by K C Luck
"Well, you could always just let us go," she said.
Rog chuckled. "Don't you wish," he said. "But honestly, your luck is lousy. I mean, if you and your lovely little spaceship had not come along right when it did, I would not have bothered." Nat frowned. What is he talking about? she wondered. Catherine apparently was curious too.
“How so?” she asked. Before Rog could answer, the door to the room opened and in walked Sal, one of the pirates who boarded their ship.
“Sal!” Rog said and Nat did not miss how happy the pirate king was to see her. A favorite, she thought. Especially interesting because Sal’s expression did not appear to be as excited to see him. “Did you secure their ship with the others?”
“Of course,” she answered and Nat watched as her eyes skimmed over first her and then Catherine. “I searched it first, to make sure everything these two were telling us was true.” At this news, Nat stiffened. It would not take much to figure out the spaceship did not belong to any senator. Sal met Nat’s eyes and glared.
“And?” Rog prompted.
There was a pause and Nat prepared herself mentally for a fight. Her first move would be to attack Chuck and take his rifle. It would be difficult with her hands still bound in front of her, but there was no better option. Nat shifted her weight to be ready. Finally, Sal glanced at Catherine and smiled a little before turning back to Rog. She shrugged. “Out for a romantic cruise,” Sal answered. “On daddy’s luxury ship. Just like the girl said.” Nat saw Catherine let out a breath of relief and unclenched her own hands. Safe for now, she thought and was relieved to learn Sal was less of a threat than she thought. Obviously, the woman was lazy or stupid if she could not find proof the Avalon Mercury was registered to a doctor, not a politician.
"Perfect," Rog said. "I'd have been pissed to learn there would be no payoff from this. When the time comes, I plan to make that senator pay a shitload of ransom for his pretty little girl." Chuck and the skinny pirate beside him laughed. Rog grinned and then went back to his original subject. "So, Sal," he said. "We were just discussing how unlucky Catherine and her watchdog are." Sal nodded.
"True," she said again fixing a stare at Nat. "If they were not so law-abiding and skipped checking on the disabled ship, they would still be free. Whose idea was it to respond?" Before Nat could answer, Catherine tossed her head and took a defiant stance.
"Mine," she answered. "Can you imagine the media frenzy if it got out a senator's daughter ignored a mayday?" Sal shifted her look to Catherine and narrowed her eyes.
"She has a good point," Rog added.
"I suppose," Sal said. "Still, like you said, bad timing. In a day we will be out of this airspace altogether and home." Nat froze at those words and worked to keep her face relaxed. Is she implying this ship is about to land at the pirate’s base? she thought. The knowledge made her mind race. Suddenly, escaping from the pirate ship was not necessarily her primary objective. As much as Catherine's safety mattered to her, the idea the ship was headed to the pirate's hidden camp changed everything. The Space Ranger Corps, Nat included, had searched for years to find the pirate's base. With so many uncharted planets and moons in the multiple galaxies, trying to locate their stronghold had proven impossible so far. There was also the rumor the space pirates had acquired advanced cloaking sciences, which not only allowed their large galleon spacecraft to roam undetected so easily but was thought to be helping keep their home location secret. Nat's last ten years had been spent as a Ranger searching for the exact location of the pirate king's hideaway. It was on just such a recon mission when she chased the pirate craft into the canyon and was ambushed. Nat realized she could avenge her co-pilot's death by leading the Space Rangers to the camp. If Nat could go there and somehow send out a signal, it would be a game changer in the war against the space pirates.
"Wait a minute," Catherine said interrupting Nat's racing thoughts and sounding a bit alarmed. "Where are you going? I thought you were putting us up for ransom." Rog shook his head.
"Relax. All in due time," he said. "You'll have to be my guests for a little while. Then I'll decide what to do with you." Nat saw Catherine pale as the reality of how bad their situation was becoming set in. Catherine was smart enough to realize the chances of stealing a transport off of the pirate's ship were much better than trying to escape from a planet. Catherine shook her head and tried to regain her arrogant demeanor, but she was clearly upset.
"I will not agree to that," she said with a waiver in her voice. Rog chuckled.
"What? You don't want to see where I live?" he said. "We've been out raiding the galaxies for over four years, and at last I get to go home with my holds full of plunder. Forgive me for inconveniencing you in the process." Rog shrugged. "Besides, you might find you like it and decide to stay. There are a lot of benefits to being a pirate. Just ask Sal." The pirate king looked at the woman. "She joined our little party about a month after we started out. Best thing you ever did, right?" Nat saw Sal clench her jaw, but she nodded without comment. Rog laughed at her look and waved it off. "Don't mind her, she's a little bitchy about it. When we first captured her, she was a slave on the ship. Took her a good year to make her way over to the dark side." Nat heard Chuck and the skinny pirate chuckle at the comment. She checked Sal's face for her response and could tell the woman saw her watching. After a pause, Sal snorted a laugh and went along with the banter.
"Best decision I ever made," she said and turned to look at Nat for a moment before letting her eyes drift over to Catherine. "Especially considering the fun I get to have with some of our captives." Nat saw Sal give Catherine a wink and was happy to see Catherine shake her head with a hint of disgust. "Oh, come on now," Sal said and Nat watched her walk closer to Catherine. She stopped within inches of the woman and leaned in almost as if she was going to kiss her.
"Would it really be so bad?" Sal murmured and then glanced at Nat as if daring her to react. Nat hated the sight of the pirate being so close to Catherine, but she held herself in check. She knew the taunting was only meant to give Sal a reason to hurt or even kill Nat. Instead of making a move, Nat grit her teeth and glared at the other woman. No doubt seeing the animosity between Nat and Sal, Rog laughed hard and clapped his hands.
"Oh, this is absolutely perfect," he said with a grin. "A little love triangle. Here on my pirate ship of all places."
"Maybe we can have us a girl fight," the skinny pirate called out and Rog's smile grew bigger.
"Maybe," he said. "It would be a good one too, I imagine. This supposed bodyguard looks like she could kick some ass." Nat saw Sal frown and turn back to give Rog a dirty look. Rog held up a hand. "No offense to you, Sal. We all know you're the supreme badass on this ship." Rog nodded to Nat and Catherine. "I mean that too. Sal here has more individual kills than any of my men. A regular Space Ranger murdering machine." Nat felt her fury rise at the information and her whole body quivered as the hate built up inside her. She saw Catherine shift as if sending a signal for Nat to stay calm. Their hands were still bound and everyone else in the room was armed. Puffing out a frustrated breath, Nat twisted her neck side to side to work out the anger. Rog noticed and lifted his chin. "You got a problem with that?" he asked her. Nat knew now was the time to lie or they would kill her and no doubt give Catherine to Sal. She decided to follow Catherine's lead and run with it.
"Hell no," she said. "I'm no fan of Rangers. I was just thinking how much fun it would be to fight your friend so I could kick her ugly pirate ass." Nat loved seeing Sal narrow her eyes at the threat. Bring it on, Nat thought and set her feet.
“Oh my God,” Catherine interrupted. “What is with all this? I am not a piece of meat!” Rog pounded the arms of his chair with amusement.
“This is classic!” he said laughing. “But she’s right. How rude of us.” He bowed his head to Catherine. “You are most definitely not a piece of meat. You are in fact quite lovely, hence the problem. What do I do with you?” Nat felt a sense of unease at the offhanded
way Rog spoke about what to do with Catherine.
“I would suggest you think twice about what you do to a senator’s daughter,” Nat snarled. Rog raised an eyebrow at the comment.
"Or what?" Rog asked. "It's not like the senator can send anyone after me. The sorry bunch of clowns who call themselves the Space Rangers can't find my ships. They have never even seen my home." He hopped out of the chair and started to walk down the steps from the platform until he was in front of Nat. "I'm untouchable," he explained. "So, if I want to give your little girlfriend to a gang of my pirates, there is not anyone who will stop me." He paused and smirked at Nat as if daring her to say otherwise. Nat said nothing but instead poured all the hate in her being into the look she gave back to him. Rog stroked his beard for a second, but then looked over at Catherine. "You're sure you can keep this one on a leash?" he asked. "I do believe she wants to eat my liver." Out of the corner of her eye, Nat saw Catherine nod. After a minute, Rog shrugged. "All right then," he said and waved at Chuck. "Enough fun and games for today. I have a ship to run and it's time we got home. Chuck, walk these women to one of the cells." Sal stepped forward.
"I'll do it," she said. Rog raised an eyebrow.
"Can I trust you to keep your hands off until I figure out what I'm doing with them?" Rog asked. Sal glanced suggestively at Catherine but then nodded.
"I'll try," she said and pulled her plasma gun. She waived it at Nat in particular. "Let's go."
CHAPTER 20
CATHERINE
The walk down the long, dirty hallways to the cell block was uncomfortable. With Nat leading through each twist and turn, following Sal's barked instructions, Catherine was in the middle and the pirate was at her back with the gun. Catherine could feel Sal's dark-eyed stare boring into her and checking her out. The woman's interest was the last thing Catherine wanted. Not only did it make her nervous, but she knew it exasperated the already tense situation between Sal and Nat. Unfortunately, Catherine did not know what to do about it except for ignore Sal whenever she could.
When they arrived at a dark corridor filled with closed metal doors, Sal told them to stop and the woman walked past as she considered the different options. "Which rooms to put you in ..." she said under her breath and Catherine realized it was entirely possible she and Nat would be locked up separately. The idea of it horrified her. Knowing Nat was beside her and being able to see she was safe were the only two things keeping Catherine from losing her nerve altogether. Do I try the senator’s daughter bit again and insist we share a cell? Catherine wondered. Or will that make it even more unlikely? She bit her lip unable to decide as she waited. Finally, the pirate stopped at a door and turned back to Catherine and Nat. She looked thoughtful as if she truly could not decide what to do with them. After a long pause, Sal took a card out of her pocket and swiped it across a panel to open the door. "You owe me a favor, Catherine Porter," Sal said with a gleam in her eye. "Considering you look like you're ready to puke, I'll be nice and keep you together. But don't expect more special favors in the future. At least not if you don't plan to return them." Sal smirked in Catherine's direction and she heard Nat suck in an angry breath beside her. Sal laughed at it as she waved them toward the doorway. "I am really enjoying pushing your buttons," she said to Nat as the woman walked by. Nat glared at Sal as she passed.
"You're not bothering me a bit," Nat growled as she entered the room. Sal tilted her head with a grin and then as Catherine started to pass by her, she reached out and combed a stray hair away from Catherine's ear. It was a sensual touch and Catherine flinched away from it.
"Please don't touch me," Catherine whispered. She heard Sal chuckle.
"We'll see," she answered and took out an electronic key to unlock Catherine's handcuffs. Once she was done, Catherine rubbed her wrists and Sal stepped over to Nat. They stood face-to-face and Catherine saw they could not look more alike while at the same time so different. Where Nat was fair-haired and clean-cut, Sal was dark and sinister yet they were both tall, confident women. Who seem to want me, she thought and shifted uncomfortably while she waited to see what was going to happen. Finally, Sal laughed. "Just a badass bodyguard? Well, I suggest you be smart about this," Sal said. "I'm going to unlock you and if you take a swing at me, I'll kill you. You think you're big and strong, but I'm faster. I promise you." Catherine watched Nat consider her words. After a pause, she gave a curt nod and Sal slowly unlocked the cuffs. As soon as she was done, Sal carefully stepped back out of arm's reach and Catherine realized that for all the pirate's bravado, she respected Nat as being a dangerous adversary. Nat seemed to notice it too because now it was her turn to smirk as she rubbed her wrists. "Just a badass pirate?" Nat said in a mocking tone. "But at first a slave. That couldn't have been fun." Sal shrugged as if what Nat said did not matter and walked to stand near the exit door.
"Sometimes you do what you have to do to survive. You'll learn that soon enough," Sal said as she turned to go, but then she stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "And for the record, I don't believe for one second you two are who you say you are. There was nothing on that ship which said it belonged to a senator." Catherine's heart started pounding as she heard the words. If she knows, what is she going to do with us? she wondered. And why didn’t she tell Rog earlier?
“It’s a new ship,” Nat lied. “Must not have the paperwork transferred over yet.” Sal snorted a laugh.
“Of course,” she said. Catherine could tell the woman did not believe it, but Sal started walking again and stepped into the hall. As she turned back to look in the room, she nodded. “Because what else could this be?” she said and then activated the control panel to slide closed the door.
The second they were alone, Catherine ran to Nat and threw her arms around her to hold her tight. “Thank you for not doing anything to get you hurt,” she said. Nat wrapped her arms around Catherine and pulled her even closer.
“I did it to keep you safe,” she said. “You are what matters to me.” Nat kissed the top of her head and it was so comforting, Catherine closed her eyes and nearly wept. Never in her life did she feel so afraid yet so protected at the same time.
“You matter to me too,” she said. “So much.” They held each other for a quiet moment and then Catherine asked the question she was so afraid to ask. “Nat, what are we going to do? We have to get out of here before they make it to their hideout or help will never find us.” Nat was quiet and Catherine knew she was thinking of their options, but there was a sense of hesitation too. Catherine opened her eyes and looked up at the woman. Nat gazed at her and a mix of feelings filled her blue-gray eyes. Catherine was confused. “What are you thinking?” she asked. Nat let out a deep breath and then took Catherine’s shoulders to turn them both toward the narrow bunk on one wall of the room. As Nat took her hand and led her to sit down, Catherine tried not to think about the other people who were locked in the room before them and the despair they no doubt felt.
“Catherine, I need you to listen to me,” Nat said taking both of Catherine’s hands in hers. She looked into Catherine’s eyes and held them. Whatever she is about to say is very important to her, Catherine thought still not sure what was going on. Finally, Nat cleared her throat. “I know this sounds crazy, but I don’t want us to escape just yet.” Catherine was shocked. What Nat is saying is madness. Not escape? "But," Catherine started and then shook her head in disbelief. The words sounded crazy. "When they find out we're lying, there is no telling what will happen." Nat took a deep breath and nodded.
"I know," she said. "We just have to hope our luck holds and they don't find out for awhile yet." Catherine let go of Nat's hands and rubbed her face to try and make sense of what Nat was saying.
"But why risk it?" Catherine asked. Nat stood up from the bunk and started to pace the small room.
"I'm not sure I can make you completely understand, but I have to go to the pirate's hidden camp," she said. "I need to know where it is so I can message the location to the Space Ranger
s." She stopped moving and gave Catherine a pleading look. "We've searched for their hideout for years. People have lost their lives trying to find it. And now we have a chance." Catherine watched as Nat quickly moved to kneel in front of her. "I have to do this and I need you to help me." Catherine did not know what to say. She could see the conviction in Nat's eyes and wanted nothing more than to help her, but she was afraid too. The pirates were dangerous and they scared her, no matter how much she pretended they did not. Especially Sal, she thought. She could still feel the woman’s touch along her face and a shiver ran through her. Nat saw it and moved to sit on the bunk beside her. She put her arms around Catherine and pulled her in. Catherine rested her head on Nat’s chest and sighed. Finding the pirate’s home and then getting a word out to the Rangers was important and she knew it. But at what cost? The whole idea frightened her half to death.
"Nat, I'm so scared," she whispered.
"I know," Nat said. "I am too, but I promise I will keep you safe. No matter what I have to do." Catherine nodded her head against the fabric of Nat's shirt.
"I believe you, but I don't want you to be hurt either," she said. "And Sal wants to kill you already." Catherine felt Nat's body stiffen a little at the mention of the pirate.
"I'll especially protect you from her," Nat said with a growl. "I almost lost it when she touched you. No one but me should ever touch you like that." Even though Catherine was afraid and they were locked in the bowels of a pirate ship, hearing the possessiveness in Nat's voice made Catherine's heart happy.
"Thank you for saying that and for taking care of me," Catherine murmured.
Nat pulled back so she could look into Catherine's face. "I will always take care of you, Catherine," Nat said with such seriousness it nearly took Catherine's breath away and as the woman leaned into her, she felt Nat's hot, possessive lips against hers in a kiss she felt to her toes. Suddenly wanting to forget all about the horrible things going on around them, Catherine responded by wrapping her arms around Nat's neck and kissing her back with all the fierce passion inside her. She felt Nat's lips part and the touch of her tongue against her own. A thrill went through her. Slowly, Catherine pulled Nat down with her onto the blanket. Nat hesitated. "Are you sure?" she asked. Catherine nodded, not daring think about anything but the woman with her and the tenderness of the moment.