Page 26 of Tribute
“Why? Because I forced you to learn how to survive theUngrich? Forced you to be at your peak of physical fitness, and used to being stuffed full of cock or tentacles or probes or whatever theUngrichused on you?”
“You didn’t tell me the truth!” she yelled. “You let me go in there not knowing what they were, what?—”
He held up his hand. “Yeah, like you would’ve gone in if you’d known. How was I supposed to explain the unexplainable? To make sense of an alien life-form that doesn’t understand a single thing about our society except using us as a research tool? And fuck it, part of the treaty is that wecan’ttell you. They like us coming in there scared. They get off on that mindfuck! You know that now! I gave you the skills you needed to survive. That’s all I could fucking do.”
“Oh, I suppose you expect me to be grateful, do you?” she sneered.
“I don’t know, Lee. I took you out of prison, gave you a chance, and now you’re fucking alive and free. You don’t think that deserves any thanks?”
She turned away and went back to bed, pulling the covers over her head. She wished she could stop his words revolving in her head. How fuckingdarehe be offended aboutanything?He’d lied and schemed and fucked her half to death.
He’d . . .
Saved her life.
But . . .
He’d saved herlife. She might not like his methods, but he’d definitely helped her survive.
“Ohhell.” Anna punched the mattress and screamed into it long and hard. She had to get away from him. All she had to do was convince him she was ready to face her debriefing and she’d be free.
To do what?
Reaching outside her blankets, she found her sleeping pills, took one, and forced herself not to think until the medicine did its job and delivered her into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
“If you want to interview her so badly, you can come here and do it,” Rehz snapped. “That’s it. She’s still in my damn care, and I say she’s not ready for a full-on fun time at military HQ.”
He shut off the comlink and stared out over the city. Maybe it was time for him to realize that she might never be goddamn ready, that she’d never come out of her goddamn bed again. He banged his forehead against the cold glass of the window. He’d pushed her too hard. Now he was going to have to let the shrinks and the docs and the military take a closer look at her.
With a sigh, he went over to her closed door and knocked on it hard. “Lee? Incoming in half an hour. If you don’t want them dragging you out of bed screaming, I suggest you get up, get dressed, and come out here.”
Silence.
What had he expected? He went back to the kitchen, brewed some morejavron. He was fucking mainlining the stuff these days just to stop himself from picking up Anna Lee and shaking some sense into her, and then fucking her stupid until she finally gave up and . . .
And what?
Agreed to stay with him? The man she hated?
The slam of the bathroom door made him swing around. Anna was heading for the kitchen, her fair hair braided down her back and her face expressionless.
He nodded at her and got out of her way. Watched as she helped herself tojavronand a protein shake and then ate a tiny slice of bread that she chewed determinedly for far longer than necessary. He knew how hard it was to get anything down without throwing up after those tentacles had been there.
The doorbell buzzed and he went to let the interrogators in. Three of them nodded and smiled as they went past him; the fourth . . .
Greez. . .
“General Palk.”
His trainer raised an eyebrow. “Akran. How’s your precious protégée?”
Rehz barely managed to step out of the way and let the male into his apartment.
Anna Lee still sat at the breakfast bar, her expression unmoved as the government scientist started setting up his equipment.
