by Aileen Erin
If he was annoyed at how slowly I answered, he didn’t show it at all. “Have you always lived here?”
Three out. Three in. Six out. “Yes.” A lie, but the beeping stayed the same, so I kept the measured breathing going.
“Your father is deceased?”
Four in. Eight out. Eight in. “Yes.” Lie.
“You’re a member of the gang who calls themselves the ABQ Crew?”
I kept my even breathing going, though this one wasn’t a lie. “Yes.”
“Have you ever done anything illegal as part of the ABQ Crew?”
“No.” Also, not a lie.
I assumed there was no change in the readout of the detector, but I kept my gaze locked with Declan. I wasn’t sure what the cameras would make of that, but he was breathing with me. Keeping me calm. If he hadn’t been in the room, I hoped that I would be this calm, but that was probably a bigger stretch than I wanted to admit. If I was honest with myself, I would’ve been freaking out without him here. I couldn’t look away.
I don’t know if he knew what I was thinking, but he gave me a small smile and a nod. As if telling me that I was welcome. That he had my back. That I wasn’t alone in this.
“Have you ever knowingly fought against SpaceTech’s authority, rule, or laws?
“No.” True.
“Do you support the rulings of SpaceTech, its officers, leaders, judges, and laws?”
“Yes.” Lie.
“Have you now or ever come into any contact with any of SpaceTech’s enemies, including but not limited to the Aunare?”
“No.” Lie.
“Are you absolutely certain?”
I swallowed. Eight in. Four out. Six in. Three out. “Yes.” Bigtime lie.
“So this was just a random coincidence? That you attacked Jason Murtagh? Son of the CEO of SpaceTech?”
“Yes.” At least as far as I knew when I was in that diner.
“And why did you attack him so violently?”
“That’s not a yes or no question.”
Ahiga slapped his hand on the table. “Don’t be a smart ass with me. Answer the question.”
I shivered at the coldness in his voice. “Because his hand was in my underwear.”
“And I’m to believe it wasn’t wanted?”
“Yes.” True. So fucking true…
“You moved fast. Fought hard. Your blood test showed no Aunare blood, but the video shows otherwise.”
Also not a yes or no question. Eight in. Four out. Six in. Three out. Three in. “Jorge has been training me with his Crew since I was a little kid. I teach martial arts classes after my shifts at the diner. I wouldn’t be a very good instructor if I couldn’t hold my own when being attacked.” I leaned toward Ahiga. “Because make no mistake—your beloved Murtagh sexually assaulted me and deserves to be the one in orange. I’m not sorry for breaking his fa—”
Jim slapped his hand on the table. “That’s enough. Don’t answer any more questions, Ms. Martinez. You’ve asked her all the ones on my list, Specialist Ahiga. If you want to do any more interrogating, you’re going to have to do so at a later time. I now need the room to talk to my client. I will assume that you will adhere to protocol and shut down surveillance of this room.”
Ahiga twisted in his chair to look at Declan. “Do you have any other questions for her?”
“No. I believe you’ve covered everything my family wanted.”
“Good.” Ahiga’s gaze narrowed as he looked at me, but he turned to the lawyer. “I will shut down audio, but video will remain. Regardless of her answers, she attacked one of the most senior officers in SpaceTech. She is under strict 24-7 surveillance. You have ten minutes.” Ahiga strode to the door, opened it, and waited for Declan to exit the room.
Declan didn’t say anything to me. He’d barely said a word, but even if he hadn’t spoken up for me, he’d been there. He’d helped calm me. Helped keep me breathing so that I could answer the questions.
He stopped beside me and reached for my wrist. “I’ll take care of this.” He quickly ripped off the piece of mechanical tape, and I hissed. An angry red welt rose on my skin. He gently ran his thumb over it.
He wasn’t saying anything, and I hadn’t known him long, but I knew the caress was the only apology he could give me. He was going to take care of this. I hoped that meant what I thought it did. That he was going to somehow get me out of here. But if he could’ve gotten me out, wouldn’t he have done it already?
My heart hammered at the apology on his face as he dropped my hand and exited the tiny room in a few quick strides, slamming the door behind him.
I stared at the door for a second, wondering what I was going to do. What was happening? How I could get out of this mess I was in?
“All right. Let’s get started.” Jim’s voice startled me. I’d almost forgotten he was here.
I glanced at him but felt completely lost. I didn’t know what to say.
He looked quickly to the cameras and then back to me. “They might’ve turned off the audio, but I wouldn’t doubt that they’re reading our lips, so the whole not listening to us thing is out the window.”
I pressed my fist against my stomach, trying to calm my nerves bubbling and brewing inside me. “I figured as much.”
“So I’m not going to say much other than that you’re screwed.”
I almost laughed. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“I wish I could, but…” He pointed to the cameras again. “Here’s where a lot of trust is going to come into play.”
“I don’t trust a lot of people.” And I hadn’t gotten that click with this guy. I didn’t know him, and I wasn’t sure I could put my life in his hands.
“I can understand that, but those you do trust sent me. I’m very good at my job, but there’s not much I’m going to be able to do to help you.”
“Shit.” The word was more of a hushed whisper as I closed my eyes. I knew it. I knew he couldn’t help me, but hearing him say it out loud made it so much worse. “So what now?”
“I can only tell you what I know.” He leaned across the table. “Murtagh played you. He’s an asshole, but from what I can ascertain, he’s never laid a hand on anyone like that. He wanted you to act out. He wanted you in jail. The problem is, I don’t know what his plan is. All I know is that he has it in the works to move you tomorrow, after your court date. You’ll not be found a traitor. You’ll not be sent to the execution arena. But other than that, I’ll have to come up with a plan to help you once we find out what game he’s playing.”
“You know? About me?” I couldn’t say more. Not with the cameras rolling.
“Yes. I know everything about your life, Ms. Martinez. Rest assured that I am on your side, regardless of who is footing the bill.”
I tried to stay calm, but it was getting harder by the second. I felt my skin starting to grow warm, but I couldn’t let it glow. I went back to counting my breaths. “Tomorrow I’ll go to court then? Isn’t that fast?”
“Yes. He’s got a game going, and I don’t know what it is. Neither do the people who care about you.” He meant Declan. “We’re trying to avoid something very bad, but we don’t want to lose you either. No matter how this goes, know that there are a number of people watching out for you.”
If they didn’t know what was happening, they didn’t have a real plan. They couldn’t. Having no plan, let alone three or four backups? That went against every instinct I had. “Ice it all to hell.” I had one big question. “My mom?”
“All your known associates have been moved to safe locations. Do you have any other questions that I can answer at this time?” He glanced at the cameras again.
No. I hadn’t forgotten, but I needed to know my mom and Roan were okay. And, yes, I had so many more questions, but I wasn’t sure what I could ask. I didn’t want to put anyone in danger. I didn’t want to fuck this up any more than I already had.
So I shook my head. “No. I don’t have any more questions at th
is time.”
Jim started talking about paperwork and proceedings that would happen tomorrow, but I didn’t hear a word of it. All I knew was that for some messed up reason, Jason wasn’t going to out me as Aunare. But everything else? That was up in the air.
I rubbed the welt on my wrist. What the hell was going to happen next?
The door opened.
“Time’s up,” Officer Hill said. “Move it.”
I gave a nod to Jim and followed Officer Hill back to my cell.
I sat there for the rest of the day, my whole body numb. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I had no idea what was going to happen, but at least I wasn’t going to have to wait long. Tomorrow was going to come soon enough.
My stomach was killing me by the time Officer Perez brought me dinner. She stepped inside instead of sliding the tray through the slot in the door. “You gotta eat this time, kid.” A nasty stink filled my tiny cell. I was on the company dime until the trial. Which meant the “food” wasn’t really food. It was genetically modified and grown in a lab by SpaceTech. The nutrition levels were there, but it was cheap to make and smelled like warmed-up ass. I was sure the taste would be worse.
“How positively delightful.”
Officer Perez laughed. “You know you made the news?”
Now that caught me by surprise. “No shit?” Why would Jason ever release that footage if he wasn’t planning on sending me to the execution arena?
“Yup.” She relaxed her stance. “The footage from the diner went viral for a minute before the authorities could pull it down, but you can’t unsee something. You know?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t unfeel his hand groping me either. And knowing it went viral? That meant that Jason hadn’t leaked it. I wondered if Declan had. But why would he do that? It didn’t make any sense.
“According to the story, you’ve got Jim Waterson as your lawyer.”
I didn’t know anything about lawyers, but I was sure Officer Perez would have information. “What do you know about him?”
“He’s the best. If anyone can help you, it’s Mr. Waterson.”
I took the plate from her. “The thing is, I’m not sure anyone can help me.”
“What he did…” She touched my shoulder. “I’m rooting for you.”
“Thanks.”
She left, sliding the locks home as I stared down at the plate of food. “Dinner” consisted of green mush and a slice of crumbly bread. I poked the unknown substance, and it jiggled. It seemed to have a life of its own, and for a second I actually thought it might roll itself off the plate. Nasty. I grabbed the bread and shoved the plate back out through the slot in the door. I wiped the gunk off my finger, and it left a clashing stripe of green against my orange pants. I nearly inhaled the bread even though it was stale.
I pulled up my jumpsuit collar a little bit, so that my hair wouldn’t touch the mattress, and lay down. Not much for me to do but wait.
I wondered what Mom was doing now. Where she was. If Declan was going to get her to my father. It was what she wanted, and I hoped she’d go. She missed him, even if she didn’t talk about him anymore. She’d never even dated anyone else, although I knew Jorge had a thing for her. There was no reason for her to stay here, even if I was rotting away in jail. She didn’t need to be here for that.
Hopefully, Roan and his family would be better off wherever Declan had stashed them.
Declan. I wasn’t sure whether to be thankful for him or pissed off. He’d popped into my life a few days ago and given me hope. If he hadn’t found me, maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess. I couldn’t think like that though. I had to focus on getting through this, whatever this was.
And still, I was left with this gnawing feeling that I’d failed everyone. My mom. Roan. Declan. My father. The Aunare. Two civilizations of people that might go to war. It wasn’t my fault, but it didn’t matter. I should’ve found a way to get Jason Murtagh off of me without smashing his face in. He was touching me and deserved it, but I should have found another way. I should never have let my anger take hold. I’d been so close to getting away from all of this, and now…
Sweat chilled my skin, and I leaned my head against the cold concrete wall. If I’d just had enough control to stop my fist, I’d be at home. In my own bed. Eating my own food. Maybe even escaping with Declan, along with everyone I loved. I could’ve been safe.
I’d wanted a change. I’d wanted off planet. But not like this.
A sob slipped free, and I rolled over, shoving my face into the dirty mattress as I cried my frustration, helplessness, hopelessness away. I knew I wasn’t perfect. I definitely wasn’t an angel, but I didn’t deserve to be here in this cell waiting for some asshole to determine how I was going to live out the remainder of my life. And I definitely didn’t want to be used to start an intergalactic war.
This much pressure shouldn’t ever be on one person. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want it. All I wanted was to be left alone. To be safe. To be given every other right that every other Earther had.
My heart shattered as I cried and quietly prayed for something—anything—to save me. To find me and take me far away from here. To give me a life where I wouldn’t have to hide or be afraid anymore.
But no one came. No one ever came.
Chapter Twelve
The locks on the door beeped as they disarmed. I wasn’t sure how long I’d cried, but I knew I hadn’t slept. If someone was here, that meant it was time to go to court. Which meant life was about to get a whole lot worse.
“Off your ass,” Officer Hill said. “Let’s move.”
Spots filled my vision as I rose. Maybe I should’ve tried to eat that stuff last night, but the pain in my stomach was more than hunger. It was exhaustion and fear and a whole load of anger.
Officer Hill shoved my wrists back into the cuffs and gave me a push. I somehow managed to follow her down the hallway, but my feet were dragging. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and I was in no hurry to get there.
I made the mistake of catching my own reflection in a window. I barely recognized myself. My hair looked like something had nested in it. Dark circles lined my eyes. The orange jumpsuit made my skin look embalmed.
I guessed twelvish hours of tossing and turning and pacing in a tiny room would do that to a girl. I’d be making a killer first impression on the judge. Not that it mattered. This was probably all for show since Jason was moving all of his pieces on the chessboard right now.
“Keep moving.” She reached back and pushed me ahead of her, not hard, but I was so tired that I stumbled. This woman was a real delight. “Hurry up.”
I imagined at least six different ways to take her down, but it wasn’t her that I was angry at, even if she was an asshole. The worst part was being stuck. There wasn’t a damned thing I could do to help myself as I followed her through hallways and into a system of underground tunnels. I just had to keep moving.
Our footsteps echoed against the cement walls. The wet, cold air made the tunnel feel coffinlike, which seemed fitting. It felt like death in here. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find at the end of the tunnel. Jim said that I wouldn’t be executed, but I wasn’t sure if I should believe him. Death could very well be on the horizon.
We took one last turn and then climbed dimly lit stairs. The lights flickered, seeming to warn me of the danger to come. But nothing was going to stop what was about to happen. I was a pawn in this messed-up game. I was going to find a way to change that, but I just wasn’t sure how yet. My skin started to tingle, and I needed to calm myself down. There was no place to run and hide here, so I went back to the breathing that Declan had taught me.
Six in. Three out. Three in. Six out. Four in. Eight out. Eight in. Four out. Six in.
I counted as I walked. Each footstep a beat of breath. I was going to survive this. I had no other choice. I didn’t know much about my father or the Aunare, but I knew the di Aetes line never gave up. That was something my mom had whispered
to me over and over, especially on nights that had been particularly hard and scary. It had gotten me through then, and it would get me through today.
Finally, we reached a door. Officer Hill placed her hand on the sensor. It beeped twice, and then the click of the lock sounded. My chest tightened as the door opened, revealing the courtroom. It was small. Four rows of benches sat behind two desks. One for the prosecution. One for the defense—for me.
Officer Hill was in front of me again and moved behind me, releasing me from my cuffs, and motioned to the chair. “Sit there.” She gave me one last stare down before turning and leaving the same way we’d come.
Declan sat behind the prosecution desk in his navy and silver SpaceTech IAF dress uniform. He watched me as I walked toward him. Studying me.
I didn’t squirm and met his gaze straight on. I wanted to use his presence to give me confidence, but seeing him in his uniform and sitting behind the prosecution desk made me nervous. I would’ve felt much better if he was on the other side of the courtroom, but I knew it was all about appearance for him. If he’d had a choice, he’d be wearing something else and sitting behind me.
I sat next to Jim, who was typing away, his fingers furiously flicking through the air in front of him.
I studied the desk to keep my panic down. The wax coating on the wood was thick and sticky. Years of doodles had been scratched into its surface. The ceiling of the courtroom was painted midnight blue with golden stars. I spotted constellations and wondered why they’d gone to so much trouble. It seemed too pretty for a room like this.
A man with slicked-back hair walked into the courtroom. He’d gone way overboard on product, turning his hair into a glossy helmet. The fabric of his suit shimmered as he moved and I knew it had to be expensive.
I didn’t trust shiny men. The shinier their medals, their suits, their shoes, the dirtier they were inside. I guessed that’s what was throwing me off about Declan’s uniform. Too many shiny medals.
Loud knocking from the front of the room startled me. I tried to calm myself, but it was impossible. Only concentrating on my breathing was keeping the glow at bay.
