Shouting back at the women, although rewarding, would have served no purpose and Jack needed to release some aggression. When I sense this standing outside the door, I know it has to be now. We can't wait any longer.

It took me a while to be able to approach her because those assholes made me so mad I would not have wanted to take it out on her. EVER.

I don't talk, I just open the door, quietly. I see her, in complete darkness sitting on the bed in her still in her clothes, a small satchel at her feet. She's been packing the rest of her things. Good girl, it's what I'd do.

"Jack?" I whisper because the silence is comforting.

"What, Riddick?" she asks me. She's upset, her breathing is all wrong and I know that she's ready to bolt. Why did I come?

To see her naked again.

No, to find out what happened after I left. "Can I come in?

"Please." She says in a voice so small, so fragile. "I have no secrets."

Good because I need you to be honest with me. I need that from the one good thing in my life.

"Are you okay?" I ask and watch her sigh, a sad forlorn sigh that breaks my heart. "What did they say to you?"

She scoffs that the question. "That I am tempting their men. They say I have shamed them That its my fault they don't get to have sex any longer. I have committed Jabbar Kabirah. A grave mortal sin. Do I look like something that would tempt a man like that?"

Her eyes are full of tears and all I can think of is HELL YEAH.

But I realize that they have torn her down so many times, that she has no idea how beautiful she is. "Is this the kind of shit you've had to put up with while I was gone?"

"Pretty much. Sometimes it was much worse. Tonight was pretty tame. I'm just tired. I haven't been able to sleep since you got here and I'm pretty tire. I have a roof over my head and no mercs, at least there's that. We're you listening?"

She was right again. "I'm sorry Jack." And before I realize it, I'm across the room and she's in my arms. Feeling Jack pressed up against me is the most amazing feeling in the world. "Salim's coming in one hour. Can you be ready by then?"

"I'm ready now." she says sniffing. "I've been ready for four years."

Well shit. She's so soft, but at the same time so tough. She's never been afraid of me, never once judged me and always trusted me without question.

How'd I ever get this lucky?

"Can I say good bye to Imam?" she asks. No baby, the less he knows the better and my silence is my answer.

"Hey, don't cry. I won't let them take you. You know that right?" I tell her making her look at me. "It's my turn to take care of you. Like I should have done since T2."

That makes her cry harder. Shit. I hate when she does that. "Princess, you're face has sprung a leak again. Wanna hear something?"

"Sure. I'm sorry. I'm so tired. So deathly tired." she sighs. I understand that kind of tired well.

"You missed a good show tonight. I got into a pissing contest with Faisal Mohammed. Jack, I'm going to kill him for touching you."

That makes what color she had drain from her face and her break out into a cold sweat. She knows I don't bullshit about things like this.

"No!" she shouts. "Don't. What good would it do? Then we'd have a payday on both our heads."

Kid, they wouldn't catch me and I would enjoy making him suffer. "All right, I won't, for now. But if I don't do something violent soon, I'm gonna lose it."

"In a 'mood'?" she asks sarcastically. "Couldn't be worse than my night."

I can tell that last comment made her feel better. Sarcasm is always the best when she's like this. Alarm, I hate that, sarcasm, that I can deal with.

She sits on the settee and I walk near the window and start. Gotta get her mind off of being scared. Don't ask me why I know this, I just do. "Well Jack, I had to listen to a dozen horny old bastards trying to figure out which one would fuck you first. My night pretty much sucked. Did you know they had pictures of you?" After seeing her unveiled and smiling all I could think about was me fucking you…hard and the thoughts of some asshole fucking Jack put me into a right pissy mood.

She's a good girl and I doubt she's wanting that either. She could do a lot better than me. They think I'm dangerous. I could tell that right off. Good At least they're warned.

"Then we're definitely a pair. And yes, I knew about the pictures. Salim's son Kalifa, a good friend of mine, took them, and yes, he got beaten for it when they found out."

"They were pretty hot Jack, even though you had your clothes on." I say and she looks down at the floor. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

She smirks. "Could be some semi nude shots but you'll never find them."

WHAT?! "Really?" I say moving in and smiling. "Where-are-they-Jack?"

"Why do you think I'm called Adeni?" she says leaning back against the settee.

"Jack, has Mohammed seen these?" I ask cause that could make it much harder to not kill him right away.

"No. I have them. On my lap top and there are no others, maybe just one. What makes you so interested all of a sudden Riddick, it's not like you haven't seen me naked already. Speaking of Faisal…"

Oh no she's not leaving it at that. I know her lap top is right in that bag. "Jack. What are you to Kalifa?"

"Yasmine's brother is a good friend who I have beaten up for three and half years. He's a good friend and my accomplice in crime."

"What kind of crime?" I ask. I'm dying to see that photo, or photos depending on what kind of bullshit she's slinging.

"I hack into people's records, and do things. Get girls new idents, ships, that kind of stuff. It pays big money. Why?"

"Need to know what skills you got kid. Good. Can you show me?" Maybe that will get her to open that computer… I'm such a pervert.

"Sure, it's right next to the nude photos, did I say nude? I meant semi nude." She teases me. She knows I'm interested and makes it worse. "Riddick?"

"Yeah kid?"

"You're so obvious. I'll show you later, when we're safe. It might take a while."

You aren't kidding. Gotta change the subject or I'll not be thinking straight.

"Back to your night…"

"I had to hear from three of Faisal's wives how big he is and how lucky I'm gonna be. Apparently he's all bluster, no endurance. That's what I have to look forward to, a short fuse. Yippee for me. I'm gonna love that."

Aw Jack, I don't feel sorry in the least. "What a waste…" I smirk. She's at least laughing at that one.

Now, if it were me you'd get a long, slow, hard… I need to focus...that's Jack and you're not getting any of that…

"Apparently five minutes is his personal best." Now the tears are rolling down her cheeks and I can't help but smile. It's a triumphant, I know you're gonna get better smile. Her laughing is much better than her being so scared and sad. "When the women would come to socialize, we would get lectured on mechanics, then we had to learn how to dance for our husbands. According to tradition, it is designed to excite them. By the way, I'm fantastic at it."

Gonna give me a free show sometime princess?

"Aw Jack, poor thing, his gun goes off before you can get yours loaded. What a life you'll lead." I quip, I just couldn't help that. "You were always an over achiever."

Seeing you dance for me, now that's a plan, my beast suggests. "What kind of dancing?" I hear myself say.

"The teasing kind you pervert. The kind that makes you hard as a rock. What other kind is there? Also, get this." She says from the bathroom where I can see she's pinning her hair up. "All his wives and concubines have born him daughters, no sons. Ziza warned me to bear him a son, fast. He beats them when they give him girls. What a bastard. He should be happy to have children."

"You're not having that conversation with him. I'm not letting him near you. Not even with the million dollar payday they've got for you now."

I'm fascinated by how she's coiling it up when she leans towards me and says, "Wow, a million? It's gotta be the virgin thing."

"No, it's most probably the fact that virgins are always a high ticket item… Personally I…"

"Not a word Riddick. I don't want to know…" she says flushed. What's a matter Jack, don't want to know my personal tastes?

"I think it's because you'd look tempting in just about anything. Do you realize how beautiful you are?" I say without realizing it. keep your opinions to yourself asshole.

She's embarrassed. Shit, I should have kept that to myself. "I am not. They hate me because I'm foreign."

"And from what I could see they're all fat, ugly and mean." I say trying to make her feel better. The fact that they've torn her down so badly makes me what to kill them all. It's not working and I am getting pissed. "They're just jealous. They're old and used up and can't get anyone's attention."

"Please stop." She pleads. Damn Jack, you stick with me and you'll know how awesome you are, every single fucking day.

"Sorry Jack. Are you mostly packed?" I ask feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. What the hell is that about?

"Yes. Can I play my music on your ship? This is contraband and I could be beaten for playing it out loud. I like this music. Do you mind?"

How can I refuse her anything now? "I got something for that. Take whatever you want and the rest we'll replace once we get off this shit hole."

"How much longer?" she asked in that small frightened voice I hate.

"Soon." Is all I say as she stands by the window and stares out into the night.

I should have never left her. I'm such an idiot.