Stalker's Luck (Solitude Saga Book 1) (24 page)

He was losing Williams. His injuries were slowing him down. He pushed his burning legs and aching ribs to keep going.

As he sprinted around another corner onto the end of the strip, the spaceport came into sight. He ran towards the stairs, passing knocked down civilians and another dead syndicate woman.

The airlocks of the spaceport were arranged in long rows stacked atop each other, with stairs and elevators leading up to the higher rows. Down below were docks for commercial ships and traders, linking directly into the underground train system. Eddie ran up the stairs to the spaceport, examining the numbers above each airlock. Leone would have men inside the spaceport authority, so there was no asking them for directions.

Through the transparent walls of the spaceport, he could see dozens of ships crammed together outside the station, maglocked in place to their respective gangway and airlock. A small cruiser, that’s what he was looking for. The
Sophia Almeida
. One little ship among dozens.

Someone cried out ahead. A figure darted up a set of stairs, heading for an airlock. Above the airlock was written
233
.

Got you, you son of a bitch.

As Eddie started up the stairs, he spotted another group of figures running towards the spaceport from the opposite direction, all in long coats and hats. More of Leone’s men. More than he could handle on his own.

He pulled out his tab, slipped his glasses on to use the earpiece, and jabbed at the tab’s screen until it started calling Dom. He listened to the beep of the attempted connection until a crackle cut through.

“What?” Dom said.

“I’m nearly at his ship, but he killed a bunch of syndicate men and more are coming. I need you to get your arse over here and help me take them out.”

“No!”

“What?”

“We’re not killing any more syndicate men.”

“What are you talking about? Do you want Williams or not?” he said, panting as he reached the top of the stairs.

“Pine says—never mind what Pine says. Just trust me, for the love of Man. I’m on my way.”

Shit
. “All right, all right. I won’t kill them. But we need to keep Williams on the station. Tip off Port Authority and get the ship put on lockdown. It’s the
Sophia Almeida
.”

“Don’t you need backup?”

“Just do it. If he gets away, we’re fucked. Shut him down and do it now.”

He shoved his tab back in his pocket but kept the connection open. Leone’s men were shouting from far away. He readied both his guns as he came to airlock 233. It was still open. He went in with both guns leading the way.

The time for stealth had passed. He made his way along the short umbilicus. He could see the interior of the small cruiser through the ship’s airlock doors, the rust-coloured walls half-hidden in shadow.

“Williams!” he called out. “It’s too late. You’re not running from this one. You know Temperance Port Authority isn’t going to let you disengage in a hurry. This is a gambling town, Jack, and they know how much gamblers like to skip out on their debts. They’re going to check you closely, and by that time my partner will have given them good reason to hold you here.”

His voice echoed in the silence. He edged further along the gangway.

“Leone’s men are coming. Too many of them. It’s the end. Put your gun down and come on out. Come on out and tell me where Lilian is.”

A figure moved in the darkness of the ship interior. Eddie stopped and raised his guns. But the figure wasn’t Williams. It was smaller, more slender. His heart started hammering.

Cassandra Diaz stepped into the light and gave a small sad smile.

“Hi, Eddie,” she said. “Long time.”

“Real long time,” he said. He lowered his guns. “Come here, quickly. I’m getting you out of here.”

“I’m not going, Eddie.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Roy’s about to disengage the umbilicus. You have to get out of here.”

“Not without you. Come on.” He couldn’t stop staring at her. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”

Footsteps clanged out on the spaceport catwalks. They were nearly here.

He put one of his guns away and stepped towards her, stretching out his hand. “Come on. We have to go now.”

She didn’t move. Another figure appeared behind her. Roy Williams.

Eddie’s gun snapped back up. “Cassie, get down!”

Williams glared at Eddie and raised his machine pistol. The bag of money was still slung over his shoulder. Cassandra turned, put her palms against Williams’ chest. She said something to him. Eddie thought it sounded like “Don’t.”

Dom’s voice spoke in his ear. “I’m coming in on the train. Leone’s men are swarming the port. If you’re in there, get out.”

Eddie bared his teeth, ignoring Dom. “Williams. Let her go. She’s done with you. Put the gun down and you get out of this alive. Cassie, get away from him.”

She shook her head slowly. “I’m not coming, Eddie. I’m…I’m sorry about Fractured Jaw.”

“What?”

“I made sure you were out. I made sure you were safe.”

“What are you talking about? Let’s go.”

“It was good to see you again.” She turned and nodded to Williams.

The fugitive scowled at Eddie and punched the control panel next to him. The airlock hissed and began to close.

“No!” Eddie said. But before he could take a step forward, the airlock door shuddered to a halt, still open most of the way. A warning light flashed inside the ship.

“What is it?” Cassandra said.

Williams growled and punched the panel again. Nothing.

Then a voice came over a speaker above Eddie. “This is an automated message. By order of the Temperance Port Authority, the vessel at airlock two-three-three is now under lockdown until further notice. Ship control has been surrendered to Port Authority staff. For more information, please consult a Port Authority representative at the customer service booth.”

“Shit,” Williams said. He pointed his gun towards Eddie. “This is his fault!”

“Can you get us away?” Cassandra said.

“Not in time.”

Eddie watched the exchange in confusion. He could understand why she was so desperate to get away from Leone. But trading a syndicate leader for a murderer and a fugitive was madness. Here he was, offering her a way out. Why wasn’t she coming with him?

“Cassie,” he said.

She glanced at him, then looked back to Williams. “The city. We have to find a place to hide.”

He nodded and stepped through the partially closed airlock door, aiming his gun at Eddie. Cassandra followed close behind.

“Eddie!” Dom’s voice yelled in his ear. She was panting, her footsteps clanging through the tab connection. “They’re on you. Get out now!”

He spun around as two of Leone’s men appeared at the umbilicus entrance. They raised their guns.

“Nobody move!” one said. “Drop the guns!”

Williams’ machine pistol roared. The thugs ducked for cover as bullets ripped past them. Eddie stood in stunned silence as Williams and Cassandra dashed past him. He could smell her hair as she passed.

Instinctively, he reached out, his fingers brushing the skin of her hand. She glanced back, gave him one last sad smile. She said, “Run.”

And then she was out of the umbilicus, following Williams. Gunfire roared. Footsteps clanged and people shouted.

Dom yelled through the earpiece, shocking him out his blank stare. “Where the hell are you? I’ve got sights on Williams, but I can’t make a move. Get to the
Solitude
. It looks clear. Eddie?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m here.” He started running. “Come out shooting or play it casual?”

“Casual,” she said. “Port’s full of scared civilians. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He tucked his guns into his pockets and came out the umbilicus’ entrance. The port was wild with movement and screaming. Tourists were running for cover or standing around watching the flood of gangsters and Port Authority uniforms streaming along catwalks and out of doors. Eddie dove into the chaos and moved with it. He couldn’t see Williams or Cassandra, but it wasn’t hard to figure out where they were by the flow of Leone’s men. Williams had left a few more thugs wounded and bleeding on the floor.

“How’d you get the ship shut down so fast?” Eddie said to Dom as he ran.

“I had Knox do it. He told them it was Roy Williams. That seemed to get their attention.”

His stomach sank. Leone had to know Cassandra was missing by now. And if he knew Williams was here, he’d know who had taken her. How was he supposed to get her off the station now?

He scanned the spaceport through the swirling crowds. A flash of brown hair caught his eye, the locks bobbing as Cassandra ran. Williams pulled her behind him. They were heading for the grav train platform, shoving aside the waiting tourists.

One of the men pursuing them yelled into his tab, but the grav trains were automated just like the supply trains. Shutting them down would take time. The grav train waited at the platform. The doors began to close.

Williams darted forward and grabbed the doors of the rear-most carriage, holding them open. He ushered Cassandra inside. The train began to move away from the platform.

The pop of gunfire echoed across the spaceport. Red blossomed in Williams’ thigh. He toppled into the train and the doors slid closed, blocking him from view. Eddie ran towards the train, but it was hopeless. Within seconds the grav train built up speed and screamed away from the platform into the city. Eddie watched it go. He thought he glimpsed Cassandra’s face through the window. Then it was gone, the train hidden by the rise of the buildings.

The chaos around him slowed. He stood in the centre of it for a moment, staring at the rails where he’d last seen the train. Then he slid his hands into his pockets and hurried towards the
Solitude.

28

Dom made her way through the
Solitude
’s interior, shotgun at the ready. Leone’s men had obviously been here—they’d cleaned out most of the armoury and emptied a dozen food containers onto the floor of the common room. But she couldn’t hear any voices or footsteps now.

Anger boiled within her. The
Solitude
had been violated by these bastards. And she couldn’t even kill them for it.

She swept onto the bridge, swinging her shotgun back and forth to cover the corners. But it was empty. Exhaling, she lowered the shotgun and dumped the rest of the guns in the armoury. If the thugs had been here recently, they must’ve been pulled into the pursuit of Roy Williams. They had a few minutes at least to regroup and hide out while the heat died down. She picked up a couple of cigarette butts from the floor of the bridge and tossed them in a trash receptacle in the wall.

The airlock door hissed. She raised her shotgun again, but lowered it when she saw Eddie limp into the main corridor. He looked even more tired than she felt. His eyes stared blankly around before finding hers.

Dom jerked her head towards the common room. Without a word, they moved down the corridor. Eddie sat down at the small table. She went through the storage cupboards, found two metal cups that Leone’s men hadn’t destroyed, and set them up on the table. While Eddie sat staring into space, Dom went back to her quarters, lifted up her mattress, and retrieved the bottle of cheap vodka she kept there for special occasions.

Eddie hadn’t moved by the time she got back to the common room. She half-filled each cup with vodka and sat down, resting her shotgun against her leg. Silently, they both picked up their cups and drank. Dom sipped hers, letting it burn, suppressing the urge to cough.

Eddie set his cup down in front of him. “Williams took a hit.”

“Where?”

“Thigh. Could be bad if they got the artery.”

“Shit,” she said.

They sat silently a few more minutes, drinking.

“I was listening in over the tab,” Dom said after a while. “I could hear you talking.”

“Yeah?”

“That woman,” Dom said. “The one with Williams. That’s Cassandra?”

He nodded.

“Also known as Lilian Mayweather?” she said.

“That’s the one.”

“A woman from your past.”

“Yup.”

“And now she’s with Roy Williams.”

He spun the cup on the table in front of him. “Something like that.”

She nodded and was quiet for a minute. She was no good with any of this stuff. But she’d never seen Eddie like this before. He was always moody, distant, but this….

“I’ve got to tell you something,” she said. “Maybe you’re not going to like it, but it has to be said.”

“Do what you gotta do, Freckles.”

“I talked to one of the convicts who broke out with Williams. He knew about the girl. Knew her name. Both her names. He told me a story someone had told him. About a youth gang on Fractured Jaw, and a syndicate who wanted them out of the way. He told me this girl, she was the leader of the youth gang. But she sold them out to the syndicate. She told the syndicate everything they needed to find them and kill them.”

Eddie’s knuckles whitened around his cup of vodka.

Dom licked her lips. “The convict wanted me to taunt Williams with it. He thinks she helped Leone betray him to the Feds, got him locked away. Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not. But the girl isn’t who she says she is. She’s dangerous. She betrayed you once. She can do it again. She’s bad news, Eddie.”

“You haven’t got a shred of evidence for that.” His voice was flat and sharp. “Some fugitive said he heard it somewhere or other? Come on. Gimme a break. He jerked you around and now you’re jerking me around.”

“I believe him,” she said. “He knew her name. He knew what happened on Fractured Jaw. There’s truth in there. You can feel it.”

Eddie stood up and tossed his empty cup on the table. “Don’t tell me what I feel.” He kicked his chair, walked around in a small circle. He whirled back towards her. “You don’t know shit, Freckles. I know her. I know what she’s capable of and what she’s not. She’d never betray her friends.”

“Sit down, Eddie.”

“Ah, to hell with you. I don’t feel like sitting.”

“Sit down and let’s talk about this.”