Desert World Allegiances by Lyn Gala Read Free Book Online Page B

second, Temar really thought he was going to throw up, gag or no gag. “I think he’s under control. I do want a little insurance, though. No one was bidding the slave price on that sister of his, and the council is not going to like the idea of turning her over to George Young. Why don’t you come in and make a bid on her. If she’s in another territory, I think our boy is going to be very careful to cooperate. He doesn’t want to see his sister hurt.” Ben gave him another pat on the cheek and a smug smile.
    Temar had to hold himself stiffly still under that touch, because there was nothing he wanted more than to rip Ben Gratu into tiny little shreds. If he hurt Cyla…. Temar snuffed, struggling to clear his nose as more tears escaped.
    “No, I don’t think killing them should be the first choice. If Temar gets free, I’ll call you, and you can kill the girl. Between his father’s insanity and his sister’s death, any madness he spews will be dismissed as more paranoia from the Gazer family tree. God knows the family doesn’t have a great reputation.” Ben listened to the voice on the other end, and Temar realized that Ben was right. Without the notebooks, without proof, he would be no different from his father, accusing neighbors of terrible crimes with absolutely no evidence.
    “The plan’s still safe. We move forward,” Ben told the person on the other end, and then he pulled the listener out of his ear, ending the conversation.
    “So, let’s get this crap and my new slave back to the farm,” Ben said in a voice cheerful enough to make Temar wish, for the first time in his life, that he had the power to kill another human being. “We can discuss a few ground rules as we head back to the farm.” Ben stood up and pulled Temar to his feet. With his hands tightly bound and his mouth gagged, Temar couldn’t do anything except walk in front of Ben. All around him were the artifacts of his childhood—the old worn couch where he’d bed down his father when he’d staggered home, the picture of his mother with the yellowing edges, the red streak on the wall where Cyla had dropped the stain when she’d tried to apply sealant to the ceiling. But Temar wasn’t part of this life anymore. Temar’s life had just taken a definite turn for the worse.

Chapter 5

     
     
    B EN ’ S house was four stories, tall and narrow and pressed tightly against the cliff wall. The area above the house had been blasted and then reinforced with metal struts to keep the rock wall from threatening the structure. They had done that in the early days of the terraforming. Back then, the drop ships with their weak engines would be cannibalized for parts, as soon as they got the settlers safely down-world. Metal had been far more common then. Now that the inner planets were too busy warring with each other to finish the job of terraforming on Livre, such huge metal struts would never be used for the benefit of one lone farm.
    Temar shifted in the seat, pressing his bound hands down into his lap to take the pressure off the rope as he studied the farm that was going to be his home for the next ten years, unless he had a brilliant idea, sometime in the next five minutes. The edges of his mouth stung, but at least he had managed to stop crying. Crying wasn’t helpful. Of course, it didn’t hurt anything, and Temar thought he was justified in feeling a little self-pity. As soon as those records were burned, he had no proof that anything illegal was going on. And after seeing Ben Gratu’s darker side, he wouldn’t be surprised if the man went out and broke some of his father’s pipes, just to cover up for the water theft.
    The sled bounced to a stop, and a bald worker stuck his head out of the main door of a three-story barn that sat on the far side of a well-tended and well-watered garden.
    “Boss?” He stepped out into the light, and Temar recognized Cardan Smith. His face heated with shame even as a little flicker of hope