Torkel's Chosen (14 page)

“I see this is
going to be a long night. Let’s start with Torkel Alonson, your Chosen, Unit
Leader to the Jutak punans.”

Faye swallowed and
prepared herself to endure agony for the man she loved. In a calm voice, no
hint of the sheer terror flowing through her veins, Faye stated, “I’m not
telling you anything.”

Crack!
Faye
screamed as the Marenian bent the angle of her right arm pulling it against the
pressure of the chain until the limb broke.

“Try again.”

Red lined her
vision as she became one with the pain on that side of her body. “Never,” she
slurred and succumbed to the agony and passed out.

***

Faye moaned as a
soft hand patted her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, Lindsey’s smile greeted
her. “Welcome back.”

Faye could see a dark
bruise forming on her friend’s face. The green and blue smudge appeared new.
“What happened?”

Tears glinted in
Lindsey’s eyes but she refused to speak.

Faye tried to sit
up and yelped when pain tore through her arm and hand. She hurt.

Lindsey scooted
closer and stretched out on the small pallet they shared on the cold stone
floor. Faye curled next to her face to face.

“Tell me Lindsey,”
Faye asked again.

Lindsey’s lashes
fluttered as if her brief burst of defiance had drained her. “They tortured
you, Faye. Hours, I think. You were gone forever and when they brought you back
you were unconscious. I thought I’d lost you.”

It explained why
her body was one large ache. Memories of the event slowly crept in. Faye
attempted a smile to ease her friend’s worry. “Too tough to die, remember?”

Lindsey snickered but
tears leaked from her eyes. “Right. Don’t scare me like that again. Me, I’m
good to sell. Blondes are apparently popular everywhere. Unless I’m too
battered to sell.” Her smile quivered on the edges as she reached out and
touched Faye’s chin. “But you- I don’t think they care if you make it to
auction, Faye.”

Faye jammed her
fist into her mouth to keep from crying out. Lindsey’s arms curled around her
and they rocked together in silence.

A Month Later

“Tell me about
your Jutak again.”

Faye almost didn’t
hear the whispered words. She shook so hard her teeth chattered and blocked out
most sound. “Torkel is brave and strong.”

Lindsey huddled
closer. They were both on their knees, the blanket around their shoulders as
they leaned against the icy cold wall but the rest of their cell was covered in
water almost two inches high. A continuous drip started the night before from
their ceiling, down the left wall and onto the floor.

“Like a SEAL,”
Lindsey asked, her voice rough from the hacking cough she’d developed.

“Yes,” Faye agreed,
shifting the awkward angle of her useless arm.

“He’s coming
right, Faye?”

“Yes.” Faye choked
on the answer. She wasn’t sure anyone would come for them. Her hope for rescue
dimmed each day. At least they’d stopped taking her from the cell to ask about
the Jutaks. Faye leaned her head back and stared at the green fuzz growing on
the ceiling. Her heart ached. She wanted Torkel. Needed him and the only thing
she had left to cling to was her belief he wouldn’t stop at anything to find
her if he could. She was his Chosen. That meant something to him. To both of
them.

Another auction
was tomorrow. One for the remaining women. So far neither of them had been
purchased due to their condition. It wasn’t like they received any medical care
for their injuries. If they were to be rescued it would happen tonight because
neither of them would be here after tomorrow. A lone tear rolled down her
cheek.

I need you,
Torkel. Where are you?

“We’re gonna be
okay, Faye,” Lindsey mumbled. “Earth girls kick butt. Every romance book says
so.”

***

6 weeks earlier

Torkel shoved
extra laser fuel cells in his duffel, along with two of his favorite handheld
laser blasters. His entire Unit focused on their bags as well, preparing to
rescue his Chosen. A fierce sense of pride rose in him. They had his back. The
mission wasn’t sanctioned but they were going with him to track down the scum
who’d kidnapped the woman who owned his heart. Torkel couldn’t spare time to
wait for a response from the commander.

He adjusted his
tactical vest over his shirt and turned to check on any updates from Kyele but
it was the look on Jaron’s face as he read something on his handheld unit that
pulled Torkel’s attention. News on Faye? He walked over and tapped Jaron on the
shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Jaron tilted the
device toward him. Audio played on the four inch screen. Faye’s voice as she
spoke with an obvious Marenian contact. His confusion took a back seat to what
he heard as their exchange sank in. Faye reported his every movement. One sound
clip after another revealed her giving the details of Torkel’s coming and
goings. When the last audio ended, he growled and ripped the device from
Jaron’s hand with the intent to destroy it.

Lies. It had to be
lies. He thought of those missions. How their enemies seem to be prepared for
them. On two of the missions, the Marenians had escaped with a known cargo of
slaves.

“What if its not
lies, Torkel?”

Torkel realized
he’d been muttering the word under his breath. He snapped at Jaron. “What are
you implying about my Chosen?”

“That this is a
trap. She’s been working with the Marenians all along.” Jaron shoved a hand
through his hair, leaving grooves behind. “She’s a fucking plant!”

Torkel punched
him. The blow staggered Jaron but he wiped the smear of blood from his mouth.
“Look at the other tab. There’s video.”

Torkel hesitated.

“Do it.”

His men drawn by
the fight closed in.

Torkel swiped the
icon for the video. Razors ripped through his chest as he watched Faye take
money to be his Chosen.

“I need you to
select Torkel Alonson during the presentation.” The voice had been distorted
and sounded mechanical.

“Twenty thousand? Alright.”
Faye’s voice.

Faye extended her
wrist while the payment processed then smiled. Fucking smiled for taking
payment to mislead him.

“Everything was
planned from the very beginning,” Jaron stated.

Emotions clawed at
his gut. Torkel couldn’t breathe as he watched the evidence in front of his
face. Faye. His Faye.

 “We have to
assume that she wasn’t kidnapped.” Anger flavored Jaron’s speech. He’d been
taken by Faye too. “There’s more. Before he escaped, Arlo used his claws to
scrawl the word Axan on the table in the detainment room. Jerking us around. Maybe
she worked with Axan all along. You have to admit the uproar at the
presentation could have been staged. To loosen your guard around her.”

His eyes closed
tight as Jaron’s words slid home. Doubt plagued Torkel. His breath turned
ragged as he opened his eyes and hit the replay button. Then again. And again.
His fingers tightened until the metal casing cracked. If he ever wondered what
he was worth, his Chosen had put a price on him. Twenty thousand dollars to
claim Torkel, the unwanted.

“Are we going or
staying?” Kyele asked, eyes glittering with menace.

Cold seeped into
his pores. Anger melted away. Torkel straightened and eyed each of the men who
had been prepared to put their life on the line for Faye. For him. Anguish and
hurt boiled over. “We’re staying. Let the traitor rot.”

He walked from the
room, unable to endure the pity they tried to hide. He was a Jutak warrior.
Faye’s actions wouldn’t break him. They’d make him stronger and when he caught
her and the others, he’d make sure she paid.

Chapter 20

“What are you
doing? You can’t take her,” Faye screamed as she kicked at the one guard.

The other lifted
Lindsey’s limp form in his arms and snarled. “We have a buyer for this one even
in her weak condition.” His eyes glittered. “You, we received approval to give
to the guards tomorrow. I promise you
won’t
enjoy it and we can finally
show you how we treat Jutak suares.”

Faye shivered and
continued to struggle but the guard punched her in the face. Pain exploded in
her cheek and her mouth filled with the sour taste of blood. The guards laughed
as they left and locked the gate.

Faye dropped to
her knees and dragged the thin blanket to her mouth where she screamed out her
rage and pain.
Torkel! Why haven’t you come for me?

She didn’t get an
answer as darkness closed in and her body tipped over. Faye never felt her head
crack as it hit the ground.

Voices woke her.
Hushed whispers and the clink of keys. She feigned sleep fearful of the threats
the guards made coming true.

A rough hand
covered her mouth as she was turned onto her back. Faye kicked out and sprung
into action. If not for the chain on her ankle she would have darted through
the open doorway.

“Shit, hold her,”
a masked man hissed.

Hard arms came
around her waist, lifting her feet from the floor. Pain in her bad arm made her
woozy. The chain around her leg slackened then fell off. Faye jammed her elbow
back into a firm stomach. The man behind her groaned.

“Hurry,” someone whispered.

 She made out the
outline of two other masked men entering. Faye became frantic, kicking and
punching. She wouldn’t go down easy.

“Settle down
Lindsey Ferra. Your husbands sent us.”

Faye froze. She
was turned around and the hand moved from her mouth.

“Can you walk?”

She nodded then
because it was dark whispered, “Yes.”

“Good.”

Her head swam.
Sickness made her waver on her feet. Something about his voice was familiar. It
had been a while since she’d heard anything besides the growling Marenian
tongue. Then it hit her. She was being rescued and they thought she was
Lindsey.

She had to tell
them. Maybe there was still time to find Lindsey. “M-my friend we have to get…”

He cut her off
with a hard arm around her middle as he half-dragged half-carried her from the
cell. They ducked into a shadowed alcove.

“Quiet.”

Faye quieted.

Two Marenian
guards marched by them grunting and laughing as they taunted the prisoners in
the cells. When the guards passed, the man hustled her back along the path. The
three men stayed around her as they rushed through the narrowed tunnels. Faye
didn’t remember any of this from when she’d arrived. Rocks and gravel stung her
bare feet but she kept quiet until they neared what looked like an exit.

Hope bubbled in
her chest. Escape had only been feet away. Two other men waited for their group.
Freedom beckoned but not without Lindsey.

Faye fought the
hands on her until the men finally paused. Blue eyes glared at her from behind
the black mask. She swallowed her nerves and whispered, “My friend. We have to
find my friend.”

“Sorry, lady.
We’re here to get you out. Your husbands have badgered until they were heard.
Our mission objective is to secure your release and return you home.”

He tapped the
small disk inserted in his ear. “Package secured, Team One moving out.”

Team One. Faye’s
heart raced. They were Jutak warriors. Finally. Relief overwhelmed until a half-hysterical
giggle escaped. Her rescuer clasped her arms and pulled her toward the two
shadowed men at the exit.

At the end of the
passage, one man, taller than the others, focused on Faye. Her breath halted at
the familiar figure. Mask or no mask, she’d know him anywhere. She jerked on
her arm causing her rescuer to release his hold as she flew toward her target.

“Torkel. Torkel. I
knew you’d come.” Ignoring the pain in her one arm, Faye reached him and
wrapped her free arm around his waist and held tight. His scent and warmth
seeped into her weary bones. She didn’t think she’d ever be warm again. Days
and weeks of imprisonment fell to the side.

Someone cursed
behind her. Faye closed her eyes and swayed on her feet.

“Faye?”

The rough
inhalation was all she heard as her world darkened and faded away. She
collapsed in his arms.

***

Torkel caught Faye’s
frail form before she hit the ground. Grime coated her face and the rags she
wore smelled of filth as he lifted her into his arms. He turned to Gregir. “The
other woman. Did you secure her?”

His friend stared
at Faye’s unconscious form. “There was no other woman. She…” he pointed at
Faye. “was the only one in the cell we were told to check.”

“Fuck.” There time
was up. Jaron would only be able to keep the alarms out for another five
minutes before their presence was detected. He glared down at the woman who’d
ripped his world apart. Distaste filled his mouth. “Let’s go.”

They filed out in
single order behind him and rushed to the transport that waited to take them
from this small auction house. Later a raid would be planned to come back for
the other prisoners and to end the Marenians running the slave ring here. Their
orders had been to bring back the woman Lindsey Ferra. Instead, he held his
Chosen and would have to report their failure to two very upset government
officials who wanted their wife back.

Chapter 21

Dr. Maku and a
team of medical professionals waited for them when their shuttle docked on the
cruiser. They had expected to treat Lindsey Ferra because no one fared well
under the Marenians care. Torkel laid Faye on the stretcher and kept pace as
they rushed her to medical.

His men exchanged
strange looks but Torkel’s mind whirled with seeing his Chosen again after all
this time. He wanted to shred her to pieces. Tear into her and see if she felt
half the pain he did. Many nights he’d planned what he would say to her if
their paths ever crossed. Now he was at a lost for words.

“Cut these rags
from her,” Maku ordered as they transferred Faye to another bed once they
reached the ships medical center. This bed had sensors located under the white
sheets to monitor a patient’s vitals. Sheets which soon turned brown from the dried
and fresh blood crusted on his Chosen.

An assistant in a
white jumpsuit used tiny clippers and removed what little Faye wore. Curses
sounded throughout the room when her body was exposed. Torkel growled and
stepped closer, unable to block his reaction at the sight of the marks on her
body.

One of the
machines beeped louder and lights flashed overhead.

“What’s wrong?”
Torkel reluctantly asked as the actions of the medical staff around Faye sped
up.

His friend ignored
him, his movements precise and urgent as he ran a scanner over Faye’s body.
Another mumbled curse as he switched to a neutralizer to handle the surface
bruising. There wasn’t an inch of Faye’s body not covered in dark and colorful bruises.
Some old, some new. Torkel moved to the head of the bed and touched her hair
lightly. The texture was gritty and gnarled, not the brown waves he remembered.

An alarm blared
louder and this time the rotating light over the bed turned from white to red.
Torkel’s pulse sped up. He searched Maku’s face but the doctor never lifted his
head. His concentration remained completely on Faye.

“Get me the
injector.” When the assistant moved too slow, Maku yelled. “Now, damn it!”

A silver device
was slapped into his gloved hands a moment later and he jabbed Faye in the
neck. Torkel blanched.

“Come on, come
on,” Maku murmured as he stared at Faye’s pale face.

Torkel held his
breath, unsure what he waited for but knew his Chosen’s life depended on
whatever reaction the doctor wanted.

The red light
winked out.

“Good.”

Maku reached for
her right arm. Faye’s scream startled all of them as she arched off the bed. Medics
worked to restrain her body, forcing her back to the stained sheets.

“Bastards,” Maku
snarled.

Torkel tensed.
“What’s wrong with her?”

“It would be
easier if you asked me what’s not.” Maku continued to work frantically over
Faye.

At one point, he’d
had to stop, using his forearm to swipe sweat from his brow. Maku looked at
Torkel and there had been nothing but rage glowering in his blue eyes.

“Get in the bed
and hold her.”

Torkel jerked.
“What?”

Dr Maku pointed to
Torkel’s fingers massaging a spot on her forearm. The only placed not mottled
with cuts and bruises. “She relaxes under your touch.”

Torkel pulled his
hand back. Too bad. She was a vicious female who had sold him and his teams
out. And for what. To end up like this- as a slave in one of the very auctions
Torkel fought to shut down.

“Torkel that is an
order unless you want to see this woman die because I promise you based on her
vitals she’s hanging by a thread.”

Torkel went
motionless. He shouldn’t care. She deserved everything she got. His gaze
drifted over her nude body. Her skin was still too sensitive for covers. There
wasn’t any place unmarked by oozing sores and deep lacerations. Faye’s right
arm rested over her stomach where Maku placed it after sliding on a geli cast
for the fracture.

No.

She didn’t deserve
this. No woman deserved to be broken. Careful of her injuries, Torkel climbed
into the bed. He lay on his back and eased her weight onto his chest. She
curled around him immediately, her head burrowing under his chin. Maku was
right. Once settled, the ragged breaths escaping her chest slowed. The monitors
in the background picked up a steady rhythm.

“Good.” Maku bent
his head and went back to work on repairing the damage to Faye. Repairing the
woman who had once meant the world to Torkel.

And still did.

***

Even in sleep, the
nightmares chased Faye. Maku sedated her twice during the night as the force of
the pain brought her to awareness repeatedly. Torkel didn’t dare move. The one
time he did leave to go to the cleansing unit, her vitals dropped and she
thrashed around in the bed, dislodging sensors and a fluid drip. Dr. Maku paged
him and Torkel had come running.

His feelings were
mixed. His heart torn in two. Torkel shifted seeking a comfortable spot on the
narrow bed as she whined. He stroked her back with a gentle hand, knowing what
came next but helpless to prevent it. The whine turned into broken cries. Cries
that ripped him to shreds.

“No, no, no,
noooo!” She ended on a low keening cry.

“Shhh, you’re safe,
Faye. Safe.” He repeated the words he’d said over the last few hours as fury
burned in his veins.

Her hands clenched
on his shirt and she burrowed closer to him. Torkel kept his arms securely
around her. Gradually, the cries died off as they always did when he spoke but
not before they decimated him. A medic peeked in the room Faye had to herself.
He waved her off.

Jaron, Faruk and
Rydak came in later that night. His team leaders wore variations of the same
expression. Frustration. Torkel stiffened and half sat up without disturbing a
sleeping Faye.

“How did it go?”

Faruk’s lips
pressed tight together and he shot a hate filled glance at Faye. “We got them
all except the Senators’ wife. Jaron hacked their records and it looks like she
was sold to a miner’s colony earlier in the day.”

Torkel flinched.
Miners spent most of their days and nights deep in caverns panning ore or
blasting rocks to look for more ore. No woman willingly went to a miners’
colony. “Which one?”

“Tulu.” Jaron
folded his arms over his chest, his uniform wrinkled and creased.

None of them had
had a chance to change or shower. Jaron’s glare toward Faye was as vehement as
Faruk’s.

Rydak walked to
the other side of Faye’s bed and asked, “Has she awakened?”

Torkel cleared his
throat. “No.”

Rydak removed one
of his ever present leather gloves and brushed his thumb over a swollen cheek.
Maku had repaired the break but he needed to wait before addressing the
swelling.

“May I?”

Torkel nodded.

Rydak ran his
thumb over her nose and then up where he planted it at the center of her
forehead. Torkel tensed and waited. It wasn’t often that Rydak volunteered to
touch anyone barehanded. That he did so now worried Torkel.

“She suffered,”
Rydak said, eyes closed as he concentrated. “She is friends with the Senators’
wife. There is love there.”

Torkel’s arms
pulled Faye near as if to shelter her from whatever secrets Rydak pulled from
her head.

“She didn’t work
with Lothar,” Rydak announced and dropped his hand. He stumbled as he stepped
back, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth. He slipped the glove back on
his hand. “Not directly.”

An expulsion of
air burst from Torkel’s chest. “What does that mean?”

Rydak shook his
head. “Most of her thoughts are dark. Hazy from pain and drugs. Shadows chase
her and fear is a constant companion.”

“Who cares,” Jaron
snapped. “She betrayed us. Betrayed Torkel.”

Rydak’s impressive
gray eyes narrowed. “Nothing is as simple as it seems. You spent the most time
with her. Did her actions appear full of subterfuge?”

Jaron flushed and
stormed from the room. Faruk who’d been silent during the exchange stared at
the door then back at Rydak before his gaze landed on Torkel. “None of it will
matter. The whys. Her crime must be reported.”

Torkel’s stomach
clenched but his men didn’t speak further and left him alone.

When Dr. Maku came
in next, Torkel didn’t even lift his head. “How is she?”

 “The same.”

He felt Maku’s
stare burning a hole in the side of his head but Torkel said nothing more.

The cruiser would
reach Enotia next and Torkel had two options when they landed. Neither of them
pleased him.