RedeemingZorus (6 page)

“Make it your business.”

The shorter human shifted his stance. “Why?”

Zorus hesitated and then made a decision. “I owe her a debt.
Find out that information and I’ll purchase her from the human.”

“I don’t think so. Gerald Yazer isn’t someone who lets go of
anything he wants. I got the impression he wants her bad.”

“Everything has a price.”

“I’ve had dealings with the guy before and he’s a rich,
pampered ass.” A pair of intelligent eyes studied Zorus closely. “Besides, if
you want to buy a woman, I can locate better-looking ones. I have some onboard.
I could rent you one if you want sex. I keep her for my personal use. She’s
beautiful and clean. If you really enjoy her body, I’d be willing to part with
her if the price is high enough.”

Disgust rose inside Zorus. “That isn’t what I want to
purchase the human for. I stated that I owe her a debt. What are you being paid
to deliver her?”

“Twenty thousand credits.”

“I’ll pay you a hundred thousand credits to allow her to
escape.”

“To escape?”

“You heard me.”

“You’re willing to pay that but you don’t plan to keep her?”

“I have no use for a human slave. They cause trouble.”

“Then why even bother to waste that many credits?”

“She’s rude and annoying, but for a human, she has unique
qualities I’d hate to think will be broken when her spirit is. I doubt she’ll
take to captivity well. The human male will probably kill her quickly because
of excessive sarcasm.”

“You have that much on you?” The captain’s gaze lowered down
Zorus. “If you do, I’m not seeing it, and I’m pretty sure, as tight as those
clothes are, I would.”

“My people will pay you. Just tell them to add it to
whatever you’re being paid. I have the authority to authorize it.”

Green eyes glittered. “I have a reputation you know.”

“A hundred thousand is five times more profit than you’d
manage if you just delivered the woman. Take it or leave it.” Zorus glared at
him. “I won’t go any higher in price.”

“And you want me to give her an opportunity to escape?”

“Yes.”

“That would mean giving her access to a life pod. We’re
ready to lift off and need to do that in the next ten minutes to avoid being
searched. If I just have someone carry her off the shuttle she’ll be located by
the authorities before the drugs wear off.”

Zorus contained his irritation. “Fine. I’ll agree to a
hundred fifty thousand credits. That will more than cover the cost of you
losing a pod.”

“Deal.” Captain Varel grinned. “I’ll order my men not to
give her another dose of the paralyzing drug and mark up the exits to the
nearest pod clear enough that she can’t miss them. In about three hours she’ll
be able to move again and my men will allow her to leave the ship without
interfering.”

“Make sure there is enough fuel on the pod to allow her to
make it safely to Saturn. That is where she planned to go.”

“Fine.” The captain nodded and turned away. “I’m going to
double-check that the funds are available before I allow her escape.”

“You do that.” Zorus knew the council would agree. “Tell
them it’s a life debt payment I sanctioned. They’ll understand.”

The moment the captain left, Zorus reached for the
ill-fitting clothing he wore to remove them. He’d repaid Charlie and she seemed
to be a resourceful human. She’d sworn vengeance on her brother and he didn’t
doubt she’d locate the greedy human once she reached Saturn and make him pay
for his treachery.

* * * * *

Charlie slowly regained movement in her fingers first and
then could stir her wrist. She had no idea how much time had passed but she’d
run out of tears. It really hurt that her brother had sold her to Gerald. It
shouldn’t have surprised her that Russell would do something so low but it had.
Family should mean something to him.

Frustration and bitterness swamped her as she wiggled her
toes. First she needed to get out of this mess and then she’d hunt down her
dear brother, take her share of the money before he gambled it away, and then
she planned to start a new life without him. The promise to her parents seemed
irrelevant under the circumstances. If they were still alive to see how low
Russell had sunk they wouldn’t have asked her to look out for him in the first
place.

The fact that Gerald played a part in this nightmare didn’t
surprise her in the least. He’d tossed her over for a rich woman who waved a
new life in his face but he’d wanted to keep Charlie on the side. She would
never allow him to touch her after he’d ripped her heart to shreds. He wouldn’t
have resisted an opportunity to get her under his thumb. Anger made her heart
pump faster, working the drug out of her system until she managed to move her
legs.

It took time but she sat up. The dark room revealed nothing
but she remembered where the door was. She stood on unsteady legs and wobbled
forward until she touched a metal wall. By feel, she managed to find the door
and the panel next to it. Lights blinded her when she found the “on” button for
them.

The shuttle had outdated technology, something she felt grateful
for as she used her fingernails to pop off the panel. She raised her knee to
retrieve the knife she’d stashed inside her boot. The idiots hadn’t frisked her
for concealed weapons. A smile curved her mouth as she hacked wires then
withdrew her small kit from her bra that contained the tools she had used to
free Zorus. She worked quickly.

“What is your request?” The computer had a masculine voice.

“Display a layout of the shuttle’s interior.”

A blueprint of the shuttle appeared on the screen above the
panel. It even detailed where she’d been dumped.

“Show me where nonpersonal is.”

One room lit up since the computer had been fooled into
thinking Charlie had full access. Zorus had been assigned a room on the same
level of the three-floor shuttle but his quarters were located on the opposite
end, one corridor over.

“Now display all heat signatures.”

The crew seemed to mostly be grouped together on the lowest
deck in what appeared to be the mess hall. Two signatures showed near the
engines but none shared the same level she and Zorus were on. The cyborg’s
stationary heat signature assured her he wasn’t moving around the ship.

“Track me and verbally warn me if anyone attempts to enter
this section.”

“Confirmed.”

“Give me full voice command.”

“Confirmed.”

“Open the doors.”

The doors slid open to reveal a dim hallway. Charlie stepped
out, confident that she wouldn’t run into anyone, steered right, and used the
wall to keep her upright as her still-sluggish legs struggled to carry her
forward. She paused in front of the door where Zorus was quartered.

“Open the door.”

The second it slid open Zorus whirled to face her, his big
body going into a defense posture. She gripped the open doorjamb to stare at
him. “Hi. I’m the cavalry so don’t attack me. My body is still too messed up
and my reflexes are too screwed to block any punches you may throw. Are you all
right?”

“I locked the door.” His body relaxed but he looked
distinctly surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Saving your ass if you need it.” She cleared her throat.
“I’m escaping but I wanted to check on you first. If that son of a bitch
brother of mine lied to me about our plans then I wasn’t sure he really
intended for you to be returned to your people. If he set you up too then I
sure wasn’t going to leave you behind.”

Zorus’ dark gaze widened. “Why didn’t you just escape?”

Charlie frowned at him. “Do you need rescuing or not? I’m
sure someone will realize I hacked the computer sooner than later. We need to
be off the shuttle before they do. We’ll be screwed once they take back
control. At the moment, I can get us out of here and disable them long enough
for us to put some distance between us and the pod I plan to steal. I’m going
to have their computer run diagnostics. It will lock it up for a good twenty
minutes with this old shuttle. That will give us plenty of time to make good on
our escape.”

The big cyborg gaped at her, mute and shocked.

“Time is not our friend now, Zorus. Do you need to come with
me or are you cool?”

Her words seemed to shake him. “What if I were in danger?”

“We’ll find the nearest space port and I’ll hack into a
secure line for you to contact your people to pick you up. I’m heading for
Saturn to have a little family reunion once I’m sure you’re safe.”

“You are truly concerned for my well-being?”

“Duh.” She closed her eyes, attempting to fight off a dizzy
spell. It took a lot to look at him and remain standing. “We need to go if you
want out of here.” Her eyes snapped open when the worst of it passed.

“You’re pale and shaking.”

“I’m drugged still and I feel as though my body weighs four
hundred pounds. It’s all I can do to stay on my feet. Time is wasting.”

“Movement on lift two,” the computer voice stated. “It is
headed for this level.”

Alarm jolted Charlie. “We’ve got to go, Zorus. Someone is
coming. Stay on my ass and I’ll get you out of here.”

She turned and her knees collapsed from the sudden movement.
Pain had her cursing when metal and skin slammed together with only the thin
barrier of her pants to cushion her. She ended up crouched on her hands and
knees inside the hallway without the ability to push back up to her feet. She
hated the weakness that gripped her.

“Go,” she called out. “Head left and you can’t miss the lift
at the end of the corridor. They have two life pods docked in the secondary
cargo hold. I’ll transfer over control to you to enable you to escape. I’ll
cycle the diagnostics once you’re clear.” She gasped in air. “Computer,
I―”

“Unbelievable,” Zorus muttered as he bent to her and his arm
slid around her waist. His other hand griped her shoulder. He lifted her
carefully, easily rolled her over into the cradle of his arms, and scowled down
at her while he hoisted her against his chest. He straightened to carry her
within his strong arms. “You want me to leave you behind?”

“I’ll slow you down. Drop me and run, damn it. Save
yourself.” She stared up into his beautiful eyes. “I’ll get away later. There’s
not much I can’t hack.”

He didn’t move. “I’ll keep that in mind for future
reference.”

He didn’t toss her aside to flee. “You have to go, Zorus.
Someone is going to be coming any second from the right side of the corridor.
Head left toward the other lift.”

He carried her back into the sleeping quarters he’d been
assigned to and strode to his bunk. The doors closed firmly behind them.
Charlie couldn’t believe his stupidity. She’d given him a chance to escape but
he’d refused. It was a hell of a time for him to find a conscience if that’s
why he wouldn’t leave her behind.

The tall cyborg bent and gently eased her smaller frame down
on top of the comfortable mattress. His arms slid out from under her quickly
before he straightened. “You’re amazing.”

“Overpower whoever comes.” She nodded at his body. “You can
kick some serious ass. Get off this shuttle and save yourself. I appreciate your
honor but don’t be stupid. You’re worth a lot of money to the assholes running
this ship. They could sell you on the black market to earn a fortune. I never
would have turned you over to them if I hadn’t believed you’d be returned to
your people. I know a little something about being under someone’s control. It
sucks dirt. Now go, damn it. I’ll find another chance to escape just as soon as
I catch my breath and regain my strength.”

He crossed two thickly muscled arms over his chest and
Charlie realized for the first time that he’d changed his clothes. She’d been
too busy in the attempt to save his ass while fighting to stay on her exhausted
legs to really take a good look at him. The tank top revealed broad, dusky
shoulders, two very muscular arms, and the pants he wore were black, snug
breeches. His damp hair told her he’d used the room’s cleansing unit to bathe.

“Your assumption of the crew is incorrect. They are
returning me to a cyborg ship in less than twenty-four hours.”

“Oh.”
Damn
.
I could have gotten away.
“I just
assumed we’d both been screwed.”

“I appreciate you giving up your freedom.”

A buzz sounded and Zorus crossed the room quickly, before
the door opened. Charlie winced, waiting for whoever stood on the other side to
enter the room to retrieve her. She hoped Gerald had ordered the men on the
ship not to beat her down. While drugged, she knew she wouldn’t be able to
defend herself.

“You never said a word about tampering with my computer.”
Captain Varel’s angry voice shouted. “I’d suspected you cyborgs were talented
at that shit but I don’t appreciate it. Return control to me now. I was
notified of the change of command the way it’s programmed to do the second you
breached it.”

Zorus’ big body blocked the door. “I didn’t do it. The
female is well-versed in reprogramming, obviously. She’s here with me and I’ll
have her return your systems to normal.”

“Move,” the captain ordered. “I’ll teach her not to hack my
ship.”

Two big silvery-gray hands gripped the open doorway. “No.
You won’t harm the female for what she’s done. Consider it a tradeoff for the
pod she won’t be using during her escape from the shuttle. I will need food for
two sent immediately. Her body is in a much weakened condition.”

“I don’t give a damn,” the captain huffed. “She took over my
computer.”

“No damage has been done.” Zorus took on a bored tone. “She
will reinstate order the second you leave to fetch food.”

“Son of a bitch,” the other man swore. “Fine. Don’t allow
her to do it again or I’ll go through you to teach her that no one fucks with
my ship.”

“She will need clean clothing as well.”