“Why the rush, Rylinn?” Gromm asked, digging in his desk.
“Oh, I’m not in a rush. And I’m not worried about catching the rest of our targets, but you sent me after this one in particular, and seeing as she’s already slipped your grip once, I figure if I may wind up being paid for the same job multiple times, I’d just as soon be paid up front for each one.”
Gromm laughed and tossed what Margot assumed had to be some form of digital currency chit to the tracker. Rylinn snatched it out of the air with ease, catching and pocketing it in one fluid motion. “Thank you. I look forward to our repeated business. She’s more wily than you give her credit for.”
Gromm dragged a metal hoop out of his drawer with a chuckle. “I don’t plan on paying you again for this one.”
“A shock collar? How quaint. I thought you didn’t like using them.”
“I don’t. But I do keep a few on hand, just in case.” Gromm turned his attention to his human captive. “Come here.”
She was in no position to argue. Whatever momentary flare of righteous indignation may have inspired her to talk back, it had fled. She did as she was told, timidly stepping toward him. Gromm’s enormous hands fastened the band around her neck with an audibleclick. It wasn’t very big, cool on her skin and not heavy at all.
Rylinn saw her mentally processing. “It’s a shock collar.”
“I heard. And fuck you.”
“You wish,” he said, rising to his feet and patting his pocket where the chit now resided. “And thank you for averylucrative payday.”
With that he turned and walked out, leaving her very hurt, confused, and alone.
Gromm grabbed her arm in his meaty mitt and hauled her to the door. “Now get out. I’ll play with you later. For now, you’ve got the walk of the camp. Stay out of my men’s way and don’t make a fuss.”
“I-I can just walk out?”
He laughed, a cold cruel sound. “Oh, you can walk out of here all right. But know this. If you step outside the perimeter markers, I can promise you you’ll wish you hadn’t. The collar might not kill you, but it’ll be a jolt you’ll never forget.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Margot stepped out of the large ship and into the stink of the rather expansive camp area. The tents, the parked ships, the mess area where the cooks were whipping up dinner—something she might have actually considered tasty not long ago at all. But now? Now she had cleansed her palate and purged her senses. This place? It reeked of sweaty men, oily food, and a lingering note of fear.
Several of the men, clearly angry with her from her recent exploits, moved as if to attack her, but every last one pulled up short when they saw the collar around her neck. The shock band apparently served more than one purpose in her case, though protecting her from molestation and harm was undoubtedly an unintended one.
One she would make the absolute most of.
Margot walked confidently though she didn’t feel it under her carefully placed façade, striding through the camp as though she owned it. Or, at least, was given free rein by the man who did. And no one even thought to challenge it.
Rylinn stepped into view from around the side of a tent. Margot quickly ducked behind another one. She was confident, but notthatconfident.
Need to steer clear of him, she decided.Back-stabbing bastard.
Of course, he’d made it clear just how important money was to him. She’d just been too taken with his charm to realize how it might impact his interactions with her if the choice came between her and a payday.
That answer was now abundantly clear.
She moved fast, heading behind the nearest large tent and redirecting so it would remain between her and Rylinn until she reached the edge. There was a gap she’d have to cross to get where she wanted to go and nothing to hide behind.
“Just put on your big girl panties and do it,” she said, steeling herself then walking out tall and confident, as if she hadn’t a care in the world.
She didn’t even turn to look. Whether or not he was there didn’t matter. Only if he called out and stopped her. Otherwise, she would just carry on with the same confident body language that stopped the rest of the men from so much as questioning her.
Only when she’d successfully cleared the area and stepped behind another row of tents did she allow herself to peer back where she’d just been. Rylinn was, in fact, still there, but he’d been engaged in a conversation with a group of men, and his back was mostly to her.
Made it.
She moved with a newfound spring in her step, the little bit of fear acting as a boost to her limbs, not to mention her Infala, which had been steadily pulsing all day. She walked until she reached the holding area at the edge of the camp, but hesitated.
“Is it going to shock me?” she wondered, her fingers running over the cool metal around her neck. She saw Floxxia seated in her cage with a group of other captives and made up her mind then and there. “Only one way to find out.”
