H'zim (How the Aliens Were Won Book 7)

Chapter 15

H’zim waited impassively as the two men approached him, their faces weathered and worn, their gazes cold and calculating. Even the cow and calf quieted, as if they sensed his tension.

“You H’zim?” the one in leather asked, his voice low and rough.

He nodded, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his knife.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” the other man said, his hand hovering near his gun. “You received the message, I take it?”

His jaw clenched as he thought back to the note pinned to the door.

“I did. What do you want?”

The man in leather smiled, a cold, mirthless smile.

“You know why we’re here. Your debt is due. And it’s time to pay up.”

“What’s the price?” he asked, his voice even.

The man in leather leaned forward, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Nothing terribly difficult - just a simple errand.”

“What do you want me to do?”

The man smiled, a cold, calculating smile.

“It’s simple enough. We have pinpointed an area on the farm that houses semi-precious stones - pretty but not particularly valuable. My employer just needs you to confirm their presence.”

He frowned at the other man, knowing it couldn’t be that simple.

“Why?” he asked, his hand tightening on the reins.

The man in denim snorted.

“It’s none of your damn business. But unless you obey, ending up back in jail will be the least of your worries.”

The memory of the dark, cramped cell he’d endured for so long washed over him, making his skin crawl. He wouldn’t go back there, not without a fight. But this wasn’t the time for it.

“What’s the location?” he demanded impatiently.

The man in leather pulled out a rough map, pointing to an area not too far from his own farm, alongside a stream that cut across that side of the property.

“Here. Check it out and then bring back a jewel to confirm you were there. Meet us back here at sunset tomorrow.”

“That isn’t enough time, not if you want me to avoid suspicion.”

The two men exchanged a glance, and then the one in leather nodded.

“Fine. two days, but no more. And don’t think about trying to cross us. We’ll be watching you - you and that pretty little pet human of yours.”

His hand clenched on the control wheel, enraged at the implied threat against Kara but he managed to keep his face expressionless as he nodded.

“I’ll be here in two days.”

“Good. We’ll be waiting for your confirmation.”

The two men rode away without another word, but he didn’t think they were going far. He started the wagon again and resumed his journey, turning over possible solutions. He needed a chance to think, to plan, and to come up with a strategy to get out of this mess.

As he turned into the farm’s driveway, he spotted a familiar figure standing by the barn. S’kal. Even though his brother had broken his promise not to come for a visit, a wave of relief washed over him at the sight of his brother.

He parked the wagon and jumped down, but before he could go to his brother, a small red-haired tornado barreled into him. As he wrapped his arms around Kara, she tilted her face up towards his, her lips soft and yielding as he kissed her.

He longed to linger there, to bask in the sensation of her soft curves, her lush breasts pressed against his chest, but S’kal cleared his throat pointedly, reminding him that they were not alone. With great reluctance, he pulled back, and she smiled up at him, her eyes damp but her face radiant.

“Thank God, you’re back. I was so worried.”

“There was nothing to worry about. Everything in town went very smoothly.”

Which was true enough as far as it went. He planned to tell her everything, but he wanted to talk to S’kal first. He looked over at his brother, giving him a level stare.

“I didn’t expect you for at least a month.”

S’kal shrugged. “I suppose you could say I’m here on official business.”

‘They were worried you were going crazy because you were so mean to that man in the barn,” Kara said cheerfully.

“I wasn’t mean to Kalpar. I just told him to get the fuck away from my land.”

She raised an eyebrow and he sighed.

“I may have been a little… harsh, but you were out there on your own.”

She laughed and hugged him, then glanced from his face to S’kal’s.

“I have the distinct feeling that you need to talk. I’ll go and start on supper.”

“We’ll put the animals away, then bring in the rest of the supplies,” he promised.

She hugged him again, then danced away, pausing long enough to coo over the cow and calf and stroke their noses. He suddenly wished she were stroking him instead, but he needed to provide for her safety first.

“She’s right,” he said quietly to S’kal. “We need to talk.”

His brother’s expression immediately turned serious.

“What is it?”

“I never told you why I was released early,” he said softly as they led the cow and calf to their new home.

“I noticed you were remarkably vague about it, but I was too happy you were free to question it.”

“I made a deal with the devil. I agreed to perform an unspecified favor at a future date.”

A muscle in S’kal’s jaw ticked, but then he sighed.

“I suppose I can’t really blame you. I would probably have done anything to be free of that place as well.” S’kal gave him an all too perceptive glance. “I take it that favor has come due?”

He told S’kal about his conversation with the two men and his brother nodded. The news didn’t seem to come as a shock to him and H’zim frowned at him as they returned to the wagon for the chickens.

“You knew?”

“Not exactly. We knew Marshall was searching for something, but we didn’t know what until Kalpar returned.”

“Marshall? You don’t mean Marshall Thompson?”

Marshall was one of the biggest crime lords in Port Cantor, although he tried to conceal it behind the facade of a respectable businessman. If Marshall was behind this, he really had made a deal with the devil.

S’kal nodded grimly.

“We’ve just started putting the final pieces together. I think you need to come and talk to Temel and Tomlin.”

“Tomlin? What’s he got to do with it?”

He heard enough about the man’s skills from his brother over the years not to be entirely surprised, but Tomlin was only human after all.

“You can never be entirely sure with Tomlin,” S’kal said, grinning. “But he’s the one who put the pieces together about the jewels.”

“Does he know why they’re so important? Was the man wrong about them not being particularly valuable?”

“I don’t think so, but there’s definitely something going on. Please come to the main farm tomorrow - we all need to talk.”

He hesitated then nodded.

“All right.”

S’kal helped him carry the last load of tools into the barn, then nodded and clapped his shoulder.

“Good. Now please make my apologies to Kara, but I need to get home. Evie is pregnant and I don’t like to leave her alone for this long.”

S’kal dropped the news into the conversation so casually that it took a minute for it to penetrate.

“Pregnant? Your mate is pregnant?”

A broad smile crossed his brother’s face as he nodded.

“Congratulations,” he said sincerely. “I’m very happy for both of you. You didn’t waste any time, did you?” he added, grinning.

S’kal shook his head ruefully.

“None at all. The medic thinks Evie probably became pregnant the first time we were together. He warned me that the fertility restrictors the military gave us can lose their effectiveness over time.” S’kal gave him a curious look. “Which means that you and Kara…”

He shook his head, feeling an unexpected pang of regret.

“I had it renewed here on Cresca.”

He didn’t want to tell his brother that Ayyla had insisted. At the time he’d been offended that she hadn’t been willing to take his word for it, but now he could only be grateful.

“I see.” S’kal smiled at him as he led out his horse. “Then I suppose you and your mate can pick the right time to have it reversed.”

Mate.

The words rang in his ears as S’kal mounted and rode off. Of course Kara was his mate. How could he have been so blind to the fact for so long? Now it was time to claim her properly - but first he had to tell her the truth.