Joni swallowed. "You know about him?"

How much did he know? She'd shared her experience with him but not in as much detail as what she'd told Kyele.

Torkel tipped his head to the side. "Dr. Kirkem is known as The Collector in some circles. His illegal activities have been noted here and there but not enough to push him higher on the criminal watch list. Jutaks would never be sent after him based on his low level activity in comparison to others we have to deal with."

Biting her bottom lip, she asked a question on the forefront of her mind. "Does that mean he can come here and get me without you all helping?"

"Never." Torkel sat up with a jerk and placed a hand on her knee. She hadn't expected the consoling touch. "We will protect you because it is our job and because you are a friend. Never doubt this."

Joni blinked back embarrassing tears. "Thank you, Torkel. I didn't know if the Jutaks could interfere since he purchased me."

A rare smile crossed his face. "Aside from the fact that owning people is illegal, Kyele would have something to say about that."

Chapter 26.

Kyele started with the easiest one first. Those who had purchased Joni. He crouched over the sniveling male, dragging the tip of his blade over the bruised and bloodied cheek. They were alone in the one room apartment. "Do you want to tell me anything more?"

"No," Raite spat. "I admitted that I was jealous of my brother. He loved that she took an interest in the stupid flowers he grew. It was his idea to free her after his death but I sent her back to the Marenians for a profit."

If he could howl in rage and not be discovered Kyele would have. "You've expressed no regret for your past actions so I'll give you the same courtesy and not regret my actions."

He made it quick. One moment the brown eyes flared in fear, the next they glazed over as death came with the brutal swipe of his knife. Kyele stood and cleaned the blood off on the ends of the ripped shirt the man wore. Speed and time meant he couldn't take as long as he liked but Kyele had made every cut count.

Those next on his list received the same lack of care and consideration. If they hurt Joni, he hurt them. Three of the worst buyers were no more and Kyele had released his restraint to pay them their due. Then he moved on to the others in her vision. They weren't buyers but they'd crossed her path and participated in adding to the misery of her captivity. By the fifth such person, Kyele expected to lose some of his need to retaliate on Joni's behalf. To his satisfaction the violence swirling through him showed no signs of abating. Until one male blurted out what Kyele didn't expect to hear.

"Arlo. You want a Marenian by the name of Arlo. He's right hand to Lothar."

Kyele held back the urge to tear apart the groveling male. He gripped a length of purple hair and yanked his head back. "Why would I want Arlo?"

Sensing a reprieve, Torg said, "He boasted about attacking a Jutak facility."

Kyele had blindfolded Torg as soon as he'd entered his residence. There was no way for the criminal to know his identity. "What makes you think I'm interested in the Jutaks and their business?"

"Y-you could barter the info. They're asking questions, searching for information about an attack at one of their bases on Enotia."

Torkel would be very interested in this and it also answered one more question for Kyele. The attack on the facility and the one on Joni were from two different sources. "What else do you want to tell me?"

"Arlo hates the Unit Leader Torkel Alonson. He wanted to steal a Chosen in hopes of humiliating the Jutaks."

Kyele toyed with one of the bleeding wounds on the man's thigh, gouging it with the tip of his knife. Torg whimpered as Kyele leaned in closer to whisper in the man's ear. "What do you know of The Collector?"

Torg stiffened. Then the chair he was strapped to rocked in jerky motions. The scent of fear rose in putrid waves from his pores. If not for his bonds, he would have fallen from the chair when it tipped over to the floor. As it was, he hung awkwardly by the straps Kyele had used to secure him.

"I don't go near him. Only someone with a death wish would get involved with The Collector."

"I must have a death wish." Kyele placed his booted foot on the chest of the wheezing figure and whispered, "I'm coming for all of the others."

"I told you everything I know. Please."

Kyele wasn't interested in the whining. Torg and his friends taunted Joni during auctions with lewd comments, begging for the opportunity to beat the female slaves to show them their place. Afterwards, they visited the cages of the women not purchased and stroked themselves. When they reached the cage Joni was kept in they pleasured themselves where she had no choice but to watch as they released through the bars and into her cage.

Too bad Torg wasn't on his list to kill. He and his friends would suffer Kyele's brand of justice but live. He removed his foot and grinned. That didn't mean he couldn't have fun.

A few hours later, Kyele left Torg's place through the window he'd entered. There were only a few left he needed to track down to punish for Joni but his calling as a Jutak warrior compelled him to return to Enotia with the new information he'd discovered about Arlo.

"Report immediately, Kyele."

Kyele didn't question the swiftness of the demand blasting through the comm in his ear the moment he entered the Jutak facility. The security vids and door locks would have signaled his presence as soon as he arrived.

Despite his crawling need to find Joni first and assure himself of her recovery, Kyele knew he needed to face his Unit Leader and sought Torkel first. He grimaced at the condition of the clothing he wore. He'd shower after.

Torkel greeted him at the door of his home and shot him a dark look before stepping back and letting Kyele walk in. "You have no idea of the trouble you've caused."

Kyele didn't have a response for the direct statement. He'd been very careful in his actions. Nothing he did during his time away could be tracked back to him or the Jutaks.

Torkel sighed. "Faye is asleep. Sit down, Kyele."

Once he sat, Torkel tossed an electronic file his way. "Do you have any knowledge about the death of several prominent criminals?"

"Yes." Kyele didn't touch the black disc on the table between them. He never lied to Torkel and wouldn't start now.

"Is it a coincidence these men all died a violent death and their attacker left no clue behind?"

Torkel's question didn't require an answer but Kyele gave one. "They lived a violent life. It seems only fair their death be in the same manner."

Torkel cursed and leaned against the wall behind him, arms crossed over his broad chest. His Unit Leader may have been raised Enotian but he had the body of his birth parents. Large and muscular of frame there were many who feared his Marenian heritage would one day overlap his upbringing. Kyele had no such worries. Torkel was true to his core and always would be.

"The men were tortured," Torkel announced.

"Were they?" Kyele countered with an unconcerned lift of his brow.

"Two bled out and the internal organs of the others were destroyed. Even in death their faces wore a look of agony. Two more refused to speak of their injuries."

Kyele waited, his breathing steady and even. The knife he twirled between his fingers never broke rhythm.

Torkel straightened, understanding in his gaze. "How many deaths should I expect?"

Kyele shrugged and leaned back in the chair, legs spread. He still had no lead on the doctor who had purchased Joni. The man had contributed greatly to her reoccurring nightmares.

"If I asked you to end this, would you?" Torkel was determined to get an answer.

"End what?" Kyele rose to his feet, never breaking the dark brown stare. "You said yourself there are no leads on their attacker. And there won't be."

Unable to stay in the room a moment longer, Kyele turned to leave, ignoring the frustrated sigh behind him. He needed to find Joni. Her presence would ease the rage seething in his gut at what he'd seen in her memories.

"At least tell me what you're planning next."

"I'm going to find him," Kyele declared to Torkel as he paused at the door. "I'm going to kill Dr. Kirkem."

Rage filled Kyele from just thinking of the name. "When I find him, I'm going to destroy anyone he holds dear."

"Will you reconsider?"

He didn't even think long on Torkel's question. With a smile over his shoulder he gave his answer. "No."

"Kyele, surely you know I can't approve of that. As a Jutak we dedicate our lives to honor, to saving others."

"Who saved Joni, Torkel?"

Kyele tossed his knife in the air and caught it by the blade tip. The sharpened edges bit into his finger, tiny slices bleeding red. "He dies for what he did to her. Just like the others. When I find the ones who planted the trigger in her mind, tormenting her, they'll die too."

And nothing Torkel could say would stop Kyele.

Joni woke in the middle of the night when the communicator by her bed went off. She reached for the device and recognized Faye's extension. "Hello?"

"Greetings, Joni."

Torkel's voice was the last one she expected. Pushing up in bed, Joni shoved her hair from her face. "Is everything alright with Faye?"

"I'm not calling about Faye, Joni. My Chosen is sleeping."

Her heart skipped a beat. Any remaining sleep vanished. "Kyele? Have you heard from Kyele?"

"Can I speak with you in person?"

"Yes." Joni got out of the bed. Her eyes burned. If something terrible happened to Kyele she wasn't sure how she'd handle it. "Just tell me he's okay. Please"

"He returned tonight."

She released the breath she'd been holding. "Finally."

"I'm at your door now."

He didn't waste time. Joni ended the communicator call and hurried to the door. The somber expression on his face sent her gut churning. She stepped back as he came in.

His presence overwhelmed the small space the moment he stepped inside. Forgoing the chairs, he went straight to the point. "What I'm asking might seem a lot but I need you to speak to Kyele."

Joni folded her arms over her chest and tried to maintain her calm. "Tell me."

She listened to everything Torkel said, stunned surprise keeping her silent. She fell into the nearest chair, her legs too weak to hold her.

Torkel rushed over, a hand going to her elbow as he squeezed lightly. "He can't go after The Collector alone and I can't approve his actions. Do you understand what I am asking?"

Joni heard him. She heard what he said and a part of her wanted to ignore him. But she couldn't. As much as it gave her pleasure, killing those who contributed to her plight wasn't right. And it wasn't Kyele's responsibility no matter how good it felt to know those monsters paid for hurting her.

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll say something."

Joni exhaled and made to rise to her feet. Torkel caught her wrist before she could move, his brown eyes concerned. "None of us blame you for what happened."

Joni managed a weak smile. They didn't have to. She blamed herself. Her throat clogged and her nose burned. Joni hunched her shoulders in an effort to hide the fact she was holding back tears on the way to the door. After a slight hesitation, Torkel followed.

"Is there anything at all I can do for you, Joni? Anything," he stressed.

In this moment of her deepest pain, there was only one thing Joni wanted. One person. "Is there anyway you can contact Earth and find my father?"

Leaving Earth, she'd accepted the possibility that going back was slim but if Torkel could arrange for her to speak with her dad and reassure him that she was fine, it would mean the world.

"I will reach out immediately. You should have asked sooner."

She blew out a relieved breath. Everything in the last few months had her genuinely worried about asking for such a huge favor. The Singles Program pushed for the applicants not to make contact with their family in order to limit the difficulty with transitioning to alien culture.

"Are you going to be alright tonight?"

For all her initial fear of Torkel, he really was a good guy and Faye was lucky to have him. "I'll go to Kyele first thing in the morning. Before he has a chance to leave again."

Torkel stared until heat rose up her neck. He sighed and let himself out, leaving Joni to her thoughts. Her stomach clenched at the possibility of Kyele not wanting to see her. She'd attacked him. Tried to kill him. Her actions probably reminded him of the other woman in his past who'd scarred his face.

A lone tear rolled down her cheek, the salty drop hitting her quivering lips.

Chapter 27.

After his shower, Kyele chose to burn off energy in the training room before going to see Joni. If he went in this mental state, he wasn't sure how'd he'd react. Once he assured himself of her safety, he'd continue the mission he set for himself. Those plans changed when he spotted the Team Three Leader waiting for him in the center of the room.

Apparently, Torkel thought to dissuade him by other means. Kyele let a sneer twist his lips. "Let me guess, Torkel sent you."

Rydak removed his gloves and tucked them into the pocket of his pants. "We spoke."

"They hurt Joni." Kyele circled around him in hopes of leaving without a physical confrontation.

"We're Jutaks not revenge seekers."

Easy for Rydak to say. "I do not want to fight you."