by Laurie Bell
“Toni …”
She couldn’t tear her eyes from his fingers. “Don’t do this.” When he didn’t move, she climbed cautiously to her feet.
He fired.
Her shoulder exploded in pain. She hit the sand again, one hand outstretched as if to block the next shot, knowing she wouldn’t succeed. Her mind froze even as her body screamed in terror and rage. How can he do this? She gaped at him. No air reached her lungs as her throat seized. Tears from the burning in her shoulder sprang to her eyes. Like a holofilm close up, all she could see was the smuggler tattoo on his chest.
She tore her gaze up. His face was an expressionless mask.
Behind him was the Renegade, the ship they’d been working so hard to repair, and their only way off this moon. Dan glanced over his shoulder, reading her thoughts. He looked back with a smug smirk.
“You know I can’t take you with me.”
She clutched at her shoulder, gasping as waves of pain sent shivers across her torso. “You said …”
“I lied.”
Hot liquid scalded her cheeks. She said nothing more, knowing from his expression she had no hope of convincing him to change his mind. I trusted him. Stalling would get her nowhere. There was no Mate or Zach to spring to her rescue. She was utterly alone and at his mercy. I’m going to die. “Why?”
“You were going to arrest me,” he said.
“I wasn’t.” She shook her head as she said the words.
“You would. It’s who you are.”
“You know nothing about me.”
“But I do.” He pulled his trousers on, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He expected her to try and stop him, but she was practically naked, injured and in shock. She felt like a statue made of sand, and the sand had crumbled within her, leaving only a shell in the shape of her body. He was still pointing his weapon at her, so she didn’t dare move. He’d shot her once—he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot a second time.
At least he let her keep the shirt.
“I’ll send a message out.”
“You won’t.” She spat the bitter words in his direction and was pleased to see him flinch.
He covered it quickly and grinned. “I guess you know me pretty well, too.”
Toni clenched her teeth against the pain radiating from her shoulder, clutching at the wound as if her hand could hold the pain inside. “I know nothing about you.”
He shrugged, unconcerned by her words. His eyes grew darker. “You knew it had to end this way.”
“I thought you were different.” She pulled her knees up under her trembling body and glared at him with as much hatred as she could project.
He stared at her for a long time and then threw the pistol as far from her position as he could. It landed with a plop on the sand between her and the distant tree line. He walked away. “That’s not all I lied about.”
Her heart died. It shriveled into a dried-out ball, leaving her cold and empty.
Forcing her body upright, she stumbled over the sand toward her weapon. When she heard a thud, she turned to see a box thrown from the Renegade’s hatch. A second box slid down the ramp before the hatch closed tightly behind them. Son of a she-demon—he’d finished the switches.
The Renegade’s Cerenkov generator sputtered briefly and burst into flame-light. Toni turned away, dropping to her knees beside the fully charged pistol as hot sand blew over her. She didn’t reach for the weapon as the Renegade launched behind her.
Tears hit her hands. She knelt staring at the sand beneath her knees. The grains gave her no answers. Moments or hours later, she picked up the pistol and flipped the safety on. The sun was a ball of fire above her now, burning into her sensitive skin. Her eyes ached behind her shades. My tears are from the sun, nothing else. That was what she had to believe. She had nothing now. Scrubbing her wet cheeks with shaking hands she stumbled forward.
Her first task was to find shelter and see what he’d left behind. She also had to wrap her wound. The risk of infection now that she was alone was scarily high.
When she reached the boxes and lifted the lid of the first one, she screamed. Bandages. He’d left her with bandages and, oh how nice, the burn kit was right beneath them. Son of a she-demon! Fumbling, she pressed the unit to her shoulder as fresh tears hit the sand at her feet.
*
Fire blazed high, only a few feet from where she knelt, wrapped in bandages. One arm was strapped to her side to stop it from moving. It throbbed with every beat of her broken heart.
Sitting back on her haunches, Toni flipped the final switch and two glowing eyes snapped on beneath her hands. They blinked once and then focused on her face. She smiled for the first time in days, and in a voice that croaked from disuse said, “Hey, Mate. Welcome back.”
“W-w-what happened?”
Fresh tears filled her eyes. Should she tell him about the smuggler’s betrayal? That she’d fallen in love? Should she tell him of the moment her heart had shattered into a million tiny pieces? “I needed you, Mate. I’m helpless without you.” She stared deeply into his electronic eyes, eyes that could show no emotion yet would be there for her always.
“I am here now, Toni.”
She would tell him everything, because he was her partner and she trusted him. Never again would she let someone get under her skin like Dan had done. She would become like her partner, an emotionless machine. When she got off this rock and returned to work, she’d forget all about Daniel Colten. And if she ever saw him again, she would gleefully slap the cuffs on him herself—if she didn’t shoot him first.
It was time to get back to work.
Toni took a deep breath, starting from the beginning for Mate’s benefit.
“So, we crashed …”
PART TWO
TWO YEARS LATER
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The sun set, and the city woke up hungry.
As the lights of the metropolis brightened, shadows crept into alleyways and emerged from dark corners, ready to conduct activities that should never see the light of day. In the heart of this darkness, evil held its breath.
Toni squinted into the murky alley light, straining to make out any detail around her. Warm blood trickled down her face. Her bruised ribcage ached with every breath she took, and luckily—or unluckily, depending on the point of view—no onlooker or startled pedestrian had yet stumbled into the alley.
Of the two men standing before her, she would have to watch the Tarrelian carefully. Her heart raced as she took in his muscular frame and giant arms. Towering over her by at least a head, he glared through tiny eyes. His face looked like he’d taken several beatings, leaving him with a flat nose and misshapen jaw. She’d caught a glimpse of the Kilmarc tattoo on his wrist with its distinctive green spiral barely exposed below the cuff of his sleeve. It was the mark of a gun for hire and when she stared into his expressionless eyes, she knew she was in trouble. Sweat broke out across the back of her neck. He would kill her without qualm.
The Tarrelian had called the other man Tubby. The first time she’d heard it, she’d laughed, given the excess body weight the man carried. She wasn’t laughing now. He scowled at her through dull watery blue eyes. Her gaze flicked over his rumpled clothes. He’d probably lived in them for the last few days. That was how long she’d been hunting him.
Tubby shuffled from one foot to the other, one hand outstretched over the killer’s wrist, as if he could actually stop the man from shooting her. She wasn’t hopeful he’d show any mercy. Tubby needed her seal and the chip warrant for his arrest if he was to escape the spaceport’s security cordon, and he could only get that if she was alive to print it, hence the tense standoff. Her stare returned to the trained killer.
At times like this, she regretted her choice in career.
Tubby stepped out from behind his beady-eyed bodyguard and grinned. “So, you’re Agent Delle?” From her periphery, she saw his eyes drop to travel the length of her body, pausing at her empty holster and missing a
gent’s star. Her skin crawled at the lingering leer. “You’re a freaky looking one, that’s for sure.”
She didn’t take her eyes off the Tarrelian, watching for the slightest twitch. Forcing her breathing to remain steady took more concentration than she could spare, but like the Tarrelian, she remained poker-faced.
Tubby shuffled into her view, his grin faded. “Did you think I’d let anyone catch me, especially a SPT Agent?” He sneered when she didn’t respond. With a shake of his head, he turned to the hired gun and spat, “Just lemme get the contract, and then you can get rid of her. Leave nothing to link me to any of this. If other agents suspect she’s been murdered, they won’t ever stop looking for me, ya hear?”
The Tarrelian didn’t answer. His finger tightened on the trigger. Toni tensed.
“For Xendia’s sake, don’t do it here! I said get the contract first! If Gallian finds out, I’m a dead man.” Tubby hissed, grabbing at the gunman’s arm.
Gallian?
The Tarrelian stared blankly at his client’s hand, and Tubby removed it slowly. Toni shifted her weight.
“Better do it here. It’ll look like a beggar with a khegh load of luck killed her.” The man’s voice sounded rough and scratchy, as though he didn’t use it often.
Shuffling back, Toni pressed up against a barrier of rotted wooden boards, hoping to feel them move, but they made a solid wall, preventing her escape. Her gaze flew in every direction beneath her electronic shades. The alley was located behind a cheap rundown bar called The Dockyard. It was the sort of place one might frequent when down on their luck, working two jobs to keep a family alive and needing to get away for just a little while. She had no faith she’d be saved by the untimely appearance of a bar patron.
Khegh it! If someone did appear, it wasn’t as though they would help her. People just didn’t do that. Besides, the alley dead-ended only a few yards from her current position. Crates stacked haphazardly against the brick wall opposite looked like they’d always been there. The overflowing dumpster at the mouth of the alley smelt like it had never been emptied. Ever. And above her head was an unreachable metal ladder. It disappeared up into darkness but that didn’t much matter. Her breathing quickened with the realization she was trapped. She swallowed, her mouth too dry to generate much in the way of saliva. I need a distraction.
Blinking rapidly, she flicked through the display settings of her tinted glasses, finding nothing until she scanned the area with the X-ray setting. The crates were empty.
A low growl rumbled out of the shadows behind Tubby. The Tarrelian twisted his head sharply.
About time, partner. Toni threw herself at the pile of crates. The gunman fired as the crates tumbled down around her. The growl increased in volume. Toni darted up, her fingers wrapped around the neck of an empty bottle. A large shadow propelled itself from the darkness. A glint of sharp teeth flashed before Mate roared into the Tarrelian’s face and chomped down on his weapon, including the hand holding it.
The man cried out and dropped the pistol. He shook his arm, but her trusty C-bot locked his jaws and would not be dislodged.
Tubby stumbled back. Small whimpers ghosted from his open mouth. Mate’s growls deepened as he dragged the Tarrelian to the ground.
Scrambling to her feet, Toni threw the bottle at Tubby’s fat head and dove for the Tarrelian’s fallen pistol. Tubby ducked, the bottle shattering against the wall, and launched himself at the weapon. He got his hand to it first. Toni knocked the weapon aside. They hit the ground hard. She wrenched her head away as Tubby swung the pistol up and fired. The laser bolt hit dirt mere inches from her ear.
Close. She grabbed at the pistol again. A scream punctured the air behind them, distracting Tubby and letting Toni wrench the weapon from his hands. She pushed the overweight man off and climbed unsteadily to her feet. A burst of laser fire caught the Tarrelian right between his beady little eyes. As he collapsed, Mate spun and howled, shattering the sudden silence. He stalked toward Toni. Tubby fainted.
“Will you cut that out?”
The howl broke off as the C-bot sat. It was now fully dark. Toni blinked to engage her night vision display and examined the familiar shaggy canine shape.
“What took you so long?”
Mate scratched at his ear with a hind leg. “Well, I assumed you had everything under control.”
“Yeah, I had them right where I wanted them.” At the C-bot’s snort of disbelief, she laughed. “Your timing is impeccable.” Raising her hand to the corner of her mouth she examined the sticky residue. Dammit. Searching her pockets for a cloth to wipe the blood away, she muttered, “Did you hear that? Gallian.” She snatched her pistol from the dead man’s belt and shoved it into her holster. “What took you so long, anyway?”
Mate growled. “It is a long run. How did he get the drop on you, Boss?”
“He just did, that’s all.” Toni was tired. It had nearly cost her life. I need a break. She felt no elation over closing this case but with Tubby’s arrest, her current mission was over. Just don’t mention Gallian. Ask for a break … No, demand one. The invitation she received this morning popped into her mind. Yes, a holiday would be perfect. Then she could confirm her attendance at the game. A final dab at the blood on her face and she shoved the red-stained rag back into her pocket.
Brushing alley dust off her pants she ordered. “Call this in. But, uh, neglect to mention You Know Who.”
Mate would send a high frequency message to Zach, who would then forward the message via forcedspace relays onto Agent headquarters.
Toni wanted a bath. She also had to call Jas back and confirm the date, and she had to get her money from Zaambuka, all while making sure he didn’t assign her a new case. She spied a smudge on her pristine white shirt. Her eyes narrowed. In one move, she grabbed Tubby by the front of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. She didn’t have much to call her own—her C-bot, her ship and her clothing—but she looked after what was hers. She shook him until he regained consciousness.
The gun-runner’s watery gaze focused on her. “Look, Delle, don’t be angry about the Kilmarc. I hired him to protect my interests. With your reputation d-do you blame me? Huh?” Tubby glanced at the bloody body. “Obviously, he’s not as fast as you. I mean, he’s dead, isn’t he? All you have is a bloody lip and a dirty shirt—” Toni pushed him hard into the brick wall.
“Do you know,” she began softly, “how much this shirt cost? It’s pure rainsilk. I got it on Jamith-phi. It’s tailor-made. Do you know how much time and money went into its creation?” She slammed the criminal into the wall again. He had no idea how necessary the silk was to protecting her skin.
“Listen, Delle, I’ll buy you a new one. By Xendia herself, I’ll buy you six. Just let me go and y-you’ll get them by next week.”
“Good try. Ten points for effort. But contrary to what you might have heard, I don’t take bribes. Just cold, hard coin from my boss after I turn you in.” Don’t ask him, don’t ask. “How is Gallian connected to this?” Khegh it!
His face paled. She worried he was going to faint again. She grabbed his arms. “Well?”
“Who?”
“The guns. Were they for Gallian?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know no Gallian. The guns are mine.”
She huffed out a sigh and gestured with a finger for him to turn around. He searched her face and complied. She cuffed him a little harder than she needed to.
“Hey, that hurts!”
“That’s for my shirt. Now shut up,” she said shoving him toward the alley’s end. Mate fell into place beside her. Exhaustion weighed heavily; her muscles ached in places they weren’t supposed to. She stretched her eyes wide and shook her head. Yeah, I need a break.
Tubby glanced down at the huge animal with fear-filled eyes. Mate snarled, exposing his sharp, white teeth.
“Now, don’t do anything stupid, will you? Otherwise my friend here may decide he wants to play fetch with parts of you.” Toni leaned close
to Tubby and whispered, “He sounds kinda playful, doesn’t he?”
Tubby whimpered.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Congratulations.”
Toni stared at her boss through the Blackflame’s viewscreen and wished she could dive into bed. Her gaze drifted to the ugly soldered tear in the wall, its familiar pattern was surprisingly comforting.
Stifling a yawn, she said, “Thanks, Boss. I trust the coin has been sent to my account?”
Zaambuka’s strange gray gaze glinted over the vast light-years. If Toni didn’t know him better, she’d be nervous. Too bad a glare like that was completely wasted on her. She pictured her bed and the smell of fresh linen. Imagined crawling in and lowering her head to the pillow. The fantasy made her lightheaded.
“Ta-ark Drayson is pleased with your capture of Tubby Carltiyu. He’s even offered you a bonus. I told him you couldn’t accept—company policy. He understood.”
“So, what’d ya spend my bonus money on?”
He glared, just as she knew he would. Wrap it up.
“I am certain you retrieved all of the weapons our good friend Tubby was selling. And all of the money.” It wasn’t a question.
“There was money to retrieve as well, Boss?” She was pushing his patience but didn’t care. She was weary in a way she’d never been before. The last two years had been one solid mission after another. True that her determination and, if she was honest, her desperation had fueled those missions. She’d needed to prove herself. And she had. She’d become one of Zaambuka’s top agents, if not the best he had. She was a force to be reckoned with. Now she needed a break. Staring down the barrel of the Tarrelian’s gun made her realize she’d tempted fate one too many times. Her mental exhaustion led to mistakes, and in her line of work mistakes wouldn’t just cost her the case—it would cost her life. Then don’t tell him about Gallian.
