Silver Bound (19 page)

Guy spread his legs into the familiar stance. Ready. Knowing what Kalon would do next.

Kalon lunged for Jewel’s back. Jared cried out and fell against the wall next to the door.

Guy’s hand flipped from the handle of his gun and gripped his lasso. Twirling the special rope before he could blink, he eased into a confident swing. He let the lasso slide off the tips of his fingers. It zipped across the room and cinched around Kalon.

Caught.

In a flash, he was on top of Kalon and tying him before the man could finish his bellow of rage. He pulled out a bandanna tucked into a belt loop for this purpose and gagged Kalon mid-curse.

Lungs sucking in much-needed air, though every breath pained his ribs, he climbed off the bound man and dusted the front of his dungarees. “Man just needed to be treated like the side of beef he is.”

Jewel threw herself into his arms. “I thought… I thought…”

“Wanted to let the man think he had it under control, but we’re not out of this yet.”

“What do we do next?” She looked at him with such trust, he wasn’t sure if the ache in his chest was from her confidence or from the beating he’d taken.

“We can’t just do-si-do out of here. I found a back way that should be deserted, if we go left—”

“No,” she interrupted. “Kalon had that corridor wired when he caught one of his employees stealing whiskey from the bar.”

“Well, sh—” He slammed his mouth shut and glanced at Jared, who clung to Jewel, both their backs to Kalon still squirming on the floor. “We’ll have to go back the way I came. It’ll be tight, and we have to hope Brice’s ship wasn’t crippled.”

The rage came back, hot and fast, as his boots shuffled. Kalon stilled, a smirk beneath his gag taking away the distorted expression of moments before. He went around Jewel and nudged Kalon. Barely holding back the instinct to kick with all this power, his leg protested against the restraint. He rested his boot heel on the kidney area, which had to be bruised. Sweat rolled down Kalon’s hairline.

“Your life depends on his.”

Kalon paled. Whether from the pain of his bruises or from knowing that Brice’s ship was put out of commission, Kalon wouldn’t tell him.

Guy rolled his shoulders and stood straight, tall, confident. If Kalon had come back here, then Quinn’s distraction hadn’t kept the guards on alert in the bay area. No help for it.

“This is what we’re going to do.” He outlined the way back to his pod, told Kalon he’d have his gun on live fire at his back and hefted the man off the floor. He reworked the lasso to allow Kalon to walk but not run.

“Let’s go. Don’t give me any reason to kill you.” He spoke low, for Kalon’s ears alone. “I haven’t done it yet, for Jared’s sake. Don’t make me decide it’s not worth the effort of restraint.”

They walked, a hobbled little group, and went through Jared’s room into Jewel’s. The guard he’d incapacitated still lay there. Either Kalon hadn’t seen him or hadn’t cared about his guard’s welfare. Probably hadn’t cared.

He ignored the bed and the urge to kick Kalon again.

With a determined swirl back into the room, Jewel ran over to the bed and threw pillows aside. Hurt and pain roiled inside him until she walked back to him, wearing his jacket. She’d kept it in her bed. The hurt subsided as he led them out.

He opened the door and peered out. No guards between them and the lift. No one in sight, but the hair at his nape lifted. He could send Jewel and Jared first. They wouldn’t be stopped, but his gut instinct flared a warning. “I don’t see anyone, but I don’t trust it. Move. Fast.”

“Hurry, yourself.” Jewel lifted Jared into her arms and ran to the lift.

Gripping the back of Kalon’s binding, he pointed his gun—actually set to stun—at the small of Kalon’s back. “Go.”

In the corridor, he slid his back to the wall, putting Kalon between him and anyone who turned the far corner, and shuffled sideways toward the lift.

“Come on,” Jewel urged as she held the door open.

From down the hall, back the way they’d come, voices drifted toward him. Kalon jerked, pulling away and muffling curses behind his gag. Guy held tight and towed him toward the lift.

As the welcome brush of Jewel’s fingers skimmed his back, two guards turned down the hall. They froze for a blink then drew their weapons. Jewel tugged him backward with his belt loop. Kalon tumbled on top of him as they hit the floor of the lift.

Trampling feet thundered down the corridor. A guard bellowed. “Stop. This weapon is set to kill.”

Jewel nudged Guy’s boots out of the way of the slider. “Kalon can’t pay you if he’s dead.”

“Stop,” the guard yelled again from too far away to do anything.

The door shut.

“They’ll follow us.” She helped him up but left Kalon wiggling to right himself.

At the lift’s panel, Guy keyed in the level for the maintenance shaft, and Jewel’s eyebrows winged up. He stood over Kalon, gun aimed, and quirked a glance at Jewel. “If we jam the lift, how long until they find another way?”

Her brows sank and her nose wrinkled in thought. “I’m not sure. The nearest lift doesn’t go directly to maintenance. We might have ten minutes.”

“Good enough,” he said, though he thought ten minutes not nearly long enough.

The door opened and they retraced his earlier steps. When their motley crew walked through the workers in maintenance, none of them blinked an eye, though they did stop their work to stare. All chatting abruptly silenced. If Kalon had been a good man, one or two of them would’ve questioned them, if not downright tried to stop them. That, more than anything, spoke of the quality of man Guy had bound and struggling in his hold.

His muscles quivering from strain, he lugged the unwilling Kalon, who thrashed with more vigor, into the deserted shaft. The guards would know what level they’d gotten off on, but they wouldn’t know what direction they’d headed. It’d take time for them to find the pod. He had to hope it’d be enough time.

“Where are we?” Jared asked. He’d been quiet since Guy’d fought with Kalon. The sound of his little voice relieved him somewhat.

“This is an old closed-off area. I have a ship waiting.”

Kalon growled and flung his full weight into him. He fought like a slippery eel, bucking and sliding so that Guy couldn’t get a grip on him.

“Jewel. Get Jared aboard. It’s at the end of the tunnel.”

“Just a second.” She poked a code into the lift panel and spoke. “Security to bay four.” Her command echoed in the corridor. “That should confuse them a little. But hurry. It won’t take them long to find us.” She lifted Jared into her arms and took off as alarms started blaring.

Right. Hurry. Subdue the slippery eel and jump on board before the goons descended. Between Kalon and the exit, he was in good position. The man loomed. On his feet, gagged and tied everywhere but his feet, he still exuded menace.

With a deep breath, Guy tucked his head and dove at Kalon. He managed to get a hand on the lasso. It slid in his hold, cutting into him with a sting. Kalon lunged away, but Guy held on for all he was worth and dragged the resisting bully behind him. The man kicked out, trying to slow them by digging in his heels.

By the time Guy trudged to the end of the tunnel, his hand throbbed, his legs burned and he panted, trying to catch his breath.

“Throw me the spacewalk tether by the door, there,” he yelled.

Jewel poked her head through the hatch. In the dark, he could barely make out her frown.

“This?” She held up a hook on a thick fabric line.

“That’s it, sweetheart.”

Following his thoughts without a word, she wrapped one end around the closest moon-shaped handhold and lowered the other end. Guy hooked the tether to the back of Kalon’s bindings. He’d have to let go. He braced himself for the rush of feeling when he pried his clutched hand from the rope.

The burn flared, but he didn’t hesitate. He hoisted himself into the pod as Kalon took off. The rope snapped tight. Kalon was caught again, like a fish on a line.

“Let’s reel him in.”

They’d wasted time here, fighting with the prisoner, but Brice wanted him for trial, and they had to take him away from his power base. Otherwise, he’d hunt down Jewel and Jared no matter where Guy took them. Trident Ranch would be out of the question.

He pulled on his gloves and reeled in Kalon. Bit by bit with Jewel coiling the line behind him.

Once the man’s feet left the floor, Guy yanked him up and threw him into one of the seats. Before Kalon could blink, Jewel had strapped him in. For good measure, Guy tightened the lasso around Kalon’s feet again, careful to avoid the ineffective kicks.

“Now what?” Jewel panted with exertion.

“Now we get out of here.” But he didn’t move. He eyed the hatch, his gut urging him to release the clamps and get out, but he couldn’t. He had to close that hatch first. The maintenance workers flashed through his mind—just people, trying to make a living. He couldn’t risk their lives. “Help me out here. Jared, get back, I have to use a torch.”

He tugged the hatch back into place and instructed Jewel to hold it still. Her arms quivered, but she held it firm.

The torch laser melted the sealant efficiently, but not as fast as he’d like. He wanted Jewel and Jared out of here. Jewel’s arms shook so hard her body quaked.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Just hold on, almost done here.”

“I’ve got it,” she gritted through her teeth.

Shouts and cursing bled into the pod as lights cut through the crack of an opening around the hatch. They’d been found.

“Damnation.”

“Watch your language,” Jewel corrected him in an offhand way. She bit the corner of her silver lips as the strain mottled red splotches on her chest. She was beautiful. If he had the time, he’d tell her so.

“Let it go now and strap in next to Jared. The hatch’ll stay put.”

“What about them?” She crooked her head toward the hatch, where lights and sounds came through from whatever the guards were doing. Neither of them looked at the struggling Kalon, who grunted and yelled into his gag.

“It’s too late for them…”

The edge of a blade slammed through the small opening just before the path of the laser. The laser cut through the knife as if it weren’t even there. The blade dropped to the floor between his boots.

Sweat trickled down his face and he wiped at it with a shrug of his shoulder. “Get in your seat. There’s nothing left to do but save their sorry hides by sealing this hatch. You can only help by getting out of the path to the pilot seat and being ready to detach.”

She squeezed his shoulder and didn’t call him on his silent plea to believe in him.

Another drop of moisture tickled his nose, but he didn’t move, used both trembling hands to hold the laser steady as it rounded the lower edge. The seal was three quarters of the way there.

He blocked out the buzzing from the other side, the busy guards screaming and pounding.

A flash nearly blinded him. He shook his head, blinked away the burn and finally listened to the cacophony of guards on the other side of the hatch.

“Stop, now, or I’ll fire again.”

Those idiots were trying to fire into a sealed pod. Lucky for them that first shot hadn’t gotten through the slowly closing crack around the hatch. Jewel unlatched and moved toward Kalon.

“Tell those fools to stop firing. They could hit you. Or your son.” She yanked Kalon’s gag down.

Guy looked back at his work, though the urge to check on her and Jared prickled along his heated neck.

“You’re a dead man,” Kalon growled, but his cursing didn’t sound as strong, as vitriolic as before. He was probably suffering from his injuries and the same adrenalin crash Guy had to look forward to.

“Kalon.” Jewel spoke as if she scolded a spoiled brat. “Tell your men to back off.”

A flash seared by Guy’s head. Light and sound erupted in the pod. A sizzling flew by his ear before everything dimmed in ominous quiet.

“Status,” he croaked.

Nothing.

“Jewel! Jared!”

“We’re here,” Jewel answered quietly. Too damn quiet. A soft fluttering of fabric, the clicking of seat buckles, and a grunt followed.

“Answer me,” he yelled. “Are you okay?”

“I will be. Jared’s fine. Kalon’s…”

“Listen to me, you idiots,” Kalon screamed. He barraged the guards with threats of dismemberments if they didn’t stop shooting.

Cold swept over Guy. Jared’s silent and subdued crying punched him in the chest. Jewel’s voice crooned low, weak, as she tried to quiet him. She was okay. She had to be.

He couldn’t leave his spot. He had to seal this hatch. Had to release the clamps and close up the pod.

He dropped the laser. He scrambled to pick it up as ringing filled his ears. He didn’t know if it was an alarm or inside his head. Jewel had better be fine or he’d come back and dismantle this station with his hands.

The guards were no longer shooting at the pod, but with one last ditch effort, they plunged another knife through the opening and levered it back and forth. It missed the end of the laser by a hair’s width. With a pop, the blade dropped to the decking beside the other.

The hatch was sealed.

He popped off the clamps, slammed the portal shut and scrambled backward.

Kalon sat, staring at Jewel with a gleam in his eye. Jared cried, his face white and smudged with tears. Jewel was buckled in to one of the four passenger seats, held Jared’s hand and looked okay, if pale.

He ran a hand over each of them and visually scanned Jewel again. A burn mark marred the bottom edge of her wrap. Hands shuddering, the shaking so hard he thought he’d pull apart, he lifted the bottom of her dress.

Her cold hand wrapped around his wrist “Please don’t. Trust me. Not now. Get us out of here.”

He couldn’t swallow and his head spun. On shaking legs, he managed to get to the pilot seat and fell into it. “Let’s hope Brice is okay.”

“We fired a stun at the mounty ship.”

A subdued, emotionless response from Kalon might have reassured him, but he wasn’t sure the man wasn’t up to something. But since that was
Geanus Station’
s MO, he believed him.