JakesPrisoner

by Caroline McCall

  “Keep them that way. I want damage reports.”

  “Minor damage to ship’s engines but nothing that won’t keep ‘til later. Reports are coming in of injuries on decks seven and eight. No casualties.”

  “Weapons status?”

  “Primed and ready.”

  “Captain, we’ve got incoming.”

  “Evasive maneuvers, Lieutenant Svenson. Let’s see how good you are.”

  Jake banked hard to port, pulling them from the path of the missiles. Pete had been right about the ship. She handled like a dream. He definitely wanted one of these. Alaysha gave orders to fire weapons and the enemy ship was surprised to find that the hunter had suddenly become prey. Their pilot managed to avoid one missile, they weren’t so lucky with the second. An explosion flared on the starboard side of the vessel.

  “Their shields are down, Ma’am.”

  “Good. Target their engines.”

  A second volley of missiles sped toward the ship, impacting with their port engines. Jake grinned. “Nice shooting.”

  “Open an AV channel. Let’s see what they’ve got to say.”

  Under the amber glare of emergency lighting, the bridge of the mercenaries’ ship was in turmoil. Warning lights flashed on the first officer’s console and the captain was in the middle of a heated discussion with a familiar figure. “I expected you back on Cyraelia days ago, Alaysha. Where is the girl?”

  Jake had to admire Alaysha’s nerve. She lounged back in her chair as if she hadn’t a care in the world. “Look around you, Atam. You don’t get to ask the questions anymore.”

  “Do you really think that you can steal from me, Alaysha? I’ll hunt you down like a dog. There isn’t a planet you can hide on that I won’t—”

  “Ma’am, they’re powering up weapons again.”

  Alaysha severed the com link. “Prepare to return fire.”

  * * * * *

  Tanith rubbed her eyes. She had been on the com for hours, trying to find out whatever she could about Rana. It was jokingly called the safest bank in the universe and, up to now, it had lived up to its reputation. What could be safer than a bank without money? More than ninety-eight percent of its immense deposits remained off-world. Rana was a giant computer moving vast sums of credits around the galaxy, haggling for the best rates and moving on when it got a better deal. It had the highest level of encryption of any private consortium and the security codes changed faster than the best code-breakers could crack them.

  She had to accept it, Ranan security couldn’t be breached. If she handed over that key, there was nothing to stop Alaysha transferring the credits anywhere in the galaxy. Strom couldn’t let that happen. Not even for Jake. There had to be another way.

  “Hey, Tanith, you’ve been at that thing for hours. Want to eat?”

  It was unusual for Pete to worry about her. Strom must have sent him. He was still doing his best to avoid her, although the Dermatrax was calm and she presented no danger to him. But having that particular conversation with Strom would have to wait until this was over.

  The ship’s mess was almost empty. Pete selected something called a chili and put it in the food warmer. The purple-tinged mush looked truly revolting. “How can you eat that stuff?”

  “What are you calling stuff? Chili is great. My grandma could cook one who would make your eyes water. It’s better than that green gunk you drink in the mornings.”

  Tanith tried not to smile. Pete’s abhorrence for anything healthy was legendary.

  “How can you even look at green in the mornings? Give me syntho-coffee and lots of it. Wait ‘til we get back to Earth and you can taste the real thing.”

  The buzzer sounded on the food warmer and Pete went to fetch it. He growled when he looked at the now-cremated chili. “The timer is broken. I’ll have to log that for tomorrow’s list.”

  Pete’s “list” was infamous. There wasn’t a single system on the ship he didn’t know intimately. Although the recreation and food systems somehow always got priority, no matter what other tasks awaited him. The timer. Why hadn’t she thought of it before—the damn timer. She grabbed Pete by the ears and planted a kiss on his mouth. “You are a genius.”

  Tanith ran from the mess hall, leaving a stunned Pete behind her. The labs in engineering were almost empty, apart from the techies who never seemed to eat or sleep. They set her up with a computer that was isolated from the rest of the ship’s network and left her to it. Her first two efforts didn’t work. They were too clunky and there was no way that they would pass Ranan security unnoticed. The third virus had a rampaging need to propagate itself into other systems. That one must be male.

  After she dispatched it to virus hell, she realized that she was approaching this the wrong way. She needed more computers. Five frustrating hours later she had the first glimmer of hope, and by mid-morning it was working intermittently. She couldn’t believe that she had worked through the night. Tanith scowled at anyone who tried to enter her lab, even if they were just trying to retrieve equipment she had “borrowed” during the night.

  Pete wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Bed—now.”

  Ignoring him, Tanith started to run another test. “Sorry, Techie, you’re just not my type.”

  “Tanith, we’ll be at Rana in a few days. You don’t want to look all tired and washed out when you see Jake, do you? Otherwise, he might decide to stay with the hotties.”

  She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass window of the lab. Her flight suit was grubby. She hadn’t been to bed or had a shower in almost two days and there were dark circles under her eyes from staring at the screen. “Four hours,” she sighed.

  “Not a chance. Make it six, or I’ll revoke your lab access.”

  * * * * *

  Tanith thought that she had only been asleep for minutes when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She rubbed her eyes sleepily. “Is six hours up already?”

  Strom’s presence made her sit up immediately. “I’m sorry to wake you, but there’s been some kind of incident in this sector.”

  He looked down at his hands and she noticed that one trembled slightly. Something was wrong. She reached out for him. “Tell me, please.”

  “We’ve come across a debris field. It appears to be the remains of a Delta-class transporter. I’m sorry, Tanith, but the ship was Cyraelian. They’re searching for the transponder unit now.”

  Tanith felt as if someone had ripped out her heart and crushed it. Not her human. Not Jake. Surely she would know. Surely she would feel something if he had died. If she had gone with Alaysha none of this would have happened. Jake would be safe. It wasn’t true.

  “It’s not true.” She was shouting at Strom now, pounding her fists against his chest.

  His arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly against him as broken, guttural sobs poured out of her. Other people came and went, the doc tried to give her something to make her sleep but she struggled, screaming furiously at him.

  “Tanith, Tanith.” Strom’s voice calmed her and the doctor pressed something into her arm. As she fought to hold on to consciousness she realized that today was the first time Strom had called her by her name.

  Chapter Nine

  Strom looked through the window of the isolation lab. “How long as she been in there, Pete?”

  “Nine hours. She says she wants to finish it before we get to Rana. I’m worried about her, boss.”

  Tanith refused to talk about the missing ship and turned away if anyone mentioned Jake’s name. Despite hours of searching, they hadn’t been able to locate the transponder from the wrecked vessel and all inquiries regarding other Cyraelian ships in the area had drawn a blank. Worryingly, there had been no communication from Captain Zander and tomorrow they would reach Rana.

  “I want her out of there by midnight. I don’t care if you have to call the doc to do it.”

  Strom returned to his quarters. He was reluctant to file a report about Jake to Fleet Command yet. Without definite proof
, Jake was still classified as missing. They would proceed to Rana as planned. Tanith deserved that much. Although how she would react if Jake failed to appear was too awful to contemplate. It would be up to him and Pete to take care of her. Jake would do as much for either of them.

  The symbols on the screen swam before her eyes. She couldn’t look at the com screen anymore. It was as perfect as she was going to get it, one tiny virus with a single aim in life. Once the virus on the harlequin key was activated, Alaysha would have access to the account but she wouldn’t be able to spend a single credit. Atam’s money would never stay in one place long enough for her to withdraw it. Forty-two million credits spinning randomly around the galaxy at a thousand times the speed of every other Ranan credit transfer. Any attempt to defeat the virus would result in it spreading to other accounts, and the Ranan bankers wouldn’t like that one little bit. They would never admit that their precious security systems had been breached. Atam could sue them, if he dared. But in the meantime, he would be broke. The virus was so beautiful that she wanted to cry.

  Pete hovered in the doorway. “How’s it going, Tanith?”

  “It’s perfect.” She sniffed. “It’s the most flawlessly lethal thing that I’ve ever created.”

  “Then there’s no point in you staying here any longer. Bed, and that is an order.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re not my type?”

  Pete grinned shamelessly at her. “I’m nobody’s type but that doesn’t mean that I don’t get lucky.”

  A ghost of a smile played across her lips. The techie was completely incorrigible. “I don’t want to go to bed, Pete. I don’t think that I could sleep.”

  “You and me both.” He touched her shoulder lightly in a gesture of comfort. “I don’t suppose you drink scotch?”

  The bottle sat in the middle of the table flanked by two decks of cards and several stacks of poker chips. “Welcome to full moon night. Jake usually plays with us. I guess you’ll have to stand in.”

  It was strange to see Strom without his captain’s uniform or his usual serious expression. Music played low in the background and there was an appetizing smell coming from the covered dish on the console table.

  Pete lifted the lid. “Hot dogs and scotch—the captain’s secret vices.”

  “What are we playing for?” she asked. “I don’t have any credits with me.”

  Pete erupted with laughter. “Tanith, you are the richest person I’m ever likely to meet. Don’t tell me you’ve spent it on shoes already?”

  Tanith thought of the fortune waiting for her on Rana. She would never see it and tomorrow it would be gone. Pete was right. For one night in her life, she was rich beyond her imagination. She smiled flirtatiously at them. “You gentlemen wouldn’t be trying to cheat a girl out of her fortune?”

  Strom poured three shots and handed one to her. “Of course we are. Otherwise there’d be no fun in it.”

  Pete shuffled the deck, spinning the cards easily from one hand to the other. Show-off. Strom would be much more difficult to read.

  Pete dealt the first hand. “Okay, the game is seven-card stud. The minimum bet is one thousand credits and, given the lady’s bottomless purse, there is no limit on the pot.”

  Much to Pete’s annoyance, she won the first three games. A neat pile of chips sat beside her glass. It might have been the scotch but she felt confident and reckless. They didn’t stand a chance. “Let’s up the stakes. Minimum bet is ten thousand credits. Come on, you know I’m good for it.”

  That was the wrong thing to say. Pete was easy to read, but Strom’s face was as expressionless as a column of basalt. He blanked her completely. Not a flicker of the eyes, not a twitch around the mouth, nothing. Her eyes roved along the column of his throat, but not a single gesture betrayed what he was thinking. He leaned forward to pour another round of scotch and a gold chain escaped the confines of his shirt. A wedding band dangled on the end of the chain. Jake had never mentioned that Strom had a wife. Strom caught her gaze and his hand reached up and touched the ring. His fingers caressed it briefly before he tucked it carefully inside his shirt and his expression became guarded once again.

  The brief flicker of sadness in his eyes unnerved her and Tanith lost her concentration on the game. Her luck soon followed and her stack of chips dwindled rapidly. Trying to recover her losses, she bet with ever-increasing abandonment, pouring good money after bad until the final hand. With a smile of unconcealed triumph, Strom spread his cards on the table. She had just lost two million credits.

  Pete raised his glass and swallowed the contents in one gulp. “Sweet merciful stars. Now that was a game. Tanith, I think it’s time to take you home.”

  They walked along the silent decks back to Pete’s cabin. The scotch had done something to her balance and she linked her arm through his in an effort to stay upright. “I didn’t know that Strom had a wife.”

  “Who, Ingrid? Well, they weren’t exactly married. Didn’t have to be, I guess. They were crazy about each other.”

  “But what was she doing with Jake? I mean…the images in the club and she was kissing—”

  Pete roared with laughter. “You saw them? Ingrid was just trying to make Strom jealous. You didn’t seriously think that Jake and her… Oh, that is so funny. Wait ‘til I tell him.”

  Tanith withdrew her arm and punched him in the shoulder. “Don’t you dare tell Jake. It’s bad enough that I love the treacherous human, but what’s going to happen when we reach Earth?”

  She felt like crying. If Jake was alive and if they got him back, what would happen to them? She had seen enough of Jake’s collection of images to know what he was like with women. How long would it be before he went back to his roving ways?

  “Women.” Pete gave an exasperated sigh as he pulled her into the cabin. “You’ve just found out that he’s not cheating on you and you’re still moaning.”

  Collecting some bedding from his room, he dumped it onto the couch in an untidy pile beside her. “Jake loves you. There hasn’t been a single one-night stand since he met you. And believe me, for Jake, that says a lot. Don’t hang the guy for something he hasn’t done yet.”

  When Pete was gone, Tanith curled up under the quilt. Jake loved her. He had never actually said the words, but he loved her, and tomorrow she would see him again.

  * * * * *

  The following day stretched endlessly. The ship stayed in orbit high above Rana and she watched through the view-screen as shuttlecraft from other vessels landed and departed at regular intervals. Rana was the largest of seven moons surrounding the icy wastes of Shorshon Five, where the temperature rarely got above freezing. As the day wore on and there was no sign of Zander’s ship, Tanith became more anxious. They should have been here by now. She hadn’t seen Strom since last night and the techie was busy in engineering. By the time evening came, she was frantic.

  The com sprang to life with a message from Pete. “They’re here. Zander says they were delayed. Meet me in Strom’s quarters in ten.”

  Pete and Strom were already waiting. “The good captain wants to make the transaction and be on her way as soon as possible. Sensors indicate that her ship has been attacked recently.”

  “Is Jake okay?”

  “He’s fine, Tanith. But Alaysha is very edgy. I don’t trust her. Are you sure you can do this?”

  “Try and stop me. That bitch has my human and I want him back.”

  Strom bit back a smile. “I’ll see you in shuttle bay three in one hour. Pete, you’re in command until I return.”

  Tanith knew that the security systems at the bank would automatically deactivate all electronic weapons. But the ship’s weapon stores had unearthed a stiletto knife, which was now concealed in her elaborately arranged hair. It was worth a shot, and knowing Alaysha, she would need every advantage she could get.

  Alaysha’s “gift” had included a red flight suit made of the softest leather. It skimmed her curves and exposed her back. T
he Dermatrax had come to life again in the past hour, at the thought of seeing Jake again. It was all the confirmation she needed. She was mated to him. She hadn’t known if such a link was possible with a different species, but the Dermatrax had proven her wrong. The damn thing had been sulking for days since Jake left, and what was her human going to do when he found out?

  She stifled a laugh when she thought of Jake being trapped on a ship full of women and not being able to do a thing about it. Now that he was mated to her, Jake would have zero physical interest in any other females. The mating bond wouldn’t permit it, and now the womanizing human was tied to one female for the rest of his life.

  She always thought that she would hate to be linked to one person for the rest of her life, but it felt strangely liberating to know that she belonged to the human. Jake would probably want to run when he found out, but she would enjoy that particular chase. When she got Jake back, she was never letting him go.

  Tanith applied some makeup, paying particular attention to her eyes, outlining them with dark eyeliner before applying some carmine lipstick. She stepped away from the mirror and looked at her reflection. She looked almost the same as the first night she met him, but perhaps a little more dangerous.

  A very different Tanith appeared in the shuttle bay. Strom was pacing alongside the shuttle and he did a double take when he saw her. She tried not to grin when she heard a low whistle from one of the crew. “Sorry I’m late. The Ranans are expecting a Cyraelian terrorist and I didn’t want to disappoint them.”

  Strom looked comfortable in the pilot’s seat. He navigated his way easily until they reached the upper atmosphere of Rana, then he switched off the engines. “Tanith, Jake is my friend, but if this doesn’t work, I can’t let that money go to Atam. You know that, don’t you?”

  Tanith quashed small niggle of self-doubt and took a deep breath. All of their lives depended on the tiny virus she had created. It would work. It had to. “Take us down.”

  The small ship moved through the upper atmosphere and then down to the surface of the moon below. The landing bay was empty, apart from one other craft. Alaysha’s shuttle was already waiting and the blonde pilot smiled when she recognized them. “Alaysha’s inside with the human.”