Rebel (22 page)

A young man sat facing the wide console and
multilevel displays. She fired her pulse pistol before he knew what
hit him, and Hamilton shoved him back from the controls.

She studied the vidscreens, her mind sifting
through possibilities. Danette Tiptonn was easily recognizable even
in an inmate’s uniform. The young man must be Palmer, so where was
VinDerley?

“Holy shit,” Hamilton muttered when he got
his first look at the hostages. “Were they trying to start a
war?”

Meredith didn’t comment. She deactivated the
energy barriers and reverted control of the doors to their motion
sensors. “You get Palmer. I’ll release Danette.” The blonde just
stared at Meredith suspiciously as she entered the holding cell.
“I’m Major Caperelli. The coalition sent me.”

“How do I know that?” Danette snapped,
rising from the bunk.

“You can trust me or stay here.” Meredith
turned toward the door, unwilling to argue. “Do you know what
they’ve done with the premier’s son? I haven’t been able to locate
him.”

“You’re really from Halley Prime?” Danette
followed Meredith into the corridor, glancing around anxiously as
if she expected someone to interrupt them. Interesting.

“Why would I lie?” Meredith asked.

“We haven’t seen Ashton in days.”

Palmer accepted Meredith’s introduction with
a beaming smile. Danette just nodded at Hamilton.

“This way,” Meredith directed.

They reached the ship without incident. If
an alarm had been triggered, it wasn’t audible.

Palmer didn’t speak until they were safely
on the ship. “Thank you, Major. You can’t imagine how relieved I am
to be away from this place.”

Meredith ignored the praise. She needed to
find somewhere near Korbin’s office to hide the ship.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Danette
reminded him, her tone oddly hesitant.

“Where’s Ashton?” Palmer asked.

“We were hoping you could tell us.” Hamilton
entered new coordinates into the navigational system.

“They kept us separated,” Palmer said. “We
haven’t seen him since the first day.”

“The leader told me Ashton escaped.” Danette
cleared her throat. Her voice sounded stronger as she continued. “I
think Ashton took one of the rebels with him. The leader was really
upset.”

“The leader? How many different people did
you see?” Meredith asked.

“A woman seemed to be running things to
begin with,” Palmer explained, “but I haven’t seen her in a couple
days. I’d only seen one of the men until the leader questioned me.
Do you think Ashton took the woman?”

“Describe her for me.”

“Small, pretty, dark hair, green eyes.”
Palmer provided the description.

“Damn,” Meredith muttered. Apparently Corry
was right in the middle of this mess. The small ship shuddered as
it left the ground. “I want to bring the leader back with us, but I
won’t risk your safety to capture him.”

“How do you know who he is?” Danette
asked.

“We had several suspects, but finding you
here on Borrelly narrowed it down considerably.” Meredith settled
her gaze on Danette’s flushed face. She needed to be questioned
extensively. Admiral Tiptonn’s daughter was hiding something. “Can
you positively identify him?”

“I never saw his face,” she answered calmly.
“I was blindfolded when he questioned me. That’s probably why I’m
still alive.”

“I’d recognize his voice,” Palmer
volunteered. “But I never saw him either. The woman seemed to be
just as much a leader as the man. Do you know who she is?”

“Yes,” Meredith admitted. “One thing at a
time.”

“What are you talking about?” Korbin yelled.
“Who would release the hostages? Who the hell had access to the
control booth? Where is Larz?”

“Let me load the surveillance file and you
can tell me,” Sharon returned angrily. “Larz didn’t check in as
scheduled, so I accessed the security system and brought up the
holding cells. They’re both empty. That’s when I commed you.”

Korbin stepped up beside Sharon as she
activated the video file. “Unbefuckinglievable!” Korbin watched in
helpless fury as his stepmother and her cohort foiled their entire
operation. He’d known Meredith was up to no good when she showed up
this morning, so he told Foster to tail her. “Has Foster checked
in?”

“He’s not scheduled to for another hour or
so. Do you recognize her?”

“Unfortunately.” He turned from the screen
with another curse and raked his fingers through his hair. “How
long ago did this happen?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“Is anyone else missing?”

She raised both hands in frustration. “Not
that I know of. I’ll send out a shift-wide page.”

“Have any ships launched in the past twenty
minutes?”

“Nope. They’re still here somewhere.”

“Then I’ll find them.” He paused long enough
to give her shoulder an encouraging squeeze.

He should have thrown Meredith’s autocratic
ass in a cell the moment she arrived. Corry’s disappearance had
distracted him, made him careless. It wouldn’t happen again!

He marched to the warden’s office and told
his executive assistant there was an emergency.

“What’s so urgent?” Restien asked as Korbin
was ushered into his office.

“I have reason to believe there will be an
escape attempt within the hour. Please order a lockdown. It will
give me a better chance of locating who’s behind this.”

Restien simply nodded and entered the code
that put all transport stations on alert. “No one in or out until I
hear from you.”

“Thanks.” Korbin left without further
explanation.

Too impatient to wait for the elevator,
Korbin sprinted down the stairs and rushed out of the office
building. He’d start at the construction site. Guards were posted
at each entrance. He had to make sure his people were—

“Freeze.” He’d almost reached his hovercraft
when he heard the ominous command. Recognizing Meredith’s voice
only made the situation more infuriating. Korbin skidded to a halt
beside his ship.

“Put your hands behind your head and turn
around.”

Her pulse pistol pointed at his chest and
the cold purpose in her dark eyes assured him she’d use it.
“Mother.” The word was half taunt and half curse.

“NëvouS.” She mimicked his tone.

She motioned toward the trees lining the
small shuttle lot. A ship waited just beyond the decorative
perimeter. Korbin took two steps toward the ship, spun and kicked
out with one foot while he grabbed for the pulse pistol.

His fingers closed around her wrist, but she
intentionally dropped the weapon, deftly catching it with her other
hand. He wrapped his arms around her torso. She slammed her boot
heel down on his instep.

Pain shot up his leg and he jerked her to
one side, hoping to dislodge the gun.

“If I have to blast you, Korbin, you’ll
really piss me off,” she snarled. “Where the hell are you going to
run?”

It took all his self-control not to snap her
scrawny neck. He shoved her forward as he wrested the gun from her
hand. She twisted as she fell, landing on her back with one leg
drawn up protectively.

He aimed the gun at her chest, fury burning
in his heart. Pain blinded him and he screamed. His hand went numb
and fire burst in his thigh, spreading out to buckle his knee. He
caught himself before he collapsed completely and managed to turn
his head to the side. The man he’d seen on the vidfile stood to his
right, a disrupter pistol still pointed at him.

Meredith snatched her gun from the ground
near Korbin and scrambled to her feet. “Thank you, Hamilton.”

“My pleasure, Major.”

Korbin frantically rubbed at his cramping
muscles. “You fucking bitch! Did you volunteer for this
mission?”

She panted. “Get him on the ship.”

Hamilton half led, half-dragged Korbin onto
the waiting transport. Each step he took sent echoes of agony
crawling the length of his leg.

Palmer stood in the hatchway, watching with
a smug little smile.

“Say something, NëvouS,” Meredith prompted.
“I understand you haven’t been properly introduced.”

Palmer stepped back as Hamilton pulled
Korbin into the interior of the ship. “Fuck off and die.”

“That’s him,” Palmer confirmed
cheerfully.

Korbin didn’t look at Danette, couldn’t bear
what he’d find in her gaze.

“In back,” Meredith directed.

Two tiny cells comprised the “back” of the
ship. When Korbin hesitated, Hamilton shoved him into one of the
closet-sized cells and closed the grate.

“A cage?” he sneered. “How primitive.”

“Alloy bars don’t rely on a power source,”
Hamilton pointed out.

“You’ll never get off this outpost,” he
predicted.

“Care to wager on that?” Hamilton moved to
the bow and took his place at the helm, his fingers flying over the
smooth control panel.

“Warden Restien,” Korbin heard Meredith say,
“I’ve just transmitted my official authorization and
identification. I need to leave your outpost immediately.”

Korbin couldn’t see the vidscreen, but he
heard Restien’s reply. “I must confirm this authorization, Major. I
was warned of a possible escape attempt.”

“Fine,” Meredith snapped.

She turned her head and looked at a
different display. Something had caught her attention, but Korbin
couldn’t see what had caused her reaction.

“You idiot,” she yelled. “Call off your men,
Warden, or I will open fire.”

“This is by far the most imaginative attempt
I’ve ever witnessed, but I’m afraid I was forewarned.”

“You were forewarned by the person I’m here
to arrest. Premier VinDerley has authorized whatever means I deem
necessary to apprehend certain classified persons.”

“If this is official coalition business, why
wasn’t I contacted?”

“The details of my mission are available on
a need-to-know basis. My departure in no way compromises this
outpost. You have no need to know anything more than I’ve already
told you.”

“I disagree. I have not yet verified your
identity and you’re holding one of my employees against his will.
You will be treated as a fugitive until I have information
confirming your story.”

“Have it your way!”

“If you attempt to—”

She cut off the comlink and turned back to
the control panel. “Buckle up, people, we’re going to have to fight
our way out.”

There were no safety restraints in the
holding cell and Korbin’s leg still burned from the disruption
pulse. He sat on the narrow bench and braced his good leg against
the grate. Quick and agile, Meredith’s ship outmaneuvered the
outpost troopers.

“Restien is sure as hell going to regret
this tomorrow.” Hamilton took the ship into a sudden dive and
Meredith laughed triumphantly.

Korbin slammed against the grate, despite
his braced leg, so he stood and found a more secure position.
Grasping the bars with both hands, he pressed out against the walls
of the cell with his feet. His abused thigh protested the pressure.
He accepted the pain, drawing it inward as he focused beyond his
rage.

The bitch was enjoying this! She laughed
again and fired in rapid succession. One of the troopers burst into
flames.

“Yes!”

Danette and Palmer exchanged worried
glances.

Clutching the grate with all his strength,
Korbin concentrated on his breathing as Hamilton continued his
reckless maneuvers. The ship rolled to the right then shot straight
up, directly in front of one of the troopers. Meredith took out the
second ship with her aft cannons and Korbin released his breath in
a frustrated hiss.

“Two down,” she announced, “one to go.”

The third ship suddenly abandoned its
pursuit and headed back toward Borrelly.

“Why did it turn around?” Danette asked.

“The warden must have called him off,”
Meredith muttered. “Troopers don’t turn tail and run.”

“Why would he call off the attack when he
ordered it in the first place?”

Meredith shot Danette an impatient glare.
“He must have received confirmation of my identity.”

Danette accepted the explanation with a
silent nod. Palmer sat beside Danette, watching Meredith with
fascination and awe. Korbin bristled. He remembered similar
expressions on Corry’s face as she struggled to gain this woman’s
attention.

Had Meredith located Corry? Had others been
dispatched by the premier? Meredith turned from the control panel
and grinned at him. “You’re really not very good at this, are you,
NëvouS?”

Korbin didn’t reply. He stepped back from
the bars and sat, unable to stomach her smug expression.

“How’d Ashton slip through your fingers?”
she asked.

“He didn’t,” Korbin said. “I had him moved.
It was too risky to hold all the hostages on the same outpost.”

“Sure you did. Let me guess. Corry isn’t
missing, she’s relocating VinDerley.”

“You’re too smart for me.”

Korbin propped his boot against the grate
and finally glanced at Danette. His chest clenched so tightly he
couldn’t breathe. Her luminous gaze surrounded him, inscrutable and
intense. This was the first time she’d seen his face. Even at the
Pleasure Palace he’d been masked.

Tears gathered in her eyes, and Korbin tore
his gaze away. He was in a freaking cage! What did she expect him
to do?

Danette stared out her bedroom window into
the gathering twilight. She was home, safe and sound, and she had
never been more miserable in her life.

Korbin hadn’t so much as glanced her way as
Major Caperelli’s ship sped them toward Halley Prime. It felt odd
to think of him by name. She tried not to stare, but the temptation
had been too much. Danette had never seen Korbin’s face before,
never imagined she would find his appearance so evocative.