Dangerous Lovers (158 page)

Lying back against the building, she closed her eyes for a brief moment, trying to get the burning sensation from unshed tears to cease.

“Get up,” he said, kicking her foot.

Shit! She never heard him approaching. What were these people?

Grabbing her arm, he jerked her to her feet. “Spying on us now, Brownie?”

“No, I uh, I...” she couldn’t finish as he dragged her inside.

“Look who I found nosing around outside,” Tak announced to everyone and he pulled her along behind him.

All eyes were upon her as her cheeks burned with shame.

“What the hell were you doing out there Davidson?” Jurek barked.

“Nothing! I wasn’t nosing around. I was across the street.”

“Why?” he demanded.

“Because I ... er ... I ...”

“You what? Do tell. And it better be good.”

“I didn’t have anywhere else to go,” she mumbled.

Jurek came forward and walked a circle around her, sniffing. “You smell like Xanthians. I swear if you’ve led them here, you will die.”

“I ... I ... they were trying to take me away and I broke away from them.” Her heart jumped into her throat and her mouth was suddenly dry, making it impossible to swallow.

“That’s impossible. You couldn’t escape them. Humans are too slow.”

“I teleported.” She fisted her hands so tightly her nails cut into her palms.

“Fine. Then what brings you here?” he growled.

“I ... something scared me out there. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Whoop-tee-fucking-do. You got scared. Get used to it. This is Earth. Year 2030. Occupied by Xanthians and other undesirables. Get over it already or go home,” he scowled.

“I teleported someplace by accident and there was something there that was killing people. I heard awful screaming,” her voice was bordering on hysteria.

“Like I said, get over it Davidson or go home.”

“When I hit my teleporter I ended up back at the club and I ran here. I didn’t know where else to go. Please let me stay here tonight. Then I won’t bother you anymore. I swear. I don’t want to go back out there. I’m really scared.” She was trembling and had wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach, her eyes staring at the floor.

The men chuckled at her, and Jurek shook his head.

“Such a marvelous show of bravado from one who slinks away without so much as a word of thanks.” He raked his eyes over her, trying to discern if she were telling the truth. He could detect the metallic smell of fear radiating off of her and could hear her blood racing through her veins. Satisfied she was being honest with him, he said, “You stay here tonight, you play by my rules, you got it?”

She nodded.

“Take that back room with the cot, the one you slept in last night. And Davidson, I don’t give many second chances. Are we clear?”

***

“Tak, Ludo, Marik! In here
now
!” Jurek bellowed. Turning to Liasare, he growled, “You’ll do as I say. Do you want to die?”

“No, of course not! But I will not bleach my hair blonde. That’s it. Any color but that. End of discussion.”

“I think she needs to be a red head,” Tak interjected as he entered the room.

Liasare rolled her eyes at him.

“I’ll go red. Black. Purple. Anything but blonde.”

“Do it then,” Jurek instructed. “And cut it too.”

“Whoa! Wait a minute. No one ever said anything about cutting my hair. I’m drawing the line at that.”

“Not up for discussion. If you value your hide, you’ll cut your hair. Now!”

“What if I refuse?”

“Davidson, there are no bars on the windows here. You are free to leave at any time and crawl back to your garage in Dillsworth so you can sleep alone in the daytime, waiting for those vile creatures to discover your whereabouts. Just know this: if you leave this time, there is no coming back. I meant what I said last night. No second chances. And when those vile creatures discover your whereabouts, they will tear you apart, limb by limb ... that is after they rape you several dozen times. Enjoy the Xanthian Kiss. It was nice knowing you.”

Liasare stared at her feet knowing damn well he was right.

“Okay. You win.”

“This isn’t a contest Davidson. It’s the way it is. It’s survival of the fittest. If you want to survive, you’ll listen to me and follow orders. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Chapter Seven

Liasare went about the business of cutting her hair to shoulder length and dying it black. She refused to be a blonde. The general consensus was that red was also too noticeable. Black was the only other option.

“That’s not short enough Davidson,” Jurek complained. “It looks too much like it did before.”

“No, it doesn’t. It’s completely different.”

“Come with me,” he said, grabbing her arm.

“Where?”

Not answering her, he escorted her out of the warehouse toward town. They walked for about fifteen minutes, with Liasare babbling the whole way, trying to find out where he was taking her. They finally stopped in front of a discreet shop, where Liasare noticed the words,
“Jaylen’s Escort Service.”

“Wait a minute! You’re taking me to an escort service?”

“I have a friend that will help you with your hair. She is the owner of this place.”

“I will not go in there,” Liasare said disdainfully.

“Oh yes you will.”

“I will not.”

“Why? Because you think you are better than Jaylen? Is that it?”

“Yes! I wouldn’t stoop to the level she has.”

Jurek’s lips thinned and his eyes had become hardened orbs of black granite. “Oh, I see. So when your sweet little ass was tucked away safely on Vesturon and everyone back on Earth was praying for a miracle, watching loved ones die, starving to death or getting killed by Xanthians, did you ever stop and think what people like Jaylen were forced to do to survive? What are you? Twelve? Grow up Davidson. Life isn’t black and white. Shades of grey exist in every part, every aspect. It’s not good versus bad, or dark versus light. There are varying degrees of everything in all of us. Get used to it. Your little goody two shoes life is over and if you think it’s not, you better get the hell back to Vesturon. Now change your attitude and fast or you can get out of my sight.”

Liasare was shocked by his outburst. She had never given much thought to the plight of others, truth be told, and she felt ashamed for that now. She bowed her head and stared at her feet for Jurek was right. Liasare and her family didn’t know what it had been like to go through the pandemic on Earth. Her sister had gotten them out before things deteriorated to the hopeless state it had become. She still had nightmares about that, so she could not begin to imagine what someone like Jaylen had endured to stay alive.

Jurek, having heard Liasare’s thoughts, decided to enlighten her.

“Jaylen was fourteen when the pandemic hit. Everyone in her family perished except for her. She lived on the streets to survive. She became a Xanthian
whore
, her words, not mine. I would never refer to her as that. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever known. She lived among them for seven years, until they tired of her. They released her after that and that’s when she opened her own business. She is good to her employees and doesn’t allow her clients to abuse any of her women. Because of her past relationship with the Xanthians, she has their protection. Make no mistake; she has no love for them. If you treat her with anything other than the respect she deserves, you will pay for it. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, and I feel terrible for what she went through.”

“Do not tell her you know of this. She wouldn’t be pleased I shared this with you. Come.”

When Liasare met Jaylen, she knew why Jurek thought so highly of her. She was a slightly built brunette but her personality packed a punch and left you reeling. She was thirty going on a hundred and her eyes betrayed her life’s experiences.

“Woohoo,” she screamed as she opened the door when she saw who was standing there. “Get in here right now!” She grabbed Jurek by the arm and pulled him through the door. “What in the world do I owe this surprise to?” she asked as Jurek embraced her, lifting her up in the air as he did.

Liasare felt a tinge of envy, but tried to deny it--as if. She looked at the two of them together, and that envy grew until she had to squash it down.

“It’s been too long Jaylen,” Jurek lamented as he kissed her cheek.

“And whose fault is that? My God, a girl has to be dying, or close to it, to get you to come and visit. Now, since I’m neither and I see you’re not alone, what’s going on? And stop being so damn rude and introduce me to your friend here Jurek.” Jaylen looked at Liasare and winked, and then under her breath said, “Men, they have no manners, do they?”

“Jaylen, this is Liasare Davidson and she is in need of some of your famous beauty tips. We need to alter her identity a bit. She was a brunette with long hair. I think it needs to be shorter so she is less recognizable. Any suggestions?”

“Well, just cut right to the chase why don’t cha? Gah! Dang, Jurek, why don’t you give the poor girl a break? How about, let’s chitchat a little before you break into all of that? Tell you what, why don’t you leave us alone for a bit and we’ll get this all figured out?” Turning to Liasare, she asked, “How do you feel about chin length?”

“Perfect!” Jurek decided.

“No fucking way!” Liasare shouted.

“Well, I’m glad we are all in agreement here. Jurek, why don’t you get lost for a bit and pick Liasare up in say, three hours.”

***

Jaylen was quite the persuasive one. By the time she was finished with Liasare’s new hairstyle, no one would’ve recognized her.

Liasare now sported a bob that brushed the tops of her shoulders. She was adamant about not going as short as her chin, so Jaylen had compromised. They decided black was the perfect color, but they added some deep burgundy highlights. Under ordinary circumstances, Liasare would have scoffed at putting highlights like these in her hair, but these times were anything but ordinary. Thinking the highlights would be garish and slightly on the goth side, they were both surprised to find how they softened the harsh look of the black against Liasare’s fair skin. They also emphasized the golden flecks in her hazel eyes, giving them a radiance that had gone unnoticed before...well, unnoticed by everyone except for Jurek.

“Uh oh. I don’t know if Jurek will be pleased or pissed,” Jaylen mused.

“What do you mean?”

“Look at you. You were attractive before. You’re downright gorgeous now! Hey, do you need a job?” she laughed.

They both laughed, but Liasare said something that puzzled Jaylen. “If you hired me, you’d go broke in six weeks. I’d run everyone off in no time flat.”

“Yeah, right. We never talked about it but what
are
you doing here?”

“I’m looking for my brother,” Liasare said as she reached in her shirt for his picture. “By the way, have you seen him?”

Jaylen took the picture and gasped. “Oh no! This is your brother?”

“Yeah it is and please tell me everything you know.”

“He is a Xanthian minion.”

“I don’t know what that is. And he can’t be anything Xanthian. He hates them.”

“A Xanthian minion is one who follows and adheres to everything Xanthian. He’s like one of their puppets. It’s like they drug them or something.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Maybe we should wait to discuss this when Jurek gets back,” Jaylen decided.

“No! I need to know this now. I’ve been looking for him. I have to know!”

Jaylen shook her head and said, “I’m really sorry. I knew Thomas. He was a customer here. The girls liked him for his kindness and...well, other things too, if you get my drift. He suddenly stopped coming. I didn’t think much about it until I ran into him on the street one day and he acted like he didn’t recognize me. He was with a group of Xanthian leaders. They all knew me and stopped to chat, but he stood there like he was in a daze. That’s when I knew he’d become a minion.”

***

“Is that it?” Jurek demanded.

“That’s all I know. I didn’t dare act like I knew him and I wouldn’t think of asking the Xanthians about him,” Jaylen added.

“But I don’t understand,” Liasare protested. “Thomas abhorred the Xanthians for as long as I can remember. He always talked about coming back here to regain control of the planet. He can’t have done this willfully.”

“How else can it be explained?” Jurek asked.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Maybe they kidnapped him and drugged him. I need to find him and confront him,” Liasare insisted.