Retribution (Kall Alien Warriors #3) - Sue Lyndon Page 0,48

males to kill their human wives, which protected the human females who’d been forced to marry Kall warriors as part of the treaty between Earth and his planet.

“Why did you resign as an advisor to President Carson?” Zamek suddenly asked, as he recalled one part of the report about her that had confounded him. It made little sense to him that she would work so hard to become a respected Kall expert, only to resign from what she’d once in an interview described as a dream job.

Her face darkened. “How do you—oh, the report.” She paused as a haunted look overcame her. “Well, I resigned because I no longer respected President Carson. When his daughter, Betsy Carson, who was my best friend in the whole world, was charged with espionage and other ridiculous crimes that she never even committed, he didn’t do much to help her. He made a special deal to ensure she wouldn’t be sentenced to death, but that left being sold into slavery, life imprisonment, and even torture on the table. And he didn’t show much remorse about it either, he thought she deserved to suffer after she… um, you’re friends with Ambassador Merokk, so am I correct to assume you know what really happened, and not the official Kall version of events?”

Zamek nodded. “I know all the details.”

“Well, President Carson thought she deserved to suffer just because she ran off to avoid her arranged marriage to Ambassador Merokk, so he didn’t do anything else to help her. He also didn’t visit her or send her a letter while she waited in prison. He completely cut her off. It was heartless, and I was deeply appalled by his behavior. And so, I resigned my position working for his administration.”

Zamek could respect her reason for leaving her job at the White House. From what he knew of President Carson, the man was cowardly and only cared about protecting his own skin.

“You were supposed to start a new job soon, weren’t you?” Zamek asked after a moment.

“Yes, working for the Interstellar Intelligence Agency. They recruited me after learning I’d left my old job.” A wistful look came over her. “I think I would’ve loved that job. But I couldn’t start on time, since I couldn’t safely leave Ambassador Merokk’s house before the trial, so I had to withdraw my acceptance of the position.” She sighed. “The ambassador feared if I was spotted on the street, I might be taken into custody and imprisoned as I awaited the court date.”

When guilt panged in Zamek’s chest, he reminded himself that Michael had taken the job away from her, not him. Her late husband had caused her to lose everything.

“Please eat,” he said with a gesture at the food, his sudden brusque tone causing a shadow to fall over her face.

Layla picked up a spoon and tried the sautéed vegetables first, then scooped up a bit of the meat pie. He dug into his meal with gusto, feeling near starved after an eventful day.

As Layla ate, she also took frequent sips of her wine, and he soon refilled her goblet from the pitcher. She shot him a timid smile that warmed his heart.

He liked this. He liked dining with her. He liked having her in his quarters.

He could only imagine the gossip that was occurring in the corridors, mess halls, and training rooms on the Tammusha at this very moment. His warriors probably thought he’d lost his mind. Not that he cared what they thought, but he supposed he ought to be more careful going forward.

As far as he knew, no Kall had ever balked at or refused retribution rights. He was in uncharted territory, though he didn’t think Kall authorities could interfere in any way. As long as he followed the rules and registered her as a slave immediately upon reaching Kall. Complaints might be leveled against him, but from his interpretation of the law, he didn’t believe Layla could be taken away from him.

Normally, he was always eager for a battle. If Layla weren’t here, he would be raving with excitement over the prospect of another fight with the Bexxanians. But he now disliked that the Tammusha’s arrival on planet Kall was being delayed while they patrolled this sector of space for signs of other Bexxanian warbirds.

All he wanted was to get Layla home, where she would be safe and out of sight. In time, the authorities might even forget about her. He could only hope. A thought struck him,