Page 58 of Milking His Lass

Glancing out the window, she ducks down a bit. “Can they hear what we’re saying?”

“No,” Vrokjan growls out. “My transport has not been tampered with in a way that others can listen in. I have it checked every day.”

“Good. Don’t worry about me then. How can we get this Jakroon asshole thrown in jail?”

I look over at Vrokjan, noting the grim expression on his face. “Unfortunately,” I hedge, “as an Icorian, he has far more rights than you. He might get a minor sentence, but you will be judged far more harshly.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get that,” she dismisses with a wave of her hand.

Her words and actions do not make any sense. Where is the terrified cow from earlier? Where is the sweet heifer that was stolen from me? In her place sits a human I barely recognize.

“What if we had dirt on him?”

“Dirt?” I ask, confusion furrowing my brows. Vrokjan looks over at me and shrugs, just as clueless as I am. “There is dirt everywhere. We are in a farming sector.”

“Ugh,” she groans, rubbing her temples. “Not literal. Ummm. Fuck. I can’t think. My head hurts too much.”

Gripping the back of her neck, I massage the tight muscles, my stomach clenching with worry. “Better? He didn’t break anything, did he?”

“I’m banged up a bit, but nothing I can’t heal from. What’s more important is that Jakroon has been breaking the law. Like in a big way. At least, I think. I don’t know how the legal system works here. Is it possible that an even bigger crime can make them forget mine?” Her words pour from her lips in a frenzied babble.

“That depends,” I hesitate, leaning back. “What could you, a human, possibly know?”

When she ducks her head, that sense of dread comes back in full force. “I kinda hacked your systems. He’s delivering milk off planet.”

The transport screeches to a halt as Vrokjan turns and looks over at my pet. “You what?”

An enforcer raps on the window, startling all three of us. “What seems to be the problem?”

As if on cue, Fiona doubles over and clutches her stomach, feigning an illness. She makes horrible sounds as if she is sick. Has my heifer been a charlatan this whole time?

“Forgive us,” I tell the enforcer, not wishing to make things worse for us. “My cow is sick. I need to take her to the grasses.”

“Move. I’ll follow.”

“What now?” I growl at my pet, furious that she’s putting herself at risk.

Instead of being the quiet, demure human I know she can be, she gives me a wink before mooing in such a horrible fashion it has me feeling ill as well. As I take her to the edge of the road, she drops to her knees and puts her hands over her mouth.

Where the guard can’t see, she sticks a finger down her throat until she gags. Vomit splashes on the grass, forcing the enforcer to turn away. I guess those in the capitol don’t have the same fortitude we do. Still though, as I watch her mind working in action, I can’t help but feel both admiration and dread.

Has she been capable of this the entire time? Why hasn’t she said or done anything until now? I choose to keep my questions to myself as I make a great show of attending to Fiona.

“Cow,” the enforcer barks out. “What do you need?”

She doesn’t speak, but instead looks to me as if waiting for my permission. Something tells me it’s all a show, and she doesn’t actually care about our protocols.

“Answer him, heifer.”

She swallows and winces before whispering to him. “I’m not sure when I’ve had anything to drink last. Might I please have some water?” Her tone is soft and demure, nothing like the hellion who fought against an Icorian and won.

With a swift nod, he turns back to his transport and rummages around for a bit.

“Have you truly not had water? When was the last time you drank?”

She closes her eyes for a moment and sways. Exhaustion lines her features as she stands there and thinks. “I can’t honestly say. I took a swallow or two before walking the fence. I- I fell asleep. I don’t think the monster gave me anything. If he did, I was unconscious.”

My heart stutters in my chest. Based on the footage we reviewed, Jakroon took her about twenty-four Earth hours ago. She started crawling along the fence about two hours before that. The asshole could have killed her. Gathering her into my arms, I walk her over to the enforcer’s transport.

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