Chapter 6

Yes, I've got her now, Zyair thought as he gathered his thoughts and prepared to go back to the room in the mansion that he thought of as the makeshift interrogation room. The thieving little minx is going down!

He'd left the room, supposedly to check on evidence, but really it was to throw some cold water on his face and calm his raging hard-on. She was so unbelievably sexy. He didn't know if he wanted her to confess so he could have the incredible image of putting her in handcuffs, or if he wanted her to be innocent, so he could fuck her all day afterward in celebration.

But these were thoughts of a man who's unable to control his lust. He was here on a job, and this was the most important job he'd ever taken. Everything was riding on this.

"Down, sir," he said in the bathroom to his massively hard dick as he shook it, attempting to unspool the rush of pulsing blood that had gathered there in idle preparation for him to use it. He was sure he wouldn't get to enjoy this suspect, apart from fantasizing about her later, when he was back on Noxxa, using his hand as a poor substitute.

But while he was out, he could make her worry. He could look at the CCTV and listen to the audio feed. He could pretend he had more evidence than he actually did. And he could steel himself to pretend that she was monstrous and grotesque, not someone who made him lose control in ways he both loved and hated.

He threw open the door to the room where Layla sat waiting.

"I have evidence that proves you were with the stone when it was taken," he said.

"That's not possible. I've never set eyes on the Desolation Stone or whatever it's called," she replied hotly. There it was again. That fire in her eyes that burned him alive.

"I have it on the CCTV feed. Watch." He pressed some buttons on the comm device on his wrist. A miniature three-dimensional image of Layla appeared walking down a corridor.

The person on the feed turned the handle and slipped inside the room. The angle changed, and her hand reached for the artifact in a glass display cabinet at the center of the room.

"That's not me." She shook her head in confusion. "I've never been there before in my life. It's obviously been doctored."

He rubbed his forehead and gave a hard stare. He was taken off guard when she laughed.

"You've been had, Zyair. May I call you Zyair? Or Detective Lorrz? How should I address you?"

"Any of those are fine."

"Okay. Good," she purred.

She looked at him seductively, as her hand drifted up to bop his chest. She leaned in closer, showing her endless cleavage on that delicious brown skin. He knew what she was doing, and it was so alluring, he didn't care. He just focused on being stronger than his desire.

"Those tapes have been falsified," she went on. "Send them to your fraud lab. I'm sure you've got one. I'm telling you. You've been set up."

Why does she have to be so goddamn sexy,he thought. I could be heading home tomorrow if she'd just admit she took the stone.

The thing was, he was beginning to believe her. He wanted to go home, but at the same time, he didn't want to see this adorable creature behind bars for something she didn't do. But why would anyone set her up? Maybe it was as she had said: she was just a convenient scapegoat. A Terran woman, alone on a strange planet, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I've already sent them off," he lied. "I'm sure the results will arrive back soon."

"Good. I'm sorry you've been through all this trouble." She gazed into his eyes earnestly as she spoke, and he felt his cock respond. Again. Just when he had gotten it under control. Dammit.

"Honestly, though, I'm just an innocent pawn in all this," she went on demurely. Innocent, my ass, he thought. Crime or not, I could definitely see myself sinning with this woman.

Their eyes met across the desk—his startling violet ones and her dark brown almond-shaped ones, with their long dark lashes. The sexual tension between them was palpable. Zyair licked his lips and swallowed. He needed to take control of the situation.

He cleared his throat and adjusted in his seat, projecting dominance. He felt subsumed by his male weaknesses and thus even more determined to hide it. "Well, I think that concludes the interview," he said, standing and almost knocking the chair over in the process. "Don't leave the place. I'll have more questions for you later."

"Of course," she replied. She smiled at him coyly, blinking her long lashes.

"Wait here. I'll be back." He slammed the door before she could respond.

He turned and fled the room yet again, although this time for a reason besides his annoyingly fluctuating cock. He had a meeting with the heiress.

His head was spinning, and his cock was hard yet again. He hoped Layla hadn't noticed the effect she had on him.

He headed for the nearest bathroom and splashed cold water on his face once more as he looked up into the mirror. His skin was flushed a deep violet, making the white swirls and whorls that covered it stand out vividly.

He normally had more cool than this. What was that little Terran woman doing to him?

He grabbed one of the old-fashioned towels that sat neatly folded by the sink and dried his face. He took a moment to polish his horns and admire his own physique in the full-length mirror by the door. How could she resist that, he thought, looking himself up and down. He scolded himself to remember the seriousness of the situation. This was not a social call.

A sudden frown marred his features. He had a meeting with the heiress next. He had to tell her how he was getting on with his investigations. But what could he say?

He was apprehensive as he knocked on the door to her study.

"Enter," came her imperious voice from within.

He squared his shoulders and entered the room. It was as bland as all the other rooms in her grand mansion. No pictures adorned the plain white walls. The floor was cold and bare. Its one redeeming feature was its large floor-to-ceiling picture window that overlooked the city.

Darina Indorsha sat behind a large desk with her back to the magnificent view. She waved a frail hand toward the opposite seat, inviting Zyair to sit.

He still wasn't sure how he was going to play this. Naturally, the woman wanted answers, but he wasn't prepared to throw Layla under the bus simply to placate this rather brittle old lady.

"I trust you have some results for me? I was assured you are the best PAPS has to offer. I expect a swift resolution and the prompt return of my artifact." She peered at him with her cold blue eyes. "I hope you have enough evidence to convict that thieving Terran girl?"

Zyair took a deep breath. "The evidence does look compelling, yes. However, the Terran woman hasn't given me her confession. She claims the tapes have been tampered with. So, to be thorough, I've sent the video footage out for analysis."

"How could they have been tampered with? She's clearly lying. Don't fall for her manipulations, boy."

"I assure you if the results come back that it's authentic, I'll arrest her and push her even harder to find out where she's hidden your artifact. But until then, I need more evidence," Zyair replied reasonably.

"So, you've gotten precisely nowhere?" demanded Darina.

"Unfortunately, if Layla Killingsworth is telling the truth, and the tapes were falsified, then yes. The easiest answer isn't always the correct one. But I assure you, I'll work tirelessly until the stone is returned."

"I will hold you to that, Zyair. The consequences will be dire otherwise," Darina concluded threateningly. "You may leave."