. Her hand went to her side, feeling the tender, healing skin.
“Easy,” Zoe said, helping her reach a sitting position.
Mallery pulled her shirt up a bit. “It doesn’t look too bad.”
“Your burns have been healed, for the most part. We placed you into an induced sleep to accelerate your healing. You’ll experience a little pain and soreness for the next few days, but your recovery is assured.”
Zoe frowned. “Ideally, I’d check to make sure you’re coming out of the coma with no lingering affects to your mental capacity, but I’m afraid that’s impossible.”
Mallery raised a hand to her head and gave Zoe a worried look. “Why?”
Zoe waved her hand around. “Unfortunately, our captors haven’t provided us with much of a medical bay. Just be happy I’ve given you some drugs for any pain there might be. We did stop at a Daen’su outpost, which is how I was able to treat you properly. I convinced our kidnapper that it would be in his best interest to ensure you were alive and healthy for his client.”
“Of course, that leaves us in a much better position to attempt an escape now. There is no way I could have gotten us both out of here while you were injured.” Zoe paused and quirked an eyebrow. “Unless you want to be sold to an unknown buyer for unknown reasons.”
“Not really. So what’s the game plan?” Mallery swung her legs off the medical bed and stood with a hand gripping the side of the bed for balance.
“We need to take an escape pod and find a safe planet to land on.”
“So…no plan then.” Mallery filled in.
Zoe smiled. “No, but it’s the start of one. We have to do something.”
Mallery nodded and sent a wan smile her way. “At least I’m not alone in this. I couldn’t imagine waking up on this ship and trying to escape on my own.”
Zoe grinned back. “Yeah, I’ve already been there. I wasn’t so successful on the solo attempt.” She tapped her lips with a finger. “We’ll have to wait for the right opportunity. I need to take care of the captain or he’ll be on us in a matter of seconds.”
“Sounds good.” Mallery sat back on the medical bed. “I think I need a few hours anyway. I need to wrap my head around what’s going on and let this pain subside a little.”
“At least you aren’t freaking out and ripping all your hair out and getting hysterical.” Zoe regarded the woman before her with admiration. “Most people would not be handling this very well. Then again, as an ambassador I imagine you’re used tense situations and thinking on your feet.”
Mallery let out a short laugh. “I’ve never been in a situation quite like this before, though.” She sobered. “Do you know who they are selling me to?” she asked.
Zoe r
eturned her green gaze directly. “No. I only found out today exactly who you are, and that their client is paying something like twelve million credits for you.”
Mallery whistled. “Damn, that’s a lot of credits. Good to know I’m worth something.”
Zoe smiled. She was going to like this woman. “All I can guess is that this client, whoever he is, wants you because of any knowledge you have about Earth.”
“Good thing I’ve been trained to withstand torture.” Mallery shuddered. “Not that I want to put my training to the test, mind you.”
“How does someone get trained to withstand torture?” Zoe wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know.
“It was a joke. A bad one. Must be my head,” Mallery said, rubbing her forehead above one eye. “Although they did teach me a few things in case I was ever kidnapped.” Mallery lowered her gaze. “I didn’t think I’d ever have to actually use them.”
Zoe gripped Mallery’s hand. “Hey. We don’t really know what’s going on here, and guessing isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
Mallery squeezed her hand and gave Zoe a grateful smile. “You’re right. Now you go take care of the captain, and I’m going to lie down here and contemplate a career change.”
Zoe smiled to herself as she left the medical bay. Mallery had a great personality, and Zoe wasn’t going to let her lose that to some twisted mystery buyer, whatever he had in store for her.
Chapter 6
Zoe stepped back from the bed and surveyed her handiwork. It hadn’t been easy to turn Je’lak’s bare bachelor pad into an alluring retreat, but the final result had been well worth the effort. Swathes of cloth that Zoe had found in a bin in the cargo bay were draped carefully around the walls, adding warmth and a feeling of intimacy to the room. The feeling was enhanced by the dim glow of the lighting, which had taken Zoe almost an hour and every curse word in her vocabulary to achieve.
Zoe dug her toes into the richly decorated rug she had scrounged up and laid across the floor as she contemplated her masterpiece. The bed spread out in all its glory, heaped high with extra pillows from storage, just begging for a pair of lovers to dive in and get lost in each other.