The Khyma: Taken Part One (Women of Dor Nye Book 4)
Page 15
Willa stopped in her tracks at the sight of the Wenden hovering on the ships main communications screen.
“What have you done?” She heard herself ask, walking into the middle of the room, staring into the four smirking eyes.
“You started it,” he rolled a shoulder, chuckling. “You stole Rishbi’s necklace-”
“Not Rishbi’s, you cheat. Mine.”
“-and attacked her. She’s useless to me now,” he exhaled heavily, as if saddened. “But, I have something I think you’ll want back. Let me show you...”
The vid turned, capturing Tosh laying unconscious on a carpeted floor, still in her white dress.
The room was so silent, you could’ve hear a pin drop.
Willa’s stomach rolled, her heart galloped, and anger curled her fingers, the nails biting into her skin.
This was her fault. All her fault. If she’d only listened to Tosh those few months ago.
“Don’t wager that heirloom,” she’d urged her. But Willa was so sure she would be fine, that she would win, and she would’ve if her opponent had been honest.
She should’ve known better.
“What do you want?”
“Oh, a great many things.” His relaxed tone only irritated her further, his Cheshire cat grin grating on her nerves.
Willa bit out, “What do you want for Tosh?”
“Two billion credits.”
Her lungs deflated, whispers making their rounds for those that were still on the bridge, watching the vid call like a train wreck they couldn’t look away from.
“You have four universal weeks.”
“What’s to stop me from sending the authorities? I know where you live.”
He outright laughed, shaking his head like Willa was the best comedian.
She ground her teeth together.
“One of many dwellings I own,” he shrugged, tsking. “You insult my intelligence.”
The vid disconnected, and Willa was standing there, speechless.
Four weeks. Two billion credits.
A stone sat in her gut, realizing her one mistake in a shelk game had snowballed into something catastrophic. If she thought she could walk away from this, thought her family would never catch wind of it, she was wrong.
Her best friend’s life was on the line, and there was no way she could scrape up that much money in four weeks by herself. She didn’t even know how to contact him when she did get the money.
And she would. She would get that money, even if it meant jeopardizing her entire future. She got them into this mess, her mess, and she would get them out.
She looked to Killian, a weary, troubled glint in his eye.
Willa couldn’t put it off any longer. Any sense of pride deflated the minute the Wenden showed her unconscious best friend on his floor. She would have to tell their families everything, and beg the company board to pay the two billion credit ransom.
“Get us to Atomin,” she whispered. “Now.”
COMING SOON
Tosh’s story
The Incuabri: Taken Part Two
WOMEN OF DOR NYE
The Melier
The Melier: Home World
The Yarian
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Poppy is a small town American girl, living in a tiny Canadian hamlet, who spends her days pounding on the keyboard, drinking tea, and living one step outside of reality. Her retirement plan is to be abducted by the aliens she writes about, but for now, she enjoys life with her husband, their three cats, and when she’s not getting sucked into cute animal videos, you can normally find her with her nose in a book.
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