Caught by Menace (24 page)

This time when Dankirk extended his hand, Menace

grasped it. Dankirk slowly retreated. He waved at the

woman Menace had been entrusted to ferry back to the

Valiant
. “Good luck, Penny. I’l make sure your mama

knows you made it safely.”

“Thanks, Danny.”

Holding Naya’s bag, Menace rejoined the smal group

and gestured for Penny to start walking. Menace flanked

her while Raze and his two men led the way back to the

waiting ship. Once he got the young woman safely

waiting ship. Once he got the young woman safely

buckled into her seat, he handed the bag to Venom.

“Take this.”

Venom’s eyebrows shot up but he accepted the bag

al the same. “What do you want me to do with your

wife’s bag?”

“Search it. I don’t want any questions arising about the

procedures folowed to clear her things. Let Cipher scan

it.”

“Sure.” Venom disappeared out of the seating area to

the cargo section where Cipher had set up shop.

Menace dropped into his seat and tugged the various

belts into place. Secured, he waited for the flashing light

to turn solid green to indicate takeoff was imminent. He

spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Penny’s

fists were so tightly drawn her knuckles had gone white.

Worried she was going to stroke out from fear, he

reached over and touched her arm. “Hey, it’s going to be

okay. There wil be a few minutes of uncomfortable

pressure as we zoom through the atmosphere. Before the

gravity boosters kick in, there wil be a few seconds of

weightlessness.” He grabbed the puke bag stuffed into

the sleeve above her head. “If you need to vomit, use

this.”

this.”

“Th-thank y-you,” she stammered. She took the bag

with shaking fingers. Her teeth rattled together so hard he

feared she might break one of them.

“Would you like a sedative? There’s stil time to

administer an injection before we lift off from the

surface.”

“N-no,” she said with a determined shake of her head.

“I just need a mo-moment.”

He held her wide-eyed, panicked gaze. “You’l be

fine. Take some deep, calm breaths. I’ve heard some

people like to close their eyes and count silently. That

might help.”

She shot him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

In the next instant, the light in the passenger area

turned bright-green. The ship vibrated and gained speed.

Next to him, Penny squeezed her eyes shut and gripped

the puke bag. Across the aisle, Raze eyed her with some

concern. Menace second-guessed his decision to offer

the sedative. He should have just given it and asked

forgiveness later.

When they reached outer space, she squeaked. He

expected her to blow any second, but she got a hold of

expected her to blow any second, but she got a hold of

herself and managed not to lose it. Twenty minutes into

their three-hour trek to the
Valiant
, she’d calmed

enough to relax. Half an hour into it, she worked up the

courage to speak.

“You were part of the Connor’s Run Grab?”

Menace nodded. “Yes.”

“You’re happy with your wife?”

“Very.”

“Danny told me al about the woman he was taking the

bag to,” she said with a gentle smile. “From what I

gather, she’s realy amazing.”

“Yes,” Menace said softly. “She is.”

Penny laughed. “I bet she wasn’t afraid to climb on a

ship like this and fly into space.”

“No,” Menace agreed. “I don’t think she was afraid of

the flight.” He didn’t mention that she was more terrified

of him.

Penny seemed to understand. “It’s not an easy thing,

leaving behind everything you’ve known to make a new

life with a strange man. Especialy when that strange man

belongs to the race that filed the grim tales of your

childhood,” she added. “You know, go to sleep or the

childhood,” she added. “You know, go to sleep or the

sky warriors wil snatch you away and make you their

slave. Stay out of the woods or the Harcos wil find you

and take you to one of their ships where they’l use you

as a guinea pig.”

While Menace wondered how the hel his people’s

kindness toward the people of Calyx had been twisted

into such gruesome tales, Raze asked, “What is a guinea

pig?”

“It’s a smal animal that existed on Earth and was used

in experiments by the scientists and doctors there. Our

ancestors who fled the world of science experiments

gone awry wrote about them.”

Raze frowned. “We don’t experiment on humans.”

“You would say that, wouldn’t you?” Her teasing

smile made Raze chuckle.

“Yes, I guess I would.” Raze unbuckled his harness

and rose. “I’l be in the back with Cipher.”

Stil smiling, Penny opened her bag and took out a

smal square wrapped in white paper. “It’s a sweet

bread. Would you like a piece?”

Menace held up his hand. “No but thank you.”

Penny nibbled silently and sipped from a metal bottle

Penny nibbled silently and sipped from a metal bottle

she had retrieved from her bag. Watching her eat left him

feeling uncomfortably aware of the ways he had failed

Naya on her trip to the
Valiant
. He hadn’t even thought

to offer her a drink or something to eat. After running and

fighting him, she had probably needed both. No, he had

been more concerned with getting her to be quiet and sit

stil.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Menace stretched out

his legs. This experience with ferrying Penny to the

Valiant
was proving more pleasant than the transport

ship ride he’d shared with Naya. There were no weeping

brides and no sex-starved males tapping feet and

drumming fingers on armrests.

“Are you friends with the man I’m joining?”

Menace glanced at Penny. “Not realy.”

“Oh.” She looked surprised. “I thought—”

“I owed him a debt of honor. Picking you up and

bringing you to him without incident is my way of settling

that debt.”

“Um…I guess that’s nice.”

Menace chuckled. “That’s one way of describing it.”

She returned her items to her bag and closed it up. He

realized that she was fishing for information on her

realized that she was fishing for information on her

potential mate. “I believe our pilot, Zephyr, is familiar

with your soon-to-be mate. Once we reach cruising

speed, I can see if he’d be wiling to speak with you

about him.”

“I’d like that.”

An hour into their flight, Menace walked her to the

front of the ship and showed her an empty seat behind

the two pilot chairs. “Zeph, this is Penny.” Fuly aware of

the pilot’s Lothario reputation, he clapped the man on the

arm. “Remember she’s taken.”

“Unlike you land corps boys, we sky corps men don’t

go around stealing other men’s wives.”

Menace let the zing about the
Arctis
bust-up slide.

“I’l be in the cargo bay with Raze. Buzz me when she’s

done.”

“Wil do.”

He found Raze and Venom sorting through the items

packed into Naya’s bag. He scanned the bench where

they’d laid out her things. Clothing, a smal notebook, a

pair of boots, a belt…and a gun.

Venom must have seen the shock register on his face.

“It was loaded but I’ve rendered it safe.”

“It was loaded but I’ve rendered it safe.”

Menace picked up the smal pistol. It had been a long

time since a weapon like this had been in general

circulation. His grandfather had used these in his first

campaigns but they’d been phased out of the military by

the time the old man had retired. Menace had a few of

these old models in his personal colection and fired them

for fun on occasion.

“I have to confiscate it.” Venom gestured toward the

weapon. “Normaly I’d hand it over to you since that’s

your purview, but I thought you’d like to avoid a conflict

of interest issue.”

“Understood.” He inspected Naya’s sidearm. She’d

kept it clean and ready for use. He spotted the T

scratched into the metal. A little lower an N had been

etched into it. Realizing the weapon had sentimental

value, he said, “I’l petition to have it returned. I’m sure

she’l want it back since it belonged to her father.”

Raze flipped through the notebook. Photographs fel

out and drifted to the floor. Menace knelt down and

gathered them. They were pictures from her childhood.

He couldn’t help but smile at her gap-toothed grin and

wild hair. She looked so happy, so carefree. What had

happened to that little girl to make her into the wary,

happened to that little girl to make her into the wary,

mistrusting woman he knew?

“I can’t make heads or tails of this.” Raze handed it to

Cipher. “It’s in code.”

Cipher thumbed through it. “Yes, it is. What do you

think, Menace? Do you want me to crack it?”

The idea of reading Naya’s secret communications left

him feeling uneasy. “No. She’s just paranoid enough to

code her day-to-day diary entries. What she’s written in

there is none of my business.”

“Unless it is,” Raze replied carefuly. “That man is part

of the Red Feather, their dissident group, and he caled

her his friend. If she was a member of that group and if

this book details her work with them, I’m sure Terror wil

want to know.”

Menace snatched the book from Raze’s hand and

stuffed the pictures inside. “The Red Feather is on the

neutral list. They’re not our enemies. I won’t go digging

through my wife’s diary entries, entries she’s gone to

great lengths to keep secret, to give Terror more

homework.”

“It’s going into my report, Menace. I have to cover

my ass.”

my ass.”

“Cover away,” Menace said and began packing away

her things. “The rest of the bag was cleared?”

“Yes,” Venom confirmed. “The firearm?”

Menace handed it over. “Make sure it goes into the

safe in the armory or the one in Vicious’ office. If that’s

taken, I can’t replace it for her.”

“I wil.”

Menace trusted Venom to keep his word. His

earpiece chirped and Zeph told him Penny was ready to

take her seat again. With Naya’s bag slung over his

shoulder, Menace returned to the cockpit. Back in the

passenger area with Penny, he made an effort to answer

her questions and engage in her need for chitchat. He

breathed a quiet sigh of relief when they finaly docked.

After walking her through the immigration processing

station, Menace escorted Penny to the infirmary. Flare

had a private room in the orthopedic section. To

Menace’s surprise, Admiral Orion waited in the halway

outside Flare’s temporary quarters. Menace snapped to

attention and saluted the superior officer. “Admiral.”

“Menace.” He gave an at ease and smiled at Penny.

“Welcome to the
Valiant
, ma’am.”

“Thank you, sir.” There was no mistaking the

nervousness in her soft voice. “And it’s Penny.”

“That’s a lovely name.” He glanced at the closed

door. “Wel, Penny, I understand you were told of

Flare’s current condition.”

She nodded. “His leg is badly injured. He’l need

multiple surgeries and may walk with a limp.”

“You’re not averse to these issues? I only ask

because, in our culture, an injured male isn’t highly

sought-after by brides.”

Penny sucked in a shocked breath. “That’s awful!”

She lifted her chin. “I don’t care if he’s in a chair for the

rest of his life. Those kinds of things don’t matter to me.”

Then, a little calmer, she added, “My brother contracted

the water sickness when he was seven. He hasn’t been

able to walk since then, but he runs a very successful mil

and has a lovely wife and children. His life is very

happy.”

Menace decided then and there that Dankirk had a

good eye for matchmaking. Vicious had spoken briefly

with the man but left the selection of Flare’s potential

bride to him. He’d chosen wel.

Orion looked relieved. “I’m glad to hear that you feel

Orion looked relieved. “I’m glad to hear that you feel

that way. Flare wil walk again. It’s just a matter of time

and physical therapy. I know you were told there was a

chance you might be going back to Prime with him, but a

new medical station is expected to arrive within the next

month. You’l move there while he undergoes his