Pleasure Bound - Complete (48 page)

He’d take her home with him. He’d show her that Earth was a better environment for their kids, for her baby.

Man, he would be a great father to her child. He could teach the kid how to fish, play baseball-.

Without warning pain exploded in his wounded shoulder as Jarod crashed into him knocking him full force against the wall. Blackness hovered at the edges of his sight, but he sure as heck didn’t miss the green beam of light from a disintegration beam zip past where he’d been standing a split second ago.

Jarod had just saved his life!

Pointing his gun at the guard firing at them, Jarod returned fire.

The green light zeroed in on her forehead. Her cry of pain was muffled as she disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

Buck shook his head trying to clear the silver stars dancing frantically in front of his eyes.  Warmth flooded his shoulder. He didn’t have to look down to know he was bleeding again.

“You okay?” Jarod asked, concern splashing against his face.

“I’ll live. Thanks for getting me out of the way. I owe you one.”

“We’re even. That was the security guard. When she doesn’t report back to Cath soon, there’s going to be trouble. In the meantime we’re going to cause some trouble of our own.”

Jarod entered the same room Buck had been in earlier. The security room. Three walls were covered with an abundance of color computer screens surveying the naked prisoners in their cells, or spying on women working in the laundry or kitchen.

Jared began flipping the top line of black switches.

“What are you doing?”

“Releasing the prisoners.”

Buck couldn’t help but grin. “Of course. Diversionary tactic.”

He joined Jarod at the consol and began flipping the next row of switches.

A minute later they could hear shrieks from women who couldn’t believe their good luck and they quickly erupted from their cells.

“They should stop Cath in her tracks,” Jarod grinned as he began on another row of switches.

“How do you know about all this? The switches and the security room?”

“Cath likes to show off her prison. Loves to get fucked in different rooms. I used the fucking tours to gather information so I could set the women free one day. Looks like today is their day.”

The sounds of the combined panic and excited screams grew louder and then women began rushing past the open doorway to the Security Room. Most held blossoming bellies as they ran naked down the hallway. A couple looked as if they were ready to give birth right now.

“The guards will start shooting soon. That’s when we make our move.”

Anger zapped a fresh dose of reality through Buck.

“We can let them shoot the women!”

“The guards will use the stun guns. The women are too valuable. As you can see most are carrying future sex slaves and workers.”

“Still someone can get seriously hurt!”

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take to help Virgin, aren’t you?”

The challenge in his voice sobered Buck.

Jarod was right. They had to stall whatever was happening to Virgin. However, it didn’t mean he had to like this diversion. And he sure didn’t like this planet. It was screwy. Out of whack. But it wasn’t up to him to enforce his beliefs on these people. He was supposed to be following NASA’s protocol. Supposed to be keeping a low profile and secretly study the planet and the inhabitants, not getting involved with the first woman who saved his life. And he sure wasn’t supposed to kill people in a fit of rage because the woman he loved was in danger.

Oh, oh. The love word again.

Panic-stricken screams emerged from somewhere nearby breaking Buck from his thoughts.

“The guards are shooting. Let’s go!” Jarod shouted.

Stumbling behind the sex slave Buck followed him into the crowded hallway. Some of the women screamed in terror at seeing the two males on the loose. Most were too much in a hurry in finding a way out and ignored Buck and Jarod.

Hot swollen bellies pressed against him as he fought to keep up to Jarod. His injured shoulder got jarred over and over again. Pain soon became his constant companion.

In order to dim the agony, he thought of Virgin.

Remembered the sweet agony swamping her face when he’d thrust his cock into her hot channel the very first time.

As far as he was concerned she had been a virgin because he had been her first man.

The women accompanying his brothers Ben and Joe had explained about the machines and how they impregnated the prisoners. Those machines didn’t count.

He had been her first and there was something honorable about that. The look of love and trust shining in her eyes when he’d taken her sweet pussy into his mouth, and then again when he’d tied her to the bed and bound her breasts, hadn’t been faked.

Her look of guilt, and the expression of pain searing across her face when she’d thought she’d betrayed him by lying about his brothers being held at the prison hadn’t been phony either. She carried a lot of emotions in her heart for him. Just as he did for her.

Emotions that needed to be explored.

He couldn’t wait to see her again. Couldn’t wait to wrap his arms around her hot body and tell her he loved her.

He couldn’t wait to-.

“She’s in there. The doctor’s office,” Jarod indicated an open doorway.  “I’ll stay here and stand guard. Go!”

Buck stepped into the doorway and froze.

Sweet mercy!

Virgin sat naked on an odd looking contraption of a chair. Her face sickly pale and twisted in pain. Her eyes were scrunched closed. Her chest heaved with steady tortured breaths.

And that’s when he smelled it.

The sickening stench of burned flesh.

Virgin’s flesh.

The ugly sight of the burn mark etched into curve of her right hip made his stomach roll. For a second he thought he just might pass out. 

He didn’t.

The burn was two inches long and just as wide.

An ugly red.

A brand with the letter C.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, in the doorway, riveted by the brand.

But when his gaze lifted he looked straight into a pair of pain-glazed blue eyes.

“Buck? You came for me?”

Surprise etched her hoarse voice and Buck couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t expect him to come for her.

From behind him Jarod began shooting urging Buck into action.

“Where’s the prison warden?” he asked as he quickly unsnapped her metal cuffs.

She nodded toward an open door at the back of the room.

“They went that way as soon as they realized the prisoners were loose,”

“It leads to the tunnels. You’ll never find them down there.” Jarod yelled through the doorway as Buck draped a sheet around her shivering body.

“So, they’ve escaped.” Anger snapped inside him at having missed his chance at killing the bitch.

“Buck, where’s the baby?”

“He’s safe with my brothers. C’mon let’s get us out of here. Lean on me,” he instructed.

She did as he asked, her hand curling around his shoulder, her teeth gritted against the pain that must be firing up her side from that brand.

“The doctor keeps her guns in the top drawer in the far corner over there,” Jarod yelled as he continued to fire from the doorway. “I could use a little help here!”

“Stay here.” Buck said as he stumbled toward where Jarod had indicated.

“Are you kidding? I want in on the action too.” Virgin said.

She joined Buck where retrieved weapons.

Concern ripped through her voice as she examined the blood leaking from his shoulder wound. “You look about ready to drop. Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine.” Buck grinned. “As long as we’re together.”

Her answering smile gave him a much-needed shot of adrenalin that deadened the pain in his shoulder.

Joining Jarod at the door, Buck took aim. Careful not to hit the prisoners who rushed past he nailed a guard right in the chest. She didn’t utter a sound as she disintegrated.

“Good shot.” Jarod praised.

Buck wished he could take satisfaction at the killing but it just didn’t sit right aiming a gun at someone, pulling the trigger and watching them disappear into thin air. He much preferred the old fashioned way of seeing a body. At least then there was a chance the person wasn’t dead.

He peeked at Virgin who’d taken a position between him and Jarod, “Y’know if we ever get out of here-.”

She stopped him cold by pressing a finger to his lips. “When we get out of here. “

“I like your scenario better. When, we get out of here, I’m going to show you just how much I love you.”

A green line slammed off the doorjamb urging them to return fire. The guard disappeared in a green haze.

“How the hell many of these guards are there in this building?” Buck asked.

“Too many,” Jarod replied. “I think the way is clear now. I’ll lead.”

Buck nodded.

Grabbing Virgin’s hand, they followed Jarod and merged once again with the frantic prisoners.

They’d encountered no more guards over the next few minutes and to his surprise the halls quickly became deserted.

Buck was about to breathe a sigh of relief that maybe, just maybe, they might get out of here without anymore trouble when another volley of gunshots erupted right in front of them. An unarmed guard came flying around the corner and ran screaming toward the trio. 

Fear blazed in her eyes.

From behind her, Buck noticed Jacey turn the corner.

She took aim and fired.

The guard moaned and dropped to the hallway, motionless. A large pool of blood blossomed across her upper back.

When she spied Buck and Virgin she smiled. “I much prefer the disintegration gun. No mess to clean up.”

“Looks like the calvary has arrived.” Buck mumbled.

A split second later, darkness enveloped him.

* * * * *

“What happened?” Ben and Joe both chorused as with faces full of concern, they joined Virgin, Jacob and Jacey who hovered beside Buck’s unconscious body.

“He was shot earlier. He’s lost a lot of blood,” Virgin replied shakily.

Her heart hammered insanely against her chest as she quickly ripped a piece off the sheet Buck had used to wrap around her nude body. Balling up the material she pressed it against the hole in his shoulder that now oozed blood.

When she’d seen him collapse, Virgin’s heart had squeezed so tightly she thought she would pass out from the overwhelming fear that he might be dead.

Thankfully Jacey did what she couldn’t bring herself to do and checked his pulse.

“He’s alive. The bullet wound doesn’t look bad. He’ll be fine. Probably fainted due to the loss of blood.” Jacey said and Virgin sighed with relief.

“He was given a Quick Healing Injection but I pushed him against the wall when he was in the line of fire. I’m afraid his shoulder was re-injured.”

“Who are you?” Joe said as Ben ripped the gun out of Jarod’s hand.

“He’s my twin. He’s helping us,” Virgin explained. “Where’s Annie? She’s a doctor. She can help Buck.”

“She’s taking care of the kid, back at camp.” Ben said as he and Joe grabbed Buck beneath his armpits and hoisted his unconscious figure to his feet. “We figured it was safest to keep the doctor out of harm’s way. Now we just have to get Buck to her.”

“I’ll take over with the wound,” Joe told her.

“I’ll clear the way up ahead. Virgin you come along with us. I’m sure Buck will want to talk with you when he wakes up,” Jacey said. Without waiting for an answer she took off at a dead run.

“She’ll catch up in a minute,” Jarod said.

When the others were out of earshot Jarod spoke. “This is where we say good-bye.”

“No way! I want you to come with me.”

“I cannot.” His gaze lowered to the golden anklet clamped around his ankle.

“I can get you out of those. There’s a special salve. I know where it is kept. ”

He grinned and his shoulders slumped with relief. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Grabbing his hand she led him down the hallway.

A few minutes later they slipped into the deserted prison-warden’s office. Within minutes Virgin had found the special salve and stuck some into the lock on Jacob’s anklet. The lock instantly popped open.

With shaking fingers Jacob unclasped the ankle band and held it up staring at it with his one icy blue eye.

“This has kept me hostage for more than a year.  Hand me your disintegration gun.”

Virgin handed it to him and he laid the gold anklet onto the ground, aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. A green beam flew out of the gun and a split second the anklet disappeared.

He smiled wearily.

“Now we say good-bye.”