10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Nala

I spend the afternoon playing with Ellen. I’m exhausted, but there’s no way I’ll pass up spending time with my daughter, especially now. As we turn an empty box into a bed for her new doll, I rack my brain trying to figure out what to do. By the time evening comes, I have a plan. Well, I have an idea of what my plan should be, but it’s better than nothing.

As usual, I drop Ellen off with Mu. I want to beg her not to let Drayth or “Uncle Krell” anywhere near Ellen, but I know it would be pointless. Mu has the same amount of power around here as I do—none. I just have to hope that tonight, the perverted pedophile alien won’t do anything worse than shower my daughter with gifts. Tomorrow, I’m getting her out of here, whatever it takes.

Ellen is excited about seeing her new “uncle” again and as much as I want to scream at her to never go near that male again I can’t really blame her for it. She doesn’t understand what’s happening or why an older male would be interested in a little girl. I plan on keeping her in the dark as long as I can. At four years old, she deserves to see the world as a happy place full of nice people. I’ll do anything to shield her from the true horrors.

I retrieve every bit of money I’ve saved up over the years. Combined with what I took from Faelin last night, it’s a considerable amount, but will it be enough?

With the bag of untraceable galactic unit tokens in my arms, I weave my way through the lower levels of the station, making sure to avoid my usual haunts. If Faelin is searching for me, and I believe he is, he has asked around about the places I usually visit. I have to stay clear of those tonight.

No one is following me. They never do and yet, Drayth still knows my every step. He has so many informants around the station it’s safe to assume I am never unsupervised. I’ll have to risk it tonight, though.

I take a transporter to another level and change directions twice, because I’m growing paranoid. What if Drayth knows about the money and has sent his goons after me? What if someone else guesses what I’m carrying and robs me?

By the time I arrive at my destination, a small shady bar on the lowest station level, my dress is drenched in sweat and my hands won’t stop trembling. I take a deep breath to calm myself before entering the establishment, knowing I can’t show any weakness. Weakness gets people killed. It’s a good thing I have extensive experience with hiding mine.

The air is stale and reeks of Trexin smoke. My nose scrunches involuntarily as the vile stench reaches me. Fucking great! It’s going to take half a bottle of shampoo to get this shit out of my hair.

Most of the patrons don’t bat an eye as I enter. Those smoking Trexin pipes continue staring out into the void, their minds numbed to the point where they aren’t aware of the world around them. An older Zyderi female scowls at me, fluffing up the cleavage around her triboob, as if daring me to steal her customers. As if I’d ever touch any of these lowlife creatures with a ten-foot pole.

I’m young and beautiful enough to work on the upper levels, but I know it won’t last forever. If I survive long enough, I’ll end up like this poor female. Breathing toxic fumes in a rundown bar while trying to impress inebriated patrons enough to spare a few units for using my body. I shudder in disgust. All the more reason to get out of here and start a new life somewhere else.

Fortunately, the Kah’Rakh male I need to see is here, moving stones across a Rokha gameboard and sipping on some bright blue liquid from a glass in front of him. He snaps his beak at his opponent when he notices me waiting, and his game partner smiles at me in a rather leery way.

I swallow down my disgust and smile back. My smile is fake, but with the practice I’ve had, I know they won’t be able to tell the difference. No one ever has. No one except Faelin, but I’m not thinking about him right now. “Gentlemen,” I greet with my sweetest, most sultry tone as I approach the table, “Sorry to disturb you, but I’d like to speak with Captain Chirrak. Alone.”

The bird-like alien cocks his head on an impossible angle, snapping his beak again. His feathers are light blue with a red crown cresting his head, a sign of nobility among his people. It’s fake, of course. I can see the paint peeling away from his feathers from where I stand. He’s a vain bastard, but he likes money and he isn’t indebted to Drayth, which makes him my best chance of getting off this station.

He waves his friend away. “Get lost, Geshrin.” The sounds coming from his beak are chirps and squawks, but my translator nodes don’t have any trouble converting them into actual words.

It’s insulting. Everyone can understand this damned bird guy, but nobody can be bothered to download English files into their nodes?

After I was abducted and given my nodes, I thought I wouldn’t have any trouble communicating. How very wrong I was! Although I could understand everyone, nobody could understand me. Not that it would have helped me. They ignored my begging as they—

No. Those are not memories I want to relive. Ever.

Regardless of the memories I’m trying to block out, the facts remain. I was kidnapped from Earth, enslaved, pregnant with an alien’s baby, and on top of dealing with all of that, I had to teach myself OmniSpeak so that I could talk to my fucking masters. My mother always said life’s tough, but I’d appreciate it giving me a fucking break from time to time.

“How can I help you?” The click-clacking of Chirrak’s beak breaks me out of my somber thoughts. He preens in front of me, smoothing out his long feathers on his wings. Show-off.

“I’d like to book passage for two on your ship. You’re leaving tomorrow morning, right?”

His demeanor shifts from flirty to businesslike. “We are. We don’t normally take passengers, though.”

“I’ll pay.”

“Hmm. Let me check the manifest.” He taps at his datapad, studying it for a long minute. No way he’s taking that long just to look if there’s space on his ship. “You’re high-risk cargo, female.”

Ah, so instead of checking the manifest, he’s been checking my data out and discovered Drayth’s subtle directive forbidding me from leaving the station. It’s not an official flight ban from the station’s authorities, but it’s enforced just the same, if not more. “That’s why I’m willing to pay you triple the normal rate. Plus, a little extra for the danger.” I can only hope my funds will cover it.

Chirrak cocks his head to the side again, and I hold back a wince. If I did that, my neck would snap. He tosses back the rest of his drink. “You said two passengers?” His eyes scout the room as he tries to find my companion.

“Yes, two seats. Myself and one extra. How much?” I ask, barely keeping the impatience from my voice. I don’t have time to haggle with this glorified peckerhead. The more time I spend with him, the bigger the risk of someone reporting me to Drayth.

Chirrak taps on the datapad, then slides it in my direction. I fail to stifle the gasp. “What?! That’s outrageous. I could buy a fucking ship for that money!”

“Buy a ship, then,” he replies with a shrug. “This is my price. It includes getting you off the station without your master’s knowledge and, for that, I believe my demands are justified.”

He’s not wrong, but fuck! Even with what I stole from Faelin, I don’t have that kind of money. If I had more time, I could find someone else, someone who’d hopefully ferry us away for a more reasonable price, but I can’t wait. Even now, Ellen is probably playing with “Uncle Krell”. It won’t be long before he asks her to sit on his lap or to change in front of him. I can’t let that happen.

“I can give you half,” I offer. It will eat up almost all of my savings. We’ll be homeless and with barely anything to eat, but we’ll be free. “As for the rest…maybe we could come to a different arrangement?” I let my cloak slip from my shoulder, revealing bare skin.

Chirrak clucks. For the Kah’Rakh, it’s a sign of excitement, which eases my worry, slightly. I don’t particularly crave having sex with this guy but his species have small cocks and are usually done quickly. Nothing like the two-cocked, aggressive Ataxi. Nothing like Drayth.

It took me a while to learn to pick my customers wisely or, to at least ask for extra money if I’m taking it up my pussy and my ass at the same time.

I step closer, letting Chirrak examine the goods. I need him. I keep repeating to myself, because all I want to do is to strangle him.

“Good,” he caws, and I hastily wrap my cloak around myself again. I don’t need other patrons getting any ideas. Or the older Zyderi female, who’s already glaring daggers at me for being her competition.

“Be at this spot in four hours,” Chirrak instructs, bringing up a station map on his datapad and pointing at an intersection near the docks. “You and your companion. My people will smuggle you off the station. My ship will leave on time. If you’re not there, you’re not coming.”

…And this bastard keeps all of my money, I read between the lines. I grit my teeth. “Just to be clear, you agree to safely deliver me and my companion to the Tungr station,” I reiterate, knowing I have to be precise. Chirrak will adhere to whatever terms we agree on, but I cannot leave any wiggle room for him to extort me later. “You will provide us with a cabin, food and water. I will provide my services to you, just you, not your crew or any other passenger. My companion is off limits. No one touches them.”

“You’re a tough female to deal with.” Chirrak lets out a squawking laugh. “But I agree with your terms, with one exception. I’ll take half of the payment up front. With that, we have a deal.”

At that, it feels like a boulder the size of a doomsday asteroid has been lifted off my chest. We have a way out. Finally. After nearly five years, I can finally take Ellen out of here and start a new life.

Dizzy with the combination of relief and hope, I don’t pay much attention to my surroundings. I traverse the well-known streets without thought, forgetting that I should be avoiding my regular haunts to escape a certain red alien.

The thought comes back to me just as someone grabs my hand and pulls me into a side alley but by then, it’s already too late. Rough, calloused hands grip me tightly as I glare up into the face I both feared and yearned for.

Fuck! I’m in trouble.