The Impatient Lord (19 page)

The G’am were willowy creatures, nearly transparent in their skinny white-tinted mass. The ship’s interior lights reflected through their bodies when they walked by them, accentuating the seemingly random pattern of veins beneath their skin. Tiny round organs pulsated in time with each other as they traveled slowly through the blood vessels. Since they did not wear clothing, it was hard not to stare at the hypnotic pulsing of their insides.

They walked like humans on two legs, but that
’s where many of the similarities ended. Long, thin tentacles wiggled out from four oval hands at the end of four cylindrical arms, opening and closing like restless fingers. Riona held out her hand to mimic their greeting. Their tentacles glanced over her wrist like tiny kisses and left behind round pink marks, not unlike when her husband sucked on her skin a little too hard during love play. Only with the G’am, there was nothing sexual in the contact, just a strangely fascinating suctioning of skin.

The pr
esumed leader stood before three others. A round eye moved a little too freely in a bald head, as if floating on the surface. However, when the creature spoke, his star language was flawless. “You accept the game?”

“
Frendle’s Chips,” Riona said. “Territory rules.”

She wasn
’t sure, but she thought she saw the tiny mouth smile. The creature’s pulse lights quickened. “Territory rules. The game is won when it is finished.”

Riona
’s heartbeat sped at the challenge she sensed in him. She looked at Mirek to be sure this is what he wanted.

He nodded once. “
Yes. We accept the game.”

“
You accept the terms,” the G’am asked.

“
I win, you pay double. You win, you pay half,” Riona said, knowing she had to lay out the agreement or risk them slipping in new terms.

Again, the
G’am seemed to smile. “Yes.”

“
Then we accept the terms.” Riona waited for their instructions. Her stomach knotted. This wasn’t like when she played for herself. She felt the responsibility of an entire people’s economy on her shoulders. Not to mention her personal debt. Mirek placed a hand on her shoulder and her nerves instantly calmed.

“
I am Eeve, Chancellor. This—” the G’am leader motioned for one of the other aliens to step forward, “—is Teev, Champion.”

“
I am Mirek, Ambassador. This—” he nodded at Riona, “—is Riona, Champion.”

Eeve nodded in acceptance.
The group of G’am glided through their ship. Riona let the back of her hand brush against Mirek’s arm softly as they walked. The vessel wasn’t spectacular in any way—a medium-size cruiser of sturdy design and typical mass-production layout that made navigating the corridors easy.

Riona followed them to what was
normally the commons area. The G’am had removed all traces of comfortable furniture and humanoid dining function. In the center of the barren space was a single table with a deactivated game board and two metal stools.

Te
ev took a seat and his floating eye moved to look at her without his having to move his head. Riona gave Mirek a small smile and went to take her place across from the alien. Teev waved a tentacle hand over the table to activate it. Metal discs lifted up into a laser game grid. Electricity snapped in slow succession. As the game progressed the electrical charges would become more intense and increase in frequency.

“
We will discuss transport and delivery,” Eeve said. He motioned that Mirek should leave.

“
But—” Riona stood.

“
We will come back for the results,” Eeve dismissed.

Mirek looked at her questioningly. She nodded reassuringly at him and again sat.
Riona felt more than saw Mirek leave and she missed his comforting presence. With his absence came the nerves, and she took a deep breath to steady them.

The first move was Teev
’s, as he was from the host ship. He took it, fast and easy. Riona concentrated on the electricity and swiped her finger to take a disc. Once out of the grid, it became inert. She placed it in front of her. The key was to work into the middle of the grid to take as many of the deep discs as she could so when the second half of the game started the outside ring of discs would be easier to dislodge.

It only took a few moves for her to realize that human hands were at a disadvantage when it came to the G
’am. Teev extended a finger and suctioned the disc back with lightning speed. Still, Riona managed to keep up and they both played a perfect first round.

As she placed her last inert disc on the table in front of her, the electricity became more frantic.
Though there was no rule against finger sweeps at this level, her hand would no longer fit between the electrical snaps in the grid. She’d have to throw her discs and dislodge the rest of her game pieces.

The quiet room was not her usual atmosphere. Normally
, she played in a noisy bar filled with smoke and liquor. And Teev was hardly her average opponent. He didn’t speak, didn’t trade barbs or try to intimidate her. Instead, he simply played with his abnormally long suction fingers that stretched thin.

This is why Riona normally vetted her competitors before a tournament. She should have known the G
’am would have an advantage of some sort.

She waited for him to begin the second round. Instead, he kept his hands down and said, “
Frendle’s rule. I call a change.”

Riona frowned. It wasn
’t against the rules, but it was highly irregular. “Change? What change?”

“
Hello, lovely,” a voice said behind her.

Riona stiffened. She didn
’t move.

“
What? No greeting for an old friend?” Range’s breath hit her ear as he leaned over her shoulder from behind. Whispering, he added, “You didn’t really think you could hide from me forever, did you?”

“
Me?” she shot with fake innocence. “Who said I was hiding?”

Range stood. He came to stand by Teev. The G
’am nodded and stood, giving Range his seat. The pirate picked up a disc and fingered it. “You are a very hard woman to track down. I have to give you credit. I didn’t expect you’d hide out on such a primitive planet. A fuel mine, Ri? Really?”

“
It has its charms.” To hide her nerves, she took a disc and tapped her fingernail against it. She worried about Mirek. He didn’t know this was a trap. “I happen to like digging in the ground. I’ll make you a hole you can crawl into.” She made a show of looking round. “Where’s Joner? I didn’t think you went anywhere without your boyfriend? Or did you call him your bodyguard? I can’t remember. You two always looked a little too cozy together.”

“
That’s adorable,” Range answered. “The way Joner tells it, you two were the cozy ones.”

Riona stiffened but refrained from
reacting to the barb.

“
I knew it was only a matter of time until one of your old contacts found you. Imagine my surprise when it was a Fajerkin who reported seeing you with an ore mine ambassador on some primitive planet. Very careless of you, but then maybe you were just tired of hiding. I hear that happens to fugitives.”

“
I’m hardly a fugitive.”

“
Tell that to the Fajerkin. They want you almost as badly as I do.” Range chuckled. His hair stood in its usual black spikes and he pulled up on them needlessly to make sure they were in place. “Tell me, however did you manage to get Torgan to initiate protocols for a possible toxic contaminate as you left Madaga? Now there is a trick I’d pay money to learn.”

“
Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Riona lied. “Maybe they just got whiff of your hair cologne.”

“
The ladies don’t mind it.” When he smiled, the dark green facial tattoo along one cheekbone shifted. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” He pointed downward and whispered, “You’re not all woman, are you?”

“
Because I resisted you?” She arched a brow. “Since when do you play with G’am? You do know when I win, I’m not leaving with you. They won’t be happy that their stand-in champion loses a fuel deal.”

“
I knew you’d remember my story about the G’am. All gamblers do.” Range watched her through the electrical snaps of the grid. “What you didn’t know is that Eeve and I are very, very old friends. When I promised him a bit of honor with his gods for reclaiming a gambler who welched on a bet, he was only too happy to lure you out of hiding. This capture will ensure good standing with their gods for the entire crew. I knew you couldn’t resist Frendle’s Chips and such a large winning pot. Once a gambler, always a gambler. I set the trap and you ran right into it.”

“
Throw your piece,” Riona demanded.

“
This?” He held up the inert disc and laughed. Range focused on the board. Then, swinging his arm, he crashed through the grid.

Riona gasped at the unexpected move and jumped up from her stool.
Discs fizzled into dust. The game was over. She breathed hard. If they didn’t finish the game, she couldn’t win. If she didn’t win, she didn’t have the money to pay him. She looked at Teev, wondering if he would protest. He didn’t move.

“
The game is won when it is finished,” Teev said, confirming her fears. “The game cannot be finished.”

“
The G’am are very sneaky, are they not?” Range loomed toward her. She stumbled away from the table, not turning her back to him as she kept distance between them. “They have no interest in fuel ore. So there will be no deal.”

Riona tried to remain calm, but
her body began to shake in fear. There was nowhere to run. This was an alien ship. Teev stood between her and the exit. Mirek was somewhere onboard so even if she could get to freedom, she wouldn’t leave him behind.

“
Fine. You captured me. What about the one I was with?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Range nodded at Teev.
The alien stepped aside and motioned over a door sensor. It opened and Mirek was dragged inside. He moaned and they dropped him to his knees on the metal floor.

Her heart beat hard
. Fear made it difficult to breathe. “He owes you nothing. He’s just a pawn I was using to get your money. Send him home.”

Range kneeled close to Mirek and grabbed his jaw to lift his weak hea
d. Green eyes rolled before settling on the pirate’s face, glassy from whatever drug they’d dosed him with.

“
Did you know when I first found this one, she was near dead, starving,” Range said. “Two fat little kids were right there, so easy to overtake, chomping on a feast of stale bread and stolen meat. All Riona had to do was take it, but she wouldn’t. That’s her problem.”

“
I wasn’t near dead.” Riona tried not to let her concern for Mirek show. It was hard. She wanted nothing more than to run to him and protect him from danger. Inside, her very being strained to comfort him. She forced her feelings away from the surface and kept a disinterested pose. “I stood up to you just fine.”

Range ignored her
, shaking Mirek’s jaw when the man’s eyes began to drift closed. The pirate forced him to once more meet his gaze. “Do you know what she said when I asked her why she didn’t take the easy food?” He glanced up at Riona and arched a brow, prompting her to speak.

“
I’m not that kind of thief,” she said through tight lips.

The pirate laughed. “
As if a thief isn’t a thief.”

“
Enough. Put him back on his ship. I know when I’m defeated.” She sighed, trying very hard to feign boredom. “You’re right. I’m tired of primitives.”

Range dropped Mirek
’s head. “Now, Ri,
tsk-tsk
, is that any way to talk about your husband?”

Riona stiffened.

“The Fajerkin told me congratulations are in order. Though, that’s not exactly how they worded it when they told me where to find you.”

“
Stop.” Riona covered her ears. “If all this talking is your idea of torture, it’s working. Just do whatever it is you’re going to do to me.”

He glared at her. “
You wouldn’t take food from children, but you’ll steal from me? You are more worried about children than what I would do to you? Did you really think hiding out here in the middle of nothing would make you safe?”

He wasn
’t getting fear and begging from her, and it was making him very angry.

“
Did you think he could protect you?” Range pointed at Mirek.

“
And did you think I would come here if I didn’t have an angle to play?” Riona demanded. She gave a cold laugh. “Do you understand what kind of planet he’s from? Do you know what he mines?”

Range
’s confused look was answer enough.