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Jerred stayed silent for a moment, apparently lost in thought.
“No,” he said slowly. “I’m sorry, Giselle, but if I betrayed my secrets he’d probably kill you anyway, and lot more people would die. People every bit as innocent as you.”
She came over to him and knelt beside him. She didn’t want to betray herself by saying anything; she had no doubt that once Josiah realized she wasn’t secretly on his side, he’d have no further use for her.
But she understood. Jerred wasn’t a perfect man, but she had to respect his desire to protect his people.
Beside that, the deal Josiah offered wasn’t good enough. She didn’t want to go free without Jerred. It was either both of them or nothing.
“Take him back to his cell,” Josiah said finally. “Leave the woman here. I want to talk to her longer.”
The guards came forward, pulling Jerred to his feet. His eyes met Giselle’s, and she could feel them pleading with her for forgiveness. She tried to show some of the love she felt for him in her expression, but she had no idea if he understood. Then he was gone, and she was alone in the room with Josiah and only one guard.
“Wait outside,” Josiah said to the man. She stayed still until he was gone.
“You don’t have any information for me,” Josiah said slowly. “I reviewed the tapes. I don’t think you’re trying very hard, in all honesty.”
“I haven’t had a chance,” she said, a trace of desperation in her tone. “You need to give me more time.”
“Giselle, don’t play games with me,” he said, sounding weary. “I can tell you aren’t going to do anything for me. In fact, I no longer need your help. I already know who the traitor is and I’m taking care of the situation.”
She froze.
“In fact, I’m not quite sure what to do with you. I hate to kill someone as young a pretty as you are, but you aren’t giving me many options, now are you?”
Her mind blanked, and she realized her time was up. He walked around the table and started slowly pacing the room. He used the silence to intimidate her, but instead it made her angry. Prick. Without pausing to think things through, she leapt at him while his back was turned. She landed on his back, wrapping both arms around his neck and holding on for dear life. If she could just hold on long enough he’d run out of air.
For endless seconds they thrashed together, fury making her strong. He might be bigger and stronger, but his strength flagged as she cut off his oxygen supply. He slammed her up against the wall several times. Fortunately, the room was built for interrogation and was fully soundproofed. After an eternity, he began to slow down and slumped to the floor. Then he fell unconscious.
She released him, knowing she only had seconds to take action. Behind the table were some storage lockers. She ran toward them, flinging one open and searching through it ruthlessly. She found a pair of the same cuffs they’d used to hold Jerred.
She ran back to him, slapping them on his wrists behind his back.
Smiling, she pulled the blaster from his belt. What a pompous ass. He’d been so sure of her that he hadn’t had her restrained, and he hadn’t even bothered to put his weapon out of reach. Served him right, she though smugly.
She fumbled with the blaster, pressing one of his fingers to the lock so the safety would come off. The display flickered to life, and she noted with satisfaction that it held a full charge. She trained the weapon on his chest, and sat back to wait.
He woke up before long, eyes flickering open to find himself a prisoner.
“Bitch,” he managed to whisper. His voice was rough, and she knew he’d have a sore throat if they managed to survive the next cycle. The thought gave her a savage pleasure; he should have to suffer some of the pain he’d caused them.
“We’re going to go and fetch Jerred now,” she said softly. “I hope that your people like you enough to try and keep you alive.”
His gaze was cold; he didn’t bother to respond.
“Up,” she said. She watched coldly as he struggled to his feet. “Not as graceful now, are you?”
She came up behind him and placed the blaster’s barrel in the center of his back.
“One move and I’ll kill you,” she muttered.
“If you kill me, you’re killing yourself,” he replied softly. “They’ll take you out in an instant.”
“If you’re dead, I’ll die happy,” she muttered, surprised by her own bloodthirstiness. Wisely, he stayed silent. She marched him over to the door, and then popped the hatch. It slid open. The guard outside froze, his hand going to his weapon automatically.
“I want you to take out your blaster and drop it on the floor,” she said. He looked to Josiah, who nodded.
“Do as she says,” he ordered tightly.
The man did.
“Now, step away from it,” she said. “I want you to go down the hallway in front of us. We’re going to get Jerred out of his cell. If anyone tries to stop us, I’ll kill your boss.”
The guard nodded once more. He turned and moved down the hallway with slow, steady steps, hands held up. This man, at least, wasn’t interested in becoming a martyr. That was good. They turned a corner and found another guard standing outside Jerred’s cell. He, too, was ordered to drop his gun.
“Open the door,” she muttered, feeling a trickle of sweat beading up on her forehead. It itched, and for a moment she found herself reaching up to wipe it off. Josiah tensed, as if to make a move, and she caught herself.
The door slid open.
“Jerred, I need you out here right now,” she said in a firm voice. He appeared in the door. He must have been surprised, but he didn’t show it. Instead he took in the situation with one quick glance. He reached down, grabbing the blaster off the floor.
“Hold out your hand,” he muttered to the guard. The man did as he was told, and Jerred held the second blaster up to it, deactivating the safety. With a composure that frightened her, he took charge of the situation.
“Guards, in the cell,” he said. They did as they were told. “Giselle, keep your blaster on Josiah. He’s going to be our ticket out of here.”
She nodded, thankful he knew what to do next. He looked up at the ceiling as if searching for something, and then he spoke again.
“I know you’re watching us,” he said slowly and clearly. “So I’m going to say this one time only. We’re taking Josiah and we’re going to return to our ship. I want a shuttle ready and waiting for us. I want all the corridors between us and the hangar cleared. You have one minute.”
