Captivate (Manipulate, Book 2)

Chapter 38

Faal inclined his head. “And yet, I have at least four other ways of obtaining this computer than use of your services. I offer this merely out of respect for our previous encounter. I need offer nothing.”

“Perhaps you need not, but I believe you would not offer this unless you saw us as the best option available to you. I will revise my offer. Six months of freedom in return for the computer.”

“Stop!” Claire said. She couldn’t let this go any further. “Sage, the computer is a person. Her name is Akemi. She’s sixteen years old, she’s from Tokyo, she... she has a sister! She is not an artifact to be traded. We can’t make this deal at all.”

Faal ignored her. “I will give you six months. Will you accept these terms?”

Sage looked at her and grimaced. “How can I not, Claire?”

“It’s easy. Just don’t!”

“It’s not easy, you’ve changed me. I care about you too much to do nothing.”

Claire shook her head desperately. “That’s not what caring is about. If you care about me, do what I’m asking you to do. I can’t bear it if another person is sacrificed for me.” She tried to look deeply into his eyes. He knew about Jenelle, he knew how she felt about it.

“See Claire, I don’t think that’s exactly what it means. I think caring means I’ll do what’s best for you no matter what. Even if you hate me.”

She opened her mouth, but he’d turned away from her. “I have one more question. What happens if we lose the game?”

The skin around Faal’s eye tightened with pleasure. “If you are caught at the embassy, I take Claire with me. If you are not caught, but do not obtain the computer, your lives are still yours and I take Claire. You have very little to lose.”

 “He’s manipulating you,” Claire said. “He’ll do whatever he wants and screw his promises.”

“Be silent!” Faal snapped, thumping his cane on the floor. “I won’t listen to you.”

The Merith behind her whipped out a small cloth and shoved it in her mouth. He wrapped his hand over the bottom half of her face to keep her from spitting it out.

“Umm – rr.” Claire could get nothing out. She tipped her head up to get her nose free of his hand. The panic was not just in her blood now, it was in her mouth.

“I accept your terms on the condition that Claire is unharmed when you return her to me,” Sage said. “If that condition is met, I will deliver the computer to you in return for six months of freedom for Claire and ourselves.”

“That is satisfactory,” Faal said.

Claire shook her head, and the guard pulled her backward so that she was pressed up against him and his hand was tight on her face.

“The details are as follows,” Faal said calmly, as though Claire was not on the verge of suffocation. “Tomorrow I will be at the embassy on Council business. I will be in the negotiation room with Senator Fontley and the other humans for approximately two hours of the morning, though it may be slightly less or slightly more. I believe this would be the best time for your infiltration, though I leave it to your ingenuity to plan the details. The computer is housed in the personal guest room of Natsuki Fujimara. My guards will leave you a map with the location marked.

“You will bring the computer to my ship no more than one hour after midday. At that time my ship departs for Merith II with either Claire or the computer aboard.” He gave Sage a bay address in the port section of Upper Selta.