His Fire Maiden - Michelle M. Pillow Page 0,55

Isaac? You’re better than this. Why take up Gil’s cause? You know he’s never going to return your feel—”

“You think I’m here because of Gil’s feud with the Bevlon?” Isaac rubbed his blue forehead at the base of his horn. “You lost my loyalty the moment you abandoned your duty.” He pointed at Josselyn. “There she is, Captain, kill her. Family honor demands it. That is still the plan, isn’t it?”

“Things are more complicated,” Violette said.

“No, they’re not.” Isaac trained his gun on Josselyn. “She killed your father. The details are just noise. You humans muddle everything with emotions. It’s quite simple where I’m standing. If you can’t avenge your father, then why would you feel loyalty to avenge your crew? Your breed of human cowardice cannot be trusted. At least, Gil carries on the fight of his people. I have nothing against the Bevlons, but I respect his loyalty to his people and in my loyalty to my crewman I’ll help him as I was willing to help you.”

“Don’t you dare question my authority—” Violette began.

“You promised,” Josselyn interrupted loudly.

Violette turned in surprise to look at her sister.

“You promised if I showed you where the jewels were you’d let my brothers go,” Josselyn continued.

Violette arched a brow in confusion. She glanced up at the family picture. All of Josselyn’s brothers were dead.

“Josselyn,” Evan began.

“Jewels?” Isaac repeated. The interest in his voice was unmistakable. His gun arm relaxed some.

Violette saw the look on Josselyn’s face and slowly nodded. She took several steps away Dev and the others. Her foot crunched Dev’s discarded communicator on the floor. Hardening her tone, she said, “I told you it was complicated. I had this under control but since you space cadets are insisting on doing this the hard way…” She let her voice trail off as she moved to join Gil and Isaac. “Hand me a gun so we can finish this.”

Gil eyed her suspiciously. “We’ll keep the guns.”

“You don’t trust me? You saw the jewels she gave us to pay for her ride to Rifflen. We’re talking an entire treasury full of the stuff. Why else would I come to this icehole of a settlement?” Violette pretended to be exasperated with them. In reality, she was terrified. Before she was just one of the guys, floating around space earning a living. Now she had something to lose—a sister, a man she loved. Why didn’t she tell Dev she loved him? Seeing a gun pointed at them, knowing Jackson and Rick might already be dead, made their situation all the more terrifying. If it weren’t for her, they wouldn’t have been in this situation.

“Where are these jewels?” Isaac asked.

Good. Greed. Violette could work with greed.

“I’ll show you,” Dev said, making a move to go forward.

“Nice try, demon,” Gil said. “Step back and out of the snowsuit.”

“Gil, that isn’t necessary,” Violette said. “Lock them up. We’ll keep them as leverage if Josselyn doesn’t behave.”

“You, too, out of the snowsuit,” Gil ordered Evan. When the men didn’t comply, he held the gun toward Violette’s head. Her eyes met his, pleading with him not to obey. The temperatures were too low for him to survive long without protection. “Do it, or I kill her.”

Dev glared and shrugged out of his snowsuit. When he stood in the skintight underclothes, he tossed the snowsuit toward Gil’s feet. Evan did the same.

“Seems like the beast has a fondness for you,” Isaac observed in distaste. “Wonder why that is?”

“Gil, you can’t leave them like that. The cold temperatures will kill them,” Violette said.

“One less Bevlon to worry about.” He answered, unconcerned.

“Isaac, tie them.” Gil motioned at Josselyn. “You come with us. Take us to the jewels.”

“No,” Josselyn said. “You let them go. Let the others go. Then I’ll take you to the treasure. You can do whatever you want to me, but don’t hurt anyone else.”

Violette knew what Josselyn was trying to do, but it wouldn’t work. Isaac produced laser shackles to bind Evan and Dev’s wrists, and then anchored the ends into the stone floor, trapping both men in their places. Dev looked as if he wanted to tear the Corge man apart.

“We don’t torture,” Violette stated. “Give them back their suits.”

“Treasure, now,” Gil ordered Josselyn.

Violette dared a glance back as Josselyn led them from the old dining hall. Dev and Evan trembled violently without the protection of their suits. With the outside temperatures continuing to drop, Evan wouldn’t last more than an hour, if that. She didn’t want to