No Mercy (20 page)

“I am who I am. No apologies, substitutions, exchanges, or refunds.”

Duffy opened his mouth to reply but a canned voice blared from the wall above her. “Duffy, the ship is opening a wormhole back to Hosta.”

“Who the hell ordered that?” Duffy barked.

“No one. The ship is acting all on its own.”

Duffy cursed. “Xander's fleet will annihilate us.”

“Duffy,” Zan's voice barked. Gia tried to turn to see him but he was too far away. “What the fuck is happening?”

Duffy quickly updated him on the situation.

“Drain the suspension and get Gia to an evacuation pod.” Golden eyes fixed on her, and she felt a chill at the cold determination she saw there. “We're abandoning ship.”

“W
hat?” Gia struggled to get out of the healing suspension, but the thick plasma clung to her body like tar. “You're going to abandon ship, just like that?”

Zan moved to her side and held her still while Duffy drained the plasma. “There's nothing else I can do. If the ship is creating a shortcut through space without orders, that means someone or something is calling it. One guess who could do that.”

“Xander?” Gia's eyebrows, about the only part of her she could move, drew down. “But if he could call the ship at any point, why would he wait until now?”

The tube emptied with a wet-sounding slurp. Blue gunk still clung to Gia's nude body, though she could move some. Duffy answered, “I reckon he needed to pinpoint our location. Better close your eyes, Miss.”

Gia did just as the hydrogen and oxygen sprayers turned on. Within the confines of the tube they bonded into water molecules and sloughed off the rest of the suspension. Gia gulped and sputtered, but held still.

“Did the nanites finish healing her injuries?” Zan asked Duffy as he helped her up. No way would he stuff Gia in an evacuation pod if she still needed medical attention.

Duffy studied the scan he'd just taken while Zan grabbed clean drying cloths to wrap around her shivering form. He rubbed her vigorously, flinching when her teeth chattered.

“They're still at work, but she's good enough for transport.”

“So . . . c-c-c-cold.” Gia snuggled into him and he wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her warm.

His eyes met Duffy's over the top of her head. Hurt radiated from his second-in-command, and something that looked like longing washed over him. Scooping Gia up, he turned away, unwilling to acknowledge Duffy's yearnings. “Find her something to wear and meet me at an evacuation pod. We haven't got much time.”

Duffy strode off in search of clothing, and Zan made his way to the nearest life pod chamber. The small pods could fit up to five people and were well stocked with food and water, enough to sustain them for weeks if the passengers were smart. He'd appropriated five of them from an obliging pleasure yacht a few years back, along with several pounds of gold and jewels.

“You can't just let him have the ship, Zan.” Gia's green eyes bore into his.

“Sure I can. I stole it from him in the first place. Most likely he won't be able to talk to it any better than we do. If we're lucky, it'll drive him crazy in the attempt.”

“He's already crazy,” Gia muttered.

“The ship's smart, Gia. He's given us warning so we can evacuate, when he could just move on through.” Zan didn't know if the ship understood what was waiting for it on the other end, but risking Gia's life and the life of his crew to reason with the damn thing wasn't a viable option.

He passed several crew members heading into the pod chamber but no sign of Duffy yet. All the doors to the pods stood open.

“Do you think you could fly this if you had to?” Zan asked her.

Gia studied the controls. He was pleased to see the color had returned to her cheeks and the shaking had almost stopped. “If someone shows me how.”

Setting her in the copilot's chair he pointed out the controls. She nodded in understanding, absorbing everything. The line of her jaw set and determination glinted in her eyes. Hell, she was magnificent.

She tilted her head when she realized he stopped talking. “Zan?”

“Get yourself and Duffy as far away from here as fast as you can. I don't want to risk that he'll come right back through and scoop you up.”

Gia scowled. “Are you going in another pod or something? There's plenty of room for three.”

Slowly, Zan shook his head. “I've got to stop him, Gia. I'm going through the wormhole with the ship.”

“No.” She said it so definitely, refuting his words.

“I need you to be safe.”

The towel he had wrapped around her shoulders fell away as she hauled her fist back and hit him on the shoulder. Even weakened from her injuries she packed a hell of a punch. “Don't you think I need the same thing? I'm not going without you!”

“You have to. Gia, Duffy can't fly one of these things by himself. He'd probably fly into an event horizon and get sucked into the next black hole he stumbled across.” Swallowing his pride he said, “I don't want him to die either. I need the two of you to look out for each other. For me.”

Her mouth opened, and he took full advantage by claiming her lips. So sweet, so hot, he wanted to drown in her essence, that heady female fragrance that was hers and hers alone. His tongue swept through her mouth seeking a deeper taste, needing to imprint himself on her the way she'd done for him.

Gia's hands curled around his vest, pulling him closer, yielding to him completely. He wanted more time with her. Eternity with her by his side wouldn't be long enough to discover all of her secrets. What wouldn't he give to have that chance to explore her to his heart's content?

Though it nearly killed him, he pulled back, just in time to see Duffy lurking by the hatch door. He averted his eyes, but not before Zan saw the flash of misery there. It was just as well he stayed behind. He didn't want to cause Duffy any more hurt than he already had.

“Here.” Duffy extended the jumpsuit he found and tossed a bag onto the passenger bench. “I packed up a little currency too. Might be able to convince a bigger transport to give us a lift.”

Zan stood and studied the man he'd used and abused for almost five decades. Duffy looked exactly the same as he had when Zan first met him after the ranking ceremony. It was the one and only time they'd been physically intimate. He'd been honest with Gia—he didn't want Duffy to die. He owed him so much more than he could ever repay.

“Duffy, I . . .” The right words hovered just out of reach. Should he apologize for his deception in the past, or thank Duffy for coming through for him and Gia?

Duffy's eyes filled with emotion. They'd known each other too long for him to not read his intentions. “Don't do it, Cap'n. The ship ain't worth getting yourself killed.”

“I have to try. It's my responsibility to take him out no matter the cost to myself.”

“Like hell it is. Duffy, hold him,” Gia muttered, and flipped the ignition switch. The pod lifted off the bay floor and hovered for a moment. Zan dove for the door, but Duffy intercepted him, tackled him like a ton of bricks as the pod sealed itself shut.

“This is pod five, ready to go. Open the hanger doors as soon as all persons are secure,” Gia called out over the comm unit as Zan wrestled to get away from Duffy.

“No, damn it all, Gia, I'm not going with you!” But the comm drowned him out.

“Pod one all set.”

“Pod two, good to go.”

“Pod three's ready.”

“Pod four in position.”

“Let's do this thing.”

Zan elbowed Duffy in the face but it was too late as the outer hull separated wide enough so the pods could slip out into the cold grasp of space. If he opened the door now, they'd all be sucking vacuum.

“What the hell? I have to go with the ship,” Zan roared as Gia exited the ship.

Still naked and seated confidently behind the controls of a spacecraft once more, Gia glanced at him over her shoulder and said in an imitation of his captain's drawl, “Seems to me like you ain't got much of a choice in the matter. I'd reckon a space pirate such as yourself would recognize when he's being kidnapped.”

 

Gia watched as the living spaceship flew through opening and the wormhole closed in on itself. Zan muttered an oath and slumped against the hull of the pod. The confines in the pod were simple and sparse. Two benches along the wall, a chair for the pilot and one other person, and a small lavatory in back. The setup kind of reminded her of her stinger.

It sure as hell didn't fly like her stinger though. Top speed was barely sub-light and the navigation could only be described as clunky. After taking a scan of the nearby star systems, Gia plotted a course to the closest life-sustaining world. Almost two weeks away with no guarantee of intelligent life once they got there.

After contacting the other pods with their heading she took a deep breath and turned to face the music to the tune of one large and irate space pirate.

“What. The. Fuck?” Zan seethed from his position on the floor.

Instead of answering him right away, Gia yanked on the butt-ugly gray jumpsuit Duffy had snagged for her. Though it wouldn't be on her top ten favorite wardrobe items list, she'd spent more than enough time naked over the last few days to last a lifetime. After she was dressed she knelt beside Duffy, who was sprawled on the floor, one hand cupping his left eye with blood spurting from his clearly broken nose. “Get a med kit,” she told Zan.

“Get it yourself,” he shot back.

Her hackles rose, but she would tend to Duffy's injuries before she tore Zan a new one. “Fine, be a big, spoiled child. I'll take care of Duffy.”

Or as she was starting to think of him, Zan's whipping boy.

“Can you sit up?” Gia asked him while she rummaged in the medical supply kit she found under the farthest bench. Half of its contents mystified her, but gauze and dry ice packs were pretty universal with space-lane-faring vessels.

“I think so.” With her help, Duffy sat upright, propping his back up against the hull. “It probably looks worse than it is.”

“It looks like hell,” she told him flatly. “Your nose looks broken.”

He touched it lightly and winced. “Wouldn't be the first time.”

After she got the bleeding under control, she helped ease Duffy onto one of the low benches. Setting the cold pack over his eye, she gave him a shot of pain medication. “See if you can sleep.”

“Doubtful, but I reckon you two will be wanting some alone time.” Duffy's expression was grim.

“Nope, you can watch me kick his stubborn ass all you want.”

Her patient smiled even as Zan muttered, “I'd like to see you try, angel.”

She rounded on him. “What the hell is the matter with you? I just saved your bacon and you're giving me a rash of shit over it. Did you really want to go running back to Hosta that badly?”

“It's my duty to help those people. Isn't that what you wanted me to do? Step up and take over, free Hosta from my father's tyranny?”

“I want you to do it the smart way, which certainly doesn't include charging off into the outer reaches armed only with a ship you can't communicate with! What good would your death do them?”

“It would be proof that an immortal can die. Maybe they wouldn't be so afraid to challenge Xander if they believed they stood a chance of winning.”

“You know what I think? I think this whole self-sacrifice thing is just a cover. I think that you were just planning to do what you do best, run away from a difficult situation.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “Going head-to-head with Xander is the easy way out, is that what you're saying?”

“Dying is the easy way out. You've opted to do that several times over the last few days, Zan. It got me thinking about why. Why are you so ready to lay down your immortal life at every opportunity?”

“Because I love you!” he exploded, fists balled up until his knuckles turned white. “Isn't that enough for you?”

Gia forgot how to breathe, his passionate announcement blotting out everything except him and her and the crackling air between them. It was always like this with them, emotions running hot and ready to go nova in the next heartbeat. He pissed her off like no one she'd ever met. Didn't the man ever think before he ran his mouth? Could he really be so dense to believe that burping up those words like some kind of emotional acid reflux in order to win an argument would help his case?

Hands on hips she stared him down. “You know what? It's not enough. Running off to get your dumb ass gutted like a martyr and saying you're in it for love? Fuck you, Zan, for using me as an excuse. The same way you've been using Isabella's death as a shield to keep anyone who would care about you at a distance. You'd die for me, so how the hell come you don't want to live for me?”

Zan's mouth dropped open. Gia turned away from his stunned expression, her head suddenly throbbing. “I'm beat. The course has been input, so we should be good for a while. Wake me if anything interesting happens.”

“Gia—”

Ignoring him, she lay down on the opposite bench from Duffy, facing the hull. She was tired of fighting for her life, tired of fighting with Zan over his. If he continued on his self-destructive path he'd eventually succeed because she wouldn't be there to stop him. She wished she had let him go through the wormhole. Better he died loving her than live hating her for making him face the truth. Though she couldn't control her tears, she did make sure they fell silently onto her ice-cold hand.