Breaking Bad: 14 Tales of Lawless Love

by Koko Brown

  “W-where’s your dick?”

  “I don’t have one.” He pushed her hand away.

  THREE

  “You should’ve said something to me before…”

  “Before you made a fool out of yourself?” Dallas didn’t look up from the book he’d been reading. It wasn’t very interesting, but as an avid reader he devoured anything he could get his hands on.

  “It was awkward,” she whispered.

  “For who? You? Served you right. You shouldn’t go around groping strangers. Where’d you get your manners from anyway?”

  “It wasn’t awkward for me,” Tina said.

  That elicited a snort out of him. Yeah right.

  “But for him,” she continued. “I think I made him feel bad.”

  “He was just pissed off because he was trying to sleep and here you come touching him in his no-no spot without his permission. You didn’t make him feel bad about anything. He’s been living dickless since he was younger.”

  “Wait. So was he born that way?”

  “Dickless? Nah. That happened later.”

  “So, um, can it be fixed?”

  “Yup. With a little help from you and the other bounties.”

  She leaned back in her chair. “Oh, I see. That’s why he’s a hunter. I heard the pay was good. I didn’t know it was that good. Word has it that a regeneration surgery is a pretty expensive one.”

  “It costs an arm and a leg. Bada bing.” He laughed at his joke. She didn’t.

  “I’m being serious. A little heads up would’ve been nice. He’s your friend.”

  “Like I said, no one expected you to get all handsy back there. All he wanted to do was sleep. It took us a while to track you down. We’re both beat.”

  “Well…if a little shut-eye is what you need, then you can go back there too. I’ll handle things up here.”

  He finally turned to look at her. “Yeah, right, and you must think I’m stupid.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It was worth a try.”

  He ignored her and went back to his book. Even though he had a device in the communication link on his wrist that would project electronic book files, millions of them, from all over the galaxy, there was nothing like holding a real paper book. He loved the feel. Books like this were hard to come by and he treasured them when he did, treating them with the utmost respect.

  For a while they traveled in silence with the low hum of the transporter’s engine as the only sound in the compartment.

  “How did he get that way?” she asked, after a while.

  “Not my story to tell.”

  “Fine. Then tell me your story.”

  His story didn’t consist of much. His mother had been a crackhead who had lost custody of him when he was twelve. He’d bounced around from foster home to foster home until finally he’d aged out of the system and worked his way through community college, earning a degree as a cop.

  He blew out a breath. Just his luck that she would be a chatty Cathy. Usually their jobs spent their time aboard trying to convince Grekon to let them go and they pretty much ignored him altogether. And contrary to what she believed, he didn’t normally work against his own kind. She’d been their first human hunt. She just so happened to have come with a very large bounty on her head. One that they would’ve been crazy to pass up.

  He looked up from his book and pointedly made eye contact with her. “Listen, this isn’t a trip where two humans reminisce about the good old days back on Earth and we become friends. This is where I captured you. I then turn you over and collect the reward and be on my merry motherfuckin’ way.” She opened her eyes wide. Good, he had her attention. “Now do I have to inject you with the sleeping drug so I can get some peace and quiet or are you going to shut up on your own so I can finish reading my book?”

  She squinted at him, but snapped her mouth shut.

  He shook his head and went back to his book, something about the history of a tribe on one of the water worlds. He found that funny in itself. A paper book that came from a water world of all places. He devoured every word. Savoring everything he read.

  He flicked his eyes to look at Tina again. She was too busy pouting to notice him. Thanks to her, he wasn’t concentrating on his book anymore.

  It wasn’t because of him that they’d never taken human jobs. Grekon had always passed on them before Dallas could accept. Grekon didn’t think it was right that they hunt another human. He had thought that Dallas would “feel some type of way” about hunting his own species.

  Dallas shook his head. One thing he’d learned from a very young age was that he couldn’t depend on a lot of people and he hadn’t wanted to. Humans didn’t mean a thing to him. A bounty was just a job.

  Grekon was the only person who had looked out for him and he was the only person he owed. And that was a sad thought. The only person who had showed him some humanity hadn’t been human at all.

  Just then a tear rolled down Tina’s cheek.

  Everyone had their own shit to deal with. He wasn’t about to get caught up in hers.

  He went back to reading.

  Grekon lay in silence. He should’ve been sleeping, but he’d been listening to Dallas and Tina’s conversation instead.

  ‘It’s his story to tell.’

  It was a story that he’d only told one person, Dallas. That wasn’t the first time a female had groped for a penis and finding none, had been appalled. He should’ve stopped her when she touched him, but he had welcomed the feel of her skin against his. Her body on his back had felt warm and comforting. When she’d kissed his neck, for a fleeting moment he’d envisioned a cock that wasn’t there hardening. It had all felt so good and right. He hadn’t wanted it to end.

  Soon I’ll have one.

  When they collected the credits for her job, he would have enough in his account for the procedure. It would’ve been cheaper to get a fake penis, but he would lack everything that came with having a real one, most importantly the ability to feel.

  A part of him, deep down inside, remembered what it was like to feel his penis. There was also another reason that he wanted the very expensive procedure. He wanted to fix the one thing his parents had stolen that he could. He couldn’t go back in time and change how they’d treated him for the short time that they’d been with him, but this he could change and he wanted it to be perfect.

  ‘If your parents were still alive, I’d fucking kill them for you.’

  That had been Dallas’s response when he’d told him what had happened. According to Dallas, if his parents would’ve done something like that back on Earth they would’ve been jailed. But since they were royals on Laconia, nothing had been done. Their abuse had gone unchecked.

  Grekon curled his fist on the mattress as he remembered a conversation he’d had with his caretaker when he was a child.

  “Why don’t I have a penis like the other males?”

  “It’s because the royal family already has an heir, Princess Sa’Mya. Your parents did the right thing in castrating you. Laconia doesn’t need any more royals.”

  If only they would’ve waited. He would’ve gladly given up the crown to keep his penis. He gave it up for freedom.

  Screech.

  The transporter lurched forward then jerked back, breaking his chain of thoughts. Grekon slid on the bed, knocking the top of his head on the wall. “Dallas?” he yelled out.

  “I’m on it.”

  He rolled out of bed and was at the doorway when the transporter lurched forward again. He stumbled and fell against the wall.

  He walked past Tina. She looked up at him with wide eyes. “What’s going on?” She gripped at the armrests.

  He ignored her and made his way to his seat where he secured his harness and immediately went to the controls to diagnose the problem. “Space pirates?” he asked Dallas.

  “Nope. Mechanical issues. It seems that the part we’ve been putting off can’t be put off any longer.”

  “At least it’s not
space pirates.”

  “Sp-space pirates?” Tina asked. “Are you guys serious? They exist and they’re really out there?”

  “Don’t worry about them,” Dallas told her. “We’re not carrying anything that they want. They’re not in the bounty hunting business so we wouldn’t be important to them.”

  “Other than our transport vessel. Depending on how hard up they are for goods they might kill us and take it,” Grekon pointed out. Their transporter was old, but it was still worth a good trade.

  Dallas nodded. “True.”

  “You guys aren’t making me feel any better,” Tina said.

  “We’ll have to make a stop to get the transporter fixed,” Grekon said. “What’s the nearest planet where we can pick up a part?”

  “Um…Caebaera. It’s going to be expensive.” Dallas side-eyed him. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until we can find it somewhere cheaper?”

  As if on cue the transporter jerked again.

  “Unless you want to break a neck trying to wait it out, we’ll need to get this fixed now,” he said.

  “That’ll set our funds back some,” Dallas warned.

  “I’m aware.” He punched in the coordinates to Caebaera.

  The credits that they would earn from Tina’s bounty would give him enough for his surgery, but barely. If the transporter repairs were costly, they would have to take another job. But as it was, they couldn’t pass on their mechanical issues any longer and besides, what was one more job?

  He’d been saving his credits since he’d learned how much the regeneration surgery cost. If he still had access to the credits in his royal account he would’ve been able to pay for the procedure without a problem. But he’d left his life as a royal behind when he’d left Laconia and with it, all the credits to his name. His former name.

  The transporter dipped and jerked. Tina let out a yelp. “Holy crap. And here I thought I would die with Luxo’s fingers around my neck. I don’t know how I feel about taking my last breath in this rust bucket.”

  “Hold on, the ride is going to get bumpier,” he warned her. He switched off the automatic controls and manually steered the transporter to the small trading planet. Luckily for them they still had their warp drive, otherwise it would’ve been a slow and bumpy ride.

  While he navigated through the planet’s atmosphere and down to the surface, Dallas worked to keep all the systems from malfunctioning. Just as Grekon slid into an empty spot in the hub, the transporter came to a sputtering halt.

  Dallas raised his fist in his direction and without a second thought Grekon returned the gesture and they touched knuckles. He didn’t know what “giving pound” meant, but it always made Dallas feel better afterward.

  “Yee-ha, we made it by the skin on our chinny chin chins,” Dallas exclaimed.

  He didn’t try to understand what that meant. The human language had too many nuances and it made his head hurt when he concentrated on it too hard. Instead he pressed the button that would send a printout of the transporter’s logistics to all of the mechanics in the vicinity. The mechanics in turn would place their bids and Grekon would then select the mechanic he wanted for the job.

  While he waited for the estimates to come in, he closed his eyes briefly and scrubbed a hand down his face. “We shouldn’t wait this long between repairs again.”

  “I know. I just thought if we stretched it out that we could save our credits.”

  “That won’t do us any good if we need to buy another transporter or end up getting into an accident.”

  “Yeah, because believe me,” Tina said. “Luxo would be very pissed if you got me killed. He would want to do that himself.”

  There was an incoming ping. The mechanics were entering their bids. Ignoring Tina, he leaned forward and read off the estimates. He found one that was in their budget and transferred the credits. “The repairs will take a little while. We might as well get something to eat while we’re here.”

  Dallas thumbed to the back seat. “Are we going to lock her inside?”

  “Hey! I want to eat too,” she whined.

  He eyed her cautiously. They could leave her in the transporter, strap her in the chair, and return for her later. The mechanics didn’t need to get inside to fix their issue. “There are snacks. We’ll leave you some.” He got up.

  “Wait a minute. You can’t leave me trapped in here.” She held up her hands. Panic was written across her face. “Tie me up. Do whatever you have to do to make sure that you feel comfortable that I won’t get away. But don’t leave me in here. I’m a human female. As soon as whoever is coming to fix this piece of shit finds that out, they won’t hesitate to break in to get me. Screw sending me back to Luxo. I’m worth more on the open brothel market.”

  He exchanged a glance with Dallas. He hated to admit it, but she was right. The Loconuist had made the majority of their credits by selling human females to brothels where they were in high demand. Dallas grabbed the handcuffs from a side cabinet while he unfastened her harness. While Dallas placed the cuffs on her, he opened the hatch and stepped outside.

  Caebaera was like any other technically advanced planet. The locals kept to themselves while the traders came and went. Luckily for Tina the weather was mild; she wouldn’t be cold in the outfit that she wore. When Dallas led her down the ramp, a male and female passed them, giving her a second look; she raised her cuffed hands and waved. They walked by faster. Dallas shook his head and pushed her forward.

  “Behave,” he told her when they reached the bottom. “If you don’t, we can always leave you and hope that you’re still here when we return.”

  “What did I do?” she asked innocently. Nothing about her suggested that she knew the meaning of the word.

  “This way,” he grumbled, leading the way.

  As they walked they came upon a crowd. “What’s over there?” Tina asked.

  “Doesn’t matter,” he replied. “That has nothing to do with us.”

  “I think it’s the annual Beltane,” Dallas said. “I read about it once, well, maybe a few times.” He nodded toward the gathering. “There’s a cavern. The children spend part of the year making elaborate kites and they run through, signifying the new equinox.”

  “That sounds like fun. Not.” Tina snorted.

  “It’s supposed to represent new life, new beginnings. Leaving the old behind and starting fresh. It’s pretty cool actually. Well, it read like it anyway,” Dallas said. He kept his eyes on the crowd.

  He blew out a breath. “Would you like to see the Beltane Festival while we’re here, Dallas?”

  Dallas beamed. “Hell, yeah.”

  He nodded toward them. “Go ahead then. I don’t know when we’ll be in this sector again and I don’t want to hear you whining about missing it.”

  Dallas trotted over to watch the festivities.

  Tina stretched her neck to see what was going on.

  “Come on. We might as well see it too.” He led her to the ledge where Dallas stood.

  Tina rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  He had never seen the Beltane either. He looked down at the array of brightly colored fabrics the children carried. It took seven to ten children to hold up each design. He could barely see the children underneath, but every now and again he caught sight of red or orange hair poking through.

  The adults that lined both sides of the length of the cavern smiled and clapped as they looked down. Others danced and played music as the children traveled along. The laughter was loud and joyous.

  There was a tug on his arm.

  Tina.

  His heart caught in his throat. He watched in horror as she fell forward with a cry.

  She was going to die. The drop was too far. The ground too hard.

  She landed with a thump on one of the fabrics. The children holding it didn’t notice at all.

  He caught his breath. “Hold on,” he yelled out. “I’ll get you.”

  Tina rolled to her back and looked up at him.
A satisfied smile graced her lips.

  The children ran forward, taking her further away. He had just enough time to see her put up two fingers and mouth, “Deuces, bitch,” before she disappeared around a bend.

  FOUR

  Tina looked up and watched the green and blue sky as she bounced on the kite’s fabric.

  Pretty.

  Streaks of silver darted through the air making the great beyond appear luminous and perfect.

  Only she knew that it wasn’t so perfect out there. It was lonely and dangerous.

  She could see the millions of stars and closest planets. Hell, five years ago she hadn’t even believed that there was life on other planets. She’d been in Paris, living out her dream of becoming a fashion designer and happily oblivious to what was really out there.

  Aliens like Luxo.

  If she would’ve known that hostile aliens were coming to wreak havoc on Earth and take humans, selling them to the highest bidders in the Universe, she would’ve taken more time to enjoy her life. She wouldn’t have been so serious all the time. She would’ve laughed more. And most importantly, spent more time with her twin brother, JB, and definitely not have moved so far away from him. She would’ve stayed home, where they could’ve been together when the aliens came. At least then she would’ve known his fate.

  He’s alive.

  It was purely a guess, but one she felt in her heart. He was her twin. Wouldn’t she know if he was dead? She nodded. She would.

  JB was crafty and wily. If anyone could escape from aliens and make a life for himself, it was him. And as long as she stayed out of Luxo’s clutches she would find him one day.

  The laughter from the children pulled her to the present and made her smile.

  Their giggles and chatter carried on the wind. Their voices and the sounds of their running feet were amplified by the cavern walls. As she passed the onlookers, she waved at them. Some peered down at her with looks of curiosity, wondering what she was doing, while others accepted her as part of the art and the show. At least she didn’t have the handcuffs on any more; that would’ve raised the alarm. If her time with Luxo had taught her anything, it was how to get out of bondage. Handcuffs were easy. Just an adjustment of a bone here and there and she was free.