DangerouslyForever (6 page)

“But—”

“Do not worry. Kiehle will reach Ally before our vessel is
even ready. He will watch over her until we can arrive and I can negotiate for
her release.”

“But what if Alharad tries to sell her again?”

“Kiehle won’t let that happen.”

“Kiehle will take care of her, Eva. He won’t let anything
happen to her,” Lo’Ren said.

“I know, but I still don’t see why you can’t just call
Alharad and make him send her to us,” Eva said.

“The Galactic Council raided him not too long ago. While I
thought there was more wrongdoing than I could find, the only infraction I
could cite him for was the poor health of some of his slaves. I imposed heavy
fines on him. I don’t think he will be open to granting me favors anytime
soon.”

“Forget that idea,” Lo’Ren muttered.

Right.
Eva wrapped her arms around his waist. “Do you
think Ally was there when you raided him?”

“I am not sure. I had no idea Ally could’ve been there or I
would’ve looked for her myself.”

“Are you sure Kiehle will be able to keep her safe until we
arrive?”

“Kiehle is a warrior, one of the best. He will not fail. I
trust him.”

“I trust him as well,” Ship said.

“Then I trust him too,” Eva said.

She had no other choice.

Yinnis, Latreian Star System, Torus Galaxy

“So what’s the plan?” Thesan asked, looking over to Kiehle.

“We don’t need much of a plan,” he replied, shifting his
attention back to the transporter controls. He initiated the landing sequence,
adding in the coordinates to the private transporter bay reserved for royalty,
dignitaries or anyone else with an abundance of credits. “Between the two of
us, we can keep an eye on Eva’s friend and make sure she isn’t sold again.”

“But won’t Alharad get suspicious if we aren’t interacting
with any of the females?”

Neither he nor Thesan were particularly excited about going
to a brothel. Traveling as much as they did afforded them the opportunity to
meet females from across the galaxy. Running out of pussy wasn’t something
Kiehle expected to happen anytime soon. He’d never had to pay for sex and
didn’t want to start now. In all of his thirty-five birth cycles, going to a
brothel had never been on his list of places to visit. The only reason he’d
agreed this time was as a favor to Eva.

He knew that not all brothels were bad. There were some
upscale ones that he’d heard were excellent. But this particular brothel had a
horrible reputation. The owner, Alharad Nijiaira, was known for his cruelty.

“Like it or not, we’ll
have
to interact with them.
I’m sure he isn’t going to point this human out to us. We’ll have to mingle in
order to find her whereabouts.”

Thesan shook his head. “I understand what we have to do, but
I don’t want him trying to force slaves on me. Just the idea of him making
females have sex against their will makes me want to gut the bastard.”

“You can already bet that he’s going to parade the females
and
males in front of us, hoping one or two will catch our attention and we’ll
spend all our credits on them. He’s a businessman. But that’s what we want. We
can play hard-to-please and force him to show us every female he has.”

“For a moon cycle?” Thesan grunted. “We’ll need a better
plan than that. Alharad will notice when we haven’t engaged in any sexual
activity for that long.”

When they began their descent into the city, Kiehle let the
autopilot take control of his vessel. The capital city’s main attraction was
Alharad’s compound, which housed the brothel. All of the businesses surrounding
it thrived by providing services for Alharad’s patrons.

“We’ll have to make some friends.”

Thesan stared at him hard. His dark features were set in a
frown. Muscles that had been molded to perfection were flexed. “I already told
you, I’m not forcing anyone to have sex with me.”

If it were anyone besides Thesan sitting next to him,
showing this much hostility, he would prepare to fight. But he’d known Thesan
since before Taio had given Kiehle complete control over Sonis Mercenary.
Thesan was his most trusted friend and confidant.

“I’m not telling you to have sex with anyone. What you do
behind closed doors is between you and the female. Order food and let her
sleep. Who knows how long it’s been since any of them had a night to rest?”

Thesan’s features softened at Kiehle’s words. Thesan was one
of the biggest males he knew. He wouldn’t hesitate to use his thick hands to
break an opponent’s neck, but when it came to females and children, he was
softhearted.

He finally nodded, and relaxed his body.

“Good,” Kiehle said, as the transporter slowly eased into
the docking station. What he didn’t need was for Thesan to lose his temper at
the conditions of the females and have them kicked out before Taio arrived to
save the human. They would still be able to monitor Yinnis airspace from the
Saia
I
, which was docked on Hiriel, a rotation away, but Eva had specifically
asked him to keep her human friend with him as much as possible.

The vessel came to a stop and Kiehle turned off the engines.

“Do you think it’ll be hard to find her?” Thesan asked as he
engaged the security system.

“I hope not. The less I have to pretend interest in
supporting Alharad’s business, the better.”

He docked successfully, gliding the transporter into an
empty spot. He shut off the controls and looked at Thesan. “You know this is
the last unmonitored conversation we’ll be able to have, don’t you?”

Thesan nodded. “I expect Alharad will have listening devices
planted in our room. He’ll want to know our reason for visiting.”

“Not only there, but I suspect the entire brothel is wired
with surveillance equipment. We have to be careful with how we go about
things.”

“You can count on me.”

Kiehle opened the hatch and stepped out to the dock with
Thesan following him. He’d expected Alharad to greet him, but instead there
were two Quold guards waiting for them. To the unassuming eye, it would appear the
guards were there to ensure Kiehle’s safety. Since Kiehle was a prince in the
royal house of Drazlan, one of the richest planets in this galaxy, it would be
perfectly reasonable to assume the guards were there for protection. But Kiehle
was part of the Drazlan Royal Guards and a trained mercenary. If Alharad had
done his research—which he was sure the brothel owner had—he would know Kiehle
didn’t need protection from anyone.

There could be a number of other reasons why Alharad had
sent the guards instead of coming himself. The man was afraid of crossing Taio
again. Taio had issued a raid on Alharad’s brothel not too long ago, and
Alharad couldn’t afford for Kiehle’s brother to be displeased with him. So
maybe the guards were Alharad’s way of showing how much he valued Kiehle’s
presence at his brothel? Guards were usually used to protect the owner, not the
customers.

Kiehle was
sure
that Alharad thought he was there to
spy. He’d sensed it in Alharad’s voice when he’d requested a room. But after
the surprised shock had worn off, the businessman jumped at the chance to host
him. If he showed Taio’s brother a good time, Alharad likely thought he’d no
longer be kept under the Galactic Council’s watchful eye.

There wasn’t a chance that was happening anytime soon, but
Kiehle kept that thought to himself.

The guards saluted him by balling their right fists and
slamming them over their hearts. Kiehle did the same. Without a word, the
guards turned and began to walk.

Like him, Thesan stared at the guards’ backs. “Are we
supposed to follow them?” he asked, confused.

Kiehle raised a shoulder. “I guess so. Sleeping in the
docking station would get noisy at night,” he joked.

From what he’d researched, Alharad’s compound was composed
of three main parts. The brothel, which would take up a large portion of the
compound; a separate area for guest to relax, pamper themselves and vacation;
and Alharad’s personal living quarters.

They followed the guards as they led the way down a long
hall and through a large, finely decorated room, where people were lounging on
cushions and talking. Some were being served food by staff. Thanks to Taio’s
recent raid, Kiehle knew sexual activities wouldn’t happen in this area. That
was saved for the brothel, where Kiehle would also find a room in which guests
could pick out their companionship. The guests would have an option to take
their companions to themed rooms or, if they were overnight guests, back to
either private rooms or apartments provided as accommodations.

Also in the brothel, there was an area where the staff and
slaves lived. Guards protected the entrance, serving two purposes—to stop any
guests from sampling the goods for free, and to secure the slaves. Alharad’s
personal quarters would have guards stationed at the entrances as well,
off-limits to guests unless they were specifically invited.

While he didn’t see any of the brothel whores, Kiehle
did
see an abundance of Corian slaves, who were scrambling throughout the rooms
cleaning.

Kiehle and Thesan followed the Quolds in silence as they
entered an area that was more elaborately furnished than the room they’d just
gone through. There was less activity and the Corians he passed were better
dressed.

The guards stopped in front of double doors. “Prince of
Drazlan, you must stay in this room,” one of them said. His voice was hoarse
and every word was said as if it had been forced from his mouth.

Kiehle raised a brow. “I must?” He didn’t have to do
anything he didn’t want. That was the reason why he’d left Drazlan years ago—to
chart out his own destiny and future. His father had used the word “must” a
lot. Saying things like he
must
take over the responsibilities of ruling
Drazlan, since Taio had abandoned them. It had been a lie and a ploy to try to
turn Kiehle against his older brother. But after he’d heard all the things he
“must” do so many times, he’d finally left Drazlan as well.

The guard eyed him with a hint of wariness. One thing was
for certain, Alharad didn’t want his guard to anger Kiehle even before he’d
unpacked his bag. “This is your room,” he said, obviously deciding that he
didn’t want to die over a war of words.

Kiehle gave a short nod. He didn’t think the guard meant any
harm. The Quolds were not known for their manners. Their abrupt speech patterns
and way of thinking hadn’t won them any friends from other species. But just
the same, as a warrior, Kiehle couldn’t show a hint of weakness.

“What about me?” Thesan asked.

“You will stay in the other quarters,” one of the guards
replied.

He and Thesan exchanged glances, both guessing what the
“other quarters” would look like.

“He’ll stay with me,” Kiehle stated.

“As you wish.” The guards turned and walked away.

“That was easy,” Thesan said. “I was hoping for some kind of
fight.”

Kiehle watched the guards’ retreating backs. “They don’t
care where you sleep, so long as you spend your credits.”

One of the guards stopped before turning a corner to look
back at Kiehle and Thesan. “Alharad will send for you shortly.”

Kiehle nodded his acknowledgement and entered the room with
Thesan on his heels. “The sooner we find long-term companions, the better I’ll
feel,” Kiehle said, for the benefit of the listening devices he knew were
already in place.

* * * * *

A chime sounded in the suite.

“Can you get that?” Kiehle yelled from the bathing room.

I hate ionized showers
, he thought as he stepped from
the booth. Ionized showers were ideal on space vessels, and since he spent most
of his time onboard them, it was something he had to endure all the time. He’d
thought since Alharad had one of the most lucrative brothels in this sector,
there was a possibility of bathing with real water.

He tied his shoulder-length hair at the nape of his neck,
securing all the wayward strands. He slipped on a clean pair of pants and a
shirt then headed out of the room, following the sound of voices.

He turned the corner and saw something he never would’ve
imagined in Alharad’s compound. Thesan was on his knees, speaking to a human
girl. She was so small and so thin, he could easily make out her bone
structure.

He approached the pair, feeling his blood boil. Why was
there a child here? And why would Alharad send her to
his
room, when he
knew he was Taio’s brother? “Thesan?” He let his question hang in the air, not
wanting to ask if they should contact the Galactic Council out loud.

Thesan rose to his feet with a grunt. “This is Yoshi,” he
said, motioning to the child. “She’s Alharad’s
pet
. Meaning, she is his
servant.”

Kiehle growled low in his throat.
She’s just a child.
He took a step toward her. “Are you…” He couldn’t find the words he needed to
ask the impossible. If Alharad used or offered this little girl for pleasure,
he would kill him now.

Thesan shook his head. “No,” he stated. “She’s not one of
the whores.”

Relief poured from his soul. But it still wasn’t enough to
temper what he felt.

Yoshi looked up at him with big round eyes. “I’m not old
enough yet,” she said.

Kiehle balled his fists, imagining them wrapped around
Alharad’s neck.

Thesan put a hand on Yoshi’s shoulder. “She’s already
explained that Alharad wouldn’t do anything illegal.” He looked down at Yoshi
uncertainly. “He understands that children are not to work the rooms until they
come of age.”

“And you believe her?” Kiehle murmured. She would probably
lie if she thought she’d get in trouble with Alharad.

Thesan took a deep breath. “I have to for the time being.
But it seems she’s reciting what she’s been told to say.”

Right.
Kiehle narrowed his eyes. He’d still pass this
information to Taio. It seemed as though this brothel needed another raid by
the Galactic Council.

“I know,” Thesan said, as if reading his mind. “She’s come
to get us for dinner.”

“Let’s not keep Alharad waiting.”

After donning his boots, he and Thesan followed behind Yoshi
as she led them through the halls and to double doors where two Quolds were on
guard.

“These are Alharad’s guests for the evening,” Yoshi said.

While one of the guards opened the doors for them, the other
waved them through to Alharad’s personal quarters.

More servants moved about at a fast pace, no one acknowledging
their presence. Yoshi led them into a spacious room. The first thing that
caught Kiehle off guard was the smell—flowers. The scent overpowered him. His
nose tickled as the odor seemed to stick to the inside of his nostrils.

“Whoa,” Thesan said, putting his hand on his nose.

Glittery objects were placed around the room, some on
pedestals and others attached to the walls. Kiehle wondered how the walls
didn’t collapse from the weight of all the mirrors displayed.

“There you are! My esteemed guests.”

Alharad Nijiaira.
Kiehle bit back a growl.