“Well, Glaw,” the brunette said, “you just iced Hoth Nadler.”
Glaw looked blank.
“He’s the Hex’s banker,” the brunette said. “Launders all their money. You don’t want to be around when Raagfuza finds out.”
“Who’s Raagfuza?”
“He’s only El-Hex’s right-hand man on Vanguard. You don’t know much, do you?” The brunette pushed up her boobs. “Are there any human girls where you’re from?”
Glaw yawned.
“You’ve heard of the Hex, right?” the brunette asked. “Like you don’t live under a rock.”
“Cave,” the blond decided with a worldly wise nod. “Their kind lives in caves. He’s an animal.”
Both girls winked at each other and giggled.
“I have a palace back home,” Glaw said and smoothed back his fur behind his ears.
“I bet you say that to all the fabulously gorgeous and exciting women you rescue,” the blonde said.
Her shiny blue teeth chomped down on a stick of gum she nimbly stole from Hoth’s jacket.
“Codi, check the bag,” Glaw said.
Codi liberated the bag from the dead Vanguard. “It’s full of cash.”
“Raagfuza is going to skin you alive, big boy,” the blonde said.
“Many have tried.”
Glaw parked the limo in a quiet street around the back. Next to a row of a dozen space shuttles.
“Why don’t we just take a ship?” Codi asked.
“Short haul shuttles are no good for our needs, kid,” Glaw said.
Glaw squeezed through the limo’s partition and grabbed the bag.
“Got to relieve you ladies of your master’s ill-gotten gains.”
The blonde and brunette glanced at each other.
“Take us with you,” the brunette said and forced a smile. “I’m Jess. She’s Francesca.”
Francesca pursed her lips together and blew. A large glowing bubble ballooned on her lips. An animated smile expanded across the bubble. She chewed on the end of the gum and held the bubble in place.
“Mood bubble-gum. Predicts your future.” she said and winked at Glaw. “Mine says available, but not cheap. You want one? They’re real expensive, but Hoth gets a good deal on them.”
She glanced down at Hoth’s body and sighed. “I guess that’s the last of them.”
“I’ll take two,” Codi said.
“Don’t grow up too fast, kid,” Francesca said and handed him one.
“Where you two going?” Jess asked.
“Back to the casino,” Glaw said.
“But you’re heading off-world, and soon, right?” she asked.
“Says who?” Glaw said and narrowed his eyes.
“You’d be a fool to hang around Vanguard,” Francesca said. “Raagfuza’s got spies everywhere.”
“Stay put,” Glaw said. “And if I sniff you around this Raagfuza, I’ll predict a very short future for you both.”
Francesca’s mood bubble darkened.
Glaw smiled. “Later, ladies.”
Glaw opened the limo door. “Coming, Codi?”
Codi chewed on his gum and nodded.
CHAPTER 84 - RED IS DEAD
The first thing Codi noticed as they stepped inside the Raznuki’s casino was a giant roulette wheel hanging from the dome shaped ceiling. A tube, suspended from the ceiling, dropped a glowing blue ball. The ball glided over the spinning wheel.
Above the roulette table a caged two headed dog, with fangs bigger than Codi’s head, ran along a circular track, chasing a rabbit.
“When the Hellhound catches the rabbit,” Glaw said, “the ball stops. Somebody wins. Somebody loses.”
The Hellhound swallowed the rabbit and gobbled it up. Codi flinched. The ball dropped into a red pocket.
“Does the rabbit ever win?” Codi asked.
“Nobody wants to be the rabbit,” Glaw said and pushed on through the crowd.
The third thing Codi noticed was the high trapeze. Human adults. Male and female. Swinging naked.
One human female swung low over a Vanguard male. He reached up from his throne and grabbed the human from her perch. He smiled and bit into her neck, before letting her swing away.
Seemingly, dazed and confused by the experience, the trapeze artist lost her balance and fell from her swing. She landed in the Hellhound’s cage.
Codi couldn’t look away as the Hellhound tore her to pieces. He found it all mesmerizing and his stomach backflipped.
The fourth thing Codi noticed was the flaming Makhaira blade at his throat.
Through the flickering flames, Codi saw the most beautiful Vanguard female he’d ever seen. She held two Makhairas with expert precision at Glaw and Codi’s throats.
Glaw sniffed at his singeing fur.
“Raznuki!” Glaw bellowed and carefully flicked the blade with his claws.
“Glaw Brynmor, I told you if I ever saw you again, I’d--”
“I brought cash!”
Her eyes lowered to the bag. She smiled and lowered the blades.
“You always know how to talk dirty, Glaw,” she said, “all the way to a girl’s heart.”
She extinguished the blades in a bucket of champagne and took the bag. She shook it. “Minus what you owe me, plus interest and my tip, and that gives you a cool million to play with.”
She pointed at the wheel. “Bloody Bertha’s been missing you, Glaw.”
“It’s good to be home, Raz.”
Raznuki pointed at a Vanguard sat on a gold throne before the blood wheel. He was hairless, with a large scar across his bald head. He wore an excess of skull shaped rings and draped himself in fur.
“Local hood, goes by the name of Raagfuza. You’ll be betting against him.”
“Lowering your standards these days?” Glaw asked.
“El Hex bought into the joint,” she said. “Made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, if you know what I mean? But that Hex clown eats into the profits when he devours my trapeze artists.”
“Raznuki, I swear you’re getting soft,” Glaw said.
“What are the rules, Ms. Raznuki?” Codi asked.
Her eyes narrowed and she stroked his head. “You let your snack talk, Glaw? How cute.”
“Hands off,” Glaw said. “I’m saving him for later.” he winked at Codi.
“So?” Codi asked. “If I’m to throw away all my money, I want to know how to win. Big!”
“Red or black,” Raznuki said. “Pick a number to win big. Or just a color to play the odds. Lose and the other player takes your money and... your life.”
Codi glanced up at Glaw. Glaw avoided Codi’s eyes.
“You forgot that bit about losing our lives, huh, Glaw?” Codi asked.
Glaw shrugged. “What happened to me being awesome and bad ass?”
“Wheel’s all yours boys,” Raznuki said and handed them a pile of chips, each shaped like a human skull.
Raagfuza stared at his knuckles and carefully aligned a row of white bone rings of skulls. Once satisfied he looked up from his throne.
“Fresh blood?” Raagfuza asked.
“Your chair is mine, Raagfuza,” Glaw said.
“Come and get it, hairball.”
Codi tugged on Glaw’s arm. “Let the wheel do the talking.”
Raagfuza smiled and licked his fangs. “Listen to your slave,” he said and caught Codi staring at his tiny skull rings.
“Human babies,” Raagfuza said. “Slit their throats in their sleep. Shrank their heads in blood soup and feasted.”
He waved an empty pinky at Codi. “Want to add to my collection?”
Glaw put one paw on Codi’s shoulder.
Codi swallowed hard and shrugged Glaw’s paw off.
“I got a Vanguard head collection just like it,” Codi said.
Raagfuza threw back his head and exploded with laughter. “I like you, human. When you grow up, come ask me for a job.”
“Terms?” Glaw said.
“Lose o
n red and we take all your blood. Lose on black,” Raagfuza said and ran his tongue along his fangs as he looked at Glaw. “And we skin you for a warm winter coat.”
“Red is dead,” Codi said. “Choose black.”
Glaw shook his head “House hacks black.”
Glaw put all their money on Red seventy seven. “One million.”
Raagfuza swallowed hard. “That breaks house limit.”
Raznuki came over and nodded. “Play it boys. If it’s not too rich for you, Raagfuza.”
Raagfuza sneered.
Glaw pointed at the keys hanging around Raagfuza’s neck.
“I’ll take the pile of space junk that fits those keys,” Glaw said.
Raagfuza’s eyes popped wide. “Space junk?” he spluttered. “These keys belong to Yinkaid, the fastest interstellar ship outside of the Death Hawk fleet.”
“Yeah?” Codi said. “We’ll take her and your rings.”
Raagfuza nodded. “Red seventy seven?”
“You know it,” Codi said.
“For the Ursu’s blood?”
“Only me,” Glaw said. “Not the kid.”
“Royal blood,” Codi said.
“You’re on,” the Vanguard said and licked his fangs.
“Spin Bertha, spin, baby,” Glaw said and the wheel turned.
Raznuki tossed a blue rabbit into the Hellhound’s cage. She caught Codi’s expression.
“Don’t worry, it’s a special Vanguard rabbit,” she said and winked. “It’s good luck.”
The rabbit sniffed at the Hellhound. It turned and hopped in the opposite direction. The Hellhound roared and gave chase.
A glowing blue ball dropped from a tube in the ceiling and spun over the roulette wheel.
The Hellhound easily caught the rabbit and with its two slavering heads brandishing razor sharp fangs, it pounced. The rabbit turned to glance over its shoulder. The rabbit stopped. It hopped back on its hind legs.
To Codi, the rabbit seemed somehow brave and pathetic as it stood back on its hind legs. As if it was attempting to make itself seem more imposing than it really was.
Just as the Hellhound seemed about to devour its prey, the rabbit’s head flipped back and an enormous set of jaws protruded. The rabbit leapt at the Hellhound’s nearest head and bit deep into its throat. It sprang to the other head and gouged out the Hellhound’s eyes, before going for the second throat.
The Hellhound screamed and collapsed. Its blood showered the gamblers below.
Glaw stole away Codi’s attention by jumping up and down as the ball dropped. It bounced across the roulette wheel’s pockets and landed.
“Black seventy seven.”
“Too bad, Glaw,” Raznuki said. “Been nice knowing you.”
Glaw whipped around to face Raznuki. “You fixed it?” he asked.
She shrugged. “First rule of the house. Survive.”
Glaw turned to face Raagfuza.
“Time to pay up, hairball,” Raagfuza said.
“We can negotiate,” Codi said. “Double or nothing, Raagfuza.”
“With what?” Raagfuza asked and caressed his rings.
“With me,” Codi said. “You win and you get me on your ring collection.”
“Kid?” Glaw said. “You don’t have--”
“Yes, I do. It’s the right thing to do,” Codi said.
Glaw sighed. Raznuki smiled.
“Kid’s got guts, Glaw,” Raznuki said. “Reminds me of that other human you adopted. What was her name?”
“Myf.”
“Yeah, whatever happened to her?” Raznuki asked.
“Difference of opinion.”
“Shame. I liked her.”
“Shake on it,” Glaw said to Raagfuza.
The Vanguard smiled and licked his fangs. He held out a hand.
Glaw shook his head, reached into his shoulder holster, pulled out the plasma pistol, and aimed it at Raagfuza’s head.
“Are you mad, Glaw?” Raznuki asked.
“I see everything crystal clear,” Glaw said. “Maybe for the first time.”
“You think I’ll let you leave here alive?” Raagfuza growled.
“No,” Glaw said, “I don’t.”
“We can negotiate.”
“Negotiations over.”
Glaw squeezed the trigger and blasted Raagfuza’s head clean off his shoulders.
Codi wiped the blood splatter off his face and looked up at Glaw.
“Glaw,” he said, “good guys don’t shoot first.”
“Again with the good guys,” Glaw said and grabbed the keys from around Raagfuza’s neck. “You sound more and more like Myf every minute. I’m bad ass, remember?”
Glaw looked around at dozen security guards making their way through the crowded room. Raznuki drew a tiny plasma pistol from her leg garter and aimed it at Glaw.
“I ought to blow your head clean off,” she said. “But maybe you did me a favor. But you understand, if El-Hex learns I let you two go free… It’s bad for business.
She pointed to the Hellhound’s cage.
“I’ll give you a full minute before I unleash the rabbit on you,” she said.
“Time to go,” Glaw said to Codi.
“You forgot something,” Codi said and stooped at Raagfuza’s body. He grabbed the Vanguard’s hands and pulled at his rings.
“You’re full of surprises, kid,” Glaw said. “Somebody swipe your teddy bear when you were a cub?”
Codi collected all the rings “Now we can go.”
CHAPTER 85 - BATTLE OF TEMPLE RIDGE
Dax found Valkyrie and her marines providing covering fire from the tunnel exit.
The flaming arrows stopped flying.
“Halt fire,” Dax said to Valkyrie. “Save your ammo.”
He checked the plasma pistol attached to the power-suit he stole from the dead Death Hawk. Full charge.
Dax forced himself to push aside the dreadful reasons why the arrows stopped falling. For now, all he could contemplate was a flat-out sprint to safety.
“Valkyrie, we need to get to the bluff,” he said. “Follow me.”
Tiers of bluffs rose up with the cliffside. He ran for them. He felt the sudden rush of a breeze as dozens of shadows drifted overhead. He looked up at the night sky and dozens of Vanguard gliders.
Death Hawks.
Dax scrambled up the cliff on his hands and knees, ripping the flesh from his shins and palms. At the first bluff, Captain Faraday reached down for him and hauled him up.
She and two of her crew had a stash of legionnaire spears. They hurled them up at the gliders.
“Prepare for a ground assault, Commander,” she said and pointed behind him. A hundred Legionnaires ignited their Makhairas and ran at the fleeing humans. Another hundred Legionnaires formed up alongside the foot of the mountain.
Valkyrie and her marines joined them. She handed a side arm to Faraday. “Pick your targets, Captain.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Faraday took aim at a line of Vanguards advancing up the mountain. She squeezed the trigger. A blue plasma ball blasted out of the barrel and a Vanguard dropped.
“All my crew are equally trained to protect the galaxy’ richest clients,” she said.
Valkyrie told her marines to hand out spare weapons.
“Glad to have you with us, Faraday,” Dax said.
Faraday seemed to aim at Dax’s head. She squeezed her trigger. Dax flinched as a blue ball tore by his ear and exploded behind him. He fell forward.
“What the hell, Faraday?”
He rolled over and saw a Vanguard Legionnaire drop to his knees, just inches from where he had stood. A smoldering blue hole across the Vanguard’s chest armor where his heart was.
“Guess I should thank you,” Dax said and sat up just as a dark shadow swooped down and plucked Faraday off the bluff.
“Death Hawks,” Van Cleef shouted and spun around with his weapon. He opened fire.
“Don’t shoot,” Dax cried.
Valkyrie whipped around. She squeezed her trigger and sent a hail of plasma bullets into the sky.
“I said don’t shoot,” Dax said. “You’ll hit Captain Faraday.”
“Better she dies by a plasma bullet,” Van Cleef said.
A moment later a figure dropped from the sky and hit one of the marines, crushing him. Dax ran to them. He pulled the figure off the dead marine.
“It’s Faraday,” he said and stared at the ragged lacerations of fang marks where her throat used to be.
He looked around at the others. No one said anything, but it was clear what they were all thinking.
The sound of gunfire jolted Dax. He whipped around to see the first bluff below. A swarm of Vanguards overran it. They began climbing.
Private Thor stopped firing and reloaded.
“There’s just too many of them,” he shouted as the first Vanguards came over the ridge of the bluff and leapt at him.
CHAPTER 86 - PARTY CRASHERS
As the Vanguards rushed them, Dax ordered the humans on his bluff to form a tight circle. With their backs to each other they fought hard, but Dax knew they were done for.
Every fiber in his being fought down the feeling of surrender.
Dax found Bron. “Where’s Glaw when we need him?” Dax shouted.
“With Codi,” she said. “They’re both gone.”
“Dead?”
“Gone. Dead...” She fought back tears. “Aren’t we all?”
Fyre and Dax met each other’s gaze for what felt like the last time for Dax.
“I’m sorry I got you into this, Dax,” she said.
“Don’t be,” he said and found himself pushed to the edge of the bluff. He glanced down at the sheer drop to the ocean, hundreds of feet below.
“Can you swim?” he asked.
“The rocks will tear us apart,” Fyre said.
“And staying here is an option?”
She shrugged. “If you’re willing, count me in...”
They held hands on the cliff edge. “I feel like I should say something important,” he said. “All I can say is thank you.”
“We failed,” she said.
He knew he would die with the raging need for answers.
“On three then,” he said.
She nodded.
“One...”
Their hands squeezed tight.
Valiant (Jurassic War Universe Book 1) Page 37
