Page 3 of A Merciless Bargain
“I’m not,” I concurred anyway, my plan now having taken shape. “You don’t have to give me to Vadhea.” Placing my hands on my hips, I pushed my breasts out, pleased that the biting cold helped by nipples stand at attention. Then I summoned my most seductive voice.
“I’ll do anything.”
Chapter Two
The Foulan’s breath hitched,but his eyes hardened. “No. I am a professional.” He took an additional step backward. “Get dressed.”
The shock of the immediate dismissal hit me. He must know I’m an Obedient and what that meant. I broke eye contact, considering my next move. Run? Submit? Something else?
“Get dressed,” he repeated, interrupting my thoughts. “Now.”
He’d already shown I couldn’t outrun him. And it seemed my feminine wiles weren’t quite wily enough for him. Submission it was, until I figured out how to escape.
Letting him turn me over to Vadhea was a nonstarter. The head of the Lynka international crime syndicate didn’t fuck around. Vadhea only sent Enforcers after Runners when said Runner was in serious shit. That meant I was in serious shit. Even if I hadn’t done anything.
That would have to be my next move, I thought, as I reversed my actions and re-dressed, including grabbing my wig after a quick scan of the ground around me proved successful, despite the darkness. You never knew when that might come in handy again. However, my main problem right now was convincing theFoulan not to turn me in. Once dressed, I opened my mouth to speak.
“Walk,” the Foulan commanded.
I obeyed, considering how to approach my entreaty. I was just a job to the Foulan. He wouldn’t want to appear unprofessional to Vadhea. Except he also thought perhaps Vadhea misled him. Could I convince him that Vadhea was wrong about the entire story?
Our strides had taken us to the forest’s entrance. The temperature dropped a few degrees upon our re-entry. I shivered. And then tripped over a root not quite revealed by the light of the two moons while I haphazardly reaffixed my wig.
“Ouch,” I cried out when I landed on all fours. Nice. Very graceful. A large, warm hand gripped my upper arm and hauled me back to standing. He gave a small push for me to walk, remaining at my back. I supposed it was too much to ask for him to see if I was okay. After all, Vadhea would pay the Enforcer no matter what condition I arrived in, as long as I arrived. Butterflies took flight in my belly. At least, I assumed Vadhea wanted me alive. Did I warrant a dead-or-alive scenario?
My thoughts had so consumed me that it startled me when we reached the other end of the forest. We’d arrived back on the edge of Idhova. Time to try again to reason with the Foulan.
“You know I’m human and that Vadhea gave you incomplete information,” I began. “What if I told you that other information you received is wrong, too?” My word choice was specific, careful not to accuse Vadhea of lying, only of being misinformed. Hell, that was probably true.
Silence followed my statement. I heard the Foulan breathing behind me, his steps sounding loud on the ground while we walked together into town. We reached the outermost stone building when he responded.
“Runners lie,” he said in his rich voice. “I have been hired to bring you to Vadhea. Human or not.” At that, we entered the town and began walking through silent neighborhoods.
The first rays of daylight broke between the dwellings. The townsfolk would soon stir. I wondered what their reaction would be to me with my wig askew from falling, in addition to being brought somewhere against my wishes. I knew not to expect help. If anyone even asked, my captor would explain that Vadhea sought me, and that would be the end of that.
Sure enough, a barrel-chested, black-haired Foulan with a full, bushy beard stepped out of a stone house. His wolflike, almond-shaped eyes alighted on us and he retreated into his home, presumably to wait for us to pass.
Sometimes I hated being right.
Other Foulans repeated that response a few more times and then we turned down an empty cobblestone alleyway, ending at the foot of a flight of stairs. I stopped and stared up, taking in the potted plants on the small landing at the top. This was someone’s home. Or someone went to great lengths to make this hideout appear like a home.
A meaty hand pressed me forward. “Up,” followed the Foulan’s voice.
I might have been tall and fast by Earth’s standards. The Foulan had already shown he was stronger and faster. I complied and trudged up the rocky stairs.
At the top, the Foulan leaned in close to me as he reached past to unlock the door with a keycard. His body heat warmed me and I fought the urge to back up into him and rub like a cat. It was so fucking cold on this planet.
The heavy stone door swung open with ease, revealing a surprisingly cheerful, if small, space inside. The scent of cinnamon greeted us. It had a different name on Foula, but the odor and taste mimicked the Earth spice. Maybe someone hadbeen cooking. A couch-like piece of bubble furniture with an orange blanket across it was against the far wall opposite the door. A low table sat before it, with electronic lights hovering above, casting a gentle illumination.
To my immediate left was a table for two, with a small plate in the middle. On the plate were several round balls. I knew from my time on Foula that these were the equivalent of salt-and-pepper shakers containing the savory spices Foulans doused all their meat with at almost every meal.
I turned my head to the right. My eyes jumped past the stone and electronic cooking box—like a fancy combination oven, microwave, and air fryer—to the bed pushed against that wall. Made of the common iridescent stone mined on the other side of the planet, the bed was massive and covered with a bright purple blanket.
Someone loved their bright colors. That suggested it wasn’t the gray-clothed Foulan who had brought me here. Was this a waystation for Enforcers, or was this someone’s home he’d paid to use? I considered and rejected that he’d commandeered it. That wasn’t an Enforcer’s style. From everything I’d heard, they were all about the rules and regulations.
The Foulan pushed me toward the bed and I stumbled, not understanding. Then I saw the chains.
Damn it.