Page 21 of Freedom Mine
“That’s a start. How long before the next one’s due?”
Kayo took a deep breath. “Three weeks, but it’s over four thousand parchas.”
Jace gave a low whistle, all the while shaking his head. “We can’t keep going like this, hoping to find a new vein each time another bill comes due.”
Without saying a word, he listened to Jace vent, because Jace needed to. But nothing Jace could say would change the facts or make him regret buying Blue.
“You went to town with enough money to pay everything off for the next six months, obtain freedom status for Masher, and maybe bring back one slave if you had enough left over. Instead, you bought a woman at five times the cost of any man...”
“Eight.”
Jace gave a low whistle. “I hate to say it, but you might have to give her back.”
The rage rose from within too fast, too uncontrollable. Kayo jumped to his feet and got right in his friend’s face.
“Don’t you mean sell? I mean, it’s no different than selling off one of the harkifa or that new ventilation pump, right? Heck, I might be able to sell her privately for more than I paid, turn a profit. Wouldn’t that be great? I could switch from mining pozite to dealing in slaves. That would be one of the greatest all-time ironies. Me, selling slaves.”
Jace had his hand up, palms out, a sign of peace and apology among their people. That one gesture had a way of calming Kayo and gutting him simultaneously.
“You know that’s not what I meant,” Jace said, his voice low and sincere. “Ah, maybe it was. I’m trying to figure this out too.”
He had no cause to jump all over Jace. His friend hadn’t created this mess. Kayo had no one to blame but himself. Unfortunately, he did have more people to think about than just himself. That was the problem.
“I can see why she cost so much. There’s something about her, Kayo, more than a gorgeous body a man would enjoy sinking into each night.”
Kayo held in the growl building in his chest. That Jace should notice and look at her with longing didn’t surprise him, but she was off-limits to everyone, including Jace.
“You like her, don’t you?” Jace asked as Blue left the stables with Ranth side-by-side, talking as if they were long-time friends.
She seemed to be settling in faster than Kayo had expected, which was good, but at the same time made him uneasy. Did Ranth just smile at her? No, Kayo was seeing things. Ranth never smiled.
“I don’t know her,” Kayo answered. He didn’t know her, but he wanted to. She had a strength to her, one that let her stay sweet and gentle despite what her owners had done to her. He couldn’t even conceive of returning her, no matter how dire the finances became. He’d made a promise to her, as he had to all the men.
“I see the way you follow her with your eyes,” Jace pressed. “She’s as beautiful as Liet said. I can see how she’d be hard to give away.”
“She’s not mine to give away!” he shouted, pissed off that they were having this discussion, but more angered that she’d become the subject of so many eyes, so many men’s fantasies by now.
“I think you’re right about that.” Jace pointed his chin in her direction.
Blue was buttoning up the top few buttons on her shirt-dress and retying the rope at her waist. Ranth handed something to her, and she smiled at him before leaving.
She walked up toward the house, head held high, more confident than Kayo had seen her in the past two days. Red cheeks and the way she breathed, slightly out of breath, hardened Kayo’s cock
“Hi,” she said, her blue eyes shining as she greeted them.
Jace rose and extended his hand. “I’m Jace. Kayo’s foreman. I take it you’re Blue.”
She nodded, hesitated, and then extended her hand. She didn’t look away but met Jace’s eyes straight on.
Kayo’s fists clenched. It had taken her two days to meet his eyes without looking away, but not with Jace—or Ranth. Blue and Ranth. Hells.
“You have straw in your hair,” Kayo said.
She blushed as she searched for the straw, then pulled it free. “I was just—”
“I told you before, you don’t need to explain yourself to me.” Kayo slammed the glass down and stormed inside the house.
