Chapter 9
ALETTA
The view of Irith’s Moons was not exactly what Aletta had imagined. She had in mind something like the station from Deep Space Nine, or perhaps the International Space Station.
But, as she peered at the viewscreen in her room—Gark’s room—showing the station, she realized she had been very wrong.
It looked like two wheels stacked on top of each other, with a central tower connecting the two. They spun lazily, what seemed like a swarm of insects buzzing around the ends of the towers, until they got closer and she saw they were ships.
It was hard to tell how big it was at first, but when she zoomed in using the viewscreen—something she’d been excited to figure out how to do—she realized there was no way she would be able to search the station for Dylan on her own.
That’s assuming that Dylan was on the station, which was just a guess. And Aletta had had plenty of time in the last few days to speculate on Dylan’s fate. Now that they’d finally docked at Irith’s Moons, all she wanted to do was get off this ship and do something to find her sister.
She paced between the door and the bed.
Should she leave the ship? She knew Gark wanted her to stay here, where it was safe. But was anywhere safe?
She strode to the door and lifted her hand to swipe over the panel when it chimed, announcing someone on the other side. She opened the door to see Gark, dressed for once in something other than a ship suit.
“You look…” she scanned him from his neatly slicked hair, a black leather bomber jacket, a tight black tee, dark gray cargo pants, and black combat boots. She swallowed. He looked hot. Very hot. “You look different.”
He cleared his throat. “I’ll be back soon. I need to know you’re safe. Will you promise me you’ll stay here?”
She leaned against the doorframe. “You mean I can leave if I want to?”
He looked down the corridor, shaking his head slightly before turning back to her, purple eyes serious. “You’re not a prisoner, Aletta.” He sighed. “You… I just need to know you’re safe.”
He’d said that before. That he needed to know she was safe. From anyone else, it might sound patronizing, as if she weren’t capable of looking after herself, but from him, it was genuine.
Plus, she had no idea of the dangers the station posed. For all she knew, she couldn’t even breathe the air.
“And when you get back, we’ll find Dylan.” She cocked a hand on one hip.
He nodded. “I’ll do everything I can to find her. I promise.”
“All right. I’ll wait.”
He nodded and turned to leave.
“Gark?”
He turned. “Yes, Iriska?”
“Be safe.”
He smiled, the formerly serious look changing in an instant to a slightly cocky grin. “Of course.” He turned again, paused, then strode the few steps back to her. “Lady’s tits, you’ll be the death of me.”
He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. She gasped, and he took advantage, sliding his tongue into her mouth as she clung to him. Then he settled her back on her feet and rested his forehead against hers.
“We have much to talk about.”
Chest heaving, he turned away and strode down the hall, this time without turning back.
Aletta lifted a shaking hand to her lips. Well, he obviously didn’t regret their kiss.
She turned back into her cabin and sat back down on the edge of the bed, kicking at a discarded shirt on the floor.
“Ugh.”
Sitting in her cabin, twiddling her thumbs, was driving her nuts. She had to get out of here.
She strode out of her cabin and down the hallway, intending to head to the mess where at least she could talk with one of the crew who wasn’t on shore leave.
She rounded the corner and slammed into someone running from the other direction.
“Oof!” She fell to her ass on the floor. She looked up. “You!”
A’Kar loomed over her, his hair disheveled and eyes wild. A groan came from farther down the hall, and Klath stumbled around the corner, one hand braced over his stomach. “Stop!”
Aletta scrambled backward on her hands like a scurrying crab, trying to get away from him, but apparently, A’Kar wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He grabbed her and dragged her behind him as he raced to get off the ship.
“Help!” Aletta shouted, but he swung her in front of him like a shield and clamped a hand over her mouth.
The smell of sweat and dead skin filled her nostrils, and she gagged, but kicked and punched him with all her might.
He adjusted his hand to clamp over her mouth and nose, and suddenly, the smell was the least of her worries.
She fought to drag air in from around his fingers, barely able to focus on what was happening over her need for oxygen.
All too quickly, he dashed from the ship, ducking behind a pile of crates that were being readied for loading onto the ship in the next bay.
The hanger was full of craft of various sizes.
If Aletta had thought The Honorable Lady was huge, then there were some absolutely gigantic ships here.
And many much smaller as well. There were yellow markings on the gray floor in a strange script, scuffed and faded with use.
Not that she was able to take much in. When he dumped her to the ground, she landed on her hands and knees, gasping for breath.
Her vision swam, and she coughed, tears running down her face.
She had no time to escape, as A'Kar dashed off, dragging her behind him by the wrist.
“Help! He’s kidnapping me!” She cried, trying to attract the passersby's attention, but no one paid any attention.
“Silly whore. They don’t have human languages in their translation chips. Nobody does.” A’Kar laughed, his lip splitting open again from where Gark had hit him in the face. Blood ran down his chin, making him look even more deranged than he was. “Scream all you want. Nobody will come.”
He was right. Nobody knew where she was. If it wasn’t for Klath seeing her being dragged away, then Gark might come back to The Lady and think she’d left on her own.
Her thoughts raced. She hoped Klath was all right. He’d been pale, and that stomach wound hadn’t looked good. And what of Gark? Would he get back in time to help? She craned her neck, scanning the crowd in case she saw him, but all she got for her trouble was a curse from A’Kar.
Aletta stumbled, her shoulder burning from A’Kar jerking her as he dragged her behind him.
The hangar was so busy they were soon lost in a mass of people moving back and forth.
A machine roared past them, hovering off the ground and pulling a long train of floating pallets stacked high with boxes.
A man with feline eyes and a striped tail that reminded Aletta of a tiger eyed her, but when his eyes fell to A’Kar’s arm with the tattoo, he turned away as if he hadn’t seen them.
A’Kar stopped suddenly, jerking her so hard she fell to the ground, grazing her hands on the rough surface.
“Where are you taking me?” she hissed.
He smirked. “To your precious sister.”
She froze, halfway to climbing to her feet. A’Kar looked at something on his wrist comm, then grabbed her arm painfully before striding off again. She stumbled after him. “What?”
“That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
He smiled down at her, the expression slimy and expectant. She shuddered as he stopped to one side of the walkway and faced her as all manner of beings pushed past them. He lifted one thick, stumpy finger and traced it down the side of her face. She turned her head away with a grimace.
“Think about how grateful you are to me, hmm? Soon you will show me exactly how much you want to see your sister again.”
Bile rose in her throat at the insinuation. He was disgusting, vile, gross. And she wouldn’t touch him if her life depended on it.
But what about Dylan’s life?
Is this what it came down to?
She gagged.
A’Kar smiled at her expression, revealing blackened, chipped, and yellowed teeth. His breath reeked of rotted food and decay.
Aletta bent over at the waist and vomited on his boots.
“You little bitch!” He yanked her upright, spittle flying from his lips. “Clean that up!”
Aletta wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “No.”
He backhanded her across the face, her head whipping to the side. “Clean. It. Up.”
She turned her head slowly, her lip stinging and blood running down her chin. “No.”
A’Kar lifted his hand again.
Aletta met the eyes of a man hurrying past. He looked away, his cheeks darkening. A dock worker walked by as if she wasn’t there. A family rushed past, the mother shielding her children’s eyes from the sight of Aletta’s bloody face.
Her vision blurred.
Nobody stopped to help. Why wouldn’t they help?
She flinched as A’Kar’s hand descended toward her again, lifting her free hand as if it would stop him. She screwed her eyes up and braced herself for the blow.
It didn’t come. Instead, the comm on his wrist beeped. He spoke into it in a low voice, face turned away from Aletta.
A man spat at her feet as he walked past, then sneered at her. She watched him in shock. What was wrong with these people?
A’Kar jerked her arm, dragging her along after him with renewed purpose as they left the crowds in the hangar and entered the space station proper. Aletta gawked as levels opened above them.
It was a hive of activity. Hawkers sold food from hovering carts, shouting to be heard over the hum of so many voices.
Couriers pushing similar carts, laden to overflowing with boxes moved with purpose through the throng, not even pausing to let people get out of the way.
A’Kar jerked Aletta out of the path of one such courier, but she didn’t fool herself into thinking it was for anything other than his own benefit.
He might be taking her to her sister, but she doubted it. He needed her for something, and the only thing she could think of was the same fate Dylan faced.