Captive (16 page)

* * * * *

Mikayla sat in the corner of the cargo hold huddled behind some boxes. She couldn't believe how easy it had been to sneak onto it. Several men from the bar had seen her this morning and stopped to talk to her, so at first she was beginning to wonder if she would be able to pull this off. She told them she was doing a little exploring and asked questions about some of the ships that were sitting around. When she saw one at the far end of the bay being loaded with boxes, she asked about it. The man she had been talking to confirmed it was preparing to leave for Earth.

Finally the man left to get back to work, and she began to make her way slowly over to the ship. No one paid too much attention to her, and when no one was looking, she climbed onboard through the cargo doors.

Once inside and hidden, she realized she had no idea exactly where the ship was headed. All she knew was that it was going to Earth. As she sat there waiting for the ship to land, she began to have doubts about this whole idea.

Maybe luck would be with her and it would land close enough to Florida she could get there without too much difficulty. Sitting back, she tried to be still and just enjoy the ride. She used to love to fly, but this ship felt different; it didn
'
t feel as if they were moving at all. She never felt any turbulence, or movement to indicate that they were turning, nothing. If she couldn't hear the pilots up front talking, she would have thought they had not taken off yet.

Finally the ship landed, and she watched carefully for an opportunity to leave.

Her heart raced with nervousness, and she took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself. The door opened, and a warm breeze blew in, carrying the scent of pine and grass. God, how she'd missed that smell.

When she thought the coast was clear, she began to make her way to the cargo door and slowly slip out.

* * * * *

Sidious stood outside the ship, waiting for the doors to open. The second Mikayla tried to step off, he'd grab her. He still couldn't believe she'd go to this extent. The idea she wanted to be away from him this badly gnawed at his gut. He'd fallen in love with her, and it hurt to think she didn't return those feelings. Had he read her wrong? Had it only been wishful thinking on his part? The men began to gather around in anticipation of the supplies the ship brought.

He hated doing this in front of them. The last thing he wanted was an audience, and he was sure Mikayla wouldn't want one either. Looking around, he spotted a building to his far right. It wasn't much, but it might afford them a little bit of privacy.

The bay doors to the ship opened, and he spotted Mikayla immediately, trying to slip out. “Freeze, Mikayla.”

She jumped at the sound of his voice, then turned her wide eyes toward him. The disappointment he saw in her pale face was like a punch to his stomach. He was almost tempted to let her go. Almost.

Memories of their last time together flashed through his mind, and he knew deep down she returned his feelings, but her guilt over who she thought him to be was eating her alive. He had to fix it. Even if it meant telling her the whole truth.

He pushed his way forward through the gathering crowd and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. This time she wasn't getting away from him. To his surprise, she didn't fight. She followed along, her shoulders slumped, her eyes shining with unshed tears. This wasn't the Mikayla he knew, and to see her like this tore him apart.

He stepped into the door of the building and snarled, “Out.” Everyone immediately vacated.

Sidious let go of her wrist and faced her with narrowed eyes. “Why did you run?” She wouldn't even look at him. “Damn it, Mikayla! Answer me!” She flinched at his tone, and he wanted to take her in his arms, comfort her.

Surely, she knew by now he would never hurt her, no matter how angry he was.

“Because I had to.” Her words were barely above a whisper, but her voice raised on the next ones. “I have to find my mother and see that she
'
s okay.”

“I told you I was searching for your mother. Why can't you trust me?” His voice was louder than he'd intended, and he walked to the other side of the room, trying to pace out some of his anger.

“Why can't I trust you? Look in the mirror, Sidious. The answer is staring you in the face.”

Mikayla watched Sidious pace with a sinking heart. She had been so close. How did he know she was gone? Being this near to him brought back feelings she would rather not look at too closely. Guilt ate at her. She would be betraying her home and family to have any kind of feelings for him. She
'
d run as much for her own sanity as she had to try to find her mother.

Sidious stomped over, and she took a step back in retreat. His black eyes were still full of anger and something else. Hurt?

He brought his nose down next to hers, his breath fanned across her face, and she caught the scent of cinnamon. She swallowed and brought her chin up a notch. “What?”

“What if I weren't in the militia, would it make a difference? Would it matter if I were actually on your side?"

She didn't know what to say. Would it? She'd asked herself that same question numerous times since he'd hinted to the fact he was a spy, but still had yet to come up with an answer.

“But you are in the militia, and you're not on my side, so the question is irrelevant, isn't it?"

His lips thinned into a firm line as he watched her with eyes as black as night. She shook her head, confused by his question and her own nagging doubts.

“I think it's time I showed you there's more to me than this uniform.” He grabbed her elbow and pulled her from the office before she could utter a reply. His strength was way beyond hers, and he outweighed her by a good one hundred and fifty pounds at least. The only option she had was to follow, although stubbornness kept her from going meekly. She tugged and dug in her heels at every opportunity. It didn
'
t faze him; he continued to drag her forward.

The heat of the early-morning sun felt good against her skin, but the bright sunshine made her eyes water, and she squinted. It had only been a few weeks since she'd been outside, but it felt more like forever.

Looking at her surroundings, she tried to figure out where they were. In the distance were beautiful snow-capped mountains; tall pine trees that towered over them were as far as the eye could see. Colorado maybe? They could be almost anywhere.

As they marched through the field to his ship, Mikayla noticed the men watching them with interest. Some of them actually leered, and again she cursed the skimpy outfit. One soldier suddenly paled, and she glanced at Sidious, who was staring the man down with anger. No wonder the soldier turned away in fear. She would have too.

Formidable didn't begin to describe him.

With a sigh, she gave one final tug on his hand. “Where are we going?” He didn't answer, and she dug her heals in again, this time getting his attention. “Damn it, answer me. Are you taking me back?”

“Yes.”

“Can't you just tell them you couldn't find me?”

He turned to her with eyes full of emotions. Jumbled emotions that mirrored her own. “I'm not letting you go.” He pointed to the ship. “Get in.” In one last show of stubbornness, Mikayla crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him.

Bringing his face to within mere inches of hers, he quietly growled, “Do you really want me to pick you up and set you in the ship myself in front of all these men?” Looking around, she noticed several uniformed men watching them with interest.

“Fine,” she said through clenched teeth, then turned to climb into the ship.

Sitting in the passenger side of the
Triton
, she took a minute to look around. It didn't look like anything she had seen before. All across the dash were unusual buttons and switches, and in the middle, a computer screen with a keyboard underneath it. The steering wheel looked like an upside-down horseshoe, only wider, and the seats were like leather captain's chairs that you would find in a minivan. She scowled at his empty seat.

The seats, she noticed, were extremely close to each other. There was barely enough room between them for someone to squeeze by. At the moment, she certainly didn't relish the thought of being this close to him -- for more reasons than one.

Suddenly the door on the other side opened with a hiss, and Sidious slid into the empty seat. He was on the communicator talking to someone again, but she didn't know what he was saying, because he was speaking in his own language. It sounded very pretty, and she was curious as to what it was, but she was too angry with him right now to even ask.

The communicator flipped closed with a
click
, but she continued to stare at the scenery around her. There was no telling when she would see it again, and she wanted to get her fill of the view, the sunlight shining through the trees, the birds flying overhead, the smell of spring. His fingers grabbed her chin, gently turning her to face him. His eyes searched hers, quietly begging her to understand.

“I think I just might have something that will lift your spirits.” His voice was soft, almost a whisper.

“Don
'
t count on it,” she said as she pulled her face from his grasp.

She was, once again, being taken from her home. In her opinion, there was nothing that would lift her spirits. One corner of his mouth twitched as though fighting a smile. She frowned, and he turned toward the front, preparing to start the engine.

“Are you going to sulk the entire trip?” he asked, an amused expression on his face.

“I'm entitled to sulk, thank you.”

He chuckled and flipped a switch. Her eyes remained glued to his hands as he gripped the wheel. Strong, firm hands that had touched her with such tenderness. She swallowed a sudden wave of lust and stared out the window, watching the ground disappear beneath them.

Neither said anything. They were both lost in their own thoughts as the ship flew through puffy white clouds that resembled cotton. As soon as she noticed they were starting to descend, she glanced at Sidious with a questioning frown, wondering what was going on now.

They appeared to be setting down on the outskirts of some town. She could see buildings off in the distance, but directly below them were tents, hundreds of them.

Men in uniform, mingling with what looked like civilians everywhere. “What is this place?” she asked.

“Speaking to me now?” he asked, his eyes on the instruments spread before him.

“Would you just answer the question?”

He glanced at her with a sigh, before shutting off the engines. “This is one of the prison cities. They hold people here that have either been captured or have surrendered, until the fighting is over.”

“I can't imagine anyone would have surrendered.”

“Most of the people that have did it for their families. They had small children or elderly parents. They're treated well here. They have a school, food, and shelter, as well as medical treatment.”

“Well, aren't you the angel of mercy?” she sneered.

She noticed a muscle tense in his cheek, and for a second she felt bad. She was so confused, she didn't know if she were coming or going. If she had met him anywhere else, things would have been so different. But this…

“Why are we stopping here?” she asked, trying to take her mind off her twisting emotions.

“There's something that I need to take care of here. But before we get out, I want you to promise me something.”

“What?” she asked, her eyes narrowing at him.

“You have to promise that you won't pull any more stupid stunts.”

“Why should I make that promise?”

“You will if you want to see her.” With a nod, he pointed out the window behind her.

She frowned and turned to see what he was talking about. Her eyes widened, and her hand flew to her mouth in surprise. “Mom?” She had been so mad at him, she never even thought he would be bringing her here. “You found her?” Standing just a few feet away from the ship was her mother. She looked so thin.

Her mother was tall, almost as tall as Mikayla, which made her appear even thinner.

Concern for her ripped through Mikayla
'
s chest, and she bit back tears. There were dark circles under her blue eyes, and her hair was much grayer than she remembered. She looked like she had aged so much.

Immediately, she started fumbling with the door, desperately trying to get it open.

When it wouldn't budge, she bit back a sob and slapped at the window. Suddenly, the door was opened from the outside, but Sidious stood blocking her way.

“Do we have a deal?” he asked.

“Fine. I promise to not pull any more
stupid
stunts.” His shrewd eyes narrowed slightly. “Maybe we should clarify what is stupid.”

“Sidious, please.”

Mikayla didn't care that tears streamed down her face. She didn't care if she had to beg. She would gladly beg. She would do anything to be able to speak with her mother. Giving a tiny nod, he moved to the side allowing her to pass.

“Mikayla?” Amy yelled as she began to make her way to her daughter. As soon as they reached each other, they hugged, clinging to one other tightly as they sobbed.

Mikayla saw a bench a few feet away, and she moved her mother there so they could sit down.

“Are you okay?” Mikayla asked.

“I
'
m as well as can be expected,” she replied, wiping the tears from her face.

“Where have you been? Krista told me they took you, but she didn't know why.” At the mention of Krista's name, Mikayla asked, “How is Krista? Did she make it here okay?”

“Yes, she's still here with me. She has been a tremendous help, and she'll be thrilled to know that you're still alive. Oh, Mikayla, we were so worried about you.

Have you been okay? Are they treating you well?”

“I've been on the ship that's orbiting, they took me to help this man named Agnus with the bar. It's actually not too bad. I don't get paid, but I get all the food I want. You know how I like to eat,” she said with a smile. She wanted to ease her mother's mind so she wouldn't worry.

Would talking to her about Sidious worry her? Mikayla wanted to tell her mother everything, to unload all this guilt and confusion. But would she understand or would she stare at her in disappointment?

“Mikayla, are you all right?” Amy asked softly.

Mikayla stared down at her mother
'
s hand over hers and started to cry. How could she explain this? “I don't know where to start.”

“Maybe the beginning?”

Mikayla smiled and shook her head. Her mother always could make her smile.

Despite that, she kept her face down, her eyes averted. She couldn't handle it if her mother looked upon her with disgust.

“Do you see that man leaning against the ship?” Mikayla asked.

“The one with white hair?”