Jerred's Price

Chapter Nine

Giselle sat in her room, fuming. The more she thought about what had happened, the angrier she grew. Who was this man to play with people’s lives?

Josiah had her taken to a very nice room, she couldn’t complain about that. But she could complain about the lock on the door and the rather unpalatable choices he wanted her to make. At least she’d learned one thing. He wasn’t interested in her personally. He wanted to use her to hurt Jerred, something that made her even angrier. Sure, the man was insufferable. Hell, he was even an ass sometimes. But something inside her rebelled at the thought of Josiah using her against him. If anyone was going to call him an ass, it should be her, she thought wryly. Josiah was just going to have to wait in line.

Thinking about him made her mad, too. He just assumed she’d dump him if a better prospect came along. He certainly didn’t think that highly of her. Beside that, if Celia was any sign, women weren’t too valued on this station. Despite what everyone seemed to think, she wasn’t a whore; she was a barmaid. Big difference. But even if there were bars on this unfortunate chunk of metal, she had a feeling they wouldn’t be hiring on the kind of terms she liked to see in her employers.

There was nothing else for it; she was going to have break them out of this hunk of junk. The thought make her laugh. After all, guards surrounded her. This was Josiah’s station, and he clearly controlled everyone and everything on it.

But she had a few things going for her, she thought coolly. She was station-born and bred. As a child on Vega, she’d learned all about the little nooks and crannies that filled even the most carefully designed stations. She was still relatively small, and while her hair was noticeable, it wasn’t so bad when she pulled it back in a braid. In fact, unless he had thought to restrict her access to food, she could probably even manage to order something up to color her hair with. If she got the chance to run, she wanted to be ready to take it. She wandered over to the data terminal, hoping against hope that his

“access to the library” included data privileges. If it did, she was set.

She flipped on the terminal, opting to use the manual interface, and checked into the ’net. There was the library all right. She took a moment to look it over, surprised to see that it went far beyond the standard titles one might expect on a station of this size.

There were the most recent vids and lits, far more than she’d seen in the data shops on Transit Three. Whatever else Josiah was, he must be an educated man. He and his people had an impressive library.

She chose an Imperial space opera at random and flicked it on to the large vid screen. Hopefully that would distract anyone who might be watching her. Of course, if they were monitoring her data terminal it wouldn’t do her much good, but it would provide minimal cover against the casual observer. She flicked through data screens, wishing she’d had more interest in the ’nets as a child. She knew there were ways to hack into them, to move around so that nobody could see what she was doing.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have a clue as to how one even tried something like that.

She flicked back out of the library, discovering that the station’s public ‘net was open to her. She started by calling up a map. It wasn’t as detailed as she might like, but it did give her some general idea of how big the station was. She looked in the directory for a brig or jail, but nothing was listed.

She sighed—that would have been too easy.

Instead, she took a moment to look over the station. It seemed to be built along the lines of a giant cylinder, spinning on its axis to provide gravity. She winced. It was an ancient design, the kind usually reserved for habitats around planets.

She sat back and tried to think.

If the station was based on the habitat design, the exterior should be fairly uniform.

Sure, there would be protrusions and hatches and such, but still, it was hardly likely that there were giant holes in it. That just didn’t fit in with the design. In the map she’d found online there were several large, dark spaces that really should have been filled.

She decided they probably were filled, but just filled with things that weren’t available to anyone who happened to access the general ’net. She’d bet her last credit Jerred was hidden there. There were four of them, two at each end of the station. Given that the whole thing had to be six or seven miles long, she decided it made sense to work on the assumption that he would be in one of the closer areas. It seemed to make sense that all prisoners would be held in the same general area. She probably wouldn’t be able to travel the length of station without being caught, anyway.

Of the two holes in the map on this end, one of them seemed to be larger than the other. It was near several of the largest hangars, and also seemed to be centered in the middle of the barracks area. It would be a good, safe place to keep a prisoner, she thought, but perhaps an even better place to store weapons. And would they really keep a prisoner so close to potential escape? There seemed to be hundreds of small vehicles in those hangars…

The second hole looked more promising. As far as she could tell, their little banquet had taken place in or near it, and she decided that it was most likely Josiah’s private

“compound” within the station. In fact, her little room was either in it or very, very close to it. She thought about Josiah for a moment, wondering if he would be the kind of man to keep his prisoners close to him. He’d been playing with her and Jerred at dinner like a big, hungry zarna. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Zarnas enjoyed toying with their prey before killing it, just like Josiah.

If she was right, Jerred wasn’t far from her at all.

She looked at the map one last time, then flicked back to the library. The less time spent accessing such dangerous data, the better. She spent another hour scrolling through the titles and watching snippets of different vids, then settled on a drama centered on a Saurellian priestess.

To her surprise, it turned out to be engrossing. The woman was torn, because her entire family wanted her to take some man as her “life mate,” whatever that was.

Giselle assumed some kind of marital bond. But the priestess didn’t want a mate, she wanted to stay single and free at the temple. Finally, toward the end, the scorned life mate kidnapped her and took her to his estate in the mountains. Josiah chose that moment to walk in on her, and the vid fell silent. Giselle stood up and frowned at him.

“I was watching that,” she exclaimed in disgust. “I want to see how it ended.”

The normally stone-faced guards seemed surprised by her outburst. Reality hit her.

This man held her life in his hands; she had no business berating him over a vid.

But the corners of his mouth twitched in amusement.

“Saurellian vids always end the same way,” he said softly. “They fall in love and live happily ever after as life mates. It’s their genetic heritage, did you know that?”

She didn’t know, but she wasn’t about to admit that. Jerred was only the second or third Saurellian she’d ever met; her entire life had been spent in Imperial space. But she’d be damned if she was going to ask him what he meant. He walked toward her, every step graceful and filled with that languid strength one saw in predators. She met his gaze as he came closer, until they were standing eye to eye. Or rather, eye to chest…

He was far too tall for her to meet his gaze head on.

“Have you been enjoying our library?” he asked softly. “Did you find anything of interest in it?”

“It’s pretty good,” she said. “Is everything on your station as well-stocked as this?”

“Yes,” he said softly. “I’m a man who likes his material comforts, and so do my people.”

Having him so close was unnerving. She took a deep breath, then turned and strolled casually away from him. She had no idea if it would fool him or not, but she couldn’t handle the intensity of being so close any longer.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said as she walked. “About your offer.”

“And?”

“I’ve made a decision,” she replied, turning to stand behind a chair. She braced her hands on the top of it, grateful for the support, and leaned toward him. “I’ve decided that sticking with Jerred at this point is a losing proposition. I’d rather join forces with you, so to speak.”

She forced herself to look up at him through her eyelashes, hoping that it came off flirtatious, rather than simply desperate. Fortunately she’d had years of practice.

Customers tended to tip barmaids who flirted…

He gave her a cool smile, with just a hint of polite surprise in his expression.

“I thought you’d stick by him,” he said softly. “I guess I misjudged you, Giselle.”

Her stomach twisted, but she didn’t let anything show on her face. Prick.

“I’m very pragmatic in my affairs,” she replied softly. “I believe that a woman owes it to herself to make the most of what comes her way. Jerred was the best at the time, but he’s no good to me now. Something tells me you could be very good… Whatever is it you want me for? Correct me if I’m wrong, but sex doesn’t have anything to do with this, does it?”

He started laughing, and she thought for a moment there was genuine amusement on his face. It was hard to tell.

“No, I’m not interested in sex with you,” he said. “Please don’t be offended, you’re a lovely woman. I prefer not to take Jerred’s leavings, however. I want something else from you.”

“What?”

“Jerred, of course,” he said, his voice low and intense. “The man is crazy for you. I have no idea why, and I can’t see that there’s any kind of future in it for either of you.

He’s a Saurellian, and they can only take life mates from among their own kinds. He’s genetically incapable of having a meaningful relationship with you.”

She nodded her head slowly, forcing herself to breathe as the knowledge hit her.

She’d had no idea, and up to this moment she might have sworn she didn’t care.

She cared, all right. The thought of him with another woman made her feel sick.

Still, she’d rather he be with another woman than be dead. No question.

“That’s not my concern,” she said. “I’m more interested in what you can offer me.”

“Survival,” he said. “Perhaps some credits to take with you, and a ride to another space station? I imagine that would be all you could expect at the end of your affair with Jerred.”

“So what do I need to do?” she asked.

“I’m going to send you to him.” he replied softly. “I want you to tell him that you’ve stayed faithful to him, and that you’ve chosen prison to stay with him.”

“He’ll never believe that,” she exclaimed softly. “He’ll suspect something.”

“Of course he will,” Josiah replied. “But he’ll want to believe. He cares about you, and he wants to be with you. That’s obvious to me. All you need to do is feed his little fantasy.”

“And what’s the point of this game?”

“I want you to find out how he got my station plans,” Josiah said. “I have a traitor on board. I could try and get it out of him through torture, but I doubt I’d succeed. His kind of have special training and other safeguards to protect them—this will be much more effective.”

“All right,” she said softly. “How will I report to you, though?”

“I’ll bring you out for questioning, of course. Let me worry about the details.”

“You’ve got a deal,” she replied, smiling brightly at him. She had no idea what she’d do when she reached Jerred, but at least she was going to see him again.

That was about as close to good news as she could imagine at this point.

“Now, I’m very sorry, but we’ll have to do something to make this look believable,”

Josiah said. The guards advanced toward her, one grabbing her arms and pulling them behind her back. The other punched her in the face. She screamed, and then fell abruptly silent as his fist hit her stomach. Again and again he hit her as Josiah supervised, his face stony and devoid of compassion.

How long were they going to leave him like this? Jerred wondered in disgust. He had been through worse, but still, there was something so seedy, so repulsive about lying flat on his back with his limbs tied and his cock hanging out. The door opened, and the light from the outside blinded him briefly. The light flicked on his in room, and he closed his eyes, squinting.

“I have a surprise for you,” one of the guards grunted. “Your slut decided she wanted to be with you more than she wanted to stay and enjoy our hospitality.”

The oaf thrust Giselle into the room.

She was still clad in the filmy gown she’d worn for dinner, but now the dress was torn in several places. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth, and bruises formed on her cheek. Jerred forgot his restraints as a bolt of shear hatred and adrenaline shot through him. His entire body lunged toward the guard with every intention of killing him. Unfortunately the ties were far too tight, and he merely succeeded in twisting on the cot. The guard laughed.

“I’ve given her the keys,” he said after a moment. “She’ll let you up when the door’s closed. I think you might need some time to cool your temper. But don’t take too long. Until I feel like it’s safe to come back, I’m not bringing either of you any food.”

The man snickered again, and then slammed the door shut. Giselle slowly picked herself up from the floor where she’d fallen, and crawled over to the cot.

She looked like hell.

Her eyes were shadowed, and she had a startled look on her face. He knew without asking that she’d never been beaten before. There was sense of violation written across her face that no woman could fake.

“I’m so sorry they did this to you,” he said softly. “Why are you here? If you’d done what Josiah wanted, you’d be fine. He treats his women well, you know.”

She gave a haunted little smile. “He’s not as easy to work with as you might think,”

she said softly. “I thought you were the better bet. What have they been doing to you?”

She gave his bare groin a pointed look, and he sighed.

“Torturing me, in a way,” he said softly. “Josiah sent Celia to me.”

He saw her breath catch, and she turned away quickly.

“I suppose you couldn’t help yourself,” she said softly. “She is beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you are,” he whispered, trying to make every word sound as sincere as he felt. “All I could think about was you. I managed to fend her off in the end.”

“You mean you didn’t have sex with her?” she asked. “They taped you, Jerred. I know you did.”

“And how did the tape end?” he asked. “Did they show you that part?”

She stayed silent, then abruptly turned and started to work at the cuffs holding his left arm.

“It doesn’t matter, Jerred,” she said. “I’ve made my choice and there’s no going back. Do you think there’s any chance that we’ll get out of this alive?”

“No,” he said softly. “I don’t think we’ll get out of this alive.”

She sat back, forgetting the cuffs. “I guess I expected you to at least try lying about our chances,” she said after a moment. “You aren’t very encouraging.”

“Would you rather that I lie to you?” he asked, fighting back a laugh. “I really wish you hadn’t come here. I don’t want you dead, Giselle.”

She started to work on the cuffs again, managing after a few tries to free his legs.

She crawled up to his head and attacked his hands.

“I don’t want me dead, either,” she said. “But I think it’s too late for that.”

She looked into his face and smiled at him. He only shook his head sadly at her.

“I only have one thing left to trade, Giselle,” he said softly. “That’s information. If I give him what he wants, he might let you go.”

She didn’t reply, focusing instead on the cuffs. He took in a breath to speak again, and she shook her head every so slightly.

He looked confused.

“What—?” he started to ask, but she cut him off, kissing him deeply.

Every time they’d kissed before, he had taken the lead. Not this time. She kissed him hard, like she really meant it. Like she’d wanted to for a long time, she realized. She could feel that attraction leap between them, but she tried to hold her libido in check.

This wasn’t the time for sex—she needed to think. There had to be some way to get through this and get them out. She wasn’t ready to give up yet, and she wouldn’t let Jerred sacrifice himself for her.

Either both of them got out together, or they wouldn’t get out at all. There was nothing in the middle she’d accept. She pulled away from his mouth slowly, and he shifted awkwardly. He seemed dazed, and then he pulled himself together and flexed his arms, still cuffed above his head.

“I’d really like it if you’d finish the job,” he said softly. She shot a look down his body to his erect member.

“Which job?” she asked archly. “I can see a couple of things that need attention.”

He laughed at the joke, although the noise sounded a bit strained.

“As much as I’d like you to take care of other things, I think my hands need to come first,” he said. “I wish this wasn’t true, but I’m glad to see you, Giselle. Even if you are an idiot for coming to me.”

“What a touching sentiment,” she replied dryly, turning her attention to the cuffs once more. “You’ll turn my head with talk like that.”

He laughed and she joined him, feeling some of the tension ease. Things weren’t looking good, it was true, but she was still glad to be with him.

Now she just had to figure out how they were going to escape.