Light of Kaska (15 page)

“There’s got to be a way,” Sukeza whispered, watching the other woman with desperation. “I’ll do it myself so if I’m caught, no one else will be blamed. But I need to figure out how. Please. I don’t know how to do this.”

Bella paused, her mouth in a grim line as she studied Sukeza. “Even if we could get him away from them now, get him on a ship out of here, they’ll find him again anyway. What’s the point?”

Sukeza swallowed hard. Lifting her sleeve, she showed Bella her matrilineal mark. “I’m Kaskan. Do you know what that means?” She could see by the widening of Bella’s dark honey eyes that she did, that she understood what Keza meant to do.

The woman strode slowly toward her, gaze never leaving the mark. Raising gloved fingers, she traced the lines of the selkie, her expression suspended. Then she looked up at Sukeza. “He might hate you for it,” she said in a soft voice.

“I’ll take that chance,” Sukeza whispered, heart drumming hard in her throat.

Bella nodded, face hardening with resolve. “Then let’s get him out of there.” Spinning on her heel, she strode quickly back to the digital display. “First thing’s first—we need to keep them here. If they leave this post he’s lost.” She settled herself on one of the low couches with the display under her fingertips, tapping her left ear and barking, “Harry, I want you, Speed, and Barker up here now. Warn the rest that you’ll be out of commission for a while.”

When she dropped her hand to the display, she glanced up at Sukeza with a grim half-smile. “Have a seat, little one. This will take a few minutes.”

Legs leaden with relief, Sukeza moved to sit next to her, peering over her shoulder at the display. “What are you doing?”

Bella’s lips peeled back from her teeth in a silent snarl. “Bastards are probably still here because they’re trying to secure his ship, to get a crawler out here to pick it up as evidence or confiscated goods. Here’s a little something they don’t know, though—that used to be my gods-damned ship. I gave it to Chase when he skipped past here the last time.”

“So…what does that mean?” The codes and figures flashing across the display made her dizzy.

“One second, love.” Bella tapped her left ear again. “Boys, I’m going to need to move the timetable up again.” She paused, her head tilted in a listening posture before she smiled like a hungry predator. “Oh, honey, you so don’t want me to answer that. Do you love me? Do I scare you? Good. Than be ready to leave within the hour.” She sent Sukeza a rueful glance before focusing her attention back on the display. “The twins will not like you, dear. But just ignore the pouting. They’ll be good.”

The door to her suite opened and three large men moved into the room, standing at almost military attention in front of Bella. She nodded to them like a queen. “Harry, go make my guest comfortable. Let him know I’ll return, but it may be a while.”

The big man on the right nodded, marching away from his cohorts and into the bedroom without hesitation. Sukeza remembered the scene she’d walked into and winced, wondering how long it would take to work here before a person could stare at something like that without flinching.

Bella drew her attention again by gesturing at the display. It now showed a space view, angled to catch part of the outpost. At first, Sukeza could see nothing remarkable about the scene. Then Stryker’s cutter zipped past and she gasped in surprise.

“Prior ownership gives one a certain amount of access privilege,” Bella said with smooth arrogance. Then she added in a softer voice, “And fire is fine motivator.”

Sukeza shot her a puzzled glance, but the little ship’s trajectory took an alarming sharp turn. A moment later, it dove into a docking area at tremendous speed. The view cut to the inside of the docking area, disorienting Sukeza until she saw the flash of ship and the explosion as it crashed into the outpost. Bella made a little sound of satisfaction and touched a gloved nail to the display over a long, sinuous looking ship next to the threatening blue flames. The Collectors’ vessel.

“They will abandon their ship until it’s safe to return.” Bella gave her a significant look. “All of them.”

Sukeza’s heart picked up its pace. The Collectors would be coming back on board the outpost with Stryker. She would never have been able to get on board their ship to free him, so this was a step in the right direction.

Harry returned from the other room and Bella gave the three men a stern, imperious look. “We’ve got trouble in paradise, boys. Seems the Collectors have come calling.” The three men showed various levels of surprise and dismay, but Bella didn’t wait for any comments. “They’ve taken a friend of mine and you know how I get about my possessions. Here’s what I need you to do.”

She outlined a plan that was brilliant in its simplicity, though Sukeza’s heart hammered harder with each word that fell from her red lips. Criminal activities and flouting authority were
not
her areas of expertise. But when Bella warned them that they didn’t have much time and told them to go, Sukeza rose immediately on unsteady legs. Bella walked her to the door.

“Thank you,” she told the taller woman with heartfelt gratitude. “I couldn’t have done this without your help.”

Bella paused at the threshold, studying her with solemn honey eyes. “No, I can see you’re not the risk taking type. Will you be able to do this?”

“I can’t guarantee that I won’t screw it up,” Sukeza said with a shaky laugh and a depreciating wave of her hand. “But I’ll try. I have to try.”

The other woman nodded, staring at her for a moment longer before a small, mysterious smile curved her lips. “I’m starting to see why our boy is so twisted about you.” She lifted a hand to run caressing fingers, disconcerting in their black-gloved mastery, down Sukeza’s cheek. “I’m growing sorrier by the moment that things did not work out differently. Run along, little Kaskan. I’ll facilitate from here.”

She lowered her head and placed a brief, yet sultry kiss on Sukeza’s mouth before turning away with a wicked smile. Sukeza stepped over the threshold, trying to ignore the fire in her cheeks and the sensation of narrow escape.

Harry gave her a faint, kindly smile and ushered her with all due speed down the stairs. They didn’t head for the side entrance but left by a back entrance, which startled Sukeza, since it had seemed as though the place was built into solid rock. There must have been a cavern adjacent to the one that housed Bella’s club, because they moved through a short tunnel before exiting into a small boutique. The place was mostly empty, and no one paid them any attention as they moved through the holographic displays and out into another open area.

Harry slowed for a moment, putting a hand to his ear. “You got ‘em? Yes ma’am.” Then he tightened his grip on Sukeza and headed with long strides towards an archway. “Come on, they’re watchin’ the show at midway.”

Sukeza wasn’t sure what that meant but kept her mouth shut. These men knew their work and since she had no clue what she was doing, she was going to have to trust them. She was sure they would get the job done. If only she was so certain about her own capabilities.

They entered a large, round, domed room ringed with news screens. All of the screens were currently displaying the spectacular indigo wildfire that Bella had created in the docking area. Harry didn’t pause, leading her through the crowd. As they moved along, Sukeza heard many comments and grumbles about how the damn firebugs were taking their sweet time putting the fire out. She wondered if Bella had anything to do with the delay and guessed that she almost certainly did. The woman didn’t seem to leave anything to chance.

They were approaching the group of Collectors before Sukeza even noticed their presence. She balked a little, shock and fear making her want to slow down, to take a breather and assess the situation, to get used to the idea of what she was about to do. But Harry didn’t hesitate and his grip on her arm forced her to move with him. Her heart was drumming in her chest so loudly that she was certain everyone could hear it. She couldn’t hear anything else.

The other two men fanned out to either side of the group as they approached. Sukeza’s stomach flipped when she caught sight of Stryker’s back. He was clothed in nondescript gray and standing still and silent next to his captors at one end of the group. Harry pushed her ahead of him while one of the other conspirators—Sukeza thought it was Barker, though she wasn’t certain about which was which—reached the group of Collectors on the side furthest from Stryker and exclaimed in a loud, somehow cheerful voice, “Mother
fuck,
that’s a nasty one! Feel sorry for the poor bastards who—” Right on cue he drew a whistling breath and then barked,
“Kessu’s
nuts, you’re Collectors!”

All the Collectors turned their heads to look at him. Looking away from Stryker.

Feeling faint and dizzy, Sukeza slipped up next to Stryker and whispered in his ear, “Come with me,” taking his arm and tugging frantically. She was terrified that he would ignore the order, but he moved without hesitation. As smoothly as if the whole thing had been choreographed and rehearsed, Harry slid into Stryker’s place, his body going still and patient at the Collector’s side.

Hyperventilating and watching spots float across her vision, Sukeza kept a tight grip on Stryker’s docile arm and moved as fast as her trembling limbs could carry her through the crowd. Her third companion Speed (unless she had them backwards) fell into step behind them, his massive body hiding their retreat.

The crowd began to move with her. The rumble of alarm at Barker’s revelation rushed around them like a wave and people dispersed with many a backward glance at the authorities. It covered their retreat even further and according to Bella, the knowledge of Collectors in their midst would cause a mass exodus from the post, making it that much easier for the twins to escape undetected with their hot cargo.

But Sukeza had to get him to the twins first. She sent an uncertain, terrified glance over her shoulder at Speed, who nodded her in the right direction. When they had gone through two corridors and were well on their way to the docking areas, Speed came abreast of her.

“Boss told me to tell you she sent your stuff to the twins already. Bastards won’t get your ID.” Sukeza gulped, horrified that she hadn’t thought of that, but Speed continued, “She says don’t count on the C’s bein’ confused for long, though. Tell the Maltby brothers they gotta shake a leg once you’re on board.”

Sukeza nodded, tightening her grip on Stryker and nearly skipping to keep up with the two longer-legged men.

“You know where you’re goin’ from here?” He ignored her nod, continuing without pause, “Take the left up there to the small-craft docks. Twins’ll be third one out. Gotta peel off now. Good luck.”

“Thank you,” she gasped, but he was already turning away and melting into the crowd. Sukeza felt an alarming sense of loss and helplessness, but she clenched her jaw and stiffened her resolve. Bella’s men had gotten her this far, gotten her through the really sticky part. All she needed to do was get Stryker to the ship and the twins would take it from there. She glanced up at him but quickly looked away again with a shudder at the vacancy in his strong face. “Come on,” she muttered. “Let’s get you out of here.”

The twins were not waiting at the airlock to meet her. She hit the signal three times before they cycled the airlock and appeared at the threshold. They were small, dark men with square, husky bodies and nearly identical rough-edged features. And true to Bella’s word, they were pouting. “Yeah?” one of them rasped in a sulky voice.

She stared at them for a second, nonplussed, before she said, “I’m Sukeza. This is Stryker. Bella sent us. She said we needed to hurry…”

The one on the left sneered. “What’s the password?”

“Th-the what?” Sukeza stared from one to the other.

Both men smirked. “Password, y’piddy! Ev’body knows you gotta have a password.”

“She didn’t—I didn’t—” Sukeza sputtered, but Stryker interrupted her. He turned on his heel and began walking back the way they’d come. “Chase!” she yelped, lunging after him. She caught his arm and pulled to no avail. “Stop! Come with me!”

He ignored both orders.

“Shit and shiggers,” one of the twins snarled while they converged on Stryker. They were both husky men, but Stryker was stronger. He continued making slow headway even with the two of them holding him back.

“What’s wrong with him?” Sukeza cried, panting as she fought Stryker’s forward momentum.

“Recall,” one twin grunted. “C’s callin’ him back.”

“Chase, stop!” she nearly wailed, panicking at the thought of being dragged all the way back to the Collectors.

One of the twins swore and broke away, running to his ship. Sukeza would have cursed him and demanded that he get his ass back there to help, but she didn’t have the breath. He returned a moment later and clapped something around Stryker’s wrist. Stryker slowed to a stop, swaying in place for a long moment.

Then he fell.

Sukeza cried out when he tore from her grip, but the twins caught most of his weight before he hit the ground. While they dragged him unceremoniously toward their ship, Sukeza recognized the thing on his wrist as a hiber-cuff and stumbled after them, weak with relief. He was asleep now, no longer tormented by his imprisonment. She hoped.

“Can you take the band off?” she asked after they pulled him aboard the small vessel and secured him in a sleeping cubby that was too tight for his big frame.

The twins gave her identical looks of vast contempt and didn’t answer. They left her by his side, climbing with swift efficiency up a narrow ladder to the flight deck. Sukeza knelt next to the cubby, watching Stryker’s sleeping features and praying that they got out of there in one piece. Her mind tried to sneak forward in time to the moment when Stryker found out what she’d done, but she reined her wayward thoughts in with brutal discipline. One dangerous step at a time.

The ship lurched under her when they broke away from the outpost, but this was her only indication of their progress for several long, painful minutes. When she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer, she climbed the ladder, poking her head out onto the flight deck.