Sex or Suffer [Dark Colony 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (29 page)

In the name of getting along, he abandoned any pressure on the matter of her pressing charges, but asked that she be there during the hearing. Her reluctance was understandable, but Gray was glad she agreed to attend.

Once the hearing was behind them, Gray planned to discuss their future. He knew Penelope was his one true love.

A pledge ceremony was what he had in mind. He wanted her to know that he loved her and he’d stand by her regardless of her illness.

* * * *

“I protest this barbaric trial,” Damon snarled as he was brought into the Bravura Science Lab conference room in restraints. Penelope swallowed hard and resisted the virulent urge to launch across the large oval table at Damon to throttle him with her bare hands.

“Silence,” his father hissed just as fervently. Oscar Kaslan followed his son into the room along with a gray suited law representative likely well versed in personal damage accusations.

Damon’s father was a well decorated military hero from the intergalactic wars and now held a powerful government position in Spectra. The three took seats opposite of where Penelope sat between Gray and Nathan.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wishing to be anywhere else but right here, right now. Stifling the impulse to scream about the barbaric treatment she’d suffered because Damon the bastard had given her an incurable virus, Penelope concentrated on breathing in and out as she kept an eye on the time.

Beside her, Gray glanced at her restlessness and smiled briefly as if in reassurance. He’d done everything possible to ensure her comfort for this meeting, and she tried to relax for his sake, but worried endlessly about what this meeting would reveal. She didn’t want anyone here at work to know about the virus she harbored.

Still sporting a sizeable bandage on his back beneath his uniform, Nathan sat straight up, unable to lean back in his chair due to his injury.

The tribunal had been called to ascertain the punishment Damon would face for trying to harm Nathan. Penelope hadn’t brought any charges against her coworker and hoped that during today’s inquiry, none would be brought against her.

She had come directly from the
Dalton
with Nathan and Gray. They hadn’t even been docked for an hour yet. Penelope figured she had three hours left without a mask before she’d have to excuse herself and go hide.

From across the table, Damon smirked at her, and she hoped he’d stay quiet about her problem. In this forum, she was merely a witness to what happened to Nathan.

Dr. Ledreder entered the room, followed by two other high ranking scientists at the lab. His gaze slid over her quickly, and Penelope saw his concern. At least he didn’t seem angry with her.

Once seated at the end of the table he began, “This is an informal hearing—”

“Then why am I still bound?” Damon interrupted. He lifted his connected wrists and crashed them to the table.

“Because you shot my first officer in the back after breaking into his private room while you worked for the Bravura Science Lab,” Gray stated evenly. “And I don’t trust you.”

“Allegedly.” Damon dragged his folded hands off the table and back into his lap. But the self satisfied grin remained and stayed focused on Penelope. “No one has proven I did anything, yet.”

Gray’s gaze remained on the table in front of Penelope when he added, “You were sent there under company orders from the Bravura Science Lab which makes it their jurisdiction. If it were up to me you’d already be on your way to the nearest penal colony.”

“May I ask why my son was sent to the Parsec Colony?” Oscar Kaslan, asked slowly and carefully as if unwilling to jump to his son’s defense without further explanation.

Dr. Ledreder harrumphed. “I sent him to intercept Dr. Drake. She went to get medication for one of her patients, but was unaware that we already carried that drug in our vault.”

“And you couldn’t send a sub space message to her?” Oscar frowned.

“With sub space static what it is, communications are very poor along the channel between Bravura and the Parsec Colony. We couldn’t contact her using that means. At least not reliably. Quite frankly, I didn’t expect Damon to follow her all the way there.”

“You said, ‘Bring her back!’” Damon pulled his stare from her and sent an angry glare to Dr. Ledreder.

“What will it take to get the charges dropped?” Oscar asked.

Gray leaned forward. “Are you asking for a monetary figure or something else?”

Eyes wrinkled with amusement, Oscar Kaslan responded, “What else is there?”

“Lots of things. How about the assurance that Damon won’t accost others in this manner for starters?”

Oscar shrugged with a slightly puzzled expression coloring his features. “My understanding was that he was merely jealous over the…” he paused and his gaze shifted to Penelope before continuing, “…indiscretion of Dr. Drake privately engaged with another man.”

“What?” Penelope didn’t mean to voice her shock out loud.

“Mr. Kaslan is her assistant. Why would there be any jealousy?” Gray asked. “Or is romance encouraged between employees here at the Bravura Science Lab?”

“Of course not,” Dr. Ledreder spoke up.

“Whether or not it’s encouraged is a meaningless supposition. These things happen.” Oscar sent Penelope a slightly distasteful glance as if the thought of his son consorting with such an insignificant person was offensive.

Penelope countered, “I can tell you, sir, with complete honesty that there is absolutely nothing romantic between your son and I. Nor has there
ever
been.” She thought Damon’s father looked relieved by her announcement.

“Doesn’t matter.” Nathan spoke for the first time. “There is no good reason for what he did to me.”

Oscar released a deep sigh. “I agree.”

“Whatever.” Damon snorted and shook his head.

Gray directed his gaze to Dr. Ledreder and said, “Regardless of the eventual outcome of this tribunal meeting, I’d like to ask that Mr. Damon Kaslan not ever be allowed to work with Dr. Drake again.”

Dr. Ledreder nodded. “That can certainly be arranged.”

Damon half stood from his chair. “I won’t take a demotion. Not for the likes of her.”

“My first officer could press criminal charges with the galactic federation of planets,” Gray added in a calm tone. “I wonder what the minimum sentence is involving personal assault.” He turned to Nathan. “Ten years minimum? Is that correct?”

Nathan nodded, but remained silent.

“That won’t be necessary.” Oscar sent his son a positively demonic glare.

Damon huffed. “What about Dr. Penny? What about her crimes?”

Penelope froze in her chair. She’d been about to check the time piece on the wall, but instead she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her crime started with Damon’s horrific beginning act of poisoning her with the virus. But she didn’t want that fact brought to light. Not here. So she chewed the inside of her mouth.

Damon continued, and Penelope wondered what he hoped to accomplish. “She embezzled company funds.”

“How do you know?” Nathan shot back.

“Dr. Drake did not embezzle company funds,” Dr. Ledreder said with a long sigh. “She has discretionary authority over the funds in her department and can spend the monies as she sees fit.”

Gray spoke up. “I’m curious about something, Mr. Kaslan. In my place, what would you do?”

Oscar’s brows furrowed. “I beg your pardon?”

“If my first officer had broken into your son’s private room and shot him in the back, what would you be asking for as punishment? Because I suspect we wouldn’t even be entertaining the idea of his release. I believe the Penal System would be in authority.”

The elder Mr. Kaslan ground his teeth together and closed his eyes. “I see your point.” His eyes opened again. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “If you don’t want monetary compensation, Captain Wyckoff, how about I introduce you to the Trade Governor? You’re a business man. And I have the power to set up a meeting where the two of you can discuss possible business between your corporation and the Galactic Federation of Planets. Would that be of interest to you?”

Gray smiled and said, “That would be an acceptable start, however, I already have a meeting with the Trade Governor courtesy of Dr. Drake’s brother. I don’t need two of them.” Penelope felt the blood drain out of her face in embarrassment. She wanted to die. She didn’t know how to speak up and tell Gray to take the meeting. Her betrayal would cost him the very thing she promised.

She turned her head to Gray but her shame wouldn’t allow her gaze to reach his eye level.

Damon laughed out loud. “Dr. Drake’s brother is the lowest of the low in the governor’s organization. You couldn’t possibly have a meeting courtesy of him.”

Penelope shook her head as if she could stop Damon from revealing her lie and prevent Gray from discovering the deceit of her initial proposal. But it was far too late.

“You’re mistaken.” Gray glanced at her and added, “Tell them.” The puzzled uncertainty in his expression stopped her heart.

“I’m so sorry, Gray,” she whispered.
Take the meeting!

She couldn’t think of a worse scenario for the information to surface. She turned to Gray with an apologetic expression, but in less than a moment, his face shifted from puzzled to flat and emotionless as if carved from granite. He look away from her. Surely he was furious and with good reason.

Unless he didn’t believe Damon, which would ultimately be worse when he found out later after turning this opportunity down. She didn’t know what to do. Trapped like a rodent backed into a corner, she opened her mouth, but no further sound came. She closed her lips and wished for a miracle.

Nathan spoke up a second later. “I’d like a meeting with the Trade Governor. And since I’m the one who got shot in the back, I believe it’s ultimately my call, would you agree with that, sir?”

Penelope glanced sideways at Nathan with gratitude pouring from her like waves on the shore.

“Certainly.” Oscar nodded and shrugged. “Is there anything else you want?”

“Five hundred thousand credits deposited into Nathan’s personal account and matching funds also sent to the Dalton Prime Corporation,” Gray said evenly.

“One million credits! You’re insane.” Damon screamed. “That’s outrageous. Don’t pay it, Father. They’re lucky I don’t tell—”

“Oh Damon.” Gray broke in with a chuckle. “I’d be very careful here. There’s no need for you to ‘tell’ anything, am I right? What I’d like to know is how much a ten year penal sentence is worth to you, personally?”

Damon’s lips pressed together flat and his face turned blood red in seconds. “There is information being withheld here.”

“What information?” Oscar asked slowly as if he weren’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

“You’re right, Damon. There is important information being held back. For instance, I have the only copy of the DMR surveillance from the private room where you visited and attacked Nathan. It’s in my possession.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” Damon pointed to Penelope. “The information is about her. She has—”

“Are you telling me that you have my son on a Digital Motion Recording committing this crime?” Oscar stood and the quiet seething tone he used to ask his question made Penelope’s blood run cold.

“Yes, sir, I do. Your next question is why wouldn’t we release it? The answer is to protect Dr. Drake. She and Nathan were ‘privately’ engaged right before Damon broke into the room. And while my first officer would like to spare her the embarrassment of that film being shown, I have no such compunction. He works for me. I have no problem releasing it to see justice done.”

Damon started to say something and Oscar stopped him. “Do not speak a word.” The fury in his voice stilled the room and the demonic glare from earlier was back ten times worse than before and focused on his son. Damon finally shut his mouth and had the courtesy to look a little frightened.

Oscar turned to Nathan. “I’ll set up the meeting with the Trade Governor for early next week, if that is suitable, Mr. Tyndall.”

“Yes, sir,” Nathan replied. “That would be perfectly acceptable.”

Damon’s father then turned to Gray. “The sums you requested for both Mr. Tyndall and the Dalton Prime Corporation will be deposited to your specified accounts by the end of today.”

“Good.” Gray’s flat emotionless expression hadn’t changed a flicker.

“And, Dr. Drake, I assure you that my son will no longer be your concern at this facility in any way.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly, but couldn’t make herself look at him. Her focus remained straight ahead at the table. She didn’t dare look at Gray. Lacking the courage to face the betrayal he must feel and which she caused made her queasy inside. She couldn’t look at Nathan either. Another betrayal of a sort since Gray was his best friend.

“I’ll ask that the DMR be destroyed. I’ll assume your word is good on this matter, and it will never be brought to my attention again.”

“I guarantee it,” Gray stated.

The time piece on the wall chimed and startled her. Noting the hour with regard to her disease, she knew she needed to keep aware of time remaining her most recent “cure” from Gray before they’d left the
Dalton
. She assumed that Gray wouldn’t ever want to see her again. Given her relationship with both men, she wasn’t sure either of them would.