Rogue Warriors of Lorr
Stolen by the Alien Prince Chapter 9

Gianna lost track of how long she sat there waiting. It could have been a few minutes, or it could have been hours. She wasn't entirely sure. She did, however, know there were one hundred and twenty-five tiles on the floor, which didn't include the eighty in the bathroom. She knew the room was soundproofed as well. She heard nothing from the door or the walls when she pressed her ear against them. She was also getting a headache from the lights. They were just bright enough for light but dark enough to make her eyes unsure of her surroundings.

At first, she hummed to herself, hoping it would calm her. It only lasted a few moments before she decided silence was better. The truth was it wasn't better.

Nothing about this was good, and she was stuck. It ate at her.

Suddenly the door opened, and her head snapped up. She took in a man wearing a nice suit and slicked-back hair. He looked at her with a stern expression, and her insides twisted.

He stepped into the room, narrowing his eyes on her. The door shut behind him, sealing them together.

"Who told you about us?" His voice came out harsh and straightforward.

She tried to harden her voice, knowing she still had to play her part. "I heard about you from my brother. He spoke highly of all of you, so I figured you would extend an olive branch." He watched her, and she straightened her back. "Considering I'm his sister. We worked together before, and we did well. Didn't the others already tell you this?"

He nodded. "They have, but I like to hear the words from the person. If you are serious about joining us, you will need to go through a trial to ensure you can handle things and that you are who you say you are."

She swallowed. She knew she was going to have to prove herself, but she didn't know how. She didn't like the idea.

Gianna wasn't a drug dealer and didn't know how to do a damn thing, but she had to play it like she did. She had to just continue the act until she found her brother.

"Do you often have people trying to join and lying about who they are?" It was meant to be a humorous question to get the man to laugh, but it didn't.

He kept a blank expression and narrowed his eyes slightly. "No, but that doesn't mean someone isn't stupid enough to try." He gave her a vicious smile. "Trust me when I say a normal human wouldn't be able to handle this trial."

Her stomach clenched hard, but she kept her face blank. She couldn't let him get into her head and ruin everything. So, she smiled back at him. "Well, then it's a good thing I have no problem getting my hands dirty."

She did. She had a problem with that. She hadn't killed anyone. She hadn't shot anyone. God, when she stole growing up, she always threw up afterward. She wasn't a terrible person, so if they asked her to do something truly horrible, would she be able to? "Good, we leave right away, then." He turned, and the door flew open. Her stomach tightened even further. If she left, Kozien wouldn't know where she was headed. She was still clinging to the hope that he had seen where they had taken her before he was pulled out of sight.

"All right, but can I contact my bodyguard? He's probably freaking out about where I am. I would like to inform him about my upcoming tasks."

"No contact with the outside world," he simply said like it was a no-brainer.

Gianna crossed her arms. "Do you have someone special..." She paused, realizing she didn't know his name.

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Lokkon."

"Lokkon," she repeated. "Someone who likes to ensure they know where you are? My bodyguard is very protective."

Lokkon shook his head. "The trial won't take you long. When you are done, you can contact whoever you want. But this trial has to happen with no help. It's not about the others. It's about you."

Gianna swallowed, suddenly feeling the stress of the entire situation.

"Once you're worthy," he continued, "you can contact whoever you want." He gave her a smirk. "You can even contact your brother."

She held her smile, but she knew he might be lying. First, they told her they didn't have Gabe in their crew, but that could have just been a coverup. Now, they were saying she could contact him if she passed. She didn't know lie from truth, but she had to roll with it. She was in too deep already.

"Have you worked with my brother at all?" she asked instead. "He likes to keep his sister in the dark about many things. If you have siblings, you could relate, I'm sure."

"I'm an only child," Lokkon informed her.

Dammit. Well, she wasn't getting him from that angle.

"Let's go." Lokkon turned, stepping out into the hallway, and she could only follow.

They strode down the hallway straight and only went out one door in the back. It opened up to a giant spaceship. He continued right for it.

They were going to leave, and Gianna had no idea where she was headed. She tried to hide her horror and could only hope she did a good enough job.

Inside the spaceship, Lokkon seated her in another windowless room. This one at least had more stuff in it, even a small bookshelf. She sighed, wondering just how much of a mess she'd gotten herself into.

"I'm not in the mood to be fucked with, Oliver," Kozien growled, about to lose the last shred of control he possessed. "Tell me what the f**k is going on right now."

Kozien felt like an idiot for not seeing the signs before. Oliver had been the one to tell him to stop looking for Gabe, and if he was truly a good friend, he would have wanted to find him. Instead, he was trying to sweep it all under the rug, and Kozien knew it was because Oliver knew exactly where Gabe was.

"I will," he squealed, "but not out here. I'm not saying jack shit out in the open, man. Just let me down, and we can talk at my place. It's just around the corner."

"No funny business," Kozien snapped. "I wasn't joking about breaking your hand."

"I'm aware," he grumbled sullenly. "Let me go now."

Kozien let him go, and he dropped, coughing up a storm. Kozien didn't care. His mind was set on one person and one person only-Gianna.

"I don't have all day," he snapped.

"Then maybe you shouldn't choke people," Oliver barked back, rubbing his neck. "God, where the hell did Gianna find you?"

He huffed, crossing his arms. After a few moments, Oliver pulled himself up and pointed down the alleyway. "This way."

They traveled for a few minutes, neither of them speaking. Kozien figured it was a good thing. He didn't want to talk. He wanted answers.

Oliver pushed open a door, and Kozien stepped into a tiny living room. A small couch sat in the corner with a round table. The curtains were drawn, allowing no light into the space. He took in the area as Oliver flicked on a light. "Excuse the mess. I wasn't expecting anyone."

Kozien ignored him, seating himself on the couch. He watched Oliver run his hands through his hair before he spoke up again.

"The D'Narvius can't be trusted. When Gabe got in with them, I tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"Besides the fact they are drug dealers?" Kozien added.

"Hey," he snapped. "Living as a human here is hard. Don't punch us when we are already on the lowest part of the totem pole. We're just trying to make a living."

Kozien shook off his words. "Why can't they be trusted?"

"They are only out for themselves," he said. "They are out for their own business and no one else. If you get in the way of that, they will get rid of you. They have one objective, and that's to get big so no one else can touch them." Kozien's stomach churned. And they had Gianna. This wasn't good.

"How do you know that?" he asked. "Just a hunch?"

"No." He shook his head. "Word on the street is that the D'Narvius is run by an anonymous corporation. They are doing business around the galaxy, but they are monsters. They get what they want, and they're the masterminds behind the D'Narvius. They're just a small group that works for this huge business.

"And trust me when I say that if anyone slips up and dares to get too close, they are in it for life. There is no getting out, no getting away." He shuddered, and Kozien could see it was personal. "I tried to keep Gabe from the gang for that reason." Kozien felt like his head was going to spin. This was bad. It couldn't get worse than this. "I need to know where they took Gianna."

"If they took her, they probably have her on their ship. I can make a few calls to see if she's on it." Oliver rubbed his head. "And someone else might tell you what you want. But it'll cost you."

"Deal," Kozien said, not even bothering to think about it. Money wasn't an issue for him.

"He's down the street on the corner." Oliver nodded to the left. "Ask him about the ship. Say Oliver sent you. If he doesn't give you anything, simply tell him you'll break his hand."

Kozien could do that. So, he pushed himself up and turned toward the door. He paused and looked back at him. "Thank you."

Oliver looked at him with an empty expression. "Let's hope we're quick enough."

Kozien headed down the road, seeing a small group of guys hanging on the corner. He looked them over, wondering just which one Oliver had said would cave.

His eyes landed on the middle guy and realized he was the one. The group looked up, and the middle guy tilted his head. "Can we help you?"

"Oliver sent me," he said. "Said you could tell me some information I wanted to know."

The guy snorted. "You're high if you think I'm saying jack shit to you about anything."

Kozien clenched his jaw. "How about a broken hand? Will that sway you?"

The man swallowed. He nodded at everyone to move, leaving them alone. The man scowled. "I don't do business with jackasses."

"I'll pay whatever you want. All you need to do is tell me if you know about a girl named Gianna on the D'Narvius spaceship that was leaving."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Prove it first. I want to see the money."

Kozien pulled out his phone and opened his accounts. He pulled some money from the business account, knowing he could cover it up later. It didn't matter. His brothers could be pissed at him after this was over, but he would never forgive himself if he didn't save Gianna.

He grabbed the man's wrist-comm and wired him a large chunk of money. The man's eyes went wide.

"Talk," Kozien barked, letting his arm fall. "Or that money you just received will be used to heal more than a few broken bones."

The man waved his hand. "Hey. I'll give you what you want." He pulled a pad out and started to scribble some words and an address down. "This is where you want to go."

Kozien snatched the paper and looked at it. The man had written out the location and even mapped out the way to get there.

"From what I heard, she's working for them and has to go through a trial to prove herself worthy." The man sighed. "Now, the rest of the money."

Kozien looked up at him. "You can have that when I get her. If this isn't real, I'll hunt you down, slit your throat, and leave you for the rats you work with."

The man swallowed, and his face paled.

Kozien turned and stormed away, hoping he wasn't too late.