Chapter Two
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The magnets inlaid in the heels of Jaylin’s boots echoed off the tile floor with each step he took across the enormous room. Like a king receiving one of his lowly subjects, Daniel Alltryp sat on a gilded, red-velvet throne-like chair. Disgust for the odious man consumed him. If the filthy rich human didn’t hold the title to his ship, he would have enjoyed putting his fist through his contemptuous face.
“Captain Sin-Naysir.” When Alltryp said his name, his upper lip curled, and his nostrils flared as if he had found something foul on the sole of his shoe. “You’re late,” the older man snapped.
“I had important things to do today,” Jaylin replied. “Visiting a rich fuck with a galaxy-sized ego wasn’t one of them.”
“You’re one to talk,” he shot back. “Your reputation for arrogance precedes you.”
“You confuse self-confidence with arrogance. On me, it’s swagger, and it works. On you, it’s exaggerated self-importance, which is repulsive.”
The man’s already-ruddy face turned crimson, and Jaylin was sure he’d stroke out right there in front of him—not that he cared. The universe would be better off without the prick. It was widely known they despised one another, if the old guy keeled over with him in the room, there might be questions. After several past run-ins with Earth’s global security force, he’d rather not have another.
“Let’s cut the chitchat, Alltryp. Why don’t you explain why you summoned me here?”
“I have a job for you.”
Jaylin had listened long enough to this total waste of time. Without hesitation, he turned to leave.
“Wait! You haven’t heard the details,” came the man’s sputtering protest.
His steps didn’t slow. “I’m well versed on how you do business. You’ll excuse me, but when I want to get fucked, I’ll find a woman.”
“What if I return your ship? Free and clear?”
This got his attention.
Trilorian by birth, he hadn’t called Trilor home in years. Instead, he lived, worked, and played—which hadn’t been often of late—on the Renegade, his somewhat dated, though well-maintained, heavily armed space cruiser. Once confiscated by the court based on a bogus breach of contract claim from Alltryp, he’d been stuck on Earth. A nice place to visit and all, except the lack of work had tapped into his income stream. An interstellar mercenary for hire was of little use without a ship, after all.
Turning back, he crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing the worm. “I’m listening,” he murmured, prepared to take in Alltryp’s proposal with a healthy dose of skepticism.
“My personal spacecraft has been taken.”
“What a shame.”
“My daughter was on board,” he snapped. “Pirates overtook it on the return trip from the Dominion of Elzor where Daniella was meeting her soon-to-be in-laws.” He pulled a folded sheet of white paper out of his inner breast pocket, and held it up. “I received this ransom demand three days ago.”
“On paper, how quaint.” Jaylin glanced at it, making no move to take it. “Why did you wait until now to contact me for assistance?”
“My other options didn’t pan out.”
Jaylin smirked. He wasn’t the only one Alltryp had screwed over. Nobody wanted to work for the jackweed. Moving forward, he snatched the paper from between his fat fingers, being careful not to touch his skin.
Alltryp,
We have your daughter. Deposit five million credits into our universal account, or we put her up for auction. You have one Earth week to comply.
“Four days from now,” he observed, his tone sharp. “You didn’t leave me much time.”
“I went through proper channels—a mistake. I should have called you in first. I regret the wasted time. I need Daniella returned, and I have to admit I’m at my wits’ end.”
Jaylin glanced up in surprise. He’d always assumed Alltryp’s concerns lay solely with himself and his money, nothing more. “You must care for your daughter very much.”
“Fuck no. She’s the product of a youthful indiscretion, an influential man’s daughter I knocked up and had to marry. But Daniella’s bitch of a mother is long gone, so is her daddy. The only thing I care about is the billion credits she’s bringing as a bride price, and the future billions I’ll earn in joint ventures with her in-laws, the ruling king and queen of Elzor.”
Watching the man salivating with avarice made Jaylin’s stomach turn. Heartily sorry for the daughter of the unfeeling sperm donor sitting on his pretentious throne, he backed away for fear he’d be tainted by his callousness. “I knew you were a heartless bastard, but this shit is fucked up.”
“Coming from a mercenary for sale to the highest bidder, just breaks my heart.” From a side table, he picked up a data stick. “My investigators have done half the work for you. Pictures, bio, the ship’s specs, and its tracking key; they’re all here. And before you ask, they sold the Titan within hours to a resale dealer for a fraction of its worth. Which means I’m out the cost of a damn expensive spacecraft on top of everything else.”
Being in the same room with the asshole made Jaylin’s skin crawl. This said a lot considering the lowlifes he interacted with daily in his line of work. He wanted the deal done and to be out of here. He would take the job, but it would cost.
“Return of the Renegade with clear title, now. And, when I return the girl, I want one hundred thousand credits for all the shit I’ve had to put up with from you this past year.”
“The ship alone is worth ten times as much!” he whined. “Forget it, I’ll find someone else.”
He snorted. Alltryp’s bluff wasn’t close to convincing. “I wouldn’t be standing here if you could find anyone else willing to deal with you. And, considering the ship you’re returning doesn’t belong to you, one hundred thousand for an extraction-and-rescue mission is dirt cheap. For someone with my skill, who can do the impossible and get her back inside of a week, it’s insulting. But go right ahead, find another merc. I’ll enjoy watching you sweat while you try.”
He started toward the door again, Alltryp muttering angrily behind him, “Filthy lowlife pirate scum.”
“Insults aren’t getting your daughter back, Danny-boy. The clock is ticking, and you’re wasting valuable time. If I reach the door before you change your mind, I won’t be back.”
“Fine. One hundred thousand and the return of your damn ship.”
He stopped, turning back, not done with his demands. He had safeguards in mind to keep Alltryp from screwing him over, again. “I want the deed and the Renegade in space dock within the hour, and a receipt of the credits deposited in a trust at the 1st Global Bank. The manager there is Alaan St. Justice. A fitting name for an impartial trustee who will oversee the money and complete the transfer when the girl is returned.”
“I’m good for it. There’s no need—”
“There’s every need, you corrupt fuck. This is the deal, or there is no deal.”
The older man’s double chin wobbled as he shook with outrage, unused to being on the short end of the negotiations. Jaylin enjoyed every moment the bastard squirmed. He’d make the right decision because no other remained.
“Deal,” Alltryp snapped after a prolonged pause.
“I’m leaving now to prepare. In the meantime, get your shit together, Dan.” He took several strides forward, stopping close enough to meet the other man’s shifty-eyed stare. “Don’t fuck around and make me wait, or you put your daughter at risk. Strike that. You put the billion credits and your future joint ventures at risk. The thought of all the money you stand to lose should be enough to spark a fire in your cold heart to get you motivated.” He paused. “I’ll need the data.”
On reflex, Jaylin caught the small computer storage stick Alltryp threw at him. He stared at it a moment, his conscience battling over doing business with such a man. His livelihood depended on getting the Renegade back and staying out of prison. With no other option to get out of his own predicament, he slipped it in his pocket and headed for the door.
“There is one other thing,” Alltryp announced.
He froze. Shit. What now?
“She’s a virgin.”
His head came around, looking over his shoulder in amazement. “Considering your age, I didn’t think we were talking about a child. How old is she?”
“Twenty-four, at least for a few more weeks.”
“You’re not serious.” Earth women had a universally renowned reputation for being free sexually. For this girl to have reached her mid-twenties and remained untouched was unheard of.
“I’m quite serious. With a slut for a mother, I’ve spent considerable time and expense preventing Daniella from turning out the same way. And, believe me, her college years tested my purse strings. I’m about to get restitution, however. Return her as she left here, or the deal is off.”
“What if the current kidnappers have already removed the barrier?”
“This would be unfortunate for both of us. We won’t know until you recover her, but it’s the chance you’ll have to take for your ship and your freedom.”
He scowled, his fists clenched at his sides to keep from surrendering to the temptation of kicking a fifty-year-old fat man’s ass. The energy it took to do so was better served finding the girl. Turning, he left the room and Alltryp’s loathsome presence without looking back.
***
“I don’t like this, not one bit. You know how I feel about having a woman aboard ship. They’re trouble.”
You don’t have to like it, but I gave you an order, which you do have to follow.
“Always pulling rank when it’s something I object to.”
That’s the privilege of rank, brother. You get to pull it whenever you want.
When silence greeted him, Jaylin paused, glancing up from where he entered search parameters into the Renegade’s computer. He took in Malik’s mulish expression. They didn’t have time to debate this. With each minute, the clock ticked closer to the deadline, and the pirates’ ship moved farther from their grasp, along with the solution to their current financial dilemma. He rose to his feet, staring unblinking at his younger brother.
“Need I remind you who is the captain?” he asked aloud. Most often, they communicated with mind-speak, a benefit of their twin link. But, after being alone on a ship for so long just the two of them, they needed sound, especially when they became frustrated or angry, like he was now. “More to the point, do you need help recalling who is the first twin?”
Jaw clenched tight like his fists, his brother’s golden eyes, so different from his own silver ones, darkened. He knew what it meant, so he waited.
It had been this way for thirty-two years. Jaylin, as the eldest, the first twin, meant he was the dominant one of the pair—the same for all Trilorian males, always born as twins. The more powerful of the two, the first was the leader, the protector, the decision maker, and the one who sought out the woman the brothers would share as their life mate. It had been the natural order of things on Trilor since the beginning.
Malik, as the second was steadfast, protective of his first, but more passive in general—though not a pushover. Often, the younger twin grew bigger. His brother topped him by an inch, at least. His size made him self-confident, assertive, and when necessary, forceful. The difference? Malik had less need for control, which made him a good follower. He took orders well, had been an excellent soldier in the past, and now, served as first mate for the Renegade. In fact, since there were only the two of them, he also comprised the entire crew.
Jaylin didn’t take his brother’s loyalty for granted and never ran roughshod over his second, nor did he bark orders solely because he could. Malik was intelligent, a skilled medic, and had trained in the military for warfare. As captain, Jaylin relied on and respected his opinion. As twins, they were close. Inseparable when children, they’d remained fast friends into adulthood. This didn’t mean they always saw eye to eye.
Like brothers did, they argued, and their disagreements had, at times, become physical, although they hadn’t had a fist fight since their youth. Still, when vying factions conflicted, chaos could result unless a leader emerged to restore order, make decisions, or to mediate and compromise when necessary. Malik knew his role, remained unwavering in his support—most often—offered counsel when needed, and followed orders, like any crewman did with his captain. Sometimes, though, it took a moment for him to yield and accept his authority—especially when a situation stirred up emotions he’d rather suppress. Jaylin gave him time, knowing he would inevitably do what must be done.
When the tension left his brother’s jaw and his fists unclenched, Jaylin also stood at ease.
“You don’t need to remind me. You are the captain, of course,” Malik conceded, “and always the first.”
He clamped his hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “I listen, brother, but in this case, we are out of options.”
Multitasking due to the ticking clock, Jaylin set the program to run and moved to the interactive map on the far wall. He keyed in the coordinates of the pirates’ last transmission. Once the computer assimilated all the information, it would produce a narrowed-down list of probable sites where they would likely hide out while waiting for the ransom deadline.
One by one, locator flags popped up on the map—too many for Jaylin’s liking. Malik moved to his side, watching the results along with him. Several minutes later, the program ended. With his hands on his hips, Jaylin stared at the thirty computer projections spanning ten sectors.
“It would take ten teams working round the clock to search all these sites by the deadline,” his brother stated, and he was right.
“We don’t have ten teams, and since there is little time to do the impossible, this is the only recourse available to pay back these ridiculous fines. Despite Alltryp returning the Renegade, the Interstellar Council could take it away again and imprison us if we don’t make full payment in thirty days.”
“Damn trumped-up charges. A decent attorney would have had this dismissed without court fees and exorbitant fines,” Malik grumbled.
“Our funds were limited. A second-rate shyster is all we could afford.”
“This mess is Alltryp’s fault to begin with. He’s corrupt, and here we are crawling back in bed with him.”
An image of the red-faced, balding man with his considerable paunch made him grimace. “Please, I’d like to keep thoughts of the bastard anywhere near my bed out of my head.”
“You realize he’s nothing but a crook?”
“I’m not an idiot, Mal. I know exactly what kind of man he is.”
“Then why are we doing this?”
He glanced over his shoulder at his twin’s disgruntled face. This job was too big to do solo. When they located the pirates, he’d need Malik at the helm while he boarded the pirates’ vessel and recovered the girl. Not that he expected other than his full compliance, it would make the mission much easier—not to mention more peaceful—if he had his support.
“Do you have a better idea?” Jaylin asked.
“Not at this time,” he admitted.
“Time is something we don’t have, thanks to our subpar attorney-at-law. I made him regret his incompetence, although doing so doesn’t eliminate our fifty thousand credit debt.”
A wry smile twisted Malik’s lips. “I would have enjoyed seeing you crush him, at least I’d have gleaned some satisfaction out of this shit show.”
Fed up with his malcontent of a first officer and having his orders questioned, he snapped. “This contract pays out twice what we owe and gives us the Renegade free and clear. Stop your bitchin’.”
“Who are we rescuing, royalty?”
“No, but once Daniella Alltryp weds the Elzorian prince, she will be.”
“Elzor! I heard the heir to the throne and his brothers are all sterile, and because they are too arrogant to believe their regal gonads are at fault, despite medical science that proves it, they blame their wives, getting rid of them when they don’t produce an heir—naturally, or otherwise—within a year. Returning the girl to them could be the same as signing her death warrant.”
Jaylin had struggled with his decision, and how the girl’s ultimate fate and being party to it would weigh on their consciences. But mercenaries rarely worked for clients with morals. And scruples didn’t play a part in their business, nor would they keep them fed or get their ship back. “It isn’t our concern. Our mission is to rescue the girl and return her to her father. What happens afterward is between them. Besides, is leaving her to the mercy of pirates any better?”
“Sacrificing his own daughter.” Malik shook his head in disgust. “He’s a bigger prick than I thought.”
“Agreed, but he’s a wealthy prick and we need the reward. And, Alltryp being reprehensible may be our ace in the hole.”
“What do you mean?”
Jaylin dug into his shirt pocket, removed the data stick, and laid it on the computer console between them.
“What is that?”
“Daniella’s file. I reviewed some of it. There are a few surprises, specifically a tracking code. We’ll be able to pick up her signal if we get within range.”
“I thought Alltryp told you they sold his ship.”
“They did.”
Malik arched a brow, waiting.
“It doesn’t track Alltryp’s ship.”
“What then?”
“Not what, who. The file says it’s embedded on the back of Daniella’s right thigh, just below her ass cheek.”
“He chipped her? Like a pet?” He paled, taking on a greenish tint as if he might get sick. “You know he stands to gain from this. But Elzor isn’t known for its fortune. The question remains, why is he so keen on this marriage? I smell something foul in this deal, Jay.”
“I didn’t ask, nor do I care. We’ll rescue this Earth mogul’s spoiled daughter, collect our fee, pay off our debt, and be on our way.”
“You don’t care she might be an innocent pawn in all of this?”
“Yes, except I can’t afford to be swayed by it, and you shouldn’t be either. We don’t need your altruism resurfacing at a time like this, Malik. And that is a direct order!”
“You play your first twin card easily when it suits you.”
“We’ve already determined it is a privilege of birth order, deal with it.”
“Fine. But she stays in her quarters, and far away from you. If she’s the least bit attractive, I don’t want you getting ideas.”
“I haven’t seen the girl, not that it matters. She’s Daniel Alltryp’s daughter. Odds are she’s a bitch, cold and calculating like her daddy. You’ve heard the Earth expression about the apple not falling far from the tree? His kind of greed tends to run in families. Trust me, brother, she could be a raving beauty, and I wouldn’t be tempted.”
“Bullshit, you’re always up for a quick fuck, which is precisely what I’m afraid of.” He grabbed the data stick off the desk and inserted it into one of the access ports. Seconds later, the files appeared. With a few swipes, Malik brought up an image on-screen.
Jaylin froze at the sight of the auburn-haired, green-eyed beauty, her fair skin and delicate features taking his breath away. “Fuck me!” he murmured, his body stirring.
“No! Absolutely not! You may be the captain, but as part owner of the Renegade, I have a say in what affects this ship. And I say that”—he jabbed his index finger at the screen—“is trouble. We need to find another way to pay off this debt.”
“Too late. I agreed. The credits have been deposited and the title to the ship signed over to us.”
“Dammit, Jaylin! No way can you bring her on board and not be tempted.”
“I’m not a boy who can’t control his libido.”
A few more swipes and Malik pulled up a full-length image of Daniella Alltryp. She had curves—plentiful enough to make his teeth ache and his dick hard. She had the body type he preferred on a woman, and it had always been his brother’s preference, too. He was right. She would be pure temptation; however, if she had inherited a hint of her father’s black soul—greedy and heartless, trampling on anything and anyone to get ahead—he wanted no part of her.
Jaylin shrugged. “So she’s beautiful. I don’t want a cold as ice, spoiled rich girl in my bed. She’d probably freeze my prick off. Besides, we have to return her with her virginity still intact or we’re back to square one.”
“A fact you forgot to mention, brother. What if the pirates have taken the prize?”
“We’ll deal with it if, or when, the time comes.”
“This is a futile mission.”
“Have faith, Malik. In two weeks, all of this will be a bad memory and we can return to living our lives, which means finding a woman to complete our triad. If she looks like our target, redheaded, creamy skin, curves to overflow our hands, and has the power to bring your dormant dick back to life, all the better.”
Malik growled. “How many times do I have to tell you there won’t be another triad?”
This time, Jaylin pointed at the screen. “Do you mean to tell me you wouldn’t fuck a woman who looks like that?” He goaded him on purpose. He’d felt like he did once, but time had passed, and although he would never forget, he had moved on. His brother had gotten stuck, and it fell to him, as the first twin, to get him moving again. “Someone will come along who will stir your blood, Malik. I’m sure of it. I know you disagree, but there is more than one perfect match for us out there. And when we find her, when the benevolence of the Creators brings another treasure into our lives, we will accept the gift and rejoice in being favored, twice.”
“Favored! Bah. Mahlia was supposed to be our gift of a lifetime, yet after less than two years with her, they took her away. The Creators play a cruel game, with us as the pawns.” Bitterness pervaded Malik’s words. “I don’t like the odds, or the rules, and decided long ago never to play again. A beautiful redheaded human is not going to make me change my mind.”
His brother’s face, usually a flat, emotionless mask of indifference, had darkened with anger and what Jaylin recognized as deep-rooted fear. The loss of their beloved wife had been heartbreaking, their grief unremitting. Jaylin thought the anguish would last an eternity. He had struggled to move forward, too, but, after a year had passed, although it still hurt, he realized a long, solitary life stretched out ahead of him if he didn’t break free of the pall of sorrow. And he missed the softness a woman brought to his hard life, the affection, the laughter, and, yes, regular sex.
Not true for Malik, who, as a second twin, had an intense sense of loyalty and devotion, one stronger than his own, it seemed. Five years later, he remained frozen and embittered. It had been as long since they had shared a female, something instinctive, like breathing among their kind. One-on-one sex was possible, physically gratifying, although not more than that. It scratched an itch, but didn’t satisfy the intuitive bonding necessary for a Trilorian male to be fulfilled. Somehow, he had to break through the glacial barrier his twin had erected around his heart and end this self-imposed celibacy, so they could both move on, together, how they were meant to.
He eyed the fiery-haired beauty on the screen. Perhaps someone like Daniella Alltryp could revive his brother’s hibernating sexuality and, once awakened, remind him how much loving—and living—he had ahead of him. After this mission concluded, he’d make getting Malik laid a top priority.
“I know what you are thinking. You can forget it. I won’t go there again.”
Jaylin looked up, certain he’d concealed his thoughts, but after thirty-two years, his twin knew him well.
“I loved her,” he went on to say in a harsh whisper. “I know you did, too. The difference is you’re stronger than me. I can’t endure another loss like that, Jay. It almost killed me. If it happens again, I’m not sure I can survive.”
He didn’t know what to say, stunned his twin’s ever-present shields had vanished. Gone was the mask of cool indifference, and before him stood the man he once knew, one who felt deeply, too much so, because he appeared shaken, raw, and afraid.
Still, it gave Jaylin hope. He hadn’t seen the real man in so long he’d begun to think him lost forever. “Mal—”
“No, please. We’ll find the girl and return her to Alltryp. But I’m keeping my distance, and so should you. Afterward, we reinstitute our no-females-on-board policy.” He spun on his heel and moved to the door. Facing away from him, he added, “I ask little of you, brother. My entire life I’ve followed your lead, watched your back, and have done what you’ve asked. In this, however, I will have my way.”
He glanced over his shoulder at him, and, in a blink, the damned mask slipped into place again. Jaylin wanted to roar in anger, demanding he return. Instead, he stared in helpless frustration at the brother he loved.
“I’ll go set the course.”
For a long time, Jaylin gazed at the empty doorway, at a loss for what to do. But he was stubborn like his twin, maybe more so because the determination to bring his shattered brother out of this perpetual limbo, surged within him. The only question that remained...how.