by S. E. Smith
Twirling the pistol in his hand, he tucked it casually into the waistband of his pants before bending and effortlessly throwing the unconscious male over his shoulder. He wanted answers and he was going to get them. The male was about to discover the true meaning of wishing he were dead.
*.*.*
Skeeter glanced sideways, keeping her eyelashes lowered as she picked up parts that she didn’t have a clue what they went to. Since she wasn’t sure what the part she needed was called she didn’t want to ask the men. Besides, the two at the counter didn’t look like they were the kind of men who were very helpful. For that matter, neither did the guy behind the counter.
“We need to make contact. Tell the Leader that the gray bastard is breathing down our necks. We’ve sent some men to stop him, but if we don’t deliver the package soon and disappear, we are in trouble,” the meaner-looking of the two said quietly. “We need more men to kill him.”
“And help Mace,” the larger male growled. “He shot Mace. He needs help.”
“Shut up, you moron,” the male hissed, glancing at Skeeter, who quickly picked up a long cylinder shaped device. “We need to talk in private.”
“Back here,” the male behind the counter grunted. “Don’t take anything without paying or I’ll cut your hands off,” he yelled out at Skeeter.
Skeeter looked up at him with wide eyes. “I’m not a thief! I have credits,” she replied indignantly.
“Just remember what I said,” the male snapped before he jerked his head. “Back here.”
Skeeter watched in the reflection of a large piece of metal as the fat yellow male behind the counter unlocked a wide door and pushed the top of the counter up. She breathed a sigh of relief when the men walked through the opening and disappeared through a door behind the counter area.
Now, she could really look for what she needed without worrying if they asked her questions she couldn’t answer. She pulled the small part that Froget had removed from the navigation module. Even to her untrained eyes it looked burnt.
She quickly scanned the shelves closest to her before moving to the ones closer to the counter. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to see what was on the top shelf but she was too short. Turning, she scanned the room. Her eyes lit on a small crate with a handle on it.
Skeeter glanced toward the doorway where the men had disappeared before glancing back up at the shelf. It wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek. She hurried over to the crate, deciding she would rather look for herself instead of waiting to ask any of the scary men. She was surprised at how heavy the little crate was considering it looked like it was empty.
She was breathing heavy by the time she set it down next to the shelves. Standing on it, she looked at abundance of parts. She set the broken piece down on the top shelf and ran her hand around over some parts that were closer to the wall. Her hand wrapped around one item that looked similar to what she needed when a small whimper caught her attention.
Skeeter looked over her shoulder, puzzled. She shrugged her shoulders thinking she must be hearing things and was about to turn back to her search when the whimper sounded again. This time, a little louder than the first time.
“Who's there?” Skeeter whispered loudly.
“Mommy?” A tiny voice whimpered. “Mommy, I’m scared.”
Skeeter’s eyes widen in disbelief when she realized the tiny voice was coming from the crate she was standing on. She scrambled down off of it and knelt on the floor so she could look through the mesh covering one side of the small box. Her breath caught when a pair of vivid green eyes, filled with tears, gazed back at her from a dirty face.
“Oh my,” Skeeter whispered. “What are you doing in there?”
“Bad… bad… men… hurt my daddy,” the tiny little girl whispered. “They… took me from my mommy. I want to go home. Pretty please. I want my mommy and daddy.”
Skeeter’s eyes filled with tears as she heard the pitiful plea. Memories of her own parents, now faded by time, flashed through her mind. She reached her fingers through the wire in comfort. Her eyes skirted toward the doorway in the back again.
“How about you come with me?” Skeeter whispered back. “I have a big freighter. I bet we could find your mommy and daddy. It will be like an adventure. You have to be really quiet though, so the bad men don’t know.”
“Like hide-and-seek?” The little girl asked excitedly. “I like that game. Mommy made Uncle Krac play it with me. He said you have to be really, really quiet. Mom said I’m not supposed to come out until someone says the magic words.”
“Ally, ally in come free?” Skeeter responded with a grin.
“You know how to play that game?” The tiny figure asked.
“It’s one of my favorites. My dad could never find me,” Skeeter giggled. “Let’s get you out of here.”
The little girl nodded and put her fingers to her lips. Skeeter looked over her shoulder again before quickly undoing the wires holding the mesh closed. She reached in and helped the tiny figure as she crawled out of the small box. Her lips tightened in anger when she saw the dark tracks of dirt where the child had been crying.
“My name’s Skeeter,” Skeeter whispered as she picked up the tiny body. “What’s yours?”
“Violet,” she replied, laying her head on Skeeter’s shoulder. “I’m hungry.”
Skeeter ran her hand down along the girl’s thin back and hugged her close. “I’ll fix you something as soon as we get back to the Lulu Belle.”
She turned to leave before she realized that she forgot the part to the navigation system. Tightening her arms around Violet, she stepped up onto the crate and reached for the part she had set down. She quickly slid it back into the pocket of her cloak before jumping down off the crate.
She rolled her eyes when she realized she needed to put the crate back where she found it. She bent down and grasped the now much lighter box and carried it back over to next to the side where she got it. She remembered the man behind the counter telling her not to take anything without paying for it. Deciding since Violet wasn’t theirs in the first place, the rule shouldn’t apply. Still, it wasn’t right to take something without leaving something, even if it wasn’t theirs.
She bit her lip and decided she should leave something in exchange for taking Violet so they couldn’t say she stole her. She glanced around before deciding she would leave a few credits and her bracelet. Both were worth something. She quickly removed her bracelet and sighed with regret as she had loved the way it turned out and hadn’t had it for very long before dropping it through a hole in the top of the crate along with twenty credits.
“What are you doing?” Violet asked, watching Skeeter with a curious expression.
“I left payment for you so they can’t say I stole you,” Skeeter said with a grin. “I still think I got the better deal.”
“Me too,” Violet said, yawning and laying her head back down again. “I want my mommy and daddy.”
“I know, sweetheart. I missed my mommy and daddy, too,” Skeeter whispered. “Now, be as quiet as a mouse.”
Skeeter hurried out of the dim store smiling when Violet didn’t reply. The precious bundle in her arms was already asleep. She felt a pang of regret that she didn’t get the part they needed for the Lulu Belle but she was sure that Frog would understand. He had to! There was no way Skeeter could have left the little girl with those horrible men. She shuddered when she remembered what the bad men did to her own family. She wasn’t much older than Violet but she could still remember the screams.
Chapter 9
“Are you insane?” Froget asked again as he stared at Skeeter. “Do you have a death wish or something? Do I? I must, for having ever agreed to take on this assignment! If your dad doesn’t kill me, you are determined to make sure it happens.”
Skeeter paused as she dried Violet’s blonde curls. “What does daddy have to do with this?” She asked in confusion.
“Who do you think hired me? I’m supposed to keep you safe! T
hat is an impossible job,” he growled.
Skeeter looked down on Violet when she giggled at Frog. “He looks like the frogs in my princess books. If you kiss him will he turn into a prince?” She asked looking up at Skeeter.
Skeeter smiled back down at the beautiful little girl sitting on the counter in their medical bay. They had left the Pyrus Spaceport the moment Frog saw what she had brought back. He had said some extremely colorful words before snapping his mouth shut when she covered Violet’s ears and admonished him for his language.
“Unfortunately, no. I already tried that. He stayed the same,” she whispered with a wink.
“Are we going to find my mommy and daddy?” Violet asked.
“Of course! We’ll find them in no time, won’t we Frog?” Skeeter assured her, tucking a wayward curl behind Violet’s ear.
“We will be lucky to find the next spaceport! Have you forgotten the navigation system is shot? Without the old module I can’t even try to bypass the system,” he snorted. “And I told her to never kiss me again. It is dangerous.”
“Why is it dangerous?” Violet asked.
“Because males who do end up dead or missing parts of their bodies!” He growled under his breath. “I need to try to figure out a way to fix the navigation system so we know where in the hell we are.”
“Oh, I forgot. I do have the old module,” Skeeter said, reaching for her cloak that was lying on the bed next to Violet. She pulled the small module out of the pocket and handed it to him before turning and picking Violet up in her arms.
“Froget! I’ve told you my name is… oh, forget it,” he snapped out. “Where did you get this?”
Skeeter looked at his puzzled face in confusion before her eyes dropped to the part in his hand. It was similar to the one she had taken but it wasn’t burnt. She sighed when she realized she had just given him another reason to be mad at her.
“Oh darn it! I grabbed the wrong thing. I’m so sorry, Frog!” She said glumly. “I thought it was the one I had left on the shelf.”
“No, this is good. I can make this work as long as the star charts stored in it are still good. I’ve got most of yours backed up, but I wasn’t sure if it was complete. I can….”
Skeeter rolled her eyes at Violet causing the little girl to giggle as they both listened to Frog mutter under his breath as he walked away from them. She followed him before turning toward the galley. She was hungry too.
“How about a grilled cheese sandwich?” Skeeter asked.
“What is that?” Violet asked, winding her arm around Skeeter’s neck.
“You’ve never had a grilled cheese sandwich? Tila used to make them for me whenever I was sad. If I was really, really sad she made me macaroni and cheese too. It is an Earth dish. She says it is disgusting, but it isn’t,” Skeeter promised. “It is the best food in the whole star system.”
Violet frowned for a moment before she grinned. “I think I’m feeling really, really sad,” she giggled.
“Two macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches coming up,” Skeeter replied. “I think I’m feeling really, really sad too.”
“Why are you sad?” Violet asked in a serious voice.
Skeeter winked at Violet making her giggle again. “Because Frog didn’t turn into a handsome prince when I kissed him,” she whispered in a dramatic whisper. “It totally broke my heart.”
Violet’s giggles turned to laughter before she wound both arms around Skeeter’s neck and hugged her. “I really, really like you, Skeeter.”
Skeeter felt the tug on her heart at the heartfelt words. “I love you too, Violet. We’ll find your mommy and daddy. Until then, I’ll take care of you just like my Tila took care of me.”
“Thank you, Skeeter,” the muffled voice said.
“My pleasure, sweetheart,” Skeeter said, protectively hugging the small body to hers. “My daddy is going to be so excited to meet you.’
“Is he like you?” Violet asked curiously, looking into Skeeter’s dancing blue eyes.
“Have you ever wanted to have your own dragon?” Skeeter asked Violet, waiting until the little girl nodded. “Well, he looks just like the dragons in the picture books only he is a good dragon that will always be there to protect you.”
“Oh….” Violet breathed out, her eyes growing huge as she thought of having her own dragon. “Do you think he can be my dragon too?”
“Of course!” Skeeter promised, setting Violet down on the chair in the narrow galley and tickling her. “He’s big enough to protect the both of us.”
“Just like my daddy and Uncle Krac!” Violet crowed. “They can kick anyone’s butt! Mommy said so.”
Chapter 10
Krac pressed the eject button on the disposal tube ignoring the hoarse screams coming from it. Within seconds, only the hum of the starship could be heard. The tracking device and the male who had given him the information he wanted now floated in space.
“Connect,” he ordered as a communication summons came in.
“Krac, this is Kordon,” a dark voice came over the comlink he was wearing. “Where are you?”
Krac was about to respond when he heard Gracie’s voice chiding her mate in the background. The warmth filled him again when he heard the hint of steel he was used to hearing in her voice. She would make sure Kordon stayed put until he was healed. He had been in touch with her at least once a day to post updates and find out how her mate was doing.
Kordon had been brought out of the medically induced coma two days before. Since he woke, he had tried to find out Krac’s location. He sounded a little stronger today.
“I believe I know where Violet is,” he replied, instead. “I will let you know when I have her.”
“Damn it,” Kordon started to say before his voice faded.
“Kordon, lay back. The healer swore if you tried to get up, she would sedate you again,” Gracie said soothingly. “Krac, what have you discovered so far?”
“The threat to you is still there, Gracie,” Krac said. “From the information I have just received, there is another planned attack to capture you.”
“When?” Gracie and Kordon’s voice sounded at the same time. “I swear, Kordon, if you don’t stay still I’m going to knock you out. I won’t lose you, do you understand. I can’t. I need you. Violet needs you.”
Krac heard the underlying stress in Gracie’s voice. Kordon must have as well as he muttered for her to lay down next to him. He waited as Kordon murmured an apology to Gracie for upsetting her.
“The male did not have an exact time, but there is another plan to kidnap Gracie. They believe Kordon has been killed. I would expect it within the next few days,” Krac explained what he had learned from the male he had ‘interrogated’ at length. “I was able to get a location on the four males from the Medical Tower. I am heading to their location now.”
“But, we only saw three males,” Gracie said.
“The fourth was operating the skiff they used to escape. Kordon, Richard Tillman is behind Violet’s kidnapping. I’m sure of it. They left in his private starship,” Krac bit out as a quiet rage burned deep inside him. “Be prepared. The men he sends in will be highly trained and well-armed.”
“We will be ready for them,” Bazteen’s voice called out loudly. “I’ll personally kill that son-of-a-bitch. No one harms my family.”
“Tillman is mine to kill,” Krac said. “Just be prepared. I am heading to Pyrus Spaceport. That is the current location of the starship.”
“Krac,” Kordon’s voice sounded weaker than before over the comlink.
“Yes?”
“Bring my daughter home… please,” Kordon’s hoarse voice asked. “Whatever it takes, bring her home.”
A picture of the laughing green eyes, so like her mother’s, formed in his mind. Her shining face as she looked down at him as he held her in the air. His fingers moved to his cheek where she had ‘drawn’ her pretty pictures with dirty fingers. He blinked several times before storing the image
again.
“I will,” he said in a voice that sounded suspiciously gruff. “I will.”
“Thank you, Krac,” Gracie’s soft voice said. “Be safe.”
Krac disconnected the link. He frowned when he realized that he was still standing outside the disposal tube. A small part of him wished he could retrieve the male he had discharged so he could do it all over again. He wanted each and every member of the New Order to understand that they were on his list for elimination. He wanted them to know what it was like to be hunted. Because he was definitely going to kill everyone involved in Violet Jefe’s kidnapping.
*.*.*
Later that night, Krac held the owner of the small parts shop up by his throat. He had tracked two of the men to the dim, non-descriptive shop through the surveillance system the Spaceport maintained. Between that and a few well-placed credits, he found the place with no trouble.
“I… don’t… know what you are talking about,” the massive creature wheezed. “I just sell parts.”
Krac raised his hand and drew a thin line between the creature’s eyes before he placed the short blade he held between his own teeth and ran his finger along it. He placed his bleeding finger between the creature’s eyes. It was the least resistive area on the massive frame and he would be able send the small probes into the male’s bloodstream.
His lip curled in distaste as the acidic blood burned the tip of his finger. He ignored the pain, shutting down the nerve-endings long enough to send enough nano-bots to retrieve the information before they were destroyed by the corrosive blood.
“Tell me,” Krac bit out.
The massive creature chuckled. “You cannot use your talents on me, assassin. My blood can kill anything.”
“So can mine,” Krac growled as he sent a command.
The creature’s laugh turned into a choked gasp as waves of electrical currents rocked through his brain, making his body stiffen. Krac pushed more of his blood into the cut. He ignored the feeling of metal on flesh that told him that the creature’s blood had eaten through the outer layer of flesh covering his skeletal frame.
