“You feel threatened by us, because you can tell that we’re holding something back. I understand that. But the truth is that we have far more to fear from you than you do from us, and that’s why we haven’t been entirely forthcoming with you. Because we don’t know that we can trust you.”

“Mutual distrust,” Audra says. “That’s a way of life, around here.”

“Yes, I suppose it would have to be.” I nod. “I’ll explain the part of our story we haven’t told you yet, because we obviously have no choice. But I’d feel better about that if you two gentlemen would take a seat.” I wave Tyson and Callum toward the center of the room and away from the door. “You have my word that we won’t try to run.”

I’m not even sure Sebastian knows how to run. I’ve never seen him back down from a fight, which means I have to keep this from becoming one, because he can’t win under these circumstances.

No one could.

“Ty?” Audra says, without taking her wary gaze from me.

He grunts, and I’m not sure whether that’s an acquiescence or a refusal until he reluctantly moves away from the door to stand behind the cushion she lowers herself onto. Silently standing guard over her in a hulking, overtly threatening way.

It’s actually kind of sweet.

Callum moves back to Maci’s side, and though everyone looks ready to jump up and beat us to death on a second’s notice, this is obviously the best we’re going to get.

“Okay. Thank you. My name is Kaya Johnston. I’m a sponsorship liaison in the arena. In zone one. More specifically, I’m Sebastian’s sponsorship liaison. Which means…I work for Universal Authority.”

For a second, tense silence reigns in the packed room. I can hear several dozen people breathing. Then everyone starts shouting.

“She works for the warden!”

“Kaya is one of them!”

“They probably sent her here to find us. She’s a spy.”

“She’s part of what happened to us at the Resort!”

Chaos reigns until Tyson steps forward again. “Quiet!” he roars, and mouths snap shut all over the room, while the echo of his shout reverberates through my head. “Let’s at least let her finish before we start weaving rope and building a gallows.”

“He’s kidding,” Audra assures me. But I’m not at all sure that’s true. They have every right to hate me.

“Go ahead,” Tyson says. “But consider your words carefully.”

I nod. “As I was saying, I work for Universal Authority, but only in zone one. My job isn’t to make your lives more difficult. It’s actually quite the opposite,” I explain, as Sebastian translates softly for Callum. “My job is to find corporate sponsors for Sebastian. Companies willing to pay for weapons and medical care, in exchange for publicity, to keep him alive in the arena.”

My job is actually a lot more complicated than that. By keeping Sebastian alive, I’m condemning his opponents to death. And though I have nothing to do with whatever salacious, intrusive, and violent footage UA decides to air, I’m doing nothing to stop them from airing it. Because there’s nothing I can do.

But the bottom line for the ladies of the Sorority is that I am paid a rather large salary by the for-profit company that rented them out by the hour to wealthy guests at the Resort.

However, that’s more of the “whole truth” than they need to hear right now.

“Anyway, three days ago, Sebastian competed in the first gladiatorial match of the season. And, of course, he won. Afterward, UA sent him up in a space yacht to mingle with some important CEOs and sponsors. That ship crashed into zone three, and Sebastian saved my life.” I’m going to let him decide whether or not to tell them how the crash really happened. “Since then, we’ve both been stuck here, looking for Sylvie and Graham.”

“Holy shit,” one of the woman breathes, studying me with wide-eyed sympathy. “It’s a miracle you survived the crash. And now to be stranded here, in such a horrible place…”

“We’re all stranded here,” Lilli points out.

“Yes, but she doesn’t deserve to be.”

“None of us deserve this. Or any of what went down at the Resort,” Lilli insists.

“I agree,” I assure her.

“Do they even know you’re alive?” another of the women asks. “Are they looking for survivors?”

“We assume they are,” I explain, before Sebastian can jump in. “But we bailed from the ship before it hit the ground, so we haven’t actually been to the site of the crash. And we can’t go there. Sebastian doesn’t want to be taken back to zone one. He wants to be with his sister. And she’s here, in zone three.”

“So, you need an escort to the crash site?” Lilli says.

“No!” Maci’s tiny fists curl around the edge of her cushion. “That’s no safer for us than it is for Sebastian. So far UA hasn’t come after us, but they will scoop up any of us who deliver ourselves to them. Do you guys want to wind up back at the Resort?”

Most of the women shake their heads emphatically, but Lilli shrugs. “A couple of months ago, I might have considered it,” she admits. “That place sucked, but this place did too, at first. Before we got the water running. Now? No way in hell I’d go back there. But Penny’s right. Kaya doesn’t belong here. If we can help her get off this planet, I think we should. That’s no different than what you and Callum did for us.”

“Valid point,” Maci admits.

Then Callum says something I can’t understand. But it’s clear from his harsh tone and his protective arm around Maci that he has no intention of letting her get anywhere near the crash site.

“I don’t want you to do that,” I assure them. “Though from what I understand, the Resort still isn’t up and running again after you guys took it down.”

“Really?” Callum says, using Sebastian as a translator. “We left the building entirely intact.”

“Yes, but several dozen guards died, all but one of the female prisoners escaped into zone one, half of the male inmates died fighting one another, and Maci took out two of the customers all on her own. Not to mention the guard commander. Maci Bishop is somewhat of a legend, on Station Alpha, and after what she did, UA isn’t sure it’s worth the risk to start the hunts again. And, just between us, their insurance premiums have skyrocketed.”

For a second, they all stare at me. Then a huge grin blooms across Maci’s face, and the rest of the room breaks into cheers. And suddenly the tone of the gathering has changed. They no longer seem to see me as an adversary, but as a bearer of good tidings.

“I do agree with Maci and Callum, though,” I add when the cheering dies down. “They may not be able to put you back in the Resort, but if they can capture you and punish you for what went down there, they will. And I can’t ask any of you to risk that for me.”

“Maybe we won’t have to,” Maci says. “There might be a way to get them to pick you up somewhere else.”

“Oh, honey, no…” Audra says. “We’re saving it in case of an emergency.”

“This is an emergency,” Maci insists. “And keeping this thing here is dangerous. What if they figure out how to activate it remotely? It’s not doing us any good if we can’t use it, and the second we turn it on, they’ll know where we are. We might as well use that to our advantage.”

“What are we talking about?” Sebastian glances between Audra and Maci in confusion. “Turn what on?”

Maci exhales slowly. Then she reaches for the bag at her feet and pulls out…a wrist-worn com device.

“Wow,” I breathe as I stare at it. “That’s guard-issue.” Which means that Maci has access to much more than I do with my com device. If she can use the com at all, she’ll have access to everything from security protocols to locations of the supply drops. Maybe much more than that, considering that she’s a professional hacker.

That is, if she’s willing to risk turning it on.

“It belonged to Commander Harris,” Maci says. “I’m sure they stripped her authority after she died. Especially if they’ve figured out that I have this. But I have backdoor access.”

“How do you have any access?” Sebastian asks. “Why would that thing recognize your fingerprints?”

Laughter rings out from the room around us, and I lay one hand on his arm, trying not to notice how firm the planes of muscle are beneath my fingers. “Maci Bishop is more dangerous with a piece of tech in her hands than you are with your knife. That’s how she wound up here.”

“That’s how she got us out of the Resort,” Lilli adds.

I can’t understand what Callum is saying, but I suspect it’s something along that same theme.

“But again, it’s dangerous to keep this,” Maci says. “Because the easier we make it for them to find us out here, the more likely they are to decide that’s worth their effort.” She shrugs petite little shoulders. “So we may as well use it one last time to get you rescued.”

“How would we do that without getting caught?” Audra asks. “I guess we’d have to take her out pretty far before we turn it on?”

Maci nods. “So, a few of us would hike out into the middle of the zone with Kaya and find some place near a patch of forest. We’d activate the device and let her send a message on it. Then the rest of us would hightail it into the woods, where we could see her—to watch over her—without being seen, until they pick her up.” She shrugs. “It’s not without risk, but it’s also not without reward. You know, getting someone off this rock. I wish we could do that for everyone, but I’ll be happy if we can put the com device to good use for someone before we give it up.”

A sudden wash of guilt floods me. They’re talking about giving up the only piece of tech they have—their emergency beacon—to get me off this rock, when I have my own emergency beacon. But I can’t tell them that. I can’t tell them that I’ve brought one more dangerous device into their midst, or that we’re waiting to use it so that Sebastian can demand an escape vehicle. And that when he goes, he’ll have no choice but to leave them all behind.

“Wow, that’s quite an offer,” I finally say. “And I really appreciate that. But may I think about it?”

Maci frowns at me. “Of course.” But she obviously can’t understand why I’m not jumping all over their offer.

“It’ll be dark soon,” Tyson says. “You two may as well stay the night.”

*

“Are you sure you want to share a room with him?” Audra whispers, leaning toward me over the small stack of spare bed mats. “We have plenty of space, and I promise no one here will hurt you. Ty and Callum don’t even look at other women like that—they’re quite satisfied.” She gives me a small smile. “And the rest of the women may not always get along—I’m not sure any group this size could—but they’re not violent or aggressive. I suspect that’s why they were chosen for the Resort in the first place. Though those bastards obviously had no idea what they were getting when they picked Maci.” Her smile blossoms into a beaming look of pride.

“I appreciate the offer, but Sebastian and I…we’ve gotten comfortable with each other.”

“You trust him?” She glances across the room, where Callum and Sebastian are having a conversation Tyson obviously can’t understand. Which evidently has something to do with our last jar of caviar.

“I do,” I tell Audra. “Maybe I shouldn’t.” I mean, he did take me hostage. “But I do.”

“Are you two involved?” she whispers. “I mean, that’s the only reason I can think of that an inmate would save a UA employee.”

“He actually saved quite a few of them. Sebastian pulled the alarm to warn people that the ship was going down.” I shrug. “For a man convicted of murder, he’s not really much of a murderer.” But maybe I shouldn’t have told her that. Maybe I should let everyone in zone three think he’s as much of a threat as he appears.

“I thought he was a gladiator before his conviction?”

“Yeah, he was. It’s…complicated.”

Audra stares at me for a minute. “Does UA know you’re sleeping with him? Because I’m assuming that would put your job at risk.”

“I’m not…” Okay, I am. “I mean, that’s a recent development. Since the crash.”

She frowns again. “Was it for protection? Because you don’t have to do that anymore. That’s not how we run things here.”

“It’s not like that,” I assure her. “Sebastian’s basically the poster child for consensual sex, so…” I shrug. “And I’m not worried about my job, because I’m not going back to it. I already told them this would be my last season, and if Sebastian’s not going back into the arena, there’s no reason for me to. I can’t… I can’t help people kill each other anymore. Once I’m rescued, I’m going to sue, wait for UA to offer a settlement, then retire somewhere off the beaten path.”

The wistful look on Audra’s face makes me feel guilty for mentioning my plans. Because she’ll never leave this planet. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. No matter what got you sent here, you don’t deserve to live like this.”

There’s a bitter thread woven through her laughter. “This is the good life. This is the safest and most secure I’ve ever felt on this planet. Even if we’ve only managed to restore water to two sinks and four toilets. In zone four, women were turned out like prostitutes for whatever scraps of food the men who ‘bought’ us could manage to hold onto. People aren’t a proper currency in any economy. And no amount of getting used to something makes it right.”

I stare at her as a sudden stark understanding falls into place. “You’re right. When I first started working at the arena, I couldn’t even watch the fights. The violence terrified me. The blood disgusted me. And the fact that the men I sent onto the sand could be dead ten minutes later felt brutally surreal. However, the longer I worked there, the more normal it all began to feel. But that doesn’t mean it was actually any less horrible.”

“Exactly,” Audra says. “But I wasn’t judging your circumstances. I was talking about my own.”

“I know, I just… You made me think.”

“She does that a lot,” Tyson’s deep voice rumbles from behind me, and I spin, startled to find him there. For such a big man, he’s surprisingly stealthy. “Audra’s always thinking or making someone else think.”

She rolls her eyes at him. “Which would be great, if I could think up something that would help us. But I’m more of a…theoretician.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that word.”

Tyson laughs. “Me neither. But I’m sure it’s a real one, or my little southpaw wouldn’t have said it.” She grins at him over my shoulder. But then Tyson sits on the stack of mats, where he can see us both. “Audra, I think you should go with them, when they take Kaya out to be rescued.”

She looks surprised. “I thought you’d fight me on that. That you’d say it was too dangerous.”

“It is dangerous. But for you, I think the reward would be worth the risk. This is your second chance, Audra.” His voice has a gruff, pleading quality to it, but her gaze hardens.

“No. Tyson, no! I’m not going!”

And suddenly I realize I have no idea what we’re talking about anymore.

“Take her with you,” Tyson says, so softly that no one beyond our little circle could possibly understand. “Take her off the planet.”

What? “I’m sorry, but I can’t… They would never…”

“She’s innocent,” Tyson says. “Actually innocent. Her twin committed a crime, and they convicted Audra with her sister’s DNA.” His focus tightens on me until maintaining eye contact is…uncomfortable. “You said you wanted to help. That you were trying to make those death row inmates’ lives better, even just a little. Well, here’s where you can truly help. Get Audra off this planet.”

“I… It was your sister’s DNA?” I study her, trying to see the truth. “I mean, is that even possible?”

“Very possible,” Audra says. “But I’m not going. They wouldn’t believe me, but even if they would, I’m staying here with you.” She looks up at Tyson. “And we’re done discussing this, so the next time you bring it up, I’ll assume you’re trying to get rid of me. And I’ll kill you in your sleep.” She grins on the tail of her threat. But she’s serious about everything else.

“I want something better for you, southpaw. I’m not going to stop wanting that,” Tyson growls softly. Then he presses a kiss to the top of her head—have I mentioned that he’s tall?—and leaves the room to…do whatever one of two men living in a community of women does with his time.

I stare after him, trying to wrap my head around what I’ve just heard. “That’s all real?” I ask Audra. “You’re really innocent?”

“Of the crime that put me here? Yes.” She shrugs. “But no one stays innocent on Devil’s Eye very long.”

“But…why would you stay here, if you could go?” I frown. “I mean, I’m not saying I could get you off the planet. I don’t know that they’d even listen to me if I tried. But you wouldn’t even think about it?”

She shakes her head. “My life is here now. Tyson is here, and I’m not leaving this planet unless he comes with me, but we both know they’ll never let him go.”

“You’re staying here for Tyson?” I can’t keep skepticism from my voice. I understand what she’s saying, on a literal level. But I can’t quite get it.

“No. I’m staying here for me. I’m not making a sacrifice, Kaya. I’m making a choice. A selfish choice. I’m staying on Rhodon because that’s where Tyson is, and I want to be with him, because I love him. Because when I’m with him, I’m happy. Even when everything else is going wrong. Even when I’m exhausted, and hungry, and cold. I’d rather be here with him, even with all the hardships, than anywhere else in the galaxy. Even if I never taste real pizza again.”

“Pizza.” I wonder what I’d miss most, if I were stuck here forever. “I don’t suppose you like caviar…?”

Her pale brows rise. “I’ve never had any.”

“Well, Sebastian managed to take a couple of jars from the ship, and we have one left. We’ll gladly trade it for a pair of women’s shoes in anything approaching my actual size.” I lift my feet to show her the clown-sized pair tied to my feet. “We took these from a corpse. They’re way too big.”

Sebastian crosses the room toward us. “Shoes, and one of those bed mats.”

“Oh, we were going to lend you bed mats anyway,” Audra tells him. “We have a few extra, since some of the women have made thicker mats, along the lines of those cushions.” She points to the homemade seats scattered all around the former lobby.

“I appreciate that, but we’d like to trade for one, if you don’t mind,” Sebastian says. “For when we leave.”

“Okay, well, I’ll have to put that up for a vote,” Audra tells him. “We try to involve everyone in decisions around here.” She lowers her voice and leans closer to us. “Until it becomes a ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ kind of scenario. So why don’t you take tonight to think about what you’d like to trade for and what you’re willing to offer in exchange, and we’ll see if we can do business tomorrow.”

“That sounds great. Thank you,” I tell her.

Sebastian takes the mat she hands him and examines it. “These are from the Resort?”

“Yes. They took everything they could carry when they left. But the blankets and extra clothing are from the drop shipments. We send Tyson and Callum out for supplies alone, to keep the rest of the zone from figuring out that there are a bunch of women here,” she explains. “So we don’t have a lot to spare, but we’ll make sure you have what you need for tonight, at least.”

“We have the same mats in the bullpen,” Sebastian says.

“Really?” I take the mat Audra offers me. “I had no idea they were so insubstantial. You can’t tell that from the footage…” I let my words trail into nothing when I realize they’re both staring at me. “Though compared to sleeping on the hard ground last night, this is a luxury, and we thank you for it.”

Turns out my foot is even harder to remove from my mouth with this giant shoe tied to it.

But Audra laughs. “I know it takes a while to get used to the new standard of living. But with any luck, you’ll be back in your own bed some time tomorrow. Maci really wants to help you with that.”

“Well, that’s very kind of her. Again, all I can say is thank you.”