Tex turned to Matt. “You handle this well, and we’ll go ahead on your engine fixes and the IMA shipments arrangement. Try to pull a fast one on us, and you’re all dead in the water. And for some of you, it’ll be quite literal. I’m handling this thing for now, but if you fail to keep your end of the bargain, I’ll hand your friend over to Ander, just like he wanted in the first place.”
As if to emphasize her words, one of the men kicked Val in the knee. The engineer grunted, though it sounded more like an angry growl than a moan of pain.
“Don’t worry, Val,” Matt said with as much conviction as he could muster, reining in his anger. “It’ll be all right. We got your back.”
Val made a sound of protest, his blue eyes blazing furiously, but their session was over. At a sign from Tex, the men shoved the now-discharged guns back in Matt and Ryce’s hands and ushered them outside, into the empty storage corridor. The door slid shut behind them with a soft but resigned click.
Chapter Ten
“ARE YOU OUT of your goddamn mind?” Matt demanded once they were safely outside the storage area, hurrying along the long curved corridors back to the docks. “Do you have some kind of death wish? Why the hell did you offer to enter their race?”
“You know why.” Ryce was walking briskly at his side, avoiding his gaze. “If I hadn’t, we’d likely all have ended up dead.”
“They can’t just go about killing people on a Freeport,” Matt said, though more from natural stubbornness than an objective assessment. “I don’t know why Security didn’t show up, but they would have eventually if Tony reported us missing. We’re not some drifters who can disappear unnoticed; there are docking fees in my name.”
“I seriously doubt that woman cares about your docking fees,” Ryce said.
A tandem Station Security on-duty patrol passed them by, and Matt involuntarily scowled at them. Tex was right; they were no help at all when folks really needed them. That earned him suspicious looks, but Ryce grabbed him by the hand and led him away before Matt could air his grievances and most likely get arrested on sheer principle.
“You’re not actually thinking about going through with it, are you?” Matt asked once they were out of earshot. The thought of Ryce meeting the same fate as those poor souls Ander had so casually mentioned sent his stomach roiling. How in hell had they ended up in a situation where they’d even have to consider doing something like this?
“Let’s not discuss it here, please,” Ryce said in a low voice. They entered the docks, which, unlike the living quarters, were milling with people. Private and commercial vessels traveled through the adjacent jumpgate round the clock, so the bays were always fully manned to monitor the departures and arrivals.
“Fine.”
Matt couldn’t wait to get back to the ship anyway. He was tired, angry, and utterly miserable. Not only had he failed to rescue his teammate, but he’d also gotten them all in even worse trouble, and he was in too much turmoil to deal with it adequately. He needed time to calm down and rest before he could think rationally and come up with some sort of a solution for all of this. But all that came to his mind was his trusty whiskey bottle stashed under the bed, so handy for getting himself blissfully numb. There was absolutely nothing he could do right now anyway, besides snapping at Ryce for jumping in over his head, so a break wasn’t such a bad idea.
Tony was hanging around by the main hatch, waiting for them. The way her face fell when she saw it was just the two of them was like a knife plunged in his heart.
Some captain you are, he thought bitterly. You swore you’d keep your crew safe, and look where you’ve gotten them—stuck on a grounded ship on a backwater Freeport, held hostage by a black-market racketeer, forced to risk their lives because of your own incompetence.
“Ryce will bring you up to speed,” he said without breaking stride as he headed to his cabin. “We’ll have a crew meeting first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Didn’t you want to talk?” Ryce called after him, but Matt walked away as fast as he could, pretending not to hear him. He had a much more pressing appointment, and there was no way anybody was keeping him away from it.
THE WHISKEY TASTED bitter.
There was nothing actually wrong with it. It was perfectly fine contraband single malt, but this time, the familiar caramel-tinged smokiness didn’t bring Matt the solace he craved. All he could taste was the flavor of his worry and disappointment. He finished the last drops in his tumbler anyway, and leaned back in his chair, staring at the window screen. It showed yet another newsreel, but he wasn’t paying attention.
It was Ryce’s fault he couldn’t even enjoy a proper drink anymore. Who asked him to point out Matt’s problems anyway? They were perfectly fine as they were, swept neatly under an imaginary carpet so he wouldn’t have to face them.
But he wasn’t mad at Ryce, not really. He had only himself to blame for everything, and he was perfectly aware drinking wasn’t going to make it better. Matt had to figure something out, fast, because he damn well couldn’t live with himself if he let anything happen to Val when he was supposed to be protecting him.
He even went as far as contemplating going to Nora and begging for help. He was loath to go running to his older sister to get the big bad bullies off his back, but he had to admit he and his crew were at a huge disadvantage. While his modus operandi was relying solely on himself, this time, it might not cut it. He doubted Nora would go traipsing around the station after Griggs with her gun drawn, but as a Major in the Federal Fleet, she could definitely pull some weight with the station officials, forcing them to take an interest in Val’s kidnapping.
But in Val’s precarious situation, going to the authorities would have to be the last resort. With folks like Eddie Ander running the show, Matt would have to tread carefully.
There was a knock on the door and Matt sighed, pushing the whiskey bottle aside on the small foldout table. It wasn’t hard to deduce who was standing on the other side.
“Come in.”
Ryce stepped in as the door slid shut behind him. He didn’t say a word, but Matt was becoming quite familiar with the extensive array of Ryce’s neutral expressions, and this one meant he was pissed off.
“I’m not drunk,” Matt declared. “Yet.”
“I see.” Ryce sat on the edge on the bed, forcing Matt to turn to face him. “Are you going to talk to me like a fucking grown up, or are you going to mope around all night long feeling sorry for yourself?”
Matt’s eyebrows shot up. Ryce was seriously angry if he was using swear words. And in that case, an offense was the best tactic.
“Yeah, let’s talk.” Thankfully he hadn’t drunk enough for his speech to be slurred, so his voice sounded firm enough. “Starting with the obvious. No matter what kind of deal you think you’ve managed to score, you can’t possibly be naïve enough to believe they’ll actually stick to it.”
“I know that,” Ryce said. “I’m not placing trust in either Tex or Griggs’ fairness. But it was the best I could come up with to buy Val more time and to prevent them from blackmailing us with something even worse.”
“It is worse! Ain’t no way in hell I’m letting you participate in those races. If it comes to that, I’ll fly whatever piece of junk they throw at us myself.”
“With all due respect to your piloting skills, I don’t think that is quite up your alley,” Ryce said, more gently than Matt would’ve expected under the circumstances. “No matter how much you want to believe it is.”
“If you think I’d do it to prove I’m just as good as you are—”
“No.” Ryce shook his head. “I know you, and I know you wouldn’t do that out of jealousy.”
“I could never be jealous of you.” Perhaps it was drunken candor, but it was true nonetheless. “Not anymore. Seriously, you’re, like, so far above me I might as well be jealous of a Mnirian. I haven’t forgotten you’re a decorated combat pilot, and all I’ve done in the last few years was flying the Lisa on auto
pilot. But as good as you are, it doesn’t mean I’m okay with you risking your life on something so shady.”
“I realize you want to protect me,” Ryce said. “And not just me—all of us, because you care. But it’s not something you can do all on your own. If we want to get Val back, we all have to pitch in and do our part.”
Matt sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ryce was right. Matt would do anything to keep him safe, but he couldn’t do that if Ryce insisted on placing himself in the heart of danger.
Maybe him leaving wasn’t such a bad idea, after all. If Ryce was away on a military mission, he couldn’t get in trouble with local crooks.
“Even putting risk aside for a moment, you can’t afford to get embroiled in this kind of shit. No matter how good an expert you are on Mnirian tech, or how much Nora wants you on her project, there’s no way the Fleet would let you anywhere near a top-secret military excavation site if you’re caught flying in an illegal race—on a closed-off planet, no less. You’ll be ruining your potential career all over again.”
But it seemed Ryce was having none of that.
“Val’s my friend. Same as yours. If you’re willing to risk your neck to save him, how can I do any less? You say you can’t let me endanger myself; well, I can’t stand aside and watch you do the same, not when there is something I can do. And besides, who said I was going to accept Nora’s offer?”
“Please,” Matt said wearily. “Let’s keep it straight between us, at least. Of course, you’re going to accept her offer. In fact, I want you to. It’s a great opportunity for someone like you, and who knows? It might lead to other things. Better things than piloting a smuggler’s ship, that’s for sure.”
Ryce was quiet for a moment. There was a different, grimmer quality to the silence.
“If that’s how you feel,” he said finally. “Thank you for ‘keeping it straight,’ as you put it. I guess you just saved me a discussion.”
Matt thought he sounded doleful, even upset, but why would he? It was everything Ryce had wanted—to be back working for the Fleet, at least somewhat exonerated of the scandal that had marred his reputation thanks to his former commander’s rogue exploits. Even if it meant putting everything he and Matt had shared—however briefly—behind.
The back of his throat itched dangerously, and he turned away before Ryce could notice the moisture stinging his eyes. Now was not the time to break down. He had to keep it together for both their sakes. “It’s getting late. We all have to clear our heads and get some decent shut-eye while we have the chance. No more drinks, I promise.”
“Okay,” Ryce said slowly, uncertainly. Matt wasn’t sure whether he was hesitant to leave him alone because he didn’t trust him with the bottle, or for another reason. But finally, he rose and headed to the door. “See you in the morning.”
Stay, Matt wanted to beg Ryce. Don’t listen to my crap. Stay with me, now, so together we can keep the despair at bay, even for a little while.
But he didn’t. Ryce had already made his decision, and it would be unfair of Matt to make it more difficult for him by being clingy and emotional.
“See you,” Matt whispered, swallowing around the lump lodged in his throat as the door slid shut.
“SO, LADY AND gentleman, it seems we’re up a creek without a paddle.” Matt wasn’t entirely sure what the phrase meant, but it sounded dire enough to describe their current situation.
They were all sitting around the galley table, bright and early. Matt and Ryce had mugs of steaming coffee in front of them, while Tony was drinking herbal tea (the smell of which Matt did his best to ignore). None of them were in the mood for a proper breakfast. Despite turning in early last night, both Ryce and Tony sported dark circles under their eyes, and Matt was pretty sure he didn’t look any better. Another bout of nightmares that had haunted his sleep after he finally managed to doze off certainly didn’t help his mood. Without Ryce there to hold him through it, coming to grips with reality after the panic attack had been so much harder.
“I hate to leave Val in the hands of those bastards even for another minute, but they have the upper hand now, as much as it pains me to admit it, and they call the shots. At least this woman, Tex, seems to be in charge of holding him at present, and I didn’t get the impression she’d hurt him just for the hell of it.”
Unlike Ander, who could apparently pull rank with Tex if he wanted to. But Matt tried not to think about that for the moment. Tony nodded agreement, her eyes brimming with concern.
“But at least it gives us time to regroup,” Matt continued. The memory of Val gagged and bound, fully at the mercy of his captors, flashed through his mind, fueling both his rage and his determination. “Tex said the next race wasn’t for another few days, and we can use those to come up with a game plan.”
“What did you have in mind?” Ryce asked.
He seemed quiet, more subdued than usual. Some of that could be attributed to being preoccupied with Val’s safety and the upcoming race, but usually, when called to action, Ryce looked anything but worried. He performed under pressure with cool, collected efficiency, even aplomb. This change in demeanor was entirely uncharacteristic of him.
“I might not be the smartest person out there, but even I know better than to trust Griggs’s promises,” Matt said, shifting his thoughts back to the subject. “Even if we were to do everything they ask of us, there’s a good chance they won’t let Val go. Having a hostage is too good a leverage; it means we’ll do whatever the hell they want, for as long as they want. Like running drugs in the IMA shipments once we sign the contract.”
Tony gasped. Ryce had told her about his deal regarding the races but, apparently, hadn’t yet had the chance to fill her in on that particular proposal.
“We can’t do that,” she said. “I know we’ve done some shady business in the past, but there are boundaries.”
“We won’t,” Matt assured her. The idea of smuggling drugs disguised as medicine filled him with the same loathing. “But we should give off the impression we’re going along with whatever they demand. We have to figure out a way to get Val off this station before they can rope us into it.”
“How?” Tony asked. “You can’t go after them again the way you did. They’d have moved him already. We don’t know where to start digging again, even if we weren’t grossly outgunned.”
“That’s true. I’d risk going to the authorities for help, despite their threats, but judging from their conduct last night, Griggs might have people on pay in Station Security.” Matt grimaced and ran a jerky hand through his hair. That was the downside of operating in remote systems—people tended to let a lot of things slide when they weren’t under constant scrutiny of the Federal government. Usually it worked in his favor, but not when he actually needed law enforcement to do their damned job. “We’re totally on our own.”
“And stuck here,” Tony reminded. “Even if we could extract Val somehow, we’d be sitting ducks on a grounded ship.”
“All too true. That’s why we have to find where their headquarters are and where they’re holding Val as soon as possible. And while we’re at it, figure out a way to get him out of their reach. I know other smugglers working this station. Some would be willing to pick up a stowaway on their next jump out of the system.”
“That still leaves the rest of us stranded,” Tony pointed out. “I’m sure Griggs would be rather angry with us.”
“Val’s the one in most danger and, frankly, with the shittiest judgment. I’d feel more comfortable taking on Griggs knowing Val was somewhere safe. Once we know where they’re holding him, it’ll be easier to plan a rescue mission. No more going in blindly, like we did yesterday. We might even have to create some sort of diversion, distract them enough so they’ll lower their guard.”
“If we’re to get him out ourselves, we should do it during the race,” Ryce chimed in. “Their attention—the big shots’, anyway—will be directed planetside. They won’t be watching their own backyard
too closely. That’s when we move in. Or, more accurately, when you two move in.” He gestured between them. “Since I’ll be the one racing.”
Matt opened his mouth to protest, but Ryce cut him off.
“I know you’re averse to the idea, and I do appreciate you trying to keep me out of harm’s way. But I know I can do this, without actually risking my life in the process. And it would give you the opportunity you need to save Val. There’s no other way.”
Matt’s emotions probably showed clearly on his face, because Ryce added softly, looking into his eyes: “You know me. You know I can.”
And Matt did. He’d seen what Ryce was capable of. He’d never met a better pilot in his life. But that knowledge did nothing to quell the cold dread which settled in his stomach.
Yet, Ryce was right. They needed all the help they could get if they wanted to see Val safely back in their midst.
“Fine,” he said with a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart. “You do what you have to do. In the meantime, Tony and I got ourselves a recon mission.”
Chapter Eleven
“WELL, THAT’S…INTERESTING,” Ryce said.
“‘Interesting’ my ass. It’s a damn piece of junk,” Matt retorted.
They walked around the jet, examining the hull. A call from Tex had come in just a short while after breakfast, informing Ryce curtly that the aircraft he was to use in the competition was waiting inside a transport vessel at Dock F57. The race itself was scheduled in three days, which didn’t leave them enough time to inspect it properly, much less do any needed alterations.
Matt had no idea how Griggs had managed to score a jet on such short notice, but he could hardly argue with the proof standing right there in front of them. The old single-engine Sparrow aerojet had definitely seen better days. Military outposts and the more affluent colonies that could afford their own aerial security patrols usually used this smaller model for surveillance and strategic reconnaissance. The paint had peeled off the fuselage, which was dented in several places, and the serial numbers under the wings had been filed off. It didn’t look like a plane that could race a truck, much less speed pods and other jets.
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