“You know what happens when you assume things, Ochoa?” Tara’s eyes got huge as she realized I was about to finish my joke. “You make an ass out of you and me. Get it?”
“Prepare to come aboard.”
Tara shook her head. “Stupid joke.”
Yes. But, sometimes all there was in life were stupid jokes.
* * * *
The guards on the Ochoa ship were nicer than the ones who had captured me the last time. Or at least they seemed less desperate to rape me. They were identical twin brothers—Horace and Benjamin—and they didn’t say much. Their hands on my arms as they shoved me into a cell next to Tara weren’t as rough as they could have been. They’d either been given instructions not to harm us or they were more decent than their counterparts.
Either way, neither of the redheaded, freckled men made eye contact with me. I sat down in the cell.
“Do you think they expected more of a fuss? You do have a reputation, after all,” Tara whispered to me. “Maybe they’re freaked out because they thought you were going to blow them up.”
I nodded. There would be plenty of blowing things up, but not yet. Not quite yet.
Chapter 14
What the Nomads Do
TOWING the Artemis behind it slowed down the trip to Ochoa. Much as I hated sitting in my cell listening to Tara chatter aimlessly about nothing, the time it took worked well for me. First, I knew Artemis was okay. When this was over, assuming it all worked, there was no guarantee that Cooper was going to want anything to do with leading. We needed a way off Ochoa.
Secondly, every extra minute my trip took gave C.J. and Geoff time to get things in line for me. I needed guns and I needed them hidden everywhere I might have the opportunity to take out Olivia. I took a deep breath. When had I become this person? Even before my memory wipe I’d never planned an assassination. Blowing up other ships, yes we’d done that. Defending myself had sometimes meant killing. I’d even ended lives when I’d had no memories.
But this set up for me to go be some kind of assassin? This was new, even for me.
“So, if I had the choice, I’d see Dax again. He wanted to be my final husband. I’d love to know if he was alive somewhere in the universe. I guess I’ll never find out but there you go.”
I turned toward her. “You never know. He could be out there somewhere.”
I’d only been half paying attention. I couldn’t imagine deciding to find another husband. She had two. At one time, she’d had five. Did she really want more? I no sooner thought the question when I remembered Cooper. I’d been pretty solid with my five before I’d found him. Of course, my mom had wanted the chance to possibly insert herself into Ochoa business. But, he’d not been the manipulated type.
That had been years earlier. I’d never considered asking him to help once I’d met him. I never asked her if she’d considered leaving Cooper with me when she wed me to her three generals, although the idea had occurred to me on more than once occasion. That would have meant more power for her. But he was my husband, and once he’d been mine, I wouldn’t let her near him.
Without Cooper, I’d be destroyed. He was my love, as much as the others. If Tara had felt something for her Dax…
“Am I making a terrible mistake?” I whispered to Tara. “Is this going to kill Cooper?”
Tara shook her head. “Hey, girl, little late to be worrying about that, don’t you think?”
“I had no choice. It was turn around and fight or try to pull this off. With just us alone in the universe…I don’t know, Tara. I think I’m cowardly, in a way I’ve never been before. I wasn’t when we were down on the planet. I had this idea of how we could get through the winter. I kept my thoughts to one season at a time. What am I even doing?”
She leaned her head against the wall. “Having a panic attack?”
The two guards rose from their seats and walked toward us. I immediately shut up. I hadn’t said anything they could use, at least. They couldn’t know what I’d been talking about.
Guard number two, or at least that’s how I thought of him, since he always stood on the right whenever they approached us, cleared his throat. “Look. If I dropped my keys to this cell here on the floor, could you get out, knock me and my brother unconscious without doing permanent damage, take over the ship, and get away?”
Tara and I looked at each other. She shook her head, fast. Apparently, she hadn’t followed that little speech any more than I had.
“Come again?”
He sighed. “Look, neither of us signed up for this. We wanted wives. We were Ochoan guards, and it seemed the easiest way to potentially earn one. Although, I have to say, every time we saw you on the screens, I thought maybe the Nomads had the right way of things. Share. Everybody gets a little instead of most people never knowing love.”
I shook my head. “This isn’t the time for this conversation, but I have to explain to you that Tara and I love each of our husbands completely. It’s not like one of our husbands gets a little and the other a little more. I love them all with all my heart, for who they individually are.”
He made eye contact with his brother before looking at me again. “That’s even better. Anyway, I don’t want to give Melissa Fucking Alexander to Ochoa. I don’t want you raped. I don’t want you hurt.”
This could be a trick and, if it was, it was a really, really good one. I got to my feet. “What game are you playing?”
His brother held up his hands. “This is not a game. We were being monitored earlier. You had to know that was possible which I’m guessing is why you didn’t fight us. But we’re not now. If you attack us and we lose, there’s nothing we can do about it. Don’t you see? There has to be a better way than what is happening on Ochoa. It’s…repulsive. Everyone stays drugged out to deal with it. We don’t want to be the reason you die.”
I wasn’t going to. A peace moved over me as I realized it. C.J., Geoff, Wes, Cooper, Dane, and Nolan were doing exactly as I’d asked of them—as Nomads always did. We were separate and yet we were together. I trusted them to do what they knew how to do. If any of them had thought for a second they couldn’t do what I asked of them, then they never would have let me go in the first place. Or at least they would have put up a fight.
Staring at my captors, I knew something else, too. They were sincere. Lines showed from their eyes and on the corners of their mouths and yet I would guess they were too young to be showing their ages already. They wanted to help me, to not send me where they thought I’d be in trouble.
My wrist burned and I looked down at the chip. One of my guys had communicated with me, which meant we must be close by.
I wasn’t an idiot. I wouldn’t betray my family on a hunch my captors were decent souls. “Do what you set out to do, gentlemen. I’m not afraid of Ochoa.”
The man on the right sighed loudly. “You really are nuts.”
For the first time, I wasn’t. When they turned around to head back toward their seats, I nodded at Tara whose face remained blank. She had the same training I did. If she had questions—like why I wasn’t jumping for joy at the possibility of getting out of here—she kept them to herself.
I looked down at my wrist. It was a message from Geoff. I tapped it, letting the small screen show me a readout of what he said. It was a smiley face. I would have laughed if it wouldn’t have drawn attention. They must have gotten things taken care of. Either that or he was just saying hi.
I sent him back another smiley face. I didn’t dare send more. I hoped small wireless communications went unnoticed, mostly, by Ochoa. The ones the guys had been using before had been larger signals. I needed the small ones to be okay. If my captors really wanted to help, they’d let them through. But, I wouldn’t risk it—this might be a hell of a long con. Get me to trust them and then make things worse.
My skin tingled and I rubbed my arms. For the first time since my mother forced my hand and I’d had to run for my life, the old me was back at the wheel. I didn’t need t
o be kind; I didn’t need to be thoughtful. No one would thank me for putting others first. No, if everything went as planned—and maybe even more so if it didn’t—what the world needed from me now was for me to be the Melissa I once was. I hardly ever got to bring her out to play.
I grinned, not able to help myself.
“Are you okay?” Tara hissed in my direction.
“Never better.”
She shook her head. “That’s good because I’m starting to freak out.”
“Oh come on now, Tara. This is what Nomads do. We’re finally going to have some fun.”
* * * *
Ochoa looked quite different than the last time I’d seen it. Before, it had seemed like leather had thrown up all over the planet. Now, the people seemed run down. Torn cotton and dirty denim replaced the extravagance of before. Whatever Olivia was doing, no one seemed to be thriving under her reign.
Men gasped and surged forward toward us as we walked down the promenade. The general smell of sweat and body odor wafted around us. With one of the guard’s hands on my arm, I wasn’t going anywhere, particularly because of the handcuffs. Next to me, Tara winced.
“I forgot how much I hate this. Used to be like this on some of the poorer planets. So few women. It’s like they want to eat us alive.”
I shook my head. “Eating us is not what they want to do.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” She laughed, which was totally out of place so of course the sound made me grin.
“You two are sick in the head.” The guard muttered in my ear. “I can’t believe you didn’t take our out.”
I liked him. I really hoped he and his brother didn’t end up being douche bags. A screen advertising several bars in the promenade on the north side of the third quadrant flashed in front of us. A smiley face took its place for maybe two seconds but long enough for me to see it. I shook my head. Damn, I loved Geoff. One more reminder they were here with me.
We turned toward what I had to assume was some kind of prison where we’d be processed. Once again, a smiley face caught my attention. This one was graffitied on the outside of the building. His sign was clear. There were weapons inside for me if I wanted them.
Not to mention the person sitting with a group of men on the steps. I shook my head. We’d always said C.J. could walk around Ochoa unnoticed, as he’d never had a warrant on his head. I’d sort of pictured him staying basically hidden in plain sight, not sitting on the steps of the jail. But there he was.
He nodded at me and I tried not to respond. He was there. I wasn’t alone. The point had been made. They’d promised not to leave me alone and they hadn’t. However, it was the man sitting next to him who caught my attention. Leif, Tara’s husband, drank a purple substance through a straw, with an eyebrow raised.
Now, that was unexpected.
I whispered to Tara. “Did you know?”
She shook her head once. “Not a clue. He should be with Nolan. Something has changed.”
“Either that or he’s just not very good at following your orders.” I let a smirk cross my face. “But then again it could be mine who shifted the plans.”
What did that mean for Nolan? He wouldn’t have brought Diana anywhere near here. But he’d have had to stop the shuttle to bring Leif to C.J. When this was over, I needed some answers. I couldn’t say I was unhappy to see Leif. If something went wrong, he’d get to Tara if I couldn’t. I’d come to trust him during our years together in the snow.
“Ready for this?” She turned her head slightly.
“I better be.”
A scream sounded in the distance as a naked woman rushed out of a red building and into the crowd. She was beaten, bruised, and being pursued by three men. One of them grabbed her and dragged her back inside.
“See what I mean?” my guard hissed in my ear. “I tried to spare you.”
I’d heard the stories, seen the evidence, and even had a taste of it myself. But to see what happened to the women in person? I wanted to throw up. There was nothing I could do in handcuffs, but a figure caught my attention. It was only his walk that tipped me off that Cooper was there. Followed closely by Michael, another of Tara’s husbands, they had their heads covered as they followed the naked woman back into the building. I held my breath. Cooper kept his head down, and I really hoped he wouldn’t be recognized, but I wasn’t at all surprised to see him going to help the woman. If he hadn’t done it, C.J. would have or Geoff, who, despite my orders to stay on the ship, had probably not listened any more than Cooper, Leif, or Michael.
Women didn’t get abused with my men around.
I needed to hurry up before they got themselves caught. “Can we get in there any faster?”
My guard grunted. “I’m contemplating cutting you free and facing my punishment. I swore I would never do this to a woman.”
I had no choice. “Look, I obviously want to get in there, okay? I’m telling you to bring me. You’re not to blame. You’ve done everything short of hand me ship keys and tell me to have a nice day. So walk away from here with a free and easy heart. Unless you’re conning me, in which case you can kiss my ass and rot in hell. How’s that?”
He shook his head. “I hope you blow this place to smithereens.”
“I hope I don’t have to.”
He escorted me in through the doors before he was instructed by a large man in a blue uniform with the word ‘inspector’ on the label to leave us seated in a set of chairs lining the wall. Women screamed from somewhere deep in the building and I shuddered. If this worked, I could free them. But first it had to work.
A drawing on the wall caught my attention. It stood out from the decimation of the rest of the building because it wasn’t faded. Instead, it looked like someone had recently painted it, which didn’t surprise me since it was another smiley face.
Well, I had told them to leave me signs.
“The empress wants to see you.” The man spoke directly to me and I shrugged like I didn’t care although this was the best news ever. If Olivia hadn’t wanted to speak with me, we’d be seriously screwed.
“She’s going to want to see her, too.” I pointed to Tara before I leaned forward. “Trust me, you’re not going to want to piss her off by leaving Tara behind. Olivia’s got kind of a temper, doesn’t she?”
He visibly paled for a second before he cleared his throat. “You’ve met the Empress.”
“Many times.” I leaned back in my chair. “We’re the best of friends.”
“All right, I’m transporting both of you. And presumably she will make a decision as to where the two of you are to be sent.”
I looked toward the smiley face. Another question for my guys to answer later—how had they gotten into the detention center? Although I shouldn’t be surprised. Geoff had once crawled through four miles of piping to plant a bomb. They were nothing if not resourceful.
I pointed toward the door where the smiley face had been painted. “Is that the bathroom?”
He nodded. “It is.”
“Great. I have to pee.” I stood. “So how does it work? Do you take me? Watch? Are you into that kind of thing?”
He blushed before he walked over to me. “There’s no need to be rude. I heard you were obstinate, but I’ve been nothing but respectful so far. You can go pee. Keep in mind there is no window. If you make any attempt to escape, I’ll have to shoot you.”
“Fair enough. Of course, I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell Olivia you shot me.” I walked toward the bathroom and then whirled around holding up my hands. Considering I found myself partially making up my moves as I went along, I had to give myself credit for not stumbling or coming out of character. The version of myself everyone wanted to see proved hard to maintain. The shouts of pain in the building made me want to either weep or tear into something. Neither would work to anyone’s advantage. “Could you let me out of these?”
He stared at my hands for a moment. I could see his mind working as his eyes seemed to actually shift i
n their sockets. “All right. I have your friend. If you try anything, I’ll shoot her in the head.”
I glanced at Tara. “She’s not my friend. Do whatever you want with her. I’m Melissa Fucking Alexander. I don’t have friends.” I wiggled my hands. “But I have to pee so get these damn things off before I make a mess all over your floor.”
He strode toward me, key in hand, and unhooked me. We both stood there staring at each other as the handcuffs came undone. I think he actually thought I was about to attack him, and it wasn’t that the idea didn’t have merit. It would certainly make me feel better. But Geoff had left me a weapon in the bathroom. I needed it.
Instead, I winked at him and turned to enter the bathroom. If I was making a mistake—if it turned out there was just random smiley face graffiti on the wall—then I was going to be seriously pissed. I closed the door behind me. There was no lock so I was going to have to be fast before the inspector decided I was taking too long. A smiley face decorated the mirror in soap. Geoff must have been in the room not too long ago or the mirror would have been cleaned up.
I looked around the room, half expecting him to be standing behind me. The bathroom itself barely fit me let alone both of us. I shook my head. Some Nomad I was turning out to be. I took a deep breath.
Calm down, Melissa.
I touched the mirror. It felt loose and I pulled it back a bit, setting it on top of the toilet as quietly as I could. The clock was ticking in my head as I tried to remind myself I had no extra time.
And there it was. My hand was steady when I took it from the small space behind the mirror and quickly tucked it under my shirt. I tugged the material down until it was covered. There had been no time to properly dress for this kind of occasion. If I’d had the forethought, I would have worn a tunic. Fortunately, I wasn’t wearing skimpy clothes.
The gun was small. If luck stayed on my side, I’d be able to keep it hidden until I got to Olivia. And then…
I pushed the thought away. Shooting Cooper’s sister in the head had to be something I just did, not anything I planned for in too much detail, or I’d get too nervous about it. I took a deep breath and opened the door.