To Love A Space Pirate (15 page)

“Sireni, can you bring me some water?” The second female called out from the next room.

When her request went unanswered, he heard her get up and head to the kitchen. This was way too easy he thought just as the second female came into the kitchen.

“Sireni, did you hear m…” Her question was cut off as Bork grabbed her around the neck and pressed his hand to her mouth to stop her from screaming.

She fought with everything she had. She kicked and punched him with her tiny fists. He could feel her trying to bite him on the palm of his hand as he fought to control her. Her muffled screams were bound to draw Carden’s attention if he didn’t shut her up.  He used a move he had only used a few times before when he needed to take someone quietly. He used his free hand to pinch the nerve running down into her shoulder. It had taken several seconds before she dropped in his arms. He lowered her to the floor and smiled.

His men surrounded the female and waited for more orders. “Get that son of a bitch.” He pointed to the ceiling. He was going to start the long trek back to the shuttle. Relying on his men to capture Carden and drag his ass back would give them the excuse to rough him up some. Not only did he harbor a grudge against the escaped prisoner, so did most of his men.

The lead man nodded his understanding and moved out of the kitchen. Bork smiled in satisfaction as he scooped up the human and headed out the back door. He was entering the forest when he heard all hell break loose inside the house. Bork wished he could have been part of the action, but he had his primary target in his arms and wasn’t about to let her go. If all else failed, at least, he had completed the mission at hand, and he would be paid quite handsomely. Plus, he could inform Gunyo of the human’s so-called rescue to get him off his back.

Chapter 17

Elizabeth came to with a whopper of a headache. She was cold and shivering as she opened one eye. The shock of what she saw nearly sent her back into the oblivion she had just came out of.

A man with one eye was staring at her! A dirty, scruffy beard covered his face as he smiled at her with yellow teeth. “Who are you?”

“I am pleased to meet you, Elizabeth Riley.”

“How do you know my name?” This man or whatever he was scared the crap out of her.

“Let’s just say Tarwick sent me,” he said as he stood up.

He was a huge man! His head skimmed the roof of the ship she figured she was in. His massive size made the room in the ship close in around her.

“Did you say Tarwick sent you.” Her heart soared then sank. Thoughts of finally returning home excited her until she realized she would be leaving Carden.

She and Sireni were in the midst of getting dinner ready. She was going to tell Carden she wanted to stay and make a life with him. She would save the best for last and tell him about the baby after she knew he wanted her to stay for sure. When she didn’t get an answer out of her friend when she asked for a glass of water to pour into the flower vase, she went to get it herself. She didn’t have time to react when someone grabbed her and covered her mouth. She was no match for whoever had hold of her. They proved it by knocking her out somehow.

Now, she knew who her attacker was and wanted to know why he had been so violent about it. “If Tarwick sent you, why did you knock me out?”

“I couldn’t run the risk of the pirate hearing us. It was the easiest way to make sure I could get you out of the house without the pirate trying to harm you.”

“Harm me? Carden would never hurt me! In fact, I was planning on staying with him, so if you don’t mind, you can take me back now.” She tried to stand up but soon realized she was tied to the seat.

“Oh, no, no, no! I am sorry, but that cannot happen. I was sent to retrieve you and bring you back to your father. Who, I must say, is extremely worried about you. Tarwick is paying me some good money to bring you back safely, and I cannot disappoint them. Bad enough they lost their ship, and supplies thanks to that pirate.” He scratched his beard as he spoke.

“I am sure Tarwick will understand, but I insist you let me go. My place is here now.” She struggled to gain her freedom.

“Like I said, I cannot do that. It shouldn’t be much longer until my men return and we can take off. I am sure your father will be happy to know his daughter is safe.”

It wasn’t long after he finished his sentence when she heard a commotion outside the ship. Her rescuer opened the door to see what was going on. The rain must have started again while he was taking her back to his ship. The men she could see outside were drenched and breathing heavily.

One man stepped inside with a grin on his face. “Got him, boss!”

She looked up at the two men. “Got who,” she asked. A sinking feeling slammed into her as she tried to see who they were talking about. When she was about to ask again, two men walked into the ship dragging a body with them. “Carden,” she screamed and fought to get loose. “Oh my god! What did you do to him?” Blood covered his face, and one eye was swelling as she spoke. He was unconscious, thank goodness, but she needed to get to him. “Please let me go! I have to see if he is alright!”

“Ms. Riley, this is the man who abducted you and stole from Tarwick. Don’t you want to see him punished?” She could hear the sarcasm in the man’s voice as he spoke directly to her.

“No! I don’t. He didn’t hurt me in any way. He saved me!”

“Now, that I do not believe. Do you know who this is? Carden “Scar Face” Swien, pirate. Why would you want to protect a known pirate?” The big man watched with enthusiasm as Carden was hauled all the way into the shuttle and secured in a seat.

“He’s not a pirate! He’s just a man. Please! I am begging you. Let me go to him.” She was near to tears now.

“Sorry. We are about to take off. Once we reach my ship, I will see he is taken care of properly.”

The man dismissed her as he took his seat up in the front of the ship. She felt the ship start up then leave the ground. It was a bit rocky as the vessel fought its way through the pouring rain. Loud crashes of thunder popped everywhere around them until they finally cleared the storm clouds. The short ride to the ship felt like a lifetime. Her eyes never left Carden as he sat unconscious in the seat across from her. She tried to talk to him, but he didn’t respond.

From what she could see out the front window as they approach the ship, it was larger than Carden’s. It looked a little worse for wear but otherwise intact. The shuttle slowed its speed as it neared the bay doors that were open. She could see movement on the inside of the larger ship as they glided into the hold and came to a landing. The engines powered down, and the men unbuckled themselves to exit the shuttle.

“Take the prisoner to a nice comfortable cell. I will deal with him as soon as I find accommodations for our esteemed guest.”

Elizabeth watched in silence as two men hauled Carden out of the seat and off the shuttle. His feet dragged the floor as he was pulled by his arms to the location indicated by her new captor.

“Time to get off, Ms. Riley,” he said.

“I am begging you. Please take us back. Carden is not a pirate, and I want to stay with him.” The man untied her from the seat then motioned for her to stand.

“Sorry. Can’t do that. Tarwick is expecting to see you soon, so I advise you to get cleaned up and presentable.”

“What is your name,” she demanded.

“I am Bork,” he responded casually.

“Mr. Bork, I wish to speak to my father as soon as possible.” If she had to go through with this, she would be able to explain things to her father and perhaps see if he could get Carden released without charges being filed.

“You will be able to see your father as soon as we arrive on Keplar 1. The journey will take about five days. We are not in range of communicating with Tarwick or your father just yet but when we are I will place the call for you.”

She followed the big man out of the shuttle. The docking bay wasn’t overly busy for a ship this size, but all eyes were watching her as she walked alongside the man named Bork. She had a feeling this man wasn’t what he said he was. He claimed to be in Tarwick’s services, but there was more to his story than what he was letting on to.

She was shown to a small room that contained a bunk bed, a table with a single chair, and a very tiny bathroom shoved into the corner of the room. A round porthole offered a view of the passing stars outside. She could see the moon she just left becoming smaller and smaller as the ship sped away and on to its new destination.

At first, she refused to do anything but sit on the edge of the bunk. If Tarwick wanted to see her then they would see her in the fashion she was currently in. It wasn’t her fault Bork and his men had stolen her away in the night during a storm! Her hair was in disarray and poking out all over the place. It was heavy with the rain water still in it. Her clothes were nowhere near dry and caused her to shiver since the air in the ship was cool. Next to her on the bed, was a stack of clean clothes and a towel. It would be foolish of her to remain in the wet clothes only to prove a point to herself. No one else on the blasted ship would probably care if she stayed in her wet garments. Not to mention, she didn’t want to push Bork to the point where he might get the idea to help her change into the dry clothes.

That idea motivated her more than anything else. She picked up the clothes and stepped into the bathroom. The light barely flickered on as she waited for the small interior room to light up. Must be a faulty bulb, she thought to herself. As quickly as she could, she stripped out of her clothes and rinsed them out. She dressed in the clothes provided then set about hanging her wet clothes up to dry. She wanted to be in her own clothes when she arrived home.

A knock on the door startled her. “Come in,” she shouted to whoever it was.

The door slid open, and a small, thin man walked in. “Ms. Riley, Bork has requested you dine with him.” The toothless man didn’t smile as he waited for her response.

“Fine,” she said too loudly and walked out of the room. She waited for the man to show her where to go. As she walked behind him, she was able to see much of the ship that was taking her home.

Dark corridors with metal walkways crisscrossed in all directions. Solid metal doors dotted the walls at odd intervals. Electronic keypads glowed brightly next to each door and had strange lettering she couldn’t read. They passed a couple of men going in the opposite direction. Their hard looks and rough looking skin scared her. Not too much their smell!

Her guide led her into a larger room filled with furniture and other treasures she thought odd to be on a rescue ship. Bork sat at a rectangular table covered with all sorts of food arranged neatly on platters. He smiled when she entered the room and stood up to greet her as she approached the table.

“Ah, Ms. Riley! You look refreshed. You must be starving since I interrupted your dinner plans. Please have a seat.” He waved to an empty chair to the left of his.

Lizzy’s eyes moved to the table. The smell of the food was tantalizing and made her stomach growl. These men might not look like much, but their food was divine. She sat in the chair and reached for the basket of rolls sitting directly in front of her. The bread was hot and fresh and made her mouth water. Just as she took a bite, Bork spoke to her.

“I have notified Tarwick of your rescue,” he said.

“I thought you said you weren’t in range to make the call.” She was suspicious of the man.

“Yes, to reach your father on Keplar 1. Tarwick has other ships out here that can relay the message.”

Oh, he was slick, she thought. She knew most ships were capable of making calls from great distances, and his ship should be like the others. Heck, her small, out of date vessel was able to do so until Carden destroyed it! She knew the man was lying but why?

“I see,” she commented. There was no point in arguing with him. Her best advice would be to go along with him and bide her time until she reached her father then she would be able to say and do as she pleased.

“Eat, Ms. Riley and tell me of your experience with the horrible man. The Scarface pirate is known for his wicked ways with females. Tell me, did he harm you in any way?” Bork sucked on a bone as he spoke to her.

“Scar Face, as you call him, was nothing but a gentleman the entire time I was in his care.”

“I do not believe that! Come, come. You must speak the truth. He is not known for his generosity. He likes to raid ships and kill all the crew. Rarely does he leave anyone alive as a witness to his crimes.” He tossed the bare bone onto the table and picked up another. The sound of his sloppy eating suddenly turned her stomach.

Elizabeth had to force herself to break off a piece of the fresh bread and shove it into her mouth. It was nauseating to have to watch Bork eat. Grease from the meat dripped down his chin and onto the stained white shirt he wore. Apparently, he ate like this at every meal if his clothes were any indication.

“Carden is a wanted criminal, has been for a while now. When Tarwick contacted me about your unfortunate run-in with him, I knew I had to come for you. Helpless females like yourself should not have to fall victim to a man like Carden.”

“For your information, Bork. I am not helpless. I am quite able to take care of myself. I had the misfortune to have a ship that broke down while I was on delivery. If not for that, I would have never met Carden. He didn’t know I was on board the ship when he salvaged it.” She looked down at her plate as she spoke.

“Salvaged? Carden does not salvage anything! He is a pirate, and you know it. You claim he did not know you were on board when all he had to do was run a scan of your ship. Pirates usually do not care who is on board their target ship. All they are worried about is stealing the goods that are on board. Nothing more. Prisoners are rarely taken, too much of a hassle to deal with. You are lucky he kept you alive this long.”

What Bork was saying was planting a seed of doubt in her mind. Perhaps, this man knew Carden more than she did. She knew he was a pirate, and he never denied the fact, but what Bork was saying was not ringing true to the man she knew and loved. If Carden wanted to hurt her, he had ample opportunities to do so. Carden could have easily disposed of her anywhere along their route. Instead, he brought her back to the one place he cared about the most and where he cared for others who were down on their luck. No, the man Bork was speaking about was not the Carden she knew.

“What will happen to him once we return,” she asked. She needed to know. Somehow she needed to come up with a plan to get him out and away before they reached Keplar 1. Her father may be more understanding since he was getting his daughter back, but Tarwick might not be since Carden did steal their cargo and sell it.

“He will be brought up on charges of pirating and kidnapping. The Galactic Council will see he gets a fair trial but assure you, he will be found guilty. We have the proof of his actions. I was able to find a segment of you ship with the computer system partially intact. It took some work, but my man was able to gain access to the video feed all Tarwick’s ships have.” Bork took a big gulp of the red wine he was drinking. “Would you care for some?” He offered.