Captive - Cheryl Brooks Page 0,15
him, none of that would happen.
“What’s it gonna be, Klara?” he asked gently. “Yes or no.”
For an instant, her expression of dismay made her seem lost and vulnerable. Then the moment passed, and she drew herself up to her full height, any softness in her demeanor turning to steel, rendering her posture as rigid as the tight smile she gave him. “Very well. I accept your terms.”
The glib acknowledgement on the tip of his tongue would’ve ruined their tenuous agreement. “You won’t regret it,” he finally said. “I’ll make sure of that.”
Her stance softened ever so slightly, and he could’ve sworn he saw a few tears swimming in her eyes before her gaze shifted downward. Clearly, she was no stranger to regret. He only hoped he could bring himself to trust her as much as she now seemed to be trusting him. She’d already stunned him once, and while she’d technically rescued him from the Nedwuts, she’d also used that opportunity to make him her captive once again.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…
Whether joining forces with her was a good move or the worst decision he’d ever made, only time would tell. For now, what he needed most was information.
He cleared his throat. “I still don’t get why Nedwuts would bother posting a reward for you when all they have to do is keep out of your way.”
She shrugged. “Apparently they want revenge.”
It was all he could do to keep from rolling his eyes. “My mother has probably killed more of them than you have, and as far as I know, they’ve never offered a reward for her. What makes you so special?”
“Not special. Just…persistent.”
“So you’re saying you make a habit of hunting them down?”
“Not exactly. I stumble across them all the time.”
“Yeah, well, they may be greedy bastards who never seem to have enough money to go home and stay there, but they aren’t stupid.” Narrowing his eyes, he studied her for several moments before he spoke again. “The original bounty on Zetithians was paid by one very rich, powerful, and insanely jealous man. The Nedwuts were only in it for the money. I still can’t believe they’d give up any of their earnings to stop you from killing them.”
“They may be offering a reward, but there’s no guarantee anyone will ever actually pay it, is there?”
“Probably not,” Moe agreed. “But the idea of even offering a reward seems out of character for them.”
“Perhaps I know them better than you do,” she said, avoiding his gaze.
Moe knew an evasion when he heard one, although he wasn’t sure why she would even attempt to lie to him. “Suit yourself, but I’ll probably find out anyway. Got one of your wanted posters?”
She stole a glance at him. “Wanted posters?”
“You know… A picture of you with the caption Wanted: Dead or Alive, the reward offered, and where to claim it stuck on every wall and light pole?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t seen anything like that. But rumor has it they want me alive.”
“Even more interesting. They’re planning to torture you to death?”
“You could call it that.”
She still wasn’t looking him in the eyes—further proof she was lying. “Mind telling me who else you’ve pissed off?”
“Lots of people,” she replied. “But the Nedwuts are the only ones willing to pay for my capture.”
In all his life, Moe had never heard of Nedwuts paying for much of anything, their flagrant tendency toward thievery being just one of the many reasons why most people wouldn’t even allow them to set foot on their planet. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his hair—or tried to until he remembered he’d put it in braids. “Okay. If you say so, but for the record, I don’t believe a word of it.”
Her careless shrug suggested she didn’t care if he believed her or not.
“I guess the next step is meeting the rest of your gang,” he said. “And please, no secret signals to tell them to shoot me. Got it?”
“Got it,” she replied.
“Just keep telling yourself it’s easier to work with me than against me,” he urged. “Plus, you’ll profit more from our alliance than you will if you go it alone.” Hoping he’d covered all the bases, he aimed the pistol at her and waved a hand toward the door. “Ladies first.”
“Are you planning to keep pointing that thing at me?”
He kept his eyes fixed on her, not sparing a glance for the pistol. “For now, anyway. I’m starting to feel like