He glanced back at his mate. Gigi gave him a brave but wavering smile. Remy winked at him before looking straight ahead. He could see the mountains of the southern tip of the planet come into view on the vid-screen. The barren wastelands should be right ahead. Unfortunately, that was exactly where they were headed—the heart of the wastelands.
“And here we go.” Tank growled.
“Colt,” Remy called out, “keep an eye out for any tracers. If someone is on our tail, I want to know about it before they do.”
“Got it, Commander.”
Remy just had a gut instinct, and he usually trusted his instincts. They had saved his hide more than once. His were screaming that the setup back at End of the Line was just the beginning. There was more trouble waiting for them ahead.
“Colt, when we land, I want you to slip out and scout the area. Hopefully, no one knows how many people we have onboard. If you can keep yourself hidden then we might have an advantage if we need one.”
“Will do, Commander.”
Remy nodded. “Tank, you stay onboard with Gigi. Keep him safe while we find out if we’ve been double-crossed or not.”
“You have been.”
Remy spun around and stared at Gigi. “What?”
“That guy you’re going to meet,” Gigi said quietly. “He has a bunch of armed men hiding in the warehouse where you’re supposed to meet him.”
Remy blinked. “Uh, how do you know this, angel?”
He’d really like to know as they hadn’t even reached the warehouse yet. Remy’s eyes narrowed. Was Gigi a spy sent to bring them down? Even as he thought it, Remy dismissed that idea. Gigi was his mate. He had to trust in his mate.
Gigi frowned. “Can’t you scan for them? I know they are there.”
“Level out, Tank, and hold us in this pattern,” Remy said as he got out of his seat and walked over to Gigi. “Crank, I want you to scan for anything out of place—bio signatures, EM devices, energy weapons, fuel cells, anything.”
“On it, Commander.”
Remy could feel Gigi trembling as he knelt down in front of him and grabbed his hands. He tried to look unthreatening as he smiled at the little man. “Angel, we haven’t scanned yet. How do you know someone is waiting for us?”
“I don’t know.” Gigi shrugged and looked away. “I just do.”
Remy really wished he could leave it at that. He could see that Gigi was nervous. He wanted more than anything to be able to comfort his mate right now, but he really needed to know how Gigi knew someone might be waiting for them.
Remy gripped Gigi’s chin between his fingers and pulled the man’s face back around. “Please, angel, I need to know.”
Gigi looked hesitant for a moment then he whispered, “I can feel them.”
Remy’s eyebrows shot up. “You can feel them?”
Gigi nodded. “It’s cold, freezing cold. And it feels gross.”
“What exactly feels gross, Gigi?”
“The men waiting.” Gigi frowned. “I can’t explain it exactly. There’s just this huge feeling of evil.”
“Could it be nerves?”
Gigi shook his head. “No, I’m feeling a distinct difference between each man. There are about eight in all. Four are up in the rafters. Two are on the roof. And two more are standing in the middle of the warehouse. All of them feel cold except one of the men on the roof. He feels warm and not gross.”
“Okay, then.” For some odd reason, Remy believed Gigi. He squeezed Gigi’s hands then dropped them as he stood to his feet. “It seems we have a party waiting to welcome us to Nebular Nine, boys. Be ready for them.”
“You believe me?” Gigi whispered.
Remy glanced back, surprised by the shock making Gigi’s face white. He cupped his hand around that beautiful face and smiled. “Of course I believe you, angel.”
“No one’s ever believed me before.”
“Well, I do.”
“Me, too,” Crank said, catching Remy’s attention. “I can see them now on my scanner, and they are directly where your little angel said they’d be—all eight of them.”
“Damn!” Remy rubbed the back of his neck. “We have surprise on our side, boys. We can go in, but you know what we’re facing. Is our cargo worth it?”
“We really need those parts, Remy,” Tank said. “The engines need a tune-up worse than I do. She’s a good ship, but even she needs her hair curled every once in a while.”
Remy glanced around the room at the rest of his men. “Do you all agree?”
They all nodded.
“Okay then, we go in. Tank, plot us a course that will bring us behind them. Landing out of sight won’t be an option once we hit the wastelands. They’ll see us coming a mile away. I want to go in hard and fast. We’re going to land, get our cargo, and get the hell out of there.”
“What about me?” Gigi asked.
“You’re my ace in the hole, angel.” Remy walked over to a side panel near the door and grabbed a personal communicator. He walked back over and placed it on Gigi’s ear. “This will let you speak directly to any of us. If your gut changes at all, I want you to let us know. I believe you might be able to see things that we can’t.”
Gigi looked stunned, as if he had never considered that someone might believe him. His mouth hung open a little, but he nodded in quick bursts as his eyes widened, making them dominate his face.
“I want you to stay here on the ship. Tank will keep you safe until I get back, and then we can go make dinner together.”
Gigi wrinkled his nose. “Mooing cow?”
Remy chuckled. “Or clucking chicken.”
Gigi giggled, the reaction Remy was looking for. Remy patted his hand then walked back over to his chair. He sent a small wink to Gigi then turned to face the vid-screen, praying he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his life by landing.
“Okay, Tank, bring us in.”
Chapter 5
When the retractable ramp lowered, Crank was the first to exit. His cougar senses were picking up the scents Gigi had claimed were there. Luckily, he had a few surprises for these assholes. He patted his vest, feeling the RK05s sitting snuggly where he had put them. Just one of those babies would blow the entire warehouse up, and Crank planned on leaving a few behind as a thank you for fucking us over gift.
Colt was the next to exit, his high-powered blaster cocked on his shoulder and ready for business. Crank was pretty sure Colt was the best damn sniper this side of the galaxy. It didn’t hurt that Colt loved showing off his skills. Besides, it was customary to have a blaster aimed when engaging in black market deals, so these jerks wouldn’t think anything of it if they happened to spot him.
Crank blocked Colt’s exit with his body as the hawk shifter slid to the side of the ship and climbed on top, lying flat behind one of the deflector shields. Hell, they had a few aimed at them right now. Crank could feel it in his bones.
Blade exited strapped with more knives than a Ginsu factory. The man was a beast when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Throw some knives in there and the enemy didn’t have a chance. He’d saved Crank’s ass more than once.
Remy walked out last, taking up the lead and walking straight into the heart of the trap, acting casual, as though he wasn’t aware of what was going on. Crank loved that about their commander. He might feel fear, but no one looking at him would ever know.
“Borjan, glad you could make our meeting.” Remy stuck his hand out as Crank scanned the area. They all had their personal communicators on and working. Still, there were things a good pair of eyes could spot that a communicator couldn’t.
“The two on the roof are moving in closer,” Colt’s voice warned over the com link.
“Why do you look so surprised, Commander? A deal is a deal.” Borjan’s smile was cold, and his eyes were empty and dark. “Now, if you’ll follow me inside, we can conduct our business.”
Crank and Blade followed Remy inside the warehouse. Crank’s eyes immediately looked up for the four in the rafters.
And there they were, sitting snuggly and out of sight, or so they thought.
“Get out of there!” Gigi’s voice sounded panicked over the com links. “They have more moving in behind the warehouse. They’ll be there in ten minutes or less.”
Well then, they needed to get this meeting done and over within five minutes tops. There was no way they were leaving here empty-handed. Crank was pretty sure their lady wouldn’t make it back to End of the Line in its present state.
“Show me what you have.” Remy didn’t waste any time on pleasantries.
Crank knew like everyone else that they had to buy and run. It couldn’t be considered rude since all of this was under that radar anyways.
“Why the rush?” Borjan asked as he walked slowly to the back of the warehouse. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Commander. Can’t we catch up on old times?”
“We don’t have any old times,” Remy bit out. “Let’s see what you have, or I’m walking.”
“Very well,” Borjan sighed but still walked slower than Crank’s dead cat.
Crank was starting to get a funny vibe, like their time was even less than Gigi predicted. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He knew they were being watched, but this was something more.
Blade must have read his mind because he grabbed Borjan in under a nanosecond. “He dies if any of you assholes so much as twitch a finger,” Blade snapped as he grabbed his knife and held it to the slimy fucker’s throat.
Crank blinked then pulled his phaser. Apparently he wasn’t the only one feeling the vibe. Everything after that happened in a rush. Crank rushed past Borjan and planted a couple of the RK05s. Remy shot forward and grabbed the case they needed to repair the ship. Crank joined Blade as they backed away with Borjan shielding them. Crank tossed the credits on the floor of the warehouse. They may be engaging in black market deals, but the Elite Force weren’t pricks. They paid for whatever they needed. They weren’t a bunch of thieves.
“You won’t get away with this.” Borjan growled at them. “There’s a huge bounty on your heads, and sooner or later you won’t be able to use force to get away. I plan on being the one to collect. Just so you know.”
Crank watched Blade yank the son of a bitch back towards the ship. He nodded when he saw Colt slide back down and aim his blaster at the warehouse. Crank could see that everyone knew they were up shit creek, and they were getting the hell out of there.
“Move,” the hawk shifter shouted as they neared the retractable ramp.
Once the crew was on board, Blade shoved Borjan to the ground and waved bye-bye as the ramp closed. Tank had them in the air in less than ten seconds, phasers shooting at their hull. Crank ran toward the bridge right along with everyone else.
“Get us the hell out of here,” Remy shouted as he ran onto the bridge. “And fix her before we end up sitting ducks in space.”
“Give me just a second, Commander.” Crank rushed over to the vid-screen and pushed the button in his hand. “Three, two, one…yes!” Crank shouted, dancing around as the warehouse went up in a blaze of explosions.
Crank grinned as the mushroom cloud that used to be the warehouse faded from sight. He turned to take the case from Remy. “I love things that go boom.” He chuckled as he carried the case off the bridge.
What a fucking rush.
Gigi wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. Everyone was working on their assigned jobs, and he was sitting on his ass, twiddling his thumbs. He loved the way the crew came together and worked like a well-oiled machine. He just wanted to be a part of that.
Gigi unsnapped his buckle and slid from his seat. He approached Remy slowly as he watched the crew working on the lady, and Tank navigated them as far away from Nebular Nine as possible.
“Can I help?” he asked Remy. Remy spun his seat around and patted his thighs. That wasn’t what Gigi had in mind, but he took a seat nonetheless. He’d never say no to being cuddled in Remy’s lap. He wasn’t that dumb. “I’d like to help.”
“You’ve been a big help already, Gigi.”
“You know what I mean. Give me something to do.” Gigi’s eyes narrowed when Remy wiggled his eyebrows. “Not that. I mean real work. Something that doesn’t involve my ass and your cock.”
Remy chuckled. “You really want to pitch in?”
Gigi nodded enthusiastically.
“Cook the guys a good home-cooked meal, something hearty for growing boys.”
“How is that helping?”
“Have you seen the slop we eat? Believe me, it would help.”
Gigi didn’t see how, but he was willing to do it. It wasn’t like he knew how to repair the hull or work on the diagnostics system. He wouldn’t even know what to look for unless there was a huge hole in front of him.
Gigi braved giving Remy a quick kiss then jumped off his lap and ran through the ship until he reached the mess hall. He figured out what he would make and how much of each ingredient he would need then walked over to the dilapidated food replicator.
Gigi mentally crossed his fingers as he tapped in what he needed on the punch pad. The replicator came on with a shudder. Gigi jumped back when it began to sputter and spark. White creamy liquid started pouring out of it. When the liquid hit the floor, it began to swell and bubble. It coagulated into a foam-like substance and began to grow quickly.
Gigi squeaked and ran. “Remy!” he screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran right back the way he’d come not moments before. He could hear the replicator whizzing behind him as he ran down the corridor and up the stairs to the command deck.
“Remy!”
“What?” Remy shouted as he ran off the bridge and into the corridor. He caught Gigi in his arms and looked around for the danger. “What is it, angel?”
“The replicator tried to eat me.”
Gigi rolled his eyes when Remy blinked down at him.
“The replicator tried to eat you?”
Gigi nodded rapidly and pointed down the corridor.
Remy sighed and set Gigi aside. He started down the corridor, Gigi right on his heels. Gigi stopped when they reached the doors to the mess hall. He bounced nervously from foot to foot as he bit his bottom lip.
“Maybe you shouldn’t go in there,” Gigi said. “Maybe you should get Tank or something.” Tank was even bigger than Remy. He could stop a spaceship takeoff.
“Gigi, the replicator is not going to hurt me.”
Remy opened the door and stepped inside. The next thing Gigi knew, Remy slipped and went down in the white foam. His heart thundered in his chest as Remy totally disappeared from sight.
“Tank!” Gigi screamed at the top of his lungs as he went running down the corridor again. Gigi grunted when he ran around a corner and right into Tank. He bounced back and fell on his butt.
“What’s the hurry, Gigi?”
“The food replicator ate Remy.”
Tank’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
Gigi jumped to his feet and grabbed Tank’s hand then yanked him down the corridor toward the mess hall. He stopped again when he reached the two large metal doors and pointed.
“The food replicator tried to eat me. Remy went in, and now he’s gone.” Tank started to step forward, but Gigi grabbed his hand. “Wait, shouldn’t you have some sort of weapon?”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Gigi.”
Gigi bit his lip and started bouncing again as Tank opened the door and stepped inside. Gigi caught just a blink of white and Tank was gone, swallowed up by whatever was in the room.
Gigi wasn’t taking any chances this time. “Colt! Crank! Blade!” He shouted as loud as he could as he backed away from the mess hall doors. “Help! Emergency! Help!”
The three large men came running from every direction with their phasers drawn. Gigi just pointed. Colt frowned as he went in first, Crank and Blade hot on his heels. Dread began to fill Gigi when they disappeared the same way Remy and Tank had.
Now it was just him. He was the only one left
to save everyone from the food replicator. And he didn’t have a clue what to do. Gigi chewed on his thumbnail for a moment until an idea hit him.
He ran back down the corridor to the small storage closet just outside the living quarters. He remembered seeing rope in there when Remy had pulled out the personal communicator for him to use. Gigi grabbed the rope and raced back to the mess hall.
He tied one end around the bulkhead and the other end around his waist. If he got lost inside the room of white foam, at least he’d be able to find his way back. He hoped. Gigi drew in a deep breath for courage then stepped inside the mess hall.
He was met by a large wall of white foam. Gigi dropped down to his knees and started searching the floor for Remy and his men. Fear filled his chest and made his heart thunder. He had to save Remy. Oh yeah, and the crew.
“Remy? Are you alive?”
“Gigi?”
“Remy?” Gigi sat up and searched the blinding whiteness for his man. “Remy, where are you?”
“Just follow the sound of my voice, angel. I’m right over here.”
Gigi started crawling, moving faster and faster toward Remy’s voice. “Remy?”
“I’m here, angel, just a little farther.”
Gigi felt a thick muscular leg. He grabbed onto it and followed it up until he could see someone’s face. “You’re not Remy.”
Tank chuckled. “No, little one, I’m not.”
“Where’s Remy?”
“Killing the replicator.”
Gigi frowned. “I told you the replicator was trying to eat Remy.”
“And next time, I’ll believe you.” Tank chuckled as he wiped foam from his forehead. “Trust me.”
“Is anyone else alive?”
“I’m here,” Crank called out from somewhere to Gigi’s left.
“I’m lost,” Colt said from behind Gigi.
“I can’t see a thing,” Blade said, “so I’m not sure where I am.”
The whizzing noise suddenly stopped, and the room went silent. Gigi gripped Tank’s arm a little tighter. “That’s really creepy,” he whispered.
“I think Remy killed it,” Tank whispered back.
“Angel?” Remy called out.
Hagen, Lynn and Glenn, Stormy - End of the Line [Lady Blue Crew 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 5