“You aren’t going anywhere!” His gravelly voice echoed off the cold walls as he shoved them into the cell and locked the door. Amina looked through the window and caught sight of the keys being hung on his belt.
She said to Katlin, “I’m going for the keys, stall him!”
“What are you doing?” Katlin roared at him. “Don’t you know who I am?”
“You’re no guard, and those two are no addicts.” He laughed. “With the bonus I get for catching her,” his eyes ran over Amina’s face in the window, “I’m going to buy my own planet.” While he talked, Amina focused on the keys and suspended them above his head, so he wouldn’t see them.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. “What’re you talking about?”
He grinned. “Let’s just say the boss has been looking forward to your visit.” He started to talk into his comm. Katlin pulled her stunner and popped him through the window.
“I don’t think I got him fast enough.”
Amina asked, “has Kindel found Rhys?”
Gem shrugged. “Must have. He’s using all his strength on something. I’ve lost his touch.”
“You’re sure he’s not —” Katlin didn’t continue her sentence.
“No! He’s got to be ok,” Amina snapped, her pulse racing. “Tell Kindel what the guard said, Gem. Somehow Rhys knew we were coming.”
A small voice from the next cell asked, “are you from GIPS?”
Amina said, “yes. Are you Fiona?”
She heard a burst of tears. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Well.” Katlin chuckled dryly. “I don’t know how much good we’ll do you now.”
“I got the keys,” Amina said. “Give me a boost.” Katlin boosted her up, so she could angle and see the door lock through the window. She levitated the key into the lock, and it clicked open. Amina unlocked Fiona’s cell while Katlin and Gem dragged the guard into theirs. She tossed Gem the keys, and they locked the guard inside.
Amina gently helped Fiona to stand and walk out of her cell. Fiona could barely move and shivered violently.
“So sorry, but it gets bitterly cold at night. All I had were these wraps.”
“Ssh. It will be okay. We’re getting you out of here.” She turned to Gem. “Can you contact Kindel?”
Gem crouched on the cold floor, her fingers to her temples. “He hasn’t located Smithe. They’ve been surrounded by guards, and they’re under fire. He says it was a trap. I told him what the guard said, and he wants us to move, now.”
Amina had to support Fiona with her Ability, but they made it down the corridor to the stairs. Shadows fell over them. Three guards were rushing up behind them.
“Run!” Gem yelled and pulled her stunner, aiming at the guards. Katlin jumped ahead of Amina and shoved aside the drug addicts climbing the stairs. Amina and Fiona lunged through the path made for them. They hit the ground floor, and Katlin wrapped an arm around Fiona’s waist, propelling her forward.
“We’re going to make it!” Gem yelled verbally as she covered Amina’s behind, shooting at the guards. The door was only a few paces ahead. Fiona and Katlin rushed through the door. Gem caught up and ran side-by-side with her.
Amina was steps away from the door when she was sideswiped by a ginormous guard. He picked her up off the ground, swung her around, and slammed her onto the floor. She heard Gem scream. The breath knocked out of her, Amina gaped as her lungs fought for air, helpless. She saw Gem stop, turn back toward the room.
She threw her mind open and shouted thoughts, hoping Gem would hear her. “No! Get out, get Fiona to the scout ship, and let the Commander know she’s safe. She’s our priority. I’ll get out with Kindel and the others.”
The guard ripped at her rags and snatched the laser shooter from her holster. Three other guards surrounded her. There was silence, but she saw Gem swivel and run out the door.
Her voice came then, “Kindel is coming for you.”
Chapter 19
The guards parted, and Rhys walked forward between them. He took a laser shooter from one of his guards, calmly checked the switch on the side, and shot the guard who had manhandled her. The man dropped, dead. Her eyes locked on his face too shocked to turn away. He lay on the floor next to her, his unseeing eyes wide open, and smoke rose from the black hole in his head. Blood seeped onto the floor. Her stomach heaved. Calm down. Don’t let him know you’re afraid.
She forced herself to look away and stared up at Rhys, not comprehending the monster. He smiled at her like he hadn’t just killed a man, and she wondered why she’d ever thought him handsome. The gaze of his cold blue eyes sliced her like razors.
She focused her Ability on a shooter in a guard’s holster, but he felt it moving and grabbed it. She focused on weapon parts sliding by on the assembly line tables, picked up several and threw them at the guards. They glared at her and swatted at the parts pelting them but not doing any real damage. Where’s the Ability to shoot fire or lightning when it's needed?
Rhys held out his hands. “Calm down. There’s no need for violence and no more tricks!” His gaze cut into her. “I’m not going to hurt you, Amina. If you agree to come with me, I’ll let your friends go.”
Did that mean he had captured Kindel? “We’ve got Fiona, Rhys. It’s over.”
He moved toward her. His eyes softened. “I never cared about Fiona or the ransom. It’s you I was after all along. I knew GIPS would send you, once they put all the pieces together. If I got the money in the end, all the better.” He pulled her up by her arms and squeezed her tightly. “I’ve missed you, so much.” He ran a hand over her hair. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember. We’ll be together now.”
She knew she had to go along with him to keep him calm. “Why plan all of this when I was right there on Kildren?”
“You were confused and exhausted by your training. Your captain was watching over you. Our connection is written in the stars, Sleeping Beauty, but you didn’t see the love we had. I sent one of my crew to find you on your training mission, but that failed. So, this operation was the perfect bait.”
“I understand, Rhys,” she said and leaned into him. “I’m so impressed. Your love for me is so strong. I didn’t realize how much you meant to me, but now I do.” She looked up at him and imagined crumb-bake smothered with icing. “Don’t you want to be alone with me?”
His eyes darkened, and his breathing hitched. With his steel grip on her upper arm, he pulled her into a corner of the first floor. No good. Why didn’t he take her into a room? She could’ve used her defense moves easily, but here the guards still watched them. He yanked her against his chest and clamped his mouth over hers in a rough, bruising kiss, and she nearly gagged. He bit her bottom lip. She winced and felt panic rising in her throat.
Her thoughts raced. There had to be a way to escape. She could use her Ability to push Rhys away from her, but then what? That would just tick him off. She could levitate him into the air and hold him there, but there were three guards with shooters. Where were the others? Kindel? Tears threatened to overwhelm her. Focus. Keep it together. He brought his head down again to kiss her. She prepared to shove him away no matter the consequences when she heard a scuffle coming from the warehouse floor.
He shifted to see what was happening. Amina gulped back a sob when she saw Kindel, Sari, and Mara fighting the guards. Kindel knocked the laser shooter from one’s hand and decked him, sending him sprawling across the floor, while Sari kicked another in the crotch sending him into the fetal position, while Mara ducked the swinging fist of the third guard and stunned him with her shooter. It was only a moment in time, but Rhys reacted, grabbing a shooter off the ground and checking the switch on the side. Kindel rushed Rhys with a furious roar and murder in his eyes. Mara’s head came up, and she saw Rhys point the shooter at Kindel just as Amina did. Mara leaped in front of Kindel as Amina screamed and pushed Rhys with her Ability. Rhys’ body flew sideways and struck a metal stairway with an audible crack. Ma
ra jerked from the impact of the laser set to kill, and she crumpled to the floor.
“Mara!” Sari screamed and rushed to her friend. She turned her over and searched for the wound.
Amina swayed. Kindel caught her and cradled her against him. “Mara. Check on Mara. She was hit.”
“She’s alive,” Sari sobbed. “It looks like it got her in the side.”
Kindel tilted his head. “Gem and Katlin are on their way back with the scout shuttle. Fiona’s safe on the Sunstar-3, and the commander’s been briefed.”
Mara’s skin turned horribly pale, and blood oozed from under the pad Sari pressed into her wound. She opened her eyes long enough to gasp, “did we get him?”
Amina smiled. “We got him.”
Kindel looked at Sari. “Get her back to the Sunstar-3.” He helped lift Mara with his Ability and eased her out the door with Sari.
Gem and Katlin rushed into the room, stunners drawn.
“We’ve still got trouble,” Katlin said.
“What now?” Kindel asked.
Katlin pointed. They’d forgotten about the addicts and the guards. A chill shot through Amina as she watched the guards grouped around Rhys. They pulled him up and checked his body for life.
“He’s dead,” one of the guards said.
Some addicts remained oblivious to their surroundings, but others began to keen. It was the creepiest sound Amina had ever heard.
The guard with the big black beard turned toward them and yelled, “they killed the boss!”
Amina moved backward toward the door with her team, stunners drawn and firing, but there were too many guards.
“Go!” Kindel shouted. He shoved Katlin and grabbed Gem’s arm, swinging her toward the door. He turned to her, cupped her face in his hands, and gave her a quick kiss. “I love you, Amina. Get out of here!”
“What about you? Come with me, Kindel, please!”
“I’ll hold them off. Now, go!” He pushed her toward the door. “Help Sari get Mara to the scout shuttle.”
“Listen to him!” Gem cried, pulling her away from the building. Once outside, Amina’s senses returned. Sari stood beside Mara, holding her up. There was no way Mara could walk.
“Can you fly Mara to the Sunstar-3?”
“I can get her to the shuttle, help me get her on my back.”
Amina lifted Mara to Sari’s back as gently as she could. Still, Mara cried out and tears streamed down her face. Sari cast off.
She ran for the shuttle on foot with Gem and Katlin. Gem stopped, crouched with her fingers on her temples.
“What is it?” Amina asked, breathless. “Kindel?”
Gem nodded and opened her eyes. “We’ve got to get as far from the building as possible.”
“Why?” Katlin asked. “What’s he doing?”
Gem shook her head. “Just run! Now!”
Amina took off running and made it almost to the trees when a wave of pressure and heat exploded against her back, pitching her to the ground. Smoke enveloped her. Debris and ash dropped from the sky all around her. He’d blown up the building.
Chapter 20
She hurt all over. Nothing seemed to be broken. What had happened? The memory came to her slowly, but when understanding filtered through the haze it struck with the force of lightning. She jerked up from the ground. “No! No, no, no!” Debris from the warehouse lay everywhere. “No. No.” It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.
She moved to run, to find him, but Gem and Katlin flanked her, wrapped their arms around her. She saw nothing but a yellow-orange glow through a great billowing wall of smoke. She stood motionless, stunned and consumed with disbelief. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. No one spoke.
“There isn’t anything we can do now,” Katlin whispered, finally.
Amina melted to the ground. Weeping gulping sobs wracked her body. She had a flash of hope so bright it hurt. “Gem!” She turned her face up to her friend. “Can you hear him?”
Gem tried to speak, choked, tried again. “I’m sorry. I already tried. He’s not there. He’s gone.”
Panting, Sari landed next to them. “What’s taking so long? We’ve got to get Mara to the Sunstar-3. She talked me through—” Her face turned blank as she stared at the smoke and flames. “I heard. A boom. I didn’t. Know.” She slowly turned and looked at them. “Where’s the captain?”
Katlin gestured with her head toward the burning destruction.
“No,” Sari breathed. “Oh, Amina, sugar.” She knelt beside Amina and rubbed her arms. “I’m just. I don’t even know.”
She shuddered on the end of a sob. “It’s not real.”
Her friends exchanged looks. Gem took Amina’s hands and stared into her eyes. “Amina. Look at me. I know you’re in shock and hurting, but we’ve got to move. Mara needs us.”
“Go.”
“We can’t leave you here.”
“Go.”
“Gem, we’ll come back for her. Mara’s got supplies on the medical deck. She’s holding on, but,” Sari sighed. “I’ve got to get the ship ready to fly. I need you and Katlin with Mara.”
Gem squeezed her hands. “I’m coming back. As soon as we get Mara stable, I’m coming back.”
“Yes.” She focused on her friend’s sweet, sad face, and felt her own face crumple in pain. She forced her voice past the hurt. “I love him.”
She sat there on the ground and shivered with shock. The sobs subsided to shuddering breaths and silent, continuous tears. Lightning flashed through the clouds, lit up the smoke in a flickering show of light. Thunder cracked as the rain began to fall. Still, she sat, letting the rain fall over her.
As the flames died down and smoke dissipated, she stood and walked toward the skeleton of the warehouse. She searched through the debris using her Ability, lifting sheets of metal, turning over pieces of door and wall. Her boots crunched glass. She couldn’t leave him here alone. She’d find him, and when Gem came back for her, she’d take him home. Still a good way from the building, she had a lot of ground to cover.
She gasped. No. “Kindel!” Body-shaking sobs, gulping wails of grief tore from her, and she pressed her hand to her mouth as she collapsed to her knees, doubled over with agony. There he was, heaped on the ground face-down, wearing a cover of blackened, singed rags over the stolen guard uniform. She crawled closer to his body, ran her hands over his back, feeling him. She levitated him, turned him, and laid him down gently in a more natural position. With shaking fingers, she removed the cloth that covered his face. There was a horrid gash on his head, the blood dry on his face. “Kindel.” She laid over his chest and wept.
Amina felt a tickle in her mind, a feeling, a voice. She reared back. Did she make this up in her desperation? She brushed her hands over his face, his eyes. Nothing. She lifted his chin and felt for a pulse in his neck. It was there. Faint, but there. She sobbed a laugh.
“Hold on, Kindel!” She screamed the desperate, emotional plea. Shelter. She had to get them to shelter from the rain. “I’m going to find us a cave.”
She ran through the rain toward the foothills of the range adrenaline powered by a surge of relief, joy, ecstasy. Uncontrollable, emotional laughter spurted out of her. If anyone had seen her then, they would’ve thought she was a mad woman scrabbling around in the rocks, laughing hysterically. She searched for any crevice that might give them dry cover and found a shallow cave in the craggy rock not far from where the shuttle had been. She ran back to Kindel and gently levitated him as swiftly as she physically could to the cave.
She shed her wet rags and piled them with his into a makeshift mat to cushion his body against the cold rock floor. His breathing grew stronger, deeper. At least she hoped that’s what she saw as she anxiously watched his chest’s slight rise and fall. The uniform was dry beneath the protective layers. The head wound wasn’t bleeding and seemed more superficial than she’d first thought. Her terrible fear was internal injuries, bleeding she couldn’t see. He could be slowly dying, right i
n front of her, and she was helpless to stop it. His ankle was swollen, so she wrapped it. He continued to sleep.
“Kindel, I’ve got to check you for internal bleeding.” She used her utility knife to gently cut away the uniform. “There’s nothing romantic about this. I’m doing this for your own good.” She admired his lean build, running her fingers over his chest, his taut abdomen. “You know you’re unbelievably gorgeous. I don’t feel or see any swelling. I don’t see any bruising.” He’d ache when he woke, but she didn’t see anything outright that suggested major internal damage. “I think you’re going to be ok. If you wake up and your brains aren’t scrambled.” Stop it! Stop worrying. He’s alive! “You must’ve just made it out, my love. I thought I’d lost you. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t accept that I lost you after I’d just found you. I didn’t even get to tell you, did I? That I love you.” Tears choked her voice. “I do. I love you.”
She watched him breathe. Willed him to wake. Lying on her side next to him, she traced his features. His forehead, his thick dark eyebrows, his straight nose, his firm lips. “It’s time to wake up. Please, wake up. I need to see your eyes, hear your voice. I need to know you’re going to be alright.” Nothing. Not even an eyelid twitch. “It stopped raining. I’m going to set up the light beacon, so Gem will find us. I’ll be right back.”
She attached a piece of red fabric to the branch of a squat tree and watched it blow in the breeze. She directed the light into the sky.
Back inside, she sat beside him and ate a ration bar. “You hungry? If you wake up, I’ll share half of this with you.”
She leaned over him to check his pulse, and his eyelids fluttered. She sucked in a breath as slowly, painfully his eyes opened. He blinked up at her, disoriented.
“Am I dreaming?” he croaked.
Amina’s face broke into an ecstatic grin, and she threw her arms over him. He winced, and she pulled back. “Sorry. I’m just so happy to see you.” She kissed his face: his cheeks, his forehead, his eyelids. She drew back and gazed into his warm brown eyes. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she slowly lowered her lips to his. “We thought you were dead. I thought I’d lost you.”
Sunstar: Amina's story a YA scifi romance (Peacekeepers Book 1) Page 12