Owned by Luna Voss

8

Melyta

The masked man in the driver’s seat is definitely a vostrat. That much I’m certain about. And for reasons I can’t imagine, he seems to have taken an interest in my safety. It’s probably in my best interest to keep my mouth shut and try to stay on his good side.

But still, I’m burning with questions.

“Are you taking me to the spaceport?” I ask, hoping that he’s become a bit more amenable to conversation.

“How did you know that?” he replies sharply.

“I mean, you said you were sending me off-planet. Besides, I grew up in Dalax City. I know which way the spaceport is.”

He grunts. I take that as an invitation to keep asking questions.

“I want to say thank you for saving me. Really, thanks. What planet are you sending me to?”

“Gerbbbexai IX. Figured you’d want to stay close. Unless you had somewhere else in mind.”

“If we’re staying close, why not Tarsheb 7? I could just take the interplanetary shuttle.”

“That’s too close. We have connections on Tarsheb 7.”

There’s a pause, and I process the fact that he just used the word we. He’s part of the same Vostra Family as the gangsters who are looking for me. He gave himself away right there. I can tell he knows it too, that he’s seeing the cogs in my brain move. I should probably do a better job of playing dumb. The last thing I need is for this clearly dangerous man to decide that I’m a liability.

“Okay. How long will I need to stay on Gerbbbexai IX before I can come back home?”

He shakes his head. “You’re not coming home. You’re making a new one. On a planet where no one is trying to kill you.”

My shoulders slump. For the first time tonight, I find myself on the verge of tears. Yeah, Tarsheb 8 is a shithole. But it’s the only one I’ve ever known. It’s my planet. Where my friends live, where my family lives, where all my memories are. No matter how much I’ve fantasized about leaving, it was always on my own terms. Not like this. Not so I could never go back.

“Won’t things blow over?” I ask, my lip trembling. “After a while. How long can anyone hold a grudge against a stupid waitress?”

“They might blow over,” the masked man admits, “or they might not. How would you ever know? You’d spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, watching your back. Is that how you want to live?”

“Isn’t that how you live?” I spit back. “Isn’t that what your life is all about?”

“I am sorry. I know this must be hard,” he replies, his tone surprisingly patient. Then he rummages in his pocket and pulls out a currency chip. He places it on the dashboard in front of me. “This chip has 250,000 credits on it. That’s more than enough for you to start a new life.”

I stare at it in amazement. The idea of having that much money on a single chip is incredible to me, much less possessing that amount of wealth in the first place. If prices on Gerbbbexai IX are anything like Tarsheb 8, I could afford a much nicer apartment. Without a roommate.

This makes me think of Jenyta. I won’t even have the chance to say goodbye. Or to my parents. How could I do this to them?

I don’t want the gangster to see me cry, and so I hold my tears in with everything I have until we reach the spaceport. We ride in silence, me taking a last look at the city I might never see again.

And then as we draw closer to the terminal, I notice a line of Imperial Security cruisers parked outside, their lights flashing.

“Uh, is it normal for there to be this many cops here?” I ask, feeling suddenly nervous for reasons I don’t understand. Sure, an encounter with the police is something most Voorians try to avoid. But they have to be better than the Vostra. Right?

“No, it isn’t normal,” replies the driver, slowing down. He cruises right past the terminal and then turns around in the direction of the exit.

“What are you doing?”

“Saving your ass.”

“From the police?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you the one who should be worried about the police?”

He glances behind us. “If you think the Vostra have to worry about the police, you don’t understand the way this city works at all.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that the police are here looking for you. They’ll have some bullshit, made-up reason. If they take you in, you’ll never make it to the station.”

My stomach clenches. This new reality I’ve been thrust into is terrifying. Now the police want me dead. All because of someone’s wounded ego in a restaurant?

“Don’t worry, whatever charge they made up won’t follow you. They know there’s nothing behind it, they just need an excuse to bring you in tonight if you try to leave the planet.”

“This is insane. Are you telling me that if I come back here 10 years from now, I’m going to be a wanted fugitive?”

I could swear he almost chuckles under his mask. “No, I’m not saying that. UPE Security doesn’t give a shit. They’re only here because they’ve been incentivized.”

“So how about I just wait for this whole thing to blow over, then. Instead of leaving the planet.”

He stops the car. “Look. I’m sorry that you made an enemy of the wrong vostrat, okay? But I’m not bullshitting you. You won’t be safe here. Gurtion Dultaz holds a grudge, and he’s one of the most powerful men in the city. Or at least his father is.”

That’s already more info than I had before. I decide to run with it. “So you’re with the Dultaz Family.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You might as well have.”

Something like amusement flashes across what little I can see of his face, and then he sighs. “Look, I don’t know how to say this nicely, but in my world, there is no survival benefit to showing people that you’re smart. Do you understand what I’m saying to you? You’re not doing yourself any favors by making these connections. Try playing dumb for a while.”

I snort. “Wow. I knew Vostra guys liked submissive women, but I didn’t know they preferred dumb ones.”

Silence for a moment. And then: “I do not prefer dumb women. I do prefer living women. Which is how I’m trying to keep you.”

“So what’s the plan for that? If not the spaceport?”

He sighs and scratches his chin under his mask. “I’m working on that.”

I force myself to let down my guard by a small amount. It really does seem like in his own way, he’s doing his best to help me.

“It sounds like I just need to lie low for a while until we know what the situation is,” I lead him. “Do you know of somewhere safe I could stay?”

He scratches his chin again. “I’m thinking.”

“Do you… want to take your mask off?” I offer. “Obviously you can trust me.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t think it would be safe to put you in a hotel,” he says, not answering my question. “They’re going to be looking for you hard after the shit we just pulled.”

No hotel is okay with me. The idea of being alone in an unfamiliar hotel room after I was just attacked in my own apartment is terrifying. I’d be jumping at every shadow.

“What if…” I hesitate. What I’m about to say is crazy, but I don’t know what else to suggest. This man might be a violent criminal, but he makes me feel safe. Right now, he’s the only thing that makes me feel safe. “Would it maybe be possible for me to stay with you?”

He stiffens. A reaction I hadn’t expected. Given my experience with Vostra men, I’d been more prepared for a sexual advance. And if I’m being honest, the idea isn’t entirely unappealing. This masked, dangerous man is sexy.

“I could make it worth your while,” I purr, my instincts telling me to use every advantage I have to retain this stranger’s protection. I lean forward slightly, as though to offer myself to him.

Slowly, as though drawn by magnetism, he leans forward too. He reaches out his gloved hand and strokes my cheek, then gently cradles my face. His touch is familiar, conjuring something within me that brings a sudden rush of comfort. Or is that desire?

Then he draws back, and I sense a coldness to him. “That’s not a good idea,” he says, his voice a monotone.

I’m left breathless by the moment that just passed between us, and I struggle to gather my thoughts. “Why not?”

He pauses and then shakes his head as though in frustration. In a momentary loss of control, his beacon flashes red.

Then his beacon goes dim, and I see him reaching to remove his mask.

“This is why,” he whispers, and I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach as my eyes land on the painfully handsome face that’s haunted my dreams for the past year.