Bandits (13 page)

BANDITS

Gabe hated to be the bearer of bad news, especially when Jade’s disappearance was his fault. He arrived at his father’s club in record time. The car skidded to a stop at the back e
n
trance, and Gabe didn’t waste time shutting it down. He got out, shut the door, and ran straight through the door to the club. Pushing, moving, and sliding past the people who where going back and forth through the service hall, he made it to his f
a
ther’s office in minutes.

He stopped in front of the office to catch his breath and then opened his father’s office door.

His father was looking down at scattered papers on his desk, cursing under his breath.

“Dad, we got a problem,” Gabe blurted out. He realized there was no barrier to protect him from the blow his father would deliver with the news, so he tensed.

His father looked up at him. “Where the hell have you been?  Jade came and tried to get the keys to the water cruiser for you. What were you thinking sending her here alone?
You know how dangerous it is for females here, with so few of them.
I told her you’d have to come and get them if you wanted them. If it ha
p
pens again, son, I’ll have to knock some sense into you.”

Gabe swallowed and walked closer to his father. “Dad, I didn’t send Jade to get the keys to the water cruiser. I…, hell. I mean, heck. I left her at home and went to my girlfriend’s house. When I got home, Jade was gone.” Gabe paused, su
r
prised he had managed to get that much out. He took a deep breath before continuing, but his father’s bellow stopped him.

His father bolted up, pushing his desk several feet. He roared and punched Gabe in the chest. “You damn well better say you know where she is!”

Gabe recovered quickly from the blow and stood his ground. His father rarely hit him, usually it was only when he’d screwed up royally. This time was no different.

Gabe coughed. “Dad, I think she went with Daniel and Nickel. I suspected it, so I went to Daniel’s house and found Rayne dead. Someone left some Devonites to clean up the job.” Gabe prepared himself for another hit, but it didn’t come.

His father’s fist
punched
the desk, and the large frame shook upon the impact. “I told him! Damn, Rayne.” His voice cracked. “Dead? No…dead, and those boys are on the run with my Jade,” Bry’s voice broke into a sobbing howl. He raked his hand through his graying hair while looking up at the ceiling talking to an invisible Rayne.

“Dad? What can I do?” Gabe knew what he wanted to do, but he had to wait for his father’s permission, especially conside
r
ing the mistake he’d already made.

“We have to go before the fog hits. Hopefully, they’ll be heading to our trove. What Daniel is looking for starts there.” He sighed deeply. “So my girl isn’t such an angel after all. She conned me and stole the keys to the cruiser. Let’s go,” he said, and walked around the desk to grab Gabe roughly by the collar.

Gabe held his tongue and his hope, but he knew they wouldn’t make it to the fugitives before the fog hit. Daniel was too smart to let that window of opportunity slip by. Gabe had a sinking feeling it would take them at least two days to reach them if Daniel made it into the fog before it hit the ground.

Gabe walked with his father out of the club. Bry looked to be in deep thought, and Gabe didn’t want to stick with him. He knew he had a good chance of finding Daniel and the others more quickly on his own.

His father must have been reading his mind. Bry looked like he had made a grave decision. He turned his watered gaze to Gabe. “Look, son. You have to go search them out. We have to split up. I’m sure we’re being watched also. I’m going to find out who is at the bottom of this and round up my crew.” He put his hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “I’ve got to find your brothers
. T
hey could be in danger also. I bet Daniel’s on his way to my trove first. If the fog hits, go to the
Sea
of
Fire
, to Fire Isle, that’s where you can get to Daniel’s family’s cove. It will most likely be their final stop before they pursue the treasure that Rayne hid – the one that got him… killed.”

Gabe looked at his father, desiring more answers. Instead he nodded and said, “Fine, Dad, I’m on it.”

His father slapped him on the back and Gabe was off. Knowing he had little time to beat the fog, he ran toward his car. Gabe knew Daniel well enough to know that he wouldn’t stick around long at his family’s cove before moving on to the Sea of Fire. That was Gabe’s destination, and he only hoped he could sneak up on the bastards who were trying to kill his best friend and his sister.

BANDITS

The blue waters of Merwin had run smoothly so far. D
a
niel knew from experience, though, that they’d get rough when they passed through the gorge of the Fire Isle. He mane
u
vered the water cruiser smoothly while the others looked out at the sea and ate.

Faulk came up behind Daniel to observe. “Here’s a pe
a
nut butter sandwich. It’s all we had. Dry as hell, but when you’re hungry it taste like heaven.” He took a moment to gaze out to sea. “This sea is really on fire.” 

Daniel folded his sandwich in half. “Yeah, no worries. I know the way in. And, oh, thanks for the sandwich. We don’t have much further to go. Tell the others to put the Gelfish traps into the water.”  Biting the sandwich in half, he steered away from the large rock protruding from the sea.

“What’s a Gelfish? Is that some kind of Zukar secret?” Faulk asked, skeptical that the fish were harmless.

Daniel finished off his sandwich in two bites. “It’s a harmless fish with a thin outer layer, but its inner layer is a clear gel that repels fire. No one knows how to use the Gelfish to repel heat but my father. That’s why we have to destroy to remains so no one else can figure out how to get to our trove.”

Faulk cleared his throat and handed Daniel some water. “Great. Does it bite, drag you out to sea, sting, or in anyway attack?”

Daniel chuckled. “Nope. This fish is completely har
m
less. Completely, I swear.”  He wondered if he should tell Faulk of the Urchins that usually attached themselves to the Gelfish. The urchins were clear bugs with sharp tails that stung and left welts on the victim’s hands when they grabbed the Gelfish.
Naw, I don’t wanna spook him. He can’t take much more.
Daniel laughed out loud. Faulk eyeballed him suspiciously, and then grinned, not getting the joke
.

Jade came up to stand next to Faulk, and raised an ey
e
brow at Daniel. She folded her arms and lightly elbowed Faulk. “Don’t believe him. Those Gelfish have little bugs on them that have poisonous tails. Don’t worry though. I have gloves for you.”  She slanted her gaze at Daniel, and then she walked away.

“Man, she’s ticked off at you. Think she’ll get over it?” Faulk asked.

Daniel shrugged. “She’ll come around. She’s never been this angry before, at least not at me. You may not believe it, but I usually stop her and Gabe from arguing all the time.”

Faulk snorted. “Well, she’s nice to me. I may have a chance at her. I think I’m in real deep like with her,” Faulk said with a whistle when he watched her walk away. He slapped Daniel on the back before he followed Jade to the opposite side of the boat to drop the traps for the Gelfish.

Daniel pondered on that and knew Faulk wasn’t any real competition for him when it came to Jade. With a flashback to their kiss, he remembered how Jade had followed him around since she was a kid. It was she who wanted to kiss him…and he hadn’t seen her begging to kiss Faulk. His chest tickled at the thought.

“The traps are dropped, and one of them has about three Gelfish already,” Jade yelled to Daniel while she put gloves on Faulk’s hands.

Daniel looked up when they came to the valley leading to the gorge that stood between them and the
Sea
of
Fire
. Wild thick auburn grass sprinkled through green moss that covered the valleys leading to the mountains that flanked the side of the winding river. He took in the tall, imposing mountains on the twin islands of Fire Isle. They were green with orange rims that rese
m
bled burning embers. Each stood on either side of the waterway leading to his trove in the
Sea
of
Fire
, blocking the view beyond it. Steam rose from the deep blue waters and he knew they were at the perfect position to catch the Gelfish.“We need to collect at least ten.”

“Okay.” Nickel called out.

Jade came up beside them and stared out to the sea. “This is beautiful. I’ve never been here before.”

Before Daniel could reply, Faulk came up behind Jade and placed his hands on her shoulder.

“Yes it is, and so are you,” Faulk said in a deep roug
h
ened whisper far too close to Jade’s ear. He winked at Daniel.

Daniel was furious. He wanted to punch that stupid grin off of Faulk’s face, especially when Jade leaned back with her head rested on Faulk’s chest and allowed Faulk’s hands to remain on her shoulder. Instead, he swallowed back his jea
l
ousy again, knowing he could never be with her like that, and continued through the Fire Isle.

The water started to bubble more intensely and steam started to rise higher. The bubbling hot water licked the sides of the water cruiser. Small patches of fire were sprinkled in var
i
ous spots of the water, but he stirred clear of them. Daniel’s practiced eyes knew it was time they put on the protective layer of gel from the Gelfish if they were to be able to swim beneath the fire to get to his family’s cove.

“Cut the Gelfish open. Everyone start putting the gel all over your bodies, the wet suits, and anywhere that is exposed. Don’t forget to dispose of the carcasses when you’re done,” Daniel directed. He had a nagging feeling someone was follo
w
ing them. Checking the tracking device on the panel in front of him, he didn’t see anything. However, he knew if Zukar were following him, their presence wouldn’t be known until they chose to reveal themselves.

Nickel came up and tapped Daniel on the arm. “Hey, I’m done. Can I navigate while you get ready?” 

“Sure. Remember to stop before you get to the rapid boi
l
ing water and high patches of fire.” Daniel went to where the Gelfish cages stood and prepared to put on the gel covering that would protect him from the boiling seas of fire. It could last for few hours on their suits, but it was only needed to get them into his father’s trove.

Daniel thought ahead to what they’d use to protect the
m
selves when they left his trove. His father had a special adaptive substance made from Racaden, a species from the Planet Zal
a
thular. He was the only person on Merwin to have know
l
edge of these beings that created it. He’d purposely claimed them from a snatch job he’d done after he had settled on Me
r
win. The Racaden cages were deep within his trove, and Daniel was glad the beings needed no one to care for them. They lived off dust, dirt, and bugs.

Faulk walked up to him and handed him an opened Ge
l
fish. “These look like transparent jellyfish on Earth.”

“Um, they’re nothing like your Earth jellyfish. They live in boiling water and have fire-repellent organs that dissolve into gel when they’re cut open.”

“Got a point there. All Earth jelly fish do is sting.”

Daniel reached his hand inside the transparent fish, and scooped out the pale blue gel that resided in its body cavity. Faulk helped him slather it on to the places he couldn’t reach. Then Faulk threw the carcass of the Gelfish into the sea, making sure he aimed for a patch of fire. Daniel confirmed that its transparent remains briefly caught on fire before sinking into the boiling sea.

Daniel glanced up to see Jade watching him, her eyes briefly softening. He smiled back at her, and she frowned and then turned away. “Humph,” he grunted in Jade’s direction while he stood.

Faulk nudged Daniel with his elbow. Casting a glance back in the direction in which Jade had stood, he grinned. “I know, man. She was checking me out, wasn’t she?  She’s been doing that a lot. I even kissed her cheek.” 

“Jade is off limits,” Daniel stated in a gruff whisper.

“Off limits to
you
. I don’t know Gabe. He’s your friend, but not mine. I don’t want to get to know Gabe either. I just want to know his sister, and she’s worth it.” Faulk shook his head slowly and whistled, watching Jade look out to sea. “Man, is she worth it,” Faulk replied
with a whistle
, his eyes following the object of his affe
c
tion.

Daniel turned away from Faulk to watch Nickel slow the boat to a stop. He looked around at the moss covered mou
n
tains, and the deep blue sea that bubbled and expelled steam from the rising heat. Smiling, he nodded at Nickel who turned around to give him thumbs up.

“You did it Nickel, you remembered! C’mon, let’s grab our packs and go. Our time is running out, I have a feeling someone is behind us,” Daniel said.

Nickel came over to him and put his mask on before di
v
ing into the boiling water.

“Um, you sure you don’t want to go first Daniel?” Faulk asked.

Jade came up and took Faulk’s hand in hers. “Take my hand. We can go together.”  Without a glance behind her, she pulled Faulk forward into the steamy waters.

Daniel looked ahead of the boat. Patches of floating fire cr
e
ated a path to a raging flame as high as eight feet that stood as a barrier to the
Golden
Island
in the distance. The massive
Sea
of
Fire
stood before him and the popping sounds from the blaze vibrated around him. The fire floated for miles on the blue waters, its yellow and orange colors contrasting with the blue sea. Taking a quick look behind him, his neck tingled and he prayed his luck hadn’t run out
.
Then he jumped into the waters of the
Sea
of
Fire
.