by Aaron Hubble
Luana slid a bill across the table. Yago reached out for the bill and it disappeared into his pocket.
“Yeah. They were here, but they’re gone now.”
Malone closed his eyes. His head dropped forward in resignation.
“Where would they go now?” Luana asked.
“Any number of places. How old are these girls of yours?
Malone leaned forward. “Young. Twelve and eight.”
The man leaned back and whistled before taking a drink. “That is young. I suppose you’re pretty worried about them.”
The nonchalant way Yago talked about his children made Malone want to grab him by the hair and smash his head into the table. He resisted the urge and reminded himself this man could hold the future of his family in his greasy hands. Yago finished the gin and set the glass on the table, giving it a spin. It wobbled and then rolled sideways on the tabletop.
“My advice to you is forget about them. They’re gone. I don’t talk about anything when it comes to the Collective. They don’t have much patience with people who give up information. They’re rather severe with people like that.”
Malone wasn’t going to let Yago stand in the way of his goal. He clenched his fists. The rat of a man had information, but he was so spineless he chose himself over innocent children. He couldn’t figure out who was worse. Ekene for taking the girls, or this piece of human excrement who knew where they were, but wasn’t willing to help.
“Please,” Luana pleaded, her cool demeanor slipping away. “They’re little girls. Just let us know where they’re going and we’ll leave you alone. You’ll never see us again.”
“There’s no way the EC will ever know we talked to you,” Malone said, his words coming in a rush.
The man laughed harshly. “You’re new to this, aren’t you? Nice act by the way.” He nodded to Luana. “This bit is a freebie. The Collective’s everywhere. This station, it’s full of people who work for them in one capacity or another. You don’t cross the Collective. You don’t even think about it because if you do, they’ll make sure they take care of your business for you. Get what I’m saying?”
“But—”
The man held up his hand. “Those girls are nothing but a commodity now. Something to be bought and sold. Move on. You’re young and,” his eyes took all of Luana in again. “Virile, I suppose. Have more kids. Maybe travel. I don’t care. Now, either you leave me alone or buy me more drinks and watch silently as I get raging drunk. I have an appointment with an expensive blonde in an hour and a half.”
Luana pushed to her feet. Her chair scraped across the floor and fell over. “What kind of person doesn’t help innocent children and the parents who are trying to find them?”
“The kind who wants to stay alive.”
Luana jumped forward, but Malone wrapped an arm around her and pulled her toward the door. She resisted at first and then let him lead her away from the table. He felt her sag into him as they maneuvered through the dim bar and then out into the atrium.
Just outside the bar she shook off his hand and paced, her face full of anger and desperation.
“What a piece of trash! If I could get him alone…” She trailed off.
Malone watched her hands clench and unclench as she moved lightly on the balls of her feet. Almost like a cat on the prowl, he thought.
Malone put himself between her and the bar door, cutting off her path back to Yago should she have a notion to go after him. “I know. He’s a spineless coward who cares for no one but himself.” He grabbed her hand to stop her pacing. Her green eyes smoldered with rage. She needed something to distract her.
He reached for her other hand and pulled her close. “This is a setback, but we’re not done. We’re still searching. Why don’t you shop for supplies you think we might need? I know you were putting together a list. I’ll go back in the bar and try and find out more information.”
She let go of one of his hands and wiped away tears tracing a path down her cheek. She nodded and looked down at the warped deck before taking several deep breaths.
“Okay.” She looked up at him. “Just be careful.”
He forced a smile. “I will. Caution’s my middle name. Take your time. I’ll meet you in the restaurant Abram talked about, with good news, in about two hours.”
She hugged him quickly and melted into the crowd. The smile faded from his lips, replaced by cold determination. He set his shoulders and stalked back into the bar. He ordered another drink and then found a table where he could keep an eye on Yago.
Then he waited.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
An hour and a half later, Malone watched Yago stagger up to the bar. The amount of alcohol the man had consumed in that time was impressive. Malone was unsure how he remained upright. Yago paid his tab, bought a bottle of liquor to take with him, and then stumbled toward the exit.
Malone’s pulse quickened as his eyes tracked Yago. He downed the last of the beer he’d been nursing for the last hour and a half and gestured to Fancy who had been chatting up a man with tattoos covering his face. He handed her his card and paid for his drink. She handed it back to him and looked at him through narrowed eyes.
“You alright?”
“Not really,” Malone said pushing away from the bar. “But I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
“Don’t get into any trouble, okay?”
“Not me. Never,” he said.
Fancy eyed him suspiciously. He had the sense the bar owner knew when a person had mischief on their mind. She picked up his mug and wiped the bar top in front of him.
“Do you remember what I told you to tell that tool Abram Ginnis?”
Malone nodded. “Hard to forget such colorful imagery.”
“Good,” Fancy said, moving away toward another customer. “Have a good night.”
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Malone waded into the crowd of people milling around the station hub. The lights had been turned down, simulating a terrestrial late evening. He paused and surveyed the crowd.
A woman in a see-through blouse was leading a man up the spiral staircase toward the private rooms. Malone saw money and drugs passing hands out in the open. There was obviously no restriction to whatever type of vice one might be into. As long as you had the money, Retem had what you needed.
He looked for his mark. After several seconds, he saw the little man staggering through the crowd. Yago bumped off several people before he crashed into a large man who took offense. The man shoved him into a potted plant. The pot and Yago tipped over. Dark soil scattered over the metal decking. Yago lay still tangled in the leaves of the plant while people simply stepped over and around him. Eventually, Malone saw him roll over and push himself to his feet.
Malone put his head down and followed Yago into a narrow corridor, watching as he bumped off the walls on either side and then stopped and leaned sideways. He unscrewed the lid of the gin bottle and tipped it up, taking a long drink.
Drink up, thought Malone. The more drunk he was, the easier this was going to be.
Malone trailed his hand along the wall to steady himself. The muscles in his arms tensed and quivered while his heart hammered in his chest. He paused.
Stars! What was he doing?
Luana had said they needed to do whatever was necessary, so he would. This man had information they needed and Malone was going to get it whatever it took. He took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
Yago put the cap back on the bottle and attempted to push himself off the wall. Malone swept up behind Yago and grabbed his shoulder. He yanked the rat around so he could see his face.
“Remember me?” he said.
Yago squinted at him and then sneered. “What do you want?” His words slurred together.
“The same thing I wanted back in the bar. The difference is now I’m not leaving until you tell me what you know.”
“Screw you, buddy. What are you going to do? Rough me up?” A lazy, alcohol laden smile spread across h
is face. “I know the type and you’re not it.”
Malone grabbed the front of the Yago’s shirt and dragged him down the hallway to a maintenance corridor. Yago’s head snapped forward when Malone shoved him into a side hallway. He sprawled to the floor, but managed to keep a tight hold on his precious gin.
A feeling of power and dominance coursed through Malone. Even if he didn’t get the information, this was one way to rid himself of his frustration.
He loomed over Yago. “One more time. Where will the Collective take my girls?”
“They’ll kill me if I tell you.”
Malone snatched the liquor bottle from the man’s hand and smashed it against the wall. Shards of green glass exploded. Several cut his hand, and he felt the sting of the alcohol in the fresh wounds. Adrenaline helped him ignore the pain.
He held up the jagged neck. Liquor and his own blood mixed together and traced a path down his hand.
“I’ll kill you if you don’t.” He tried to keep his hand from shaking as he pushed the bottle into the man’s face just millimeters from his eye.
My god, he couldn’t believe he was doing this!
He was in too far now. Malone swallowed hard and saw the fear in the man’s eyes.
“It’s your choice. You can die here tonight or have a chance of running from the EC. Up to you.”
The man’s eyes darted around the hallway and then he closed them. “Okay. Okay. They’ll take the girls deep into EC controlled space to a pleasure planet, Vina. Most likely keep them at a brothel connected to a casino. The coordinates are on the handheld in my coat pocket.”
Malone stuck his hand in the man’s coat pocket just as Yago’s knee came up and buried itself in his midsection. The bottle neck fell from his hand, and Malone sank to his knees gasping for breath. Yago cackled and stepped around Malone.
“You need a little more practice at this, boy,” he said over his shoulder as he disappeared out of the maintenance hallway.
Malone gritted his teeth and pushed himself to his feet. He staggered out of the hallway. Turning the corner, he saw Yago stumbling away in the opposite direction.
Malone charged after him.
He tackled Yago from behind. They crashed to the metal decking and skidded several feet. He flipped the man over and punched him in his sneering mouth. The surprised look was instantly replaced by fear as the man realized he’d misjudged Malone.
Malone didn’t want to hear the man’s whiny voice again. The information he needed was on the hand held in Yago’s pocket. Now it was simply personal. Rage swirled like a nebula, spawning new currents of hate and anger inside of him.
The rat-faced man underneath him needed to be punished. Frustration, anger, and fear for Galila and Safiya came out in blows he rained down on Yago’s face and midsection. The man tried to buck him off, but Malone was too heavy. Yago held up his arms trying to protect his face. Malone punched through the blockade.
His fist was cocked back for one final blow when he heard a voice behind him.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
Malone’s head whipped around. A couple stood at the entrance to the hallway.
“Help! He’s trying to kill me!” Yago screamed from under Malone.
Malone rummaged through Yago’s pockets and found the handheld. He rolled off the man and scrambled down the hallway as he heard more shouts behind him. An alarm began to blare. The hallways took several turns. Malone blundered down them, unsure where he was going or where he would end up. His only thought was to get back to Luana.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The restaurant was straight ahead, but all Malone could focus on was looking over his shoulder. He’d caught several glimpses of large, brutish men with wicked looking weapons, but he’d taken different turns to shake them. Perhaps he’d gotten lucky and no cameras or witnesses had been able to identify his face.
Malone took in several deep breaths and rushed rushed into the outdoor eating area of the steakhouse, searching for Luana. Leaving the station was paramount. He had no idea how they would get out of this one. Rash actions had backed them into a corner where it seemed there was no way out.
On the other side of the patio he spotted her long dark hair. She sat at a small table with several bags arranged around her feet. He hurried over and slid into the seat across from her.
“Malone!” she said, her eyes wide. “You scared me.” She reached down and picked up a bag. “I found something that will be helpful—”
“Be quiet and just listen,” he said, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand.
Luana turned his hands over, staring at the cut and bloodied knuckles. “What’s happened? You’re scaring me.”
He took a deep breath. “I know where they’re taking the girls.”
Her expression morphed from scared to hopeful in a nanosecond. “Where?” she said leaning toward him.
“A planet called Vina. It’s somewhere in Collective space.” He looked over his shoulder and then back into her eyes. “Lu, they…they took them to a brothel.”
Fear and desperation flashed through Luana’s eyes and then Malone saw the woman with a mission return. “Then we need to find Abram and get away from this station as fast as we can.”
She began collecting her bags. He stopped her.
“There might be a bit of a complication.”
“What kind of complication?” she stopped moving with one bag suspended from her hand.
“The kind of complication that happens after you beat someone up and steal their property.”
Luana nodded curtly. “Apparently, I need to teach you how to break the law without attracting attention.”
He’d prepared himself for a fight. Thought about what he would say to justify what he’d done, but Luana had glossed right over it and accepted it as a necessary course of action. Again, for the hundredth time over the last twenty-four hours, he wondered who this woman really was.
Malone felt a tap on his shoulder. “I think you’re in my seat,” a familiar voice said behind him.
He swiveled his head and saw Abram standing behind his chair, a grin on his face and holding a plate containing an enormous sizzling steak in one hand and a giant mug of beer in the other. He pulled out an empty chair and sat down. He began cutting into the steak and shoved a large piece of meat into his mouth.
“The maintenance on the Olibert is done,” he said around the food. The big man attacked the steak again. “Wow. This steak is so good after eating protein paste and dehydrated whatever for the last month.”
Abram pushed another piece of meat into his mouth and looked up at them. He noticed the look on their faces. “I feel like I’m interrupting something very important.”
Malone faced him. “I’m going to be straight with you because we don’t have a lot of time. The station security team is after me and we need to get off the station.”
Abram set his fork down and smiled. “I underestimated you. Even I haven’t been able to get into that much trouble in so little time. Kudos.”
“Thanks, I think.” Malone had a thought. “Do you think you can use your mayoral influence to help us out?”
“Well,” Abram said, using his fork to push the food around on his plate. “I may have embellished certain parts of my story about being the mayor of Retem.”
“Like what parts?”
“Like all of it.”
Luana stood up from the table. “Then we go back to plan one and fly away from here as fast as we can.”
“We should hurry because they’ll lock the docking clamps down if they tie you to the Olibert,” Abram said.
Luana moved out of the restaurant area and back into the hallway before turning back toward them.
“Let’s go. We don’t have time to sit around and chat about it.”
“But my steak,” Abram said pointing at his food.
Malone grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him out of the chair.
“I’ll buy you a freezer full of steak
s after we get the girls back.”
“You bet you will.”
They had just rounded a curve in the corridor when Malone heard a shout behind him. A group of two men and two women wearing black jumpsuits emblazoned with the Retem station logo sprinted after them, weapons drawn.
“Remember what I said about Retem,” Abram said, drawing the pistol from his holster.
Malone did. He pulled the little pistol from his pants pocket and fired several wild shots behind him. The security group scattered as the bullets whined off the metal floor.
“Yeah, Malone!” Abram hooted, squeezing off several shots of his own. “This is how you have fun on Retem!”
They sprinted back toward the ship, Malone passing Abram who wheezed a bit and ran with a slight limp. Malone turned back toward him. Abram waved him on.
“She’s unlocked. Keep going. I’ll be right behind you.”
Luana reached the airlock leading to the ship first. She took up a defensive position just inside of the airlock and leaned out with her pistol trained down the hallway. Without looking at him, she spoke coolly.
“Get in the co-pilot’s chair. Abram’s probably going to need your help.”
He stopped beside her. “No. Come on and get into the ship. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Trust me, Malone. I’m not the one who’s in danger right now.”
Her arm straightened and her gun’s report bounced off the narrow hallway. He reflexively ducked and glanced behind him. Abram was barreling up the hallway, the security group close behind him, but there were only three of them now. The fourth lay still several paces behind them. Two more shots came from Luana’s gun and two more security guards went down.
The last guard skidded to a stop and turned in the other direction. Malone hustled into the ship and slid into the co-pilot’s chair. Abram collapsed into the seat next to him and began cycling up the engines, his hands flying over the control panel.
“We should be okay now, right?” Malone said looking into the old man’s face hopefully.
“Oh, sure if station command isn’t right now trying to lock up the docking clamps on us or, you know, vaporize us with the station plasma cannons. They don’t have anyone here who wouldn’t love a little target practice.”
