Page 31 of Freedom Mine
Hells, she didn’t feel safe here. Or maybe she didn’t feel safe around him. He needed to stop his flirting and leave her be. But her eyes held a gentleness right now, not fear.
“If I can convince you to keep me company in bed, then it would be worth an extra hole or two from that pig sticker of yours. Especially when you’ll be the one sewing me up.”
She slapped his upper arm with her hand this time. Gods, she was only making him harder.
“Half day. That’s as long as I’m staying in this bed unless you find a way to keep me here.”
She blushed the most sensuous shade of pink. Pink was quickly becoming his favorite color.
“Besides, no need for you to stay cooped up inside playing nurse when there’s work more suited to your experience. I want to head up to the mine, to show you the shack where you’ll be working.”
She stiffened at his words. Suddenly, they were back to where they’d begun, with her smiles and laughter gone. It didn’t seem to matter what he said or did, he was a trigger for her. She’d never see him as more than her owner.
* * *
ALLI
He hadn’t forgotten about the shack or changed his mind. How could he do that to her? He had been a slave.
She glanced at Kayo as he hiked the trail a few feet in front of her. His shoulders were unusually hunched forward, as if he’d resigned himself to this course of action, and he was unusually quiet. Kayo wasn’t a talkative man, to begin with, but he hadn’t said a word since they left the house twenty minutes ago.
His drawn expression said enough. He didn’t like his decision, but he found it necessary. He needed money, which meant doing whatever it took to keep the miners working.
Life here centered around the mine, and she’d have to do her share. He’d said as much when he bought her. He needed to motivate the men, and he’d use her to do it. Team effort, indeed.
Still, it didn’t seem like something Kayo would do. She had to have misunderstood. She’d go with him to the shack and remain open-minded. Once there, Kayo would explain what he wanted her to do, and it wouldn’t involve sleeping with the men. She was sure of it. Wasn’t she?
She was fooling herself. Nothing else could explain the smirks and crude gestures she’d been getting from the men ever since Kayo made the announcement that she’d be working up at the shack. Even Runner, the tall lithe man that ran messages up and down the mountain between Jace and Kayo, had been eyeing her funny.
The mud sloshed underfoot, but the boots Kayo had given her were a lot better than the last time she’d been up this way in sandals. She’d had to stuff the toes of the smallest boots he’d found in the clothes bin to be able to walk without tripping, not that she was in any hurry. She should turn around and run, but with that damn chip in her, he could track her anywhere. Which made her wonder what Garitt planned to do if and when she ran to his place.
Her right foot slipped out from under her and she grabbed a nearby branch to keep from falling.
“Here,” Kayo said, offering his hand.
She refused, unable to speak her mind. Too many years as a slave had taught her not to talk back or complain. Kayo had been a slave, or so he said. Maybe he had lied about that too. After all, who’d ever heard of a slave gaining freedom only to turn around and make enough money to buy his own slaves? He’d lied to her from the start.
“You okay?” Kayo asked.
“Fine.” It was the best she could manage as her stomach knotted the higher they hiked. Though she could feel the weight of the knife in her pants pocket, she couldn’t see herself hurting Kayo.
“We need you up here,” he said.
He sounded worried. Gods, the man confused her. Maybe she should talk to him, ask him flat out.
They stopped at a small building. A shack, just as he’d said. Outside, several crates, axes, ropes, beams of various sizes, and other mining supplies she couldn’t identify leaned against the wall. Kayo opened the door for her, but he remained outside. Inside, a cot had been shoved into the corner. No bedding. Of course, no bedding. Five-minute breaks.
Opposite the bed, rested a compact stove and a pile of chopped wood. There were no chains on the wall or bed. Some would say it was an improvement over her second owner. She’d disagree.
“How many?” she asked, not sure why she was asking. She didn’t intend on staying.
“How may what?”
“How many men each day?”
Kayo’s eyes narrowed as if he wasn’t pleased with her lack of enthusiasm. Her heart sank. Where was the sweet man, the one who seemed to care about her? This wasn’t him. She’d believed his promise of freedom, wanting it so badly that she’d ignored her instincts and allowed herself to trust him, to believe him.
“Hard to say,” Kayo replied. “Depends on how far in the mine they are, and what they’re doing exactly. They’ll come to you when they need a break. Give them whatever they need.”
