JakesPrisoner
Page 10
Oh dear, Strom had his poker face on and he was probably furious behind it.
“Firstly, I must inform you that Lieutenant Svenson has dropped the charges against you.”
“Thank you, Captain.” Now that was a surprise. Tanith smiled at him, but he didn’t respond.
“Over the past few days, I have received one hundred and forty-three communications from the authorities on Rana. I won’t trouble you with most of them, but you might be interested in the last one.”
Strom passed a digi-reader along the table and Tanith skimmed through the message. Refer to previous communications, your lack of response, blah, blah, blah and then at the very end of the rambling missive was a job offer. They were interested in acquiring someone with her unique skills, and would she like to discuss an employment opportunity as a security specialist? Tanith gave a whoop of delight but her joy was short-lived. Strom was scowling again.
“Fleet Command has initiated an inquiry into recent events on Rana. I told them you would be available to make a statement this morning.”
She might as well get this over with. It would be one less thing hanging over her. “What would you like me to say?” she asked nervously.
“Just tell them the truth.”
Strom requested an AV channel, and within a short while they were patched through to Fleet Command. “General Augustine Holmes, Ms. Jasson,” the gray-haired man introduced himself.
The general got straight down to business. “There have been a number of serious allegations made about Captain Hallstrom.”
Tanith’s heart flipped. This wasn’t about her. Strom was in trouble. She listened as the allegations were outlined. The top brass at Fleet Command were furious. The precious son of General Hal Hallstrom was caught up in a sex and bribery scandal with the sister of a Cyraelian terrorist, and that was just for starters. Strom was facing an ignominious end to an illustrious career and it was all her fault. She couldn’t let this happen. “I’d be more than happy to assist you, General.”
“The Ranan authorities have indicated that you made a withdrawal of two million credits on your recent trip there, Ms. Jasson. An intelligence report received by us alleges that this was used to bribe Captain Hallstrom.”
Tanith sat up straight. “That’s not true, Sir.”
“But you did give Captain Hallstrom the money?”
“Yes, Sir, but I wouldn’t call it a bribe.”
“What would you call it, Ms. Jasson?” the general asked impatiently.
“A gambling debt, Sir.”
Strom stifled a grin as the general rocked back in his chair. Tanith ignored him and continued giving her evidence. “I lost the money in a game of cards with the captain—”
“The money is being held by the ship’s purser, General,” Strom interrupted. “I thought that I might use it as prize money for my crew, Sir.”
The general sighed audibly. “I’m fond of a game of poker myself, Captain Hallstrom, but two million credits?”
“Unless you’d prefer that I return it, Sir.”
Tanith watched as the general’s face turned a strange shade of purple. She hadn’t known that humans could do that. Strom was biting down on his lip, trying not to meet her eyes.
“No, you can’t give it back to the damn terrorists. Give it to the crew. Now about the Ranans, we can’t afford any difficulties with them.”
Tanith smiled sweetly at the general. “The Ranans are very pleased that we helped to expose a glitch in their security systems. In fact, they’ve offered me a job.”
The general tapped his fingers impatiently against the desk. “What about the allegations of sexual misconduct with a prisoner?”
How the hell had he found out about that? Tanith glanced at Strom. An allegation like that could destroy his career and she wasn’t about to let that happen. “You’re mistaken, General. I am not a prisoner and I must say that I’m shocked by your allegations. Captain Hallstrom has behaved like a gentleman at all times.”
“My apologies, Ms. Jasson,” the general was almost groveling. “I didn’t mean to insult you. Fleet Command is most grateful for your assistance in shutting down a terrorist network. I don’t know what your future plans are, but we could always find an opening for you here, if you’re interested. I’ll let you think about it.”
With a curt nod, the general was gone and the ready room was silent. She was free of her past. She had two offers of employment and, somewhere on the ship, her human was waiting for her. There was just one thing that remained to be done.
“That went better than I expected, Ms. Jasson. The crew will be pleased about the prize money. Now if you will excuse me.” Strom moved toward the door.
Tanith stood up, blocking his path. “No, I don’t excuse you. We need to talk about what happened the night I went to your cabin.”
She’d been wrong about Strom having a poker face. Two scarlet flags appeared on his cheeks. “I’m sorry that I exposed you to the Dermatrax, but you’re Jake’s best friend, and I hate it that you’re so terrified of me all the time.”
“Ms. Jasson, I am not—”
“And will you ever stop calling me Ms. Jasson.”
Tanith reached out and grabbed his hand. “Strom, what I did to you that night was wrong. But I’m mated to Jake now. The Dermatrax can only call to him. You can’t possibly feel anything for me.”
She held on tight as Strom tried to drag his hand away. Eventually Strom relaxed. The color faded from his cheeks and he smiled down at her. Relief was etched all over his face. Strom was kind of cute, if you liked the strong silent type, but she had someone else waiting for her.
Tanith commed Pete and asked him for the location of Jake’s new quarters. This was turning into a pretty good day after all. She examined the deck plan outside the elevator on deck sixteen—Department of Botany and Hydroponics, Office of Spiritual Affairs, Married Quarters. Oh no. Jake wouldn’t. He couldn’t possibly. Tanith followed Pete’s directions to cabin 1692. She hesitated on the threshold and then went inside.
It was nice, bigger than the old one, and it had a small food preparation area and a dining table so that they could entertain. She recognized some of the furniture from Jake’s old cabin. His collection of images appeared on one wall. A brilliant display of shooting stars taken on the night they met was followed by an image of them dancing at the ambassador’s residence. The third image was one of her in the red suit, looking serious and very sexy. She was definitely keeping that one. The images of Jake’s other women were gone.
Tanith opened the door to the master bedroom. In the middle of the gigantic bed lay a smiling, naked human. Her eyes raked over him from head to toe. It was ten days since they had been together and she could feel the Dermatrax perking up in anticipation. A small velvet-covered box sat on the middle of Jake’s chest.
“Nice outfit, Human.”
Jake gave her a lazy smile. “I’m glad you like it.”
“You surprise me. I thought you were the type who never wanted to be tied down.”
With one hand, Jake flipped open the box to reveal a perfect yellow diamond set into a gold band. “Oh, I’ve been tied down for some time now. It just took me a while to realize it.”
Jake patted the dark silk cover on the bed and she went to join him. “You were never my prisoner, Tanith. From the first moment I saw you, I’ve always been yours.”
About the Author
Raised on a diet of romance novels and science fiction, it’s not surprising that Caroline McCall turned to writing time travel and paranormal romance. She loves history, and some of her stories are inspired by Celtic myths and legends. Caroline lives with her partner and several spoiled, ungrateful felines on the windswept east coast of Ireland. She does most of the plotting for her novels while walking on the beach.
Caroline loves to travel, and her background is quite eclectic. She’s done everything from working as a roadie for a rock and roll band to designing knitwear. Caroline is delighted to be a membe
r of the wonderful Ellora’s Cave team, and welcomes contact from her readers.
Caroline welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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