by Cheree Alsop
“We’ll worry about that after we get the Kratos out of here,” Devren replied.
They reached the gates and handed the cards over. When they passed through without incident, Liora let out a sigh of relief. The last thing they needed was to trigger the alarms before they found out where the Coalition was keeping the Kratos and crew.
“Tariq and Liora, head to the ship,” Devren told them. “We need to know if they found the Omne Occasus on the Kratos. Hyrin and I will go to the holding cells. I’ll notify you when we find Straham and the others.” He met Brandis’ gaze. “We may need to get out of here quickly.”
“Kosi will be ready,” Brandis reassured him. “I’ll go with Liora and Tariq. If we need access to release the ship, Kosi can help us.”
Devren shook Brandis’ hand. “Good luck. Everyone stay on the coms. Keep us posted. With a bit of good fortune, we’ll meet back on the Eos within the hour.”
A thrill of adrenaline rushed through Liora as she walked with Tariq and Brandis to the lower level. The crowd flowing around them felt the same as last time, packed shoulder to shoulder with everyone intent on their own destinations. Liora’s gaze roamed from face to face, checking those they passed by habit.
She stopped short and felt Tariq pause beside her. The face in the crowd heading toward them was all too familiar. Colonel Lefkin’s eyes were locked on hers. It was too late to hope he hadn’t recognized her. The man’s gaze flicked to Tariq and then back. A small, humorless smile touched his lips.
“Liora, what’s wrong?” Brandis asked quietly.
“Get out of here,” Liora said without looking at him. “I don’t think he knows you’re with us. Go.”
Brandis stepped back into the crowd and walked past them. To Liora’s relief, the colonel didn’t give him a second glance. Instead, a smile of triumph filled the colonel’s face.
“Liora Day and Tariq Donovan, you are under arrest.”
Chapter 2
Coalition officers surrounded them. The crowd scattered to the walls. Everyone knew not to get between the Coalition and a target. A quick count told of over twenty officers armed with guns. Tariq’s sidearm was still in its holster. If either of them reached for their weapons, there was no doubt what would happen. Regardless, Liora refused to go down without a fight. Her hands strayed toward her knives.
“Don’t be foolish, Damaclan,” Colonel Lefkin said. “I’ve got you dead to rights. I only need one of you.”
Liora glanced at Tariq. The thought that fighting might endanger the human made her cross her arms in front of her chest.
“Good call,” Colonel Lefkin said. He nodded at his guards. “Take them to the vault. Put Officer Donovan in the throne.”
Liora’s knives were taken and her hands cuffed behind her back. The colonel double-checked her handcuffs when she was led past him.
“I’ve heard about you, Liora. I’m not about to take any chances,” he said.
“Then you heard right,” Liora replied. It may have been foolish, but she wanted to wipe the triumphant smile from the colonel’s face.
“Do you have to egg him on?” Tariq asked quietly.
Liora glanced behind them. Colonel Lefkin was busy conversing with someone over his earpiece. She leaned as close to Tariq as the guards around them would allow.
“If I can draw his attention, maybe you can find a way to escape,” she whispered. “We need to find the Kratos.”
Tariq stared at her. “Don’t even try it. I want his attention as far away from you as possible.”
“I don’t need my knives,” she said.
His eyes narrowed. “You’ll need your hands. The colonel has a track history of taking joy in amputating limbs.”
That sent a chill down Liora’s spine.
“Don’t fight,” Tariq whispered. “Dev will get us out. If we can figure out what Lefkin wants with us, it’ll give us an edge when we get back to the Kratos. We just have to stick it out.”
The officers shoved open a set of double doors and led them down another hallway to a huge metal door at the end. Colonel Lefkin held his card in front of the door. A beep sounded and a panel appeared. He held his palm to it. A moment later, the door slid aside to reveal a small room with a chair in the middle.
The room looked simple enough with four white walls and the single chair. This piece of furniture would have been ordinary if it wasn’t bolted to the floor.
The officers who held Liora’s handcuffs fastened them to a ring in the wall. It took every bit of her self-control not to fight them and break free before the lock was fastened. Tariq was right; they needed to know what the colonel wanted before they escaped. Yet she had promised herself to never again be in a situation where she was locked up.
An officer pressed a button on the wall and the ring rose, pulling her arms up above her head. When the officer let go, her feet barely touched the ground. The second officer handcuffed her ankles to another ring so that she couldn’t move her legs. The helpless feeling of no longer being in control sent tremors through her body.
Tariq was led to the chair. Under the colonel’s watchful eyes, leather straps were fastened around Tariq’s wrists, ankles, and chest. When he was secure, the men took positions near the door.
The colonel held his hands behind his back and looked from Tariq to Liora with a pleased expression on his face.
“The last time I saw you, you were high-tailing it in a stolen ship to the Oregon transporter.” He shook his head. “Didn’t anyone tell you it’s a crime to destroy transporters? I suppose I’ll have to take that out on your hides when I’m finished here.”
If his words bothered Tariq, he didn’t let it show.
“We missed our ride,” he said casually. “It was quite the coincidence that you happened to be there.”
Colonel Lefkin’s eyes narrowed. “That was no coincidence,” he growled. “What did you do with my Omne Occasus?”
His words made the knot in Liora’s stomach loosen. If he didn’t have the galaxy imploder, perhaps they held the upper hand.
“We lost it,” she said.
Colonel Lefkin let out a loud sigh and shook his head. “You know, I knew there was a reason why Damaclans weren’t allowed in the Coalition.” He crossed slowly to her side as he spoke. “I thought it was because they were too dangerous to trust.” His eyebrows rose in disbelief at the statement. “Now, I realize they are just really horrible liars.”
He grabbed her chin. Liora jerked her face out of his grasp, but with the handcuffs fastened over her head, she didn’t have much room to maneuver.
The colonel’s voice was low when he said, “You’ve made quite a lot of trouble across the systems, Liora Day. I’m half tempted to sell you to the highest bidder.”
His words washed over her with a rush of foul breath.
“Anything to get me away from your ugly face,” Liora replied. She didn’t know what Shathryn had once seen in the man. The touch of his fingers on her skin repulsed her.
A smile spread across the colonel’s face.
“What’s wrong? Hate being touched?” He ran his tongue up her cheek. “Something this beautiful shouldn’t be wasted.”
Liora tried to jerk away, but the handcuffs impeded her movements. He caught her face in his hands and proceeded to kiss her roughly.
The sound of Tariq struggling in his chair was loud in the room.
“Leave her alone,” he growled.
Colonel Lefkin stepped back. Liora wiped her face on her sleeve the best she could. A glance at the officers showed both of them staring straight ahead. Nobody would stop a colonel from doing anything he wanted, especially to two apparent traitors to the Coalition.
The colonel crouched in front of Tariq.
“What’s wrong, Officer Donovan? Have feelings for the mongrel?” Glee showed in his eyes. “I’ll bet our little viperous half-blood Damaclan has you wrapped around her finger. Be careful. She’ll tear your heart out before you join your wife.” At the anger that
filled Tariq’s face, the colonel nodded. “I do my research, Tariq Donovan. It’s a wonder you’re on the same ship with her at all. Don’t you worry that she’ll kill you in your sleep?”
Tariq glared at him but didn’t reply.
Colonel Lefkin let out a snort. “Well, I’ll make sure she pays in ways you haven’t even thought of, so don’t you worry. It’s not often I get free reign with a stunning captive audience.”
His words set Liora’s teeth on edge. When he walked back to her, she struggled against the handcuffs to the point that they cut into her wrists. She wanted to fight. She wouldn’t let him degrade her if she could help it.
The colonel put a hand on the wall on either side of her head and leaned so close his lips brushed hers when he spoke.
“I’m going to have a little chat with your boyfriend. When I’m finished with him, it’ll be your turn. I hope you’re looking forward to it as much as I am.”
Liora jerked her head forward in an attempt to smash his nose, but the colonel anticipated the move and stepped back in time.
He chuckled. “I’m going to enjoy this. Just you wait.”
Liora met Tariq’s gaze. His face was pale and the rage in his eyes showed an intensity Liora had never seen before. If he was free, the colonel would never touch anyone ever again. As it was, neither of them could act. There was no telling what the colonel would do to Tariq, and Liora had no way to protect him. It was worse than waiting to see what he would do to her.
Colonel Lefkin put his hand on the wall near the door. A panel slid to the side in the ceiling and a contraption lowered down.
“Time for a little question and answer,” the colonel said. He slid the metal band around Tariq’s forehead, then attached the linking wires to the metal cuffs around his wrists and ankles.
“I thought you claimed hands as your trophies,” Tariq said, his voice level.
The colonel shook his head. “I’ve taken a liking to questioning with electricity. It’s a little less messy.” He gave Tariq a placating smile. “But don’t worry. I always collect a souvenir. Usually an eye or an ear. Less storage space, you know.”
“I can imagine,” Tariq replied dryly.
The colonel pressed a button on the remote in his hand.
Tariq’s muscles tightened and he stiffened in the chair. The sound of his teeth grating together along with the hum of electricity filled the air.
The colonel took his thumb off the button and nodded. “Just making sure it works.”
Tariq didn’t speak, but when he glanced at Liora, she saw a glimmer of fear in his eyes. It was the same fear that gripped her heart so tight she could barely breathe. The colonel had the upper hand, and he would kill them if they were there long enough. The only question was if they could survive his torture until Devren found them. Given the size of Titus, that could take a very long time.
“Where is the Omne Occasus?” the colonel asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tariq replied tightly.
In response, the colonel pressed the button again. Tariq’s head hit the back of the chair and his hands gripped the armrests so tight his fingers turned white. When the colonel released the button, Tariq slumped forward.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Colonel Lefkin said. “I like you to know how serious I am, and when someone takes something from me, which your captain did, I like to get it back as soon as possible. So I’ll ask you again. Where is the Omne Occasus?”
When Tariq didn’t answer, the colonel pressed the button.
The sight of Tariq writhing in his seat nearly broke Liora. She fought against her handcuffs.
“Let him go!” she yelled.
When the colonel finally released the button and the hum stopped, Liora couldn’t tell if Tariq was breathing or not. The colonel walked towards her. She struggled to get free, to fight him, to save Tariq, to get them out of there as quickly as possible, but no matter how much the handcuffs bit into her wrists, she couldn’t slip out of them.
“Look what you’re doing to yourself,” Colonel Lefkin said with a shake of his head. He ran a finger along her arm and then brought it down to show her the blood. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to save me the trouble of amputating one of these beauties later. For you, love, an eye will do, but I’d rather not let one of your amazingly scarred, beautiful hands go to waste.” He put his head against hers and took a deep sniff.
Liora let out a sound that would have made a felis proud and swung her head to the side in an attempt to hit him.
The colonel stepped casually back as if he was used to his victims acting that way. “Ah, lovely. I can’t wait,” he said. “It’s a pity we have to wait for Officer Donovan here to tell me what he knows.” He winked at her. “I’m half-tempted to finish him off just so I can start on you, but captains and their best friends are tight. I imagine Tariq knows a few more of young Captain Metis’ secrets than you do.”
The colonel leaned over Tariq’s chair. “Tell me where the Omne Occasus is!” he yelled in his captive’s ear.
Tariq didn’t flinch or raise his head. His eyes were half-closed. Liora wondered how much longer he would be able to take the torture. She knew the human wouldn’t give in even if it killed him, and that’s exactly what she was afraid of.
When Tariq didn’t answer, the colonel pressed the button again. Tariq’s head reared back and a cry of pain escaped his lips. A trickle of blood dripped from his nose. His hands distorted and his face became a mask of anguish.
Liora couldn’t stand it anymore. She shoved all restraint aside and pulled.
Agony flooded into her body. It felt as though each nerve ending was on fire. Her teeth clenched so fast she bit her tongue. The taste of blood filled her mouth.
“What’s going on?” Colonel Lefkin asked.
Liora barely realized he had let go of the button. The colonel studied Tariq as if surprised. Tariq’s gaze was locked on Liora’s. He gave his head a small shake. Liora didn’t look away.
“What is it? I don’t imagine your pain tolerance has sudden become higher,” the colonel said. “Are you starting to enjoy this, or are you just ready to be dead and done with the whole process?” He leaned closer to Tariq. “You will give me the location of the Omne Occasus before you die. Of that, I am certain.”
He pressed the button again.
Liora pulled. It took all of her strength to keep from screaming when the electricity rushed through her. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced. All of Obruo’s tortures, her time under Malivian’s cruel tutelage, and her training paled in comparison to the way her heart stuttered and her lungs burned. Her teeth ached and even the bottoms of her feet hurt.
“Liora, don’t,” Tariq said, his voice tight.
Liora couldn’t hide what she was doing any longer. She channeled the pain and yelled, “Leave him alone!”
The colonel released the button. Liora slumped in her chains. Colonel Lefkin made his way to her.
“Does watching the one you love be tortured to death affect you so?” he asked, his voice mockingly kind. He cupped her chin and lifted her face to look at him. “I’ve heard that a crew can become like a family, but this is a little ridiculous, don’t you think? Damaclans are supposed to be tough. I didn’t imagine them to be the type to faint at the sight of torture.”
He let go of her face and walked back to Tariq. The sound of his footsteps hurt Liora’s ears. She lifted her head and met Tariq’s gaze. He shook his head, his eyes pleading.
“Don’t do it,” he mouthed.
“Your girl is a bit of a disappointment, Tariq,” the colonel said. “You, on the other hand, are more resilient than others I have dealt with. It seems I shall have to up the volts a bit. According to my specialists, it’s more than a human is physically equipped to deal with. Tell me what I want to know, or you’ll get to experience the joyful sensation of your heart exploding.”
Tariq mumbled something. Liora lifted her head. It al
armed her how much strength it took to look at him. His eyes held her gaze. She shook her head.
Colonel Lefkin stopped in front of Tariq.
“This is your last chance, Officer Donovan. Tell me where the Omne Occasus is, or I’ll get to watch you die before I turn to Liora for answers.” He leaned closer. “And I guarantee my methods won’t be nearly as kind.”
Tariq watched Liora. His gaze was intense. Neither of them could let the colonel know the Omne Occasus was still on the Kratos. There was no doubt the colonel’s men had searched the ship, but Liora wasn’t surprised they hadn’t looked inside the old loading crates. Nobody in their right mind would put an imploder of that magnitude inside a junk wooden box.
“Last chance,” the colonel said, his voice deadly serious.
Tariq said the only answer he could. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The colonel’s face reddened. He looked for a minute as though he would throttle the officer; instead, he raised his hand.
“You’ve sealed your fate, Officer Donovan. I can’t say I’m sorry to see you leave the Macrocosm.”
Liora pulled the second the colonel pressed the button. True to his word, he had increased the voltage. When it slammed into her, Liora’s legs gave out. Her handcuffs cut into her wrists as she dangled. The pain of the volts traveled up and down her body. Her heart stuttered. Her chest ached. The thought that Tariq was strong enough to handle some of the pain repeated in her mind, but she couldn’t think past the fiery agony enough to push some of it back toward him.
The pain stopped.
“What are you doing here?” Colonel Lefkin demanded.
Gunshots sounded. The thud of bodies hitting the floor reached Liora. She couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes. Each beat of her heart felt like it would be the last. Every surge of blood through her system brought more agony.
“Get him out of there.” Brandis’ voice echoed in the small room. She heard his shoes squeak on the clean floor when he turned. “Liora?”
Hands touched her gently, but the pain of her raw nerve endings was too much to bear. A sound escaped her lips and she felt herself slipping away.
