“True.” Tisana tapped her comstone. “Leo. Pull over. We’ll take Onca from here. Cat and Jack can pick you up.”
“Will do,” Leo replied. “But I think I’ll head over to the Palace to put them off the trail.”
“Okay, but please be careful.”
“I’ll ditch it when I’m getting close,” Leo said. “Val can keep an eye out for trouble from the air.”
The ambulance came to a halt in front of a Markelian deli with Jack’s speeder alongside. Tisana pulled in behind it as Val landed on the sidewalk. With the Avian standing guard, Cat and Leo pulled the stretcher from the vehicle, and then gathered up Onca, mattress and all, and laid him in the cargo compartment of his own speeder.
“Cloak us, Captain!” Kim climbed in the back with Onca as Cat lowered the canopy. “Give me the antidote, Tisana, and get going!”
Tisana tossed her the medical bag. “It’s a simple injection. Just press the nozzle to his neck and pull the trigger.”
Onca truly did appear to be dead—his face pale, his limbs slack and lifeless—and Kim’s hands shook as she followed Tisana’s instructions. A quick hiss indicated the dose had been delivered.
She stared at him for a long, anxious moment. “Nothing’s happening!”
The speeder lurched as Tisana slid her fingertip up the throttle, slipping past the ambulance and out into the flow of traffic. “Might take a while for him to wake up. You know how Zetithians conk out when they’re sick.”
“Yes, but I can’t stand—”
“If you really want to bring him around, play with his dick. Trust me, it works every time.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Nope. Try it.”
Kim felt like an absolute idiot reaching into Onca’s pants. The fly on his prison garb was held together with sticky tape that made a ripping sound as she pulled it open. “But what if he’s really dead?”
“Does he feel cold?”
“Well, no…”
“Then he’s not dead.” Tisana sounded slightly annoyed. Kim was about to retort when she remembered how tough it was to fly a cloaked speeder.
“Sorry.”
“I know how you feel,” Tisana said in a softer tone. “When we had our first adventures together, I pulled Leo’s seemingly lifeless body out of the snow twice. Onca will be okay. I promise.”
“It just seems like a weird thing to do to someone who’s been poisoned and presumed dead.”
“Yeah. I know.” Tisana sighed. “Felt that way myself a time or two.”
With no other alternative, Kim slipped her hand inside Onca’s pants and wrapped her fingers around his cock, giving it a firm squeeze. When that failed to elicit a response, she stroked it harder, then moved on to massage his balls.
Never having had her hand on Onca’s dick when it was actually soft, she was about to give up until she noticed that his respirations had increased in depth and frequency.
Within moments, he was purring like a kitten.
***
Onca didn’t have to open his eyes to know who had hold of his dick. Kim’s scent was like a rose in bloom, and as he breathed it in, his heart began to pound, pumping blood faster and faster until his head cleared enough for him to speak.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“In the back of your speeder, heading for your house,” she replied. “Cat and Jack will meet us there. Roncas and Rashe are taking care of the kids at the Palace.”
“Sounds good,” he murmured. “Glad to be going home. Prison food sucks.”
“I don’t much care for the clothes they gave you, either.”
“Better than Rashe’s pants. Damn things nearly ruined my dick.”
“Feels okay to me,” she said. “In fact, it feels perfect.” She gave his cock a light stroke before releasing him.
“Glad you think so, but I didn’t mean I wanted you to stop.” He hesitated, frowning. “Who’s flying the speeder?”
“Tisana—and it’s cloaked. We probably shouldn’t distract her.”
“Gotcha.”
Kim nestled in beside him and he put his arms around her, holding her close to his chest.
“Nice to hear your heart beating,” she said. “Don’t know how much more excitement I can take.” With a soft sigh, she threaded her fingers through his hair and kissed him. “Promise me you’ll never die on me like that again.”
“I can’t promise I’ll never die,” he said. “But I can promise never to eat oatmeal again—poisoned or otherwise.”
“Can’t say I blame you for that.”
Kissing the top of her head, he ran his hand down her back, reassuring himself that she truly was there with him. “Never realized how cozy the back of a speeder could be.”
“That’s because we’re lying on a stolen stretcher mattress.”
“Really?” He shifted his weight, noting that he was indeed lying on something relatively soft. “Sounds like an interesting story.”
“Oh, it was quite an adventure. I’ll tell you more later, but basically, we stole your body out of the back of an ambulance on the way to the morgue.”
“Now, there’s a cheery thought. Glad I wasn’t really dead.”
Her kiss was long and deep, making his toes tingle and his cock twitch.
“Me too.”
***
When Tisana flew the speeder into his yard followed by Cat and Jack, Onca was surprised to find the property surrounded—not by police, but by a huge crowd of well-wishers. A cheer went up from the throng as he climbed out of the speeder.
“We’re maintaining a constant vigil until we know you’re safe,” a Davordian woman announced. “It’s our civic duty to protect you from any further harm.”
“I appreciate that,” Onca said. “You ladies are the best.” He waved to the crowd, drawing another cheer. “I had no idea I was so popular,” he whispered to Kim.
“Yeah, right,” Kim said with a snort. “I’ll bet half of these ladies are former clients from the Palace.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not a bit,” she declared, giving him a hug. “As long as they help keep you alive.”
Moments later, Leo arrived with more news. “We left the ambulance several blocks from the infirmary. The cops were combing the streets. After Val picked off a couple of them from the air, I figured I’d better get lost, so I took a cab. Val flew back to the Palace.”
Anara was waiting inside the house along with San and Lor. “I’ve made a statement to the press regarding how poorly protected you obviously were while in police custody and our subsequent rescue of you. The comments on those articles in the Tribune are running about a thousand to one in your favor. Interestingly, the head of the Brothel Guild and the police chief are both keeping quiet. Whether we can prove anything remains to be seen, but I believe we’ve found our culprits. Now that everyone knows you’re still alive, a judge has been chosen for your hearing.”
Onca had received worse news in his life, but he suspected there was more to it. “Anyone you know?”
Anara pinched the bridge of her nose as though attempting to stave off a headache. “Buertha Salaxine. The toughest judge on the bench.”
“Oh, great. Does she like Herps?”
Anara shook her head. “She doesn’t like anybody.”
“Then I guess there’s no point in trying to charm her.”
“No,” Anara agreed. “But I do believe you’ll get a fair hearing. She’s incorruptible.”
“Seems like a rotten choice if the bad guys had anything to say about it,” Jack commented. “Doesn’t sound like the type who’d support places like the Den.”
“She isn’t,” Anara said. “At least, not that I’ve ever heard. Apparently she insisted on hearing the case—and pulled a lot of strings to do it.”
“Think she’s out to nail my ass to the wall or someone else’s?” Onca asked.
“No way to know with her,” Anara replied. “She’s something of an enigma, b
ut if I had to guess, I’d say she has nothing against your ass.”
Kim giggled. “I can’t imagine any woman who would.”
If only it was that simple. “Let’s hope she isn’t the first.”
Chapter 34
“I told you to keep your head down and your mouth shut,” Rashe said. “Didn’t I?”
“Yes, but you couldn’t stand the idea of girls in cages, either. So that’s a moot point.” Onca wasn’t surprised when the police report implicated him and Rashe and everyone else involved in the raid at the Den, with the emphasis on prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. “Seems to me that being so nasty about it points suspicion at them.”
The “them” were the two Onca and Jack had fingered as non-Levitians—namely, police chief Ramundo Calista and Brothel Guild director Schumann Temple, both of whom were Terran. They sat on the opposite side of the courtroom and appeared confident that their side would win. Onca longed to slap those smug grins from their faces. Granted, they were only there to provide information pertaining to the brothel licensing system and the poisoning of an inmate, but Anara intended to question them thoroughly.
She had also made sure that Lembic was there, along with several of the girls from the Den. Being too big to fit in the chairs provided, the Darconians were ranged around the room’s perimeter. The Herpatronian Onca had allegedly assaulted fidgeted in his seat, doing his best to appear to be in severe pain—not that Herps ever looked as though they felt good.
“Not so bad for you,” Rashe grumbled. “You’re retired. Temple has threatened to revoke my brothel license.”
“Yeah, and I’ll just get thrown back in jail with people who want me dead,” Onca snapped.
Anara had only been given a week to prepare her defense strategy, and granted, this was a preliminary hearing rather than a trial, but the charges against them were piling up. Val had hacked away at the computer files and found a few irregularities, but nothing definitive as yet. He was still working on them, risking contempt charges for missing the hearing. Onca hoped they could get this wrapped up soon, or between the legal fees and the cost of feeding over a hundred hungry mouths, he would be out of money in no time. Going back to work was not an option, whether he could get his brothel license renewed or not.
Kim sat far enough away that he couldn’t pick up her scent. The past week had been nerve racking, but the nights with his mate had been heavenly. She told him repeatedly that he was in the right and that no honest judge could possibly see it any other way. Unfortunately, if Temple and Calista had the judge in their pocket, things could go very wrong very quickly. The plaintiff, he discounted. Somehow he couldn’t imagine that anyone, short of another Herp, would be sympathetic toward such an ugly ape.
Onca had filed attempted rape charges against the Herp, but that was the subject of another hearing—and no one appeared to have arrested him.
Anara had insisted that the hearing be open to the public. Thus, the room was crawling with reporters, and most of the people in the gallery were female. Somehow Onca didn’t believe they were there to support the Herp.
Some official or other stood before the court and announced the case. “The Superior Court of Damenk City will now hear the case of Hunard v. Onca, the Honorable Judge Buertha Salaxine presiding.”
Judge Salaxine swept into the courtroom in long gray robes that matched her straight, bobbed hair. Her bearing was imperious, with lips set in a grim line and eyes like black ice. Certainly not a woman susceptible to charm—from a Zetithian or anyone else. Onca had been pleased to discover that the Rhylosian judicial system was more like that found on Earth rather than someplace like, say, Derivia, where they were still doing the battle to the death thing. As a resident of Rhylos, Anara was well-versed in the local court procedures. Still, with a judge like this one…
I’m doomed.
He was momentarily heartened as her unyielding gaze passed over the plaintiff and his compatriots as she took her seat. Unfortunately, he now had to sit quietly while those assholes ripped his character to shreds. Anara had warned him against outbursts protesting his innocence, but it was damn near impossible—especially when Hunard made the comment that Onca had actually requested his services prior to the assault.
Anara’s grip on his hand got him past that, but the blatant lies everyone else told only added more fuel to the fire. About the best Onca could say was that, knowing the truth as he did, Temple and Calista couldn’t have demonstrated their guilt any better if they had confessed. When Temple made the point that the girls in the Den were well-paid volunteers who had been deprived of their livelihood because of the raid, Onca nearly exploded with rage.
He heard a low growl behind him—a growl that could only have come from his mate.
Kim. I’ve got to get through this for Kim and our children. Breathe, breathe, breathe…
Finally, it was over.
“Now it’s our turn,” Anara whispered. “We’re gonna knock ’em dead.”
Anara called Kim to the witness stand. She told her story with frequent interruptions by Hunard’s lawyer, a sleazy Terran who kept licking his lips like he wanted to eat her alive. Following Rashe’s testimony, they had a brief break for lunch, and the hearing resumed with the statements made by Cassie, Peska, and three of the other girls from the Den. By the time they finished and it was Onca’s turn to speak, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Several of the reporters were openly weeping.
When Anara asked him to give an account of his involvement, Onca did the best he could to explain the motives for his actions. “I couldn’t rest until I found those girls and freed them. And there are others. One of Miss Shrovenach’s friends—a Levitian named Dalmet—is still missing. We have to find her. I can’t do that if I’m in prison.”
Anara nodded her approval, then faced the judge. “Your Honor, the defense rests.”
Onca sat in a daze during the brief recess, knowing he was in the right, but still not quite believing a reprieve was possible. Not with the chief of police testifying against him. They had just called the courtroom to order when Val flew in and handed Anara a large envelope.
Judge Salaxine returned to the bench. “In the case of Hunard v. Onca, the court finds in favor of the defendant.” With a decisive rap of her gavel, she concluded, “Case dismissed.”
Hunard leaped to his feet. “But he bent my dick and twisted my nuts!”
The judge arched a brow. “My dear fellow, when faced with the threat of rape by another male, what would you do? Quietly submit?”
And then she smiled.
Onca’s jaw dropped as she tucked a lock of gray hair behind her ear. A gesture he finally recognized—along with her.
His last client.
***
With a shout of triumph, Kim launched herself into Onca’s arms, kissing him for all she was worth. “I knew we’d win!”
Onca returned her kiss with equal ardor. “I’m glad you were sure. I thought I was dead a dozen times over.”
“Now comes the fun part.” Anara waved a sheaf of papers. “Hold on while I give these to the judge.”
Kim shook her head as Anara handed over the documents to a beaming Judge Salaxine. “Didn’t think that woman could smile.”
“Me, either,” Onca murmured. “Well, not until the end, anyway.”
As Judge Salaxine sifted through the pages, her smile disappeared. “Bailiff! Would you please detain Chief Calista and Mr. Temple? I have just received some very interesting information.”
“What is it?” Kim asked Anara.
“Val finally hacked into the system,” Anara replied. “Seems that ‘offworld owner’ was actually a front for Calista and Temple. The profits from the Den were transferred from that account into their personal accounts on a monthly basis.”
“Follow the money,” Kim whispered.
Anara nodded. “There’s also a mention of proceeds from three other brothels in the district. I believe we’ll find Dalmet in one of them.”
As the bailiffs escorted the two men from the courtroom, the judge made another request. “Will Miss Shrovenach and Mr. Onca please approach the bench?”
Kim frowned. “Are we in trouble again?”
“Go on,” Anara urged. “She’s not a woman to be kept waiting.”
“I have here another interesting document,” Judge Salaxine said. “One that I would very much like to have the honor of acting upon.”
Kim shot a questioning glance at Onca, who merely shrugged in reply.
The judge held up one of the pages. “This marriage license has your names on it—all perfectly legal and just waiting for someone to make it official. I haven’t performed a marriage ceremony in many years, but I believe I still remember how it goes. Shall I?”
The secretive smile Salaxine aimed at Onca spoke volumes, but Kim thought it best to question him about it later.
Onca grinned. “What about it, Kim? I’m game if you are.”
Jack sauntered up. “I volunteer to be a witness.” She slapped Onca on the back so hard he staggered. “Gotta get this rascal hitched before he gets into any more trouble.”
Kim knew the ceremony didn’t matter. They were already mated. Nothing short of death could separate them now. “I can’t think of anything I’d like better. Yes, Onca. I will marry you.”
The crowd cheered as Rashe held up a hand. “Can I be best man?”
Onca scratched his head. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t Kim and I supposed to choose?”
“Well, yeah,” Rashe admitted. “Figured if I didn’t hurry up, Wings would get the gig.”
Kim still didn’t understand where the license had come from. “How did you—?”
Anara smiled. “Like I said, I believe in being prepared.”
Judge Salaxine began the ceremony, one that Kim had never heard before. She gave the correct responses when prompted, and in a few short minutes, she was in Onca’s arms for the best kiss of all.
The kiss that meant they would be together forever.
“Congratulations to you both,” Salaxine said before sifting through more of the pages. “Ah, yes, and we have another one here…requesting that the surname Shrovenach be added to Onca’s legal name. I can approve that one, as well.”
Rebel (The Cat Star Chronicles) Page 31
