Page 15 of Zalis
“They have names! Ines, Maria, Scarlett, Amariah, Madilyn, and Jessica. They’re notclaims.”
“There’s no evidence those women were taken.”
“I would think nine eyewitnesses count as evidence,” Gemma snapped.
“You were in physical and emotional distress,” Pama said, voice taking on a too-sweet, pandering tone. “Your testimony is spurious.”
Spurious.Spurious.Like she would make up something this horrible?
“What about the people who took me on Earth?” Gemma asked, no longer bothering to hide her frustration. “I can give you a name and a description.”
“Out of my jurisdiction. Earth authorities will have to pursue the matter,” Pama answered.
“Those guys? They’re not pursuing anything but donuts?—”
Ren interrupted, cutting her off before she could fully express her dim views about theEarth authorities. “My mate reported her sister missing and was informed that the matter would not be pursued. I did what was necessary since Earth would not.”
Gemma did not know that. Huh. Her opinion of the guy went up a notch.
“You’d think a small business owner going missing would raise some concern,” Gemma added. “How long was I missing?”
“An Earth month,” Ren answered.
“A month. That’s employees not getting paid. People notice when their morning coffee and muffin place is closed. But apparently, random women getting snatched is no big deal.”
“The deal is very big,” Ren agreed, his tone serious.
“And the guy who grabbed me has contacts here. Surely that’s of interest to you.”
“We cannot make that assumption. Illegal cargo from Earth arrived in our system. How many times you exchanged hands, it is impossible to say.”
Gemma wanted to scream at being reduced toillegal cargo. Another thing to be bartered and traded—property without rights.
“So, the people who took and sold me won’t face any consequences?” she asked.
“It is out of my jurisdiction,” Pama repeated.
It was like talking to a brick wall. Worse. A brick wall might have a weak spot of crumbly masonry. Constable Pama’s shield was invincible. Local law enforcement couldn’t be bothered.
If she returned to Earth, there was nothing to stop the same thing from happening to her again. She had no illusions that the police would do anything about Barney or the boss he worked for. Emry reported her missing, and they didn’t care.
Gemma couldn’t imagine that no one reported her missing. Surely, when she didn’t open the bakery the first day, her assistant manager would check on her. Clarissa wouldn’t even wait a day or two. She’d storm upstairs to Gemma’s apartment and demand to know why no one started the day’s baking. Clarissa wasn’t one to suffer fools or lazy bakers.
That was at least one person and her sister reporting her missing, and no one did a thing, except Ren.
The message was clear. Gemma was on her own.
Fear sank its hooks into her, sharper and deeper than anything she had experienced.
More than waking up in a cage.
More than the time her family spent huddled in the basement, sheltering from a raid.
More than when her father told them about his cancer and she knew her family would be changed forever.
This fear wouldn’t be rationalized away. It wouldn’t ease with a few calming breaths. It shouted for her to run. Now. Because her life depended on it.
Constable Pama folded her tablet with a snap, dragging Gemma back to herself. “I’ll contact you again if I have any more questions for the investigation.”
