by Cathryn Cade
“You through bitching out Woodby?” he asked, his voice in her ear amused.
She winced at this reminder that he and Qala had heard every word of their conversation, then lifted her chin. “Yes. I believe so.”
“Come on up. Won’t be for long, but you can look around.”
She rose with alacrity.
“My rental cruiser,” David yelled behind her. “They’re leaving it behind. Make someone go back for it. I’ll be liable for that.”
“David?” Zaë advised, “suck it up!” She hurried forward into the cockpit.
Qala sat in the copilot’s seat. For once, she gave Zaë a friendly nod, then went back to watching her instruments.
Joran gave Zaë a gleaming look over his shoulder. “Strap into that jumpseat, my lady.”
She slipped into the compact seat, eyeing the controls with fascination. “Is there where you shoot at things?”
“Mostly at other craft, not ‘things’. But, yeah, those are weapons controls, so don’t touch anything.”
“Oh, all right.” She clasped her hands firmly in her lap. “Where are we going?”
“North, to a little rendezvous. In the mountains. You ever been up there?”
“I don’t think so. I believe this is my first visit to Frontiera.”
He grunted, and then spoke quietly to someone else. “We’re all up and on the move. Draz will move the camp west. We should reach Bone Arch in less than an hour, then we’re in the hot zone. Masterson, you on the way?”
A small holovid sprang to life above the windshield. “Here,” said a man with hard, cool hazel eyes. “We’re headed to the mountain. Just civilian businessfolk stopping by to have a look at the satcom installation, anyone asks. My men are in place, inside my warehouses.”
Another holovid, this one a man so blocky he looked to be made of stone, his dark eyes the only thing active in his face. He wore the biggest comlink Zaë had yet seen, and another piece floated near his face. “Berenson here,” he identified himself. “Surveillance on the area. All quiet at the IGSF base. The usual patrols out.”
Ilya appeared beside him, her mop of braids in contrast to the fire in her gaze. “Eyes on you, boss. You have pursuit, all five of the slavers, plus the epaulets from the amber lake camp. They’re hanging back, waiting.”
“Good,” Joran said. “They’ll be sending word to base, letting them know. Haro?”
Haro’s shaggy head appeared, and he gave a smile and wink to the woman in the co-pilot’s seat. She frowned reprovingly. Zaë watched this byplay with fascination.
“Ready. I’ll wait to liaise with the epaulets till you’re in place.”
“All right.” Joran spoke to the group, his voice crisp. “The auction ring’s been set up, and all the pieces are in place. All we have to do is draw everyone together and our little party can begin.”
“You’re waiting till nightfall, I presume?” Masterson drawled. His gaze arrowed to Zae and paused, his eyes narrowing. She blinked—whoa. What an intense man.
Joran moved, leaning sideways so that her view of the holovid was blocked—and so was Masterson’s view of her. What was that all about, she wondered?
“Yes, we wait until dark,” Joran agreed. “Gives an extra element of confusion, I always think.”
“Nothing like nature on your side,” agreed the man with a ghost of a smile. “Of course it also allows the enemy to slink away unseen.”
“Can’t believe you’re doing this in Bone Arch,” a new voice boomed.
Zaë started as a new holovid appeared. Now he looked like a pirate. His head filled his tiny vid, his broad, angular face surrounded with a mane of wild, pale blond hair that had been partially tamed into braids, the lower half his face covered with a short beard and mustache. He grinned and waggled his brows at her. She smiled back. “Right in the IGSF’s fuckin’ back yard! You got any closer to the satcom installation, you’d be in their pockets.”
“That’s the beauty of it, Steele,” Joran agreed. “No one pays any attention to Bone Arch, it’s just a ghost town from the old bad days, when pirates holed up there.”
“Those were the days. Kinda miss ‘em, tell truth. This shindig is more like it—my kinda party!”
Joran held up one hand, listening. “I have a link from our special guests. Back to you later.”
The holovids disappeared, and Joran shot a look back at Zaë. “Back to the main cabin with you. And put on some warm clothes, you’re gonna need ‘em. There are flight suits in the sleeping cabin.”
She obeyed, although not without disappointment. Her mind was reeling with what she’d gleaned from the cryptic communications between Joran and the others. They were enroute to a very important meeting of some kind. Hush-hush and illicit. And certain participants were pretending to be on innocent errands, when in fact they were involved.
She passed through the cabin, where David Woodby was closing a comlink, a smug look on his face. “I’ve just—” he began.
Zaë walked past him. “Wait, where are you going?” he demanded. “I have important news.”
“Hold the thought, David.”
She shut herself in the sleeping cabin, mostly taken up by a bed with a silver comforter. Her bag lay on the end. Opening it, she pulled out the long sleeved tunic and leggings, and changed into them, then opened cubbies until she found a warm coat and pair of gloves, and a pair of tall boots that were only a little too big. Outside, she could see rugged mountains ranging to the horizon, where the sun was going down.
She used the lav, then carried her wraps back to her seat in the main cabin.
David was scowling at her. “As I was saying, I’ve just spoken with your parents.”
She stared at him, her surroundings forgotten. The coat slid to the carpet and her gloves followed, landing softly. “My parents?” she whispered. She lifted one hand to her heart. “Oh, they must be so—were they happy?”
“Of course,” he said. “Very happy. They want to see you at once.”
“Oh, my.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “Perhaps we can meet in the morning.” She felt a guilty relief at not having time to link them back now. She was anxious to see them, but once she was with them, her old life would reach out and envelope her—and Joran Stark might have no interest in being part of it.
She just wanted a little more time with him. After she scolded him until his ears burned, of course.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” David snapped. “I overheard your pirate saying we’re landing in a place called Bone Arch, so I told them. They’ll be here in a few hours.”
Her breath froze. “Oh, no. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
***
Slidi smiled at Joran from her holovid, but as her gemlike gaze slid over him and the woman at his side, he could see she was not pleased.
“Storm. I thought you’d be joining me for the night.”
“Sorry,” he said. “Breaks my heart, but business comes first, you know that. And I’ve got something special lined up for you tonight.”
“What do you mean by special?”
He smiled at her. “Know you like power, and having beings at your mercy. Found some for you that will be even more fun.”
Now he had her. She leaned forward, her pupils flaring with excitement. “Tell me.”
“Solid irridium. Fighters—gladiators if you want, or just to play with.”
She breathed in, her nostrils flaring. “Where did you get them?”
“Oh, round and about. Bars, clubs. You know a little something in a drink brings the biggest to their knees.”
“Size and muscle mean little against brains,” she agreed in a purr.
“Oh, these folks aren’t just big, they’re tough. Ex-military, most of them.A few Serpentians from guard units.”
“How many?” He could see her calculating profits.
“Dozen. But they’ll go high. Each one worth a fortune.”
“All right.”
He smiled at her. “So you agree. We’r
e in on a sweet deal like this, can’t pass it up. We’ll have all the time we want later, you and me. And by then, we’ll have lots more credit.”
“Joran,” Qala said, as if appalled.
“Shut up,” he said coldly, without looking her way.
Slidi’s eyes flared with pleasure. She cocked her head, tapping one painted nail against her gelled lips. “All right, I suppose I can wait for you, my Storm. Where is the auction?”
He grinned at her. “Since you and your crew are already riding my airstream, why don’t you just keep on following me in. Hope you don’t mind, I went ahead and invited some more buyers. We’ll split the profits, of course, since you’re bringing buyers too. How many ways depends on how many of your friends you wanna share with. Up to me, we’ll cut them all out.”
“Give me the coordinates first,” she demanded, her voice still sweet, her gaze cold as ice.
He shrugged. “Sure, beautiful. Place called Bone Arch. Old pirate outpost in the mountains, so wild no one ever gets up there but a few hunters and townies pretending they’re wild. Auction is small but choice, so we’re holding it in the lodge.”
One of her brows arched in disdain. “Is this one of the foolish, showy pranks for which you are so famed? The place is too close to the IGSF base and the satcom installation.”
He leaned back in his chair, giving her a grin. “Huh. Well, you may wanna check on that famous system, ‘cause what I hear? It’s not working so well tonight. Lot of interference from local storms, you know what I mean.”
Her look said she got the joke, didn’t appreciate it and didn’t believe he could back it up. “I’ll most certainly check on that. Stay in touch.”
Joran hit the surveillance fogger on the console. “What a bitch,” he muttered.
“‘One of those foolish, showy pranks’,” she mimicked. “She’s gotcha there.”
“Surrounded by women think they can run my business better than I can,” he retorted, but he grinned at her. “See we’ve got a system moving in from the north, rain and wind. Might even get some lightning, should be a great show up this high.”
Just right for his purposes. Lots of showmanship, and a little sleight of hand.
Qala groaned. “Hate storms. Get fried up here on these mountaintops, nothing else to take the strike.”
As if on cue, the dark mass of twilight clouds on the northern horizon flickered eerily, a sort of greenish blue, and the readout on the weather monitor lit up to match. The storm was coming in even faster than predicted.
“Masterson lost a ship on the ground here, and the men on it,” Joran told her. “So he brought in some fancy tech, diverts the strikes off into the arch, instead of the structures.”
She didn’t look convinced. “Well, let’s hope it works tonight.”
***
They came up over the mountains from the south, straight into the teeth of the storm.Lightning flickered as Joran swung a tight right, skimming the cruiser along the mountain tops until they reached a high pass.
“Bone Arch, here we come,” he said.
He slowed, heading down toward a cluster of buildings at the foot of a huge natural arch carved by wind into the mountain peak. A log lodge headed a wide road, sided with low, oval-roofed hangars and warehouses, built to withstand the extreme weather of these mountain tops.
As usual up here, the storm cell was massing, growing in violence as it hung, caught on the pass, rain swirling in long streamers to the ground on the far side of the pass. Lightning flickered again, rage from the belly of the beast. Wind buffeted the cruiser.
The red flicker of an alert beam circled through the dusk below. Their presence was already noted.
“Looks like a ghost town,” Qala said.
“This is about all it ever was. Maybe a few more cruisers back in the day.”
The Bone Arch Lodge was built from local timber and stone, sturdy enough to withstand the winter winds, but with no claim to beauty. This was an outpost, raw and unashamed. The lights limning the rooflines and grounds were harsh, not soft and picturesque.
“Quark, is that a cata pelt flapping from the lodge roof?” Qala asked.
“Wait til you see the awning over the porch,” he said. “Untanned skrog hide. Does not smell great on a hot day.”
“Prefer synthetics, myself,” she noted. “Like hides on the creatures where they belong.”
“Yeah. Get a lot of hunters up here. They like that shit. Hang on, we’re going down.”
The cruiser rocked as they dropped slowly into the open area before a large hangar with the Masterson logo on the roof.
A small hovie zipped by toward the lodge, headlights cutting a swathe along the main road, carrying a trio of bundled-up workers. Another cruised by in the other direction, the open back piled high with weather-proof containers.
“Hope those boys and girls are armed,” Qala said.
“Sure they are. Masterson is an old pirate himself, from Earth I.”
“Heard that. Glad he’s on our side.”
“I’m on my own side,” lilted a voice in Joran’s ear. “My people are opening up the hangar on the end for you. May want to get your shiny cruiser in out of this weather, not to mention away from stray shots fired. I presume there will be those.” He didn’t sound worried.
“Thanks,” Joran said regretfully. “But if I hide, that sends the wrong signal to our guests. Gonna have to risk the Hawk. I do have someone I’d like in the safest place possible, though.”
“A woman, by any chance?”
“Yes. And she’s already been through one slave auction, not putting her through another.”
“Had I known sooner, I’d have sent her to stay with my wife, Rose at our place. Sorry, but now it’s likely the safest place for her will be at your side. I’ve people everywhere, and so, they tell me, do you. We’ll make this happen quickly.”
Joran didn’t like it, but he was the one who’d brought Zaë, or Lady Elliane with him, not sent her in the opposite direction, so he had to accept the circumstances.
Slidi reappeared, her face imperious. “Storm? Who’s that you’re comming with?”
“My guards on the ground,” he said smoothly. “You in?”
She nodded. “We’ll be landing in thirty minutes. That will give us time to recon the area. And Storm? If my men discover anything I don’t like ... you’ll be the one to pay.”
He gave a theatrical shudder. “Brrr. Baby, you can take it straight out of my hide. Maybe with that little whip of yours.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
When she had signed off, Joran unbuckled and rose from his seat. “I’m going back, take a few minutes with my lady. You want to step out, feel free. Just keep an eye out.”
Qala slanted him a look he couldn’t read, but shook her head. “I’ll stay here, keep watch.”
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Scared about what we’re into, won’t lie about that. But other than quarking scared we’re probably gonna die from lightning or laser, yeah, I’m just fine.”
He put his hand on her slim, strong shoulder. “None of us are gonna die tonight. Well, definitely not by lightning. Some of the idiots we’ve invited to our soiree get laser happy, can’t guarantee our safety there.”
“I know. Go on, have your moment. I’ll check in with Haro.”
“Right.” Joran smiled to himself as he swung out of the cockpit. From the way she’d said Haro’s name, the checking in was no doubt a prelude to more. He hoped so.
Chapter 27
In the cabin, Zaë was clinging to her seat, barely able to stay still, while David glowered. When Joran appeared, she yanked free of her safety harness. “Can we please—”
“I demand to know what is going on,” Woodby interrupted.
“You don’t get to demand anything,” Joran told him. “You want off my cruiser, go ahead. Otherwise sit tight.”
He leaned down to pull Zaë to her feet. “C’mer
e, baby.”
She followed him without a word, back into the sleep cabin.
He closed the door behind them, locked it, and tipped her face up to his, his gaze searching hers. “You okay?”
“Joran—he sent for my parents. They’re coming here!” She tugged at his shirt. “What if that puts them in danger? Or—or ruins your plan?”
“Ah, bunny. I know, but—”
“Also,” she forged on, forcing herself to let go of his shirt, and speak casually. “I know this may seem trivial in light of the danger we face, but… if they take me away now, I’ll never...I wanted to be with you—just once more.”
His gaze darkened, a charge gathering like the storm outside. “Once more? You planning on ditching me after this?”
She raised her brows. “That was your plan, wasn’t it? Thanks for the sex, and so long!”
He winced. “What I said today—I was angry, and running my mouth. It means a lot, more than you’ll know, that you gave me you, sweetheart. That you trusted me with that.”
She wouldn’t allow herself to hope, not yet, but her heart lifted anyway. Foolish heart. “Really, Joran? Then why did you speak to me so, in front of your people and David?”
“Because…I’m an idiot.” He brushed back a stray curl from her cheek, his gaze on it. His touch was warm and so reassuring she wanted to lean into it, rub on him as the mawwr did her.
He looked into her eyes, and she caught her breath at the emotion there. “I let my pride get in the way of what I want. I was gonna steer clear of you because you were damaged, weak. Not proud of that but there it is. But then I realized, you’re the strong one.”
“You’re strong,” she protested. “You’re the one who commands a dangerous crew, and sends slavers fleeing for their lives!”
He shook his head. “Baby, you had everything taken away from you—your family, your home, even your memories. And what did you do? Start battling to get them back, even though it hurt you. That’s courage. I was the one who was too afraid to admit how much I want you. No, need you. No matter what.”
He pulled her closer. “You can’t remember everything, who cares? You have the core of you, that’s what’s important. You’re sweet, you’re strong and you’re sexy as fuck.”