Grabbed by Vicious (18 page)

on a woman is the mark of a convicted prostitute,” Lenny

explained.

Vicious closed his eyes. He could only imagine the

trauma a young woman of such a tender age would have

suffered at being marked a prostitute in a culture where

premarital sex was so taboo.

“When they turned her over to her father…”

Lenny couldn’t bring herself to speak the truth but

Vicious could fill in the blanks. He thought of the way

he’d spanked her backside last night. It had been playful

but had he terrified her then? Had he forced her to endure

flashbacks to all the pain she’d known in her father’s

house? The way she’d cowered in that corner made so

much more sense.

“You know,” Lenny continued softly, “everyone

expected her to become a hermit, but not Hallie. The very

next morning, she limped out to the market and did her

family’s shopping. She was all bruised and battered. Her

head was still bleeding in spots and scabbed in others.

She held her head high and didn’t even pay any attention to

the whispers. Even then, they couldn’t break her spirit.”

“No, I’m sure they couldn’t.” Vicious doubted anyone

could break Hallie. She possessed a well of inner strength

that rivaled any he’d known. Only Terror came to mind.

That man had known soul-crushing hell too.

“Her sister Bernie and I are the same age. That’s how I

knew Hallie. There weren’t many of us girls in that age

range, not after the cough came that winter and killed so

many of us. She lost her stepmother and two brothers that

winter.”

He nodded. “She told me.”

“I’m sure she told you about her father?”

“She said he’s a heavy drinker.”

“Very,” Lenny agreed. “Janer Blacksmith ran that house

with an iron fist. There’s a reason he never had a third

wife. No father in town would allow him to court their

daughters. He’s a good blacksmith but he’s an awful man.”

She exhaled a noisy breath. “Hallie spent most of her

childhood with switch and belt marks criss-crossing her

legs and backside. I’d wager that half of the time she was

covering for Bernie or one of her older brothers.”

Vicious wasn’t surprised by that tidbit of information. If

she was willing to have her head shaved to protect her

accomplices, she’d probably cover for a brother or sister

she viewed as weaker, even if that sibling was older.

“Why did her sister leave Harper’s Well?”

Lenny hesitated. “She was pregnant. With the morality

laws in Harper’s Well, there was nowhere for her to hide.

Even if she’d escaped to The City, they would have run

her papers and discovered she was missing.” She wrung

her hands. “Bernie’s issue was complicated by the father

of her child. He…he’s an alderman. A married alderman.”

“Of course he is,” Vicious muttered. “And Hallie

arranged for her sister to flee?”

Lenny nodded. “She’d been squirreling away money for

years to get away on a transport ship. After the shearing,

she really buckled down and started studying the laws. A

woman can legally gain a travel visa if she reaches the

safe zone during the Grab. It’s a kind of reward. Barring

that, her other choice was to hop a transport ship and buy a

smuggled seat in a cargo hold.”

“But her sister became pregnant and Hallie had to use

her money to get her sister to safety.”

“Yes. Bernie disappeared a few days before I was

Grabbed. Later, I found out she’d been smuggled out on

the
Shepherd
and reached the Safe Harbor colony safely.”

“That had to be expensive,” Sergeant Hawk commented.

“How in the world would a young woman in that hellhole

get that kind of money?”

Lenny dropped her gaze. “That’s not my story to tell.”

Vicious considered the woman’s body language. There

were only a few ways for a woman to earn a significant

amount of money in the backward villages of Calyx.

Obviously, Hallie hadn’t been a prostitute. That much was

clear from their first night together. Whatever the story, he

would get it from Hallie’s own lips.

His gaze fell to Sergeant Hawk’s left hand. The man

wore a silver band on his finger. “Sergeant, what is that?”

The man grimaced and tried to cover his hand. “I don’t

wear it in uniform, sir. Only here in private, with my

wife.”

Vicious glanced at Lenny’s left hand. She wore the

same type of ring on her finger, the band thinner and more

delicate. He noticed then that she wore no collar around

her neck. “You don’t wear a collar.”

She touched her neck and looked worried. “Only in

private, sir. I abide by the rules when I’m outside my

home.”

Vicious waved dismissively. “I’m not worried about

rules and regulations.” He sat forward. “Is this a custom

from your planet? Is this to do with a vow exchange?”

Lenny smiled. “Is that why you’re here? You don’t

understand our way of doing things?”

He nodded. “I believe I may have inadvertently hurt

Hallie’s feelings. I want to learn about your culture.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.” She glanced at her

husband and grinned. “Hawk wasn’t so sweet in the

beginning.”

“Lenny,” he said warningly but she just laughed and

kissed his cheek. The sergeant looked uncomfortable and

wouldn’t meet Vicious’ gaze. “I assumed my way of doing

things was the best way, sir. It turns out I was wrong.”

Vicious chuckled softly. “Yes, I’m beginning to

understand this too.”

“In our culture, after a man finds a young woman he’s

sweet on, he asks her father for permission to court her.

It’s a slow, gentle process, Colonel. There are chaperoned

walks and letters and picnics. We attend public dances

together and exchange small trinkets. Love grows slowly,

you see?”

“Yes.”

“When we marry, we stand before our friends and

family and exchange vows to love and cherish in sickness

and health, in times of plenty and in times of none. They

come from our sacred book that came with our ancestors

from Earth.” Lenny looked a bit wistful. “Some couples

write their own vows. My parents did.” She paused and

looked a bit uncertain. “A wedding ceremony is a big

thing to us. It’s not the same as being Grabbed and hauled

off to a sky ship, Colonel.”

“Yes, I see that now.” Even if Hallie hadn’t wanted to

get married, he bet that deep down inside, she’d wanted

that kind of commitment. Instead, she’d been snatched up

and forced into a marriage with a stranger.

“Colonel?” Lenny dared to touch his knee. She smiled

encouragingly. “Look, these marriages, they don’t always

start off on the best foot but most of us end up very happy.”

She moved her hand to Sergeant Hawk’s thigh and gave it

a squeeze. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Lenny. I appreciate you taking

the time to answer my questions.”

“Of course, sir. Um, would you mind if I visited

Hallie?”

“Not at all. I’ll have Hallie contact you.”

Vicious thanked them and left their quarters. He felt

numb as he waited for an elevator. Once inside, he hit the

stall button and leaned his forehead against the cold metal.

His heart ached. If Hallie had been planning to run

away all along, how much did she hate him for Grabbing

her and forcing her into their marriage? His chest tightened

so painfully he felt sure he was having a heart attack.

Would he lose her now? Would she want to leave him?

Could he bear to keep her here against her will?

All this new information swirled in his head. He needed

time to process it. But first he had to figure out how to

apologize to Hallie in a meaningful way. Hell, after

everything she’d been through, she deserved so much more

than a simple “I’m sorry”. He just didn’t know how to do

that.

And then it hit him.

He hit the activation button and rode the elevator down

to the shopping center. He just hoped they had what he

needed.

Chapter Ten

Hallie heard the front door open. She nervously rose

from the couch where she’d been reading and turned to

face the entryway. Vicious entered the living room and

caught sight of her. His steps faltered and he paused. Was

he upset that she’d gotten dressed in one of his shirts? He

hadn’t given her any instructions and she’d gotten cold

while he was away.

She noticed the blue gift bag dangling from his hand.

Finally, their gazes met. Awash in anxiety, she gripped her

hands and hoped he wouldn’t yell too loudly when it came

to a head.

Vicious crossed the living room and walked around the

couch, stopping when he was only inches from her. His

intense gaze unnerved her. She swallowed and waited to

see what he would do or say. His fingertips grazed her

cheek and drifted down her neck. He grasped a handful of

her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. She was

surprised to see such sadness in his blue eyes.

“Shorter suits you.”

She frowned up at him. “What?”

“Come here, Kitten.” He took her hand and tugged her

over to the big chair he favored. He dragged her down

onto his lap.

She perched awkwardly and fidgeted with the hem of

the shirt she wore. “I got cold. I hope you don’t mind.”

He caressed her bare thigh. “I don’t mind. I’ll get you

some clothing of your own tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

“Hallie?”

“Yes, Vicious?”

“Look at me, please.”

His slightly pleading tone worried her. She turned her

face toward him and gazed into his eyes. “What is it?”

“I’m sorry about this morning. I was upset and didn’t

know how to communicate with you.” He brushed his

palm over her knee. “I should not have left like that. It was

wrong. I’m sorry to have hurt you.”

She imagined it wasn’t easy for a man like Vicious to

admit he’d been a jackass. “I think I could have chosen my

words better. I didn’t mean to make you feel rejected or to

imply that what we’re building is less real or important

than the bond my sister and her husband share.” She

gripped his hand. “It’s just
different
, Vicious. It’s not bad,

you understand? We’re just starting from a different

place.”

“I understand.” He kissed her cheek, his lips lingering

on her skin. “I spoke with a woman from your village. She

helped me understand the differences between our

cultures’ ideas of the mate bond and marriage.”

“Really? Do I know her?”

He nodded. “Her name is Lenny.”

Shock tore through Hallie. “Lenny Greenmarket is on

this ship?” Excitement filled her. “Oh my goodness! Can I

see her?”

Vicious smiled. “Of course. She asked to see you. I told

her I’d pass along the message. You’re welcome to invite

her to visit as often as you like.”

Another thought struck Hallie. She touched her hair in

the same way Vicious had. The sadness in his eyes… “Did

Lenny tell you?”

Vicious seemed reluctant but answered honestly. “Yes.”

“I see.” Fear soured her belly. “So now you know that

I’m a criminal.”

Vicious made a disgusted sound and grasped her chin,

forcing her gaze to meet his. “You are not a criminal,

Hallie. You’re a young woman who chose to fight for

something she believed in deeply. I know that I jumped to

the wrong conclusion yesterday. I think I may have scared

you by assuming you worked with insurgents. It never

crossed my mind that someone as young as you would be

involved in political dissidence.”

“You’d be surprised,” she whispered. “Our parents and

grandparents seem content with the way things are but

those of us in the younger generations are totally over it.

By the time I was twelve, I knew things had to change. I’d

watched my mother die in agony and my baby brother too.

Later, it was my stepmother and stepbrothers.” She shook

her head as those awful memories tried to take hold.

“When I was given the red feather the summer I turned

fourteen, I accepted the invitation. I knew things had to

change.”

“Red feather?”

“It’s the symbol of our peaceful rebellion. You’ve seen

my passport. It has a white feather on it. The symbol of