Page 177 of Pets in Space 10

“What did you do to her?” Kari gasped.

Her brain tried to make sense of what she’d witnessed. One minute the golden animal hissed and hopped around, the next she faded into a mist that settled on Luka’s forearm.

Instead of answering, he sent her a fake salute and crawled quickly with his brother along the beam above her head. In a split second, they’d vanished from sight.

Knowing she’d regret it, but unwilling to stay here, she ran to the chair, climbed and jumped. Her fingers slipped against the edge of the beam and she fell to the floor.

Spasms shot through her knee. Ignoring the pain, she pushed up to her feet and limped back to the chair.

“The bitch will either do what we want or the admiral’s gonna receive her body back in pieces,” Gubu boasted on a laugh.

He sounded as if he stood right on the other side of the door. She had to get out of here. Her father would do whatever he had to for her safe return.

Heart racing, she crouched on the chair again and launched herself into the air.

Her fingers managed to grasp the rafter this time.

Fire licked her torso where she was certain Gubu had bruised her ribs.

Using her momentum to rock her lower half forward, she grunted in pain and gripped the beam between her calves.

Fuck, it hurt. Every breath a pant, she pushed up into a straddle and crawled forward in the direction Luka and his brother had taken. Below, the door swung open. There was a pause then Gubu yelled, “She’s gone! How did she get out?”

He was met with stuttering responses as she vanished behind the break into the next room and made her way carefully across. Every moment she expected to hear a shout from below discovering her.

It took effort, but she reached the interior wall without detection. Shouts and steps rang out as they searched for her inside. Patting the framing and the entire area, she looked for how Luka had escaped. No loose stones, no windows.

Unable to find an opening, she scanned the sliver of space above her head. A slight breeze flowed from the vent access to her right. Her gaze narrowed. Was it possible?

The space would be a tight fit and that was if she could open it. Except, how else had they got out if not through the vent? She rose to a crouch, eased over one step to the right and pressed on the edges of the vent. It shifted and she tensed prepared for someone to hear the scraping sound.

Another push and the square structure lifted completely. Hands reached down, grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her through. Her hips bumped the sides before she was set on the roof.

She blinked to acclimate her vision to the sudden darkness outside. Luka pressed a finger to his mouth and tipped his head toward the corner. Relief thundered in her ears. She nodded her understanding and followed as he stayed hunched over and hurried forward.

Warning sounds blared in her head. Going along with the one individual, who’d kidnapped you to begin with, didn’t seem like the brightest idea, but her options were limited.

He caught her arm when they reached the end of the roof. It was a long drop down and she didn’t see any ladder. “What next?”

“Zair’s already down there. I had him move the hovercar farther back so Gubu doesn’t see it when he comes out. We’ll have to make a run for it.”

Her body wouldn’t like that. Flattening her lips, she stiffened her resolve. “Got it.”

“I’ll go first.” Luka stepped back then ran forward and jumped.

She pressed a hand to her side and peered over the edge. He stood at the bottom, holding his arms up and gestured with frantic flicks of his fingers. Taking a deep breath, she leaped.

Air rushed past her ears, her hair blowing back. She fought to stay still and not flounder.

“Oomph.” Luka caught her in a firm grip, then set her on her feet. His fingers slipped around her left wrist. “Let’s go.”

Huffing, she raced down the street beside him, darkness providing cover. The door to the building slammed open behind them. Gubu screamed into the night. She glanced over her shoulder but he wasn’t looking in their direction.

A black hover car slid to a halt beside them. Luka shoved her into the slowly opening door and climbed in behind her. “Go, Zair!”

The vehicle whipped around and raced off in the opposite direction of where Gubu and his men stood.

Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest. Shoving her loosened hair behind her ears, she sat upright.

“You can take me to the station. As a courtesy you don’t deserve, I’ll leave the two of you out of the report I file. ”

At the wheel, Zair snorted with laughter. Luka sighed heavily and turned from the front passenger seat to face her in the back. “The station is the last place you want to go.”

Her brows drew together. “You’re wrong. I’m a member of the USF. They’ll see to me and I can be on the next shuttle with my team back to our base.”

Her team. She hadn’t even considered them. Their leave pass was only good for twenty-four hours, then they needed to report to their ship, the Aranea, and return to duty in the Kratos sector.

She probably hadn’t been gone long enough for Havoc and Jinx to worry.

Come morning, they’d be at the door of the room she’d reserved, eager to share their exploits from the night before.

If she wasn’t there to answer, they’d comm her.

When she didn’t answer, they’d know something was wrong.

After that, all bets were off and they’d raise the alarm.

Luka slanted her a doubtful look. His green eyes blazed with an intensity she didn’t expect. “I’m not sure you’re giving the situation with Gubu the proper amount of respect.”

She rolled her eyes. Gubu was like any other criminal. Nothing about their interaction implied he was more than a disgruntled adversary who’d assigned blame for some imagined slight to her father or the USF. “He’s a two-bit criminal you and your brother aided to abduct me.”

Zair laughed outright, but it wasn’t a sound filled with humor. She glared at the back of his dark head.

Luka smirked. “You military types are the same. Overconfident. Trust me when I tell you this isn’t over.

Your escape embarrassed Gubu in front of his men.

He’s the second in command for the Rudurian Syndicate.

They want you for a reason and the fact Gubu no longer has you won’t go over well with them. ”

She knew that name. The Rudurian Syndicate was behind the latest attack in the Kratos sector. Her sector. What were they doing here at the one military station designated as a neutral zone?

She needed to comm her father. First, to warn him and second, to see if he had any intel to explain what was going on.

As Luka said, her abduction looked to have bigger implications.

***

Fear and worry flickered over Kari’s face. Finally. Her obstinacy frustrated Luka when he really shouldn’t care. She was nothing to him. The sooner he dropped her where she needed to be, the better.

Except.

Fuck. He wasn’t a total ass and if he returned her to the station Gubu would have another waiting in the wings to snatch her. One, who, unlike Luka wouldn’t have a conscience.

Did the other man know or suspect Luka’s involvement in her escape? He faced the front again and let his head drop back against his seat. This was a cluster and why he tried to keep a distance from his brother.

They drove for a good thirty minutes, heading toward the land beyond the reach of the space station. Kari had fallen asleep, exhaustion evident in the shadows playing beneath her eyes.

He let his gaze run over what he could make out of her features in the dark interior. Bruises covered her face. Blood dried in ugly flecks over her cheeks and pooled at the crease of her collarbone. His fingers curled at his sides as he breathed through his mouth.

“You good?” Zair muttered.

Of course, his brother would notice his struggles. The genetics they’d inherited from their father were dormant in Zair, but he knew the signs. Luka blew out a breath. “No, but I will be.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You always are,” he bit out, not feeling the least forgiving.

“What do you think they wanted with her?” Zair asked, slowing down as they neared the end of the paved road.

“No idea. They asked about an admiral.” It was the only thing he’d caught before getting them out of there.

Zair grunted. “Are you sure this is the right thing to do? We could leave her somewhere safe and let her people find her.”

How like Zair to want to eliminate the problem he’d caused by dumping it for someone else to deal with. “As soon as we ensure she can leave here without further issue, I’m done. That means I need to contact Harlo and find out what he knows.”

Harlo was his second in charge and the one Luka counted on to keep the Atoro in line when he wasn’t present.

By now, Gubu would have someone at the station watching for Kari.

He’d already have one of his people hack into outgoing communications to see when she booked a shuttle offworld. It’s what Luka would do.

To reach his second, Luka would have to rely on an ally he hadn’t spoken to in years for help. An ally who lived among the nomads.

Hills upon hills of sand loomed before them. Unchartered desert lands comprised the majority of Orion. Continuing on foot was their safest bet and anyone they crossed would be from the nomad caravans.

While the space station was set up as a neutral zone for visitors and military personnel, the desert and its inhabitants were a law onto themselves. It was the perfect hiding place from Gubu.

When Zair stopped the vehicle, Luka got out and rounded the back. Kari lay twisted on her side, hair covering her face in a tangle. He brushed the length back and she twitched in her sleep.

He squatted to his heels to be at eye level when she awakened. “Lt. Ma’are?”

Her lashes fluttered.

“Kari, you have to wake up. We need to move quickly.”

She opened her eyes and gazed at him in confusion. Blood, sweat and her floral scent entwined to tease his nostrils. He discretely inhaled. Such a rich and lush fragrance. Her head drooped and she closed her eyes again.

His canines hadn’t retracted from earlier and his gaze went to the thumping pulse in her neck. He’d fed well tonight before meeting his brother yet the thought of tasting her prodded his appetite.

Would she like his bite or look at him in disgust? Some were drawn to his kind and the sexual pleasure to be found in the bedroom. Others recoiled in horror and wouldn’t let him touch the bottom of their shoes.

Which would the lieutenant be? He brushed his thumb gently against the curve of her cheek, smudging the obscene red stain there. A quick lick of the tip of his finger and he almost moaned.

Shaking his head at his foolish reaction, he tapped her shoulder. “I need you to wake, Kari. Just a little longer and I promise you can rest.”

She jolted upright almost clipping his jaw if he hadn’t jerked his face away in time. She blinked, staring at him in surprise. “Are we at the space station?”

“No. It’s not safe there for you right now.” He rose from his crouch and backed from the door. “Come on. We need to move.”

“If this is part of an elaborate trick, I will find a way to crush you,” she growled as she shoved out of the hovercar and stood on shaky legs.

The fire in her brown eyes pleased him. “You can try. I like a challenge”