No Quarter (Bounty, Book One)

by d'Abo, Christine

  “You know anything we try will most likely get us killed.” Gar cocked an eyebrow.

  “Kill or be killed. Jason won’t back down now. You know it as well as I do.” Faolan ran his thumb along Gar’s cheekbone. “At least this way you can try to get some answers.”

  “I’ll get them all right. Jason may think he’ll be able to keep me out, but I’ll get him.”

  One last quick kiss and Faolan stepped away. “We’ll get the bastard together. Just need a good plan.”

  Gar chuckled. “And a ship. As nice as she is, the Belle Kurve is a bit on the obvious side and clearly the Geilt is in no shape to go anywhere.”

  “I have an idea of where we can get one, but we’ll have to move quickly.”

  Faolan sat in front of his computer knowing exactly who could help them out. “I have an acquaintance in this sector who owes me for getting him out of a scrape a few years back. He’s been waiting for me to collect.”

  “What about Mace?” Gar moved closer, but stayed out of sight of the com display. “I don’t want her involved.”

  “The easiest way to keep her safe is to keep her in the loop. Give her something to do or else she’ll show up when you least want her to.”

  “Speaking from experience?”

  “Little shit got herself knee-deep into my trouble once, it took me a laser blaster and a—Styles, my friend!”

  The hunched-shouldered man straightened as much as he ever did. Faolan didn’t trust him very far, but knew he wouldn’t go back against a debt owed. Pirate’s code and all that.

  “Wolf. You’re not dead yet?”

  Faolan grinned and winked. “Not from lack of trying. I’ve come to collect.”

  “I figured this wasn’t a social call. What do you need?”

  “A ship, small. No bigger than a cruiser with lots of guns.”

  “Shields,” Gar muttered.

  “Shields too if you have them.” Faolan half turned to smirk at Gar. “Anything else, darling?”

  Gar rolled his eyes. “Ass.”

  Styles made a clucking noise, garnering Faolan’s attention. “New girlfriend?”

  All expression dropped from Gar’s face as he moved into the com’s view. The change in Styles was nearly comical when he realized who was with Faolan.

  “I k-know you.” The small man visibly shrank on the screen. “You’re that bounty hunter.”

  “The ship better be top of the line.” Gar raised a single eyebrow. “I’d hate to be disappointed.”

  “You bastard, Wolf.” Styles sneered. “When and where?”

  “Now and the Orin cluster.”

  “Am I getting it back?”

  Faolan kept his smile in place, but his expression hardened. He knew the effect it would have on Styles and wasn’t disappointed. “Consider it paying your debt in full.”

  Styles muttered something in his native language before clucking his tongue again. “Fine. I can get you one within three hours.”

  “Perfect! Always a pleasure doing business with you.” Faolan didn’t wait for the response and closed the com.

  “Do you trust him?” Gar relaxed, leaning against the side of his chair.

  “Not particularly. I do trust he’s scared enough of Mace not to kill me or else she’ll tear him apart.”

  “Lovely creature, my sister.”

  “Speaking of whom, let’s get the Belle Kurve in place and give Mace something to do.”

  Faolan stood and silently enjoyed the way Gar fell into place behind him as they walked. It felt right, this unexpected companionship—too bad they were both heading toward a messy death.

  Attachments always made situations like these hard to handle. It simply wasn’t fair that Gar and Mace had found each other, only to have Jason threaten their lives. He wanted to give them both the chance to get to know each other. Given the opportunity, he would sacrifice himself and save Gar.

  “Mace! We have a plan.” He made sure he sounded extra confident as they entered the cockpit and hoped she would actually believe him for once.

  Hands on her hips, she glared at him. “Does it involve me?”

  “Of course, pet. Wouldn’t dream of leaving you out.”

  Gar let out a soft snort behind him. Mace heard it too and pointed a finger at him. “Shut it.”

  “Gar and I have a ship and are going to hit Jason deep in his own house.”

  “Doesn’t sound like I’m a part of this so far.”

  As usual, he hadn’t thought the entire thing out before talking. With Mace, he often found it better to simply take things off the cuff. Before he answered, Gar spoke up.

  “We need you to call in all those favors Faolan mentioned. Get as many ships together as you can and have them gather near a major dimension gate.”

  Mace frowned. “Why?”

  “Because Jason wouldn’t expect us to come in alone. He’ll be looking for a group of pirate ships.”

  Gods, he was a smart one. Faolan grinned and ran his hand down the length of Gar’s back. “We’re going to give him what he expects.”

  “And hit him when he doesn’t. Very nice, big brother.” Mace smiled, punching Gar in the shoulder. “You’re not too bad.”

  Gar rolled his eyes. “You can compliment me when we come back in one piece.”

  Clapping his hands together, Faolan enjoyed the rush of excitement flowing through him. “Let’s get to work.”

  * * * * *

  The ship wasn’t exactly what Faolan had in mind. Designed for a race he was convinced had tentacles instead of two arms, the cockpit was crowded and hot, even with only the two of them. One look inside had the added bonus of cementing Mace’s role of staying on the Belle Kurve to run operations there.

  “Entering the planet’s atmosphere.” Gar’s voice was a calming presence in the riot of lights, sensors and alarms.

  “I can’t believe Jason runs the Guild from Zeten.” Ballsy didn’t begin to describe the move. “You’d think the high level of crime and Loyalist activity would keep him far away from here.”

  Gar shrugged and hit the cloaking sensors. “He plays both sides pretty close. Has for years. I think he gets a rush thinking he’s untouchable.”

  “Not for much longer.” Faolan reached out to squeeze Gar’s shoulder. “We’ll put this right.”

  “Damn straight we will.”

  They’d spoken very little since departing from the Belle Kurve. Gar’s mood noticeably darkened the closer they got to his home. Faolan didn’t need to read the other man’s mind to know ghosts from the past had come screaming to the present. The weight of the silence had given Faolan more time than he normally preferred to think on his own condition.

  The meds weren’t doing what he needed them to. Before leaving, he’d injected himself with another dose, not wanting to risk a relapse in the middle of a firefight. Still, the concerns and the nature of his declining state were staring him in the face. Even if by some small miracle he survived this little adventure with Gar, his life was rapidly coming to an end.

  “You know…” Gar started before turning away to intently study a reading on the screen.

  When he didn’t continue, Faolan turned to face him. “You know…what?”

  Gar blushed as he shrugged. “I met you once before. Years ago.”

  “Really?” Faolan knew he would have remembered Gar. There was very little he could have done to hide his natural appeal. “I don’t remember.”

  “You wouldn’t have. I was only a kid, sixteen. I was following around one of the more experienced bounty hunters, learning the ropes. He’d cornered you in a bar on Prymax. You managed to talk your way to the back alley and then tricked him into letting you go. I was…impressed.”

  Faolan had a vague recollection of the event. “I live to be burned into the minds of the people I’ve scammed.” He winked at Gar.

  “It was one of the reasons I wasn’t too upset when Jason gave me this assignment. I wanted to see you again.”

  Faolan ca
ught Gar looking at him from the corner of his eye, reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you did.”

  The ship chose that moment to shudder violently. “Is that cloak going to hold through the atmospheric descent?” Despite the prospect of a painful future death, he didn’t want to blow up because of a substandard part. “Just because Styles came through for us with the ship, it doesn’t mean I trust the quality.”

  Gar snorted, but checked the scanner anyway. “It’s holding. We’ll be through the sensor hole in fifteen minutes. Then we can touch down in a safe spot I know and slip into the Guild. At least Jason set the bulk of his ships off to chase Mace and her army. We won’t have to defend ourselves as much.”

  “Sounds good.” Despite having all the time in the world to think about how to phrase this, Faolan still wasn’t sure. Nothing for it. “I have a favor to ask.”

  “Hmm?”

  Reaching into his pocket, Faolan snagged the stone and pulled it out. “I want you to wear this when we’re down there.”

  Gar’s eyes grew impossibly wide, but he made no move to take the chain. “Why?”

  “It worked better for you than anyone else who’s tried it. I figure you know Jason, this confrontation might have him thinking thoughts he’d never verbalize. Might get you the answers you want faster.”

  “What about you? Selling it to get what you need?” Gar shook his head and turned forward. “I’m not going to risk losing it.”

  “You know as well as I do the chances of us getting out of here alive are close to zero. At least this way you can die with a clear understanding of what happened.” Not giving Gar the option of protesting any further, Faolan leaned over and slipped the chain over his head. “Keep it under your shirt and no one will know.”

  “Faolan—”

  “We’ve broken through.” He sat back down in his seat and immediately focused on the computer. “Set the approach vector now.” The pause was followed by a sigh and the rustle of clothing, making him smile.

  “In and locked. Be ready to move the second we touch down.”

  “I’ll follow your lead.”

  The ship rattled from the strong easterly wind whipping at them as they descended, making conversation impossible. It had been a long time since Faolan had participated in a raid like this. He was normally flash, not stealth. Good for a change.

  They remained undetected as Gar set them down in a valley with heavy vegetation. He’d spotted several large buildings on the outskirts of the city and could only assume this was the location of the infamous Guild. “How long will it take us to hike there?”

  “Normally I’d say not long, but seeing as we need to avoid the guards, I’m not sure.”

  “We better move it then.”

  Night was falling, long shadows making it easier for them to cover most of the distance unnoticed. Faolan was impressed at the ease with which Gar moved, even wearing the heavy overcoat and full suit they’d managed to salvage from the Geilt.

  His limbs felt numb the longer they traipsed up the rocky terrain toward their target. Faolan knew Gar was keeping an eye on him, slowing his pace when he fell too far behind. Thankfully, he never verbalized his concerns and kept moving forward. One quick dash from the tree line to a building on the outer edge of the city and they were finally safe.

  As safe as they could be walking into the heart of enemy territory.

  Gar stepped close beside Faolan as they walked heads down and eyes averted from any passersby. “Jason’s headquarters are housed in a building not far from here, but toward the center of town. Jason likes to do things off planet normally at one of his many secondary sites. He came back here after he’d cut ties with me. He’s pretty consistent with his setup, so it shouldn’t be too different from his other bases.”

  “Going in blind. Fun.” Faolan sighed and shifted closer. “So how do you want to do this? Sneak in the back door?”

  Gar stopped moving, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Nope, going to use a different approach.”

  Faolan really didn’t like the sound of this. “What do you have planned? Not something stupid, is it?”

  Crooking his finger at Faolan to follow, Gar strode off straight into the middle of town. He made no move to mask his appearance nor hide his intent from anyone in sight. Groaning, Faolan took off after him.

  Gar stopped alongside a statue, presumably of a Zeten war hero. He didn’t move—there was no scanning the crowds, secret codes, nothing. Faolan slowed his pace and sauntered over to his side as casually as he could manage.

  “This doesn’t seem like a smart plan, Stitt.”

  “The easiest way to see Jason is to let him know I’m here. He’ll send someone to collect us shortly.”

  True enough, it only took a few minutes for three large men, clearly some of the less elegant of the bounty hunters Jason had on staff, to materialize before them. Gar gave no visual response or indication of any nervousness. The trio sneered down at them and Faolan couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Stitt,” the larger of the three said, nodding. “You’ve got balls.”

  “Take us to Jason.”

  The man laughed, causing several onlookers to scurry away. “Fuck you. You’re not leaving this place—”

  Gar stepped forward, blade springing from his hidden sheath. “Let me rephrase. Jason is expecting me.”

  Faolan moved one hand to his sword hilt and the other to the butt of his blaster. If they were heading for a fight, he wanted to be ready. The trio remained still until the one in the rear pressed his finger to his ear.

  “Yes, sir.” Gar stiffened but didn’t remove his blade from the man’s throat. “Jason said to bring you to him.” The hunter coughed and stepped away from his partners. “He also asked that you don’t kill the help.”

  Gar’s lips twitched into a smile. “No promises. Gentlemen, lead the way.”

  Faolan fell into step by Gar’s side, not surprised to find two additional men joining them to bring up the rear of the group. Things were going to get messy.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I hope you know what you’re doing, Gar.

  He fought the urge to snort at Faolan’s thoughts. Gar liked to think he knew his former boss very well. He knew that given a slightly different set of circumstances, it would be Gar bringing in the mark and not some low-level hunter who hadn’t earned the right to leave the Guild’s home territory yet. Still, he should be thankful the men weren’t as experienced as they could be.

  Once we kick their asses, I’m going to take you out for a meal. You’re too skinny. Gar snapped his head to look at Faolan. The stupid ass should know better than to flirt in a situation like this.

  Don’t stare at me or they’ll think something’s up.

  Turning to look at the back of the bounty hunter, Gar let out a short huff to express his discontent.

  Stuff it, Stitt. If I’m going to die, I’m damn well going to enjoy myself.

  The main entrance to the Guild wasn’t what most people expected. There were no visible high-level security nor were there any armed guards posted. Anyone could walk into the heart of the building and talk to those inside.

  Getting out was what proved difficult for most.

  The small, metal door was pitted on the outside from the high winds and flying rocks normally kicked up in the windstorms. The leader of the trio banged on the door three times before pressing the release and ushering them in. Gar was temporarily blinded as his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness. It didn’t stop him from moving forward, having known the route to take from years of travel. He felt more than heard Faolan stumble, reaching out and grabbing his forearm to lead him the right way.

  Don’t let me run into any walls. Be a shame to mark up my pretty face.

  Gar squeezed his arm and tugged hard.

  “Jason is in his office,” the leader said, voice muffled by the narrow hall. “I trust you know the way.”

  “Been there a few times.” Gar pushed past the men, dragg
ing Faolan with him. “I suggest you men go into hiding. You won’t want to get caught in the crossfire.”

  His eyes had adjusted enough for Gar to see the other hunter’s sneer. “Yeah right, asshole.”

  Faolan chuckled. “I’ll enjoy watching him kick your ass later. Been fun, boys.”

  Each step Gar took brought his anger a bit closer to the surface. He’d given everything to this place. Done things bordering on the unacceptable, walked a tight line between what needed to be done and what his conscience could allow. The more he thought on it, the more he realized how much of himself he’d sacrificed to become a man he really didn’t like.

  Jason had done this to him, pushed Gar when he tried to walk away or back down. Jason had been the one who told him his life would be forfeit if he tried to leave the Guild. Yet here he was, Jason was the one who betrayed him in the end. Gar wanted payback.

  I can feel you seething from here, Gar. Keep a calm head or else they’ve won before we’ve started.

  Gar almost stopped to yell at Faolan to stay out of his mind when he realized it was the other way around. How the other man had grown to know him as well as he did in such a short period of time scared him.

  Turning the corner once, then again had them a short distance from Jason’s office. He knew the other man would be more than ready for them—guns, lasers and gas were all possible. Probably all three. He’d have to stay sharp if he was going to pull off his plan and get Faolan out in one piece.

  They paused before entering the room, Faolan’s hand found his for a quick squeeze. We’ll blast this fucker and be home for breakfast.

  “Here’s hoping,” Gar muttered.

  Taking a deep breath, he released Faolan’s hand and marched inside. Sitting behind the desk, hands folded neatly in front of him sat the focus of his wrath. Gar stopped a few feet away, laced his fingers behind his back and stared at his surrogate father.

  “Jason.” Gar nodded.

  Shit, you had a picture of him on the Geilt. I saw it in your quarters.

  “Stitt. I see you finally brought your mark in.” Jason’s gaze never left his, nor did he acknowledge Faolan in any way.