Chapter Four
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Kyra went to bed early. It seemed that several merc teams had had a good run that evening, so the whole hall was bumping. There was even a live band blaring. Normally she was one to party with the best of them after a good smash and grab, but not this time. She left Spinner drooling in his sleep at the bar, and Toombs and Mitch grinding to the music in the center of the floor. She grabbed herself one last beer before scurrying off.
Feeling a bit tipsy, she staggered into the bunk room she shared with Mitch without turning the lights on. She plopped down on the bottom bunk, only vaguely aware that her's was actually the top. A few more swigs from the bottle didn't help her think any more clearly. She wanted to drown the inner conflict, and if she couldn't do that at least she'd eventually pass out.
She emptied the bottle, then tossed it aside. Rubbing her eyes, she bent over, rolling her shoulders forward. She knew it would be best to sleep it off, unconsciousness was the only escape from her emotional battle.
Clumsily, she managed to climb to the top bunk and under the covers. She stared at the ceiling for a long moment, hoping she would drift off quickly. Unfortunately, her lids weren't ready to fall. She flipped onto her stomach, nuzzling the pillow. Still, she could not get to sleep.
Three hours later she was still awake. Soon she heard voices out side the door, a man and a woman. The man laughed loudly, then a brief silence followed before they started again. When the door began to open, Kyra propped herself up on one elbow to see.
Mitch glided half way in, prevented from entering completely by her male accompaniment. She giggled softly and bumped the door, forcing it wider. Not surprisingly, there was Toombs, attacking her neck with his rough lips. "No, no," she laughed, half heartedly trying to push him away, "No, T. Bad boy."
lifting his head, he growled drunkenly, a wide, devilish smile splitting his face.
"Mitch." Kyra said sharply.
She jumped, turning to see her room mate all ready in bed, "I thought you found yourself a friend. Didn't expect-" She grinned as Toombs again dipped to kiss her shoulder.
"Kick the dick out and shut the door," Kyra commanded, "You're letting all the light in."
"Aw, don't send me away, baby," he said snidely, pushing in to speak to her. "The night's still young, and the offer still stands."
"Get. Out." Pig.
"Then I'll see you ladies tomorrow," he tipped an imaginary hat, then went else where to find his fun.
"God, girl," Mitch said, curling up her lip as she shut the door, "You really do know how to rain on a parade. I was hoping to see a little action tonight."
Kyra lay back down and threw the pillow over her head, crushing it to her ears. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that," she said into the mattress.
Mitch was pulling on her night clothes, "What was that?"
With a frustrated sigh, she sat up. "Not with Toombs..."
Braiding her red locks, she shrugged, "Why not?"
"You've had too much to drink." She pulled a blanket over her face, realizing she hadn't changed before jumping into bed.
"So says the Queen of Shots." Mitch climbed under her covers.
"Didn't have any tonight, not that you would have noticed. You were too busy letting Toombs feel you up. Speaking of which, I'll wait until morning."
"For what?" she asked with a yawn.
"For you to thank me. Something tells me you wouldn't be too happy waking up with him and a hang over."
"Fuck you," she said sleepily, snuggling into the blankets.
"Love you too, sweetie."
With in minutes Mitch's high pitched snores could be heard. That didn't help Kyra's sudden-onset insomnia.
The room was too warm, so she kicked her covers to the wall. Then she was too cold. Thinking she'd put on some proper PJ's, she hopped down. Mitch rolled over, but didn't wake.
She rifled through her pack, but her mind was too hazy for her to identify a T-shirt and men's boxers. She leaned against the wall, rolling her head back and forth before focusing on the ceiling once again. It was no use. As long as he occupied the majority of her conscious thought, her unconscious would never be able to take hold.
So she made up her mind. It was time for a conference.
There was one problem. She didn't want to wander up to his cell, pour her heart out, then skip back to bed. No, she wanted him to do most of the talking. The bit might make that difficult. She had to actually get into the cell with him to remove it. She shivered at the thought, but knew it had to be done. And in order to get into the cell, she needed the combo... which Toombs was the keeper of.
Perfect.
She yanked open the door and trotted down the hall to his room, which he had all to himself. She put her ear to the crack between the door and the molding. No sound came from within. Cautiously, she pushed in. The lights were out, and the bed was free. The bathroom was open, and the lights were off in there as well.
Thanking God for her good fortune, she began rummaging around, searching for the scrap of paper the guard had given him. She was in a hurry, but was careful to put everything back where she found it. She went through his bags, the drawers in the dresser, the desk, the closet, even the cabinets in the bathroom. Out of options, she dropped to her hands and knees to sweep her arm under the bed.
Just then, the lights flipped on.
Luckily, the bed shielded her from the hall way.
A group of men were right out side, trying to persuade Toombs to join a poker game. "Nah, nah. Not exactly the kind of tumble I was looking to get tonight." He swiftly shut them out. He let loose a dissatisfied kick into his pack.
Kyra retracted her arm, but stayed low. She was in the pot now. The only way she could escape with out being seen was if: A. Toombs flopped down on the bed and was out before his head hit the pillow, or, B. He was too smashed to realize there was another human being in the room while going about his business. Some how, she didn't think that either of those possibilities would manifest themselves.
So she did the next best thing. Rather than waiting to be caught, she revealed herself. She sat down, with her back up against the bed she threw her arms around one knee, and said, "No whores aboard?"
He jumped in surprise. He rounded the bed to stand beside her. Looking down on her, he mumbled, "What are... what are you doing?" He sniffed dryly, struggling to open his eyes wide enough to stare at her properly.
She stood rapidly, making him sway. She stepped into him, "I'm looking for something."
"I'm sure you are," he purred, snaking an arm around her waist.
She grabbed his wrist and removed it, digging her nails into his flesh. "Not that."
"Why else would a beautiful, hard ass like your self be sitting in here, waiting, in the dark for me?" He leaned closer, thinking maybe he'd get his sheets twisted after all.
She placed her hand firmly on his chest, holding him a respectable distance away. He smelled like beer, but that was no big deal, so did she. "I want the combo to the max cell."
He stepped away, strolling to the bathroom. He turned on the sink and splashed some cool water over his face. "Couldn't find it any where?" he asked, wiping off his face with a hand towel. He came back to her, his pupils a little more focused. "He's tied to the biggest check on this tin can. You really think I'd leave the combo lying around for some one to scoop up? Honey, no one's gonna jack my prisoner."
She held out one hand, the other rested on her hip in a fist, "Give it to me."
From a vest pocket he pulled out the small scrap, "You mean this?"
She tried to take it, but he held it up out of her reach. She wasn't about to play games with him. He got off on that sort of thing. "Fine," she pivoted to leave, "I don't need it."
"Don't need it?" he scoffed, "This is your last chance to be alone with him. Sure, tomorrow you'll see him. You'll get the whole ride to Helion Prime to bitch him out." He approached her, laid a hand on her shoulder from behind, and tauntingly waved the paper in front of her eyes. "But if you want a genuine heart to broken heart, now is all you get."
She went for it again, and he pulled it away. "I'll give it to you," he said simply.
She turned around, "Then hand it over."
"-But I want something first," he added slyly.
She ground her teeth, "Okay..." she said slowly, ready to slam down the first thing he suggested.
"Kiss me."
She snorted, "No."
"That's my offer. A kiss for this. Take it," he put the paper away, "Or leave it."
She tossed it over in her mind. Give the man a little of what he wants, and he'll give you a little back. The question was, did she want the combo more than she didn't want Toombs? The answer? Yes. "You are so gross," she said with a sigh.
Resting her hand on his collar bone, she raised herself up to kiss him. She tried to be tender, but found it more than difficult. His drunken mouth hungrily moved against hers. He caught her by the back of the neck, holding her so she couldn't pull away. Brushing his tongue over her lips, he walked her backwards until she was pinned between his body and the door. She was confident she could stop him if he went too far, so she didn't protest. He attempted to coax her mouth open, and eventually she gave in. Immediately his eager tongue slithered inside, urging her to respond. Reluctantly, she did. As long as he was happy he'd give up the goods. She flicked her own tongue teasingly in and out of his mouth.
He closed his eyes and let a thick moan slide from his throat. As an answer, she whimpered, and was startled by its needy sound.
She twisted her head to the side, demanding air and deciding she'd given up enough to satisfy him. "Now give it to me," she said weakly, not meeting his hot gaze.
He kissed her jaw line, "Sure you wouldn't rather stay with me?"
"Toombs..." she raised her volume ominously.
"All right," he nodded his consent and backed away, "All right." He took out the slip and handed it to her. She ripped it away.
"You realize it's your personality that's the turn off, right?" she informed him. Wresting the door open, she tripped into the hall and stalked away towards the elevator.
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Author's Note: Poor Kyra, I'm putting her through a lot. In case you were worried you'd only be witnessing K/T stuff, I do intend to slip in some K/R later on ;-)
