Lunar Heat: 1 (The Heat Series)

by Susan Kearney

  “Time to land.” The co-pilot turned around and pointed a laser gun at Cade. He held up a needle in his other hand. “Sleep time.”

  51

  Cade never knew what woke him up, but he suspected the slight change in gravitational pull as the ship left the wormhole and entered normal space might have triggered him back to consciousness. Restraining a groan as he opened and closed the fingers of his cramped and cuffed hands, Cade peeked beneath his eyelids.

  Shara lay next to him on the cold metal floor of Jamar’s cargo hold. She still slept, her breathing light and even.

  Relief went through him. From what he could see, Jamar had drugged her, not hurt her.

  Their cell was simple: four metal walls, a metal floor, and a metal ceiling. There were two vents in the ceiling to circulate air. The door, locked and guarded by two men, was clear, heavy duty plastic. No way could he break it.

  From the empty ache in his stomach, he guessed Jamar must have kept them knocked out for at least one full day, maybe two. For what Cade had in mind, as much as he needed food, he required salt even worse.

  The guards paid no attention to them. Their gazes focused on a portal where the moon shined in, and the lunar cities under large clear domes on the surface twinkled with lights.

  Hands cuffed behind him, Cade rolled onto his side and edged a hand into Shara’s pocket. She muttered and shifted away from him, restless in sleep. He just moved with her. And found several pieces of salt. It took a bit of maneuvering, but he managed to place them on the floor and suck them into his mouth. He welcomed the immediate surge of energy flooding in.

  With a quick flex of his wrists, he snapped free of the handcuffs. But he kept his wrists pressed together and awkwardly rolled back next to Shara.

  “Wake up.”

  She didn’t move. Careful to keep his hands hidden from the guards, he massaged her arm and neck. “Come on. Wake up for me. Please.”

  Nothing.

  The ship braked into its orbit. Cade had to make his move now. But no way in hell was he leaving Shara behind. Carrying her and fighting two guards was simply not a viable option.

  “Shara, wake up.”

  Lightly, he smoothed his hands though her hair. Lifted her head, kissed her lips. But she was out cold.

  Jamar would soon arrive, and Cade cursed. As the ship’s engines downshifted, Cade knew their time to escape was running out.

  “Damn it, Shara. Open your eyes.”

  Her eyes opened, but the look was vacant. Was it the drugs that were still in her system?

  Stars! His Quait had kicked in. “Sit up.”

  She rolled to her side, and he helped her sit. Then he pulled her to her feet. She swayed, her face blank of all expression.

  And then suddenly, her lips tightened, confusion washed into her gorgeous eyes. He rubbed her arms with brisk strokes. “We’re on Jamar’s ship. He’s holding us in this cell, and I need you to be ready to move.”

  “I feel odd.” She looked up at him, confused and now alert.

  “I used Quait to wake you up.”

  “Good. Let’s get the hell out of here. Be ready for my distraction.”

  Cade nodded and placed his hands behind his back as if still handcuffed.

  Shara immediately began her distraction. She stepped right up to the door and spoke directly to one of their captors. “Please, let me go. You do recognize me, don’t you? I’m Shara Weston, the actress. I’m a wealthy woman, and I can pay you a million credits.”

  “Sorry.” The man stepped forward though as if he wanted to get closer to her.

  Shara edged right up against the cell’s barrier and included the other man in her glance. “All right. Two million. You’d both be rich.”

  While she distracted the men, Cade moved closer, as if interested in listening to what she had to say. With both men armed, he focused his Quait on the lock.

  Firsts could manipulate small objects with their minds. He focused on the mechanism. Picturing a key in the lock, he made the mental image sharp and clear. Then with a mental shove, he turned the key and coughed twice, to cover the sound and signal Shara to keep talking.

  The locked popped open.

  So far, so good.

  “Lady, our boss would kill us if we let you out, and we can’t spend your credit if we’re dead.”

  No underfirst could break out of this cell. Cade tensed, gathered his strength, and kicked the door so hard, it flew open. The first guard began to pull his weapon. Cade knocked it from his hand.

  Then all hell broke loose.

  52

  Stumbling through the cell’s door, Shara threw her arms around the guard. The astonished man suddenly found her chest pressed against his, her thigh in his crotch, and her mouth against his neck.

  Over the guard’s shoulder, Shara glimpsed Cade kicking the second man in a move that caused the gun to tumble and spin across the ship’s corridor. Cade moved in fast, but, with a curse, his attacker pulled a blade from his sleeve.

  Shara’s throat went dry in fear. When Cade’s opponent didn’t try to stab but sliced back and forth—a technique she’d seen stuntmen use in the holovids that indicated the guy knew how to handle a weapon—her pulse rocketed up another notch.

  Unarmed, Cade circled warily.

  Shara knew within seconds the second guard’s confusion would end, and he’d draw his gun and shoot either Cade, her, or both of them.

  Heart hammering, she could think of only one way to stop him. She pulled back from their semi-embrace, then slammed her body into his.

  Surprised, off balance, he clutched at her and toppled backward.

  She fell right on top of him. The air whooshed out of his chest with a soft oof. He landed on the hard metal deck and softened her spill as she descended on top of him.

  His head thunked on the decking, and his eyes glazed over.

  She didn’t wait for him to come to, immediately ramming her knee into his groin. An odd screech squeaked from his throat. His pupils rolled back into his head.

  Awkwardly, she searched the unconscious man’s pockets for the handcuff keys.

  She heard Cade curse, looked up to see his opponent slash the knife at his neck. Her heart leapt up her throat. Cade shifted, and the blade narrowly missed his neck, instead catching his upper arm. He hissed in pain, and blood welled through the tear in his shirt.

  The guard laughed. “Come on, tough guy.”

  Cade circled warily, ignoring the blood dripping from his wound.

  With trembling fingers, Shara jammed one hand into the downed guard’s pocket and retrieved the keys. However, inserting the key into the lock with her hands behind her back proved more difficult than she’d imagined. Hands sweaty, pulse pounding, she had difficulty placing the key into the hole.

  Cade attacked, feinted right, swept his foot upward in a hooking motion. But he tripped over a bench and tumbled, just as the other man lunged.

  “Look out!” she yelled and dropped the keys.

  Cade grabbed the wrist of his opponent’s knife hand. The two men rolled across the deck, struggling for the weapon.

  Don’t look.

  She could only help Cade by freeing her hands. Finally she found and picked up the fallen keys. Sick with fear, palms so damp that the key seemed to jump in her hands, she shoved the key into the lock.

  This time the lock popped. With another flick of her hands she was free. Quickly, she bent and retrieved the guard’s laser. The moment she picked up the weapon her entire body began to shake. The last time she’d held a weapon, she’d shot and killed Bruce.

  Her stomach rolled. Her hands shook so hard, if she fired, she could hit the ceiling. The floor. Or Cade.

  Tears welled in her eyes. Angrily she blinked them away. Damn it. Last time she hadn’t known the gun was loaded. Take a breath. Last time no one had been trying to kill her. Steady. Bruce’s death had been an accident.

  She swallowed hard.

  Get a grip. Focus.

  One gua
rd still appeared to be out cold, but she took no chances. She’d seen too many bad holovids where the bad guy was assumed to be down only to have him “surprise” everyone by recovering. Shara slammed the weapon into the guy’s temple for good measure, then forced her thumb to flick off the safety and aimed at the two men.

  She used both hands, but they still shook.

  Worse, the men were rolling across the floor, struggling for the knife. If she risked a shot, she could kill Cade by accident.

  At the thought, her leg bones seemed to turn to water. Icy sparks shimmied down her spine. She couldn’t do it. No way could she pull the trigger.

  Perhaps she could help Cade by hitting his opponent over the head with the weapon. Shara tightened her hands on the gun, determined not to drop it.

  She approached cautiously. Between the rolls, punches, and kicks, she could easily make a tragic mistake.

  Oh, God. She wiped the sweat from her forehead.

  Wait for the right moment.

  Cade jammed his elbow into the man’s neck. The guy reciprocated by butting his head into Cade’s nose. Blood dripped from one of Cade’s nostrils, and his lip swelled.

  With a roar, Cade twisted his opponent’s wrist, and the man shrieked and dropped the knife. The sound of a bone snapping sickened Shara, and yet, contradictorily, she was also glad. The injured man scrambled away from Cade, holding his broken wrist, but she still didn’t have a clear shot. Cade was between her and the other guy.

  “Cade”—she pointed—“the gun.”

  “I see it.”

  Cade lunged forward, so did the other guy. Cade muttered, “Don’t even think about it.”

  Despite his injury, the guard taunted, “You’re a dead man, Cade.”

  If Cade’s attacker retrieved the weapon, she’d have to risk a shot. Shara bit her lip. Her chest tightened. Her lungs burned as she forgot to draw in air. For a second, she had a clear shot.

  She raised the weapon, hesitated, and lost the opportunity as the men were once again wrestling. Cade pummeled the man, and the guard turned onto his stomach to avoid the punishing blows to his face. Cade slipped an arm around his throat. His free hand gripped his head, and with a sudden twist, Cade broke the man’s neck.

  At the snapping sound, Shara thought she might be sick. The guy’s bladder voided, and the reek of his emptying bowels hit her hard. This wasn’t an arranged fight in a holovid scene where the actors would all get up and clap one another on the back and go off together for a drink.

  The stench of death rocked her.

  Wearily, Cade shoved to his feet. “You okay?”

  She flicked the safety on, slumped against the portal, waiting for her body to stop trembling. “I need air.”

  “Just hold on until we get to the shuttle.” Cade retrieved the second weapon, stuffed it into the waistband of his jeans, then bent over the unconscious man that she’d taken out.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I have to kill him.”

  She stiffened. “No.”

  “No?” Cade shot her a troubled look.

  “Jamar made him abduct us. He had no choice.”

  “If I don’t kill him, Jamar will. And I assure you, Jamar will torture him for his failure. At least I’ll be merciful.” Cade placed his hand on the man’s head, clearly meaning to break his neck.

  “If you kill him, you’ll be no better than Jamar.”

  “I am no better than Jamar.”

  His words hit her like bullets, but he dropped his hands to his sides. The frigid glare in Cade’s eyes indicated a man in a very different emotional place than the one who’d made love to her so tenderly, the one who risked his life to help his people.

  But she’d taken one life, and it weighed on her soul, every hour of every day. She couldn’t abide killing a helpless man who’d had no control over his actions—no matter how murderous.

  She tossed the handcuffs at Cade. “Lock him up. We’ll take him with us in the shuttle. If he escapes Jamar now, at least he’ll have a chance.”

  “Fine.” Cade didn’t look happy, but at least he’d agreed. He rolled the guy over, handcuffed him, and lifted him over his shoulder. “Let’s move.”

  She followed him down a metal corridor. “How’s your arm?”

  “It’s just a scratch.”

  Clearly way more than a scratch, blood stained his arm from bicep to elbow. A man from her world would have required stitches, but his blood was already starting to clot.

  An alarm sounded.

  A cold, arrogant, and evil sounding voice came through the speaker system. “Those idiots at the Assembly want you alive, Cade. But if you don’t surrender right now, I will carve your flesh inch by inch until you have no fingers, no hands, no arms. And no balls.”

  Oh, God. That had to be Jamar. She swallowed hard. “Now what?”

  With the guard over his shoulder, Cade used his newfound Quait strength to sprint down the corridor into a shuttle bay. After a right turn, they skidded into the cargo hold. An assortment of forklifts, crates, and tools were packed into the recesses.

  In the center was a shuttle, sleek, shiny, and dark.

  “You can’t escape your fate,” Jamar shouted.

  Cade headed straight for a closed hatch. Next to the hatch were three symbols: a triangle, a square and a circular plate.

  “Push the square twice,” Cade directed her.

  Shara did as he asked, and the hatch swished open. Quickly they moved inside the shuttle. Cade dumped the guard and strapped him in. “Take the co-pilot’s seat up front.”

  “Get him,” Jamar demanded through the speaker system. Guards raced into the cargo bay, weapons drawn. Several fired shots.

  Cade yanked the hatch shut, and she slipped into the seat he’d indicated. Within moments, Cade took the pilot’s seat.

  He pressed a sequence of buttons. “This is a life or death emergency. Get us out of here. Now.”

  A computer voice chimed a protest. “The cargo bay door is closed.”

  Cade ordered, “Blast through it.”

  53

  “Oh, God.” Shara’s fingers dug into the arms of her seat.

  Cade revved the engines, and the vibrations raced up her throat. Outside, men shot at them, but their laser blasts skidded harmlessly off the shuttle’s protective shield.

  “Cade, if we crash through that bay door—”

  “—it will slow down Jamar. He’ll have to fix the damage before he follows.”

  Despite Cade’s steady reassurance, Shara held her breath. She could feel the shuttle hovering. The deck beneath her feet hummed.

  Acceleration slammed her into her seat.

  “We’re out of here,” Cade told her with a sexy grin.

  And they blasted through the bay doors.

  After the noise of the engines within the hold, spaceflight was quiet, gentle. Shara felt as if a tremendous pressure had lifted off of her.

  Cade dropped the portal shields, and she had a perfect view of the Moon. Up close, she could see how mankind had built domed cities in the huge craters. Lights twinkled as millions of people worked, lived, and went about their lives.

  Shara sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it. She placed her hand on Cade’s shoulder and took comfort in his quiet strength. “Thank you.”

  “I wouldn’t have succeeded without your distraction.”

  “Maybe you should consider an acting career.” At his silliness, her heart did a happy dance. With a grin, she teased, “Maybe next time, when you break out of handcuffs you could remember to free me, too?”

  “There’s not going to be a next time.” His took her hand and squeezed, his tone thoughtful. “I used Quait to wake you and to unlock and burst through that door. “You’re right, Quait can be useful.”

  Finally.

  She didn’t need to point out the obvious. He was beginning to see the good side of the changes for himself, and it gave her joy to see him begin to accept all that he was. She squ
eezed his hand tight then released it to dig into her pocket and handed him more salt. “Keep up your strength.”

  “Thanks.” He placed the salt between his lips. “You know without this salt and your help, we wouldn’t have made it. We make a good team.”

  At his praise, she warmed inside. Until the guilt hit. Damn. She so needed to talk to Jules. With her vidlink gone since they crashed into the Martian desert, she’d been out of touch for days. “Can I use the communications system?” she asked.

  “Sorry, Jamar’s jammed us.” While she suppressed her disappointment, Cade manipulated the shuttle’s control and pulled up a three-dimensional hologram. “The second portal piece is here.” He pointed. “This blinking light indicates the coordinates of our destination.”

  “Can you overlay a lunar map onto the coordinates?” she asked, leaning forward.

  “Good idea.”

  Shara studied the map while he entered their destination into the navigation system. “We’ll have to land and fly a hovercar through a tunnel to get there.” She glanced at him. “I thought you said the pieces were sent to uninhabited areas?”

  “It was supposed to have been programmed that way.” Cade gave her a direct look. “What’s wrong?”

  Shara’s stomach rumbled. “If this portal piece has gone off course then your science isn’t perfected. The portal might—”

  “This is a minor setback.” He shot her an intense look. “The portal isn’t going to fail.”

  Frustrated, she shoved to her feet. “Is there anything to eat on this shuttle?”

  “Check the portside overhead locker.” Cade focused on his systems data. “Jamar rented a boat on a lunar lake.”

  Shara moved quickly to open the compartment and found trays and glasses filled with food and liquid. She brought two of each back to the cockpit. Cade was staring at his controls, looking concerned.

  She offered him a tray and a glass. “Yesterday?”