He tossed me a dark brown pair of leather gloves and I pulled them on. They went almost up to my elbows. Felt like a piece of protective armor.
It was as though I was naked.
It’s not like I really had a choice though. He’d torn my other clothes to shreds and I had nothing left. It was either this or walk around completely bared.
I chose this.
I faced him with courage, lifting my chin and pulling my shoulders back. I’d wear this slutty outfit and I’d make it mine.
He gazed on me with a certain sense of pride and cleared his throat.
“Today, you’ll learn what keeps Dryac safe from the Intergalactic Coalition. I’m going to teach you what it means to be an assistant to the leader of the Syndicate.”
I froze.
The Syndicate was the Association’s direct rival. An organization that ruled on the fringes of the galaxy, out of range of the Intergalactic Coalition and in direct opposition to the Association. I’d stumbled into the middle of what could turn into an all-out war.
As soon as my handler found out that I was in the hands of the leader of the Syndicate, I was as good as dead. My family was as good as dead.
I wanted to run, but his harsh gaze never wavered. My eyes flicked from him to the door, trying to gauge if I had a route of escape or not. Unfortunately, he was in the way and there wasn’t a chance I’d make it past him. He was too fast and too strong, and I’d already made the mistake of underestimating him before. I wasn’t about to do it again. It was also clear that he understood exactly what was racing through my mind by his ready stance, prepared to grab at me if I even thought about trying to get away.
“If they find out I’m helping you, I’m good as dead,” I began, and I felt him shake his head.
“I will protect you,” he said, cutting me off as he did so.
“If they can’t get to me, they’ll kill my family,” I retorted.
“They won’t,” he answered, his voice hard.
That wasn’t a chance I was willing to take.
I wanted to believe him, but I knew the Association. I knew the leader, Credare. He was ruthless and mean. He didn’t even bat an eye when ordering the deaths of those who slighted him. He didn’t even pause when demanding the deaths of their families. I knew without a doubt that once he got wind of my treachery, my family and I would be dead within a month.
They were going to come for me, and I wouldn’t have anywhere to run.
Even Bane wouldn’t be able to protect me when they came.
I’d have to figure something out and soon.
“Come. Let’s eat some breakfast and then we’ll go meet up with the scheduled arrival of our next batch of smuggled goods,” he said, and I nodded, careful to keep my expression neutral. He glanced at me for a moment, cocked an eyebrow before he turned, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
I followed him down to the kitchen, where he programmed a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs to appear on the table. I sat down and dug in, finding myself hungrier than usual.
“Worked up an appetite then?” he said with a chuckle and I shook my head, unable to keep myself from smiling, just a little anyway. Instead, I hid my face by turning toward my plate. I ate a few more bites before my curiosity got the best of me.
“What kinds of things do you smuggle here?” I asked and he shrugged.
“Pretty much anything. Weapons. Drugs. New tech,” he answered.
“People?”
“Sometimes. Yes, but that’s pretty rare,” he replied, his tone matter of fact.
“You profit from the slave trade?” I pressed, narrowing my eyes with suspicion.
“No. Not like that. Sometimes I smuggle them here to escape the Intergalactic Coalition. Aiding the escape of an innocent witness in a crime, or maybe the criminal himself for the right price. Others that want to get away from their sorry lives somewhere far away. I give people an option when they don’t have another,” he replied and the tenseness in my body softened.
He lifted his eyes to meet mine.
