No Quarter (Bounty, Book One) (20 page)

“Go.” Faolan’s stomach rolled. “And be careful.”

“You too.” Gar’s lips twitched into a lopsided smile before he turned and ran.

“Okay, Mace, we’re going to have to slow down enough to let the
Geilt
get free of our clamps. But I don’t want it to let us get within weapons range any faster than we need to.”

Mace tapped her fingers along the edge of the computer controls. “We can slingshot him around, throw him clear and confuse the hell out of them. It will only force us to reduce speed by three
Keagans
and will give Gar one hell of a rush.”

“Think you can handle that?”

Mace rolled her eyes and Faolan had to smile at the family trait. “Please, I could do it in my sleep.”

Faolan counted to thirty in his head before signaling the
Geilt
. “Stitt, you in place?”

“Hatch secured and I’m ready to go.”

“Okay, big brother, I hope you’re as good as your reputation says you are.”

It may not have been obvious to others, but Faolan picked up on the change in Mace’s tone. The undertones of forgiveness.
Thank the Gods.

“I’m better. What do you have in mind?”

The plan was hashed out between the two siblings with little input from others. Faolan had to admire the sharp minds they both possessed, their natural affinity for tactics and shrewd battle senses. This was going to be fun.

The ship’s proximity alarms sounded, telling them the Loyalist cruisers were well within missile range. “Here we go, people. Stay sharp!”

Far faster than he’d anticipated, the ships closed on the
Belle Kurve
, breaking formation to reform in a triangular attack strike. Mace pushed the ship’s engines to maximum, racing them directly toward the gas giant.

“Ready, Garratt?” Mace’s hand hovered above the release button.

“Let me go, Macie.”

There was a ship-wide shudder as the
Geilt
broke free and the
Belle Kurve
veered off in the opposite direction. One target became two, forcing the Loyalist ships to slow their pursuit.

“Dragan, hit the ship closest with missiles and next one with lasers. Stitt?”

Gar’s voice crackled through the com as the
Geilt
’s shield absorbed a laser blast. “I’ve got the third one. Will have his shields down momentarily.”

Another powerful shudder rattled the hull, sending Faolan bouncing in his seat. “Open up on them. Everything we have!”

The battle quickly became a blur of lasers, voices and missile barrages. Faolan’s voice grew raw from the litany of commands he barked at his crew, the muscles of his neck and back screaming from discomfort and tension. It took far longer than he would have liked to finally disable one of the Loyalist ships.

“Yes!” Dragan jumped to his feet, punching the air.

“Sit your ass down, rookie,” Mace yelled at the young man. “We’re not out of this yet.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Smart boy.” Faolan winked at his second-in-command. “He knows not to piss the lady off.”

The
Belle Kurve
rattled again. Faolan looked up in time to see the smallest of the Loyalist cruisers explode.

“Target dealt with,” Gar’s even voice broke through the communication system.

“Last one is ours, Stitt.” Faolan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Unless you want a piece?”

“I normally keep my toys to myself. In this case, more than happy to share.”

Mace chuckled as she brought the ship around. “Sarcastic bastard.”

“Hey, he’s your family.” Faolan winked. “Let’s clean up this mess and bring him back in.”

As Mace finished the loop, now head-on with the Loyalist, Gar shifted the
Geilt
so he approached the enemy on a perpendicular vector. Lasers blazing, they unloaded everything they had on the target. Sensors beeped a warning.

“Mace, pull us out of here. She’s going to blow.” Faolan signaled Gar. “Stitt, fall back. You’re going to get caught in the blast radius.” Static answered him. “Stitt?”

The Loyalist cruiser exploded, sending metal racing toward the
Geilt
, still far too close for safety. Faolan was on his feet and by Mace’s seat without thinking.

“Readings?” his voice was ragged even to his own ears.

“Oh, Gods. No. Direct hit to his hull. Shields are down.”

“Get us over there.”

“I’m trying,” she spat back. “There’s too much debris to move in safely.”

“
Belle Kurve
, hold your position.”

Faolan laughed, ignoring the sudden rush of tears to his eyes. “Stitt, you better not blame me for damaging your ship.”

“Not safe yet. Hold your position and get ready to scoop me up if necessary.”

Faolan watched helpless as Gar maneuvered the
Geilt
away from the splintering Loyalist hulk and back to safety. He didn’t realize how tense he’d been holding his body until he felt Mace reach up and cover his hand with hers.

“He’ll be okay,” she said softly.

Unwilling to let even Mace see the depth of his feelings, Faolan scoffed, squeezing her hand back. “Of course he will be. Your brother is a stubborn ass.”

“Like a certain captain I know.”

“Don’t tell Gar. He may not want to come back on board.”

Mace stared up at him, “You really like him, don’t you?”

Faolan kept looking at the
Geilt
. “You know, Mace, I think maybe I might—”

The words died in Faolan’s mouth as a secondary explosion split a chunk of drifting hull into small fragments. They were too close to the
Geilt
, making it nearly impossible for Gar to steer free.

“Gar, look out!” he shouted, knowing it was pointless.

He stood there and watched as the debris collided with the side of the
Geilt
’s hull.

Chapter Thirteen

“Gar, look out!”

Well, what the bloody hell else am I going to do?
With no time to respond, Gar threw as much power as he could afford into what remained of his shields, squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact.

The barrage of metal from the Loyalist cruiser’s remains beat through the meager remains of the
Geilt
‘s shields to slam into the hull. The vibrations shook the ship so hard Gar fell to the floor, slamming his head on the edge of the chair.

Blackness quickly followed him as the chaos was silenced.

Gar wasn’t sure what happened next, and could only hear snatches of noises as he fought through the mental fog.

“Fire here!”

He tried to move, but a weight pressed on his chest. His eyes refused to cooperate so he gave up trying to open them.

“Find…near…cockpit.”

Who was that? The voice sounded strikingly familiar, but an image of the owner escaped his wounded mind.

“Turn that noise off!”

The voice was close, almost on top of him. He couldn’t sit up. Struggling, he managed to move his hand free from beneath the weight on top of him.

“Help.” He couldn’t be sure if he’d actually spoken, so Gar swallowed and tried again. “Help.” Louder, clearer and this time garnering a reaction.

“Shut up, everyone, and let me listen.”

“Help.”

“Oh my Gods, Garratt. Here! He’s over here, Faolan.”

Hands suddenly appeared on his body as voices rang out around him. One in particular soothed him, so Gar reached out for it.

“Hey, hey, don’t do that.” Warm lips kissed his forehead. “Lie still while we dig you out.”

“Faolan?”

“See, Mace. Even with a blow to the head I’m completely unforgettable.”

Gar wanted to laugh at the teasing arrogance, but the pain in his chest prevented it. “Ass,” he whispered.

“I’m the ass? I thought I told you to watch out?”

“Tried.”

“Well, next time try harder. Took us over an hour to get to you. I wasn’t sure if this ship of yours would hold together that long.”

“Okay.”

Another kiss, this time to his lips. “What have I told you about these single-word sentences? We still need to work on that.”

“Don’t…want…”

“Will you stop goading him?” Mace’s voice. “Just ignore him, Garratt.”

“Gar,” he croaked.

“What?”

“Gar…now.”

“I’ll call you whatever the hell you want as long as you shut up and let us dig you out. Keep him still, Faolan. Doc says to try to keep him awake too. He probably has a concussion.”

“That means I get to talk to you.” Faolan shifted so his lips now hovered beside Gar’s ear. “I can tell you all the dirty little things I plan to do to you when you’re safe and sound.”

Faolan’s rich voice lulled the panic threatening to rise in Gar. While the litany of sexual positions would normally arouse him beyond reason, it served to keep him in the present. After a few minutes, Faolan’s list changed focus. The vulgar language melted into promises of properly cooked meals and rest on a comfortable bed if Gar would simply hold on and get better. His brain clung to the fact Faolan wanted him. Really, honestly wanted
him
to be around.

Gods, he wished his eyes would cooperate and let him see Faolan. Just one more time…

There was a pause in the shuffle around him, a soft mutter of whispers too gentle for his abused ears. Faolan shifted to sit at his head, knees cradling his head, and looped both his hands under Gar’s shoulders.

“Okay, Gar. We’re going to get this sheeting off you now. The boys are going to lift it up and I’m going to pull you out. Just hold on and this will be all over soon.”

“Hurts.” His tongue was heavy and too thick in his mouth, making speech difficult.

“It will be all over very soon.” Another kiss against Gar’s forehead. “Okay everyone, let’s do this on three.”

Gar counted along with Faolan silently in his head, bracing himself for the inevitable pain he’d feel. It was worse than he could have imagined. A scream ripped from him as Faolan jerked him free. The majority of the pain emanated from his right leg and sent him scrambling to try to cover the wound with his hand. Too much, it was all too much.

“Gods, lie still, Stitt.” Faolan tightened his grip on his shoulders. “Mace, sedate him before he damages something Doc can’t fix.”

Gar thrashed, trying to bat them away. “No, no, no, no.” The needle sank into his arm and blackness overtook his will to stay conscious.

* * * * *

Gar’s hearing returned before anything else. It was surreal to figure out your surroundings when all you had to rely on was a steady beep of a computer and an annoying ringing he couldn’t be sure was real or inside his head.

Slowly, his brain acknowledged the warmth of a blanket covering his body, a pillow that had grown lopsided from the weight of his head and a large, warm hand holding his.

“Ouch,” he whispered.

“Let that be a lesson to you.” There was no mistaking the relief in Faolan’s voice.

“What’s that?”

“When you try to be the hero, bad things happen.”

“I’ll…keep that in mind.”

Without opening his eyes, Gar tried to adjust his body so he was elevated more, only to be stopped by Faolan. “Don’t think so, Stitt. Doc said if you moved too soon, the tissue regeneration for your leg won’t heal properly.

Cracking an eye open, Gar grimaced at the strength of the light. Faolan reached over and dimmed them, allowing Gar to see for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

“How bad?”

“Do you want some water? Hungry? I can get Mace to get something for you if you want.”

“Faolan.” It never boded well when distraction was the first tactic used. “How bad?”

The older man stared at him hard, the muscles in his jaw and neck working overtime. Finally, Faolan reached out and cupped Gar’s cheek with his hand. “Came close to losing you. Somehow Doc pulled out a miracle and patched you up. Claimed you’re only alive because you’re one stubborn bastard.”

Fear hit him hard in the gut. He’d been given a tremendous opportunity over the past day and he’d almost died before he’d had a chance to reacquaint himself with his sister. Then there was Faolan.

“You know me,” Gar smiled, “I’m not about to let anyone dictate what I should do. Even die.”

“Good man.” Faolan rubbed his thumb over Gar’s cheek in a steady rhythm. “I was just getting used to having you around.”

“Can I—?” Gar nodded at the glass of water sitting beside Faolan. “Guess I was thirsty after all.”

“You’ll learn to listen to me.” Faolan held the straw up to Gar’s lips, not letting him take too much. “Everyone does in the end.”

Gar waiting for Faolan to put the glass down before reaching out to take his hand. “There are benefits to it, I’m thinking. You gave me quite the list to ponder back on the
Geilt
.”