Lindsey's Rescue: A World Beyond Book 3

by Michelle Howard

  “The implant process is flawless,” Zadal countered.

  “Well mine wasn’t!” And she was tired of everyone saying it.

  The Honorable Sye cleared his throat. “No disrespect Senate Leaders but I have other Triads to perform today. Last night’s event was highly successful.”

  Lindsey held her breath as Zadal and Baruk shifted their gazes in her direction. Okay, wearing her only pair of jeans and shirt might not have been her greatest idea for wedding attire but she couldn’t stand to put the yellow dress back on that she’d borrowed from the ships’ spare wardrobe dispenser to wear to the Triad Bridal Meet and these were the only clothes she’d brought with her.

  Baruk broke the stare off first. “I’ll continue if Zadal is not opposed.”

  Zadal’s lips firmed, gaze never wavering from Lindsey. “I’m not opposed.”

  “Excellent,” Honorable Sye pulled forth papers from his desk. “I have the contract drawn based on the stipulations you both submitted.”

  “Stipulations?” Lindsey stepped forward, placing herself between her almost husbands. “What stipulations?”

  Honorable Sye’s grey eyebrows rose and his lofty tone belittled. “In a Triad marriage the spouse partners include stipulations on how the marriage is to be conducted. The Senate Leaders have done so and approved the agreement. All that’s left is the signatures of the parties involved.”

  Lindsey scratched at the burning sensation behind her ear from the stupid, allegedly perfect implant site. “Don’t I get any stipulations to include?”

  Old Sye’s mouth dropped open. “Th-that’s highly improper.”

  “It’s my marriage too. It would seem more improper to not include me. Shouldn’t I have input as well?” Her question was perfectly reasonable.

  Zadal folded his arms over his chest and for the first time she noticed the formal red cape thrown over his shoulder. Tiny gold chains hung from one shoulder to the other. Beneath the cape a matching red robe fell mid-calf with slits on the side, revealing matching boots. Barak wore an identical outfit right down to the chains across his chest. She wondered if it was their version of wedding attire.

  “Women are not allowed to add anything to the marriage contract. They must trust their husbands will look out for their best interest.”

  At least Baruk answered her. Zadal continued his eerie stare. Lindsey refused to give in easily. This was her life too. “Trust is asking a lot from a one time meeting.”

  Baruk hiked a brow. “Most of last night’s participants already had knowledge of one another. This wasn’t their first time meeting, only the chance for everyone to put their best foot forward before making a decision. As a stranger to our world, you did indeed enter at a disadvantage but we can hardly be responsible for that. You’re as much an unknown entity to us as we are to you, yet we have the most to lose. This is our home and you could choose to leave. Leaving would free you from the marriage but the legal vows of commitment would still stand for us.”

  Lindsey inhaled sharply. The detailed response put things in perspective from their point of view. She only thought of her concerns and how the marriage would impact her but they took a risk as well. The Triad Bridal Meet she’d attended also proved that not everyone was eager for a wife from another world. She counted herself fortunate to have landed two such handsome men willing to take a chance. Plus Baruk made her heart ping and each side glance from Zadal had her traitorous nipples perking up. Pinging was surely not far behind when he wasn’t frightening her with his dark glares.

  But looks weren’t everything. Trust counted for far more. Someone had to make the first move or this marriage was doomed from the start. “Alright. No stipulations from me needed.”

  Honorable Sye rushed to hand a pen to Baruk, who leaned over the table to add his name on the necessary lines with a flourish. Zadal stepped up next to him, signing with a quick slash of the pen. He passed the silver-weighted writing implement to her.

  Lindsey added her name with care on all three spots pointed out. “Now what?”

  ***

  Zadal closed out several windows on his holo screen with a flick of his finger and leaned back in his chair on an exhale. His head throbbed and the thought of the work awaiting him this evening sent tension creeping up his neck.

  “Senate Leader Zadal, you have a visitor. Qual Commes. Shall I inform him you’re busy?”

  Zadal dragged his gaze toward his open office doorway. It took everything in him to hold back his snappish bite. When wasn’t he busy? “I can see him, Zumei. Send him in.”

  Zumei huffed. “Your schedule is fairly tight today since you missed most of the morning.”

  The words ‘because of his Triad marriage’ went unspoken. The tension in Zadal’s neck spread to his shoulders and the pain in his head became a full-blown headache. He hadn’t seen his spouse partner or wife since earlier in the day when they’d signed the Triad marriage confirmation. They’d agreed to give Lindsey the day to return her ID at the space station and log their union with the Singles Program. Then she would come home to them.

  “Senate Leader?”

  “Send him in.” Zadal rose from his seat and stretched.

  Qual entered on a bounce. His lively gait suddenly reminded Zadal of Lindsey. The woman possessed too much energy by far.

  “Senate Leader Gatar. Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”

  Zadal snorted and rested his hip on the edge of his desk. “What do you want, Qual?”

  The older man was worse than Caris when it came to complaining about the Senate and their decisions, except Qual’s case he had the nasty habit of being a rumor monger. He spread gossip true or false as fast as he received it. At least Caris had a smidgeon of integrity.

  Qual bowed and sat in one of the two leather chairs opposite Zadal’s desk. “First, felicitations on your Triad marriage. Your name appeared on the registry early this morning.”

  Zadal kept his hands folded in his lap. The only way for Qual to know of his marriage already was because he’d searched for it. There was no automated notification for the Garulax registry system that tracked all Triad marriages. The question remained who’d reported it for Qual to feel the need to search. Zadal had avoided everyone when he’d left the Triad Bridal Meet and none had dared question if he’d succeeded in his quest.

  At Zadal’s silence, Qual squirmed in his seat and cleared his throat. He ran a distracted hand through the hair graying at his temples. “Rumors alleged you joined with an Earth woman.”

  Zadal leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees and enunciated each word. “Are you questioning the details of my Triad, Qual?”

  To do so was in poor taste but this was Qual after all.

  A nervous chuckle followed. “The people have a right to know what’s going on in the heads of their leaders. Your decisions could be effected if you made an unwise choice.” Qual winked and pulled a stylus and data pad from his pocket. “A spouse has been known to sway a man with the right motivation.”

  Zadal straightened but masked his surprise. It wasn’t what he expected Qual to be chasing. As an unknown, Lindsey shouldn’t warrant much public scrutiny yet. “You want to know if my new wife will hold favor with me enough to change my votes in senate meetings?”

  Qual’s brown eyes narrowed and he dropped all attempts at bonhomie. “No. I want to know how someone like you, a man with your birth status, convinced Senate Leader Baruk Laars to agree to be your spouse partner.”

  A man like him. Familiar words with the power to sting. Despite his own questions regarding Baruk’s acquiescence, Zadal pinned the nosy man with a dark glare, his voice leaving no doubt to his feelings. “That is none of your business.”

  The corner of Qual’s thin lips rose, his gaze darkened with malicious intent. “On the contrary. Two of the most powerful men on the Senate are now joined through marriage. Between you and the Laars family connections, majority voting is susceptible to…,” he upped his sneer, “potential dis
honesty let’s say.”

  “Let’s not say.” Zadal rose to his feet, knowing his height placed his little antagonist at a disadvantage. He took one threatening step forward.

  Qual scrambled to his feet, obvious nerves causing him to trip before righting himself. “It’s a viable question. We deserve answers.”

  “The only thing you deserve,” Zadal growled, “is a chance to leave.”

  His voice thundered across the room and Qual fled. The door slammed behind him but his absence did nothing to soothe Zadal’s rage. Qual only said what others would think—were thinking. There was no rational explanation for why Baruk Laars of the powerful Laars family agreed to a Triad with Zadal when he could have selected anyone of higher standard and breeding. Someone of equal footing with his financial wealth.

  As soon as the outer door closed, Zumei eased back inside. Though his words maintained a minimal semblance of respect, his first assistant couldn’t mask the smug gleam in his eyes. “Is everything alright, Senate Leader?”

  “Perfectly fine, Zumei. Where are we on the landfill case?” Zadal resumed his seat and leaned back in the chair.

  Zumei hesitated, then approached the chair Qual had abandoned.

  “No.” Zadal stopped him before he could sit. “I prefer you stand while we go over my agenda and the landfill reports. It helps me focus.”

  Hatred burned like an uncontrollable blaze between them. Working with the prior Senate Leader had accustomed Zumei to undue influence over the elderly man. When the other Senate Leaders discovered Darvis’ fading mind, they removed him from position and opened the seat. A seat Zadal won by a slim margin against his two challengers. He may not have the prized lineage of his peers but his ability to resolve complex matters and negotiate ironclad contracts remained unquestionable. Surprisingly, Baruk cast the winning vote in his favor.

  Zumei clenched his hands around the electronic pad in his hand, brows dipped low. His breath came in harsh exhales. Zadal allowed a slow grin to curve his lips. “Do you have a problem with this, Zumei?”

  Zumei swallowed and the glares they exchanged intensified. Zadal waited with baited breath. He hated the man. Hated him with a depth of emotion he couldn’t explain. As Senate Leader, Zadal had technically inherited Zumei to work for him until he replaced the man with his own first and a second assistants. The problem stemmed from Zadal’s inability to find two people competent to fill the roles and who would treat him with less disdain than Zumei.

  “I have no problem, Senate Leader Zadal.”

  “Good.” Zadal waved his hand in the air signaling to start. And thus the day wore on. Zumei going line by line over the items on Zadal’s calendar for the coming month, updates on which proposals were still in limbo and decisions requiring Zadal’s vote.

  Everything would be covered and reviewed again within an inch of the smallest detail when the Senate Leaders gathered for their weekly meeting tomorrow. Some things would be argued if the vote appeared skewed or others wanted to question the results, more events would be scheduled to fill his calendar with monotonous meetings and dinners. It was a vicious cycle but one Zadal felt suited him best and enabled him to bring about good things for the citizens of Garulax. He’d worked hard all his life for the prestige and dignity the position brought.

  Bickering letters from the public and angry messages from his fellow senate members trickled in throughout the day as Zadal tried to catch up with the work he missed by taking a few hours off this morning and the day before. Though he tried to ignore it, the reason for the time off led his thoughts to his new wife Lindsey Ferra. Or Lindsey Laars-Gatar as she would now be known.

  Thinking of the blonde beauty and her winsome smile stirred his loins and his trousers predictably tightened. Zadal pulled up the official image file on his computer of their Triad marriage. He stood to the left of Lindsey and Baruk to the right with the Honorable Sye a little behind the group. Lindsey held the registered marriage contract in her hands and her eyes danced with happiness.

  Zadal traced his finger over her smiling face. The holo and the notice were public record now. Qual wouldn’t be the only one pulling these documents to look for a hidden story.

  Zumei poked his head in during the small break of silence. “Senate Leader Baruk is here to see you.”

  Zadal cursed and his headache returned with a vengeance. He wasn’t prepared to deal with his spouse partner yet. Had barely thought of how they’d conduct the Triad aside from his needs for equal sexual access to Lindsey and waiving his rights to genetic knowledge of any children they fathered. Baruk included the same stipulations and a few others concerning the distribution of his wealth and benefits should he die.

  Zadal pushed away from his desk and stood. “Send him in.”

  The heavy, traditional red robes he wore for his marriage slid from the corner of the polished wood to the floor and Zadal debated whether the cost of placing them about his shoulders to meet Baruk on equal footing was worth the discomfort. Short bursts of pain across his scalp decided for him as he scooped them up and folded them neatly next to his comm unit. He preferred the light weight pants and shirt he’d changed into.

  Baruk entered behind the flustered Zumei dressed as casually as Zadal. “You’re dismissed, first assistant. I will speak with Zadal alone.”

  Zumei didn’t dare give Baruk the back talk he often gave Zadal. Instead, he bowed nearly to the floor, an ingratiating smile about his mouth. “Yes, Senate Leader.”

  As soon as Zumei left, Zadal snorted. “Very bold of you dismissing my employee, Baruk.”

  Baruk didn’t waste time and closed the door behind Zumei. “We didn’t have a chance to discuss residency this morning.”

  Zadal tensed. “I have a residence.”

  The smug briot raised a brow and gestured around the office space. “You have a single dwelling in the city. Is it large enough for a Triad?”

  Pivoting on his heel, Zadal turned his back on Baruk and faced the minuscule window with a view of the neighboring building behind his. Anything to avoid the look in Baruk’s blue eyes.

  A heavy sigh came from behind him. “Listen. I’m not trying to be highhanded in this. A Triad marriage requires the work of all parties involved especially the spouse partners.”

  “What do you suggest?” Zadal asked without turning. He already knew what the other Senate Leader would say and while he had to agree, Zadal hated it. One more thing to highlight the differences between them. Would the Earth woman see it as well?

  “I live and work at my estate in the country as you well know. It’s been in my family for generations and has room to house a Triad and the family we will one day have.”

  Zadal stiffened. He hadn’t thought far enough to consider children beyond knowing they would have them.

  “Also,” Baruk added, “As Senate Leaders, we both need our own offices and office space for our assistants. There will be the necessary parties and required dinners. My home can easily accommodate this.”

  “Agreed.”

  Baruk stumbled in his obviously prepared speech. “You do?”

  Zadal turned. Their eyes met across the desk. “I agree, Senate Leader. How soon should I have my things moved?”

  Baruk dropped abruptly into the seat Zadal had refused Zumei. “Verat! I thought you’d be stubborn about this.”

  A small smile played about Zadal’s lips at the man’s disgruntled tone and profanity. Perhaps this could work. “I’m stubborn when you try to push forward land development on a plot of sinking mud, then wish to increase fines to the citizens to cover the cost of the inevitable repairs.”

  Baruk snorted and folded his arms over his chest. “Important cost increase to offset the important benefit of an educational center in a remote city.”

  “We will agree to disagree.”

  A grin flashed over Baruk’s face. “As your vote on that agenda already reflected.”

  Zadal found himself chuckling in return. “At least you know I’m honest, where as t
he others tend to vote in whatever direction you appear to lean.”

  “I have my own detractors. Nevertheless, I came by to show my faith in our Triad. I would not have agreed if I wasn’t prepared to have this work. Whatever happens during our business hours should not impact our personal life. Truce?”

  “Truce,” Zadal agreed. “I can have my things packed and moved this evening.”

  Baruk’s brow shot up. “So soon?”

  Zadal waved a hand around them. “I rented the place furnished. I only need to bring my personal possessions.”

  “Very well. Tonight I thought we’d dine together. Our wife messaged that she’d be there no later than five.”

  Zadal glanced at the timer on his desk. It was almost three. It would be tight. “I’ll be there. Zumei can pack and send my things ahead.”

  Baruk nodded and rose to his feet. “One last thing. As my spouse partner you now have the power of the Laars name behind you. Use it wisely.”

  Zadal grimaced much to Baruk’s amusement as he laughed on his way out but inside Zadal’s heart soared. The Triad would give him what he’d always desired and gain him entry into the next level of society and force them to accept him as their equal.

  Chapter 7

  Her home suited a King. Or Queen. Lindsey stared in awe at the mansion sprawling across the green lawn.

  “The Laars estate,” a mechanical voice intoned.

  Lindsey hopped from the transport, tennis sinking into the rich grass. She took a deep breath of the lush, fragrant air as she made her way toward the paved walkway. Rich, green towering trees dotted the edge of the property line, separating acres of manicured lawn from what looked to be a forest.

  The house if it could be termed so humbly stretched as far as her eye could see with small crops of buildings attached to the side. Her steps slowed as Lindsey tried to take it all in. A multitude of windows gleamed. Three, no, four spires she counted, which soared from the multi-level roof tops and at the center of it all, brown double doors trimmed in gold beckoned.

  Lindsey fell in love with it immediately.