Free Autonomy: Book 2 in the Invasion Day series by L.C Morgan Page A

them back at the bar, however they both knew this was an important opportunity to check out behind the scenes of the rebel operation, so had to keep their handler waiting while they gathered as much information as possible.
    “Count us in,” Gage answered for them both, and they each followed Tuka back towards the entrance to the old temple. The far smaller group chatted on the way, and Kyra purposely started coming out of her shell a little more, as though loosening up after her scary night spent in the cells. She let herself smile and laugh along with her escorts, and Gage did the same. By the time the group reached what looked like nothing more than a small home in the heart of the city, she was back to being the happy-go-lucky newlywed she’d been playing just days before, and Tuka seemed positively taken with her.
    “Are you ready to have your minds blown?” he asked them, and then led the way inside. They followed, and Kyra gasped when she saw what entertainment awaited them within.
    “I thought prostitution had been banned?” she whispered to Gage as she looked around at the scantily dressed humans inside. They were openly selling their bodies to the men and women who’d been invited along to what she guessed must be a brothel, and he nodded.
    “Nothing’s unattainable if you’re wiling to pay for it,” Tuka told them, evidently having guessed what she was whispering about, and he directed the pair further into the back of the house. “Those of us with the ambition and drive for it can have whatever we want, and that’s why places like this exist. We house, feed, and clothe these men and women, and in return they provide a service needed as much today as it was thousands of years ago. None of them are forced, in fact they seek us out because they love what they do and want to share it with the world.”
    Kyra felt sick, and finally understood what it was she’d sensed in Tuka earlier that evening. He was nothing more than a criminal mastermind of the new world, and he wasn’t ashamed about it one little bit. She suspected that the only reason he disagreed with the Thrakorian reign might simply be because he was a leader as well, and he wanted the recognition he felt he deserved. Tuka was a small-time predator in a pool of bigger, better, and more powerful creatures, and he didn’t seem to like being overshadowed. He evidently wanted power of his own and to reign supreme in his territory.
    Rather than selflessly helping release the humans from their current ruler, Tuka was a clear example of someone who wanted to overthrow King Kronus in the name of a greater good, only so he could have that throne for himself once empty.
     

Chapter Five
     
    “What can I tempt you with?” Tuka asked as he took a seat in the huge armchair that was unmistakably his position of power amidst his sordid dominion. Young women offered them various drinks and drugs, but they politely refused. One of his beautiful slaves then brought Tuka a tumbler containing what appeared to be a concoction of ingredients, and he took it without so much as a thank you to the young woman. He tossed the contents back, but they were clearly hard to stomach, and Tuka looked positively nauseous for a few moments until whatever was in the cocktail kicked in. He then visibly relaxed, and indicated for Gage and Kyra to join him on the chaise to his right. “All you need to do is ask, and anything can be yours,” he added, eyeing them intently.
    “But at what price?” Gage asked as they sat, and he earned himself a dry laugh from their host.
    “You’ve already paid with your promises to serve our cause, dear boy,” was Tuka’s eventual reply. “But I wouldn’t say no to some quiet time with your beautiful bride if you were willing…” He leaned forward in his chair to stare at Gage intently, and shooed the other women away. “Tell me, how old are the pair of you?”
    “Twenty-three,” Gage replied, as though actually entertaining the