by Nina Croft
“I’ve found the woman,” Zak said, interrupting my happy thoughts with more happy news. Everything was going so well.
“Yolanda?” I said. “Where is she?”
“In a room in the east tower.”
Like I knew where that was. Presumably somewhere east.
“Great,” Killian said. “Well, give our friend directions, and then we’re out of here.” He grabbed my hand. But it wasn’t going to be that easy. I just had to find a way to get Kill to cooperate.
“He’ll never find it,” Zak said. “And there are guards on the door.”
I gave Kill my best pleading puppy dog look, and he sighed. “Okay, we’ll take him there and get rid of the guards. Then we’re leaving. But it’s only because that’s what Ruby wants. For all I care, the whole of Earth and the Federation can go to hell. When did they ever help me?” He sounded bitter. And he was probably right to be bitter. Kill had grown up a slave in a world where it was outlawed, but where no one lifted a finger to stop it.
That had to change. Maybe after all this was over, I could fly about space, righting wrongs, with Kill at my side. We could be space pirates together—just to fund our good deeds, of course.
“I need your ship,” Rekowski said. “I take it you have one.”
“Yeah, and you’re not having her.”
“Mine was damaged on the way here. She won’t make it back to Earth.”
Killian lifted his patch and stared at the other man. “I think you’re mistaking me for someone who gives a shit.” He tugged on my hand, impatient to go. “Never going to happen,” he added for good measure.
I’d been worried, because while part of me wanted to stay with Killian and fly away on the Helldiver right now, another part wanted to see this through to the end. Go back to Earth, make sure Pendleton voted the right way, get my job in the Space Exploration Unit, and help make the universe a better place.
This would put off having to make that decision. It was perfect. Killian could take us all back to Earth.
I also needed to find Sarah. During the piercing session, she had fought back so fiercely that in the end, they had knocked her out. I was guessing she was still in the same room. We could pick her up on the way out, but I’d mention that after we got Yolanda.
I turned to Rekowski. “Offer him some money.”
“What?”
I rolled my eyes. “Pay him to take you back to Earth. I take it you do have funds for this sort of thing.”
Rekowski nodded. “How much?”
I could see that Kill wanted to tell him to piss off. But I also knew how much he needed the money. Presumably he hadn’t been paid for the last job he did, and he’d told me he owed a lot of money to some very bad people.
“Cutting off your nose to spite your face,” I murmured.
His lips twitched, and he leaned across and kissed me quick. “A hundred thousand credits.”
“Twenty.”
“Fifty.”
“Done. Now can we go?”
“Yes, boss.”
Chapter Eight
Killian
Things were actually working out really well.
Too fucking well, a little voice niggled at the back of my mind.
I wasn’t used to things working out; usually around this stage, they all went to crap. But maybe this was the point my life was turning around.
We’d go rescue this Yolanda, I’d fly them back to Earth, get paid, and then me and Ruby could fly away and have some fun.
I’d always had a secret hankering to see Earth. It was where my grandfather had come from after all. He’d probably been one of the first humans to be kidnapped by slavers.
Life with Ruby would never be easy. She had a deep need to save the world. And I had a deep need to have fun and look out for myself and maybe a couple of others. Certainly not the whole world. But I was pretty sure we could come to some sort of compromise.
We followed Zak down the corridor. Late at night, the palace was quiet and we didn’t meet anyone. Zak had said the east tower, and I’d expected she’d be confined in some sort of cell. But as he led us up a spiral staircase, it was clear that this was no prison. The steps were marble, the walls painted deep purple, and matching material draped the windows at each landing. It was a good place to guard someone though. There was only one way out. Prickles ran down my spine as we climbed higher. It would not be a good place to get cornered.
Zak was in the lead, Rekowski next, then Ruby, and me at the rear. Ruby was walking awkwardly, her legs wide. I guessed the clit thing was causing her problems. Maybe I should have removed it, but it hadn’t occurred to me in the cell, and now was not the time.
Finally, Zak raised his hand and halted. He gestured to me to move up to the front, and I came to stand beside him. He nodded, and I took the next few steps and peered around the corner.
Two guards stood in front of a carved wooden door. I drew my pistol as Zak drew his. Together we stepped around the corner, shot at the same time, and the guards dropped to the floor without a sound. I turned to Zak. “Go get the Helldiver, make sure she’s ready for a long trip, and meet us at the rendezvous point.” We’d arranged a contingency plan on the way from Ruby’s cell in case we got separated.
He nodded once then turned to where Ruby hovered behind us. “Look after my friend,” he said.
“I’ll do my best.”
And then he disappeared down the stairs, and I turned my attention back to the door. When I tried the handle, it wasn’t locked, which was a little strange. I’d been expecting to shoot it out, but maybe they considered the guards security enough. I pushed it open and hesitated for a second. But all was quiet, so I stepped into the room. The air was perfumed with some sort of flowery scent. It didn’t smell like any cell I’d ever entered. A couple of lamps glowed dimly in a room dominated by a big bed with posts at the corners and mounds of pillows. In the low light, I could make out a shape beneath the covers, blond hair fanned out on the pillow.
As I moved closer to the bed, the woman stirred and sat up, pushed her hair out of her face, and scowled. “You better have a good reason for—”
She caught sight of me, and her eyes widened. Then her gaze shifted to behind me and something flashed in her expression. While she was certainly beautiful, her eyes were hard.
“Alexi?” she said.
Alexi? I assumed she meant Rekowski. He came to stand beside me.
“Hello, Yolanda.”
“What are you doing here, Alexi?” I tried to analyze her tone. Annoyed more than anything.
“I came to rescue you.”
She peered past him. “What happened to the guards?”
“They’re dead.”
Her brows drew together. This hardly seemed like a reunion of lovers. I looked between the two of them, then to Ruby, who gave a little shrug and stepped closer to me.
Yolanda slipped out of bed. She wore a silk gown that skimmed her long, slender body, and she moved with grace as she crossed the room to Rekowski. Slipping a hand around his neck, she pulled his head down and kissed him. But the move seemed calculated, and there was no real emotion from either of them.
“Nice quarters you’ve got here,” Rekowski said. “For a hostage.”
She lifted her shoulders. “They probably don’t want to antagonize my father more than necessary.”
“The door wasn’t locked.”
She batted her lashes at him. “I was hardly going to get past two great big Groth guards.”
She dropped her hand from his shoulder and stepped back. Her gaze wandered to me, lingered a moment, and then shifted to Ruby at my side. Something wasn’t right. But I couldn’t put my finger on it.
This woman wasn’t reacting like a hostage. Where was the relief? Why wasn’t she all over Rekowski, thanking him for saving her? Why was she living in luxury in an unlocked room?
I was thinking the guards were to protect her rather than keep her in.
Which meant…?
&
nbsp; “Who are your friends, darling?” she asked.
“This is Killian and Ruby,” Rekowski replied. “They helped me get here.”
Her eyes narrowed at Ruby’s name. She opened her mouth, but then somewhere in the distance, the shrill of an alarm rang out.
Shit.
“You have to get out of here,” Yolanda said.
“Don’t you mean we have to get out of here?” Rekowski said.
“I’m not coming.”
What the hell did she mean, she wasn’t fucking coming?
She edged to the side of the room, and just like that, there was a laser pistol in her hand. She was fast.
“Go. Now.” She waved the pistol around. “If you move quickly, you might just make it out.” For the first time, some real emotion showed in her voice. Panic?
“Not without you,” Ruby said. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I did not come all this way just to leave without you. My goddamn nipples have been pierced—I won’t have that for nothing.”
Yolanda cocked her head to one side. “Little Ruby Robbins. They told me you’d been dealt with. It seems not. Haven’t you worked it out yet?”
Why was everyone standing around chatting? We needed to move. My feet were itching to run, but Ruby had that stubborn look on her face. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“At a guess,” Rekowski said, “Yolanda was never kidnapped.”
“Clever darling.” She stepped up to Rekowski and patted him on the cheek. “Now are you going to go before the nasty guards come and capture you?”
Nobody moved and she gritted her teeth, then shrugged. “Oh well, perhaps you can stay here with me then. Once the ban is lifted on trade with the Earth, I’m set to make millions.”
“How?” he asked.
It was an interesting question but the answer could wait. We needed to get out of there and fast. I thought about that narrow stairway. The one exit. I looked around the room, crossed to the window and peered out. We were high up, and the walls were sheer.
“I was approached by someone in the Federation—anonymously,” Yolanda said. “Offered a share if I helped convince my father to vote the right way. I just couldn’t resist.”
What a bitch.
“How did you know about Ruby?” he asked.
“I bugged my father’s office before I left. I gave him a photo. I knew once he got news of my kidnapping, he’d keep it close.”
“He loves you.”
“I know. Anyway, it was easy to sabotage your little plot once I knew about her.”
“You ordered her killed?” I could hear the outrage in my voice.
She shrugged again. “No. Actually, I ordered her taken care of. They were maybe a little…overzealous.”
I gritted my teeth. I so wanted her dead right then.
“And they failed,” Rekowski said. “Here she is.”
She tapped the pistol against her thigh. “Not for long. And that goes for the rest of you. I suggest, if you’re going, you do so. Now.”
Good advice. As Rekowski kept her talking, I edged around so she couldn’t see me directly. Slowly I slipped my pistol from its holster, held it loosely at my side, waiting for the right moment—which had better be soon because time was running out. My finger tightened on the trigger.
Ruby stepped past me before I could stop her. Ignoring the weapon in Yolanda’s hand, she drew back her fist and punched her in the face. Yolanda swayed but didn’t fall.
“I came to rescue you, you greedy bitch.” Ruby turned to Rekowski and stood with her hands on her hips. “And you knew about this. That’s why you didn’t want me to come.”
“I suspected. Unfortunately, I know Yolanda very well. But I wasn’t sure. And I would never have convinced her father, not without proof.”
“Can we go?” I suggested. Quite mildly.
Yolanda wiped the blood from her nose and looked at it. “Good idea. Alternatively, you could stay here.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Maybe Princess Zurian will be merciful. But I wouldn’t guarantee it.”
Neither would I, not after everything Zak had told me about his sister.
I’d rather take my chances. I’d come here to rescue Ruby and no way was I failing. I raised the pistol, and Yolanda’s eyes widened. “Don’t do this,” she said. “Alex, don’t let him.”
“I don’t see how I can stop him.” He turned to me. “Just don’t kill her.”
I was so tempted. The traitorous bitch. But at the last second, I switched the pistol to stun, and shot her in the chest.
She crumpled to the floor. I hurried over, grabbed the pistol from her hand, and gave it to Ruby. She took it gingerly. I turned to Rekowski. “Pick her up.” I certainly wasn’t carrying her. “We need to get out of here.”
He stared for a moment, then bent down and hooked his hands around her waist and tossed her over his shoulder. I led the way out of the room, Ruby so close behind that she banged into me as I paused at the top of the stairs. We made it almost to the bottom before we hit trouble. Booted feet. Lots of them. I halted before the last corner.
“How does this thing work?” Ruby asked, waving the pistol in my face.
I looked at the weapon, flicked the switch to full. “Just press that button.” She bit her lip. “Are you okay?” I asked. “Can you do this?”
“I’ll have to. I can’t carry her.” She nodded at Rekowski with his silk-clad burden. She was right. And I couldn’t get us out of here alone. But I was guessing Ruby had never killed anything before and sometimes a person just couldn’t do it. But we had no choice. “Let’s go.”
She gave a quick nod and together we stepped around the corner. We shot into the mass of guards at the bottom of the stairs, taking them by surprise. This close it was impossible to miss and within seconds they were all down.
Beside me, Ruby kept shooting. Her finger was pressed to the trigger, her eyes tightly closed. I rested a hand on her arm and she blinked, then loosened her grip. “They’re dead,” I said.
“Really? We killed them?”
“We did. Now let’s get out of here.”
Maybe there was a chance. There was an entrance close by. We could be out of here in minutes.
“We have to get Sarah.”
“What?”
“They knocked her out. But I know where she is. We can’t leave her, Killian. They might think she’s involved, torture her…”
Shit. Why did she have to save everyone? Sadly, I knew her well enough by now to understand that she wasn’t going to back down on this. But Rekowski was slowing us down. “Get out of here,” I said to him. “There’s a side entrance that way, one used by the staff. We killed the guards on the way in—presumably that’s what set off the alarms. Go straight to the rendezvous point. We’ll meet you there.” He looked about to argue. “Don’t bother,” I said. “She’s stubborn.”
He studied Ruby for a moment and then nodded and hurried off toward the way out. I so wanted to follow. Instead I turned to Ruby. “Come on, lead the way.”
We’d only gone five minutes when we nearly crashed straight into a whole cohort of soldiers. I shot a couple of blasts, grabbed Ruby’s hand, and dragged her back the way we’d come. We made another detour and nearly slammed into a second group. Running in the opposite direction, I could hear them close behind us.
By this time, I had no clue where we were. I was just running as fast as I could. Ruby was keeping up well, but her breathing was heavy. I tried to remember what Zak had told me about the palace, and when I got the chance, I headed north.
The corridor widened into a huge docking area.
I blasted the lock off the nearest shuttle. Ran up the ramp with Ruby close behind. The room was already filling with soldiers.
I threw myself into the pilot’s seat and smashed my hand on the start-up button.
The engine shuddered to life and within seconds we were in the air, heading straight for the locked docking bay doors.
“Killian, do something. We�
��re going to crash.”
I hit the blasters and the doors exploded in a roar of flames and flying metal. Then we were through and out into the night.
Unfortunately, we weren’t alone. Through the rearview screen, I could see a stream of fighters following in our wake.
I aimed us straight upward into the night sky, and toward the faint glow that heralded the asteroid belt circling the planet. And the asteroid mines where I’d spent my first eighteen years. I hit the forward thrusters and shot into space.
I was heading home.
…
Ruby
This was my fault. I knew it. If I hadn’t insisted we go back for Sarah, we’d probably be safe on the Helldiver by now.
But I couldn’t have done anything different. She was my friend. How could I leave her behind?
My fingers were white on the arms of the seat. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the screen showing what looked like hundreds of ships following us. Occasionally, a shot would flare out from one of them, but Killian managed to keep us far enough out of range that they didn’t hit.
But how long could we keep going?
The ship was small. I was guessing she was some sort of short-range fighter. Certainly she wasn’t going to get us back to Earth.
“How far can we go?” I asked and was glad my voice didn’t shake. I didn’t want Killian to know how scared I was.
“Not far. But we’re heading over there.”
He pointed to the other screen, at a band of what looked like small planets or huge rocks. They glowed with a faint orange light and did not look friendly. “Where is that?”
“The asteroid mines. I know my way around. We’ll find somewhere to hide up.”
It sounded like a plan. I took a few deep calming breaths. We would be okay. Killian would save us.
My thoughts drifted to Yolanda Pendleton. What a bitch. But the mission hadn’t been a total waste. Hopefully Rekowski would get her back in time for the vote. It didn’t matter if she had been kidnapped or not. What mattered was that her father would vote the right way. I’d seen the universe now. No way was Earth ready to be part of that. They’d tear us into pieces, take anything of any value, and dump the rest. But that wouldn’t happen now.
