Free Warrior by Jennifer Fallon Page A

Parkesh’s,” the slave informed her in a bored voice. He didn’t bother to stand up straight or even offer a “my lady.” His insolence scared Luciena. These men knew she was only one unpaid debt away from joining their ranks.

    Luciena pushed the door open and hurried through the tiled foyer and into the reception hall.
    There was no sign of Aleesha but there were two men in the hall, one of whom clutched a wax tablet and seemed to be reporting to the other on the various vintages stored in the cellar.

    “Which one of you is Ameel Parkesh?” she demanded, her depression rapidly turning to anger.
    Clearly, they had been taking an inventory of the remaining contents of the house. How dare these men come in here and start cataloguing her possessions!

    “I am,” the taller of the two men answered, as they both turned to look at her. He was a thin man, with a goatee beard and a heavy gold earring in his left lobe. His vest was embroidered and sleeveless, revealing powerful arms that undoubtedly got that way by beating defaulting debtors to a pulp. He dismissed the clerk with a wave of his arm and smiled as Luciena approached. “And you must be the lovely Katira Keyne’s daughter. I’m delighted to see you didn’t take after your father in looks, Luciena. He was an ugly old bastard.”

    “Where is my slave?”

    “The chubby one? Ran out of here howling as soon as we arrived. She was yelling something about going for help.” He smiled coldly and looked around. “Can’t see she’s had much luck so far.”

    “Get out of my house.”

    Parkesh seemed amused rather than intimidated by her order. “Don’t you mean my house?”

    “It will be your house, Master Parkesh, if and when I default on the debt. As I believe the debt is not due to be settled until the end of the week, you have no right to be here.”

    “You have my money then?” he asked with a raised brow.

    “We’ll discuss that at the end of the week.”

    He took a step closer to her. She could smell the sweat on him, the leather of his vest, and the faint hint of olive oil he used to slick back his hair. She hoped he couldn’t smell her fear just as easily.
    “And what shall we do with you, my dear, if you can’t pay me?”

    “I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement,” she replied, wishing even as she uttered the words that she hadn’t.

    Parkesh smiled and reached out to run his finger gently down the side of her face. “Oh, I’m quite sure we can come to an arrangement , Luciena.”

    “I was referring to some sort of financial agreement,” she snapped, jerking her head away from his touch.

    “So was I,” he chuckled. “Did your mother teach you all the skills she was so famous for, I wonder? I hear she could make a man lose his load just by blowing in his ear.”

    “I am a free woman, sir, not a court’esa ,” she reminded him stiffly, dismayed by his insinuation, although hardly surprised. Luciena knew well the few options left open to her if she defaulted on this debt.

    What were you thinking, Mama, to leave me in this mess? What did you do with that damned money?

    “You’re Katira Keyne’s daughter,” Parkesh replied.

    This time, he ran his hand along her throat and then down towards her breasts, his fingers leaving a greasy mark on her sweaty skin. Determined not to flinch, determined not to give this man any reason to think she feared him, she held her ground and pretended she didn’t notice.

    “In her heyday, your mother was the most sought-after court’esa in all of Hythria,” he added, moving even closer. His breath was hot and rank and all Luciena wanted to do was run away screaming.
    But fear as much as pride kept her rooted to the spot. There was no point in screaming anyway. She was alone in the house. Even Aleesha was gone and Luciena didn’t know what would happen if she rejected this man. He literally held the power of life and death over her. “That’s why she was Jarvan