Page 3 of A Mate for Vasek (Tallean Mercenaries #11)

Vasek

Vasek couldn’t help but notice as Dawn’s eyes darted over his shoulder at the male still passed out on the other bed, as if checking to make sure Bakum was still asleep before holding her palm out.

It was a small gem from her dress. Unlike the ones still caked in mud on her outfit, this one sparkled like the light reflecting off her golden hair.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice so hoarse it was barely more than a whisper. She cleared her throat, then continued. “The gems on this dress aren’t really his. He doesn’t even know which ones are real. This one’s real.”

Interesting. Vasek was already suspecting that this female hadn’t been acquired legitimately.

The first hint was the fact that she was so badly cared for.

If Bakum had paid for her with his hard-earned credits, he wouldn’t be so sloppy in her care.

He’d want Vasek to heal her to maintain his investment.

Then there was the way she’d hesitated when she’d said that he’d “acquired” her.

Dawn hadn’t said it outright, but she hadn’t needed to. Everything added up: he’d stolen her.

“Who is your rightful owner?”

She hesitated. “Kotch. He’s dead.”

“Kotch. I know … knew,” he corrected in light of the new developments, “him. Arms dealer. Works with pirates and thieves.”

She nodded.

Vasek had heard rumors that he’d come into a large sum of credits recently.

The dress and the presence of Dawn meant the rumors were most likely true.

Even if some of the gems weren’t real, the dress had probably cost him a small fortune.

He’d be screaming from his grave if he could see the state of it now.

Bakum had taken the female out into the wilds with it and hadn’t even bought her new clothes to change into. What an idiot!

Out here, however, possession often trumped ownership. With Kotch dead, Bakum essentially owned her—and the dress—by default, even though she’d come into his possession through illegitimate means.

Take her! Keep her for yourself.

Vasek pushed away the silly thoughts. He wasn’t looking for a female. Never would be. And he hoped the Stars never cursed him with a mate.

“Why did you hesitate before telling me it was Kotch?”

“Kotch wasn’t official either, but I was with him for the longest and most recently.

And he actually paid for me. I’ve passed through many hands.

My last official owner was a drunk who won me off a Dominion captain.

” She held the red gem to him again. “Please take it. You didn’t need to treat me, but you did.

Bakum will just think we lost it along the way.

” She gestured to her hem where a smaller gem dangled by a thread.

He sent her a single nod of thanks, then took it from her. What Bakum wouldn’t miss wouldn’t hurt him.

A sudden chime from the room’s comm system had Vasek frowning.

He was not expecting anyone. He ignored it and went to check on Bakum instead.

He wanted the male out of his room so he could leave New Rhea.

He’d already stayed longer than he wanted.

But at the same time, Bakum's leaving would mean he’d be taking the female with him.

And that, for some reason, did not sit well with Vasek.

He told himself it was because the healer in him wanted to be sure the female was well before leaving his care.

The chime rang again repeatedly, and this time he did answer. It was the reception, which was odd, because he usually chose temporary clinic locations that were quite hands-off when it came to service. It was best, considering the type of people he often treated.

“An angry group is demanding to know your room number,” the young male whispered. In the background, there were several angry voices. “They say you’re hiding someone they need. We told them you’re not here. But they won’t listen, and security can’t hold them for long.”

Fuck! What rotten luck. If what Dawn said was true, then this was the arms dealer’s crew. And while Vasek could’ve counted on Kotch to abide by his rules, he wasn’t so sure about this group of former pirates.

And this was why he always gave those working at the front, as well as the heads of security and the guard, extra credits during his stay. Advance warnings like these came in handy.

Vasek glanced over at Bakum. If he’d lied and brought trouble here knowingly, that meant their agreement was forfeit. But maybe he should give the male the benefit of the doubt; Bakum could have truly believed that he’d shaken his tail before coming.

He concentrated, trying to remember who in Kotch’s crew he might know.

Perhaps he hadn’t switched out his whole crew before he croaked.

There was a male named Morad. He and Kotch had been friends from before he started his arms business.

Vasek had put in a robotic eye for him several years ago.

With any luck, Morad would be the leader now. That would work in Vasek’s favor.

It was worth the risk. And even if Morad wasn’t here, their disagreement was with Bakum and not him; Vasek could turn this into a future opportunity.

“Hold them off for a few more minutes. I will be right down.”

Vasek hung up, then turned to Dawn, who had a worried look on her face. He noticed a small pile of dried mud on the bed next to her. She’d been picking at the hem nervously. “Did Bakum know they were after him when he came here? Tell me truthfully, and I will ensure no harm comes to you.”

Dawn

It wasn’t difficult to choose a side. Dawn had absolutely no loyalties either way, and Bakum had been nothing but a prick to her, while this medic had shown her kindness.

She wasn’t saying he was a good guy; not by a long shot.

No male Talleans she’d met since leaving Earth had been “good,” and Dawn doubted this Vasek was any different.

But it was survival of the fittest out here, and Dawn knew that her chances would be higher with the medic rather than with Bakum.

She hadn’t noticed it at first, but now that she had a chance to look around, she realized that most of his equipment was already packed up and he’d only taken out what he needed to treat Bakum and herself.

This was a temporary location, which meant that he was planning on leaving soon.

If she played it right, he might take her with him.

Somewhere along the way, they’d removed her identification chip, so technically, she could run and no one would be able to track her.

But Dawn had been on New Rhea long enough to know that she’d never stand a chance if she did.

She needed protection, at least until she figured out a way back to Earth.

“He knew,” she said quietly. “They’ve been after us since he killed Kotch.”

“Did he believe they were off his back?”

“No. He knew they were following us. He thought he’d be gone by the time they showed up.” Leaving the medic to deal with the mess. “You said you’ll make sure no harm comes to me, but if they get their hands on me, I’ll be harmed.”

He grunted. “I cannot keep you. But I will drop you off somewhere safe.” He must’ve seen the look of doubt on her face, because he chuckled and said, “We will discuss where such a location is later. Stay here.” Vasek eyed Bakum. “Do not let him leave if he wakes. He has not paid.”

Then the medic stepped outside, probably to deal with Kotch’s crew. Dawn didn’t know if that was stupidity or a calculated risk. Whatever it was, the medic was awfully calm for someone faced with this complication.

Kotch’s ex-pirate crew would not honor any deal that didn’t immediately benefit them, and right now, the two keys required to open Kotch’s safe were their prime objective.

The first key was with Bakum. The idiot thought it was the only key and had no idea that he’d also need a code.

And the only person alive right now who knew the code was Kotch’s favorite slave.

Morad was sure that was Dawn. But he was wrong.

Dawn had no clue what the code was. And Bakum had no idea about the code at all.

But it didn’t matter if Dawn knew the code or not; her life would be basically over if those monsters got their hands on her.

But this medic hadn’t hurt her yet. And his hands were so gentle when he touched her, so unlike any other Tallean she’d met.

And of course he’d offered to heal her without promise of payment.

Of all the rocks and hard places she had to choose from, he was her best bet if she wanted to survive and see Earth again one day.

Earth. That was her ultimate goal. All she wanted to do was go home. And sticking with Vasek might get her closer to that goal. That was, if Vasek didn’t get himself killed right the fuck now.

If she were in better shape, she might have run, but currently, it was difficult to even stand.

And while whatever medicine Vasek had given her was already working, making her feel less feverish and reducing the full-body ache that had made it so hard to even breathe, she knew she was far from strong.

Still, maybe it was best if she weighed her options, just in case it was one of the thugs who opened the door instead of Vasek.

She heaved herself up and made her way to the door to the balcony.

Yup, walking still took way more effort than it should.

They were on the second floor, and technically, she might make it if she tried to climb. Dying from a fall was better than ending up in those pirates’ hands.

“What are you doing, female?”

The angry-sounding words had Dawn whipping around to see Bakum already behind her. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her away from the door.

“Trying to escape?” Bakum surveyed the room. “Where is the medic?”

Just then, the door opened and Vasek stomped in. Seeing Bakum with his hands still in Dawn’s hair, his face turned red. He wasn’t just angry, he was furious. The tender medic who’d carefully treated her was gone, and in his place was something altogether much more terrifying.