“So you thought you could just sneak in here and steal them from me?” His eyes flare bright, and he bares sharp teeth to scare me. “I know what you’re all about, and it doesn’t change that I will not be letting you anywhere nearmygirls. I’ve paid for them, and it’s all legal.”
Except, of course, it’s not because their very existence here is anything but legal. As is the fact that being here is certainly not their choice. A fact that is all too often neglected or outright ignored in cases such as these.
I shrug again. Either way, I’ve done what I came here to do. I know where the females are, and, at least for the time being, they aren’t being forced to service customers. Now I need to figure out how to escape, contact my crew, and rescue my mate.Then we can return with the backup I’m desperately lacking at the moment.
Simple!
Or not…
“Do not let her out of your sight,” Kurrahstka growls at the males standing behind him. “And under no circumstances are you to let her out of this room. Do you understand me?”
The males both nod solemnly, giving me wary looks over their boss’s shoulders, to which I grin widely.
“How long are you going to keep me in here?” I ask when Kurrahstka reaches for the switch to close the door.
“For as long as I feel like,” he hisses, and the door slides between us.
My hands fall into my lap, and my head thumps back against the wall.
Well, that could have gone better.
It could have gone a lot worse too, I think, pulling my lower lip between my teeth.
“Oh, Brox,” I close my eyes and whisper, “please forgive me.”
Instead of dwelling on the consequences of what I may have done by leaving him the way I did, I twist that deep ache into anger and add it to the fuel I’m going to need to get myself out of this room and out of this damn house.
CHAPTER 23
BROX
* * *
I’m sticky with sweat, and every muscle in my arms and chest are quivering from the fatigue of lifting the newly rebuilt engine into the shuttle. Not just lifting it, but holding it while Volethos attached bolts, hoses, and cables as quickly as he could.
Normally we would have used a lift, but that was gutted with the rest of the large hangar, so we had to make do with brute strength and desperation.
“I think that’s the last of it,” Volethos says, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. A container of fluids hangs from his other hand. “See if it will start up.”
Pushing myself away from the shuttle, I crawl inside and begin the start-up sequence. When it gets to the part where the engine is supposed to fire, I close my eyes and send up a plea to the gods and goddesses. Holding my breath, I flip the switch.
A loud pop has me almost jumping out of the seat, but it’s followed by the roar of the engine firing. I can barely hear Volethos’ loud whoop of excitement over the deep rumble, probably because I’m howling along with him.
It worked! Fucking hells, it really worked!
The slam of the engine compartment pulls me out of my thoughts, and I keep going with the sequence. Everything is working perfectly, and I suspect this shuttle has probably never run as well as it is right now. Master mechanic, my left nut! Volethos is a damn wizard.
I’m running life support through its paces when Volethos climbs inside and drops into the seat beside me.
“How much longer?” he asks.
“Almost done,” I say, testing the hover thrusters. “I can’t believe how well all of this is working.”
“It mostly needed to be put back together.” Volethos shrugs, leaning back in his seat. “Does the hyperdrive work? It looked a little fried, but not completely burned out.”
“I won’t be able to test that until we’re in open space,” I look over at him, “but I trust you that it should work.”
“Then let's get the hells out of here,” Volethos demands.
