Imprisoned Read online

  “You…you were? I mean, of course you were, Sir,” she stumbled the words out haltingly.

  Stubbins nodded.

  “Uh-huh. So I understand that you’re doin’ what you have to in order to survive, lad. And I want you to know I don’t blame you—nor will I shame you for it.”

  “Um…thank you, Sir,” Ari murmured. This seemed like quite a reversal from the laughter and joking she’d endured this morning when the whole Spice Lords gang was around. But maybe Stubbins had just been putting on an act for his underlings, being tougher on her in order to prove he was the boss.

  “You’re welcome.” He nodded and dropped his hand to take another puff of his stick. “Now then—as it happens, I do have a kite for you but you might not like it.”

  “Does it matter if I like it or not?” Ari asked, gathering her courage and looking up at the Spice Lords boss boldly.

  He laughed and shook his head.

  “Actually, no. But it’s a kite for the hole and I’m not sure about sending such a fresh fish as yourself down to tend to it.”

  “The hole? As in…solitary?” Ari’s heart began to bang against her ribs. The hole—that’s where Wheezer said they’re keeping Jak! I could see him again! I could see my brother! She didn’t know why the possibility hadn’t occurred to her earlier, when she’d first been made a fix-it. But she’d had the idea that the solitary confinement area was hidden and locked away somewhere—accessible only to the Horvath guards.

  “Yep—that’s the hole all right.” Stubbins nodded. “Seems like there’s a short in the wiring down there and the guards don’t like it. Not that I give a good Gods-damn what those lizard-faced fuckers want.” He spat on the floor again, a look of anger crossing his rough face. “But that’s the job so we’re stuck with it. Can you handle it?”

  Could she handle it? Ari thought she could have handled rewiring the entire huge prison as long as it meant getting to see her beloved big brother again. Still, she didn’t want to seem over-eager.

  “Yes, Sir, I can,” she said, trying to look calm and cautious. “But, can you tell me how to get to the hole? I’ve never seen it before.”

  “That’s because the entrance is way down under the Laundry room in the sub-basement,” Stubbins said grimly. “It’s past where they keep the lasher kennels.”

  Ari felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice cubes directly into the pit of her stomach.

  “The…the lashers?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t shake too much. She couldn’t help thinking of those lantern-yellow eyes in the darkness… the way the huge, hungry lasher had tried to get in to Lathe’s cell before the big Kindred had sent it away with a shout.

  “Sure, lad. Where’d you think the damn Horvaths keep their scaly little pets?” Stubbins spit again in apparent disgust. “They sleep all day in their kennels down there at the entrance of the hole. Then the minute lights out sounds, the cold air starts blowin’—wakes ‘em right up. They come prowling, looking for food. The Horvath’s don’t feed them until about five minutes before lights up in the morning. Keeps them hungry and lean, don’t you know.”

  “I…guess that makes sense,” Ari said faintly.

  “So—that being said, you still think you can handle it?” Stubbins raised a bushy black eyebrow at her. “It’s a hard way to go, that path to the hole. I’ve seen men a hell of a lot bigger and stronger than you come back squallin’ like scared little girls when I tried to send them down there to fix something.”

  Ari wondered what her new boss would think if he knew she was a girl herself. Somehow, the thought gave her courage.

  I can handle anything a man can handle and more. I can do this!

  She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. If the only way to get to see Jak again was to go past the sleeping lashers, well then she would do it. Jak would do it for her if their situations were reversed. And even if she couldn’t free her big brother, at least she could offer him some hope and let him know he wasn’t alone.

  “I can do it,” she said in a firm voice. “I know I can, Sir.”

  “All right, lad—I’ll take your word for it. Now, let’s see…” Stubbins flipped open the red tool box and lifted out the top section, searching deeper inside for what he wanted.

  Ari stood respectfully to one side but she couldn’t help staring curiously at the contents of the box. There was every kind of tool imaginable—even a hard-burn torch for welding high-density metals. There was a pair of dark goggles attached to it, clearly for safety. Well, it was good to see that the Spice Lords boss tried to make certain the fix-its under his supervision had the tools and the safety precautions they needed.

  All in all, Stubbins was turning out to be a pretty good boss—at least so far. Ari thought that her predecessor—the one who had lost a hand—must have been a real idiot not to just follow the rules and leave the porn alone.

  Though speaking of porn, she had yet to see any of the vids or mags Wheezer had talked about. Maybe Stubbins kept them in a different place? There was another box sitting behind the folding table, under the stairwell. This one was bigger than the tool box and it was painted blue instead of faded red. Maybe that was where it was kept? Ari really didn’t care. Even the few porn vids Jak had kept hidden from their parents had only been a curiosity to her—not something to actively seek out time and again. She had no use for porn and no interest in it.

  Especially now that you’re putting on your own porno shows, huh? snickered a nasty little voice in her head. Ari pushed it aside. As Stubbins had said, she’d just been doing what she had to in order to survive. She’d been trying to send a message to Tapper, telling him that she belonged to Lathe.

  Oh yeah? And what message were you trying to send to Lathe, then? I love you? I want you? whispered the voice. Honestly, Ari wished she could get rid of it! She wasn’t sure if it was the voice of her conscious or self-shame or both.

  I don’t love him—I barely know him, she tried to argue with herself. But there was no denying that just the thought of the big Kindred made her stomach quiver with longing. She wanted to be close to him again…to smell his warm, masculine scent and feel his strong arms around her…she wanted to feel his fangs in her throat and hear his deep voice in her ear telling her—

  “Here you go—these should do to start.” Stubbins’ voice broke into her illicit fantasy and Ari jumped. When she looked up, she saw her new boss had put a pile of tools on the table, along with a broad leather strap that turned out to be a tool-belt. Licking his thumb, he pressed it to the black button on the bottoms of all the tools and then nodded for Ari to do the same.

  She dutifully licked her thumb and copied his motions, watching as the red handles of the designated tools turned briefly blue, letting her know they were attuned to her and safe to touch.

  “Good,” Stubbins said, watching as she slung the leather belt around her waist and began loading in the tools. “Now be careful down in the hole. And whatever you do, don’t get too close to the cells at the end of the tunnel down there.”

  “Oh no?” Ari felt that cold, ice cubes in her stomach sensation again. “Why is that?”

  “Because one of ‘em is holding the Beast,” Stubbins said darkly. “A fuckin’ bad one, he is and ‘ent no mistake about that. He’s the reason those damn Yonnite Mistresses who own this place had the laser ceiling installed on the Rec Yard that kills all the fuckin’ birds.” He shook his head. “Not that the Horvaths’ll ever let him out of the hole. But they wanted to be sure he couldn’t get away if he ever did get out.” He pointed his still-smoldering nico-stick at Ari. “See that he doesn’t get out on your shift, lad. Stay the fuck away from his cell. Got it?”

  “Yes, Sir. I understand completely.” Ari nodded but inside she couldn’t help wondering about her brother. How long had he been trapped down in the dark with a monster so vile even the Yonnite Mistresses and the Horvath guards were wary of him?

  Poor Jak! I hope he’s okay. I hope that Beast prisoner hasn’t