AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Eleven
Jessie
“If you’d like to clean up, you’ll find a selection of garments in the sanitation room cabinet,” Maxx called as I headed down the hall.
Was he insinuating I needed to bathe? Of all the nerve! But I responded sweetly, “Thank you. I think I will.” Just because he said I couldn’t get out didn’t mean I wouldn’t try. Maybe he’d overlooked something. If he thought I was showering, I’d have time to search.
“While you clean up, I’ll prepare something to eat. What would you like?” he said.
“Lasagna,” I replied flippantly, doubting he would have it. He probably wouldn’t know what it was.
Some houses on Earth had had attics. Nobody built homes like that anymore, but often builders did leave storage space atop the house for electrical and communications equipment. That “attic” space was almost always vented. If I could climb up there, maybe I could knock out a grate and jump off the roof.
I noted an access panel in the hall ceiling, but it appeared to be sealed shut—and out of easy reach. But maybe there would be a way to break through? I’d need something to stand on. However, I didn’t have enough time. Maxx was too close. He’d catch me for sure.
Opening a door, I found a bedroom furnished with two twin beds. I ducked inside to check the window. The solid pane of frosted reinforced glass provided natural light, but nobody could see in or out—or get out. Testing, I tapped the window with my fist. Solid as a rock. Breaking the glass would require a battering ram. He hadn’t lied about the windows.
Reentering the hall, I could hear him banging around in the kitchen and singing. The Ara-Cope lyrics were incomprehensible, but he had a rich, deep, masculine—I hated to admit—sexy voice. My heart skipped a beat, and my stupid stomach fluttered.
I must be nuts. What’s wrong with me? He could still be a trafficker. And even if he is LOP, that doesn’t mean he’s one of the good guys.
With respect to trustworthiness, the league rated higher than a slave trafficker, but the bar was set pretty low. The league wasn’t exactly known for its scruples, principles often giving way to expediency as its agents seemed to follow the adage of the ends justifying the means. In practice, their methods tended to be nearly as dodgy as the criminals they targeted. Like using innocent, unsuspecting humans as bait.
Hence, I could accept him being an agent. Was I sure? No. But a preponderance of the evidence supported it. His methods weren’t out of line with how the league operated. His credentials had appeared authentic. His arguments sounded logical.
I would give the LOP the benefit of the doubt and agree the league was trying to end alien species trafficking. However, in addition to their Machiavellian methods, their own policies had facilitated the slave trade, and they were playing cleanup—racing around to rectify a problem they’d had an indirect hand in creating. The embargo had only stopped law-abiding aliens from visiting or contacting New Terra. Isolated and ignorant, we had become like fish in a barrel for the slave traffickers.
So, sue me for doing what the LOP should have done—alerted New Terran authorities. Unfortunately, the president hadn’t had a chance to act yet. She still had to meet with her defense advisors. Once she did, I guessed she would mobilize security, which might prevent the mass kidnapping, thus interfering with the LOP’s plan.
As for Garrison, well, either he had thought I was nuts, or he was involved in slave trafficking.
Quickly, I checked two bedrooms. One contained another set of twin beds, the other a massive king that took up the whole room. But neither room had an exit.
Dammit. May as well wash up a little to account for my time.
Entering the bath, I gasped at my reflection in the mirror over the sink. My face heated with mortification. No wonder he suggested I bathe.
The dark cell must have been filthy. Grime and who-knew-what had been transferred to me, smudging my face, body, and clothing. In the well-lit “safe house,” I should have noticed my dirty hands, filthy broken fingernails, and stained clothing, except I’d been preoccupied after being paralyzed, dubiously rescued, and then shocked by the revelation my latest kidnapper maybe worked for the League of Planets.
In a cabinet, I found stacks of drawstring pants and long-sleeved pullover shirts. After shaking out a couple of gargantuan garments, I surmised they were one-size-fits-none. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. They were clean.
As for my clothes, I didn’t care if I ever wore them again. I stripped, deposited my filthy clothing into a chute I assumed was for dirty laundry, and stepped into the shower. I groaned with appreciation of my second shower since arriving home. The spray wasn’t as strong as in my own bath, but the water was hot, and shampoo and body wash were provided in a dispenser.
If I hadn’t spent so much time searching for an exit, I could have lingered, but I did a quick wash and jumped out and donned the borrowed pajama-like clothes sans underwear.
I didn’t want to put my dirty panties and bra back on, and in the months I’d been on Nomoru, I’d gotten used to not wearing undergarments. The people on Nomoru didn’t wear undergarments, so none had been available.
In a drawer, I found individually packaged combs and toothbrushes like one would find at a hotel. How nice. Welcome to the Kidnap Inn. Guests check in, but they don’t check out.
I didn’t see a hair dryer, so I ran a comb through my wet hair and then brushed my teeth. My mouth still felt a little fuzzy, but I guessed that was a residual effect from being stunned.
There weren’t any socks either, so I donned my shoes without them. At the first opportunity to run, I had to be ready. There wouldn’t be time to put on my shoes. I did not intend to wait around while the LOP bumbled along. Somebody had to stop the ship. Let it land. But it would not launch. Not if I had any say about it.
I opened the bathroom door, and a delicious aroma wafted on the air. Stomach rumbling, I followed my nose to the main room where Maxx had set the table. He was behind the bar in the kitchen. He saw me and smirked. “Did you check everything out?”
Admit nothing. Lie and deny. “What do you mean?”
“Everything in the sanitation room. You were in there a long time.”
