In the Black

by Sheryl Nantus

Not again.

  She was not going to leave her fate in anyone else’s hands. She was not going to let the crew of the Bonnie Belle down.

  She wasn’t a screwed up cripple. She was Sam Keller, Captain of the Bonnie Belle and a survivor, and she took no crap from anyone.

  Especially Dane Morris.

  “No.” Daniel’s answering growl curled the hairs on the back of Sam’s neck. “No negotiations. You give her up now or else deal with the consequences.”

  Dane shook his head. “Marshal, you don’t seem to be grasping the situation. I’ve got your woman here and you’ve got nothing.”

  “You’re wrong.” The location of the voice shifted. “I’ve got everything.”

  Sam’s world spun as Dane stretched out to touch the floor with his right foot and pivoted. She found herself facing the far wall where Bianca had been only a few hours earlier, threatening to take her own life.

  “Not going to get me that way, Marshal.” Dane chuckled. “I’m no fool. I heard about how you grabbed Bianca before. No sneaking through the vents and popping up like a jack-in-the-box behind me.”

  Sam’s heart sank. This wasn’t going to be a replay of the situation with Bianca. Dane wasn’t a hysterical young woman open to the idea of being disarmed.

  He was a killer who wouldn’t mind adding to his count.

  “Open the hallway door, Belle. And turn the gravity on, slowly.” Dane moved toward the hatch, dragging her along with him. His right hand pressed against her cheek. “One hint of gas, one whiff of anything, and I snap her neck.”

  “I think she got the memo,” Sam whispered.

  The thick metal door swung open.

  Sam looked down the narrow hallway leading to the landing bay. Her feet became heavy as the gravity increased bit by bit, building up to regular.

  “Guild is going to charge you for that,” she joked.

  “I’ll have them put it on my tab,” Dane deadpanned, his grip still firm. Having full gravity gave him the advantage if it came down to a brawl. She never thought she’d be on the business side of those hands.

  His right leg sagged a fraction behind her, enough to alert her to his injury again. It was more than a scrape. Maybe it was infected.

  It was a trade-off—he’d have more power with the gravity on, keeping his threat valid to kill Sam. But his injury gave him vulnerability, which Sam hoped she’d be able to exploit.

  “You didn’t mean to kill her, did you?” she whispered. “You didn’t mean to kill Halley. It was an accident.”

  The sudden intake of air next to her ear told her she’d struck gold.

  “It was an accident,” Sam repeated. “You lost control, didn’t you? You didn’t plan it. It was a mistake.”

  “Stupid bitch,” Dane growled. “Right after we made landfall I checked my finances and found the fucking account screwed up. Called the bank twice to check and there was nothing there. A handful of creds, barely enough for a good steak dinner.” There was a note of panic in his words. “It was almost all gone. Automated selling dumped the stocks when they got too low, put one out of ten credits back in my account.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. You made those investments based on her advice, her bad advice.” Sam ran her thumb over the plastic serrated edge. “Can’t blame you for being pissed. I’d be blowing a gasket myself. Lose everything and it’s not even your fault.”

  “Had a few minutes between clients, a short break. I went over to see her. She was getting changed, told me we could talk while she got undressed—nothing I hadn’t seen before.” The arm across her windpipe flexed again. “Told her she’d given me bad info and lost me a shitload of cash. She laughed.” Dane gave Sam a shake. “She laughed at me.”

  “She screwed you twice over. Halley knew you couldn’t complain to the Guild about her advice because it was illegal for you to have made the investments based on her suggestions in the first place, not without paying her the Guild fee first. You wanted free info and she gave it to you—bad info. She did it on purpose, to teach you a lesson.” Sam coughed, trying to keep the dizziness at bay. “You’re standing there pissed off and she’s laughing, she’s giggling at you. So you got mad and you grabbed her. Wanted to show her you were serious, you weren’t going to be jacked around anymore.”

  “I just wanted to scare her.” Dane sounded like a petulant child. “I caught her and told her to give me some companies, some good stocks to get back what I’d lost. Make back what I’d lost and a bit more, that’s all.” The hissing noise in her ear increased. “She wouldn’t stop laughing at me.”

  “And in your anger you choked her.” Sam took the silence to be confirmation. “She went limp and you realized she wasn’t breathing, that you’d held on too long. You let go and she still wasn’t breathing, just floated there in front of you. You check for a pulse and there’s nothing.” She paced her sentences, using her limited air to its maximum. “You panic, you know this isn’t fixable. You’ve got to hide the evidence that you were there, make it look like something other than murder.”

  The silence behind her confirmed her scenario.

  “You go to the galley and get a knife, race back to her room and slit her throat to hide the bruises. Suicide. Happens all the time out here in the black, people lose it and kill themselves.”

  She heard something like a whimper. “Idiot. Stupid fucking idiot.”

  She wasn’t sure if Dane was talking about Halley or himself.

  “And the token?” Sam asked. “When did you think of that?”

  A hissing came from between Dane’s clenched teeth. “Got it from my quarters same trip as the knife. Tossed it out so you’d arrest the old fool.”

  “You didn’t think we’d clear Kowalski?” She licked her lips, tasting fresh blood.

  “I thought by the time you and the marshal figured it out, we’d be on our way to the next stop and things would be back to normal.”

  “Normal?” Sam had to work to keep her voice from rising. “You implicated an innocent man. If he wasn’t crippled he’d be on his way to a Justice base, railroaded for Halley’s death.”

  She didn’t add that Trainer and Grendel had suggested just such an option.

  “Why should I care about one stupid miner? Asshole threw away the token. It threw you off the trail and I figured I’d be clear soon enough. They’d ship in another woman and we’d keep on rolling.” The heated chuckle burned the back of Sam’s neck. “It’s all ’bout the money, right? The Guild don’t care as long as they get their share.”

  Sam held back the curses percolating in her throat. “Let me go and we’ll talk to Grendel, work something out. Killing her was an accident, right?” Sam kept talking despite the lack of air. “Heat of the moment, passion and temporary insanity—there’s lots of options open to you. You get a good lawyer who’ll stand up for you in court and you’ll get a fair chance. It doesn’t have to go this way.”

  The hand pressing against her neck flexed, digging into her short-cropped hair.

  “You think they’re going to let me walk out of that courtroom scot-free?” Dane growled. “What sort of idiot do you think you’re talking to?”

  “One stupid enough to figure I’m worth anything as a hostage.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “What?” Dane bleated.

  Sam sucked in what air she could. “I’m a fucking captain, idiot. I’m a dime a dozen to the Guild, I’m worth nothing. The courtesans, you’re the investment for the ship. A damned monkey could do my job.”

  The grip across her throat lessened a fraction.

  “What?” he repeated.

  “You think the Guild’s going to negotiate to save me? You think they’re going to give a damn whether I live or die?” Sam managed a hoarse laugh. “You’d be better off begging for mercy from the marshal.”<
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  As if on cue Daniel’s voice came now from the far end of the empty hall. “There’s still time to give yourself up, Dane. Let her go and put your hands in the air.”

  She didn’t know where he was but he was using Belle’s speakers to bounce his voice around the ship, keeping Dane on alert.

  “Let her go and it’ll be easier on you when this goes to trial.”

  Sam flinched. There was no doubt how the trial would turn out between the evidence gathered and Dane’s taped confession, courtesy of Belle’s records. The Guild would demand the death penalty and they’d be likely to get it.

  Killing your own got you no mercy.

  “Not going to happen, Marshal. Let me explain how this is going to go down. You’re going to clear out all those idiot miners in my way. We’re going to walk through to the empty landing bay and then into the base. Then you’re going to give us a ship.” Dane stepped through the hatch.

  Daniel didn’t answer. Dane continued his demands.

  “I’m going to fly off this rock and when I feel safe I’ll send a message where to pick up the captain. Don’t worry, I’ll give her plenty of oxygen and a good suit.”

  Sam stumbled over the edge, her mag-boots catching on the upraised metal. The arm across her windpipe tightened as he pulled her upright.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” he snarled. “Unless you want to be treading vacuum the next time you wake up.”

  He moved down the corridor, pushing her in front of him. She resisted the urge to drag her feet and make the bastard work for every inch—it’d be only satisfying for a minute until he choked her, then dragged her unconscious body the rest of the way.

  Her grip tightened on the plastic knife.

  The sound of a door opening reached her ears.

  Not the hatch at the other end of the hall leading to the landing bay.

  Multiple doors.

  Kendra’s door opened. Sean’s, April’s.

  Bianca’s.

  The four courtesans stepped out, effectively surrounding Dane and Sam.

  Sam sucked the blood off her upper lip. This was so far out of any scenario she’d envisioned on those long, lonely nights up in her cockpit that she had no idea what to say or do.

  “Dane,” Kendra intoned, “let the captain go.”

  Dane pressed himself against the nearest closed door—Halley’s. The move gave Sam a full view of all four.

  Kendra wore a flowing red dress. Her hands were empty, her hair pulled up into a tight blond bun.

  “Let her go,” she repeated.

  Sam’s attention snapped to Sean standing across from Kendra, arms crossed in front of him. He wore a leather jacket and jeans, his light blue dress shirt freshly pressed and starched as if he were going to dinner.

  No weapons in sight.

  “Time to give it up.” Sean nodded toward the far door. “If the marshal doesn’t get you, someone will. You know the Guild won’t let you wander around free for long. Wherever you go, the Guild will be right behind you nipping at your heels. They’ve got connections everywhere and they’re not going to stop hunting you down. There’s no colony, no base, no place you can hide from them.”

  “And who are you, their damned pet dogs barking at me?” Dane replied. “You work for them. You know the games the Guild plays. You know how they screw us over every chance they get. Why the hell are you on their side?”

  “We’re not on their side. We’re on Halley’s.”

  This came from April. The Asian woman wore a simple white blouse and jeans. She shifted into a defensive pose. She and Bianca were blocking the way to the hatch.

  Bianca stared at Dane. There was a mixture of fear and loathing on her face as if she’d discovered something dead in her closet.

  Dane snarled in Sam’s ear. “Bitches.”

  “Your shipmates,” she croaked.

  “My competition.”

  Sam felt his head turn, taking in the full scene. She could imagine what he was thinking.

  No weapons, other than April herself. And she wouldn’t attack and risk Dane snapping Sam’s neck. Sam knew none of them would. At this point it was all bluster and bodies in the way of his escape.

  Daniel LeClair was nowhere in sight.

  “We can’t let you do this,” Kendra said, moving forward a step.

  The iron bar across Sam’s throat pressed in. She gasped, her vision blurring.

  “I can do whatever I want.” Dane’s breath was hot, singeing her ear. “I’ve got a hostage and I want a ship off this rock.”

  She forced herself to calm down and draw slow, steady breaths through her narrowed windpipe. She couldn’t afford to pass out, not now.

  Kendra’s voice came down a narrow tunnel, the edges of Sam’s eyesight twisting and dimming. “No. That’s not happening.”

  The far hatch opened, the creaking gears scratching across Sam’s ears. Despite the situation she caught herself making a mental note to get Jenny to oil the hinges—that was a damned annoying sound.

  Sam forced her eyes to stay open. Her chance to escape could come at any time and she needed to stay sharp.

  Bianca stayed in place. “Why did you kill her?” she whispered, her face pale. “She never did anything to hurt you.”

  “She stole my money.” The pressure on her throat eased. “She screwed me.”

  “No.” Bianca’s voice rose both in volume and strength. “You did that. You didn’t have to invest in what she said. You could have checked it out before dumping your money into something you didn’t know anything about.” Bianca lifted her hand and pointed at Dane. Her manicured pink nails jabbed at the air. “You didn’t have to kill her.”

  “You could have filed a complaint with the Guild,” Kendra interrupted. “It would have gotten Halley in trouble and your money returned.”

  “And get fucked over by Grendel? He would have transferred me out or worse, assigned me to a Charity ship,” Dane snapped. “No. No. Get the hell out of my way or—”

  “Or what?” Sean tilted his head to one side. “Are you going to kill the captain first and then all of us?” One edge of his mouth twisted up into a smile. “Take more than you’ve got, kid.”

  She felt his fingers twitch and she knew what Dane was thinking.

  Her sidearm.

  At this distance rubber bullets could be lethal. It’d certainly be enough to clear the way for his exit from the Belle or increase his hostage haul by four more bodies.

  But to pull it free from her holster and use it he’d have to give up his death hold on her.

  He was weighing the options. He could go for her sidearm and have the entire crew as hostages. Not to mention any clients still inside the suites.

  All he had to do was take her weapon.

  Sam clenched her teeth. That wasn’t going to happen.

  Not on her watch.

  Her fingers tightened on the plastic knife. If she stabbed Dane she’d earn the courtesans enough time to rush him, take him down. Not before he snapped her neck but she’d give them the few seconds they needed.

  The sacrifice would be worth it.

  Daniel stepped through the hatch.

  Sam drew as much air as she could into her aching lungs. He wore the same outfit he’d first met her in, the pristine white T-shirt and jeans a welcome sight. The well worn leather jacket completed the image, the UNS marshal standing tall and demanding justice.

  For a second the lawman’s mask fell away as he swallowed convulsively, taking in the picture.

  It couldn’t be a pretty one. Her face was bloody, her nose smashed in. She wheezed as she fought for every breath.

  He held his pistol in his left hand, down at his side.

  His eyes met with hers, locked and loaded.

 
“Don’t.”

  Dane tightened his grip. “Don’t what?”

  Sam’s heart raced. Daniel hadn’t been talking to Dane; he’d been talking to her.

  He knew what she was thinking.

  “Don’t do it,” Daniel continued. “There’s another way.”

  Sam choked up, hearing the pleading in his voice. He wanted her to stay alive despite her initial plan to sacrifice herself for the Belle’s crew.

  She couldn’t remember the last time someone cared enough about her that much. Not since the Hub.

  The emotional punch cleared her vision, giving her the strength to push on.

  She wasn’t sure there was another way but she sure as hell was going to try to find one.

  Daniel’s attention shifted up to the ex-boxer. “Don’t make it worse than it is already. Let her go.”

  Sam slipped the plastic knife down between her fingers, pointing at the wounded leg.

  “No. You’re going to let me walk out of here and go to a ship.” There was a tremor in Dane’s voice. “Free and clear passage for her life. Or I kill the bitch right here in front of you and we go down the line.”

  His right-hand grip on the back of her neck lessened a fraction. Dane was wavering in his resolve, his lack of planning shifting into sheer panic. He hadn’t seen past grabbing her and getting off the ship. The other courtesans standing in his path and Daniel’s resolve were throwing him off his improvised game.

  Her odds of survival inched up from zero. It wasn’t much but it was the opening she needed and one Daniel could exploit.

  She drew a deep breath, possibly her last.

  There was no real choice. Now or never.

  She jabbed at Dane’s bare skin with the knife, letting her knees sag and all of her weight drop down. The serrated plastic edges dragged along his skin—not enough to do significant damage but enough to hurt a leg already sensitive from his previous injury.

  Dane’s reaction was exactly what she’d expected.

  He howled, his right hand coming away from her throat and swinging down to his leg.

  Sam slumped to the ground, her weight pulling her out of Dane’s grip. She stabbed again with the knife, this time hitting the bandaged ankle and tearing through the thin white dressing into the inflamed flesh.