Cut and Run: From the Athena Lee Universe (Smuggle Life Book 3)

by T S Paul

  Steve wove the truck in and out of the back streets. He wasn’t taking the most direct route in case the pirate had more men and followed him. He worried that he was throwing Lindsey and Rea around in the rear, but that couldn’t be avoided. Speed was important, and Parker navigated next to Steve, giving rapid-fire directions from her hand-held computer.

  “I can’t believe we got away,” the kid said.

  Steve shrugged. The pirate had to escape too. That was the name of the game on planetside. When dealing with criminals, avoiding the police and knowing when they would arrive was key.

  That had been their saving grace and one that Steve had planned on. An assault would draw attention, and Aldis was supposed to contact the police for them if they hadn’t already heard.

  Once Steve was sure he had distance between Roberts and the police, he slowed and drove the truck with ease. They needed to arrive at the Rossi and leave Mars as soon as possible. Plus, they had to find out how Roberts knew they were here. If Roberts knew, there was a good chance that Drake did too.

  That sent a chill down Steve’s spine. He didn’t like the idea of Drake knowing they were on Mars.

  Chapter Nine

  Back at the ship, they unloaded the cargo and waited for their legitimate cargo to arrive. That was the key to being a good smuggler. One hidden cargo and a legitimate contracted cargo as a cover. They were scheduled to transport parts for smaller space vessels to New Reno. It would be their first trip back since Taylor had been kidnapped. Rea hadn’t told anyone on the ship that was their destination. Only Nicole knew.

  Rea feared the others might not be as keen on going. It was a painful memory for all of them outside of Cody, who had never met Taylor. The new member was a good guy, but he was still getting to know the others.

  Rea was glad he was here. He would help a lot with the new cargo. It was more his and Lindsey’s area of expertise.

  The team got the stuff off from the truck and into the secret cargo hold on the Rossi just in time before the cover shipment arrived.

  Steve left to get rid of the cargo truck, and the legal cargo arrived on an even bigger truck. It would take hours to unload and fill the Rossi. Watching the workers unload it bored Rea. She was glad the contractor had paid men to unload and stow it on the ship. Her team was too small to do this.

  She typically tried to keep their cargo small. Having too much slowed them, but with this being Mars, it was tough to get a load at all. Nicole had lined it up, and this was the best she could do. In reality, it was going to make them good money. Both loads paid well. Not as great as the money Drake promised them, but enough that Rea was pleased.

  As the workers finished loading, the Rossi’s crew went into prep mood for takeoff. That was when the inspector arrived. Rea groaned. No cargo ship liked to see inspectors. They hampered the shipping industry. It felt like their sole purpose was to annoy ship captains.

  Rea loathed them with a passion. This one was just slightly shorter than her with an angular face that held a terrible mustache. He did not seem happy he had to look up at her.

  They stood off to the side of the ship watching the workers. Rea was ready for this to be done and to leave.

  “Captain Dodge,” he said, “I see that you are scheduled to depart this evening.”

  The captain nodded. “We are.”

  “Only here for a day. Interesting.”

  Rea crinkled her nose. That was typical for cargo ships. “My norm. As much as I would like to be here longer.”

  “I see.”

  “What can I do for you?” Rea knew he would want to go on the ship and check that the cargo they had loaded matched their paperwork.

  “Have your ship emptied of the crew, and I will check it out.”

  “Roger.”

  Again, standard procedure. Rea contacted them, and they all exited it and went to the waiting area that was next to the ship as the man boarded the Rossi.

  “I hate this,” Steve said. The Marine never liked it when people were on the ship, and he couldn’t watch him.

  Nicole was able to monitor him with her connection to the ship. She provided updates as he went. The man was actually fairly fast, on and off the Rossi in thirty minutes, never leaving the main cargo bay. That was just the type of inspector Rea liked, the kind who would let them get back to the prep and leave.

  “Clean ship,” the mustached man said. He smiled and handed Rea the paperwork that said she had been cleared.

  “Thank you.”

  This was one of the less intense inspections she had ever had. Maybe that wasn’t such a good thing after all. Rea didn’t like it. She couldn’t help but fear that it might lead to trouble later.

  Nicole’s warning sounded loud in her head. Both the Navy and pirates wanted the cargo they were smuggling.

  So far, they had already dealt with one pirate. She hoped they wouldn’t have to fight off the Navy. They were more difficult to handle. She knew all too well what they would do to her. Her naval assignment had been to lock up smugglers and send them off to the Empire. Once there, they would be sentenced to years in prison. While the Navy didn’t hate smugglers as much as pirates, they still weren’t fans.

  Two hours later, and the ship was ready to leave Mars space. Rea longed to stay and hoped someday to come back. For now, they needed to head to New Reno and find out more about Drake and Taylor.

  Chapter Ten

  Steve walked into the bridge space as they left Mars. Like the rest of the crew, he wouldn’t have minded another day on the planet. Unfortunately, between the attack and the mission, they were out of time. Rea still hadn’t told him or anyone else where they were heading.

  Her secrecy troubled Steve, but he wouldn’t say anything about it. She was the captain and their boss. If she didn’t tell them their destination, there was a reason for it. The Marine would follow his orders and do as he was told.

  Rea, Aldis, and Cody were on the bridge. This was the normal crew these days. Parker might or might not be here. Tonight, she was working with Lindsey on the engines. Takeoff was the most stressful time for the engineer. She had to make sure all was ready and up to making the jump.

  Aldis turned and nodded at Steve. Then, he asked Rea, “Destination?”

  Rea was silent for a moment. She looked at Aldis and Steve. “New Reno.”

  Steve’s jaw dropped. That was the last place he thought they would be going. Well, not the last place but one of them, right next to New Detroit or Celtica. Both of those were on the bottom. So was any place he thought the war was raging.

  “Did I hear you right?” Steve was in shock hearing the newest destination.

  “You did. We are going to New Reno.”

  “Roger,” Aldis said. They were slowly moving away from Mars and getting to a safe distance to jump.

  New Reno was not a terrible place, and before Taylor’s kidnapping, the Marine actually liked to go there. Now, he wasn’t so sure. The memory of his failure still bothered him. It didn’t matter that Taylor had gone to a bad section of the city or that he refused to let any of the Rossi join him.

  Steve felt like he had let the man down, and now, he was a prisoner. If he was still alive. Steve hoped that he was.

  The Rossi flew and was arriving at the jump coordinates. Aldis contacted Lindsey to ensure it was ready to make the jump. She had several checks before every jump. They always passed, but if they didn’t check, then jumped, and something went wrong, they would die.

  At least, that was what Lindsey said. Steve believed her. She had no reason to lie about it. It had been the same on the Navy ships too.

  Just as they were about to jump, they were hailed. Great, Steve thought.

  Aldis turned to Rea.

  “Answer.”

  Steve didn’t like that. All he wanted to do was jump. The last few times they had answered a hail, it hadn’t gone well for them. The last one started the whole Drake job and then Roberts. And those weren’t really the only times they had recently.<
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  The screen turned on and standing in front of them was Roberts. The kid pirate was smug, and he wasn’t alone. Next to him was Drake. That didn’t surprise Steve one bit. Drake had to be the one who knew where they were. Drake had to have some kind of hack on their ship. Nicole swept it on a regular basis, but maybe she had missed something.

  Though Steve wasn’t about to point that out to her. She was very confident in her ability to find bugs. She had found several listening devices the first time she had searched. Every pass since had turned up nothing, and until now, Steve had figured there wasn’t anything.

  Though part of the reason that Drake might know everything was that he had been the one setting it all up. He had been using them to get what he wanted. It infuriated Steve to no end that Drake was pulling their strings. He needed to be handled and soon.

  “Sister,” Drake said.

  Rea’s jaw clenched, and her hands tightened into a fist. Turning white, she was angry, furious just as Steve was. Rea at times was easy to read, and this was one of them.

  “Drake,” she said, her voice harsh and nasty. “What do you want?”

  “Your cargo.”

  How he knew what they had Steve wasn’t sure. Though if he arranged for it, he might know.

  Steve wanted to jump through the screen and punch him in the jaw. Too bad teleportation didn’t exist. At least to the Marine’s knowledge it didn’t. Sure would be nice if it did. He would be on the pirate’s vessel smacking him in the chops. That smirk needed to be wiped off.

  “Not happening.” Rea folded her arms across her chest. She stood tall and firm, but the Marine knew she was shaking in her boots.

  “Both of them.” Drake’s smirk grew. “I know you have two. I want both.”

  “That doesn’t change anything.”

  Rea really didn’t seem to care that he wanted both, but to Steve, that mattered. He wanted the parts and the illegal stuff. Roberts had already made a move on the one. Steve wondered if he had moved too early.

  The young pirate didn’t appear to be comfortable with Drake. The gap between them spoke of tension and distrust.

  Steve walked next to Rea and nodded.

  “Ah. The brute,” Drake said.

  Steve let the comment go and watched Roberts. He was just as uneasy as they were. Drake was forcing him and making his life hell, or that was what it looked like to Steve.

  “Roberts, you should get away from Drake while you can,” Steve suggested.

  Rea gave Steve a sideways glance but remained silent. Roberts looked surprised to be addressed. Steve continued, “I’m going to take out Drake. He is using you. Get away while you can. Back off now, and I’ll let you live the next time I see you.”

  “And if I don’t?” Roberts asked. It was a weak question, though he tried to sound confident.

  Steve didn’t want to say what he was going to. This was something he didn’t want to do especially after New Philly and governors aid. In reality, it was an empty threat, but Robert wouldn’t know that. “I’ll kill you.”

  Roberts gulped. “So will he.”

  The kid was a goner no matter what. Steve pitied him. “Sorry, kid. Poor choice.”

  Roberts hung his head. “Try to get free.”

  “You shut your brute up, sister.”

  Steve had angered Drake. That had been part of his goal, and it had worked. Steve had learned more about the kid and Drake. Now, Aldis just needed to jump. There was a chance that they wouldn’t get too far. Drake had to know where they where they were going.

  “I hate to interrupt,” Aldis said, “but Empire Navy ships approaching. They are armed.”

  Drake heard it too. “Next time, sister.”

  The screen went blank.

  Rea turned to Aldis. “Get us out of here before they lock us in.”

  “Roger.”

  A second later, they jumped toward New Reno and their mission.

  Chapter Eleven

  They had managed to get away from Drake for the time being, but that didn’t really please Rea all that much. Sure, they were safe and sound, but Steve was right about one thing. Drake knew where they were going and what they had.

  Their job wasn’t going to be easy. For once, Rea wanted a job to go smooth. To be Drake free. Her undead brother was a pain in her butt.

  Rea stood on the bridge with Cody. The others had left, but he was working the overnight shift. It was late. The ship really could fly itself at times, but Cody seemed to like to be here.

  “You okay?” Cody asked.

  “Not really. Drake is pissing me off.”

  “I can tell.” The pudgy man stood. “I’m new here and haven’t really gotten to know everyone, but I can see that Drake has gotten under all your skins. Might be time to get under his.”

  Rea had thought about that a lot, but she just didn’t know how to. “If I knew, I would.”

  “Let me help. I have contacts. People.”

  “We’ve searched a lot of databases. There isn’t much information on him.”

  “The people I’m talking about, they don’t write stuff down. It’s all word of mouth.”

  Rea didn’t like that at all. Drake was bad enough. She wanted to find both her brother and the lady behind it all. She was the real problem. “Try to find this woman and why she wants us.”

  “I’m on it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem, Captain. Another suggestion?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sleep.”

  Rea laughed. “Not a bad idea.”

  <<<>>>

  The next morning, Rea woke refreshed. The only bad thing for her was that she wasn’t on Mars. She feared that she would never see it again. That pained her. Mars had been everything she had ever dreamed of and more. While she hadn’t ventured far around the planet or even the city. It had been the most amazing place in the Empire. The people and places were so old, so majestic.

  In her private quarters, Rea stood and went to her wall. The bowl and plate were the prize pieces on it. Next to them were a few of other pieces from Mars and from her home planet.

  But the stuff from Earth were the real jewels. Even if Rea had no desire to return to Earth, she still longed to understand it. She wanted to know why they had first left home and now why they attacked her own colonies. That intrigued her. The captain’s mind was one that tried to understand the world around her.

  She also enjoyed the small beauties of the world like the plate and bowl. She could sit here and stare at them all day and night. Unfortunately, she was the boss, and stuff had to be done. The ship might be able to fly itself for the most part, but she still had to keep the crew in line.

  After dressing and leaving her quarters, Rea walked the corridor. First stop, the bridge. She needed to see when they would arrive at New Reno.

  On the bridge, Aldis was talking with Cody. They were checking for their arrival.

  “ETA?” Rea asked.

  “Tonight.”

  “Good.”

  The jumps were what really mattered. Rea left the bridge and ran into the engineer, who seemed distracted.

  “You okay?” Rea asked.

  Lindsey looked up. “Oh. I’m fine. Just running some numbers through my head.”

  It wasn’t like the engineer to be so distracted.

  “You and Steve doing well?”

  Lindsey smiled. “We are great. Just ready to get to New Reno. Mars wasn’t a place I wanted to go.”

  Rea knew that Lindsey’s family had some runs on Mars. She had stayed on the ship just in case they wanted her or tried to arrest her for her father’s crimes.

  “Good.”

  Lindsey wondered off, lost in her own thoughts. Rea shook her head.

  Parker appeared from around the next corner. “Captain,” the kid said.

  “Parker, what’s up?”

  The young girl shrugged. “Nothing much. Just trying to find a place for me.”

  Rea felt for the girl. At times, the
kid acted like she wanted Rea to tell her what to do and others not so much. The captain wasn’t going to tell her. The young woman needed to figure it out on her own.

  Chapter Twelve

  Parker walked the halls of the Rossi. She had just left the captain who appeared to be lost in her own world. All Parker wanted to do was find her place. She was the only one who hadn’t. The rest had a defined role or roles.

  What Parker needed to know wasn’t too much to ask for. All she desired was to know the future. There was only one person on the ship who might be able to help that. With that as her new mission, Parker went in search of Nicole.

  If anyone on the ship would be able to tell her what to do, where she belonged, it was the CATT. Nicole had access to so much information, and when she shared it, it was invaluable. Parker hoped Nicole would share just a little with her.

  The CATT could be elusive on the ship when she wanted to be. Parker searched for over an hour before she found Nicole. She sat in the empty gym, which was a strange location for her to be, licking her paws.

  The CATT looked up at her as she entered. “Took you long enough to find me.”

  Parker groaned. It wasn’t like the CATT needed to work out. She was a robotic cat, not a human. She didn’t have the same needs as humans. Or regular cats for that matter.

  “You knew I was going to look for you?”

  Nicole stopped licking her paws and walked to Parker. “My boss told me you would.”

  Parker wasn’t sure how Rea knew she would or if that was even who Nicole meant. The way the CATT said it, she was speaking about a powerful person. Not that Rea wasn’t powerful, she was, but not like that. Nicole did not acknowledge Rea or anyone on the ship as her boss.

  “Okay. Sure. Does the boss know what I want?”

  “To know the future.”

  Parkers jaw dropped. That couldn’t be. This proved that Nicole could help her. She could tell Parker what she wanted to know and aid her in her quest to fit in. Parker could have a real job here and be a true part of the Rossi. Not that she wasn’t a member already, but she was looking for a real and needed position to fill. Parker wanted something more for her life.