Rescue Her Heart

by K C Luck

  "I need to feel close to you," she said and ran her hands up Nat's strong arms. "I'm scared and I don't know what is going to happen to us so I want you to hold me and tell me everything is going to be okay." Nat did not hesitate and sank down to the mattress to envelop Catherine in her arms. Relishing the closeness, Catherine closed her eyes and prayed she could sleep. As a little girl, going off into her dreams at night was a perfect escape from her reality. Right now, in Nat's arms, she wanted to escape again. Even if only for a little while.

  "Try and rest," Nat whispered. "I'll keep watch." Catherine sighed and forced herself to relax as much as possible. Because tomorrow we will be at the pirate’s hideout, she thought. And I need to be ready for anything.

  CHAPTER 21

  NAT

  "Rise and shine, ladies," a man's voice said through the intercom into the room. The sudden noise startled Nat from the half-slumber she was in and Catherine flinched in her arms. Nat gave her a squeeze of more reassurance than she felt.

  "It's okay," she said to Catherine. "I think we've probably just arrived at their home base." Catherine nodded and Nat kissed her on the forehead before slipping her arms free and sitting up on the bunk. "What do you want?" Nat asked the voice.

  “I’m going to open this door now, okay?” he answered. “And I don’t want any ambushes or other bullshit. Get it?”

  "We get it," Nat replied. Catherine sat up beside her and they both waited. As the door slid open, in sauntered Gruden, the pirate who boarded their ship before with Sal. Nat was not happy to see him as she remembered his lewdness toward Catherine. Although now my wrists aren’t in cuffs, she thought and almost welcomed a reason to punch the ugly man in the face. For now though, he was all smiles. “Well don’t you two look cozy,” he said. “But no more time for cuddles. We’ve landed and Rog wants the ship cleared. Including the captives.” Gruden pulled two pairs of cuffs from his pocket and tossed them to Nat to catch. “So, if you don’t mind putting these on, we can get started.” Being restrained again was the last thing Nat wanted, but leaving the ship and finally seeing the place the pirates called home was intriguing. We have searched for so long. The place she pictured was a festering pit of animals and based on the disgusting condition of the pirate's ship, she imagined she was not far off.

  “Do we have to?” Catherine asked looking at the cuffs. “I don’t plan to try anything.” Gruden laughed.

  “Yes,” he said. “You have to. Especially your watchdog, although I don’t imagine you will wear them for long. It seems Rog and Sal both think you’re something special.” Nat frowned. She did not like the sound of that.

  “What the hell does that mean?” she asked. Gruden shrugged. “Rog just went on and on about how sassy the senator’s daughter was and as for Sal, well ...” He grinned and it was full of suggestions. “I think you can guess how she was talking about your little girlfriend there.” Nat felt Catherine shift uncomfortably beside her and Gruden laughed. “Aw, come on girly, you could do a lot worse. Think about it? You could have ended up with me instead.” Nat stood up at that comment and started to take a step.

  “Shut your mouth,” she snarled and got ready to kick the ugly bastard’s ass. Seeing her coming, Gruden pulled his plasma gun and leveled it at her.

  “Don’t even think about it. Nobody really wants you around too much,” he said. Nat stopped but continued to glare at the man. She heard Catherine stand up and come up beside her to put a hand on Nat’s arm.

  "It's okay. Let's do what he says," she said with concern in her voice and Nat knew she was worried about what would happen after they got off the spaceship. Nat took a deep breath and taking the handcuffs, gently put them on Catherine first before slipping them over her own wrists. She looked at Gruden.

  “Satisfied?” she asked. Gruden grinned.

  “You bet,” he said. “Nothing like watching a woman do what she’s told.” Nat shook her head and looked forward to when she would kill the ugly pirate who taunted them. But for now, more patience, she thought as Gruden waved them forward to exit the room.

  “Go ahead, Catherine,” Nat said. “I’ll be right behind you.” Catherine took a deep breath and then with a nod, walked out of the door with her head held high. Nat felt a surge of pride in how the young woman acted in light of all the things going on around them. She’s brave as hell, Nat thought and it was just another reason she planned to do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  "You're next, hotshot," Gruden said and, after throwing the man a dirty look, Nat walked out of the room to face whatever was next.

  WHEN NAT WALKED IN a line with Catherine and the other captives down the gangway leading off of the pirate ship, she was shocked. Nothing looked like she had imagined. The landing pad the giant craft was settled on was right at the edge of a village where a few hundred people stood waiting and watching everyone disembark. They were not dressed in the rags Nat imagined, but instead in simple but clean clothes. The group was primarily human woman, but with a few female aliens mixed in, and the excitement of seeing their men returning safe after so long a voyage shown on their faces. Slowly, Nat realized this was not a den of vipers, but instead a relatively normal and civilized community like a person might find on many other planets. Taking it all in, Nat scanned the area and she realized she was correct in the guess the pirates were using cloaking towers to hide their settlement’s location. The technology allowed Rog and his people to hide on a small planet almost literally under the noses of the Space Rangers. Although she was not exactly sure of their location, she would need to check a universal positioning device for that, she estimated they were no more than a day or two from Prospo. This is crazy, she thought. And so damn frustrating.

  As the group reached the ground, a couple of the pirates guarding them waved everyone off to the side. Nat could feel the villagers’ eyes on her and the others. "Why are they all staring at us?" Catherine whispered. Nat was not sure, but they were definitely being sized up.

  “To see which of us they want to bid for,” answered one of the other captives. “We’re slaves now and they can do whatever they want with us.” A murmur of unease went through the rest of the group.

  “We should all make a run for it,” whispered another captive. Nat thought the idea was a good one. It was not her style to be so passive and now might be the last chance she had to get Catherine to safety. She looked around. The village was surrounded by dense jungle with giant green trees, thick undergrowth, and drooping vines. Nat knew if she could get Catherine beyond the perimeter, hiding would probably be relatively easy. Slowly, Nat looked over her shoulder to see which of the others in her group looked like they wanted to try and escape. A teenage boy saw her look and nodded. Nat hesitated. He’s just a kid, she thought. Seeing her doubt, the boy narrowed his eyes. "I can do it," he mouthed. Not wholly convinced but with no other choices, she nodded back to him and reached out to take Catherine's hand. The woman turned to her and Nat saw fear in her eyes, but also determination.

  “When there is a distraction,” Nat murmured. “We go.” Catherine gave the slightest nod that she understood and Nat smiled to reassure her. Finally, we are going to take some real action, Nat thought. She had no idea what they would do once they got away and she still had every intention of returning to find a way to send a message to the Space Rangers. But first, I need to make sure Catherine is safe. Suddenly, a buzz of excitement went through the onlooking villagers. Nat followed their gazes and saw Rog, with Sal and what Nat guessed were other high-ranking members of his crew, exiting the pirate spaceship. A cheer went up and a few of the women rushed to the end of the gangway. As he walked down the ramp, Rog waved his hands at the crowd, clearly relishing the joyful return to his home. Nat knew this was the time to run for it and she took a step back while pulling Catherine with her. It’s now or never, Nat thought and was about to go when she glanced one last time at the ramp and saw Sal was looking straight at her. Suspicion filled the pirate’s eyes and as if knowing exactly wha
t Nat was planning, Sal made a slicing motion across her throat. The message was clear. If Nat tried anything now, such as run for the perimeter, Sal would call for her to be killed.

  “She sees us,” Catherine murmured and held fast when Nat tried to pull her again. “We can’t go.” Frustrated, Nat started to argue when one of the captives, the boy who first suggested the idea, peeled off from the back and tried to run.

  "Grab him," Sal yelled as she reached the end of the gangway and started walking toward the group. The guards jumped at the command and the boy who tried to run was quickly wrestled to the ground. While Nat, Catherine, and the others looked on, Sal went to stand over the struggling captive. He froze when her shadow fell across them. "Maybe I should have let you keep going," Sal said. "I doubt you'd last a week out there in the swamp." Slowly, Sal pulled her plasma gun from the belt on her holster. "But then that would set a bad example for the other slaves." The pirate raised her weapon and was going to shoot the teenager in the head. Nat knew she needed to do something or yet another victim would be executed by the pirates, but before she could act, Catherine stepped out from the group.

  “Wait,” Catherine said raising her bound hands to get Sal’s attention. “Please don’t kill him. He’s just a kid.” Sal turned to Catherine and Nat saw her face was filled with surprise.

  “Why do you care?” Sal asked. “Do you even know this boy?” Catherine shook her head.

  “I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I want to stand here and watch you kill him,” she said. Sal hesitated.

  “You’re serious?” she said. Catherine nodded and after a pause, Sal laughed. “You’re indeed one of a kind, Catherine Porter,” she said as she holstered her weapon and then turned back to the boy on the ground. “Get him up,” she barked and the guards lifted up the captive until he was standing in front of Sal. She tilted her head as she considered his face. “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Colton,” the teenager answered with defiance in his voice. Sal smirked.

  "Well, Colton, I like your spunk, so maybe it's good I didn't kill you just now. But you owe your life to Ms. Porter. Do you understand that?" she asked. Nat saw Colton flick his eyes at Catherine before looking back at Sal. He nodded.

  “I do,” he replied. “I won’t forget it.” Sal smiled and turned back to the rest of them.

  “Good,” she said. “Now, as for the rest of you. Make a stupid decision and I’ll kill you, no matter who begs for me to stop.” Sal’s gaze fell on Nat. “Are we clear?” Nat lifted her chin and glared at the woman. Sal smirked at the move and sauntered over to stand close to Catherine. Nat could feel the fury in her starting to rise. All she wanted to do was yell at Sal to get away from Catherine, but she also realized that was exactly what the pirate wanted. So she can make an example of me, Nat thought. Seeing Nat’s restraint, Sal put a gentle hand on Catherine’s shoulder and leaned in close to the girl. “You did a good thing,” Sal said to her. “It makes me want you even more.” Nat saw Catherine shrug off Sal’s touch and the pirate chuckled. “You know what?” Sal said softly to Catherine. “I think you need to be my guest at the welcome home banquet.” A chill of unease ran through Nat at Sal’s words.

  “No thank you,” Catherine said. Sal chuckled again.

  “It wasn’t a request,” Sal said. “It was a fact.” Sal waved to the guards. “Get a gun on this one. She’s going to be trouble,” she said pointing at Nat. “And then take her and the rest of them to the stock pens.” Sal took Catherine by the arm. “You, my dear, will come with me.”

  CHAPTER 22

  CAT

  “Why are you doing this?” Catherine asked as she was led away from where Nat and the others were being rounded up to go in the other direction. Sal, who pulled gently but firmly on Catherine’s arm, raised her eyebrows.

  “Why do you think? I want to sit at dinner with a beautiful woman who has not been beaten down by circumstance yet,” she said. “You’re fresh and sincere. Something we don’t get much in the pirate trade.” Catherine was quiet. It was not the answer she was expecting, yet there was an honest ring to Sal’s words. Still, she also knew Sal was aware her actions would infuriate Nat and that fact had to be part of her decision too.

  “I don’t know if I should believe you,” Catherine said. Sal stopped and turned Catherine to look at her. The woman’s dark eyes roamed her face. After a moment, Sal unlocked the handcuffs around Catherine’s wrists and then turned to go. Not sure what to make of it, Catherine frowned. “Where are you going?” she asked. Sal glanced back over her shoulder but kept walking.

  “The celebration feast,” she said. “But I want you to go as my guest, not my prisoner.” Catherine was stunned. Not as her prisoner? she thought. But then as what? The last thing Catherine wanted was any kind of connection to Sal, yet a part of her also knew there was some power in having the woman on her side. There was always the hope Catherine could get Sal to help Nat and her escape. After all, the woman had not revealed to anyone she knew Catherine was lying about being the senator’s daughter. Catherine bit her lip with indecision and watched as Sal moved further away. A few other pirates and their women were nearby and had stopped to look at her. Although they did not appear hostile, Catherine noticed they did not seem particularly friendly. It dawned on her she had no place to really go if she did not follow Sal. There was no way she would survive long on her own in the jungle and if she went back to where Nat was, they would just put her in the stock pens with the other slaves. If that happened, she would be no help to Nat at all. Making up her mind, Catherine hurried after Sal.

  “Sal, wait,” she called and watched the woman slow her pace. As Catherine neared her, Sal turned and for the briefest of moments, Catherine would have sworn she saw a look of relief on the dangerous woman’s features. Then it was gone and Sal smirked at her.

  "Good choice," she said and retook Catherine's arm. Catherine shrugged it off.

  “You don’t have to pull me,” she said. “I’m coming with you.” Sal tilted her head.

  “Maybe I just like to have my hands on you,” she said with a sly smile. Words like that were not what Catherine wanted to hear. The last thing she ever needed was to make Sal think her decision to come along meant anything romantic.

  “Keep saying that and I’m going back in with the other captives,” Catherine snapped. Sal hesitated as if caught off guard by the fearless remark and then held up her hands in surrender.

  “Okay,” she said. “Fair enough. Don’t run away. Let’s just have some food and wine. Rog will be excited to see you too.”

  Catherine did not understand what she meant. Gruden had made a comment back on the ship about Rog’s fascination with her too. “Why?” she asked. “There are dozens of captives. How am I so different?” Sal shook her head.

  "You just are," she said. "Now, come on. The celebration is happening right in here." Sal guided them into a domed structure, not unlike the many which dotted the village, only larger and grander. Once inside, Catherine could hardly believe her eyes. Instead of being dark and dirty like the pirate ship, the open space was aglow with white light and shimmering crystals everywhere. An ornately carved wooden table was at the center and over twenty people were already sitting around it starting to eat and drink. Servants hovered and were quick to pour wine or refill a plate. Sal turned to Catherine and held out her hand. "May I?" she asked politely. For once, nothing was mocking in her tone and Catherine relented to place her hand in Sal's. Giving her a warm smile, which Catherine noted actually softened the hardness of her face, Sal guided her to a pair of empty seats just to the right of Rog. As they approached, the pirate king saw them.

  “Sal!” he exclaimed and then clapped his hands when he saw Catherine. “And Catherine. Now, this is a pleasant surprise.” He waved away a few people to make room for Sal to lead Catherine through to their chairs. “Sit. Drink,” he said as they dropped into their seats. Once wine was poured for them, Rog leaned forward and glanced back and forth between
Sal and Catherine. The gleam of pleasure in his appraising look made Catherine uncomfortable. He is getting the wrong idea about this, she thought but did not know what to do about it. Standing up to leave would no doubt be a mistake. She knew she would just have to run with it for now and so slipped back into her spoiled senator’s daughter persona.

  “Nice place,” she said and picked up her wine to try it. After a sip, she smacked her lips and smiled. “Good wine too.” Rog laughed and slapped Sal on the arm.

  “You sure got lucky,” he said. “Sassy and sexy. I can’t wait to hear all the lovely details later.” Catherine stiffened at the comment. How many conquests did Sal have? she wondered. Enough to brag about, but then, where are they? A sense of unease crept up her spine. Does she toss them back as slaves when she’s bored with them? Or worse? Catherine took another sip of wine. The idea of a little extra liquid courage sounded terrific at the moment. Setting the glass back down, a middle-aged woman with dark-brown hair moved to refill it immediately. Catherine looked up to say thank you to the servant and then paused. The woman was staring at her as if she had seen a ghost. Their eyes met and Catherine sensed something familiar in the older woman's features. An eerie feeling settled over her and slowly Catherine touched her own cheeks to make sure nothing was wrong with her face. Noticing, Sal leaned toward her.

  "What is it?" Sal asked over the sounds of Rog and other pirates talking loudly about the adventures of their long journey pillaging through space. At the same time, the servant woman dropped her eyes and moved away to pour wine for someone else. Catherine shook her head to clear the strange feeling inside her.