Secrets of New Pompeii (10 page)

She stood above them, pulse pistol pointed at
Dario’s head. “What did you promise them, you worthless son of a
bitch?”

“Max! All right? They get Max and I get
you.”

“You get her for what?” A fresh wave of fury
crashed over Max.

“To force the emperor to drop the barrier!
This isn’t a game. Our people need to be set free.”

“We agree with you.” Naloni’s tone softened
though she didn’t lower the gun. “But betraying your friends and
terrorizing others is not the way to accomplish our goal.”

“How much time do we have?” Max shoved off
Dario and stood. Naloni’s stance didn’t change, so Dario stayed on
the floor.

“They’ll be here in less than an hour,” Dario
admitted.

“Can you knock him out with that thing, or
does it only kill?”

She triggered a short burst of shimmering
light into Dario’s head and he slumped against the floor, unmoving.
Max watched Dario’s chest rise and fall before he turned his
attention toward Naloni. “Let’s get out of here.”

“We can’t just leave him here.”

“He chose his allies, now he must deal with
them.”

“You might have made the same choice if you
believed someone you loved was in danger.”

Max shook his head, unwilling to temper his
anger. “His alliance with the military had to have been in place
long before his sister was taken. He is a self-serving traitor. He
threatened you and was willing to sacrifice me. And now he will
face the consequences of his decisions.”

“All right.” She didn’t seem pleased by the
outcome, but she relented. “Where are we going?”

“This is your world, Princess. You tell
me.”

“Do you know how to contact Caleb Thrax?”

The question surprised him. “How do you know
about Caleb?”

“He brought Elaina and Theos to the spaceport
on his way to the colonies. He’s your main smuggler, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but the fewer people who know about it
the better.”

Her brow arched, her expression both amused
and disappointed. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you. Where do you need
Caleb to take us?”

“Nowhere. I just need an untraceable comlink
and a smuggler is bound to have one.”

“All right.” Tension gathered in the pit of
his stomach. With one call she could return to her life and leave
him adrift in a world he struggled to understand. Eventually he’d
adapt to the culture, but he’d faced this possibility once before.
He didn’t want to become part of Fedoros unless Naloni was by his
side.

It took them twenty minutes, but they finally
found a portable comunit. They grabbed one of the torches off the
wall and headed out through the far side of the tunnel. Near the
entrance, the green light on the front of the comunit blinked,
indicating it had reestablished connectivity.

They jogged across an open field and huddled
behind a small rock formation, the only thing resembling cover in
their general vicinity. She entered the designation Max had given
her and tried to contact Caleb.

“Thrax here, go,” Caleb responded to the
encrypted page.

She handed the comunit to Max, watching him
closely.

“Hey, Caleb. It’s Max. We have an emergency.
Is there any way you can come to…” He looked at Naloni and asked,
“Where are we?”

She took the comunit back from him and
scanned the area for geographical indicators. “We’re southwest of
the barrier. I can see Prichette Towers in the distance.”

“Copy. If you need cover, head for the woods
farther east. It’s a bit of a hike, but it will take me about
twenty minutes to reach you.”

Which meant he’d arrive ten minutes ahead of
the army, Max figured. “We’ll head for the trees, but the sooner
the better, my friend. Things could get interesting fast if you’re
delayed.”

“Copy that. I’m on my way.”

They dashed across the open field, feeling
exposed and vulnerable.

“Who are you going to contact once Caleb
arrives?” Max asked once they’d reached the trees.

“Stevon.” She braced her hands on her knees,
panting softly. “We need to know if his teams captured any useful
images.”

“That makes sense.” He leaned against a tree
trunk, dreading the answer to his next question. “Are you going to
contact your father?”

“He needs to know I’m all right.” He agreed
with a stiff nod and then she smiled. “He doesn’t need to know
where I am, at least not yet. Dario fried our chips. We’re
untraceable.”

They lapsed into silence after that. Naloni
seemed to be planning their next move while Max just dreaded the
future. Would she stay with him for another few days, perhaps
another few weeks? Then what? The fundamental obstacle complicating
their relationship still loomed between them, crushing what little
happiness they’d stolen in the tunnel.

She obviously felt more for him than a
fleeting infatuation, but what did that mean in the harsh light of
reality?

A shuttle approached from the north, flashed
its running lights once then landed as close to the trees as
possible. The hatch opened and Caleb came bounding out of the small
craft a pulse pistol in each hand. “Step away from the princess!
Toss all weapons down!”

Max looked at Naloni, who was as mystified as
he by the captain’s odd behavior. A warning shot grazed his
shoulder and Max tossed his weapons in the grassy dirt, stepping to
the side and putting more distance between him and Naloni.

“Over here, Your Highness. You’re safe now.”
Caleb motioned with his head, both his weapons firmly fixed on Max.
“Where is the other one?”

“The other what?” she asked as she cautiously
moved toward Caleb.

“Your other kidnapper?”

She returned Max’s startled look. “How do you
know about my kidnapping?”

“Are you unharmed? Shall I blast him for
you?”

Her delighted smile infuriated Max. Was Caleb
having fun with them?

“Your chivalry is admirable, Captain Thrax,
but you have been misinformed. Max rescued me from the true
villain. He was not involved in my abduction.”

“That’s not how it looked on the vid.”

“There’s a recording?” Max lowered his hands
with a muttered curse. “I knew Dario was going to make a break for
it, but I had no idea he would take a hostage.”

“At the first possible moment, Max
overpowered Dario and brought me to you,” she said with a placating
smile.

It took Caleb a moment to accept her
explanation. He relaxed his arms and shoved the pistols into the
holsters on each hip. “Glad to hear it. I hate killing
friends.”

“We need to move,” Max reminded. “Dario’s
buddies are not far away.”

Caleb ushered them onto the shuttle and took
off as soon as they’d fastened their safety restraints.

“If I might inquire, Captain Thrax,” Naloni’s
tone was polite yet a bit silky. “When and how did you view this
recording of my abduction?”

“It’s all over the data stream. Everyone on
Fedoros knows.”

“Fuck.” Max rubbed his eyes, dread pelting
his weary mind. “Your father is going to have the same reaction.
His men will shoot first and ask questions later.”

“I’ll take care of my father.” She reached
over and squeezed his arm. “You did nothing wrong. This could be a
very good sign. It increases the chances that recordings were made
of all the other activities.”

He was less optimistic than she was, but
pessimism was a benefit to no one. “You’re right. We’ll work it
out.” Impossible odds had never intimidated him before. He was not
about to start backing down now.

“Where am I taking you?” Caleb asked once the
barrier was far behind.

“How long are you planning to be in
port?”

Caleb glanced at her and smiled. “I have a
supply run planned, but it can wait. I’m entirely at your
disposal.”

If Max hadn’t known Caleb flirted with every
female he encountered, he might have taken offense. As it was, the
captain’s tone was playful and he hardly spared Naloni a look as he
maneuvered the shuttle toward the spaceport on the edge of
Akielesh, the capital city.

“Then please take us to your ship. I’ll try
not to complicate your life for too long.”

“I thrive on complications,” Caleb assured.
“Take your time.”

Caleb’s ship was perfect for smuggling,
Naloni decided as they left the shuttle bay. The sleek yet sturdy
design allowed for both speed and agility. It was quite a bit
larger than she’d expected. It was far from new yet extremely
well-maintained.

“Will you need one cabin or two?” Caleb asked
as they neared an airlift.

“One is fine.” She smiled at Max, who had
been suspiciously quiet during the shuttle ride. “We’ll need basic
provisions, if that can be arranged. Obviously, this outing was not
what I had planned.”

He showed them to a small but elegant cabin
and lingered in the doorway as she looked around. “Breakfast was
already served, but I can have a tray sent up if you’re
hungry.”

“I don’t care for anything.” She looked at
Max and he shook his head. “I have some people I need to contact,
but it’s vital the link be secure.”

“Every transmission emanating from this ship
is encrypted and untraceable. That’s standard op in my line of
work.”

She offered him a polite smile. “I thought it
might be.”

“The companel is in the desktop, but the
signal can be projected anywhere in the room.”

“I’ll compensate you for the inconvenience of
course.”

He grinned. “I would love to turn you down,
but it’s been miserably slow the past couple of weeks.”

“Thank you for your assistance.”

He inclined his head and departed.

“What a charming man.” She watched for
jealousy in Max’s gaze and he didn’t disappoint. The spark was
subtle, but the comment had definitely annoyed him.

“Laetif certainly thinks so,” he
grumbled.

“Caleb is Laetif’s lover?” She tilted her
head and searched her memory. “Elaina told me Laetif sleeps with
her hunky bodyguard.”

“I’m not sure if they all participate or if
the bodyguard only watches. All I know is Laetif disappears for a
few days whenever Caleb is in port.”

“Lucky Laetif.”

Max grabbed her bottom with both hands and
yanked her against him, rubbing her mound against his burgeoning
erection. The move was so primal and so possessive it sent a shiver
of excitement down her spine. If any other man had dared to touch
her so carelessly, she would have slapped his face. But this was
Max, her Max. And she always felt a bit savage when he took her in
his arms.

“Are you misbehaving so I’ll spank you?”
Another shiver echoed the first. “Did our interlude in the tunnel
leave you hungry for more?”

It had, but she wasn’t ready to admit it.
There was still too much to do before they delved deeper into their
rediscovery. “I need to contact Stevon.”

With a frustrated sigh, he let her go.

She ignored her rubbery knees and the heat
gathering between her thighs as she crossed the cabin. She pulled
out the chair in front of the desk and swiped her hand across the
desktop, activating the companel. Using Stevon’s private access
code, she held her breath until her friend responded.

“Damn, woman, am I relieved to see you.” He
looked exhausted, purple smudges darkening his eyes.

“Have you been up all night?”

“How’d you guess?” He paused for an anemic
smile. “The far more important question is, how are you? Were you
mistreated by those goons? We recorded the whole thing and began
circulating it moments after they took off with you.”

“So we learned when one of Max’s friends
threatened to blast his head off.”

His gray brows drew together, creasing his
forehead. “All right, I’m confused. Why are you still with Max? I
thought you’d been rescued.”

She swallowed hard. Anything she said now
became part of Max’s defense. It could also be twisted by their
enemies to incriminate him. “Max knew Dario intended to make a
break for it, but he had no idea Dario was going to use a hostage
to accomplish it. At the first opportunity, Max overpowered Dario
and we were able to escape.”

“Wow. Can I quote you on that?”

Stevon doubtlessly recorded all of his
conversations. If she didn’t give him permission, the information
would be “leaked” when it was most advantageous to his multimedia
empire. “Please don’t. I’ve already granted you exclusive rights to
the story. Timing is imperative in this entire situation.”

“I understand.”

Which in no way guaranteed his cooperation.
She had to tread carefully. Stevon would make a formidable enemy if
he ever chose to compromise the ideals he claimed to uphold.
Attempting to convey casual interest, she asked, “Was anything else
recorded or was the night a total bust?”

Stevon shook his head, his expression so
conflicted she was unable to sort out the individual components.
“Your kidnapping barely slowed things down. No one upstairs was
even aware of what happened, and many of the ones who took off
during the scuffle returned as soon as things calmed down.”

Her abduction and possible death hadn’t upset
people enough to end their party? She rubbed her neck, unable to
suppress her anger and disappointment. “Then you have vids of the
upstairs sessions.” That’s why she had been at the festival. The
rest was incidental.

“What do you think I’ve been doing all night?
Your darling brother was so distraught about your peril that he
gave everyone discounts and encouraged them to schedule private
sessions so there was no risk of interruption.”

Anger spiked through her other emotions,
incinerating everything in its path. She was one of many, just
another victim of his depravity. “So what’s our next step?” Stevon
appeared to be as disgusted by the findings as she was and he had
the massive legal team. Until his actions proved her trust was
misplaced, she’d continue to cautiously follow his lead.