“I don’t keep those kinds of records,” Gavid scoffs. “What kind of fool do you think I am?”
He has a point. If the federation were to ever get ahold of him, and he had any kind of paper trail detailing the kind of scum he is, it would mean his instant death.
“We don’t need records,” I say. “In this case, I’m pretty sure you’ll know exactly who I’m asking about.”
The plump male snorts, “Do you have any idea how many auctions I have a rev? You can’t expect me to remember—“
“The batch of humans you got from the Xar’ads?” Igid cuts in.
His mouth snaps shut, and his eyes start darting for an exit. Lucky for us, the only one seems to be behind me.
Trying to placate him, I say, “We only want to know who their buyers were.”
“If you think I’d disclose any of my buyers, you’re grossly mistaken.”
“I thought you’d say something like that,” I sigh.
The guard I’m holding against the wall stopped paying attention to me a while ago, so he doesn’t see the butt of my blaster coming until I slam it into the side of his head. Gavid yelps when his guard crumples to the ground and ducks behind his chair once again.
“Names. Now,” I growl, swinging toward him.
“I can’t!”
I train my blaster on the chair he’s cowering behind and exhale loudly. “You realize this will just go right through that chair. And you.”
The round little male whimpers and finally exclaims, “Fine! All right. Madame Athea took three. Kurrahstka took two. And one was sold to a group of raiders.”
Kurrahstka.Kurving great. I expected at least some of them would go to that slum lord, but I’d hoped…
“That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?” Straightening, I step back from the crumpled guard. A quick glance to the side shows Igid rising from the pile of males she was looming over. My attention immediately goes to the way one of her arms is wrapped around her stomach, and my heart starts pounding. Is she hurt?
Behind the chair, Gavid is seething.
“It’s been fun.” I salute the auctioneer while keeping an eye on Igid as she turns and hurries from the room. With my blaster up, I back out the door. Slamming it shut behind me, I melt the lock with a quick shot from my blaster before spinning around to follow Igid back down the staircase.
CHAPTERNINE
IGID
* * *
I’m almost doubled over from pain when we finally make our way down the stairs. The first wave of my oncoming heat hit me while I had the two males pinned in the auctioneer’s office. Even worse, it didn’t escape the guards’ notice.
My stomach sank when I watched his nostrils flare just before he turned gleaming eyes toward me. I should have stabbed him when he had the nerve to grin up at me.
“Are you all right?” Brox asks as soon as he’s caught up with me.
I feel another wave coming and—vittu,having Brox this close is making it worse. His stupid masculine scent is in my nostrils, and I want to moan at howgoodhe smells, as wetness drenches my panties.
“I’m fine,” I grit out, pushing past him. I need to get back to theShadebefore Brox figures out what is really wrong with me or the guard escapes and comes after me.
Fuck! This can’t really be happening.
Brox wraps his hand around my arm and spins me around to face him. “You’re notfine.” His eyes are on my body. Not in a heated way, but because he’s worried. “Did one of them get you?”
I shove him back, just as another wave of agony slams into me and I double over with a groan. “I’mfine,”I pant. “I just need to get back to the ship.”
He grabs hold of me and runs his hands down my arms and over my back and stomach. When he doesn’t find any injuries, he tips my chin back, forcing me to look up at him.
