JakesPrisoner (7 page)

“Absolutely not, do you know what those Cyraelian bastards
will do with her? If Atam doesn’t get his claws into her, they’ll lock her up
in some kind of prison until she agrees to marry a genetically suitable male.
Then she’ll live under virtual house arrest for the rest of her life.”

“I’m sorry, Jake, but I have a ship to run and that woman is
a complete menace. I want her off my ship.”

“She didn’t look so menacing when she was in your quarters
last night, Strom. You’ve been like an iceman ever since you left Ingrid. You
want to get rid of Tanith because she got under your skin.

“Damn,” Pete said glumly. “How did I miss all the fun?”

“Lieutenant Svenson,” Strom sighed with frustration. “Jake.
You created this mess, now you can deal with it. Ms. Jasson will be released
into your custody today. If there are any further incidents during the next
week, I will override your charges and release her. Do you understand?”

Jake nodded. He had no doubt that Strom would do exactly as
he said. “I take full responsibility for her, Sir.”

Strom’s glare wiped the grin off Pete’s face. “And Engineer
Olafson, I haven’t forgotten your part in this matter. You will stay with her
when Lieutenant Svenson is on duty. She is not to be left alone at any time.
Dismissed, both of you.”

* * * * *

Tanith opened her eyes sleepily. Jake’s techie friend, Pete,
was watching her through the door of the cell. “Hi, Tanith, you’re getting out
of here.”

“What? You mean I’m going home?” For a brief moment she
didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. After last night, she
didn’t want to get away from Jake anymore. The
Dermatrax
was so calm
that she was barely aware of it. Hopefully it would stay like that for a few
days.

“No such luck,” Pete muttered. “The captain has released you
into Jake’s custody.”

Memories of the previous night flooded back. Poor Strom, he
had been so sweet and unexpectedly vulnerable. Tanith tried to focus on what
Pete was saying. She wasn’t going home, she was staying on board, and Jake or
Pete would be with her at all times. They stared awkwardly at each other for a
few moments. Of the three of them, the techie was the one she knew least and he
seemed to be sizing her up.

“Okay, Tanith, before I let you out of there, let’s set a
few rules. You will not use your pheromone stuff on me—Jake is in enough
trouble as it is. I may be on duty when I’m babysitting you and you may not
touch my personal com. Some women are useless at that kind of thing, so please
wreck Jake’s stuff instead. And I would prefer if you wore some clothes, apart
from a bathrobe.”

He had to be joking. If it wasn’t for the force field, she
would have punched him on the nose, the arrogant lump of space rock. “I am in a
bathrobe because that is what I was wearing when you kidnapped me. You are the
last man in the galaxy that I would use my
pheromone stuff
on, and for
your information, I had a job in tech services before I left Cyraelia.”

“Really? Doing what, sweetheart?”

“I engineered com viruses for a military intelligence
consortium, now open the damn door.”

An hour later, she was wearing a pair of Jake’s pants,
rolled up, belted and pulled tight at the waist and a dark shirt. Jake’s
personal com was already set up to accept commands from her. She selected
something called jazz from his music database, playing it low in the background.
The techie was busy, running a job in engineering. Although he looked up from
time to time, he had barely said two words to her.

Tanith discovered a holo-projector and ordered it to display
Jake’s collection of personal images. She recognized some scenic images from
Cyraelia, but all of the others were from off-world. Her heart fell as she
viewed them. There were quite a lot of women. One pretty, dark-haired girl
appeared in several images. Tanith glanced over at the techie. Could she ask
him about her? The worst thing he could say was no. “Tell me about this one?”

Pete glanced up from his com and smiled when he saw the
image she had chosen. “Now that was one great night.”

He got up from the table and came to join her. “We were on
secondment to the Department of Temporal Security at the time. That was taken
at a burlesque club. You know? Dancing girls?”

Tanith sighed with relief. The dark-haired female was just
someone Jake had met in a bar. But why had he kept her image? “So the woman
with Jake is a dancer?”

“Hell no.” Pete reached out and touched the image fondly.

Tanith experienced a sudden pang of jealousy as she looked
at the image again. Their faces were close together and Jake’s whole attention
was focused on the girl. He looked as if he cared about her. “Was he in love
with her?”

“Who, Jake? Maybe, I think we were all a little in love with
Ingrid then, but…”

Pete’s com buzzed and he returned to the com, muttering
under his breath. Tanith continued to look at the image. So this was Ingrid?
She glanced over her shoulder. Pete was still busy, so she searched for other
images from the same night. She was sorry when she found them. Jake and Ingrid
dancing together, Ingrid sitting on Jake’s knee with her face buried in his
neck and finally one of them kissing. Ingrid—the woman Jake had shot Raoul for.

Pete’s com buzzed again. “Pete, Tanith, you’re needed on the
bridge immediately. We’ve just been intercepted by a Cyraelian ship. Their
captain has hailed us. She’s requesting permission to come aboard.”

Tanith’s eyes widened. “Jake, did you say she?”

“Oh yeah, she’s definitely a she.”

Tanith followed Pete as he hurried to the upper deck. It was
inexplicable that a Cyraelian female would hold the rank of captain. No male
would serve alongside her and a Cyraelian male would never permit his mate to
engage in a career that involved so much time away from him. The doors to the
bridge opened and Tanith stepped inside. The crew was at their stations and
Strom sat in the captain’s chair, flanked by Jake.

“Pete, show Ms. Jasson to my ready room. Then open an AV
channel to the Cyraelian ship.”

Pete showed her into a meeting room and switched on the
monitor. “Strom wants your input on this. You can watch from here. I have to
get back to my station. Just don’t say anything and try to stay out of
trouble.”

The bridge of the Cyraelian ship looked like a trade fair
advertisement for the starship construction sector. At each post sat a
long-legged model wearing a tight cutaway leather flight suit. When one officer
crossed the bridge, Tanith could see that the suit was open to the waist at the
back and the female was proudly displaying her skin markings.

“Sweet stars,” Pete hissed. “I request an immediate
transfer, Sir.”

A deep throaty chuckle was audible as a stunning brunette approached
the view-screen. “That’s very flattering but I have an all-female crew, and I’m
not sure whether you could keep up.

“Captain Hallstrom, our paths haven’t crossed before, how
nice to finally meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Captain.” Strom responded
smoothly. “But I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage.”

“Captain Alaysha Zander,” she inclined her head. “I’ll come
straight to the point. You have a Cyraelian female aboard your craft, but her
departure from home appears to have been unplanned. Consider this a social
call.”

“Ms. Jasson is a guest aboard my ship. I will see if she is
prepared to receive visitors and get back to you. Good day, Captain.”

At Strom’s signal, the com link was disconnected. “Jake,
find out what you can about Captain Zander. Pete, I need a full report on that
ship in the next ten minutes.”

Tanith waited anxiously as the crew filed into the ready
room and within a short while the room was full. Strom was the last to enter.
He darted a quick glance in her direction and then took a seat as far away from
her as possible. Strom’s face was an expressionless mask, but she could see a
small pulse hammering in his throat. Poor human, he was obviously uncomfortable
in her presence. She hadn’t meant to do this to him.

“Pete, I need that report.”

“It’s a Delta-class transporter that’s had a number of
enhancements. The weapons systems have been upgraded and the engine’s got some
kind of muffler on it to mask the output signature. She runs fast and silent
and, from the shielding, I’d say she expects trouble. A pirate, maybe, she’s
definitely not delivering cargo.”

“Jake?”

“Captain Alaysha Zander, Cyraelian citizen, aged
twenty-seven. Daddy’s a high-ranking Cyraelian diplomat, or he was until
Alaysha decided to abscond on her wedding day. Rumor has it that she stole her
own dowry and used it to buy the ship. No criminal record, but our intelligence
reports suggest a link with Atam Sorza. We also have one unverified account
that she faced off three ships and whipped them into oblivion with some kind of
viral com weapon.”

“Ms. Jasson?” Strom’s voice dragged her attention away from
Jake and back to the meeting.

“I’ve met Alaysha. She went to the same college as Raoul.”

“Did she know him?”

Tanith nodded. “Yes, they were lovers.”

“Damn,” Pete muttered. “Then this isn’t a social call.”

Strom sat back in his chair, considering his options. “I’m
not happy about bringing a bunch of sirens onto my ship, but let’s find out
what the good captain wants. Jake, see that she is contacted and organize a
greeting party in shuttle bay four. No single crewmen and the deck is to remain
off-limits until the visit is over. Ms. Jasson, please remain here for a few
minutes. Everyone else is dismissed.”

Jake raised an eyebrow at the last command and flashed
Tanith a worried glance. After they left, Strom stayed as far away from her as
the confines of the small ready room would permit.

“Ms. Jasson, before we meet Captain Zander, I think there is
something that you need to be aware of. Ship’s com, access security file, Jasson,
Raoul.”

Tanith heard the doors open and close behind her. Strom was
gone. She cleared her throat and stared at the view-screen. “Display file.”

Her brother’s face flashed across the screen. There had been
rumors about Raoul at the trial, but the truth was much uglier than she could
ever have imagined—bombings, hijackings, so many needless deaths. He had left a
trail of carnage and destruction across several worlds. Worst of all were the
children, a school transport of little ones. The images were graphic. Her
stomach heaved and she ran for the bathroom.

Tanith leaned against the sink, mopping her face with a
towel. Everything made sense—Raoul’s constant absences, his crazy friends and
the hint of danger that always surrounded him. Her job at the military
consortium—Raoul had organized that for her. He said that someone owed him a
favor and she had believed him. Her stomach heaved again. How many people in
the company thought she was like him? That she knew what Raoul had done and
didn’t care? A quiet tap came on the door. Tanith splashed her face with cold
water and returned to the ready room to face Strom.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Jasson, but you had to know the truth. I
don’t know what Captain Zander wants, but I have a crew of two hundred and
nineteen men and women on board my ship. Their lives are my responsibility and
I will not expose them to unnecessary danger. Do you understand?”

Tanith nodded miserably.

“Now before we meet our visitors, I need to ask you a
question and please be honest with me. Am I in danger of…” he hesitated.
Strom’s eyes met hers briefly and he looked away. “Does Captain Zander or her
crew present a danger to me personally?”

He was asking about the
Dermatrax
. How could she have
ever thought that trying to seduce the captain was a good idea? Now Strom
looked so uncomfortable that she wanted to hug him, but after last night that
would terrify him completely. “No. It’s an exclusive thing until it wears off
or we are mated, then it would become permanent.”

His face flushed. “Thank heavens for that. I mean…”

Tanith sighed. “I know exactly what you mean.”

The engines of the sleek shuttlecraft powered down and
Captain Zander emerged, flanked by two females. Tanith heard Pete whistle under
his breath and she was tempted to giggle. If they were back on Cyraelia,
Alaysha and her crew would have been locked up.

“Captain Hallstrom,” Alaysha almost purred as she offered
him her hand. Tanith caught the heady scent of pheromones. Pete looked
decidedly interested in her.

“And Tanith, how good to see you again. I was sorry to hear
about your loss.” When she snapped her fingers, the crewperson disappeared into
the shuttle and returned with a box. “Just a few little gifts, darling, I
wasn’t sure what the facilities would be like on a human ship.”

“The facilities are fine, Alaysha. Thank you.”

“Speaking of which, perhaps you and your crew would like
some refreshments.” They followed the captain to the reception room and Tanith
watched as Alaysha tried in vain to work her charms on Strom. Maybe last
night’s exposure to the
Dermatrax
wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
While he was under the influence of hers, Strom would be immune to other
Cyraelian females. Pete was another story. He followed the redhead around like
a puppy until Jake took him away to deal with an urgent problem in engineering.

Alaysha made her way across the room. “I’m sorry you had to
deal with all that unpleasantness alone, Tanith. Raoul didn’t tell me that he
was returning to Cyraelia.”

“I didn’t know you two were still together.”

Alaysha’s eyes scanned the room. She seemed a little
disappointed by the lack of reaction from Strom’s crew. “We weren’t together
exactly but you could say that we had mutual interests. Did you spend much time
with him before…?”

“No,” Tanith admitted. “I spoke to him very briefly.

“Then he didn’t give you anything? A little gift perhaps…”

Alaysha’s questions were beginning to make her feel
uncomfortable. “No. I told you. We barely spoke.”

“I’ll be frank with you, Tanith. Raoul had something
belonging to Atam Sorza and Atam wants it back. Give me the key and I’ll leave
you alone. If Atam finds you, he’ll kill you and every single one of your human
friends. I’ll give you a little time to reconsider your response.”

Alaysha summoned her crew and said her goodbyes. The party
was definitely over. A little time turned out to be two hours. Alaysha didn’t
bother to use her charm this time. Strom had one hour to turn Tanith over to
them or face the consequences.

For the second time that day, the captain’s ready room was
full and all eyes were on her. Jake’s fingers drummed anxiously on the table.
Most of the officers were strangers to her. She couldn’t expect them to risk
their lives to protect her. Pete would be glad to get rid of her and the doc
was already regretting the loss of a prize specimen. Strom’s face was
impassive. After last night, there was no way that he would help her.

“Status reports, please.”

“Sir, we more than match them in conventional weapons
capabilities, but there is some intelligence that they may have viral com
weapons that we’re not familiar with.”

“Sickbay is on alert and is prepared to receive casualties
if necessary, Captain.”

“Engineering confirms that all ship’s systems are
functioning normally, Sir.”

Strom glanced pointedly at Tanith. “Ms. Jasson, are you sure
that you don’t know what Captain Zander wants?”

“I’m certain.” Why was Strom hesitating? Why didn’t he just
hand her over to Alaysha? She wasn’t part of his crew. He didn’t owe her
anything. “Permission to speak to you in private, Sir.”

Strom raised one blond brow in surprise. “Granted, everyone
else is dismissed.”

Tanith waited until the room was empty before she spoke.
“You have to hand me over to them.”

Dark eyes regarded her thoughtfully. “Is that what you
want?”

“No. Of course I don’t want to go back there, but it’s the
only option that makes sense.”

“And what about Jake?”

The question hung unanswered for several moments. Strom
waited patiently for her reply. What could she tell him about Jake? That she
loved him and hated him all at the same time. That every minute she spent away
from Jake was agony but she couldn’t bear to see him hurt, if it was in her
power to prevent it.

Alaysha was right. Atam Sorza would have no qualms about
killing the humans, including Jake. All she had to do was go to that ship and
he would be safe. “Jake will get over me. He’s probably got a dozen females
lined up for when I’m gone.”

Strom was silent. She knew that she hadn’t convinced him but
there was one last thing she could try. She glimpsed a brief hint of panic in
Strom’s eyes when she left her chair and moved toward him. Tanith trailed her
fingertips along his shoulders and she felt his muscles tense, as if he was
preparing for battle. “You have to consider the possibility that your judgment
is impaired. The
Dermatrax
is extremely potent. It’s natural that you
would want to protect me. Don’t let it interfere with your duty to your ship.”