Page 6 of Freedom Mine
“Is she as beautiful as Liet says? Dark hair and blue eyes with long legs that can wrap around someone even Masher’s size?”
Kayo’s eyes shot up at his friend. “You’re not to touch her.” His words had come out with more fervor than he’d expected, and he couldn’t blame the laja root.
Jace held up his hands, palms out. “You know I won’t. Not unless she wants it.”
Rage boiled to the surface, focused at Jace no less. His friend wouldn’t hurt a fly, not unless pushed, but Kayo didn’t want anyone touching Blue, even if she gave permission. Permission meant nothing right now, not with her state of mind. She didn’t know she had choices.
“She’s off-limits. Even if she gives permission. Make sure the men know it as well.”
“I’ll tell them, but seriously, Kayo, what were you thinking? I mean, we could use another set of hands in the mine, but a woman? She’ll be a distraction up there.”
It had never occurred to him to send her to work in the mine. He’d gone looking for someone as big as Masher and had come back with someone curvy and soft, a woman.
“I’ll think of something.”
“She’ll run,” Jace said, dumping his laja into the sink. “First chance she gets.”
“Of course, she will, but she won’t get far.”
Kayo heard the slight creek and his eyes shifted to the back staircase. She was up there, on the middle landing, listening. He couldn’t help his grin. Not a compliant slave after all. Good. He could work with that.
Jace lifted a brow. He’d heard her as well. “Second shift is starting. I’ll talk with you later.”
Kayo headed out as well, not only to give her a chance to return to the attic ‘undiscovered’ but to give himself time to think of a way out of the mess he’d created. He’d spent over three thousand parchas on her, five months’ worth of food and supplies. What had he been thinking?
* * *
ALLI
Alli snuck back into the attic, quietly shutting the door behind her. If her owner caught her eavesdropping, he’d punish her for sure. She often wondered if her defiance was worth the risk. Certainly, she never thought so when she got punished, but she’d seen too many slaves walking around with that vacant look in their eyes. She didn’t want to be one of them, not when there was always a chance she’d escape and find her way back to Medrio, where she’d been free.
As far as a place to sleep, the attic space, though dusty and gloomy in appearance, offered her privacy, even a sense of—dare she say it?—freedom. She hadn’t had something to herself, especially a room, for a long time.
Once she’d swept, dusted, and tidied up the room, the place didn’t look half bad. She’d used the kekko-eaten sheets and some old papers to create a bed of sorts on the floor by the dresser. Unfortunately, the drawers had been empty. Unless the temperature dropped significantly, she’d be comfortable enough. She’d had worse. At least she was alone, and not bunking with the male slaves.
Her eyes wandered to the deadbolt on the door once again. Dare she? Her fingers turned the lock, the hollow sound of the click going through her. He’d be mad if he came for her in the middle of the night and couldn’t get in. He’d told his friend that she was off-limits to him and the other men, which was a relief, but that still left him. He was the one who bought her.
She often wondered if being owned by a handsome man such as Kayo would make her role easier to accept. Now she knew. It didn’t. She’d have to find that special place she went to in her mind when the time came.
Alli unlocked the door. The lock would only delay the inevitable and bring on his wrath.
As she sank to the sheets on the floor, a worse thought occurred to her. What if he was like Harko and liked to strike or choke her while he used her? If Kayo was anything like Harko, he would make sure she remembered every awful minute. From what she’d seen of her new owner, he could inflict a lot of pain and damage.
She was getting ahead of herself. Kayo hadn’t hurt her yet, and maybe he never would. Despite his rage, he didn’t scare her. If he was like Harko, well, she’d have to focus harder, overcome the fear until her mind drifted away in a sea of nothingness.
The attic held its fair share of dust and cobwebs, along with abandoned belongings. An old dresser with one missing drawer, several crates filled with old dishes, and one xaro board that she dug out from one of the crates.
She sank into the makeshift bedding and counted the strings on the xaro board. She’d always wanted to learn an instrument, but even dreaming of that was a waste of time and energy. She wasn’t staying. The moment Kayo left her alone in the house, she’d search for the security system control panel. Alli laid her head down and closed her eyes. There was nothing left to do until then, except rest and dream of home.
* * *
KAYO
By the time Kayo reached the attic, he knew how he’d handle Blue. Not the same as how he’d dealt with the men when they had arrived, that was for damn sure. He had laid down the rules and showed them the mine. The choice had been theirs, but their situation had been obvious to them. Only two had fled over the years, and one had returned months later when he realized he could not escape Varkos with his chip still showing slave status. Blue was more suspicious than most.
He’d give her the same speech, but unlike the men, who had one another to act as mentors and friends, she had no one. He’d seen the way the men followed her with their eyes narrowed, mouths quirked, and tongues licking lips. He could picture every lascivious thought in their heads. She had no reason to trust them. . . or him.
He knocked on her door, which swung open from the force. Kayo peered inside, well aware of the tight space.
