One eyebrow arched.
“Do you know how much a sex bot costs? I do. Four hundred and twenty-five thousand credits. Do you know what I clear a year after paying out my crew and for fuel, repairs, and docking fees? Just over a hundred thousand.” She fisted a handful of hair. “See this? Do you know why I’ve grown it so long? Some weirdo I deal with frequently offered to pay me fifty thousand credits if I’d grow it three feet and sell it to him. It was a compliment, Stag.” She said his name on purpose. “People really have to want a sex bot bad to go to all this trouble to own one. Be flattered!”
His eyebrow lowered and his eyes narrowed. He didn’t say a word though.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Did you plan to buy a bot for your own use?”
Damn. She’d said too much. She glanced around, not able to hold his stare as she lied and backed away from him. “No. Of course not. I’m just saying, I haul them in my cargo hold. I know what they cost, and they aren’t cheap.” She stopped and looked at him again. “I’d say thanks if some guy thought I was a bot and wanted to buy me.”
That was a fib too. She’d have decked someone for thinking he could pay her any price for sex, human or bot. Her hair was for sale, but not the rest of her body.
He moved fast, and she gasped when he grabbed her. One of his arms locked around her waist, the other one cupping her head. He pressed her up against the nearest wall, pinning her there with his body.
He adjusted her so they were eye level and he peered at her with a scowl. “You’re lying. Don’t do that.”
He scared her. He was strong, fast, and held her off her feet as if she were as light as the pillow on his bed. She calmed fast though, when it sank in that he hadn’t hurt her. The arm around her waist wasn’t squeezing too tight and the back of his hand had hit the wall, not her skull. He’d used it to cushion her from impact with the solid object.
“I hate deceit. This is why I never trust Earthers. It’s all your kind does. They manipulate and twist facts. Do you want me to tell you all the ways I can detect a lie from you?”
She licked her lips and took a deep breath, unable to look away from the blue depths of his eyes. They were dazzling. “Fine. I admit it. I’ve been saving for a Dax 333 since my twenty-fourth birthday. Happy? All the brothels on our travel routes only cater to men. They don’t buy male bots.”
He smiled.
“I so don’t like you.”
“Why a bot and not an Earther? You could have one of those for free. You’re attractive. Any man would have sex with you if you showed an interest.”
“That’s none of your business.”
He shifted his body, spread his legs, and pinned her tighter to the wall. “Are you comfortable? I’m not releasing you until you answer my questions.”
“Bully.”
He blinked again.
She could tell he wasn’t bluffing. “Do you want a list?”
“Yes.”
She thought fast. “I’ll make a deal with you.”
“I’m not having sex with you.”
Her mouth fell open. “Like I would ask you to. You don’t exactly inspire me to want you.” She grabbed his shoulders and tried to push him back but he didn’t budge.
“What is your deal? I’m curious to hear what you want.”
“I’ll answer any questions you ask with total honesty from now on if you promise to drop the android bit and let me go free at the first opportunity. I want to leave your ship.”
“No.”
“I’m not your prisoner. I didn’t do anything illegal. My freighter was attacked. You have no right to keep me on your ship by force or lock me up.”
“I’ll agree to cease calling you an android for your honesty, as long as you don’t lie to me again, but your release isn’t up for negotiation.”
“Why not? You answered my distress signal. You have to take me to a station. That’s the law. Survivors are transported to the nearest one and left there so they can report the incident that took place. I have an insurance carrier to notify and the authorities need to do something about those Markus Models. They murdered my dad and crew! I want them hunted down to pay for that.”
“You’ve seen us.”
“So?”
“I can’t allow you to tell any other Earthers about this ship, about us, or that we’re hunting the Markus Models.”
“I hate to break this to you, but people already know about cyborgs. That’s how I knew what you were on sight. Gray skin means cyborg. Nothing else was ever made like you. As for your ship, I don’t know anything about it because this is the only room I’ve seen. I don’t even know the class of it. Your stateroom is as basic as they come. The Pride wasn’t the only vessel those things have attacked. I heard reports that they killed people on stations too. Warnings have been going out for a while now about Markus Models. I just never knew what they looked like until you told me that’s what boarded us.”
“No actual reports of our survival have been verified. We’re keeping it that way.”
He had her there. Cyborgs were all supposed to be dead. Sometimes rumors floated that there had been sightings, but the government news stated they were hoaxes. “So I won’t tell them. Simple. You want me to lie and say some random crew picked me up and dropped me off at a station? Fine. I can do that. I’ll tell them I was too traumatized to really notice anything about them or their ship. No problem.”
“I don’t trust your word.”
She closed her eyes, took a few seconds to get a reign on her temper, since slapping him wouldn’t help her cause. She looked at him again. “I’m motivated. Do you believe that? I want off this ship, and I don’t ever want to give you a reason to come after me. How about that? I know you hold a grudge.”
“We’ll discuss your future at a later date. We’re in the dead zone, so I couldn’t take you to a station even if I wanted to at the moment. We’re waiting out the Markus Models to avoid capture. Now—why did you want to buy a sex bot when you could have had an Earther lover without it costing you credits? The truth.”
“There were a lot of reasons.”
“Name them.”
“My dad.”
“Explain.”
“He wasn’t around much while I was growing up. He retired and came to work for me once I bought the freighter. Ever heard of that saying ‘making up for lost time’? It fit. He was really overprotective. Men couldn’t look at me without him drawing a weapon. He didn’t trust them not to hurt me.”
“By forcing sex?”
“That too. He was also worried they’d give me a disease or worse.”
“Abuse you?”
“Do you know what real women in brothels are worth, this deep in space? I do. My dad constantly told me. He was terrified some guy was going to trick me into trusting him, kidnap me, and sell me on the black market.”
“It happens.”
“I know. I hear the news too. It’s partly why I decided to buy a bot. They’re programmed not to hurt humans, they don’t carry diseases, and my dad wouldn’t want to shoot it because it doesn’t have an ulterior motive. He’d consider it safe…and I’d have had company.”
“You had a crew and your father. It wasn’t a large freighter. You weren’t alone.”
“Can you put me down?”
He eased her onto her feet and released her. She slid along the wall and moved around him to put space between them. “Thank you. And I may as well have been.” She took a seat on the bed.
He turned, watching her.
“They were all my dad’s age or older. All ex-military. What did I have in common with them? They were always talking about the past. It was a struggle to even get them to take orders from me. I’d give them, and they’d glance at my dad. He’d nod and then they’d do what they were told. I was just a kid to them. How is that for honesty? But I knew I could trust them. They weren’t going to slit my throat to steal my freighter or the cargo.
“I
spent most of my hours working or in my quarters alone. My dad didn’t like me hanging with his friends in our down time. I think he was afraid they’d stop viewing me as his baby girl and see me as a woman. He’d have killed anyone who thought about touching me. Not that I was interested. Dad not only picked the crew because he trusted them, but they had some pretty gross habits. So not sexy to see men spitting and hearing them sharing the graphic details of past sexual encounters with whores. Denny even had the crawl and refused to take care of it. Don’t get me started on how disgusting that is.”
“I’m not familiar with that term.”
“Some people get very dry skin on ships, and it begins to crack and peel if they don’t coat the affected areas on a regular basis to protect it from happening. There’s not enough moisture in the air with life support. It dries them out. Get it? Denny had the worst case of it I’ve ever seen, because he refused to use the medicine. It spreads if you let it go. He’d just randomly start bleeding if he moved wrong, breaking open a scab. He had a bunch of them.”
Stag curled his lip in disgust.
“Exactly. Any more questions about why I wouldn’t get involved with someone on my freighter?”
He approached her and sat a few feet away on the bed. “Why did you want to own the Pride?”
“My dad always told me stories about his space adventures when I was growing up. I realize now he embellished a lot but it sounded so exciting. Plus, unlimited opportunities for growth in business. Not like on Earth. I could make as much as I wanted, as long as I put the time and effort into it. Why did you want to be in charge of this ship?”
“I’m a natural leader.”
She smirked. “You are a control freak. We’re being honest, remember? It should go both ways.”
A ghost of a smile played at his lips. “I enjoy giving orders more than taking them.”
“Who doesn’t?”
They stared at each other. She spoke first. “I’m sorry for the sex-bot thing, okay? You’re a person. I’m clear on that now.”
“I won’t call you an android again. Unless you lie to me.”
She held out her hand. “Truce?”
He glanced down at her offered gesture, then rose to his feet. “That would imply we’re not enemies. You’re an Earther, and I know better than to trust you.”
She fisted her hand and put it on her lap. “I don’t know what someone else did to you, but I’m not them. You understand that, don’t you?”
“It’s in your nature to be treacherous.”
“You’ve treated me badly since we met, and yet I’m still willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. The only reason you saved me was because you were angry. Am I wrong?”
He just stared at her.
“I’m grateful to be alive. I’m going to focus on that.” She stood. “Come on, meet me halfway. We’re stuck together for a while. We can at least try to be pleasant to each other until you let me go, when you can.”
“You’re never going to be let go. Once we leave the dead zone, I’ll hand you over to other cyborgs. They’ll find you a place in our society and make certain you can’t ever contact other Earthers to share the information you’ve acquired about us.”
She regretted getting up, wishing she were still sitting. “What are you talking about?”
“You heard me. Don’t be obtuse. You were saved by cyborgs, and now you’ll live in our society. The life you knew is gone forever. That’s the price of living. Now, prepare to have your wrists tied so I don’t have to worry about you attempting to harm me while I sleep.”
Nala wanted to deck him. She spun away before he could see the rage he caused. He’d not only just dashed any hope of being set free, but they were right back to square one.
If he wanted a fight, he would get one. She’d make him want to drop her off at the first space station they passed.
Chapter Five
Stag felt better after a solid six hours of sleep. He’d released Nala before he’d left his quarters. She hadn’t said a word and avoided eye contact. That was fine with him. Their conversation had unsettled him. He’d almost forgotten what she was and where she came from.
Yammer stretched his arms upward and yawned. “This is tedious.”
“Would you prefer we were under attack?”
The male turned, lowering his arms, and gave Stag an odd look. “You’re in a sour mood. I had hoped having a female in your bed would help with your disposition.”
“I’m not having intercourse with that Earther.”
“A shame,” Maze stated from his seat. “She’s attractive. A little on the short side, and compact, but I would be pleased to share quarters with her.”
“So would I,” Yammer agreed. “I think she’s the perfect size. She doesn’t take up much room. Our bunks are small for two to share.”
That was a problem, Stag concluded. None of his crew members were joined into a family unit, and they didn’t have access on a regular basis to a female. It seemed anyone would do. They were even willing to overlook their past experiences with Earthers if it meant having a warm body under them.
“Perhaps we can keep one of the bots onboard.”
Yammer almost fell out of his seat as he twisted around again, staring at Stag with a glint in his eye. “For us to use?”
“Your lack of physical stimulation is affecting your judgment. A bot won’t slit your throat or betray us. An Earther would.”
Yammer frowned. “You’ve got the female in lockdown inside your room, no access to coms, and I’m certain you’ve safeguarded against her getting her hands on anything that can be used as a weapon. She’s not a threat.”
“She would be if you became lax enough to trust her. She’d plot a way to cause harm. That’s what they do. How could you forget that?”
Yammer faced forward. “True.”
Maze shook his head. “I disagree.”
“You’re a medic. You’re prone to dealing with the weak and injured, not security threats and how to manage them.”
“How do you manage the Earther?”
Stag considered his answer to Maze carefully before speaking. “I saved her life. I’m responsible for her well-being until we return to Garden. I’ll keep watch over her, feed her, and make certain she stays healthy. Then she will be handed over to the council and they will decide where to place her.”
“We’re not technically supposed to rescue Earthers. Why did you?” Maze stared at him. “It’s out of character for you.”
“She had information about the Markus Models, and we’d boarded her ship as part of our mission to investigate their attacks. I am confident the council won’t have a problem with us taking her aboard the Varnish, as opposed to leaving her there to die. She is a female.”
“It might have upset a few of the council members when they read our reports, if we’d left her to die, since some are joined in family units with Earthers.” Yammer glanced at Maze. “It was a logical choice. I don’t want to be reprimanded by them. It’s better to err on the side of caution these days, with all the recent changes.”
“That was my determination,” Stag stated. It wasn’t completely true. He would have left Nala behind, it could have been too dangerous to his own men to save her, but she’d infuriated him. He’d made the extra effort.
It angered him that he felt compelled to be dishonest with his crew. It was her fault. She was already corrupting him.
He couldn’t wait to get out of the dead zone and hand the Earther over to the council. They could worry about placing her in a low-security job and finding her living arrangements.
Maze seemed to be thinking about her future as well when he spoke.
“The council will assign her to a male. She will need to be housed with and guided by one. I’m going to ask to be that male. She has already met me, and I’m a medic. I’d be a perfect candidate.”
The thought of Maze with Nala didn’t sit well with Stag. Maze would attempt to seduce her. He carefully studied
the cyborg. She might find him attractive. All cyborgs had been made from what Earthers considered superior genes, for health, physical wellness, and looks.
He clenched his teeth and dropped his focus to his pad on the arm of his chair, monitoring dark space, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.
Maze was a fool if he allowed an Earther into his home. He’d regret it. She’d betray his trust in some way. They always did.
An alarm blared and he quickly read what had caused it.
Something had attached to the hull.
He barely hit the coms in time. “Brace!”
A small explosion came from the port side. He kept calm as he took in the damage readings from the ship’s sensors. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. One panel near a maintenance access had suffered a rupture but the hull under it held. He locked down that section, making certain none of his crew were in that area. He vented out the oxygen to the surrounding area so there wouldn’t be a pressure issue.
“Eject some of our solar panels,” he ordered.
“Decoys in case of other bombs?” Yammer did it. “Brilliant.”
Stag rose from his chair. “I’m going to have to do an exterior examination and patch.”
Yammer rose. “I’ll do it.”
Stag stared into the male’s eyes. “There are bombs near us. We’re aware of that now. Parts of our suits might draw them or be breached by small shrapnel if the solar panels are blown apart. We can’t go to full burn with an exposed section, even if it was small. It’s too risky. The hull in that section might have suffered fractures. I’ll do it.”
“You’re our commander. I’m not vital.”
“You are in charge.”
“Stag.” The cyborg gripped his arm. “It should be one of us.”
“I’m not losing a member of my crew. You’re in charge.” He jerked out of Yammer’s hold and stormed out of the room.
He was going to have to suit up and exit the shuttle, float out there and do a patch. They were at a full stop but those bombs were a severe danger. He hadn’t lost a man yet—and never planned to. If one of them had to die, it would be him.