“Hiring illegal women is illegal,” I counter. “Your club isn’t afraid to cross that line.”
Spur’s eyes narrow. “What are you? Aurelian Law Enforcement?”
See? Not dumb.
A cowardly, immoral, opportunistic piece of scum…
…but not dumb.
I sneer back: “You think we’d come here, looking to buy a woman for our harem, and be working for the law? The penalty for slavers is death – Aurelian or human.”
I narrow my eyes.
“You’ve got a reputation as a businessman, Spur. Don’t disappoint us.”
His chest puffs up. Humans love to be complimented by Aurelians. Their species will never match up to ours – but they constantly try.
Spur snaps his fingers. A tall, elegant woman with waist-length hair steps forward and fills four glasses with strong, amber liquid. She nods at Spur – as if wordlessly asking permission to leave – and then sashays away. The sway of her body as she strides away doesn’t affect me like it normally would. Normally the sight of a curvaceous human female like that would stir dark desires inside of me – the infamous Aurelian mating frenzy…
But right now? Nothing. That beautiful woman holds about as much sexual allure for me as a chair, or Spur’s desk.
It’s weird - but I chalk it down to being in a tense negotiation – one that will stop us from having to turn this joint into a battleground.
“So,” Spur demands, “what’s your offer?”
“This bastard is a slave trader. We should take him in.” Hadrian’s telepathic growl is deep and feral. His aura is building in anger.
“Entrapment,” I quickly telepath back. That’s true enough – Spur isn’t a slaver by trade, merely opportunity. That would give him legal protection, even within the Aurelian legal system. When we get back to Colossus we can order an undercover operation to take him down. Until then… we have bigger worries.
I growl at the human: “Let us see the wares first. A private dance. If we like her, then we’ll pay two thousand for her.”
Spur laughs. “Two thousand? On this world? You’re out of your bloody alien minds. Six thousand would be an insult. Take your dance, Aurelians – and then you’ll see that she’s worth the price I’m going to ask for.”
“I don’t like this.” Kitos sounds worried. “We’re only authorized to spend three thousand.” He pauses. “Not to mention – she may be our mate. It’s time to call this mission off.”
I listen to Kitos’ telepathic voice as I consider what to do. Something inside warns me that it’s a bad idea to see this fugitive, Allie, up close. If that little temptress could affect us so deeply while she was all the way up on that stage, there’s no telling what she’d cause us to do if she was in close proximity. It’s as though that seductive wench was trained to seduce our species…
In fact, she has a track record of doing exactly that.
But before we can move forward with the arrest, we must confirm her identity. We have to know for certain that this is the ‘Allie’ we seek. Human females can look alike, and plastic surgery and full-face transplants are available for criminals with deep enough pockets.
They can’t change their DNA, though. As I think that, I reach down and gently stroke the pocket of my reinforced pants.
In my pocket is a small testing needle – a device that I need to sink into Allie’s thigh to find out if her DNA is a match for ‘Allie Tabber’ – the fugitive we seek.
The woman who willingly entered an Aurelian harem, seduced a triad, stole a fortune… and then left in the night, like a ghost.
Well, we’re like ghosts too, hot on her trail. On the outside, the three of us look like Rogue Aurelians – wearing sharp business suits unlike togas, or power armor the warriors of the Empire are normally seen in.
But there’s nothing normal about these suits. The new undercover technology can stop small caliber bullets without looking like we’re wearing army grade materials – and they’re just one of the many tricks we have up our tailored sleeves.
That doesn’t tell us anything about Allie, though.
Why would a woman who’d stolen over 200,000 credits be working in a dump like this?
I consider Kitos’ warning and adjust my strategy in light of it.
“We’ll take that dance,” I nod at Spur, “but I don’t want to waste your time or mine. Three thousand will be as high as we’re willing to go.”
Spur gets the glint of money in his eyes. He’s already moved us up from two thousand to three, and he’s banking on our species’ fabled mating instinct to blind us further when we see Allie up close.
But we won’t be blinded. We’ll keep eyes on the job. If this woman is Allie Tabber, then we’ll confirm it – then we’ll bring her back to Colossus. Justice awaits her there. It’s where she’ll spend the next twenty years in prison.
3
Allie
Shit! Shit!
Who wants me in the pleasure room? Those fucking businessmen pigs who’d shoved money in my mouth? Or one of the other groups of men out there?
And specifically me? Brienne is going to flip.
But, worse than that, whoever the men who’ve demanded me are, they’ll expect more than just a dance, given the prices that Spur charges.
Gods… I’ve never done anything more than dancing for men for money, and the thought of having to do sexual acts with one of those predators disgusts me…
And it’s not just one of them…
I shake my head at Obbit’s order.
“Please,” I beg. “Those businessmen don’t really care if they get me. Let one of the other girls do it – they’d be happy for the money!”
Obbit laughs. His eyes are cruel. He’s always hated that I refuse his advances. I sense he’s getting a sick satisfaction out of watching me wrestle with this.
“Businessmen? Ha! These are no
