Ricochet

by Sandra Sookoo

  “Get down, woman.” His eyes snapped open and focused on one of the buildings behind her. A string of curses followed the command. His left shoulder hung at an odd angle. “Chaf’s hiding in there, with a gun trained on both of us.”

  “And your point would be what?” She half turned, scanning the ruins, but didn’t see their quarry.

  “The fucking idiot dislocated my left shoulder during our last scuffle. If he opens fire, I’ll have a hard time getting away.”

  “Are you sure?” After another sweep of the area, she gave him her attention, for the first time taking in the beads of sweat coating his upper lip and forehead, the agony embedded in his brown eyes.

  He struggled into a sitting position. “No, I’m telling you a tale so you’ll go all girlie and start quivering in fear. Then you’ll try to patch the hero up and you’ll sleep with me again.”

  “Not happening anytime soon, Ace.” Obviously she’d missed the injury. What kind of person overlooks that her partner has taken a hit? She needed to get her head back in the game, only now the risks were way too high. Willa licked her dry lips. “Sorry about your shoulder.” She gestured at him. His left arm hung at an awkward angle.

  “It happens.” Pain clouded his face. “Do me a favor and get behind that crumbled wall. The bastard took my weapon, so you’ll have to give me yours.”

  “Your first mistake? Thinking you have the right to tell me what to do.” Better to hide her feelings behind the familiar. “Fuck it, I’ve lost sight of them.” In the time she’d been conversing with Stratton, the Caringa had gone missing. That didn’t bode well. A swelling cheer rose on the air. The first race pair must have reached the finish line. Her heart sank a tiny bit. She and Stratton would be lucky to see the finish line anytime soon. No time for weakness.

  “Willa, he’ll blow you away. Hide your ass, now.”

  She ignored his command in order to concentrate on her thoughts. “Your second mistake? Thinking I’ll listen.” Something wasn’t right about this situation, but what?

  As she pondered, a pair of racers jogged over to them. A red, bony ridge along their foreheads and dual nostrils on each side of their noses proclaimed them to be from the Andrigal species. The female frowned at Stratton, then Willa. “Do you require assistance?”

  Willa shook her head. “No. We’ve got it covered, but thank you.” She waved them off. “Just tying up a few loose ends here. No big deal.”

  Both members of the team nodded. They loped away from the area, and Willa heard the male say, “I will never understand the workings of the humanoid mind.”

  Stratton covered a chuckle with a weak cough. “Way to strengthen race relations, kita.”

  She ignored him. Under cover of the crowds and their conversation, she heard it—the unmistakable whir of a charging HEPP. “Get the hell down and stay there.” Leaning over, she shoved Stratton face-first into the dust, despite his cry of rage or pain.

  “Damn it, I’m wounded.” The dirt muffled his protest.

  “Don’t care. I’m trying to keep your ass from taking another hit or being killed. Give me a little credit.” Keeping an eye on the building, she gripped her HEPP in both hands. Either she or Stratton would get shot or Chaf would. No one would come out unscathed now. “Chaf, you big prick, show yourself and surrender like a man.” Her command rang clear in the deserted street. “I have things to do.”

  She ducked as a flash of laser fire whizzed over her head. “I think I hate that guy more than I don’t like you.” When Stratton attempted to rise, Willa moved slightly and pressed a knee into the small of his back. “I said stay down.”

  “You don’t own me, woman.” But he remained down, whether from her order or from the pain that rendered him helpless, she had no idea.

  “Good thing, since I’d bring you to heel in a heartbeat.” Another blast of laser fire came their way. She covered his body with hers as best she could. “That man is mine.” Come out, come out, wherever you are, you bastard. She caught sight of Chaf in a rotted doorway, his HEPP leveled directly at her. Standing slowly, her muscles screaming, she took aim. She didn’t know what his crimes were or what had made Stratton chase him. She had no idea whose story was right. At this point, she didn’t care.

  Chaf’s shot was wild and missed her. She ducked for cover behind a large piece of rusting metal.

  “You’ll have to do better than that, jackass!”

  His assault brought her ire to the boiling point. He’d fired on both of them with the intent to kill, and for that, he’d pay. Unexpectedly, her father’s words popped into her brain. Be swift and sure. Wait for the moment. You might not have a second chance. She nodded, ready.

  As soon as she peeked out of her hiding spot, Chaf fired. Willa felt the heat from the laser and heard a high-pitched hum, but it didn’t hit her. The first shot zipped by her ear. She focused her concentration on him. Ducking down, she snuck a glance at Stratton. For once, the man had obeyed an order.

  She jumped out of hiding once more. “Better have some last words ready.” His second shot connected. Hot pain ripped through the fleshy part of her right shoulder, singeing the slick suit. Willa didn’t give it a thought or glance. There’d be plenty of time for that. The smell of burned skin assailed her nose. She gagged and breathed through her mouth. Her index finger caressed the trigger.

  “Fire, Willa. You’ve been messing around long enough.”

  She took refuge behind the cover. “I need a clean shot.”

  Stratton rose to his knees beside her. “He’s toying with you and won’t miss the next time.”

  “Neither will I.”

  “Then take him out, but don’t kill him. I need him alive.”

  “No guarantees.” A cold grin curled her lips. She stepped away from the barrier. “I only need the one shot.” Willa narrowed her eyes and took aim. Her heartbeat counted down the indelible seconds that separated life from death.

  Then she squeezed the trigger.

  Chaf staggered from the doorway with an expression of surprise. His HEPP fell from his hand to clatter on the stone entryway. A dark hole marred his chest as blood seeped into the blue fabric of his uniform, directly over his heart. As if his lifeless legs couldn’t support his dead weight any longer, he crumpled to the ground and didn’t move again.

  When her hand shook, she reholstered the gun. “You can go ahead and take Chaf’s body wherever it is you need to. He’s not a threat anymore.”

  “You killed him!” Indignation propelled each word like a cannon. “What part of ‘I need him alive’ did you not understand?”

  “I did what I needed to.” Willa swung around, hands on her hips. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her arm. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we were being fired upon.”

  “He would have eventually given up.” Finally on his feet, Stratton cradled his useless arm against his body with his good hand. “Now, thanks to you, I won’t get paid. In case you didn’t know, the Alliance won’t pay for dead bodies.”

  “Well, excuse me. I guess I’m not the super-special bounty hunter you are, so I have no right to make a choice, huh? Guess you’ll have to overlook the fact I did it to save your hide.” Even though she’d learned how to shoot and defend herself, she’d never ended anyone’s life. The fact she’d made her first kill sat like rancid meat in her stomach.

  Stratton stared at her, his jaw working, yet uttering no words.

  She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “I can’t believe I did that. Like I need more baggage to carry around.” The laser wound burned, but she couldn’t build enough courage to look at it. “Listen, it was a split-second decision. I could let you die, or I could save your life. Guess I chose wrong.” Once again, something she’d done wasn’t good enough for the man in her life. Willa lifted her chin as she stared Stratton down. “I’m going to the finish line. Take care.” Turning her back on him, she strode along the dusty street toward the colorful crowds.

  She was done trying to please th
e males of the species. The new chapter in her life had begun, and she intended to see where it led. Of course, how she’d get started was a mystery, but she’d deal with it like everything else. Head on. There was no other option.

  “Wait.”

  Despite her annoyance with him, she turned around. “What now? You want to degrade me for doing what I thought was right? I don’t shoot like a man? What?”

  “Willa…” He extended a hand, then drew it back with a grimace. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

  “No shit.”

  A slow smile slid over Stratton’s mouth, the grin that played havoc with her insides and sent molten heat surging between her thighs. “So, are we going to finish the damned race or not? If you wait any longer, we’ll be out of contention.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I think another team is bearing down.”

  As apologies went, she’d never heard a better one. Maybe the new chapter would include him for a while. She peered into the distance to where he’d indicated. Sure enough, the dark silhouettes of a team appeared at the end of the street. “I thought you didn’t care about the Nebulon Trike?”

  Stratton shrugged. A genuine groan of pain escaped him. He clutched his bad arm close to his chest. “Hey, I intend to collect on your promises. That is, once someone pops this shoulder back into its joint.”

  “I guess if we’re stopping by a medical facility, I could get my arm patched. Hard to keep up in the sack with an open wound. Come on.” Pretending her cheeks were burning from the high sun, she began the trek along the road again, this time with Stratton struggling beside her.

  Once they entered the crowd-lined section of streets, there was no opportunity for conversation. Hands patted them, people embraced them, escorting them along the raceway. Stratton’s soft curses and admonitions to “watch the arm” kept them company the whole way. Beings of all races cheered them on. Much as it had at the starting point, her universal translator caught almost every comment and statement. Colorful sponsor banners waved and danced in the breeze. Holographic triangles fluttered between the ruins, depicting ship owners and individual racing teams.

  A wave of peace passed over her and helped her cope with the shivers of pain. This is where I belong. In the middle of all this chaos, with everyone here for one common purpose. Support and pride. Racing. Space travel. I love it.

  Willa’s heartbeat increased in time to the chants of encouragement. She ignored the screaming pain in her shoulder as best she could. Her mouth grew dry as each step brought her closer to the goal she’d so desperately chased for the last week and a half. With Chaf out of the race and dead and his partner missing, how many teams had walked this very road while she and Stratton had fought?

  After everything she’d lived through and experienced, did it matter where she’d placed?

  Honestly? No. Racing was in her blood and would be until she died.

  “Hell, kita, you’re slowing us down with the daydreaming.” Stratton’s clipped whine cut into her thoughts. “Podium’s ahead with that short guy who read the pairings at the beginning.”

  She blew a strand of hair from her face. If Stratton did stay in the picture, she might die sooner than later. “Suck it up.” Without thinking, she punched his shoulder. When his knees buckled, her stomach bottomed out. She went to his other side and slid an arm around his waist, wincing when his fingers squeezed at her wound. “Sorry. I forgot, but look, we’re here.”

  At the end of the road, a three-level podium stood, made of metal-grate blocks. Screaming crowds surrounded the platform as well as a black square in front of it where two officials from the racing league waited. Two teams already occupied the top tiers of the platform. The one in the second slot was the team who’d offered their assistance earlier.

  “Fuck.” The word flew out of her mouth before Willa could call it back.

  “We finished. Your turn to suck it up.” He pulled her onto the mat with his good hand. “Team Sinnet checking in.”

  “Uh, Team Rayes, you mean,” Willa interjected.

  The short man nodded. “Stratton and Willa, you’re team number three. You have won free registration for the next race on the circuit should you choose to continue. Please take your place on the podium.”

  Willa felt Stratton’s ire long before it materialized as words. She yanked him onto the lowest square, grasping the front of his slick gear in her fist. “Don’t say it.”

  “Say what?” He stood slightly behind her as the racing official began his closing remarks.

  “How cheated you feel, how wrong it is that we didn’t win a prize purse.” She sucked in a breath when Stratton began stroking his fingers up and down her back. For the life of her, she had no idea what the racing league official said, her concentration was that scattered.

  Stratton’s breath warmed her ear. “I was going to say that since I’ve met you, I’ve been cheated out of piloting great ships, had my cash stolen, been thwarted from winning big money hauls or even doing my job. You shot my bounty dead in the street, you managed to wreck every piece of crap we piloted, and beyond that, you’ve tried to control me. If you were me, what would you say?”

  “None of it was my fault. I was just doing my job too.” She fought the urge to really lay into him. Everything he’d said was true, albeit by circumstances beyond her control. As she opened her mouth to protest, an overwhelming truth hit her. Everything she’d gone through had been out of her control. She had no part in steering her fate, except for going back for Stratton on the ice planet. That had been her own decision, no one else’s. What was more, she got through every part, and each one gave her a new understanding of herself.

  I survived!

  “Thanks to you.” Slowly, she turned to face Stratton, regardless of their precarious position or her aching flesh wound.

  “You need to fill me in on the conversation with your invisible friends.” His voice was little more than a growl. “I’m confused.”

  “Am I happy with our ranking? Yes and no, but the key here is we finished. All thanks to you. Before I met you, I’d be hanging my head in shame because of this. Now, I’m proud we’re here. Damn, we’ve run through three ships. It’s a wonder we’re in one piece.” Her gaze fell to his drooping shoulder. Finally, she looked at her own wound, wrinkling her nose at the mess of blood and charred racing suit. “Well, mostly.”

  “And your point? You’re running your yap, but I’m not hearing results.” Pain settled into lines around his eyes and mouth.

  She deserved the twinge of guilt. The guy had to be almost dying. “What would you say to making use of the free registration for next month’s race? If I could get my father to spring for a ship, we’d have a shot.” Surely her father would cooperate if he knew what she’d gone through. Hell, even if he didn’t, maybe she and Stratton could somehow secure a loan, borrow a ship, do some sort of equity work in exchange… Willa reined in her wild thoughts. It all depended on his agreement. Without Sin, the plans would never come to fruition. “Since we work so well together, we’d have an advantage over the rest.” She held her breath as he regarded her.

  “I can’t think of a reason why not, except you might get your pretty ass hauled to the nearest spaceport for questioning, since you did kill a guy.”

  “That was in self-defense.”

  One of his eyebrows rose. “Was it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, and you did steal a ship, then proceeded to destroy that sweet piece of equipment. There might be charges.”

  “Maybe so. I’ll just have to fight them.” Her heart pounded. “About the next race?”

  “Is it because you want to manage the both of us?”

  “No.” When he remained silent, she smacked his shoulder. “Damn it, say something!”

  “Woman, I’ll do the next race if you’ll stop hitting me in my bad arm. Better yet, get a new habit.” Some of the pain vanished with his grin. “What was I thinking, getting involved with a pushy, controlling, bad-tempere
d—”

  “Is that a yes or a no?”

  “Hard to say. Are you going to accept life from this moment forward on faith, or will you try to orchestrate it in your favor?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Hell, yes. I’m of the opinion I’d rather go where fate takes us. Plenty of trouble and bounty to be had that way.” The sexy grin that melted her bones made an appearance. “Besides, none of your plans have turned out well. It’s my turn to come up with a plan.”

  “Shut up, Sin.” Sliding her good arm around his neck, she tugged his head down and kissed him. Just let him lust after a new partner after this. Familiar heat built in her core, pulsing and ebbing outward until her body heated and need tickled low in her belly.

  He pulled away first, slightly winded. No one in the crowd paid them attention, as they were wildly cheering for whatever the racing official had said. “I bet we could con the folks at the medical facility into giving us a private room.” His eyes darkened with an emotion bordering on love, well past affection.

  “Yeah?” She forgot how to breathe for a moment.

  “Afterward, I’d like to track down a guy who owes me a favor. He might be able to score us a ship. That way we won’t be dependent on your father’s charity, if he would even grant it.”

  “Fine, but I’m the pilot.” She didn’t protest when he caressed her breast under the cover of their embrace.

  “Wrong, kita. You’re the female, which means you’ll always be the nav. I thought I made this clear the last time around.”

  Willa rolled her eyes. It took all her patience not to shove him off the podium. “You’re lucky I’ve got a thing for you.” Instead, she pulled him close again, despite his hiss of pain-filled breath or the agony in her arm. “And I thought we’d worked through your arrogant chauvinist issues.”