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her smile as she did it. He suddenly wondered what a genuine smile would look like on her face. Not that he would find out—he planned to be out of her life by tonight. He shifted and frowned.

    “I’ll see you later then,” she said to the floor, turning without looking up at him.

    When she reached the threshold, he said on impulse, “Sukeza bet Marish.”

    She jerked around, staring at him with wide eyes as if he’d just goosed her with something sharp.

    “Thank you.” He meant for more than the food and water, but she didn’t need to know that just yet. His little rescuer would learn what she’d done for him after the fact, if all went according to plan.

    She flushed a lovely shade of pink and he wondered how he could have ever thought her just plain cute and ordinary. She was downright edible. “Y-you’re welcome,” she mumbled and slipped out the door.

    Clavis didn’t show his face until Stryker bellowed his name several times. The big man thundered to the door, blowing like a bull in full charge. “Shaddap, you—”

    “I gotta take a piss.” Stryker cut across the other man’s fury with matter-of-fact calm. “Just thought you might wanna get me to a tank so I don’t stink up the place.”

    Clavis hesitated between rage and the apparently dreadful concept of human waste in his meeting room.

    “Man, I’m gonna explode. If you need backup, could you hurry?”

    The insult worked like a charm. “Don’t need no backup for a trussed up pig like you,” Clavis snarled, stomping forward and drawing his weapon. As he pulled out the key, he said, “Don’t even twitch.”

    Stryker suppressed the urge to be sarcastic, submitting to the man’s orders while Clavis unshackled him from the wall and placed portable cuffs around his wrists. Then Clavis unwound the chain from his body, and Stryker rose to his feet, shuffling toward the door with a short chain between his ankles. Clavis followed, his rage and natural brutality pressing against the back of Stryker’s neck.
Oh, yeah,
it was going to feel good to take this man down. He remembered how the man had looked at Sukeza and gritted his teeth. It was going to feel
very
good.

    They made their slow way to the toilet, a clean, primitive room that was satisfyingly small. Clavis was only an arm’s length away while Stryker struggled with more effort than was necessary to undo his pants. He swore softly twice, which made the big man snicker. When he managed to free himself from his pants, he glanced over at the jailor and lifted his eyebrows. “You gonna watch?”

    The man smirked. “You got stage fright?”

    Stryker shrugged and went about his business, taking in his surroundings out of the corners of his eyes. It was going to be so easy. He could do it was day, and getting to his ship undetected would be impossible under that damned sun. No matter—this was a trial run, a good way to soften the fat bastard up for the real event. Clavis was already feeling secure enough not to point the weapon at Stryker while he finished and they made their way back to his makeshift prison. Meek as a lamb, Stryker moved to his spot and sat, not protesting by even a twitch as Clavis rechained and reshackled him.

    “You been a good boy,” Clavis said over his shoulder when he left. “If you keep it up, maybe I’ll put a bullet in you ‘fore you burn. Make it quick, uh?” He guffawed, his braying laughter echoing in the large room beyond.

    “Shit for brains,” Stryker muttered complacently under his breath, well satisfied. The man was growing more confident with every contact with his prisoner, less wary and less watchful.

    With a full belly, an empty bladder, and nothing else to do, Stryker settled himself as well as he could against the wall and dozed in the bright heat. When he roused, shadows filled the room and the long light outside the widow spoke of sunset. He heard voices in the distance and tensed. Had Clavis decided to bring in more men after