Shaalyn frowns at the soldier to my side. "Darling, don't hurt him before he tells us what we want."
"There's no human here," I lie, rubbing my throbbing jaw. "Just take the ones in the hold and leave me here. I won't stop you." It's a bluff, of course. I can't stop them either way, but it never hurts to throw the idea out there.
"I want all the humans," Shaalyn says softly. "Including the one you're hiding. I don't believe in leaving a credit behind. You know that."
I do. Shaalyn is as cheap as she is keffing ruthless. I glance up at her, her lovely features ice cold. They do nothing for me now. All I can think about is Jade, and how I need to keep her safe. How can I fix this? If I grab Shaalyn, can I kill her before the others kill me? Probably not, but I'm willing to take that risk, as long as it keeps Jade safe. The problem is, if they attack me, I can't be certain that she'll stay hidden. She'll want to help me, and then we'll both be keffed.
"There's no human," I say again. "Other than the ones in the hold."
Shaalyn sighs heavily. "Darling, you are nothing if not utterly predictable. Tell me where you're hiding her or we'll start flushing the air out of each room. I don't know a lot about humans, but I do know they need air."
I say nothing. It's an empty threat. Shaalyn is many things—stingy, amoral, selfish—but she's not stupid. She knows this ship is falling apart. She's probably seen all my re-routing efforts and the fact that a lot of the life-support systems have been re-wired and tinkered with. She can't access the controls without hard-rebooting the computer's control system, and she knows if she does that, she runs the risk of it dying on her entirely.
And Shaalyn won't leave a credit on the table. She wants Jade alive, because she's no doubt hoping that Jade has access to the systems and can get her a way in, so she can tow the Buoyant Star back to port to strip her of every last credit's worth. She needs Jade alive.
It's me that's expendable.
"If you value that human's life," Shaalyn says softly, "you'll speak up now."
I say nothing. Inwardly, I hope Jade trusts me and remains silent where she is. Please stay put, Jade. We're both safe as long as you do. Shaalyn's going to keep me alive and torture me until I give up Jade (which won't happen), and Jade's safe as long as Shaalyn thinks she's got the answers she needs.
Long, agonizing moments slide past. The room is silent.
Jade doesn't get out of her hiding space, and I let out the breath I'm holding in relief.
Shaalyn pouts. "Always have to do things the hard way, don't you? All right." She turns toward one of her men and puts her hand out. The pirate automatically pulls his blaster from the holster at his hip, turns it, and offers it, handle-first, to Shaalyn. She studies it for a moment, then flicks the switch, powering it on…and holds it up to my brow. "I didn't want to do this, darling, but I have no choice. If you don't produce that human before I count to five, I'm going to have to take drastic measures. And this time? I'll make sure you're dead."
The cool metal of the blaster presses to the plating on my brow. I ignore it. It's a bluff. Instead, I get ready to grin at Shaalyn, a joke rising on my lips.
A hand hammers on the wall behind me. "Wait," Jade cries. "Don't hurt him! I'm here!"
Ah, kef.
62
JADE
I can't do it.
When they threaten Adiron's life, I can't stay silent any longer. I pound on the panel, and a few moments later, a big blue alien hauls me out. I stumble forward, and then I'm dragged in front of the woman.
"My goodness. That little trick works every time, doesn't it?" The female chuckles, the sound low and lovely and somehow menacing.
Shaalyn.
I can't believe I'm looking at Adiron's old lover. When he mentioned her name, I think he was just as surprised as me. I didn't know that she was a pirate, though. For some reason, I'd just thought she was a shitty, murdering thief. Of course it makes sense that she's a pirate—she stole his ship once, after all. But to find her here? It's the worst kind of luck. I stare at the woman who held Adiron's heart before me. She's…not what I expected. Her name is a soft-sounding thing, and I know I'm certainly not badass, so I thought Adiron's tastes would go more towards…daintiness? But Shaalyn is anything but.
She reminds me of a viper. A dangerous, slithery snake that's both beautiful and utterly deadly. Shaalyn has a high, sleek ponytail, ringed piercings, and a loose-flowing one-piece jumpsuit that manages to look feminine and elegant on her while still broadcasting an air of authority. She has no weapon at her waist. Doesn't need one with all the men around her packing heat. She's got the same proud, strong ridges on her face that all the mesakkah do, but I get the impression that she's older than the others. There's an unyielding hardness in her lovely eyes, a bitter history to the curve of her mouth. She's tall and lean, though, and surrounded by all these looming, muscular mesakkah, it's impossible to not feel short and dumpy and very, very human.