Page 80 of Tempting Jupiter
“I’ve studied the design,” said Fee. “But it will take me some time to hack both your collars.” She tipped her head to indicate Creek. “Where did he come from?”
Creek remained silent, apparently willing to let Jupiter speak for him. “He was here when I arrived.”
“And we can trust him?”
Jupiter raised an eyebrow at her question. “He has shown no love for St. Germaine.”
Feeona gave up a manufactured smile. “I can’t imagine he would.”
Too aware that the slaver could return at any moment, Jupiter rushed out a warning. “Morgan expects you to try to steal me. He’ll be ready. He doesn’t believe you have any credits.”
The news didn’t seem to affect her at all. “What about Owens? I thought he’d be here, waiting for us. Have you seen him?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Huh.” She looked over her shoulder as if she thought he might appear at that very moment.
“Problem?” Jupiter shifted his weight, restless to be on the other side of the bars of his cage.
Fee shrugged her gold-dusted shoulders. “No. Even if it was, I always have a back-up plan.”
“Yes.” The word vibrated in his throat. He could no longer hold back his anger. “But you also like to keep your problems and your plans hidden.”
Her mask wavered. “You have to know, if there were any other way—”
“If you had talked to me, we would have MADE another way.” For a moment she looked so vulnerable and full of ache. It fed his anger. He should have known there was a problem. He should have earned her trust.
She grabbed hold of the bars of his cage and leaned in. “I couldn’t risk it.”
It was all he could do not to reach through and wrap his arms around her. He longed to comfort her, but he wasn’t ready to forgive her yet. “Afraid you’d miss out on your opportunity to pick up your cargo?”
Her knuckles whitened where she clutched the bars. “Kids. They were kids.”
He shouldn’t be so damned jealous of those children. Even though he understood, his heart whispered that if he’d been a fit mate, she would have shared her burden with him. He ignored his heart and forced his voice to the firmness his pride demanded. “Morgan told me. And did you make enough profit from selling them to satisfy your greed?”
She paled, but it was Sen who flinched, as if the blow had bounced off her and struck him. “I don’t sell them, Jupiter. I free them. You can’t believe—”
He didn’t, but his anger had been bottled up too long. Indulging it seemed better than admitting his own failures. “You sold me to Morgan.”
Tears rolled down the smoke grey of her cheeks. She couldn’t have been more stricken if he’d hit her. Then she would have been fighting back. Despite his anger, he hated that he’d hurt her.
Her fists flexed and tightened on the bars. “I deserve your anger. I know that. But you saw the pit. I try to save the ones I can before they end up there. I’d already made arrangement with the man who gets them out of the factory for me. If I hadn’t taken delivery, my contactwouldhave sold them to arealslaver. Or worse.” Her eyes were wide and pled for understanding. “I love you Jupiter, but I couldn’t abandon them the way my parents abandoned me. I…” Her mouth snapped shut. Her lips pressed together as if she could stop the words she’d already said.
There was a story there. One he needed to hear when they were all safe. She’d confessed that she loved him and that helped to cool his temper. How could he lash out his anger when he knew the failure was his own, and she’d obviously been punishing herself. He reached toward her and wrapped one of his hands around her much smaller one. “That is a story for another day.” He spoke softly, but his voice was rough with emotion.
She nodded, turned on her heel, and was three strides away with Sen in tow when he stopped her.
He barked softly. “Feeona.”
She looked back over her shoulder.
“Thank you.” The words were easier to say than he’d have expected. “For not giving them Sen.”
Seneca tensed, but she just dipped her chin, lips pressed tight. She hesitated, then sighed. “You know he’s strong enough to handle anything?”
He studied Sen’s stiff back for a brief moment. “Yes.” And he did know that. It surprised him more that she knew. And if she did, that meant the reason she’d turned him over instead of Seneca was that she knew he would want it that way. Feeona and Seneca walked away, and Jupiter indulged himself in watching the way they moved together. Fee had betrayed him, but in some twisted way she’d done it for him.
“A strong female.” Creek patted his shoulder. It was the first time the man had ever touched him.
