Page 124 of Star-Crossed Captive
“Nia. I got to get to Nia.” His heart hammered in his chest like it never had before, threatening to break free.
“We’ll get her, but you need to be able to walk first.”
He pushed away from the bed, shaky but standing. He needed to get to Nia. “Krispin can pardon her. He has the power. He said the old laws could protect her.” Getting anyone else would take way too long. As soon as Foley had Nia alone, he’d—
“Krispin’s in surgery. Has been for a while.”
The way she said it made it sound as though she didn’t think Krispin would be coming out of surgery either.
No! No! No!He had to get to Nia. He had to stop Foley, the sick fuck. “Then pump me full of something. We’re in a sickbay. They’ve got every kind of drug here. Adrenaline-synth will work.”
“If I pump you full of something, you’ll probably die.”
Mace grabbed her by the shoulders. “You do this for me, Cache. You get me there. I’m not going to lose her. Not like this.”
He stared into Cache’s eyes—green eyes he’d known for close to three decades—and willed her to understand. If Nia got hurt, if Foley touched her in any way, he wouldn’t be able to go on.
Cache gave him one nod. “You won’t lose her.”
Chapter forty-five
Niatriedtocalmthe racing of her heart. Her hands were bound in thick metal much different than her old bonds, and secured to the table in front of her by a short chain. She tested its strength again, pulling. No give, not even a little. Palms clammy, she rolled her fingers into fists.
The two warriors who’d come for her had shoved her on a prison transport, taken her to another ship, and stuck her in this cold cell. No one had stopped them. LeavingOrion, leaving Mace…her panic hadn’t subsided.
She kept her gaze away from the metal cart of crude surgical instruments beside the table. She’d tried to kick it over, but her legs wouldn’t reach, even when she’d pulled so hard the bonds cut into her wrists. A bulkhead of opaque glass stretched in front of her.
She closed her eyes. The look on Mace’s face as she’d been led away would be burned in her memory forever. She’d never seen him look so frightened. Not during any of the dangerous situations they’d been through together. His fear escalated her own. The memory of those bodies inOrion’stheater made her swallow against her dry throat. They’d been labeled traitors too.
Would Commodore Cache order her tortured in front of a crowd? From how Nia had saved Mace’s life and her cooperation with trying to track down the agent, she hadn’t thought Mace’s commanding officer hated her.
But if Cache wanted to publicly torture her, why hadn’t she kept her onOrion?
Nia pulled on the bonds again when the door opened. She straightened. Commander Foley entered, his hair swooped over his forward, his eyes alight with something that made her heart skip a beat.
Not him.Her stomach squeezing tight, she held his gaze and lifted her chin. She wasn’t a coward.
“Euphenia Jannex.” He almost sang her name. “You’ve found yourself in a predicament.”
Her eyes were drawn to a fist-sized container he gripped in his hand. She snapped her gaze back to him, not really wanting to know what it held—not when she could see the cart of tools out of the corner of her eye.
“I’m not sure if you know what kind of trouble you’re in, but I’ll enlighten you. As your arresting officer, it’s my duty to inform you of the charges, the evidence, and the repercussions if you’re found guilty.”
“But I’m innocent until proved guilty, right?”
He smiled a lazy smile. “Not exactly. The law doesn’t work here the same as it does in the CORE.”
“May I receive counsel? Will I be assigned an advocate?”
“Not with the charge of treason.”
How was that fair? She sensed he enjoyed her discomfort and tried her best to keep her face blank.
Setting the container on the edge of the table, Foley pulled out the chair opposite her, the legs scraping against the deck in a grating pitch. Her shoulders hunched, trying to deflect the sound.
He spun the chair around and sat with his legs spread and arms folded over the back. “Let’s start with the penalty. If you’re convicted of treason, you’ll be publicly tortured for days and eventually sent out an airlock if you don’t die from your wounds.”
Stomach twisting, she pulled on the bonds, the metal cutting into her wrists.
