Page 15 of Bound to the Alien King
“Fuck off,” he spat.
“All of them?”I whistled low.“Wow.I’m trying not to judge, but…wow.”
“I’m judging enough for the both of us,” Mosely growled.
“So she fought back…” I pasted on an exaggerated grimace.“Did you pass out at the sight of your own blood?Is that how you were captured?Because if so, I can see why you wouldn’t list that particular skill on your little assassin resume.”
“Fuck.Off,” Jorran shouted.
“Uh-huh…” I said, scratching the back of my neck.“So what are you going to tell Earth Space Fleet when you try to explain why you didn’t do the job?”
Mosely’s head jerked toward me, and his stare riveted to the side of my face, peeling back the layers for himself, much like the scalpel could in his hand.Luckily, I trusted him, with that and the truth, though I was sure it hadn’t been easy to hear.It sure hadn’t been for me.
“Will you still get paid?”I continued.“I’ve always been fuzzy about how these underhanded jobs work.I mean, you tried, right?That should definitely count for something, like, what, a quarter of what they owe you?Half?”
“You are a fucking bitch-ass-ho,” Jorran snarled.
Mosely tensed next to me as he squeezed the scalpel tighter.
“Well now, I admit I might have drizzled a little too much sarcasm into my coffee this morning, but a fucking bitch-ass-ho?Really?”I shook my head.“Space Fleet doesn’t hire fucking bitch-ass-hos.”
Jorran’s gray eyes narrowed.“What?”
“Nera Cotrobin, Earth Space Fleet captain of theOdessafor a decade and a half, so…“ I leaned down so we were face-to-face and so he could see the ETS symbol on my black tank top.“Pretty sure that means you also work for me.”
“What?“ he repeated.
“I’ll pay youallof the money owed to you if you tell me the name of the officer who hired you.“ I scooted the duffel bag across the table, so hard that some of the contents spilled into Jorran’s lap.
He stared in disbelief at the contents, which were piles and piles of universal credits, aka cold, hard cash.“And you’ll just let me walk out of here with all of this?”
“Yes.I will.”Secret emphasis onIsince I couldn’t speak for anyone else, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Captain Mike Early,” he replied without hesitation.
Bitter acid climbed up my throat and scorched the back of my tongue.Even though I should’ve known, hearing it said out loud filled me to the brim with betrayal.How could he do this?How could my ex-husband sink so low after everything that had happened to us?After everything Space Fleet had donetous?
“Did he say why he wanted you to kill the princess?”I demanded, my voice gravelly and searing.
“I just do the deed.I don’t need the reasons.”He placed his hand on the table and crept it closer to the money and the duffel.“Can I really go now?”
“Yeah, you bet,” I said, super chill while I mentally shook off all my emotions.“Let me just break you out of these chains here.Mosely?A little help?”
Mosely moved forward, but I could read his intentions loud and clear before he did anything else.He was too tense, too angry if the color of his bald head was any indication.
He stabbed the scalpel into the back of Jorran’s sneaking hand.
Jorran sucked in a wheezing breath and blinked down at his hand in surprise.
“Guess what I drizzled a little too much of intomycoffee this morning?“ Mosely growled.“Impatience for scum like you who don’t know how to talk right to my captain.Who’s the fucking bitch-ass-ho now?”
Like he’d just figured out his grave mistake and now felt the consequences, Jorran howled.Black sludge oozed from his wound, bubbling out as though his blood was boiling.Noxious fumes that smelled like sulfur filtered from it, and Jorran immediately slumped over.
“Oh,ugh.“ I covered my nose and mouth with my hand and backed away.“I want to pass out too, Mosely.”
“How about we just leave,” he said from behind the crook of his elbow, gathering the duffel and money and retrieving the scalpel.
“Best idea ever,” I said, turning toward the exit.
