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Chapter Thirteen

S hadow

Dax and I are waiting at the exit when Petra comes running in.

“Sorry I’m late; Maddie forced me to take some sandwiches she made. I’ve got them stuffed in my backpack. I sure hope we’re not down there long enough to miss a meal. I hope it’s a surgical strike—in and out.”

“That’s the plan.”

Dax kneels down in front of her and helps her into the boots he made for her. It’s all I can do not to push him away and tie the boots myself. I’ve never felt jealous or possessive about a female before and it is not a pleasant experience. I am literally holding myself back from attacking him for the entire minima he’s fussing with the laces and making sure the boots fit.

“Enough!” I bark.

I think Dax understands his transgression. He immediately backs away, thumps his fist on his chest and nods to me, studiously avoiding looking at Petra. There, that’s more like it.

We touch down at a small docking station full of dust and tumbleweeds. This side of the planet doesn’t entertain many visitors. There’s a vehicle rental business nearby that only has two vehicles to choose from, a small town car and a sturdy off-road flyer. The mountains are many clicks from here; we’re going to need the flyer.

The manager and the two mechanics are natives here. Their race is called the Tau. They’re humanoids, and the three we’ve met are all under six feet with spindly bodies and thick brow ridges. They look at us with suspicion, speak only when spoken to, and don’t engender a lot of trust in their rental equipment. It looks old and poorly maintained; add that to my growing list of worries about this supposedly easy in-and-out mission.

I scout the area and see no mining machinery, no open scabrous areas indicating the soil has been excavated for gold. I hope Zar’s intel was correct and all MarZan influence is a thousand milles away. That’s all we need—to be spotted by the very people who are hunting us.

I drive and Petra sits quietly next to me, studiously looking out her window. One of the things I like about her is she has no need for useless chatter.

When we’re off and flying low to the ground and I’m certain we’re on the correct heading, I review safety issues with Petra again.

“You have the gun you were issued?”

“Yes, Shadow.”

“Steel explained how to use it?”

“Yes, Shadow.”

“Where is it?”

“In the backpack.”

“Pull it out for me.”

I touch down, put the engine in idle and check over the weapon. I know Steel is a good male and he would never give Petra a faulty weapon, but I feel compelled to double check it. It’s clean, fully charged, and completely in order.

“Keep it in the front pouch so you’ll have easy access should you need it.”

“Yes, Shadow.”

Okay, now she’s being petulant, but I’m not going to terminate this little safety check.

“Let me see your comm unit,” I order.

She rolls her eyes at me but doesn’t argue as she shoves her left wrist toward me.

“You know how to comm the ship?”

“Press the red button once.”

“You know how to comm me?”

“That’s the blue one.”

I nod. “Good.” She opens her mouth to snap at me, but appears to think better of it and presses her lips together.

“Do you know how to put it on silent in case you want messages to be written instead of audible?”

“No, I didn’t know it could do that.”

I show her, then start up the flyer and hurry toward our coordinates.

If we weren’t on a mission, I might take a moment to look at how beautiful the landscape is. The mountains are covered in towering vulcana trees which are all in bloom with a profusion of purple flowers. I only notice these things in passing, though, because I’m on high alert.

No one on board knows of my history with the head of the cartel, Daneur Khour, and I’d like to keep it that way. I do know he’s the most evil, cutthroat bastard in the cosmos. I don’t want him in the same solar system as Petra.

“You’re not going to talk to me?” she interrupts my thoughts.

“What do you want to talk about?” my irritated tone is designed to terminate, not prolong, this conversation.

“I hurt your feelings the other night.”

Okay, she’s going to dive into it. Better now than later. “You made your desires abundantly clear. You like fucking me. You want nothing else to do with me. I hope my stud services were at least adequate for your needs.” Drack , did I just sound like a sixteen- annum -old female? I hope it came across angry and sarcastic instead of petulant and wounded.

“That’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair to speak the truth?” I ask. “Or did I misrepresent something?”

“It’s just…”

“Was I incorrect about you liking the sex or incorrect that you want nothing else to do with me? Just let me know and I’ll stand corrected.”

“Well, I do like the sex, Shadow. That’s obvious. You’re... gifted.” I shoot her a cutting look. “And I do like you. I just don’t want to owe anyone anything. I don’t want any expectations or demands. I want to do what I want and go where I want and I don’t like sleeping with anyone. Ever!”

She’s ramped herself up, nostrils flared in anger.

“If this is why you wanted to talk, I think we can close the conversation. You’ve made yourself perfectly clear and I’ve heard you. I didn’t ask for this mission with you, Petra. Let’s pick the dracking flowers and get off this shit planet before the cartel captures us and kills or enslaves us.

“When we get back on the Deliverance we’ll need a schedule for the ludus, ” my voice is forceful.

“I don’t want to find you there. We’ll go at prearranged times. I don’t need to eat in the mess hall. So you won’t have to worry about running into me anywhere. We can avoid each other and live our lives.”

“Nothing I’d like better.” She tosses her head and looks out her side window, avoiding my gaze for the remainder of the flight.

It takes longer than I expected to arrive at the foot of the vulcana grove and even more time to forge a trail up the mountain. The trees are so thick, the little flyer doesn’t make it very high up before we have to park and travel on foot. I know I was pissed at Dax for getting Petra’s attention by making her those boots, but she couldn’t do this without them.

This mountain might be beautiful from afar, but it looks formidable to climb. It’s almost straight up, and there are craggy rocks in between gnarled vulcana roots. It takes hours to wend our way slowly toward the top.

We had to stop several times to catch our breath. We both have backpacks, mine is full of water. I’m rationing it; I don’t want us to drink it all before we’re at the summit.

Every time we stop I inventory Petra. I take note of her coloring, how labored her breathing is, the condition of her boots. She borrowed someone else’s long-sleeved shirt, which is a good thing because it’s already ripped in several places from the thorny branches. It provided her more protection than the short-sleeved one she always wears. Otherwise, she’s doing well. Too well, actually, because she’s so dracking beautiful I find it hard to take my eyes off of her. Which is the last thing I want her to notice.

She’s the first one on her feet after our brief break, urging us to the top. “I want to get this done before nightfall. Can’t do this in the dark.”

And we’re off again.

Finally, we make it high enough up the mountain to see the pale buds we’re hunting. Now all that has to happen is for Petra to climb a tree that’s maybe eighty fiertos tall, pick enough buds to fill a backpack, and climb back down. No ladder, no rope, just sheer muscle, skill, and will. Nothing to it.

I’m pissed at myself for ever agreeing to let Petra do this. But I realize I don’t have any control over what she does. If she even knew I thought for a minima I could make this choice for her, she’d cut me to bits with that angry tongue of hers. She makes her own decisions and she agreed to this.

Petra

Terror pulses like ice water through my veins. Standing here looking up, I can’t see all the way to the tops of the trees. I tighten my mouth to a thin line, schooling my features so Shadow doesn’t see the fear threatening to cripple me. Before the Golden Pussy I hadn’t practiced on the rope in months.

Despite what it might look like when I’m crawling up and down the rope, I’m not a monkey. I have no special skills in tree climbing.

Just walking the trail I’ve already been caught by several thorns which are about an inch long and sharp as knives. I look up at the tree I’ve picked; this is the easiest one, and it’s still formidable. Climbing this tree is going to be a bitch. I pull the gun out of my backpack to lighten the load, but Shadow sees me and angrily shakes his head.

“You are not leaving my sight without your gun.” It’s a command.

Great, what’s an extra pound I have to carry on my back up a ten-story tree?

I focus on the sweet smell of the flowers. It reminds me of honeysuckle back home. I have to pay attention to every foothold and every position of my hands. It’s hard work and slow going.

I don’t look down for a long while. When I finally do, Shadow looks tiny, but I’m nowhere near the top of the tree where the perfect buds are blooming.

When I finally get to the top, I notice cuts and blood smeared all over my hands. There are shallow slashes on my arms and thighs as well. I look down—Shadow is gone. He’s obliterated by a riot of purple flowers.

Shadow

I can’t see Petra anymore. There’s nothing I can do down here but keep watch. I have my back against a tree, but that’s about as protected as I can get. The ground foliage is so thick and we’re so far into the forest itself that I can only see five fiertos in front of me.

I’m worried about Petra. She looked so tiny climbing that tree, higher and higher until I lost sight of her altogether. I’m angry at Zar for even asking her to do this. Did he realize we’re risking her life to save Tyree’s? If she fell from that height she’d be dead instantly. I’m angry at myself for not protesting this plan more vigorously from the beginning.

Do I catch movement from the corner of my eye? There are so many trees here there could be a tribe of locals approaching and I would never see them. Keeping my back against the tree, I pivot around, looking in all directions. I’ve drawn my gun and my eyes dart from left to right and back again. I still can’t see anyone, but I can hear footsteps. Before I can aim and shoot, I’m hit.