by Paige Tyler
“So that’s your plan, huh?” Hewson said. “We run off and get shot while you go off and save the girl single-handedly?”
“Not quite single-handedly. Genoone and Deran will be with me. And as far you getting shot, don’t. It’s not part of the plan.”
Sighing, the first mate motioned down the street with his pistol. “You heard the captain. Let’s go be a distraction.”
Slayter didn’t watch them go. Instead, he slipped his pistol under his coat and took off down the street toward the auction house, Genoone and Deran at his heels. He moved quickly, but not fast enough to attract attention. Not that he needed to worry about it. The street was full of people running in the same direction as he and his men, eager to get away from the gunfire down at the port.
In the street, militia hovercrafts went zipping in the direction he and his men had just come from. Slayter hoped Hewson and the others were careful. He would do anything to get Teyla back, but at the same time he didn’t want any of his men killed or thrown in prison. Although from his crew’s newfound attitude where Teyla was concerned, they’d probably think it was a small price to pay for her safety.
Slayter ground his jaw as he thought of Teyla. He never should have brought her here. He should have turned his ship around days ago and taken her home. When he got her back, that was exactly what he was going to do. This whole slave thing was wrong from the beginning, even before he realized what an amazing woman she was.
First he had to find her, though. Which might be more difficult than he thought considering the auction house was immense. He was still trying to figure out a way around that issue when laser fire made him duck.
Slayter instinctively dived behind one of the ornate columns along the square in front of the auction house and pulled his pistol while Genoone and Deran did the same on the other side of the walkway. Slayter peered around the edge of the column, wondering how the hell the guards had figured out he and his men had been part of the group creating the ruckus down at the port when he spotted four pirates positioned in front of the building covering the entrance. Rommel’s men. Clearly, they hadn’t adhered to the no-weapons rule, either. Since there weren’t any guards around, Slayter assumed Rommel’s men had either already taken care of them or that they were down at the port looking for Hewson and the rest of his crew.
As far as Slayter was concerned, that meant there were fewer obstacles for him to get through.
He caught Genoone’s eye, then did the same with Deran. “Keep them busy.”
Slayter didn’t wait for a reply, but instead took off running across the open square. Genoone and Deran covered him, shooting at the four pirates guarding the entrance. That didn’t keep Slayter from having to go through one hell of a crossfire to get there. He made it, but not without a few burn marks to show for it.
He burst through the glass doors, skidding to a halt when he saw the three huge guards standing behind the counter. They didn’t even hesitate to see if Slayter was an innocent bystander trying to get away from the melee outside, but immediately fired at him.
Slayter threw himself toward them and hit the ground rolling, laser fire zipping over his head. It was risky, but with nowhere to take cover, he didn’t have much of a choice. The move must have caught the guards unaware because they stopped shooting momentarily to duck behind the counter. Slayter used the momentum from his roll to launch himself over the counter, coming down on the three men. They went sprawling, Slayter on top of them.
The guards were all bigger than he was, but he had surprise and determination on his side. They were standing between him and Teyla, which meant they had to go.
Tightening his grip on his pistol, he rammed it into one man’s jaw, then head-butted another, breaking the man’s nose.
While that neutralized two of the men, it gave the third guard time to take a shot at him, and Slayter had yank his head back to keep from getting it blown off. He lunged at the man, forcing his arm back, then lifted his own pistol and fired it point blank into the guard’s gut. The man spasmed once, then went still.
It was only after Slayter dragged himself to his feet that he realized his weapon was still set to stun. The guard was lucky guy, he thought as he changed the setting from stun to kill and ran toward the inner doors, eager to find Teyla. He only imagined how terrified she must be. The thought of her being put up for display on the block and bid on like a piece of livestock made his blood turn to fire in his veins. He needed to get to her. Now!
The moment he rushed through the tall, wooden doors and saw the huge concourse inside, however, he knew he was in trouble. While it was full of people, including more guards, luckily none of them noticed the gun in his hand. Wanting to keep it that way, at least for the time being, he quickly tucked the weapon in his belt so his coat would cover it.
Slayter looked around at the numerous doors lining the concourse, wondering which room to look in first. How the hell was he going to figure out which one she was in?
Deciding to start at one end and go from there, he jerked open the door closest to him and walked into the room. There were a dozen naked men lined up on the stage, while more than thirty men and women in fancy clothes inspected every part of them.
Swearing under his breath, Slayter ducked out of the room and tried the next. The auction in this one sold men as well, though they were clothed and all had dark crimson skin, indicating they came from the planet of Carnorra, in the Hotheth system.
The third room he looked in wasn’t auctioning people at all, but horticulture. The prospective buyers inside were busy inspecting a collection of colorful, long-stalked plants that emitted strange mewling sounds and wavered slowly back and forth.
He rushed out to the concourse again, his heart pounding. This was insane. There was no way he could check every auction room. Teyla would be long gone by the time he found the right one, if she wasn’t already. He needed to find a better way than running aimlessly from room to room.
Slayter’s eyes narrowed as he spotted a small man wearing an official-looking uniform and carrying a fancy compad. He definitely looked like he could help.
Trying to look as casual as he could, Slayter walked over and positioned himself in front of the man.
The man looked up from his compad questioningly. “Can I help you, sir?”
“I hope so.” Slayter slid his pistol out of his belt just enough for the man to get a good look at it.
The man’s eyes went wide. “Sir, there’s no need for that! I carry nothing of value on my person.”
“But you have something of value in that head of yours,” Slayter growled. “Either there or in that compad. I want it now, or I’ll put a hole in both of them.”
The man glanced at the guard on the other side of the room, clearly debating whether he could get his attention before Slayter could pull the trigger. He must have decided against it because he nodded.
“What exactly do you want?”
Slayter took his arm and pulled him off to the side so they were off the main thoroughfare. “I’m looking for a woman.”
The man lifted his chin, his eyes taking on a haughty look behind his glasses. “Sir, I believe you have the wrong establishment. We are an auction house, not a brothel.”
Slayter swore in frustration. “I know that, you moron. I’m not looking for a prostitute. I’m looking for a woman being auctioned off.”
“Oh. Now I see. You wish to buy a woman.” The officious little man gave him a knowing smirk. “Well, we certainly have a lot of those to choose from.”
Slayter clenched his jaw. If he didn’t need the man’s help so badly, he’d shoot him and be done with it. He grabbed the man and shoved him against the wall, then pressed his pistol hard into the man’s gut.
“I’m looking for someone from my ship. She was kidnapped and brought here to be sold.”
The man frowned. “Is she a member of your crew?”
“No, she’s not a member of my crew. She’s my….”
Slayter hesitated, not sure exactly how to describe Teyla. What word did a man use to describe someone who had become more precious to him than his own life?
“She’s your…?” prompted the man when Slayter didn’t answer.
“My woman. She’s my woman.” The words came out in a rush—like he was taking some crazy word association test.
“Ahhh.” The man nodded. “Now I really do see. Someone took a woman you care for very much and is attempting to sell her at this auction house, and now you’ll do anything to get her back. Am I right?”
Slayter scowled. “Didn’t I just say that?”
“Not precisely, but I’m very quick at picking up on things like that, you see.”
God, the man was irritating. Slayter’s hand tightened on his weapon, pressing it harder against the man’s stomach. “Can you help me find her, or do I need to shoot you in the head and ask someone else?”
“Now that I know what you’re looking for, I’ll be pleased to assist you.” The man glanced down pointedly at the gun. “If you could remove the weapon from my stomach?”
Slayter stepped back a little, but not far enough for the man could slip past him. The man didn’t try to escape, though. He merely adjusted his glasses and typed something into his compad.
“I assume your female companion was abducted recently, or that you have reason to believe she is to be auctioned off sometime soon?” the man asked, his fingers dancing rapidly over the touchscreen.
Slayer nodded. “The man kidnapped her less than an hour ago. They couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes ahead of me.”
The man typed something else into his computer. “And I assume this woman of yours is very beautiful?”
“Yes.”
The man looked at him over the rim of his glasses. “Do you think the person who took her might try to sell her as a sex slave then?”
“Yes,” Slayter answered without hesitation. He didn’t mention he’d planned to do the same thing just that morning. That was then, and this was now. He wasn’t going to sell Teyla, and neither was anyone else.
“You’re in luck then,” the man said. “There’s only one room selling female sex slaves today. The auction has already started, though, so we’ll have to hurry. Come with me.”
The man led him down the main concourse, turning right, then left, then right again. As he followed, Slayter realized he’d been crazy to think he would have been able to find Teyla on his own. He just prayed he hadn’t wasted too much time already.
The man with the compad stopped in front of an ornate door where two burly guards were posted. Slayter tensed, but the man motioned with his hand and one of the guards immediately opened the door.
It was filled to capacity with people and Slayter had a hard time seeing around the men and women blocking his view.
“If she hasn’t been sold yet, this is the where she will be,” the man said. “If she’s already on the block, then I can’t imagine how you’re going to get her back, but I wish you the best. Good day.”
Slayter would have thanked the man for his help, but at that moment a flash of long, dark hair and shapely legs on the dais in the front of the room caught his attention. He watched in horror as the woman he loved was led up onto the auction block. His gut clenched. Dammit to hell, he was too late.
Chapter Seven
Teyla hadn’t stopped fighting since Rommel’s men had grabbed her in the market. Unfortunately, the little bit of hand-to-hand combat training she’d had back home hadn’t done much good and the two pirates had easily overpowered her. Once their cohorts had dealt with Genoone, it was easy for them to tie her up and throw her in a hovercraft.
At first she thought they were simply everyday, run-of-the-mill thugs, but then they addressed the man who’d been waiting for them in the hovercraft as Rommel. Her blood ran cold at the name and it was all she could not to cower when he turned those cruel, dark eyes of his on her.
“This will teach that thieving bastard Slayter not to take what doesn’t belong to him,” he said in a gruff voice. “Let’s see if he likes a taste of his own medicine.”
Teyla immediately remembered the warning the men on Haan had given Slayter. Apparently they’d been right about Rommel seeking revenge. What better way to do it than to take her away from Slayter?
As they drove through town, she wanted to ask where they were going, but didn’t think Rommel would tell her anyway. She found out soon enough when they stopped at the side entrance of a large, imposing building and dragged her inside.
A ripple of fear coursed through her as one of the pirates yanked her out of the hovercraft. “Where are we?” she demanded.
“The auction house.” Rommel sneered. “I can’t think of a better way to get back at Slayter than by selling his woman to be a sex slave.”
Teyla trembled again, this time with fury. She’d been willing to be sold into slavery to repay her family’s debt, but there was no way she was going to let this bastard sell her just to get back at Slayter. She was nobody’s pawn.
When she told Rommel as much, though, he only laughed. “You don’t have any say on the subject, bitch. And by the time Slayter finds out you’re missing, you’ll already be another man’s whore.”
The insult made her even more furious and she struggled to free herself from the scar-faced man holding her. When he tightened his grip on her arms, she lashed out with her feet, but Rommel easily sidestepped her kick.
“You are a spunky one, aren’t you?” he said. “It almost makes me want to fuck you myself. Unfortunately, the only sex slave auction of the day starts in ten minutes, so I’ll have to pass. But don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll get well fucked before the day is out.”
He slanted a look at his men. “Four of you stay here and guard the entrance. If Slayter shows up, make sure he doesn’t get inside. I don’t want him spoiling the fun.”
Teyla thought she detected a hint of fear on the pirates’ faces. Rommel and his men seemed almost petrified of what Slayter would do if he caught up with them. From what she’d seen after the attack on Slayter’s ship, she supposed she couldn’t blame them. Slayter could be scary as hell when he wanted to.
Despite how afraid she was, her heart soared at the thought of Slayter coming to rescue her. He wasn’t the kind of man to let some small-time pirate like Rommel take what was rightfully his. Not before he got his payment, at least.
Teyla swallowed hard at that last part. Even though she knew it was silly and sentimental, she found herself wishing Slayter would come for her because he cared for her and not because she represented the money her family owed. But Slayter was a pirate and she was simply payment for a debt, end of story.
She glanced toward the street, hoping to see Slayter striding up the walkway, but she didn’t see anything other than finely dressed men and women as Rommel and his men dragged her into the auction house. If Rommel’s men had killed Genoone, there would be no way for Slayter to even know what had happened to her. Tears stung her eyes at the thought of the red-haired communications officer. She should never have asked him to take her outside.
They went down a long hallway to a small room. Rommel stopped to talk to whoever was in charge, but Teyla barely paid attention to what was being said. Her attention was focused on the women in the room. Half naked and bound, they looked wide-eyed and terrified. It was the defeated set of their shoulders that troubled her the most, though. Would she look as beaten down as they did before all was said and done?
Teyla jumped as someone sliced through the rope binding her wrists. She turned to see one of the guards standing behind her, a subservient-looking blonde woman at his side.
“You are to take off your clothes and wear this for the auction, like the rest of the women,” she said softly, handing Teyla a skimpy bra and short skirt.
Teyla looked down at the clothing for a moment, then around at the other women waiting to be auctioned off. She’d been so busy looking at their demeanor she hadn’t noticed what t
hey were wearing. Now that she did, she saw the outfit barely covered them.
She held the clothes out to the other woman. “I’m not going to parade around in this for those pigs out there.” She glared at Rommel. “Or the ones in here.”
Rage flared in the pirate’s eyes and he grabbed her arm cruelly. “Look, bitch, I don’t care if you wear this or not. I’d as soon put you out there naked, but the auctioneer insists that having a woman wear a little bit of clothing brings a much higher price. Some shit about leaving something to the imagination. It doesn’t make much sense to me, but I’m willing to go along with it if it makes me a few extra Imperial credits. Now, either you put it on or I’ll put it on you myself.” He pulled her close. “Which is it going to be?”
The thought of Rommel’s hands on her naked body made her feel sick. “I’ll put it on.”
His lip curled. “I thought so.”
He gave her a shove, then crossed his arms over his chest, clearly going to stand there and watch. Teyla clenched her jaw. She might have to put on the detestful outfit, but she didn’t have to give him a show while she did it. Hands clenched into fists, she turned her back to him and the other men in the room. Taking off her clothes while holding on to the ones the woman had given her was trickier than she’d thought, though, and it took her a few minutes to manage it. The bra left the tops of her breasts exposed, barely covering her nipples. The skirt wasn’t much better. Although it was long enough to cover her ass, the filmy material was all but transparent, leaving her pussy practically bare.
Face flaming, she turned around to face Rommel. The way the pirate looked her up and down made her skin crawl, and she would have covered herself if the guard hadn’t yanked her arms behind her back and bound her wrists.
Teyla resisted when the man led her across the room, but it did little good, and in the end, she gave up. She had prepared herself for this moment ever since her father had given her over to Slayter. She just hadn’t thought it would be so humiliating.
