To Love A Space Pirate (14 page)

Elizabeth sat up in confusion. “Progress with what?”

“With the child, you are carrying, of course!” A smile crossed the old woman’s face and caused the wrinkles to squish together.

Shock swept over her. She couldn’t find the words to speak as she stared dumbfounded at Maraenee.

“Did you not suspect this?”

“Ummm, no I didn’t,” she admitted reluctantly.

“You and the Captain have been intimate, have you not?”

Elizabeth wanted to curl up into a ball and die. She was mortified the midwife would ask her something like that. Silly as it was, most people knew what had happened to her when she first arrived with Carden, so it was entirely plausible she was pregnant!

“I…I…well yes, we have, but I never…” She was at a loss for words.

“It is how all babies are made, my sweet. You will give the Captain a strong, healthy boy. I am sure of it.” She reached over to pat Lizzy’s leg. “It is still early and your time will pass quickly. I will check on you again soon, but do not hesitate to send for me if there is something you need. Do not worry, the sickness will pass with time. It usually does not last the entire pregnancy, though I have seen it.” Maraenee stood up to leave.

“Wait!” She called out. “Are you positive about the baby?” Perhaps there was some mistake. Maybe she had simply picked up a virus.

“I am positive, my sweet. I have delivered enough babies in my time to know when a female is breeding, and you are breeding. Goodbye now, my sweet.”

Elizabeth sat on the sofa a long time after the old midwife left. She was stunned and didn’t know what to think or say. She was carrying Carden’s child! Her hands moved to her flat tummy. How could the old woman tell she was pregnant? She couldn’t feel anything out of the ordinary.

Elizabeth lay on the sofa for the rest of the day contemplating her options. She believed Maraenee spoke the truth about her being pregnant, but how would Carden react? Not once did they think about using protection during their many bouts of lovemaking. She felt her cheeks flush as she thought about Carden moving over her and in her. He was a generous lover and always made sure she reached her climax before he did. Several times, in fact, she had climaxed more than once. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she was, in fact, having a baby.

Now, her only dilemma was to make up her mind on what she wanted. Did she want to return home or stay here with Carden and make a life for herself and their child? Would Carden even still want her once he found out she was pregnant? Only time would tell, and she had all the time in the universe right now until Carden returned home.

Chapter 15

“What have you learned of my daughter’s whereabouts,” Riley asked.

Gunyo was growing increasingly tired of the human. Riley pestered him on a daily basis now for any news about his missing daughter. “All I know, is the bounty hunter found the man responsible for Elizabeth’s disappearance and is in the process of following him.”

“Why hasn’t he taken the man into custody?” Riley paced back and forth in a small room in his home.

If he could, Gunyo would reach through the vid-screen and choked the living hell out of the annoying human male. No wonder his daughter didn’t listen to orders. She was an exact copy of her father!

“He cannot very well take him into custody without knowing where your daughter is. He has verified that Elizabeth is not with him, so that means he is hiding her somewhere. If we move in now, the chances of finding your daughter alive grow very slim. The pirate certainly will not give up that information willingly. Some victims of pirate kidnappings are never found, Mr. Riley. We need to be careful on how we proceed. As soon as my man knows the location of where the pirate is keeping her, he will move in.” Gunyo’s patience was wearing very thin. As soon as this human female was found and returned to her fucking father, he would make sure that she never flew another mission again! He would blacklist her name, making it impossible for her to gain employment with another flight company. Good riddance to the both of them!

“How much longer is it going to take your bounty hunter to find this location? The Council is willing to send in their men to aid in the search.”

He had not expected to hear that. Alarm bells went off in his head. “Mr. Riley, we are doing everything we can to find Elizabeth. Bringing the council into it will not help matters any. The Galactic forces are often sloppy and give away their position when chasing after a criminal. It’s best if we keep them out if it for now.” He needed to remain calm. The Galactic Council becoming involved in the operation to find the human would be a very bad thing for him. It wouldn’t take long for them to figure out he wasn’t using a legitimate bounty hunter and possibly, the council could start digging into his affairs to find out why. No, he needed to keep the council out of it at all cost!

“I will give you some more time, but if I do not hear anything new about Elizabeth, I will inform the council. My daughter is everything to me, and I will stop at nothing to find her.” Riley’s face filled the vid-screen.

“I understand, Mr. Riley. I will contact you again as soon as I know something. Have a good day, sir.” He hit the end transmission button harder than what was necessary. The glass covering the light cracked under the pressure of his fist.

“That son of a bitch is pissing me off!” He leaned back in his chair to think. Bork was taking an awfully long time in tracking the pirate named Scarface. Bork claimed he didn’t know the man’s true name and only referred to him by his pirate name.

After learning of the name of the man responsible for abducting Elizabeth Riley, he did some digging of his own. Several Tarwick ships had been attacked and raided over the years but not by Bork. Someone else was preying on the same ships he wanted for himself.

The Tarwick owners wanted a report on how many ships were taken over the years and the amount of credits they lost due to the thefts. When he compiled the report, the answer was startling even to him. Out of the one hundred and five shipments this past year, seven were stolen by pirates. Two out of the seven were not performed by his inside man. So, that left Scarface as the culprit. Seven ships lost per year was an incredibly high number when added up over the last twenty or so years. He needed to speak with Bork and find what the hell was going. It was nearly a week ago the pirate had informed him of the news of finding out who Elizabeth’s kidnapper was.

Gunyo made the call. He waited for the pirate’s face to appear on the screen. “What have you learned,” he demanded as soon as Bork answered.

“It’s good to see you too,” Bork replied sarcastically.

“I am in no mood to hear your fruitless remarks,” He spoke through clenched teeth.

“I am still following him. After he left Zulus 9, he’s been wandering around Nebula aimlessly. He must be looking for another ship to take, is my guess.”

“That is not good enough!” Gunyo shouted at the screen. “I want to know where the fucking female is!”

Bork’s face filled the screen. “If I knew where she was I would have already told you and would have headed there to get her. Until he decides to go where she is, all I can do is follow and ask questions when and if he stops.”

“If you don’t find out something more soon, Riley is going to get the Galactic Council involved, and we know we do not want that to happen,” he spoke clearly in a controlled voice. He needed to impress how important it was to find the human before the father took further steps to include the council.

“All I can do is follow him and not get caught. If I spook him, he will disappear again and then where will you be? We both have to wait for the fool to make his mistake of returning to her. Until that happens, I do not want to see your face again, or I will leave you to handle this problem on your own!”

The screen went black. Gunyo wanted to kill the pirate! If he weren't so afraid of the pirate ratting him out, he would cut the idiot loose. But, he couldn’t risk it. He wouldn’t contact Bork again unless it were necessary. He would have to wait the same way Riley had to wait for new news. They were riding on thin ice, and he was afraid it was going to break at any moment. Hopefully, Scar Face would make the move they were all waiting for. Elizabeth Riley was going to be brought home one way or the other.

~~~~~~~~

“I hate that fucking moron!” Bork slammed his fist down on the control panel. “If I knew where the bitch was, I would get her!”

Bork was trailing far behind Carden’s ship. For over a week now, he followed the ship after it left Zulus 9. Whatever Carden was up to, Bork hoped he grew tired and returned to the place where he was hiding the human. Surely, he wouldn’t leave her alone for too long. If she were his prisoner, she would either be on his ship with him or in a cell in some deep, dark place where no one would be able to find her. Carden, though, wasn’t the type of man to do that to a female. The years he spent with Carden had given him enough time to get to know the Kiot. Kiots were not known for their aggression or anger. For the most part, they were a calm and docile race that preferred to be left alone. Carden would be no different unless the time he spent on Bork’s ship hardened him into a different man which he doubted.

For the next two weeks, Bork played hide and seek with the Kiot. Endless days of following the smaller ship wore on his nerves and created boredom with his crew. Toward the end of the third week, Carden made a stop on a small planet on the outskirts of the Nebula Sector.

Blomia was tiny planet known for its abundance of water. It was the last planet in a chain of worlds to line the sector and was often the last stop ships would make before entering the next planetless galaxy.

Bork guided his ship to the opposite side of Blomia and waited. Carden would leave the planet soon, and he would be ready to pick up where they left off. Whatever Carden was doing on the water world, he didn’t care. He just wanted his former prisoner to return to the place where he hid the human female.

“Sir, should we send a shuttle down to see what he is up to?”

Bork thought of doing that very thing but didn’t want to be caught off guard if Carden left in a hurry. “No. We will wait and see what he does. If he leaves in a hurry, there wouldn’t be time to wait for the shuttle to return. It’s best we bide our time and wait right here.” He stared at the blue ball as it spun on its axis. “There isn’t much down there, so I do not expect him to be very long. He’s got to be running low on fuel by now, so perhaps it is simply a fuel stop.”

Blomia was the last chance to gain fuel before heading into Trone Galaxy where there weren’t any stops. It took the best of four days to cross the wide open space if one dared to conquer it. With no supplies available, it was a risk most were not willing to take.

Several hours later, a ship was seen leaving Blomia. Bork was notified immediately, and he gave the order to follow Carden’s ship from a distance great enough to remain undetected. To his surprise, Scar Face headed into the Trone Galaxy.

“Why the fuck is he going through there,” he mumbled as he watched the smaller ship as it sped away.

Bork hoped this was the time Carden decided to head back to the female. It was going on a month since he first came across Carden on Zulus 9. He often wondered where the human female was and if she were still alive. Why Carden hadn’t ransomed her back to Tarwick was beyond him. He would never hang on to a prisoner this long unless he impressed him into his service which wasn’t often. Most companies paid the ransoms he asked for without a problem. But, he knew Tarwick wasn’t in the habit of making deals with pirates thanks to Gunyo.

If Carden were heading back to his hideout, it would be the best case scenario for him. He had more than enough men to form a party to go in and wreak havoc on any place the younger pirate called home. He was hoping to get the female out without Carden noticing she was gone until it was too late.

A sudden thought struck him. How much would Tarwick be willing to pay if he not only brought in the missing pilot but also the one responsible for taking her? A smile crossed his face as a new plan began to formulate in his head as his ship raced after his payday.

Chapter 16

Carden was never so grateful to have a run end then he was today. His moon home came into view as his ship slowed down to prepare for the landing that would occur in the next hour or so. He couldn’t wait to see Elizabeth again and hold her in his arms. Many nights while he was gone, he dreamed of her. Images of her riding his shaft as he thrust up into her left him feeling frustrated and unsatisfied.

He called ahead to inform the men left behind he would be returning that day. Supplies would need to be unloaded and stored until the time came for them to be used. He was satisfied with this run and happy he was able to gain everything they needed on the one stop on Zulus 9. The short stop on Blomia was to refuel and head home. The credits he gained from the buyer were more than enough to pay his crew and buy the necessary materials plus have some left for their next run. He even purchases a necklace for Elizabeth while they were on Spadus 9.

It would be several months before he planned on heading out again. He wanted to spend every minute he could with Elizabeth. The time they spent apart he had promised himself he would come clean as soon as he returned. He would tell her the truth about her ransom and give her the choice of whether she wanted to remain with him or not. He came to realize he could not force her to love him even if he kept her prisoner her entire life. No, he loved her more than that and refused to do that to her.

Love? How did he come to love the little vixen? The universe brought her to him by unconventional means, and he wanted to do right by her. It would tear his heart in two if she wanted to leave and return to Keplar 1 but he would let her go. Perhaps, he wasn’t meant to live a happy life. Maybe the god or gods of the universe didn’t want him to know love. After all, he already lost one family. The best he could hope for was that she would forgive him.

The closer his ship came to landing, the more he grew nervous. He would go to her immediately and settle the score. If she wanted to leave, he would take her himself.

The ship landed safely in the clearing. Most of the people who lived and worked with him came out to greet them with smiles on their faces. The wives were always happy to see their husbands return, and the children knew there would be treats on board for them. As the rear hatch slowly lowered to the ground, his eyes searched the growing crowd. His heart soared when he found Elizabeth standing among them with a smile on her face.

“Harrow, I am going to leave it up to you to see to the unloading. I have some private business I need to take care of.”

Harrow laughed and patted him on the back. “Sure thing, captain. She looks happy to see your ugly face.”

“I hope so.”

He walked down the ramp and straight up to her. Her smile slowly faded away as he approached and he worried she was going to reject him right there in front of everyone.

“Hello,” she said with downcast eyes.

“Hello, my little human. How are you?” He had to ball up his fists so that she wouldn’t see how much they were shaking.

“I’m fine,” she replied a bit shyly if his ears heard her correctly. “How was your trip?”

“All went well. We got the supplies we needed and sold off the others. Harrow is going to see to the unloading. I need to speak with you,” he said as he took her hand in his.

They walked quietly back to the house. It must have rained recently because everything looked wet and healthy. As they approached the front door, he took a moment to inspect the work completed during his absence.

“I see the workers have finished the stone work. They did a good job.”

“Yes. It’s been kind of quiet around here without all the construction noise, but it’s been nice.” She opened the door and walked into the house and headed to the living room.

He followed closely behind her. The way her hips swayed caused his cock to jump. She had no idea what the sight of her was doing to him. But, he promised himself he would do this before he went any further with their relationship.

“Please sit.” He motioned for her to take a seat on the sofa facing the wall. This part of the house was lit up by the natural sunlight filtering in through the window he installed. As soon as Elizabeth took up her place, he knelt down in front of her eager to make his confession. “I have to come clean with you.” Her puzzled look told him this might not go as he hoped.

“I’m listening,” she said.

“I told you I was ransoming you back to Tarwick then said I planned on not letting you go.” He paused.

“I know,” she replied as she watched him.

He felt as if his heart was going to explode it was beating in his chest so hard! “I never sent the ransom,” he said quickly. He waited for her reaction. When it came, his hopes for keeping her slowly faded.

“You never sent the ransom,” she asked.

“No.”

“How could you do such a thing. You let me believe Tarwick was refusing to come for me.” The way she spoke sent chills down his spine. She was pissed.

“I didn’t want to give you up. There is something about you that draws me to you. Your smell drives me insane. From the very first moment I saw, I knew I would have to have you and not in the way you are thinking.” He swallowed. “I believe the universe guided me to find you that day. I know you are angry with me, but I am hoping you can forgive me. The time I spent away from you made me realize I needed to tell you the truth or risk losing you forever which may still happen.” His voice cracked as he said the last part. He watched her for the longest time as she sat there listening to him speak and afterward when she said nothing. “Please say something. Anything,” he begged.

“I am not sure what to say. I knew you were lying to me but couldn’t prove it. How can I trust you not to lie to me again? You took me away from the only home I have ever known. My family must be sick with worry or thinks I am dead! There is no turning back the clock to fix this.” Her green eyes welled up with tears.

Carden understood he hurt her deeply by continuing with his lie. If the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes fell, it would kill him. “At the time, I was only thinking of myself. I wanted to keep you all to myself. I spoke with Faxon about the way I was feeling, and he told me you are putting off pheromones that draw me to you. I’ve never heard of such things, but I believe it. Everything about you drives me nuts.” He reached for her clasped hands and covered them with his.

“I know what pheromones are and, besides, Faxon knew about this all along?”

Shit! He shouldn’t have mentioned the doctor’s name, but it was too late to take it back. “Yes. I made him promise not to say anything even though he was against it from the start. Believe me, when I say, Faxon had no part in any of this.”

“What about that Loto juice? Was it you who gave it to me?”

“By the heart that beats inside me, NO! I would never do such a thing to any female. The Loto juice was and still is a serious matter, and until I find out who did it, you will not be safe. There is one person here who is jealous of you; I am sure of it.” He squeezed her hands.

“No one has done anything since you left. Sireni has made sure of that.” She pulled her hands out from under his. “But, that is beside the point. I would like to be alone for a while if you don’t mind.” She pushed past him and left the room.

He was tempted to go after her but figured he needed to leave her alone. Pushing her to make a decision wasn’t going to help him any. Elizabeth needed to come to her own conclusion whether it was to stay with him or leave. Maybe it was a good sign she hadn’t insisted he take her home right away.

Carden heard their bedroom door close. He stood up, took a deep breath, then left the house. He needed something to take his mind off what just happened and to help with the offload was the best thing. It would take a couple of hours to get everything off and properly stored. Hopefully, by that time, Elizabeth would have made her choice, and he could go on with his life with or without her.

~~~~~~~~

Bork didn’t land his ship on the surface of the moon Carden led him to. Instead, he would keep his ship in orbit and ready to go. A smaller shuttle would take him and a group of his men down to the surface to seek out the human female. The initial scan of the moon showed numerous lifeforms all clustered together in one particular area. It had to be Carden’s hideout!

Bork would have never thought to search this moon if he hadn’t seen Carden’s ship enter the atmosphere and land. The planet the moon orbited was hostile and offered nothing to the other moons circling it. He would have assumed the moon was just a barren as the other ones and would have moved on. It was the perfect hiding place as far as he was concerned. No wonder no one found out where Carden “Scar Face” Swien went.

“When we reach the ground, I want to split up into two teams. The first team lead by myself, will head to the larger structure on the map. It’s probably the bastard’s house. His guard will probably be down since he thinks no one else knows about this place. Two team, I want you to disable his ship. Just in case, we can’t get hold of him, I don’t want the fucker coming after us too soon. We will move in as soon as the light begins to fade. Wait for my signal to retreat. Once I have the female, I want everyone back to the shuttle. If your ass is late getting back, you will be left behind. Got it?” He looked at each of the men listening intently to his orders. He knew every one of them would follow his orders to the T.

The shuttle landed quietly in a tiny clearing they found by accident a few miles from Carden’s hideout. They would have to hike in, but it was the best chance they had at getting close without being discovered. Getting back to the shuttle with a screaming female was going to be the difficult part.

The two groups departed shuttle and headed for the hideout. The night was coming quickly as they walked through the thick forest. A recent heavy rainfall impeded their progress by blocking their way with overflowing streams and flooded woodland. They had to chop their way through a grove of thick bushes that blocked their only way around the high water of the endless streams they came across.

It was well after dark by the time they saw the first lights of the compound. Bork gave the order to split up. He and his group crept quietly around the outskirts of the small houses he could see through the branches hiding his location. There was some movement off to the left as a pair of females walked to one of the houses. Their chatter seemed so loud out here in the quiet night air. He crouched down and waited until they disappeared into the dwelling and shut the door.

Bork waited a few minutes to be sure no one else was moving in their direction. A flash of lightning lit up the early night sky just as he stood up to make his move. A loud clap of thunder followed closely and muffled his footsteps as he moved in the direction of the big house he could see farther up a deserted path.

Using only hand signals, he motioned for his men to follow. A couple of drops of rain hit him in the face as he neared the house. The front of the house was dark. He decided to move around to the back of the house to see if he could gain entry that way. The rain started to come down heavier as he reached the back of the house. Lights lit up the rear of the structure and allowed him to see into Carden’s den. A small female with black hair was standing in what looked like the kitchen. She was stirring something in the pot sitting on the burner of the stove.

A wide back porch ran along the entire back of the house. It looked to be recently constructed and made of excellent workmanship. If he had to, he would burn the fucking place down to gain access to the female his was hunting.

From a good vantage point, he had a clear line of sight into the house. A shadow fell across the porch as someone new walked into the kitchen. A second female walked up to the one by the stove. He could see them talking and wondered what they were saying. Just as he was about to make a move for the back door, a light turned on in the upstairs portion of the house. A large figure stepped up to the window and peered out and up at the night sky.

Bork smiled. Carden! Yes, this would be a good night for kidnapping two people and hauling their asses back to Keplar 1. He watched as Carden moved away from the window and out of his sight. It was time to break into the house and grab the female.

He waved his hand to indicate the time was right for his team to move in. As quietly as they could, they moved onto the porch and pressed their bodies up against the wall. Carefully, he poked his head around the corner of the door to see where the females were. Both were walking out of the kitchen laughing. It was now or never.

He reached for the knob on the door and twisted. The latch clicked, and the door swung open without a sound. He stepped into the dwelling, dripping water everywhere he stepped. The smell of cooking food reached his nose and made his empty stomach growl. If he had had the time, he would have sampled the delicious smelling food!

Behind him, his men filed into the room. They could hear female voices speaking quietly in the next room. It was only a matter of time before one or both of the females returned to check on the food. As if on cue, the one with the black hair entered the kitchen laughing, unaware of his presence. As soon as she turned the corner, he struck out with his fist. He hit the female in the side of the head, rendering her unconscious on the floor. He caught her before she thumped to the ground. One down, one to go.