Lindsey's Rescue: A World Beyond Book 3 (22 page)

Chapter 33

Lindsey refused to accept blame for the shoot out this time.

“This is your fault.” Smiki glared and edged around the corner of the building they’d hid in. The empty warehouse contained the remnants of giant machinery cast aside. Chains swung from rafters above and the hulking shadows sent frightening shapes bouncing off the walls.

Lindsey pressed her hand to the small bump beneath her shirt. “You said we needed a doctor to make sure everything was fine.”

Smiki fired his weapon then slammed his back against the wall. They stood shoulder to shoulder. Lindsey panted from their manic race to get here. The doctor on the moon station assured her that the pregnancy progressed nicely, though it took a moment for him to accept there were three babies. Why did she have to be an anomaly?

“You
did
need a doctor. You eat constantly and that’s after spending the last six weeks relieving your guts. Nothing is fine about that.” He eyed her and his brown gaze spoke volume. He was annoyed and angry.

If only Smiki knew it was typical for morning sickness in the first trimester. The first time she explained it, he called her a liar. Then again whenever she brought up the babies or asked him to feel the growing mound, Smiki ended up relieving his stomach right beside her. Lindsey’s lips twitched. This wasn’t the time for it but she couldn’t help the laugh bubbling up. Deciding to blame it on her hormones, she asked, “This is really shitty, huh?”

“Argghhhh!” Smiki turned away after glaring at her. He fired at the group of black-clad men who had them cornered. Taking a deep breath, he faced her once more. “This is beyond shitty. Those are Jutaks. They don’t give up.”

Excitement welled. “Maybe we can talk to Torkel. He’s my friend Faye’s Chosen, remember? If we talk to him about Zadal selling me to the Marenians he could help us hide.”

His gaze narrowed. “You didn’t want the Jutaks involved when I asked if you should go to them.”

Lindsey winced. “That was before everyone started chasing us.” 

“Us? Do you think this is because of us!” Smiki waved his hand around the abandoned building with its broken windows. “I’ve been wanted for six years. I have thirty outstanding warrants and never have I been on the radar of the Jutaks. I’m not important enough. This is because of
you
.”

Lindsey rolled her eyes. “Now you’re being rude.”

Smiki growled low and long and his skin turned a mottled gray. That was a new color. When he eased back to the familiar lavender skin tones, Lindsey asked, “How was I to know the doctor
you
insisted I see would report our presence.”

“Because you removed your hood,” he snarled. “Did you think he would ignore the media blips for word of your whereabouts? The reward offered?”

That pissed Lindsey off the most. After spending five hundred thousand to get rid of her the price for her alleged safe return was now one million
likos
. Zadal needed to make up his mind. Either he wanted her dead and gone or not.   

  The front door of the building exploded sending shards everywhere. Lindsey screamed as smoke filled the place but Smiki holstered his laser and pulled her close. Tucking her into his side, he ran for the window on the opposite side of the room they’d holed up in.

When they reached it, he gripped her waist and hoisted Lindsey up. “Hurry! Smoke bomb to flush us out.”

Lindsey trusted him and threw her legs over the edge. Once on the ground, she turned back. “Come on, Smiki.”

“Right behind you, Earth woman.” But he returned inside and Lindsey cried out.

She lifted her foot, planning to go and drag him out by his Chamele skin.

“Jutaks, don’t move!”

Lindsey froze, her back to the voice.

“Hands up and turn around.”

She did so slowly and faced five men in black with what looked like ski mask covering their faces.

“Shit!” Smiki returned to the window, hands braced on the sill.

“Come out, Smiki.” One of the Jutaks commanded in a gruff voice.

“Don’t shoot him.” Lindsey tried to judge which one of them was the leader but their looks were indistinguishable. “He’s harmless.”

Smiki moaned behind her but he climbed out the window and joined her. “I can explain.”

***

“You’re facing several charges that can land you for life on Dorlo. Do you understand that, Smiki?”

Being questioned by authorities was nothing new to Smiki. Being questioned by Jutaks changed things a bit. After patting him down and taking his weapons, he and Lindsey were led back to the doctor’s office which was now being used as a holding place. The very office where Lindsey got excited at viewing the growing worm things in her stomach was now his jail room.

Smiki kept his face blank as the Jutak leaned over the table and stared. “Do you have anything to say?”

“My warrants should pull twenty to thirty at the most, not life.”

The man with the razor sharp gaze corrected. “Life for the kidnapping of a Senate Leader’s wife.”

Smiki jolted in his seat. “I didn’t kidnap her. I saved her.”

“Saved her?” A derisive chuckle led the way for another Jutak to enter the room.

Both men wore the distinctive black uniforms of a Jutak warrior. Smiki didn’t fool himself into thinking he’d get out of this easily. The new Jutak leaned against the far wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You think you saved her?” The Jutak smirked.

“She wouldn’t have survived as a sex slave.” Thinking of the Lindsey he’d come to know, the idea of her being forced to service an owner made Smiki sick.

“So you stole her from the Tulu Mining colony after they purchased her?”

Smiki drummed his fingers on the table, pretending boredom. “I don’t know anything about Tulu.”

And he didn’t. His contact had shoved her in his arms and told him to get out before Arlo, who ran that particular auction, caught him.

“He’s lying, Arak.” The Jutak with the blond hair and blue eyes said to the dark-haired one leaning against the wall.

“I agree.”

Smiki started to protest and realized that’s exactly what they wanted. “Look why don’t you ask Lindsey?”

“Then you know who she is,” the blond countered, blue eyes narrowing. “You could have sent her home safely.”

“I know her husband put a bounty on her. I know that’s how she ended up in a Marenian sex auction and I know I’m the one that got her out of there.”

The two Jutaks stared at one another. “What do you think, Arak?”

The dark-haired man frowned. “We’ll ask Torkel.”

“Yes.” Smiki pointed at them. “Ask Torkel. I was supposed to have Faye but got Lindsey. He should be grateful.”

Arak growled and claws split his fingertips as he leaped across the room and pinned Smiki to his chair with a hand at his throat. “You planned to kidnap Faye?”

Smiki struggled in his hold, fearful of the deadly claws slipping across his neck. “Yes. I was supposed to save her, except you all raided the auction the same night and I got Lindsey by mistake.”

“He’s not making sense, Jaron.”

“I’ll get Torkel.”

The blond left them alone. Careful to draw in a deep breath, Smiki said, “You could ease up you know.”

Snick.

The claws retracted and Arak stepped away. “You better hope you’re not lying.”

“You better hope her husbands don’t catch up to you. They’re the ones you should go after for starting this.”

“What is he talking about?”

Smiki spun in his chair and true fear rattled his heart as the one named Jaron returned with a broad shouldered man. He’d seen enough reports to know this was Torkel Alonson, leader of the Jutak Unit based on Enotia. And a Marenian.

“Yes, Smiki,” Jaron said with a lazy smile playing about his mouth. “What exactly are you talking about?”

Smiki adjusted his clothing. “I think I should maintain my silence until you let me check on Lindsey.”

They’d been separated as soon as the Jutaks hustled them to the office of the very doctor who’d reported their presence on the moon station. If he was honest, Smiki admitted to worrying about Lindsey. The Earth woman had grown on him during their time together.

“You are not in a position to bargain,” Torkel said, dropping into the seat across from him.

Smiki tensed but all the dark haired man did was prop his forearms on the table and stretch his legs out.

“I’m the one who’s kept her safe. Ask Lindsey if she wants to talk.”

The Jutak Unit leader quirked a brow at him. “Lindsey is speaking with my Chosen via the communicator right now. They formed a relationship before leaving Earth that was solidified during their imprisonment.”

“Smiki, here, says he meant to grab Faye,” Arak mentioned into the silence.

Whatever pleasantry existed between them faded the moment Torkel heard those words. A stillness came over him pulsing with a dangerous edge. “Really?” 

Smiki swallowed. “
Save
her. The key word is save. My contact pushed her into my arms and threatened to disembowel me if I didn’t take the Earth woman he thought of as Faye.”

Now all three of the men focused on him. Torkel lost his restrained posture and leaned forward. His brown eyes didn’t stray from Smiki’s face. “Who?”

“W-what?”

“Who gave you Lindsey? Who sought my Chosen?” Torkel gritted out.

Smiki’s nerves added a waver to his voice. “Look. I don’t know.” He raised his hands and glanced from the other two men then back to Torkel. “I was told to meet up at that particular Marenian auction. Next thing I know, I have an arm full of a woman who reeks and I’m given a warning to leave right away before Arlo discovered she’s stolen.”

“Arlo?” Torkel arrowed in on the name. “Arlo was there?”

Smiki wondered if he could make a deal or some sort. “I really don’t think I should say anything else.”

A low rumbling growl filled the room. Smiki risked a glance at the man with the sharp fangs who had his claws exposed again.

“Did Arlo give you the woman?” Torkel persisted.

“W-what? No, I told you that was between my contact and I.” Smiki ran a nervous hand down his pants leg as the atmosphere in the room took a turn and became darker.

“Tell me everything. I can’t guarantee your freedom or a reduced sentence but I’ll mention your cooperation with my Commander.”

Exhaling sharply, Smiki gave in and told them everything he knew. Which wouldn’t help much. If he couldn’t figure out the identity of his mysterious contact, he was for sure the Jutaks wouldn’t dig up anything either.

“There’s one more thing,” Smiki remembered when the huge man before him started to leave.

Torkel paused at the door. “What else?”

“The man was very specific that Lindsey belonged to his brother and he’d rip out my guts.” Smiki frowned. “No, he’d rip out my spine. He made it clear that I was responsible for her. But I guess that only applied to Faye not Lindsey because when reports came out that your Chosen had been rescued, he declared a mistake had been made and told me to dispose of Lindsey.”

Torkel pointed at the other Jutaks. “Don’t let him leave yet.”

Apparently, Smiki still had a purpose. Now if only he could work that in his favor.

***

Lindsey hugged herself tight as she paced the small room of the doctor’s office. Talking to Faye on the communicator was great and it pleased her to no end that Faye had found happiness. Nothing could ease Lindsey’s worry though. It built like a tidal wave and she was certain it would sweep her away beneath the flood.

Panic surged when the door opened to reveal one of the black clad soldiers who’d taken her and Smiki. “Greetings, Lindsey Laars-Gatar, I’m honored to meet you.”

Torkel Alonson. Lindsey wished Faye had warned her about her husband’s intimidating size. No wonder she’d never lost faith he’d come for them. “You can call me Lindsey.”

The small smile he gave her softened his features. Slightly. “Thank you, Lindsey.”

“Can Smiki and I go?” The longer she stayed here the more her fear of the unknown escalated. Lindsey couldn’t place her finger on why terror rode her.

“Back to Garulax? Because I assure you, efforts are being made now to contact your husbands with the good news.”

“No!” Lindsey fell back a step. “I don’t want to go to Garulax.”

His expression creased in puzzlement. “The Senate Leaders have been quite adamant about your return. In fact, it’s only after we received news of your death that they backed off contacting my Commander for continuous updates.”

Lies. Lindsey squashed the nugget of hope because those were lies. “Maybe they just wanted to make sure the job was finished.”

He folded his arms over a muscled chest and tipped his head to the side. “I am not sure I understand but the Earth language confuses me often despite listening and learning from Faye. Are you implying that you
don’t
want to go back to your husbands?”