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“Daughter—do not go in!”
The voice in her ear was so loud that Molly stumbled to a halt just inches from the door.
“Did you hear that?” she asked Karen.
“Hear what? Come on—we have to go. I’m dying for that iced coffee!” Karen tugged insistently on her arm, but Molly refused to budge. She might have imagined the voice but the feeling of unease that she’d had since entering the building had grown so strong it was almost a sense of panic now.
“No—I’m not going in there,” she said. Pulling her arm out of Karen’s, she turned and headed back towards the exit. She would call Councilor Paige and ask her to come and get her, she decided. She would?—
There was a creaking sound like a door opening behind her and then some kind of cloth was thrown over her head, blinding her.
“Wha—” Molly began, reaching up to remove the thing—it felt like a pillowcase and smelled like dirty, unwashed hair.
But before she could pull it off, two big hands seized her arms roughly from behind.
“Surprise, bitch!” a voice snarled in her ear. “Got you now and this time you’re not getting away!”
44
TORUS
“Incoming call from Councilor Paige,” the com-link in Torus’s shuttle announced. “Accept or Decline?”
Torus heaved a deep sigh. He’d been sitting in his ship, which was parked some blocks from the courthouse, for well over an hour. He hadn’t eaten anything—he had no appetite. Instead he kept replaying his last conversation with Molly over and over in his head, wondering if he could have done or said anything different that might have convinced her to stay with him.
“Accept,” he said when the com-link asked again.
“Commander Torus?” the lawyer’s no-nonsense voice said.
“Hello—yes,” he replied. “What can I do for you, Councilor?”
“The jury just came back and they have a verdict.” Her voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement. “So you and Molly need to get back to the courthouse as soon as possible.”
“Molly’s not with me,” Torus said shortly.
“Oh…she’s not?” He could hear the surprise in Councilor Paige’s voice.
“No. She said she needed some time alone to think.” He didn’t elaborate further. “But she said you have her number. Just give her a call and I’ll meet you both at the courthouse.”
“All right. I’ll be right outside the courtroom,” she said and hung up.
Torus sighed as he left the ship. His long strides made the blocks he had to walk to reach the courthouse a quick trip. The protestors had all gone home and the large building was quiet in the deepening twilight. The formerly crowded halls were nearly deserted.
He entered the courtroom where they had spent most of the day, to find that there were just a few people there. The jury was already seated—they turned their heads to look at Torus as he came in.
Molly’s ex-Mate was sitting on his side of the court. He appeared to be on a phone call or else maybe he was just amusing himself by watching some kind of vid on his screen. Either way, he seemed completely absorbed—he didn’t even look up when Torus walked past him.
Councilor Paige was already seated on the other side of the court, closest to the jury. Torus felt a twinge of unease when he saw the lawyer was by herself—where was Molly?
“Councilor?” he murmured, settling in the too-small seat beside her. “Where’s Molly?”
She frowned.
“Oh, Commander Torus—there you are. I was going to ask you the same thing. I called her but she didn’t answer her phone.”
“She didn’t?” The sense of unease inside him grew, twisting like a worm in his gut.
“No, she didn’t.” Councilor Paige frowned. “Where was the last place you saw her?”
