was something spiky like barbed wire beneath the scar tissue.
“And you can’t remove it by yourself?” I asked.
“As archaic as it is to put it in place, it’s a sophisticated device.”
I was silent, closing my eyes, partly because Slyte’s caressing touch made me shiver, partly because I was sick to my stomach. “If only you had told me—”
“And have you come after me? You wouldn’t have stood a chance. I’d rather have you hate me than risk your life. And I was sorry,” he said quietly. “It wasn’t a lie.”
“You should have told me when you entered our partnership that you had unfinished business with this guy.” And not any guy, no, it had to be someone so high up and with a reputation so clean you knew he was bone rotten.
“When I got wind of his illegal activities, I wanted out of my pilot contract. You could say a long-time friendship was over. I offered to pay a penalty for the outstanding time, which he didn’t accept. I left anyway, threatening that I’d report him to the confederation.”
“Now that wasn’t smart,” I said. “He probably has half of the officials in his pocket.”
“I know,” Garrett said. “It wasn’t smart and it backfired. His thugs came looking for me when he couldn’t find someone stupid enough to replace me. But I wasn’t easy to find. Until we checked into that motel. The kid who showed us the room, he must have recognized me, knew that there was reward on my head.”
I’d heard of slaves being imprisoned by explosives beneath their skin. But I hadn’t seen it before. “What triggers it?” I asked, my throat tight.
“If they don’t replace it every three days, it starts releasing poison into my blood. They made damn sure that I stick around this time. I had to fly missions under the radar, violating confederation regulations left and right. But, hey, in his own twisted way, he has honor. My contract with him is now up, so I’m soon free again.”
“Just like that?”
He nodded. “I was on my way to debrief when my ship crashed. After the debrief, they’ll take out the device and my life is my own again.”
“You’re not letting them get away with what they did to you, right?”
“I might know a thing or two to bring him down, but that needs planning,” he said quietly. “And right now, I don’t want to think about it. Not when I have you finally back in my arms.”
I was still trying to come to terms with his story. Something else nudged at my brain, but I couldn’t pinpoint what was bothering me. But I knew better than to expect that the confederation would come to the rescue of an independent pilot who’d gotten himself into trouble. By the time the paperwork with the complaint was filed, he’d have been dead.
Tears pricked at my eyes, tears of fury and the pain of a broken heart. “Damn you, Garrett. Why didn’t you tell me, contact me?”
“I couldn’t,” he said. “Not without putting you in danger. I left the room after you fell asleep to get something to drink. They’d been already waiting. I promised to go quietly if they let me pack my stuff. I managed to scribble the note before they dragged me away. I feared you’d wake up, attack them, do something heroic. Feared they would take you along if they realized how much you meant to me. He’s a dangerous guy, I don’t want him to know you exist. I wrote you the note so you wouldn’t come looking for me.”
“And now you’ve found me.”
“Yes, and a few days sooner than I’d hoped for too. Imagine my surprise spotting you across the room. And the next thing I see is you drinking that stuff.”
My thoughts blurred for a second as Slyte pulled me into him, his cock slipping between my legs. My slick pussy coated his length, making it impossible to keep my hips still. I rocked against him, his cock teasing my clit. I slid my hand between my thighs, touching him, touching myself.
Garrett lifted his arm, touched my cheeks with his finger. “You’re