Leaving Triad (4 page)

Emily looked up worried that Jeremy was
trying to come in while Henry was gone on break. She was relieved
to see Captain Zor walking in. As soon as their eyes met, she
blushed and looked away.

He always looked so hot. His uniform molded
to his firm, muscular body. He had a swimmer’s waist and strong,
powerful thighs. Naughty images of him naked and bent over her body
came to her mind. She almost dropped a bottle of beer but caught it
at the last minute.

“Good evening, Emily,” his deep voice
rumbled.

“Hi, Zor. The usual?”

“Yes, please. How are things going tonight?”
He took a swig of the beer she had placed in front of him without
taking his eyes off her.

She was so beautiful. Her long, dark brown
hair was pulled up into a ponytail. She worked the orange and white
waitress uniform, which barely covered her. One look at her in that
outfit and he was stiff and hard immediately. Her ass seemed to
strain against those white shorts and he feared the small material
would just pop off at any moment, exposing her. So he made sure to
keep a watchful eye out in case that happened.

“It’s been busier than usual.”

He nodded his head. “A group of merchants
came aboard and will be traveling to the next outpost.”

“That explains it then.” She looked up at
Sarn who was flagging her for another round.

“What about your boyfriend?” Zor asked.

“What about him?”

He knew things were not quite right with
their relationship, but until she denounced him as her boyfriend,
he couldn’t do anything about it. He wished for the day to come. He
would love to throw the worthless male out through the wastage
portal.

“I hear he is spending a lot of time on the
casino level.”

“I guess he is.”

“Curious how he can do that when he has yet
to seek employment to pay for any of his debts.”

“What are you getting at?” Emily wiped the
bar without looking at him.

“He is using all your hard earned money to do
what he wants without a second thought to you. Is he not?”

“It’s none of your business.”

He reached out to grab her hand, stilling her
from wiping the already clean bar top. “Emily, I care about
you.”

“Don’t.” She shook her head. She couldn’t
handle his pity. Anything but that. She yanked her hand out of his
grasp.

“Everything okay?” Henry came up behind her.
He was glancing between Zor and Emily.

“Fine. Everything is fine.” Emily moved to
the other end of the bar to help a customer.

Zor ran his hand through his stark white hair
in frustration.
Why couldn’t the female see how bad the human
boyfriend was for her?

Henry put another beer in front of Zor. “Easy
on the girl, Captain. She’s trying to make the break.”

“It’s taking her fucking forever.”

“She’ll get there. Be patient, she has to do
it on her own.”

“You lose again, human. That makes it how
much that you owe me now?” the blue squid alien asked.

Jeremy wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“I’ll get you your money. Just let me play another round. I know
I’ll win the next one.”

“Why would I do that? You can’t pay me what
you already owe me.”

Jeremy took off his watch that Emily had
given him for his birthday. “Here, use this as an extension on what
I owe you.”

The squid laughed. “Extensions are given to
my friends. You human, are not my friend. In fact, you have no
friends on this ship that would vouch on your behalf.”

“Salan, I would like to absorb this human’s
debt to you!” Captain Zor called out from the back of the dark
casino room.

Jeremy looked up and gave Zor a desperate
smile. “Thank you, Captain Zor. You’re not so bad you know. I
appreciate you paying my debts. I’ll repay you as soon as I win
this next round.”

Zor chuckled as he took a seat at the poker
table. “You have mistaken what I meant by absorb.”

Jeremy frowned and looked between the blue
squid and Captain Zor. Zor handed coins to the squid and then the
squid got up from the table. In fact, all the other players stood
and left the table as well.
What was going on?

Zor looked at the dealer who was the only one
still at the table besides him and the human male. “Deal the cards,
Mic.”

“What are you doing and what do you mean by
absorb?”

“I have taken ownership of the debt you owe
my friend over there. Now you owe me and we will be playing the
next round alone. I am going all in. I will be including your debts
in this pot. If you win, your debts are wiped clean and you win
whatever amount is left in the pot.”

Jeremy leaned forward eagerly. “What if you
win? I have no more money on me right now.”

“Is there anything else of value that you
could offer to put in the pot?”

It took a few minutes for Jeremy to think of
all the possessions he and Emily had brought with them. It wasn’t
much because there just hadn't been room to bring all their things.
The only thing he had that could be considered valuable was…

“Emily. I will add Emily to the pot.”

About damn time the human answered. That was
what Zor was hoping he would say. “You want to put your girlfriend
in the pot? Do you think the value will be equal?”

“She’s a hard worker. She keeps the room
clean. She’s…not that good in the sack, but she’s practically a
virgin. I was her first and we have only been together a few times.
She’s almost like new. You could still break her in the way you
want.”

Zor had flipped the safety off the laser gun
he held under the table. He pointed it at the offending human. All
it would take was one laser blast and the male would be no more
trouble to anyone. There were rules on his ship, he had to follow
them just like everyone else.

Rule number one: don’t steal or damage
another man’s property.

Rule number two: don’t attack or kill unless
provoked.

Rule number three: pay your debts or serve
time in the holding cell.

Zor couldn’t kill the human unless provoked
and he couldn’t take Emily from him unless he won her because she
was considered the human’s property in a society ruled by
males.

“I accept your Emily into the pot. Dealer,
call the time to start the game.”

“It is fourteen hundred hours, the game
begins with the first card laid down.” The dealer shuffled the
cards quickly and dealt them out to each player.

As the time went by, more and more on-lookers
came to watch the game. Side bets were made as to who would win the
game, very few people put their bets on the human.

Jeremy kept wiping his forehead with his
shirtsleeve. His hands shook and he felt dehydrated.

“Perhaps we can call a small break. You know,
go to the bathroom, and grab a drink,” Jeremy asked with a shaky
voice.

“I do not need a break. We will keep going.
Dealer, what is the time?”

“It is now sixteen hundred hours and
twenty-seven minutes.”

A waitress from the bar was called and she
brought over some drinks. Jeremy quickly downed a few shots of
whisky. Zor asked for bottled water, which the waitress gave him
with a wink.

Jeremy watched the waitress leave with her
hips swaying in the white shorts. He adjusted himself and licked
his lips. Perhaps he’d visit the bar later and talk to that
waitress. She was hot.

“Place your bet, human,” the squid dealer
ordered.

Jeremy looked back at the cards he was
holding. He had a pair but was not secure that he would beat Zor.
He made a rash decision to bluff and place his whole bid. He looked
up and waited.

Zor was cool and calm. He hadn’t broke into a
sweat the entire time. He simply smiled and showed his hand. He had
a straight flush.

Jeremy spit out the whiskey he had just took
a sip of. “That’s impossible.”

The dealer called for Jeremy to show his
hand. He tried to stand and leave, but two other crewmembers
suddenly appeared at his side. They forced him to lay his cards
down.

The dealer smirked, “The winner is Captain
Zor.” Shouts went out throughout the whole room.

Jeremy paled and leaked a little bit of
urine.
Fuck! How was he going to tell Emily? Maybe they could
sneak off the ship.

“If you try to leave this ship with my
property, I will be entitled by the rules of the ship to kill you
on the spot,” Zor threatened with narrowed eyes. He knew the human
had been thinking about it.

“But Emily…” Jeremy whined but was
interrupted.

“Is no longer your property or your concern.
You will send her to me this evening. If you do not, I will end
you.”

Jeremy gulped. He had no friends, no one who
could back him up if the alien slime of a captain came at him. He
had no choice. “Fine. She will be delivered to you this
evening.”

*****

Emily had just finished taking a quick
shower. She wanted to be fully dressed before Jeremy showed up. She
would leave early for the bar and eat her dinner there. The less
time she spent in Jeremy’s company, the happier she was.

The door opened with a bang and she turned to
look with dread, knowing who it would be. “Why are you banging the
door?”

“Why are you such a nag?” Jeremy snapped back
at her.

She could continue to argue with him, but she
no longer cared enough about him to expend that kind of energy. She
grabbed her purse and made her way out of the room. He reached a
hand out to stop her and squeezed her arm tight.

“Pack your bags,” he ordered with slightly
slurred words.

Great, he was drunk and in an angry mood.
“Let go of my arm.”

“Listen…you need to pack your bags right
now.”

“Why, where are we going?” She wasn’t going
anywhere with him. She would just tell him she’d meet him there or
something.

“Not me. You are going.”

“Where am I going?”

“I lost the game. I had no choice. It was the
alien scumbag’s fault.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I had no more money to play the next game. I
was sure to win it. The odds were in my favor, but I had no
money.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I had nothing to offer—but you.”

She had a sinking feeling. “What did you
do?”

“I offered you into the pot. I knew I would
win so I wasn’t worried about it.”

Her face turned pale. “Did you win?”

“No. Damn alien bastard. I would have. I had
a pair.”

“So you are saying you bet me as your pot
collateral and then you lost me in a damn poker game?”

“Yes.”

“Oh hell no! I’m not some piece of property
you can buy, loan, sell, trade, or throw away. I am a person with
rights.”

“Not on this ship you’re not. You are
considered my property. I can do with you whatever I want.”

“I have had enough of this and of you. I am
leaving.” She tried to yank her arm free, but he pulled her to
him.

“We could have one last round of sex before I
send you off. For old-time's sake?”

“I would rather be bitten by a thousand
deadly snakes than have you touch me ever again. I’m leaving!”

They struggled and both fell to the floor. “I
can’t let you leave. I have to give you over to your new owner
within the next hour or I will be tortured or killed.”

“I don’t care. I hope they cut off your
worthless cock and shove it down your own throat.”

His face turned a bright red. “You never
cared for me! You thought you were so much better. You had money
left by your dead parents. They probably killed themselves just to
get away from you!”

“Shut up you worthless, good for nothing
toad. You’re not even a man. You’re just a prick with legs!” She
scratched his face making him scream out in pain.

“You are going to pay for that!” he started
to hit her in the face with his fists.

Pound, pound, pound. He hit her until she was
unconscious. Only then did he realize his mistake. She was no
longer his property. She belonged to the alien captain now. He had
to get her to his quarters before the hour was up or his life was
forfeit. He would have to carry her. What if she woke and tried to
run away? He couldn’t let her do that.

Jeremy searched through the room and settled
on cutting strips from the bed sheet. He tied her hands behind her
back, her legs at the ankles, and he put a strip around her head
covering her mouth. He lifted her up into his arms, stumbling a
little under her weight. He'd told her she was putting on too many
pounds. Well, now someone else could deal with her overweight
issues. He opened the door to his room and found one of the
crewmembers waiting outside.

“Where is the captain’s quarters?”

The crewmember frowned when he saw the
female’s appearance. Maybe Captain Zor requested she be brought to
him this way. He wasn’t sure. “Take the tube lift up to the second
level. When you get off turn right. It is the last door on the
left.”

“Thanks.” Jeremy wobbled down the corridor of
the ship, making his way to the tube lift. He was going to have to
hold her upright to get them both to fit in the small
enclosure.

He got a few looks from people but no one
said anything as he carried her the rest of the way. He lost his
footing just as he reached the captain’s quarters. They both went
down. He landed on top of her. They slid until her head hit the
door hard.
Fuck!

Jeremy stood and knocked on the door, then he
took off for the tube lift. There was no way he would stay there in
case she was more hurt than he knew. The alien ass would probably
take it out on him though it was all Emily’s fault. As the tube
lift left the second level, Jeremy wondered for the first time
about how he was going to make money to support himself. Emily was
always the one working. Now he was left to fend for himself.
Damn bitch!