“Iknow the Havoc was a major investment for you and the idea was to be able todeal with the high society on Yonnie Six with him at your back but it’s simplynot working out,” she’d said earnestly. “I hear the two of you talkingsometimes and he’s not getting any more tractable.”

“Atleast he’s speaking,” Trin said defensively. “I’ll bring him around eventually,Sidna. He may be male but he’s intelligent—not stupid or primitive like we wereraised to believe.”

Sidnashook her head. “He’s dangerous,” shesaid flatly. “And if he’s as intelligent as you say, that makes him even moredangerous. We need to let him go before he figures out a way to get loose andkills us all in our sleep. Not that anyone aboard can sleep knowing there’s ahuge, psychotic male strapped down toa cot just around the corner from them.”

“He’snot psychotic—he’s perfectly lucid and sane,” Trin defended.

“I’mjust telling you how the crew feels,” Sidna said. “And seeing those bruises onyour neck isn’t reassuring anyone either.”

“Thatwas an accident,” Trin said.

“No,that was a warning.” Sidna’s voicedropped into a pleading tone. “Look, Lonarra,” she said, using Trin’s firstname as she almost never did. “I’m begging you—for your own safety and thesafety of the whole crew, let’s just let him go. Just stop at some busyspaceport or inhabited planet and drop him off. Then he’s off our hands and outof our lives forever.”

“I…”For a moment Trin had almost considered the idea. After all, despite the manyconversations she’d had with Thrace,the big Havoc refused to call her mistress or swear any kind of loyalty. Atthis rate, she’d never be able to unchain him—let alone walk into a Yonnie Sixgathering with him at her back.

Healso refused to tell her what had happened to his last master—a matter whichtroubled her greatly. But the idea of letting him go and never seeing him againbothered her for some reason. The universe was vast—if she set him down in abusy spaceport or a hospitable planet as Sidna suggested, the odds were atrillion to one on her ever seeing him again.

“Well?”Sidna had asked, a touch of exasperation in her voice.

“I’llthink about it,” Trin had said at last. “I promise I’ll give your idea carefulconsideration.”

“Thankyou,” Sidna said. “But don’t think too long, Trin—the crew is growingrestless.”

Trinthought about it now—thought long and hard. Maybe she should just let him go. He was angry and dangerous and huge andmuscular and male. He didn’t belongaboard The Alacrity. It was liketrying to keep an exotic pet in an environment that wasn’t good for it.

No, I should stop thinking of him as apet. That’s one reason he got so mad in the first place. Shesighed. Maybe it would be best tojust let him go. There were four life pods attached to the ship and they onlyreally needed three of them to evacuate everyone. She could simply give him oneand let him go where he wanted.

Thelife pods had been designed to survive long stretches of time in deep space andthey all had stocks of dehydrated food spheres—provided he had a rudimentaryknowledge of flying and knew how to navigate wormholes, he could go pretty muchanywhere he wanted.

That’s what I ought to do, shethought. Just let him go his own way.He’s never going to play the roll I need him to—Sidna is right, he’s adangerous liability. All right…when I get back from the Devil’s Eye, I’ll doit.

Herheart was heavy as she made the decision and not because losing the Havoc meantshe’d basically flushed fifty thousand credits down the drain. Somehow, theidea of loosing Thracewas like a weight on her heart. It didn’t make any sense but somehow she’dallowed herself to grow fond of the big Havoc. So fond that the idea of neverseeing him again made her eyes sting and her throat grow tight.

Don’t be an idiot, shelectured herself, swiping angrily at her damp eyes. He’s just a failed experiment. An idea that didn’t pan out. Next timemaybe you’ll think harder before you sink credits into a scheme.

Shestraightened up and took a deep breath. It was time to stop dwelling on theproblems with her troublesome Havoc and start concentrating on her strategy forgetting in and out of the Demon’s Eye in one piece tomorrow. And after she gotin and out with the Jaxite, how shewas going to sell it without a male body-slave to help her. Well, maybe shecould try to hire one for a few days from somewhere although she was afraid theYonnite mistresses would spot a fake…

I’ll figure it out, Trintold herself. I have to. For now, onestep at the time. First I have to get the Jaxite to sell.

The Alacrity was inthe Delta-Xion quadrant now—a couple million light years from home, thanks toher navigator’s extensive knowledge of stable wormholes. A few more hours travelwould take them to the Demon’s Doorstep—the planet the notorious space stationorbited. Trin needed to be ready when they got there. Her ship, herlivelihood—even her very life depended on it.

Still,even as she tried to turn her mind to the Eye and what she would say to B’Rugh,its owner, the big Havoc kept crowding into her mind, demanding her attention…

Chapter Six

Thrace tossedrestlessly on the cot. He had slept poorly and had wakened to the quiet soundsof Trin getting ready to depart. He’d almost called out to her—wanting to say aword before she left. But what was he going to say—I’m sorry? Thracesnorted. Not fucking likely. Whywould he apologize to his captor? The female who had bought him and chained himdown. The one who refused to let him up from this fucking cot? Stubbornly, hehad turned his face to the wall again and drifted back off to sleep.

Hewoke again with his head pounding and a blaster shoved in his face.

“Wha—?”He stared groggily at the blunt silver-blue muzzle hovering just above hisnose. Gods, his head was killing him.

“Getup.” The steely voice belonged to a female named Sidna, who he was pretty surewas the ship’s medic. It was her voice he most often heard arguing with Trinabout what was to be done with him.

“Can’tget up,” he said, glaring at her. “I’m chained to the fucking—”

“I’veunchained you. Stunned you first in your sleep to be certain you didn’t wake upin the middle. I’m taking no chances with you, Havoc.” She waved the blaster athim again. “Now get up—slowly. Thisis set to kill so don’t get any ideas.”

“Wouldn’tdream of it,” Thracesaid dryly. “What are you going to do with me?”

“I’mgetting rid of you while Trin is gone. She’ll probably be upset with me whenshe comes back—if she comes back. Butthat’s just too damn bad.”

“Whatdo you mean if she comes back?” Thracesat on the side of his much-hated cot, trying to regain all the feeling in hisextremities and relishing the feeling of freedom for the first time in days.But the diminutive medic’s words troubled him. “Why wouldn’t she come back?” heasked, looking at her.

“Becauseshe’s gone into the Demon’s Eye by herself with no backup,” Sidna snapped.

“Shewhat?” Thrace exploded, standing up sosuddenly Sidna jumped and shoved the blaster right in his sternum.

“Isaid slowly,” she snarled. “Any moresudden moves like that and I’ll blow your head off—I swear by the Goddess ofJudgment, I will.”

“Sorry,”growled Thrace.“But the Demon’s Eye—that place is a fucking viper pit! Every murderer,skinner, psycho-slicer, and mind-raper in the known universe is welcome there.Any one of them will kill you just for looking at them the wrong way. And withthat type it doesn’t matter how you look at them—it’s always the wrong way.”

“You’renot telling me anything I don’t already know. Anything I haven’t already saidto Trin,” Sidna said tightly. “But she thinks she’ll be safe because she knowsthe male who runs the place.”