Tamara's Future Read online

  Tamara ignored the escape tunnel and scuttled over to Gage. She ripped the front of his shirt and tore off a piece. Tamara pressed the fabric against Gage’s abdomen. The wound was shallow and glancing. The blow to his head was likely more serious. He still hadn’t regained consciousness.

  “Damn,” she cursed as she started dragging him through the tunnel and back to the

  ship. She wouldn’t leave Gage even if it meant her imprisonment. Much as she wanted to dismiss him, she couldn’t. He wasn’t like other men. He’d been good to her. She just had to trust that if she got him to the ship, David would uphold the deal she’d made with Gage even if he died. Something flickered in her peripheral vision. One of the crewmen materialized and he was pointing a laser pistol at her head. How could she rescue Gage if she was dead?

  The thought had just flittered through her mind when a dark shadow passed over

  the crewman, taking him to the ground. In the dim light, Tamara couldn’t tell what had happened but it looked like the crewman’s throat had been ripped out.

  “Do not look. This will not be pretty,” Fakzi growled. “Attend to Gage. Get him

  back to the shuttle.”

  Tamara bit off her questions. Fakzi was right. Now was not the time. Tamara

  wound her arms under Gage’s shoulders and started dragging him back to the shuttle.

  She saw Fakzi take down three more of the crew before she was far enough away not to be able to see into the cavern. Apparently the cloaking device didn’t hide the crewman from his senses. She relaxed just a bit. With Fakzi on her side she might actually be able to get Gage back to safety.

  Tamara breathed a sigh of relief when she entered the cavern that held the shuttle.

  Almost safe. She wondered how much damage she’d done to Gage by the slow bumpy

  trip through the tunnel but knew that scrapes could be easily healed while another laser blast couldn’t.

  Tamara had just started up the shuttle entrance ramp when she saw Randall

  walking out of a tunnel and pointing a laser pistol at her. She hesitated. The door was close. She might be able to make it. Then she looked at Gage. She couldn’t leave him like this. If she did, she knew Randall would finish him off.

  “Come down here,” Randall said.

  Tamara tilted her chin. “Why should I? You’ll just kill us anyway or worse, take me prisoner again. I’d rather be dead.”

  “Maybe you’d choose death for yourself but I don’t believe you’d let me kill him,”

  Randall said, pointing his weapon toward Gage.

  If Randall focused on Gage, shot him, it would give her the precious seconds she

  needed to get inside the ship. Could she really do that? Could she really let Gage die to save herself? Was she that shallow? Where was Fakzi? Fakzi we’re in danger. She sent the

  call out mentally. She used all her strength and hoped that Fakzi could hear her, all the while cursing the fact that she hadn’t developed a mindpath with Fakzi.

  Randall motioned again. “Come on. Quit stalling.”

  While Tamara was moving down the ramp, Gage would be hidden by her body.

  She had to take the risk that Fakzi would arrive to help before Randall captured her.

  Tamara slowly stood. Then she stretched a little. Dragging Gage’s body had been an

  exercise in willpower. Only her determination had allowed her to drag him this far. She wasn’t going to let Randall hurt Gage after all the effort she’d put into saving him.

  Tamara stepped in front of Gage. “You were helping Simon, weren’t you? Did you give him the ships and the cloaking devices? I’ll bet you planned this trap too. Simon just wasn’t that smart.”

  “Yes. Too bad the first plan failed. Capturing Gage’s ship while it was in space was a much better plan. Now Simon seems to have failed again. How did you escape Simon and all his crew? I didn’t expect you to get out of that.”

  Tamara stayed silent. Apparently Randall had just arrived and missed the earlier

  action. He didn’t realize that Fakzi had taken care of the crew. That meant he didn’t know about him. She wouldn’t say anything that might let Randall know there was a liock in the area. Fakzi’s existence was the only advantage she had right now.

  Randall shrugged. “It doesn’t matter how you escaped him but at least tell me you

  took care of Simon and his crew. He was getting too dangerous and unstable so his

  demise is a good thing for me.”

  Tamara just stared at Randall. She’d known he was cold and insensitive but to have

  such a blatant display unnerved her. How was she going to escape him?

  Randall laughed. “Okay, don’t tell me. I’ll find out soon enough. Now where is the

  holovas?”

  Tamara shook her head. “Gage didn’t tell me where he put it.”

  “Haven’t you learned not to lie to me?”

  “I’m not lying. Gage doesn’t trust me. Why would he? I ran out on him once

  before.” Tamara took another step closer to Randall. The ramp wasn’t long enough to drag this out much longer. Fakzi where are you?

  I am near.

  Tamara nearly stumbled when the liock answered her mentally. Then she saw Fakzi

  in the shadows. He was stalking Randall.

  Randall leered at her and she paused, breathing quickly, trying to regain her

  composure. It wasn’t easy as she flashed back on the way he’d abused her. Stop it. Gage needed her. She had to maintain her composure in order to keep Randall distracted. If he saw the liock, he’d kill Fakzi. She needed all of Fells’ attention focused on her.

  Randall had said he wanted her alive. She had to play on that need. She could do this.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” she said. “I won’t give you any trouble. I’ll come with you.”

  She took another step forward. One more step and she’d be clear of the ramp. Gage’s body would be exposed and she had no doubt that Randall was going to kill Gage. He didn’t want any witnesses. Fakzi slinked forward. Another moment and he’d be able to jump Randall. Tamara had to find a way to give him that moment.

  “Were you directing the pirate’s actions? How did the pirates know which ships to

  hit? Did you work alone?” Tamara desperately hoped that Randall’s vanity would

  make him boast about his intelligence and talk.

  Her hopes were rewarded as Randall said, “I controlled everything. Space

  Command considered me nothing more than a midlevel employee. I could go anywhere

  and hear everything. I could access the ships’ manifests. I knew what the high-value targets were and what route they’d be taking. I even have a bug in the agenda room.

  My superiors never suspected anything. I have contacts throughout the pirate world,”

  he boasted.

  He’d barely finished his boast when Fakzi jumped him and knocked him to the

  ground. Tamara raced over to grab the laser pistol as Fakzi held Randall by the throat.

  Randall squealed, “Get this animal off me. Tamara you have to help me. Shoot the

  thing.”

  Tamara laughed as she pointed the pistol at Randall. “Fakzi is not a thing. He is a very special friend.”

  Do you want to finish him? Fakzi asked.

  This time, she wasn’t as surprised when she heard Fakzi’s thought. She hesitated

  then said, “It’s tempting but I think it would be much better to turn him over to the people he betrayed. Let him pay for his crimes by spending the rest of his life in prison.

  I’m sure there are many space cops and pirates who would like to know about

  Randall’s crimes and contacts.”

  Tamara used Gage’s handcuffs to restrain Randall then she went to the shuttle and

  called David.

  *

  Tamara entered the sickbay. Gage lay on a stretcher. His eyes open. He smiled at

  her even as
he groaned. “I want you, Tamara. How can I want you when I hurt so

  much? Fakzi told me what you did. You could have left me.”

  “Did he also tell you what he did?”

  “That I won’t have to worry about Simon or Randall anymore? Yes he did tell me.”

  “How did he get to the planet? I didn’t see him in the shuttle.”

  “He was there, hidden in one of the compartments. You know he can catch

  glimpses of the future, don’t you? He told me he’d be needed but that no one else

  should know he was there or the future would change and I wanted to make sure the

  future he saw wouldn’t change.”

  Tamara raised an eyebrow.

  “He saw us together.” Gage smiled. “There’s a reason we’re together besides my

  desire. I didn’t tell you everything Tamara. You’ve been pardoned but there is a catch.”

  “You lied by omission again?”

  “Well I’m hoping you won’t mind the catch. The catch is that you’re on probation

  and have to stay with me for five years. If you help me, you’ll be free after that. Of course, I’m betting that after five years you won’t want to leave me,” he said with that arrogant self-satisfied smile that drove her crazy. “If you go running off on your own, you’ll be a criminal again.”

  “How will I support myself? I don’t have another profession. All I know is crime

  and scams and marks.”

  “I know, and that knowledge will be invaluable in our joint operations as

  undercover criminals.”

  “You mean I continue doing what I know but now it is okay because I’ll be working

  with you?”

  “That and the fact that we won’t keep any of the stash. Of course, it’s never been

  about the money for us, has it?”

  Tamara laughed. “Speak for yourself. I needed the money to survive.”

  “You’ll have me now.”

  “That sounds interesting but I have a condition.”

  “What condition?”

  “I want you to clean out the prison room. We’re never going to use it again for

  anything.”

  “Really, darling? I’ve already told you that the toys in there don’t suit my natural style but sometimes variety is good. There were some things I wanted to do that I thought you’d find interesting.”

  “Really? Whips, chains and torture devices? You’ve taught me that sex could be

  pleasurable. I have no desire to associate sex with pain.”

  “Not even a little pain? Just an edge to make things interesting? I know if you try it, I can convince you. You’ll like it.”

  “Maybe if I’m the one inflicting a little pain on you.” Tamara laughed.

  “That might work too. Let’s keep the room for a little while until we decide

  otherwise.” Gage smiled.

  “You must take me home!” The imperative from Fakzi interrupted their

  conversation. Both Tamara and Gage turned to look at the liock.

  “It is time. I have done what had to be done. My mate is waiting for me.”

  “But you told me you didn’t have a mate,” Gage said.

  “Not then but the time is now right.”

  *

  A week later, Gage, Tamara and Fakzi landed on Fakzi’s home world. Tamara gave

  the liock a big hug then she and Gage watched him run into the woods. Another liock stood in the shadows. Tamara’s eyes misted as she watched the pair circle each other.

  Gage put his arm around Tamara and pulled her close. He kissed the top of her

  head. “We’ll come back and visit. He’s not gone forever.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because he told me. In the meantime, let’s go catch bad guys.”

  About the Author

  started reading science fiction and fantasy when she was ten. By age

  fifteen, she added romance to her reading list. Erotica followed much later. Cyna

  believes the best books mix genres, and she’s followed that belief in her life. She’s lived in the north, east, south and west. She’s been married and liberated and deeply loves her children. She’s worked as an x-ray tech, computer programmer, systems analyst, university instructor and has earned a multidisciplinary Ph.D. Hobbies are equally

  varied, including stained glass and tai chi.

  Cyna welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email

  address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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