JakesPrisoner (4 page)

The bathroom door opened and she stepped into the gloom.
“Damned lamp,” Tanith muttered as she walked toward it.

“Leave it,” a voice called from the shadows.

Jake’s strong arms wrapped around her and he carried her
toward the bedroom. Her treacherous human was back. Tanith kicked and squirmed
in his arms. She managed to free one hand and used it to punch him in the face.
“Let me go, Jake. Put me down.”

He tossed her onto the bed and wiped his nose with the back
of his hand. She had drawn blood. “Just listen to me. I came to tell you that
I’m sorry, Tanith. Please believe me, I never meant to hurt you.”

The human’s face looked strained and he had dark circles
under his eyes. He obviously hadn’t been sleeping well.
Served him right
,
she thought bitterly. “You lied to me, Jake. Everything about us was a lie.”

“Tanith, please don’t…”

Why was he unhappy? The human didn’t care about her. The
nights they had lain together in this room meant nothing to him. She was just
another job. They probably laughed at her—the stupid Cyraelian female falling
for someone like him. “Get out of here, Jake. I won’t be providing any more
amusement for you and your human friends. Leave me alone.”

Jake’s hands grabbed her upper arms and he pulled her toward
him. His eyes blazed hot with anger. He exhaled slowly and released her arms.
“It was never like that, Tanith. What we had together was real. Look, I know
what I did was wrong. I know that it will take us time to get over this, but my
ship is leaving tonight and I’m not going without you.”

Oh, he was good. For a brief moment she almost believed him.
Did he really think that she was that stupid? That she would fall for his lies
again?

The bedroom door opened and Jake’s techie friend popped his
head inside. “I hate to interrupt such a sweet reunion, but Atam’s Terra-pod
just pulled up out front. We need to get out of here.”

“I am not going with you.”

“Sweet merciful stars, you are such a pain.” Pete’s arm
whipped around her chest and the other pressed hard against her neck and then
everything went black.

The corridor was empty and they carried the quilt-wrapped
bundle into the service elevator and down to the waiting vehicle. Pete placed
her unconscious body in the backseat while Jake slid into the front. “I’ll
drive, you sit with her.”

Pete eyed the rolled-up quilt nervously. “What am I going to
do if she wakes up?”

Jake grinned into the mirror. “Pray.”

He eyed the clock on the dash. They would have to drive
through the city if they wanted to make the ship on time. He didn’t want to
annoy Strom any more than he already had and showing up late with a female
prisoner was going to seriously annoy him. The bundle began to wriggle when
they reached Central Avenue and Tanith’s head emerged from the quilt. “You
techie creep, what the hell did you do to me?”

“It’s called a carotid artery pinch. Would you like me to
show you again?”

“Pete,” Jake yelled from the front.

Tanith kicked furiously, trying to dislodge the quilt. Her
foot struck the window, attracting a stare from the driver of the vehicle in
the next lane.

“Pete, will you ever keep her still.”

“I’m trying,” he said as he wrestled with the wriggling
bundle.

Tanith managed to free one arm and she landed a punch on his
jaw.

“Ouch,” Pete yelled. “If you do that again, I will punch you
back.”

She lay still for a moment, contemplating the threat. Pete
wouldn’t dare. Jake would kill him if he hurt her. She lashed out with her leg,
grazing his cheek with the heel of her shoe. “Oh, I’m sorry, I hope that didn’t
hurt. Much.”

“That is it. I have had it up to here with you.”

Jake watched anxiously in the mirror as Pete rolled Tanith
into the narrow floor space between the seats and followed her down. There was
a furious thrashing behind him. He had never met anyone who could curse as much
as Pete, but Tanith was running a close second. If they weren’t in so much
danger, it might have been funny.

Pete gave a roar from the back. “She bit me. She fucking bit
me. Jake, we better be near the spaceport or she is out of here at the next
junction.”

Jake increased speed. They wouldn’t be around to deal with
the consequences. He ran a red light at the last junction and they screeched to
a halt at the loading bay. Jake went to find a shuttle. He was back within
minutes, but by then there was a screaming match coming from the back of the
Terra-pod. He opened the door. “I’m glad you’re both getting on so well. We’re
in shuttle bay nine, departing in seven minutes.”

Between them, they carried the wriggling bundle to the
shuttle. Thankfully, they were the only crew. The force field in the rear of
the shuttle meant that she couldn’t physically get at them, but her shouts and
threats were beginning to hurt his ears. “I have to talk to Strom. Can you take
her to the brig?”

“Not a chance, Jake. If I never see her again it will be too
soon.”

“I’ll give you a hundred credits.”

Pete rubbed his jaw. “Make it two. She bites.”

“Done.”

“Let me out of here, you bastards.” Tanith grabbed the food
tray and flung it in the direction of the doorway. The tray bounced back,
clanging loudly when it hit the floor, while the food struck the force field
with a sizzling splat, oozing slowly downward until it reached the floor of the
cell.

She picked up the regulation flight suit from the low bunk,
eyeing it disdainfully. There was no way that she was going to wear that ugly
thing. Glancing around the cell, she spotted the container of water, which had accompanied
her dinner and poured the contents over the suit before flinging it into a
corner. She sat down on the bunk, breathing heavily. There was nothing left to
destroy.

Tanith took inventory of her new surroundings—one bunk
without blankets, one chair fixed to the floor, one tiny sink with a scrap of
polished metal above it. Behind a low screen at the rear of the cell were a
sonic shower stall and a metal toilet. If they thought they were going to keep
her caged like an animal, they were sadly mistaken.

When she got out of here, Jake and his techie friend were
going to suffer. Tanith hugged the robe tighter, rubbing her hands up and down
the sleeves. It was cooler here than it was on Cyraelia and the idiots hadn’t
thought to bring any of her clothes. What the hell was she going to do for the
next six months with a wardrobe that consisted of lingerie and high heels?
Tears of frustration pricked behind her eyelids and she blinked them away.

Overhead, the electronic eye of the security monitor
recorded her every movement. She hadn’t been able to reach it earlier, but
perhaps it could have a messy encounter with breakfast tomorrow. With that
cheerful prospect in mind, Tanith rubbed her eyes. She wouldn’t give them the
satisfaction of crying. In fact, they were probably watching her right now.

Wait a minute. The ship hadn’t left Cyraelian space yet.
There was still time to escape. All she needed was one stupid human to open the
cell door. Her mouth curved in a smile. It was time to fight back and she still
had one weapon.

Tanith stood up gracefully and walked to the rear of the
cell. Keeping her back to the camera, she shrugged out of the bathrobe, easing
it slowly downward to reveal a dark-red chemise with thin straps. The chemise
barely concealed the
Dermatrax
. Since she’d met the treacherous human,
the markings had been growing rapidly. Within a few weeks it would reach the
top of her spine and then the
Dermatrax
would drive her to seek a
life-mate. Poor thing probably thought that Jake was it.
Well, we were both
wrong about that one.

Tanith released her hair from its bindings, allowing the
soft, black strands to ripple down her back. She turned her head and looked
over her shoulder, blowing a kiss in the direction of the camera, beckoning the
watchers. Lying down on the bunk, she closed her eyes and began to count.

At the far end of the corridor, Ensign McGee almost leapt
off his chair. “Holy stars, did you see what she just did?”

The crewman beside him groaned. Brig duty was usually boring
as hell, with nothing but the occasional fight or a drunken crewman to liven up
the long hours. Today was different. Chief Engineer Olafson had arrived a short
while ago carrying a Cyraelian female over one shoulder, trying to ignore her
as she screamed, kicked and bit him. Then she had entertained them with a
violent temper tantrum in the cell. He had seldom met a woman with a filthier
tongue.

“Shouldn’t we go to her, Sir? I mean, she must want
something.”

The junior crewman gazed wistfully at the monitor. They had
all hoped to have a close encounter of the Cyraelian kind when they arrived
here. But the captain had issued orders that the women were strictly
off-limits. “I could go down there and check on her,” he offered hopefully.

The supervisor swiveled in this chair. “I think that as
senior crewman on the watch, I better go and see what the little lady wants.”

* * * * *

Jake waited nervously outside the captain’s briefing room.
He wasn’t looking forward to this. Strom would go supernova when he heard what
he and Pete had done, but he couldn’t leave Tanith behind. Adjusting the collar
on his tunic, he pressed the entrance com. He had to get this over with.

“Good to have you back on board, Jake.”

Jake took a deep breath. “I’d like to make a complaint,
Sir.”

Strom sat bolt upright in his chair. “Ship’s com, please
record these proceedings.”

“Affirmative, Captain.”

“What is the nature of your complaint, Lieutenant Svenson?”
Strom asked formally.

“I wish to report an assault on a Fleet Command officer by a
Cyraelian civilian, Sir.”

Strom’s dark eyes narrowed in bewilderment. “You may
continue, Lieutenant Svenson.”

Here goes. I hope the weeks I spent plowing through Fleet
Command regulations have been worth it.
“Sir, I believe I have the right
under Star Code Alpha 9706.23 to have the civilian brought to trial before a
panel of three officers, of no lower than the rank of captain.”

“I’ll have to check that one out, Lieutenant. But even so,
I’m the highest-ranking Fleet Command officer in this quadrant and the only
captain.”

Jake’s mouth twisted at the edges as he tried not to grin.
Any second now, Strom was going to blow. “You can’t adjudicate, Sir. You’re a
witness to the assault, Sir.”

Two angry spots flared on Strom’s cheeks. “Tanith. You’re
talking about charging Tanith Jasson with assault? Let me get this straight.
You expect me to take your former lover into custody so that she can stand
trial before a military court back on Earth?”

Jake couldn’t hide his smile any longer. It was almost
impossible to get one over on Strom, but he couldn’t do anything about this.
“Yes Sir.”

“Lieutenant Svenson,” Strom said impatiently. “Did you do
anything else while in custody except study Fleet Command regulations?”

Jake stood up straight, keeping his eyes fixed on the
view-screen behind Strom’s desk. “No, Sir. Not a lot, Sir.”

The doors opened again and Pete entered. “The prisoner is in
the brig, Sir. And if I might add, Sir, she bit me twice, Sir.” He rubbed his
left hand. “I’ve never encountered such a little hellcat.”

“Ship’s com, cease recording.”

Strom looked from one to the other, shaking his head in
frustration. “Jake, this is impossible. I insist that you drop these charges.”

“I plan on doing just that, boss, the minute I get her back
to Earth.”

“And what are you going to do with Tanith in the meantime?”

Jake winked at him. “I’m going to tame her.”

Tanith’s eyelashes fluttered open as the force field
disengaged. The crewman hovered at the doorway. One hundred and ninety-two
seconds—damn, she had hoped the control room was farther away.

“Are you all right, Miss?”

Tanith sat up. “I’m scared, crewman. I’ve never been in
custody before. Can you sit with me for a little while?”

“I’m afraid that would be against regulations, Miss.”

Despite his words, Tanith noted that he had already taken
two steps into the cell, carefully avoiding the spilled food. “Well, perhaps
you can help me find my earring? I seem to have dropped it.”

Kneeling down, she patted the floor beneath the bunk, giving
him a glimpse of smooth, shapely thigh. He was down beside her in an instant.
Tanith pointed to the floor beside the sink. “There it is.”

The crewman never saw the tray coming, but she gave him a
second blow just to be sure. Tanith removed the laser weapon from his
unconscious body. She had minutes at most before they came for her. Pulling on
the damp flight suit, she ran barefoot from the cell. The shuttle bay was six
flights below and the elevator was thankfully empty. Tanith watched as the
display changed with agonizing slowness. “Come on. Come on.”

The doors opened. A row of silvery craft lined the shuttle
bay. Most were in darkness, secured and ready for departure, but one was still
being unloaded. She moved stealthily toward the small craft, her bare feet
moving silently on the polished floor. Two men were laughing and joking as they
unpacked the last of the supplies. They were both young and unarmed. Tanith
stepped out from behind the engine and pointed her weapon. “Hello, humans.”

After that, it was almost too easy. Tanith strapped herself
into the copilot’s seat and watched as the pilot performed the preflight check.
The other one would operate the shuttle bay door. She had given him her
assurance that his friend would be released unharmed when they landed safely on
the surface. “Can’t you go any faster?”

The young crewman flushed. “I’m going as fast as I can,
ma’am, but I have to follow preflight procedures.”

At last the engines hummed and the craft moved forward. The
shuttle bay doors opened slowly and Tanith could see the vast inkiness of space
and the planet far below them. She breathed a sigh of relief. Soon she would be
home again and Jake could go and jump into a black hole. The craft rose
smoothly, heading for open space. Just a few more minutes and they would be out
of here. A klaxon sounded, loud and shrill, audible above the engines of the
shuttle. She twisted in her seat to look at the pilot. “What’s happening?”

“It’s an emergency shutdown, ma’am. They’re overriding the
outer doors from the bridge.”

Tanith pressed the laser gun against his head. “Keep going.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t. We won’t make it.”

Tanith watched as beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
He was just a kid, probably several years younger than she. She pulled the
weapon away from his face, suppressing a burst of hysterical laughter when she
realized that the safety was still on. It was no use. She was going nowhere.
“Set the shuttle down.”

“Yes ma’am.” He could hardly disguise the relief in his
voice.

The shuttle returned to its parking bay and the engines
ceased humming. The crewman eyed the weapon nervously. “Ma’am?”

“Get out of here,” she snarled.

Tanith watched through the view-screen as he ran toward the
security party. Two officers and three crew members stood on the deck, all were
armed. She weighed her options. One against five was suicide but at least she
would go out in a blaze of glory.
Just like Raoul
, a small bitter voice
inside her head reminded her. While she was alive, she still had a chance to
escape and she could hurt Jake the way he had hurt her. Dropping her weapon,
Tanith stepped from the shuttlecraft with her hands above her head.

Jake reached her first. His face was ashen, and somehow that
made her feel a whole lot better. “Tanith, what the hell did you think you were
doing? You could have been hurt.”

His eyes were filled with a mixture of anger and concern. If
she didn’t know better, she might have believed that the treacherous human was
actually worried about her. “Why, Lieutenant Svenson, I didn’t know you cared.”

Jake touched her face. “Tanith, don’t. You know how I feel
about you.”

She wanted to believe him, to rest her face against his
hand, to feel his arms around her once more.
How the hell does he do this to
me?
Tanith pulled away, wiping her cheek roughly with the sleeve of her
flight suit. She glared, willing Jake to believe that she hated him. Instead,
the skin around his eyes crinkled and he smiled at her. Jake wasn’t fooled for
a minute. She still wanted him and he knew it.

She should have let them shoot her.