by Rachel Aukes
Joe slung his blaster to the side and held out a hand. “Val!”
She looked from the hallway to him and tossed three spheres. He caught them and sprinted toward their goal. Blaster fire came from behind him as his team provided cover fire. When he had a clear shot of the hallway, he threw the grenades, spun, and went down to the floor. They exploded before he closed his sensors. Vertigo slammed into him, and his ears rang. He struggled to his feet, only to be pulled up by Rex.
Joe clumsily ran toward the hallway entrance once more, and fired before the smoke cleared. One bodyguard was on his feet, having closed his sensors before the grenades went off. He and Joe faced each other and fired at the same time. Hot pressure hit the center mass of Joe’s chest plate. His shot had hit the bodyguard in the flexible neck joint, and the man tumbled backward, clutching at his throat.
Joe continued firing at the other murcs crowding the hallway, and Rex shot the second bodyguard as he struggled to get up. Joe kept his finger on the trigger until all the murcs were down.
Rex smacked Joe on the back and continued ahead of him. Joe called over his shoulder, “Clear!”
Val and Kit came around the corner. Joe looked beyond them. “Where’s Reuben?”
They each paused and turned. Joe caught the expression on Kit’s face first, before Kit and Val left the hallway.
Joe shot a quick glance back at Rex. The other hunter, who’d been frozen looking back at the room they’d come from, took off running. He nearly knocked Joe over as he ran past him and back into the first room. Joe followed, and found the group circled around a prone form.
Joe pushed his way through. “Reuben, no…” He clenched his eyes closed before reopening them. The young man sat propped against a sofa. He was clutching his chest, which was blackened by a direct blaster shot.
Rex had knelt beside Reuben. “Come on. Stick with me, Reub. I’ll get you out of here.”
Reuben tried to smile, but coughed instead. Red droplets of blood marred his lips. “Sorry, guys. I guess I screwed up this time.”
“No, you didn’t. You did good,” Joe said when Rex didn’t answer.
Reuben managed a smile for a brief second before his features relaxed, and his last breath left his lungs.
Joe’s lip trembled at seeing another life taken away too soon. He closed his eyes and lowered his head. Reuben had been a good man—too good for the hand he’d been dealt.
Rex grabbed Reuben’s shoulder. “Stick with me, Reuben. I still have to tell you about Westown.”
“He’s gone, Rex,” Val said softly.
Rex remained a statue for a time, then grabbed his blaster, stood, and stalked down the hallway they’d just cleared.
Joe took longer to stand, feeling the weight of the loss on his shoulders. He trudged behind Rex, and heard Kit and Val walk behind him.
The end of the hallway opened to a stairway, down which led to an office. Val stepped around them and into the room. She scanned the ornate metal desk and extravagantly carved built-in bookshelves before she walked over to a wall filled with books. Her forefinger floated over the spines before settling on a brass bookend. She grabbed it and pulled. There was an audible click, and the bookcase swung outward. Behind it stood another door.
She glanced back at the team, which stood ready for battle, then swiped the keycard over a small panel. Nothing happened.
“I was expecting that,” she said, and reached into her pocket and pulled out strips of explosives.
Joe’s brows rose. “Did you also bring the kitchen sink?”
“Left it behind. It didn’t match my outfit,” she said without looking up as she lined the doorframe with the explosive. Once it was in place, she glanced over her shoulder. “Ready?”
Joe went to stand out of the direct path.
“Just blow it already,” Rex growled from his spot.
She pulled out a red tab and stuck it onto the explosive strip, then jumped back and joined Kit behind the desk.
After three seconds, the explosives triggered.
The explosion rattled Joe’s teeth while smoke polluted the room. Rex had turned sideways for the blast and now headed straight for the now-open door. He raised his blaster.
“Sara could be in there!” Joe shouted, but Rex fired anyway.
Joe rushed forward as blaster fire shot out from within the safe room. He dove to the side of the doorway across from where Rex stood. Joe swung around to scan the safe room. In a nanosecond glance, he took in the small room, which was no larger than the office. Four bodyguards, all in exoshields, formed a barrier across the center of the room. Beyond them, standing behind a table, stood Gabriel Sloan, holding a blaster to Sara’s head.
Joe would be an even match against anyone else in an exoshield. At this distance, blaster fire would burn but not be fatal unless shots hit the joints in the armor. A few feet closer, and blaster shots would penetrate. With Joe’s upgrades, he trusted his suit, but the murc’s exoshields looked to be brand new. For all he knew, their armor was better than his. If Sara wasn’t in the room, he’d have no qualms about jumping in with guns blazing, but a single ricochet or bad shot could kill her.
Joe glanced at Kit and Val. To Kit, he gave hand signals. Using all five fingers, he sliced the air five times to signify the five armed enemies within. Then he tapped four fingers against his chest plate four times: four with exoshields. After that, he closed his fist and tapped his forearm once for the single friendly. Sara.
“Let Sara go, and we’ll let you live,” Joe called out.
Rex cocked his head at Joe. “Why would we do that?”
Joe pressed his forefinger to his mouthpiece so that Rex hopefully got the hint.
“You just don’t give up,” Sloan said.
Joe thought for a moment. He turned to Kit and tapped his thigh; Kit tapped his cargo pocket and shook his head. No more flash grenades.
With nothing but blasters at their disposal, Joe searched the office. His gaze fell on a round paperweight on the desk. He pointed at it and then at Kit. Kit’s brow furrowed as he tried to understand. With a helmet on, Joe couldn’t rely on facial expressions or eye movement to make his intentions clear. Instead, he pointed at the paperweight again and then held his hand up as though to catch it.
Val caught on. She picked up the paperweight and tossed it to Joe. He caught it. Then to Rex, he whispered, “Aim high.”
Joe threw the paperweight into the room and yelled, “Grenade!”
Then he jumped into the safe room. The bodyguards had turned their backs to form a protective wall around their boss. Before they realized they’d been played, Joe was in the room and within killing distance. He’d shot two guards in the back before the other two had turned. One guard squeezed off a shot before Rex took him down, and Rex and Joe finished the fourth with a double-tap to the chest.
Joe leveled his blaster onto Sloan, whose face glistened with sweat. His eyes had become cue balls, they were so wide with fear. Even so, he managed to keep the blaster at Sara’s temple.
Rex took a step closer, dramatically aiming his blaster at Sloan’s forehead.
“There’s no way you’re getting out of this if you harm Sara,” Joe said. “Let her go.”
Joe heard movement behind him and glanced to see that Kit and Val had entered the room. Kit remained near the doorway, keeping watch.
“I’d do what he says, Sloan,” Val said as she walked closer.
Sloan showed his teeth in a growl before shoving Sara away. She landed onto her knees, and Joe reached out with his free hand to help her up. He didn’t let go as he pressed her behind him.
Sloan dropped the blaster onto the table. He sneered. “You’re going to arrest me, sheriff? I believe you’re out of your jurisdiction.”
“Who said anything about arresting you?” Val glanced at Joe, who stepped forward.
Sloan gulped. “If you kill me, you’ll have the entire MRC army after you. I’m an administrator!”
Joe raised his blaste
r.
“Wait! I have money. Enough for every single one of you to be rich beyond your wildest dreams.”
Joe watched the man beg for his life, and almost felt pity for him. Money really could buy everything but good sense.
He went to pull the trigger, but someone else fired first. Gabriel Sloan collapsed with a blaster shot through the center of his forehead.
Joe turned to see Rex lower his blaster. “That’s for Reuben.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
“We’d better hurry,” Kit warned. “Sloan would’ve called for backup as soon as he knew we’d found his safe room.”
Joe looked down at their fallen enemy. Sloan’s eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling, the blaster burn a round black mark on his forehead. In death, the man looked no different from any other dead body, yet in life he’d caused pain to far too many people, including those Joe had sworn to protect.
He turned to Sara. “Are you injured? Did he hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine,” she replied.
Her exhausted expression said differently, but he’d address her imprisonment later. He grabbed her hand, and the five exited the safe room and worked their way back to Reuben’s body. Rex bent down, slung Reuben over his shoulder, and started walking again.
When the group reached the foyer, Kit opened the door. Murcs filled the room on the other side. He closed the door. “Not that way.”
A pounding on the other side of the door ensued, and the group made their way back into the residence. Soon, Joe heard blaster fire against the door.
“Any other ideas for an escape?” Kit asked.
“Honestly, I’m surprised we made it this far,” Rex said.
Joe racked his brain. “Sloan had to have another exit.”
“I’ve never seen one on the maps,” Val said.
“Wait,” Sara said and paused. “I think I know where it is. I’ve seen him go into his office, where he disappears for hours at a time. Sometimes, when he comes out, he’s wearing different clothes.”
“Let’s go,” Joe said, and the group ran back to the office. Rex, surprisingly, kept up.
Once inside the office, Val rushed around the bookcases, pulling at every bookend she found. She tossed a glance at the safe room. “Too bad Roderick wasn’t here.”
“What time is it now?” Joe released Sara’s hand and began looking around.
“Nine,” Val replied.
The sound of blaster fire from the other end of the residence increased. “They’re breaking through,” Kit said.
“Gabriel said Roderick will get here by noon.” Joe narrowed his gaze on the wall behind the desk. It was partitioned. Curious, he walked up to it.
Val paused. “Roderick’s on his way here? Now?”
Kit stiffened. “Don’t even think about it. We can’t risk going for him today, too.”
Val scowled as she dropped a bookend. “I know that. But if I had known Roderick would’ve been here in three hours, I would’ve adjusted the plan.”
“Like how? Skip the rescue and go straight to the killing?” Kit said.
Her lips thinned. “Never.”
Kit gave a hint of a smile, then turned and swiped away an entire bookshelf.
Val picked up a paperweight. “By the way, Havoc, you really thought they’d mistake a paperweight for a grenade?”
Joe shrugged. “I was a bit surprised they bought that.” He knocked along the wall. When he heard a hollow sound on the second partition, he pressed against it. Nothing happened. He ran his fingers along the woodwork, stopping when he found a bump. He pressed it, and the wall opened. Behind it stood a door.
Joe swiped a keycard over the small wall panel, and the door opened. He gave a start, not expecting it to open, but fortunately, no one outside shot at him. In fact, no one was outside the door. He motioned for the others to follow, and they hurried through the doorway.
Joe closed the door behind them just as a crash and shouts came from the residence. He hoped the false wall reset itself when the door closed; if it hadn’t, there was no way they could outrun a bunch of murcs. Not with their injuries and Rex’s extra cargo.
They moved quickly around the building’s various extensions, Joe keeping pace alongside Sara. Not hearing a ruckus behind them, he glanced over his shoulder. No one was following them. Yet. He did notice plumes of black smoke coming from somewhere just behind the building and suspected that as the source of their diversion. Whatever it was, the explosion must’ve been huge to cause so much smoke, the fire requiring a lot of attention. He handed it to Val—she’d come prepared.
Rex slowly fell behind, and Joe slowed. “I can help carry him.”
“I’ve got him,” Rex said gruffly, and kept going.
Ahead, Kit came to a stop outside a broken window. He motioned to Val. “Give me a step up.”
“It’s too risky,” she said.
Kit scowled and turned to Joe. “Give me a hand. My sword and exoshield’s in there.”
Joe shook his head. “Come back for it later. We have to get Sara to safety.”
Kit’s expression deepened, then he spun and started running again. He didn’t slow until they reached the end of the building.
Val flattened herself against the edge, then peeked around the corner.
“What are we facing?” Joe asked.
“The murcs are trying to herd everyone into the courtyard, but the people are pushing back.” She motioned for everyone to follow. “We have a shot if we go now. Walk slow and smooth, with Sara in the middle. We’ll look like murcs and hunters corralling the locals.”
“But keep your blasters ready,” Kit added.
Joe glanced at Sara to see fear embedded in her features. “We’re almost there,” he said. “A little longer and you’ll see Nick again.”
A tiny flash of hope spawned in her eyes, and she nodded. “I’m ready.”
Val and Kit took the lead. Joe gently grabbed Sara’s bicep and pulled her along with him, while Rex followed with Reuben over his shoulder. Joe kept an eye on the bustle at the courtyard on the other side of the building—he gave the murcs another minute, maybe two, before a riot erupted. The servants, many likely coerced into working for the murcs like Sara, saw their chance for freedom and were about to take it. They outnumbered the murcs ten to one, but the soldiers carried blasters, which more than evened the odds.
Joe already knew the outcome. Some people would die today, the rest would be forced back to work. He turned to Sara. “I’ll come back for them.”
Val looked over her shoulder. “We’ll come back for them.”
Joe recognized Val’s cutter, which sat, nearly hidden, by a large transport. Beyond it, slipped into an alley, he made out the distinct silver of Kit’s cutter. He looked around, searching for snipers, but didn’t see any.
There was a shout from the courtyard, and Joe looked to see the crowd of people crash against the murcs like a tidal wave.
“Go!” Val commanded, and closed the remaining distance to her vehicle.
Kit broke off, running toward his vehicle. Just as he reached the corner, blaster fire shot out at him. He ducked, spun, and ran back toward the group. One hunter, then two, emerged from the alley behind Kit’s cutter.
Val opened her driver’s side door and used it as a shield while she returned fire, forcing the hunters to take cover. “Get in, get in!”
Rex opened the cargo door at the back and set Reuben in before piling in next to the body. Joe pulled Sara with him to the second set of doors, and practically flung Sara into the back seat as he shot at the approaching hunters. Kit leapt, slid across the hood, and jumped into the passenger seat. As soon as he was in, Val took her seat and yanked the door closed.
“Do we have everyone?” she asked.
“Yes. Go,” Joe replied.
She sped away, with hunters firing at her cutter as she drove past them, and Joe caught a glimpse of Cat crouched on the hood of Kit’s cutter.
“Cat really has it out for you
,” Joe said.
Kit blew out a breath. “Yeah.” Then he scowled. “But I’m still going to get my stuff back.”
“No one’s following us yet,” Val said. “My guess is Cat assumed Kit’s cutter was our escape vehicle. We lucked out this time that no one expected me to be here.”
“I’ll take any luck I can get.” Joe gave a haggard sigh.
“Joe,” Sara said, and he turned to her. “Is Nick okay? Sloan’s men never got him?”
“He’s okay,” he assured.
“And Romy? Is she still with him?”
Joe chuckled. “That pair is inseparable. Good luck breaking them apart.”
“They kept each other safe,” Val said. “And they were the ones who blew up the oxygen generators today.”
Ah, the oxygen generators. So that was how Val and Kit had cut off oxygen to the underground levels and forced everyone to the surface.
Sara’s features hardened. “You brought my son into this?”
Val shot her an even harder look. “You’re damn right I did, and you can thank him yourself when you see him because he helped save your life.”
“You had no right to put him in danger,” Sara shot back.
Val snorted. “He was in danger the moment Sloan came into your life. I just gave him a chance to fight back.”
Sara clamped her mouth shut but glared at Val for the rest of the drive.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Joe and Rex stood at the freshly covered grave they’d spent the last three hours digging. Joe’s injuries throbbed, but he hadn’t taken a break. He owed Reuben that much. Rex had picked out a good spot for the unmarked grave: on a slope in a hidden cove in the foothills of Cavil.
Rex nodded to a boulder several feet away. “That’s where Harry Haft is.”
Joe turned, startled. “I had no idea where she was buried.”
“No one knows. Well, Reuben knew…” Rex trailed off.
Joe had often wondered about Rex’s relationship with Reuben’s mother. It seemed Rex knew all the family secrets, yet there’d never been mention of the pair being intimate. Maybe someday, the truth would come out, but Joe somehow doubted it.
