She nodded at the crowd. “Yes, but they don’t know that.”
Roncas waved her hands for silence, then held up a glass bowl filled with ticket stubs. “My young friend here will now draw the winning number.”
An expectant hush fell over the crowd as Han came forward and stuck his hand into the bowl. Drawing out a ticket, he held it up. “Twenty-one eighty-seven!”
A squeal came from the center of the crowd. “I won!”
Before Onca had the chance to spot the winner, several police officers shouldered their way through the crowd. Coming to a halt at the foot of the steps, their leader pointed his weapon at Onca.
“So, the Zetithian man-whore hides behind children now?” he sneered. “That’s even worse than hiding behind the skirts of women.”
Onca knew the bastard was only taunting him into doing something rash—a ploy that might have worked if Val hadn’t swooped down from the sky to land lightly at his side.
“And you, who stood by while innocent young women were raped and enslaved, have no claim to integrity,” Val said. “We will not allow you to take him.”
Onca had to admit, with his icy eyes and outstretched wings, Val was almost as intimidating as a pissed-off Darconian. The pistol in his hand was incidental.
Moments later, Jatki and Shemlak closed in behind the police along with about twenty more children and several other adults he didn’t recognize—although judging from their rapt attention and recording devices, he assumed they were the reporters.
A smile touched Onca’s lips as he locked eyes with Shemlak, who winked.
Anara came out to stand beside him, flanked, as always, by Lor and San. “You cannot take him without legal counsel. I shall accompany him.”
“But what about my free fuck?” a familiar voice called out.
Following the sound, Onca spotted Kim in the crowd, grinning up at him.
“You’ll have to wait until he gets out of jail,” the policeman shouted back. “And you might be waiting a very long time.”
A tall woman with short dark hair stood next to Kim. “Yeah, well, we’ll see about that, bucko. You’d better take damn good care of him. He’s one of the few Zetithians left in the galaxy—and you know what happens to people who harm members of an endangered species. The ZPA comes after them with a vengeance.”
“ZPA?” the cop retorted. “Never heard of it.”
“The Zetithian Protection Agency.” Jack Tshevnoe patted the butt of her pistol. “That’s me.”
Onca rolled his eyes. “Take it easy, Jack. I’m not dead yet.”
“And it’s my job to see that you stay that way.” Raising her voice, Jack addressed the crowd. “Ladies, I believe our friend Onca needs an escort to the police station. Shall we proceed?”
Chapter 31
Along the way to the nearest police station, more people joined in, giving the event all the trappings of a protest march. Onca led the procession with Jack and Anara. The police were obviously trying to at least appear to be the ones in charge, but they didn’t fool anyone. Kim suspected Onca’s arrest would turn out to be more of a formality than anything—or so she hoped.
Deeming it best to keep a low profile, she stayed back in the crowd, making the trek alongside Jatki and Shemlak. After hugging her friend until her joints popped, Kim asked about the night of the raid.
“Shemlak had to fight off the Herps that chased me,” Jatki replied. “He figures that’s when he lost his comlink. After that, we were running along together, and you won’t believe where we wound up.”
Considering the part of town they’d been in, Kim made a reasonable guess. “A brothel?”
“A Darconian brothel! The ladies spotted Shemlak and practically dragged him inside. You should’ve seen it. The place was huge—built of something called shepra stone and lit up with glowstones. It was like walking into a temple.”
Kim chuckled. “What do they call that one? The Darconian Palace?”
“Yeah. Said they got the idea from the Zetithians—only they say it looks more like a palace than Onca’s place does. What’s his brothel like?”
“More of a forest than a palace. It’s pretty cool, actually.”
Jatki nodded toward Onca. “How come you aren’t up there with him?”
Kim cleared her throat, unsure of how much to say within the hearing of others. “I’m something of a distraction at the moment. It’s best for me to keep downwind of him.”
Shemlak barked out a laugh. “Bet I can guess why.”
“Keep your suspicions to yourself for now,” Kim advised. “If these ladies learn the truth, they might decide to desert him in his hour of need.”
Shemlak swept his eyes over the crowd. “Not much chance of that. But if the police try to rough him up, they’re liable to have a real riot on their hands.” With an expression of chagrin, he added, “Wish women liked me that much.”
Jatki stared at him, her wide mouth open in surprise. “Those Darconian ladies seemed pretty taken with you. They lied to the cops and everything.”
Shemlak coughed as though he’d choked on more than his own spit. “Yeah, well, the less said about that, the better. Wouldn’t want my wife to hear of it.”
“Shemlak, you didn’t!” Kim gasped.
“No,” he replied. “But the temptation was strong.”
Kim walked on for several minutes without further comment. She had other questions for Shemlak, none of which concerned his behavior in a brothel. “I have a confession to make,” she finally said. “I suspected you of working with the enemy when we realized Draddut was still wearing that tracking device.”
“Figured you’d think that,” he said. “I wasn’t working with them, but I did hope one of those creeps would try jumping Draddut. That way we would’ve known who we were dealing with. It was a calculated risk that backfired—a mistake I’ve been trying to make up for ever since.”
Kim shrugged. “It might end up being a good move in the long run, but Onca was pretty upset at the time, and so was I. Ganyn swore you weren’t that kind of man—and we believed her—but you’ve got to admit, it looked bad.”
“He saved me,” Jatki said as though that one act absolved Shemlak of any other misdeeds—and perhaps it did.
“I was more worried about you than anyone else,” Kim said, noting that Jatki’s skin had turned slightly yellow.
“Those Herps almost got me.” She shuddered, cracking her knuckles in earnest. “I would’ve died if they’d locked me up in one of those places.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Kim said. “We’d have found you somehow. Just like we’ll find Dalmet.”
“Are you sure about that?” Jatki asked. “What if she’s been sold offworld? For all we know, she might even be dead.”
“That’s what we’re gonna find out.” Kim laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “We’ll find her, Jatki. And we’ll make sure no more girls are kidnapped off the street here ever again.”
“I hope you’re right. Scary business, though.”
“Our entire lives have been scary. What we’re doing now will change that.”
If it doesn’t destroy me completely.
Kim listened with half an ear as Jatki and Shemlak regaled her with the rest of their adventures. They’d both been a tremendous help, and she thanked them, but her mind had shifted to the man leading the march. A man she might never see again.
Losing Onca now would kill her. At least, she thought it might. Audrey’s death hadn’t killed Jerden, but Kim had heard enough of the story to know it had messed him up for quite a while. She wasn’t sure she would even want to go on living without Onca. Maybe that was it. The loss of a mate wasn’t lethal; it simply removed the will to live.
She reminded herself that Onca hadn’t committed murder. He had done nothing but defend himself. No one had been killed during the so-called riot. Under ordinary circumstances, his punishment, if any, would be minor.
But the circumstances weren’t ordinary.
&
nbsp; Someone unknown but extremely powerful was doing their best to make an example of him—making sure that no one else tried to instigate the changes that would eliminate the Den and other brothels like it.
If only they knew who that someone was. Jatki had suggested that they follow the money to discover the identity of the ringleader. Thus far, they hadn’t been able to do that. Anara might get the charges against Onca dropped, but that wouldn’t solve the real problem. They needed someone on their side who was as powerful as the opposition.
Somehow, Kim didn’t think it was Jack Tshevnoe.
***
Onca didn’t have to look back to know where Kim was. He knew her precise location and could even sense her mood. She was uneasy but determined.
Plucky little woman.
He understood her reasons for not walking beside him, and though it was kind of her to consider his comfort, the only thing her actions did was keep his dick soft. Nothing else was affected in any way. She was his mate, and he felt lost without her. With backing like this, his chances of the police locking him up and throwing away the key were unlikely. Still, any kind of separation from Kim was abhorrent to him—no matter how brief.
“She’s cute.”
Jack’s words may have startled him from his reverie, but he didn’t pretend to misunderstand her. “Larry can eat his heart out.”
“He’ll get over it,” Jack said.
“Where is he, by the way?”
“Ha! The less you know the better. Let’s just say I didn’t put all of my eggs in one basket.”
“I don’t suppose Lerotan or Dax have shown up.”
Jack snorted a laugh. “Neither of their ships are a match for mine, but they’ll be here soon enough.”
Onca disagreed. “Yesterday would’ve been better.”
“Hey, at least neither of them was making the run to Darconia, or they’d take weeks getting here. No worries, though—well, almost none. Kim told me her Levitian friend wasn’t at the Den. Any idea where she might have been taken?”
“Not really—although Rashe said there are other brothels like that one.”
“Any that cater to Levitians?”
“I doubt it,” Onca replied. “Levitian culture has no history of prostitution or male dominance—they’re a lot like Zetithians that way.”
“Yeah, well, you and your buddies kinda broke with tradition there,” Jack reminded him.
“Maybe. But if Levitians did have brothels, they’d be more like the Palace than the Den.” Although, to the best of his knowledge, Onca had never done a Levitian woman. Not a single, solitary one. “What I mean is if anyone wanted a Levitian sex slave, it wouldn’t be another Levitian.”
Pursing her lips, Jack nodded. “The only Levitians I’ve ever known have been doctors or policemen—peculiar personalities, perhaps, but inherently honest. Can’t imagine any of them putting girls in cages.”
“Me, either. Hell, the majority of this city’s officials are Levitian—and on the whole, Damenk is better run than most places. I can only think of a few offhand that—” Onca gasped as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
Mother of the gods…
“What?” Jack prompted.
“The police chief and the director of the brothel guild are both Terran.”
“Well, what do you know?” Jack let out a low whistle. “Sounds interesting—maybe even a little fishy.”
“You think? And now I’m headed off to jail with a bunch of—” He glanced over his shoulder, hoping the cops weren’t listening. Obviously some of them had to be on the take, but the chief of police? Can’t say Rashe didn’t warn me. “See what you can dig up on those two. They just might be the ones behind this.”
“No problem. I’ll get Larry on the horn to Leroy and have him do some checking. He knows some pretty shady characters who know a lot of other shady characters. I’ve met a few crooks myself. For example, the Nerik who sold you that speeder. I’m guessing his name was Veluka—right?”
Onca nodded reluctantly. “How is that significant?”
Jack chuckled. “Just proves my point. You Zetithian boys are so honest, you wouldn’t know a scam if it hit you in the face—not streetwise at all. I’m guessing Levitian politicians are the same way. When it comes to corruption, they can’t see the forest for the trees.”
Whether he disagreed or not, Onca knew it was pointless to argue with Jack when she was on a roll—and from her indulgent smile, she apparently considered that honesty to be a large part of Zetithian charm.
Whatever.
He scanned the surrounding area and the street ahead. “Speaking of Zetithian boys, where’s Cat? I didn’t think you could be more than a few meters away from him without freaking out.”
“Don’t you worry about Cat. I know exactly where he is.” Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. “I always do.”
From that, Onca guessed that her husband was nearby, which undoubtedly meant that others of her crew were also within range. He had protection he couldn’t even see—none of which would help him if he was attacked while in police custody. The station loomed ahead, making Onca feel as though he was being marched to the gallows. Lowering his voice, he said, “Got any ideas for helping me survive in there?”
“Matter of fact, I do,” she murmured.
Trust Jack to be prepared.
When she came to a halt at the foot of the police station steps, Jack held out her hand. “Well, I guess this is it.” With a firm handshake, she pressed two small stones into his palm. “Take care of yourself, bucko. We’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thanks for your help, Jack.” He slid his hand into his pocket, grimacing as one of the officers grabbed his other arm.
“No rough stuff,” Anara warned. “Or we’ll press charges.”
With a snarl, the officer released Onca and motioned for them to precede him into the station.
Onca knew exactly what to do with the stones. What he didn’t know was whether or not they would show up on a scan.
If they did, he was screwed.
***
Once Onca and Anara had disappeared inside the police station, Kim started talking to the reporters, telling them everything except the part about being Onca’s pregnant mate. Rather than professing her love for him, she described in detail how he’d found her and taken her in. She told them of Roncas’s involvement and Jatki’s rescue, relating the facts without embellishment, leaving it to those who’d been imprisoned in the Den for the more graphic aspects of the tale. Each and every one of the former slaves painted Onca as a hero and the staff, clients, and owners of the Den as evil villains.
The reporters lapped up the stories as though nothing newsworthy had happened in years. They seemed sympathetic—the attack on Kim’s family and her subsequent life on the street reduced some of them to tears—but their sincerity had yet to be confirmed, nor were they the ones responsible for enforcing the law.
And the police were definitely involved.
Kim hated the idea of turning Onca over to the cops when at least some of them held a grudge against him. She couldn’t decide where he would be in the most danger—in jail or walking the streets. Still, the girls remained, and their stories were far more incriminating than any evidence Onca might give.
Unless they chose to kill him for revenge. Kim had lost everyone she’d ever loved because of money. Even if the police only questioned Onca and let him go, a price on his head would send all sorts of assassins gunning for him. He wouldn’t be safe until they found the ringleader and put him out of business for good. She felt rather vengeful herself, but revenge wouldn’t bring a dead man back. Death was final.
Unless it was staged.
If his death could be faked, everyone would stop looking for him. They would give up and—
She glanced up as Anara descended the steps from the station.
The lawyer’s tight lips and narrowed eyes didn’t bode well. “I did my damnedest, but they insisted on keeping him—for h
is own protection.” She snorted in disgust. “I’ll file an appeal, but God only knows how long it will take a judge to act on it.”
“Guess we’d better get back to the Palace, then.” Jack tapped a small stone pinned to her collar. “Okay, Cat. Let’s roll.”
“What about going to Onca’s house instead?” Kim suggested. “He’s got a really smart computer who might be able to help.”
“Good idea,” Anara said. “We need all the computing power we can get. Rashe and Roncas can take care of the kids at the Palace. Val can do some checking from the computer there.”
“We’ll need Onca’s speeder to access Captain,” Kim said. “Otherwise, I have a feeling we might never get into the house.”
“No worries,” Jack said as four speeders approached. “Tisana is bringing it.”
Two of the speeders were piloted by Zetithian men, while a Terran woman with dark hair and green eyes flew Onca’s vehicle. Lor and San were in the fourth speeder, which presumably belonged to Anara.
“That gorgeous hunk is Cat,” Jack said, indicating a man with black hair and a deep scar on his cheek. “The blond dude is Leo, and that’s his wife, Tisana. Figured we might need an armed escort.”
“I certainly wouldn’t turn it down,” Kim said. “I just wish we had some way to protect Onca.” She shivered, remembering the horror of finding him beaten nearly senseless by that Herpatronian thug. If the cops didn’t want to get their hands dirty, other prisoners could be bribed to rough him up or even kill him.
“No worries,” Jack said with a wink. “Got a few tricks up my sleeve, but Onca’s no dummy. If he keeps his head…well…he’ll keep his head.”
“Whatever that means,” Kim muttered.
Cat chuckled. “I will explain later.” He hesitated, cocking his head to one side as he peered at Kim. “Two boys and a girl?”
Jack let out a yelp as though Cat had pinched her. “Son of a fuckin’ bitch! You mean to tell me—”
“Nothing,” Kim snapped. “Nothing at all. At least, not yet.”
Kim had seen loved ones used as pawns before, and even Jatki had been bait for a trap. Onca’s life was at stake, and she didn’t want their love or their children to be used as the means to manipulate him or anyone else.
Rebel (The Cat Star Chronicles) Page 29
