Rebel (4 page)

Onca and Roncas were still in the kitchen and had undoubtedly been discussing her, for their conversation ended abruptly as Kim entered.

“Don’t you look cute,” Onca said, although his smile seemed a little forced.

“I love what you’ve done with your hair,” Roncas added. “It’s much…smoother.”

“I didn’t do anything to it,” Kim said. “The dryer did it. Or maybe it was the soap. I’m not sure.” She drew in a deep breath. “I guess I’m all set for whatever nefarious plans you two have for me.”

“Nefarious?” Onca echoed. “Dunno about that.” He glanced at Roncas, then shifted his gaze back to Kim. “Did Captain say anything to you?”

She shrugged. “Just something about a Zetithian setting on the hair dryer and how to open the door.”

“Good. I thought maybe he told you we were going to sell you into slavery or something equally
nefarious
.”

Roncas twittered again, leading Kim to assume this was her way of laughing. “You can trust him, Kim. He hasn’t got a mean bone in his body.” She cast a snide look in his direction. “Not very smart, though.”

“Hey, now,” Onca said. “I’m plenty smart. Got good grades in science and math and all that crap.”

“That isn’t what I meant.” Roncas gave Onca an indulgent smile and patted his hand, then leaned toward Kim and added in a confidential manner, “He’s somewhat lacking in common sense.”

Onca opened his mouth, presumably to protest, but Roncas wasn’t finished.

“And he’s not what you’d call tactful.”

“What
is
this?” Onca demanded. “Pick on the boss day?”

Roncas tossed a lock of her silvery hair over her shoulder. “You aren’t my boss anymore. I can be truthful.”

“Maybe so, but you don’t have to be nasty about it.”

Roncas arched a brow at him. “I am
never
nasty.”

“You two have been working together too long,” Kim observed. “I think you
both
need a vacation.”

“Yeah, well, that’s
your
fault, sweetheart,” Onca snapped. “I’d be starting my vacation right now if I hadn’t had to rescue your skinny little butt from that Herpatronian.”

Roncas shook her head sadly. “See what I mean? No tact whatsoever.”

“But it’s true!”

Kim certainly couldn’t argue that point. “I’ll just be going…” Sidling past the table, she headed for the front door.

“Oh, no you won’t!” Onca jumped up from his chair. “If you leave now, I’ll never find you again.”

“I believe that’s the general idea.” Roncas got to her feet. “Come, child, I’ll take you to my house.”

“Lock the door, Captain!” Onca rounded on Kim with desperation in his eyes. “If you disappear, Jack will kill me.”

“Oh, she will not,” Roncas said. “You don’t have to keep Kim here against her will to protect yourself from Jack.”

“Against her will? Mother of the gods! I rescued her, brought her home, gave her food, clothing, and a fuckin’
shower
, and now you’re telling me I’m keeping her here against her will?”

“He’s got a bit of a temper, too,” Roncas said with a sniff.

When Kim and Jatki had made their plans to discover the fate of their missing friends, Jatki had insisted that Kim not give her the signal unless she was absolutely certain the coast was clear. She was sure now.

“Calm down, Onca. I won’t leave—yet. But I need to let Jatki know I’m okay.”

Onca landed in his chair with a thud. “Do whatever you want. God forbid I should be accused of holding you prisoner.” He ran a hand through his hair, grumbling. “Last time
I
try to be a fuckin’ hero.”

Kim hesitated, biting her lip. “Jatki is probably hungry too.”

“Sure. Bring her on in,” Onca said with a sweeping gesture. “Feed her anything she wants. Clean out the stasis unit and rob me blind. I don’t give a shit.” Pushing his chair away from the table, he stood up and stalked off. “I’m going to bed. If you want anything, ask Captain. You obviously don’t need
me
.”

Kim watched the door slide shut behind him, feeling more bewildered than she had ever been in her life.

“Trust him now?” the Zuteran said with a smug smile.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Roncas shrugged. “Thought it might help you trust him a little better.” She cocked her head to one side, seeming more birdlike than ever. “Did it work?”

“Yes,” Kim replied. “I believe it did.”

Roncas nodded toward the door. “Go get your friend. I’ll stick around for a while in case you and the boss need a referee.”

“Thanks.”

The main door slid open as Kim approached. Apparently Onca’s last directive carried more weight than his order to lock her in.

Stepping out onto the porch, she gave the all-clear signal to Jatki.

And waited.

She gave the signal again.

And waited some more.

A few minutes later, Roncas came up behind her. “Where is she?”

“No clue,” Kim replied. “I just hope she didn’t do something stupid.”

Roncas laid a hand on her shoulder. “Onca told me what you were trying to do when he found you. Sounds to me like you’ve already done something stupid.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Kim scanned the street, alert to the slightest movement. All she saw was a yellow tabby slinking off between the two houses across the road. “Jatki and I have been together for a very long time. She’d better have a damn good reason for disappearing on me now.”

“Perhaps she didn’t see where you and Onca went,” Roncas suggested. “Did you arrange a place to meet if you got separated?”

“Yeah. I’d better head over there. She’ll be worried sick.”

If
she
isn’t dead.

“I’ll come with you,” Roncas volunteered. “We can take my speeder. If I let anything happen to you, Onca and Jack will
both
kill me.”

“Something tells me this ‘Jack’ and I would get along pretty well.”

“She’s definitely a survivor,” Roncas said. “Probably the toughest female I’ve ever met.”

Kim smiled. “You’re pretty tough yourself.”

“True, but Jack is a lot taller.” She pulled a tiny pulse pistol out of her pocket and checked the stun setting. “And she carries a bigger gun.”

“Yeah, well, hopefully we won’t need it.” Patting her own pocket to reassure herself that her knife was secure, Kim nodded toward the speeder. “Let’s go.”

What
a
way
to
start
a
vacation.

Or his retirement. Onca still wasn’t sure which it would turn out to be, but if this first day was any indication of what was to come, he probably ought to go back to the Palace and stand out on the street and solicit like all the other guys in the district.

Onca had never needed to do that before since he was only “seen” by appointment. Simply by soliciting, he could easily make five thousand credits a day. If he was diligent, he could probably do eight, even without Roncas. Too bad he didn’t need the money.

Roncas had always handled the business end of things—booking appointments, scanning the clients, taking their money. Onca wasn’t stupid. He could do all that shit. He didn’t need her. Especially after she’d turned on him like that. Kim probably thought he was a complete asshole.

Not that it mattered what she thought of him, but he did want to make sure she got her fair share of the trust fund. He didn’t fully understand why she wasn’t jumping at the chance to become rich overnight. Being concerned about her friends was admirable. Surely she could understand that a rich woman had a better chance of finding them than a homeless waif.

Waif.
She was a perfect example of that. Small, starved, no home, no family, and fewer friends now than she’d ever had before. Onca would be her friend if she would let him. But no, she had to go on being noble, dedicated, and trustworthy.

Yeah. All the things he wasn’t—at least, according to Roncas. He’d never realized Roncas had such a low opinion of him. Paying someone a salary apparently made them blind—or at least mute—to your faults.

Stripping off his clothing, he stepped under the waterfall, letting the soap and warm water work their magic on him. He washed away the scent of his last client, trying to remember her name or her face.

He couldn’t recall either of those things. She was simply the last in a long line of women he had slid his cock into and given joy. Would he miss the attention? The way women craved him, the way they gazed at him with adulation while in the throes of the orgasms triggered by his
snard
or later, when filled with
laetralant
delight?

Probably. Then again, if he missed all that, he only had to stand out on the street naked and say,
Come, mate with me, lovely lady, and I will give you joy unlike any you have ever known.

Would that standard pickup line actually work with a real Zetithian girl? It hadn’t worked very well on the refugee ship—not that those times counted for anything now. Outnumbered four to one, the girls on the ship could afford to be choosy. Back when he and his partners were working the brothel, many women had chosen Tarq or Jerden over him. The ladies on Rhylos had only had Onca for two years now.

Not that any of his clients ever complained. Maybe those others simply didn’t like redheads.

Or
maybe
I
really
am
an
asshole.

Not that it mattered. Plenty of women would jump at the chance to mate with a Zetithian for life, whether they liked him or not. The fact that he was rich would just be icing on the cake.

“I don’t care,” he said aloud. “I’m ready to be alone for a while anyway.”

“Shall I lock them out when they return?”

Onca should have known Captain would be listening.
Great.
He would live here until he was old and gray, bickering with his computer.

What
a
life.

“No, don’t lock them out when they return,” Onca grumbled. “I’m not
that
big of an asshole.”

“I was unaware that you were
any
size of such a thing.”

“Yeah, well, don’t go spreading it around. Wouldn’t want to ruin my reputation.”

“I shall keep it to myself.”

Onca hesitated, frowning. “Wait a minute. When they return? You mean they
left
?”

“They did. They are going to look for that Jatki person.”

“Son of a bitch!” Onca exclaimed. He stepped out from under the waterfall. “Dry me.
Fast
.”

“As you wish.”

Shaking back his hair, Onca stood with his arms outstretched, allowing the dryer access to as much body surface area as possible. “Did they say where they were going?”

“No, but they were armed and took the speeder in which Roncas arrived.”

Shit.
Onca had a speeder too. However, having no idea which way they might have headed left him with no alternative but to wait for them. Roncas had her comlink, her speeder, and Onca had seen that little pistol of hers a thousand times. There was no need for him to try to be a hero again—especially since it didn’t work out so well the last time. Kim would probably be pissed at him for following them anyway. “I might as well go to bed.”

“Considering your current state of exhaustion, that is advisable.”

“Wake me up when they come back.”
If
they came back. Somehow, Onca wasn’t sure they would. He could call Roncas later.

Oh, hell. He could call her
now
. Roncas had said he was lacking in common sense. Maybe she was right.

“Hey, Captain. Get Roncas on the house comlink, will you?”

Onca could’ve sworn he heard the computer snickering. “One moment.”

He arched a brow at the nearest sensor. “Aren’t you supposed to suggest shit like that whenever I’m acting like I’m too stupid to live?”

“Perhaps. But it is such a joy to watch you struggle.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m struggling.”

Moments later, Roncas’s huge eyes filled the viewscreen on the wall in Onca’s bedroom. “Not now, Boss. We’re busy, I’m driving, and you’re naked.”

“I’m
always
naked,” Onca retorted. “You’ve probably only seen me dressed eight or nine times in the past ten years.”

“Yes, but the kid hasn’t seen you undressed, and we must protect her innocence.”

“My name is
Kim
.” Onca couldn’t see her, but Kim was obviously in the speeder with Roncas. “And I’m not
that
innocent.”

Especially since she’d at least seen a picture of him naked. “You tell her, Kim,” Onca said. “Where are you?”

“On the way to the rendezvous point Jatki and Kim had arranged,” Roncas replied. “She didn’t come out when Kim gave her the all-clear signal.”

“And you didn’t bother to tell me this because…?”

The comlink sensor shifted to reveal Kim sitting in the passenger seat. “You didn’t seem interested.”

“That’s because I didn’t think you needed me. Do you?”

“Well…no. Not really.”

“Fine. Call me back if you think my pathetic self can ever be of some use.”

“You aren’t pathetic,” Kim said. “Just…unnecessary at the moment.”

Onca sneered at her image on the viewscreen. “Didn’t you ever hear the one about there being safety in numbers?”

“Not in so many words.” Her eyes flicked sideways to Roncas. “Maybe he’s right.”

“Mother of the gods! For once in my life, I’m right. Maybe. Ha!”

Onca wasn’t sure why all of this had him so irritated, but he couldn’t deny that he was supremely annoyed.

Probably
something
I
ate. Or didn’t eat. Or lack of sleep.
The latter being the most likely, he decided.

“If you want to come with us, we’re at—no, wait! There she is!” Kim exclaimed, pointing straight ahead.

“See any Herpatronians around?” Onca asked.

“Nope. Don’t see anyone but her.” Kim’s face fell. “She isn’t giving me the signal. Something’s wrong.”

Onca rolled his eyes. “Probably doesn’t expect you to be in a speeder. Or it
could
be a trap. Do you have a signal for that?”

Kim nodded. “She isn’t giving me either one.”

“One Kitnock looks very much like another, you know,” Onca said as he pulled on his pants. Stepping into his shoes, he headed for the back door. “Where are you?”

“The corner of Latreess and Mornil,” Roncas replied. “On the edge of the commerce district. You know where that big red Wiklaraben statue is?”

“Yeah. I know it. Head two blocks east and wait for me. Do
not
go anywhere near that girl ’til I get there. Understood?”

“Bossy, isn’t he?” Kim commented.

Roncas nodded. “You don’t know the half of it.”

“Nice,” Onca snapped. Snatching up his tunic, he checked to make sure he had credits, his comlink, and his Nedwut pulse pistol.
At
least
one
of
us
is
prepared.

“Sign me onto the speeder link, Captain,” he called out as he darted out the back door.

Climbing into his speeder, he tried to remember the last time he’d used the damn thing.
At
least
a
couple
of
months
ago.
Fortunately it was protected by a light weather shield and wasn’t covered with dust. Firing up the engine, he flew off toward the commerce district.

He glanced at the linkpad. “You two still there?”

“Yes,” Kim replied.

“I’ve been thinking—”

“
That
sounds dangerous,” Roncas said.

“Will you
stop
? I’m thinking maybe I should cruise by and give her your signal. I mean, the bad guys aren’t out to get
me
. So it’d just look like I was picking her up.”

“I’m presuming that would be for sex,” Roncas twittered.

“Thought you were trying to protect the kid’s innocence,” Onca drawled. “Doesn’t sound like it to me.”

“Yeah, right,” Kim said. “Like my innocence needs so much protecting. But a Zetithian picking up a Kitnock? Nobody would ever believe
that
.”

Onca gritted his teeth so hard his fangs dug into his lip. “Will you two knock it off? I could be picking her up to take her to the space station to go visit her Great-Aunt Vlordkin for all anyone knows. It doesn’t have to be for sex.”

“True,” Roncas admitted. “This isn’t the brothel district.”

“Why, thank you, Roncas,” Onca said sweetly. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Can you still see her from where you are?”

“Just barely,” Kim replied. “We’ll keep an eye on her until you get here.”

He flew on through the city, dodging slower traffic and a huge Darconian male who was lumbering across the street. His scaly tail swished back and forth in his wake, nearly flipping the speeder as Onca skimmed over it.

“Sorry!” he yelled as he flew past.

The Darconian thumped his tail on the street in reply. Onca wasn’t completely sure what that meant and thought back to the last time he’d fucked one of the dinosaur-like lizards. As he recalled, sex had definitely involved tail thumping.

Must
be
a
good
thing, then.

Or at least the Darconian equivalent of
Hey, no problem, pal.

Banking the speeder through a turn, he remembered he didn’t have to worry about that sort of thing anymore. No more getting an erection from Audrey’s scent in order to fuck what amounted to a snub-nosed
Tyrannosaurus
rex.
Those days were over, whether he went back to work at the brothel or not. Fucking Darconians hadn’t been possible for several years now, anyway. Not since Audrey was murdered by that crazy Davordian woman.

We
were
too
greedy.

That was where they had gone wrong. Sex with females who aroused them naturally was the only way to go. Besides, Darconians never got their money’s worth. The joy juice pumped out by the coronal serrations of a Zetithian penis didn’t have the orgasmic effect on them that it had on, say, Terran females. The
snard
seemed to work, though. At least, they all said it did, and that reaction was tough to fake.

Audrey’s death had affected Jerden the most, but Onca knew if they hadn’t followed her suggestion to hire her so they could fuck anyone with a thousand credits to spare, she would probably still be alive today. Jerden wasn’t the only one undone by the guilt. Onca had endured his fair share.

Not that feeling guilty would bring Audrey back. Nonetheless, as Onca saw it, his job was to keep Kim alive long enough to claim her portion of the trust fund. Perhaps it was his way of atoning for that other sin. He wasn’t sure. He only knew he had to deliver her to Terra Minor alive and well. Then he could get on with his life.

Such as it was.

***

Kim never took her eyes off Jatki as her friend stood next to the building they had picked for their meeting spot. They had chosen it because it was out in plain sight, making it difficult for an ambush or a kidnapping—all of which seemed less incredulous and more possible as the hours ticked by. The girls had always kept to the shadows, eluding the police, irate merchants, or males with nefarious intentions.

She liked that word, nefarious. There were lots of words she didn’t understand the meaning of, much less how to spell them. Not that she needed to do much of that, but with her limited education, learning was a forbidden passion to her.

Kim didn’t like feeling stupid, and being streetwise didn’t count. She could read and write well enough to interpret signs and do basic math, but that was the extent of her knowledge. Any science had been learned through observation. Jatki had been in school longer and had taught her a few things, but what Onca said about Zetith left her stunned.

Her parents must have known at least some of Zetith’s history, but they had never mentioned the destruction of their homeworld. Perhaps it was too painful for them to discuss or perhaps they thought their children were too young for such knowledge. Either way, history was a subject Kim knew very little about, and living on the fringes of society made it difficult to keep up with current events. Small wonder she hadn’t heard about the destruction of Zetith or the man responsible for it. He must have been incredibly rich to wage a war against her people and still have enough money left to create a trust fund.