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He brought her over a glass containing a pinkish liquid. “Alcohol. Strictly forbidden on penal colonies for all—prisoners and guards, but I have special dispensation to drink it here.”
She sniffed the liquid and swallowed a tentative mouthful. It tasted like sherry, but fruitier. She smacked her lips. “Nice. Are we celebrating?” She still was in awe of his declaration of love for her, as if it was a dream he was about to recant.
He settled next to her on a heap of cushions. “I do have some other news to impart.”
Her heartbeats fluttered. What kind of news?
“I contacted my mother. You have to appreciate this is unusual as Vendu don’t retain family bonds after childhood. She was quite shocked and pleased to hear from me. I’ve asked her to look into Lucilla’s situation. I’m optimistic this will be resolved.”
“You are?” Freya clapped her hands together. “How wonderful. I would assume she’d be kept a hostage forever.”
“Lucilla comes from a planet that has special status.” Marco briefly turned away from Freya. “I’m not at liberty to tell you why.”
She was tempted to push him to explain, however he seemed uncomfortable
with the information he’d imparted, as if he’d not intended to mention it. “So, she might be going home after all?”
“That would be a good outcome. Mother also has helped me—along with a friend back on Earth—to uncover the transcript of your interrogation.”
Freya sat up straight and her drinking glass shook as her hand trembled.
Marco took the glass away and placed it to one side. “Don’t go hoping for a miracle,” he warned. “I’ve read it and you’re absolutely right, you made no mention of military secrets or any intention to find them. You were caught filming the Ayers Rock terraforming unit and although that is a crime, it’s not as serious as spying.”
“I was supposed to be a spy,” she shrugged. “Not a very good one, it seems.”
He chuckled softly. “No. But not due to an error on your part.”
Again, he’d set off a wave of adrenaline that churned the contents of her stomach. “I was betrayed then?”
“By someone called Tony, at least that is the name given on your records.”
“Tony!” she gasped. Her fellow trainee had aspired to be a spy all his life, but when it came to the final selection, he’d been omitted. After that, he’d not spoken to her and shunned her calls. “He fucked me over because he was jealous I got the mission?”
“He planted evidence amongst your things implying you were a military spy. It was a setup. The news network you worked for has been trying to quash your conviction, but without the support of the Earth’s defense council, they have little influence. It’s the network’s communication channels that my friend hacked into.”
Freya leapt to her feet and hurtled out a string of curses in English. “Why, the bastard. The scheming, mother—”
“Freya,” Marco barked. “It’s done. He can’t be punished from here.”
“I don’t care,” she snapped back in Vendian. “I can’t believe it. I almost slept with him. Then, when I brushed him off, I got picked and… it’s so petty. What a flaming big ego he has.” She paced up and down, clenching her fists into tight balls of pent-up fury.
“Calm down.” Marco rose and intercepted her, snatching at her hand.
“I won’t fucking calm down,” she hollered, stamping her foot on the floor and shaking her hand free. “You’ve got no right to tell me to calm down.”
Anger poured out of her. She’d felt the rage build inside her and along with the rise in heat that accompanied it, she ignored Marco’s stern expression and wary gaze. He crossed his arms and took a step back. “Freya,” The pitch of his voice lifted as he said her name.
She switched to English and rolled her eyes up. “Oh, give me that I’m the boss look, why don’t you. Like you’d never lose your temper. I’m perfectly entitled to let off steam.”
“Anger, yes. But shouting at me, no. Changing language won’t help you, so lose the bad attitude.”
She ignored the change in his tone. The gentle lilt of earlier had gone, replaced by a steely edge of warning. She turned away from him, refusing to meet his hardening gaze. “I’m in prison for the fucking rest of my life, lightyears away from home and—”
Marco moved so swiftly, she’d no time to register it. With the back of his hand on her neck, he bent her over the nearby table, and at the same time, he swept aside the fruit laid out with the back of his other hand.
The smacks rained down on her bent bottom in the same manner a thunderstorm brought hail bouncing up and down on the ground. He held her down and she screamed curses over her shoulder. “Damn it. Let me go.”
“When you’ve calmed down. I can spank away until you do. I don’t mind watching your ass turn red and if my hand gets sore, I’ll use that spoon,” he said, referring to a large serving spoon sitting in a nearby salad bowl.
