12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Nala

I punch the elevator button with way more force than necessary resulting in an alarm going off. The machine blasts out an automated warning about penalties for damaging the hotel’s property. Why the fuck should I care about the hotel’s property?!

These stupid tears won’t stop flowing. I swipe at them with so much brutality I nearly punch myself in the eye. I deserve to be punched in the face. Repeatedly. I’ve just single-handedly destroyed the best thing that’s ever happened to me, besides Ellen, because I couldn’t bring myself to trust Faelin. But what was I supposed to do?

If it was just about me, I would have let him help the first time he offered. But it’s not just about me and I simply can’t take any chances where Ellen’s life is at stake.

Faelin is clearly enamored with me, enough to make crazy promises in the hopes of getting laid. It’s flattering, really, but it doesn’t change anything. He’s infatuated with alluring-exotic-girl Nala, not single-mother-of-a-hybrid-child slave Nala.

Men tend to be less excited about kids, even their own. My best friend’s father was shining proof of that, disappearing into thin air as soon as her mother told him she was pregnant. My friend’s mom then turned into a serial dater and some of the stories my friend would tell me were terrifying.

She was constantly afraid that her mom’s boyfriends were going to come into her room at night. That’s if they weren’t screaming at her for being a stupid brat, lying to her mom to get her in trouble for things they did, or the one guy who backhanded her for not getting out of his way fast enough. Needless to say, my friend often slept in my room for weeks at a time just to avoid going home to some random asshole. It’s not something I want for my Ellen.

I’m her mother and I’m the one responsible for her safety. So, I will rescue her from Drayth’s compound, smuggle her off this damned station, and set up a safe life somewhere else for us. Once everything is stable, I might consider finding someone nice to add to our family unit.

My heart aches for Faelin, reminding me that I’ll never find someone as nice as he was, but I ignore the stupid organ. I shot him with a stunner. If he didn’t hate me before, he sure does now. There’s no going back.

“I don’t have a choice,” I mutter, glaring at my reflection in the elevator mirror. “I don’t.”

The words don’t sound convincing, even to me, but it doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. Now I have to focus on the most precious thing in my life—my daughter.

It’s around midnight, station time. The streets are busy as always, teeming with tourists looking for entertainment of all kinds. I pull the hood down over my eyes and hold my cloak close like a security blanket. Tonight, I’m not fishing for attention. I’m looking to avoid it.

As I approach the back door to Drayth’s house, my other hand grips the stunner in my pocket tighter. The guards know to let me in and they rarely ever search me, but the weapon scanning system embedded into the door frame will alert them immediately. I have some freedoms around here, but carrying a stunner isn’t one of them.

My plan is to take out the guards, find Ellen, then get her out of there before the rest of Drayth’s security notice something’s wrong.

It’s a shit plan, I know, but it’s the best I could come up with. Drayth’s men are lazy and they’re used to me coming and going. They won’t suspect anything. The stunner is silent so it shouldn’t alert anyone.

Even poor Faelin, a seasoned mercenary, didn’t see the stun coming until it was too late and he looked like he’d been in a fair few showdowns. He is, without a doubt, one hundred times better than the scum Drayth employs as goons. I should be fine.

Sucking in a deep calming breath, I wipe the last of my tears away before turning the final corner. Time to focus. Save Ellen. That’s all I can think about now.

Turning the corner in my best act of nonchalance, I pause mid stride. Where are the guards? I’m practically frozen, frantically looking around and trying to understand what’s happening.

I’ve been on Farpoint Gateway for over four years. Every day, I’ve walked through the front door of Drayth’s residence and every day, there’ve been guards posted. Usually two, sometimes more. But to leave the door unguarded? Drayth would never do this.

Dread settles in my stomach. Something is wrong. Something is very, very fucking wrong, but I can’t figure out what’s happening.

Whenever Drayth is here, he always leaves the door guarded. When he’s here… The realization hits me like a hammer. Drayth isn’t here. He left. Perhaps a war with another trafficker broke out, perhaps the station authorities finally stomped down on his illegal activities. Either way, he’s gone.

Faelin’s words echo in my mind. “You can’t go back to Drayth right now.” He knew. Fuck him! Did he have something to do with this? I should have shot him for real. For years, I’ve worked on getting Ellen and I out of here and now Faelin barges in and destroys everything!

My feet are carrying me into the compound before I’ve even made the conscious decision to enter. Maybe Drayth hasn’t left. Maybe he left Ellen behind. Maybe my smart little girl hid somewhere and waited for me.

The hallways are just as empty as the door was. “ELLEN!” I scream, no longer trying to be stealthy.

I race down the stairs, punching the door control to our room. It opens, showing the same sight I left last night. Two empty beds, a small dresser still holding all of our clothes. Ellen’s toys are strewn across the floor but she isn’t here. I check the tiny bathroom, also empty, before rushing over to Mu’s room.

“ELLEN!” I shriek again, banging on Mu’s door. “Mu! Please, anyone?!” The door is unlocked but the room behind it is just as abandoned as ours.

Panic threatens to engulf me. I rush through the corridors, checking every door, screaming my lungs out. Every room is empty, deserted in a hurry. It looks like they took the electronics but the rest of the equipment remains.

The doors to Drayth’s apartment open as soon as I approach them. I don’t notice, nor do I stop to consider why I suddenly have access to the most heavily guarded rooms on this entire station. Ellen is all I can think about. If she’s not here, then…

The place is empty. He’s gone. Everyone’s gone.

With a feral scream, I grab Drayth’s priceless Karetelan vase and throw it at the large vid screen mounted on the wall. Both shatter, covering the exotic soft rug with a slew of shards. “NO! FUCK!” I scream, my body giving in to the suffocating pressure in my chest, pieces of my heart shattering to join the mess on the floor.

They’re not here. My daughter is not here. My precious baby.

I had one fucking job and I failed at it. What kind of mother can’t protect her own child? What kind of person lets their child be taken, by traffickers, for fuck’s sake?

“No. Fucking. Way!” I roar.

Regaining what little composure I can muster, and determined not to fail her again, I head out of the compound. I won’t let this happen. I’m not a violent person, but right now, I’m ready to strangle every fucker on this stupid station with my bare hands. No one will stop me from finding my daughter. No one.

It takes some serious effort, but the rational part of my brain starts to re-engage. I need to think now, not run around in panic like a headless chicken. Drayth can’t have been gone for long. It would take time to evacuate the entire compound and erase any compromising data. He still has to be here somewhere on the station, which means Ellen is still here too. But where?

There are several docking bays around the station, plus a shipyard. The closest dock is mostly for cargo, but someone like Drayth would have no trouble securing a bay for his luxurious super-yacht there. It’s just a guess, but it’s as good a guess as any, so I head toward the closest dock first.

My hand finds the stunner tucked away in the sleeve of my cloak. It’s not the fanciest of weapons but it’s reliable. Either way, it will have to do, because I sure as hell don’t have time to go gun shopping now. Not to mention I wouldn’t know how to shoot a bigger gun, anyway.

I rush out of the unmanned door into the street, my mind busy coming up with the fastest route to the docks. I don’t notice the men standing in front of me until I run into the closest one.

Terror fills my veins, convinced for a second that they’re Drayth’s men. Then I relax slightly as I recognize their uniforms. The station security and the UGC. The good guys. Thank god.

“You’re here! You need to help me! My—”

“Looks like we’ll be making at least one arrest, after all,” the tall Syndoran in charge sneers, ignoring me. He pats the handle of his shock stick and smirks at me. “Are you coming peacefully, or do we get to use force?”

“What?! I’m not…” As he steps closer, the meaning behind his words registers. “What do you mean ‘arrest’? I’m not the bad guy here!” I stare at the enforcers surrounding me, only finding stern, frowning faces.

The Syndoran scoffs. “You own this entire place,” he says, jerking his chin toward the spacious mansion behind me, “and your name is on several other documents. Did Drayth get tired of fucking you and leave you behind?”

“W-what…?” My head is spinning. What the fuck is he talking about? I don’t own anything and I definitely haven’t signed any documents.

“Commander Gar,” a Lakhartan in UGC uniform starts, “the assets were transferred to her name an hour ago and those documents are probably fake. She’s his scapegoat. Are you sure we shouldn’t be hunting Drayth down instead of wasting time with her?”

Gar, the fucker in charge of the station security guys, just laughs. “He’ll be gone before we get to the docks. Running after him is a wasted effort. This way, we at least get to arrest and execute his associate.”

Execute?! I’m at a loss for words. Did I think these guys were the good guys? Fuck them!

The Lakhartan scowls, “And I suppose a clean arrest and execution will make for a good-looking report, right? Even though you haven’t actually caught the criminal, just someone he deliberately left behind to take the blame?”

“You’re forgetting your place, Officer Pakri,” Gar growls. “The United Galactic Congress has no authority on this station. I only allowed you to come along because you provided us with the information on Drayth. But make no mistake. This is my operation and we do what I say. Arrest this bitch,” he orders.

Four of the station’s security men approach me. Pakri doesn’t move. This time, he seems to be glaring at Gar rather than me yet still, he makes no more attempts to stop them. I curse him, finally pulling the stunner out of the folds of my cloak. “Don’t fucking touch me,” I snarl. “I need to find Drayth, and you assholes are just wasting my time. I’ll face your ridiculous charges later but right now, get the fuck out of my way!”

Grinning, Gar activates his shock stick. Sparks jump between the pins and I gulp. That thing is nothing more than a glorified cattle prod but I’ve seen the security take huge aliens down with just one touch.

My hand shakes as I raise the stunner. I can take out one, maybe two of them before they shock the shit out of me. By the time I regain consciousness, Ellen will be god knows where. “Please, don’t do this,” I beg, hoping for a sensible solution. “I’ll surrender. I’ll confess to your made-up crimes. Just please, stop Drayth from leaving the station. Please!”

“We still have time,” Pakri tells Gar, his scales darkening, betraying his anxiety. “If we hurry, we can catch him before the Crimson Specter leaves. She’s not going anywhere,” he adds, pointing at me. “You know that.”

When Gar still doesn’t move, Pakri snorts and shakes his head. “Of course you know that. You’re working with Drayth. This whole thing was a charade to give Drayth time to escape, wasn’t it?”

Gar smirks. “You’re being ridiculous. I’ve changed my mind. The UGC’s presence is no longer desirable on this mission. Return to your embassy now, Officer. Like I said, you have no authority here.”

My hopes die as Pakri takes a step back. Fucking bureaucratic nonsense! The only person on my side can’t help because of some stupid contract a couple of desk clerks signed years ago.

As Gar’s people advance, I shuffle back until there’s a wall behind me. There’s nowhere to go. No one will help me. Drayth’s going to sell Ellen to some pedo creep and it will all be my fault. All my fault.

“Show her what it means to disobey me,” Gar orders, his smirk pure evil.

I pull the trigger, hitting the guard closest to me in the shoulder. He collapses, but two more jump in. Something hits the side of my chest, knocking all of the air from my lungs. My vision goes black. When it clears, I’m on the floor screaming as someone’s boot stomps on my wrist and I’m forced to let go of the stunner. It was a ridiculous weapon, anyway. How did I ever think I could win this? I was stupid and now my precious daughter will pay the price.

My scream turns silent as the shock stick touches me. The pain is incredible, like liquid fire coursing through my veins, igniting everything. Though I wish I’d lose consciousness, I don’t, staying wide awake and screaming between each jab of the stick until my vocal chords give out. The bastards must be using a lower setting so I suffer longer instead of just knocking me out straight away.

“Stop it!” Pakri shouts and through my semi-conscious haze, I hear the sound of struggle. “This is torture!”

“We’re merely subduing a dangerous criminal,” Gar replies, sadistic pleasure resonating in his voice. “Give her more.”

I’m not sure my body can take much more but it doesn’t look like I have a choice. At least, it seems to be the case until a furious roar echoes through the streets.