Recon Marines II: Marine's Heiress, The (34 page)

Vin groaned and tossed his head as if
fighting for consciousness. The soldiers nearly dropped the
stretcher. Two moved quickly to fasten straps on his uninjured
wrist and ankles, hooking him tightly to the stretcher. They
hesitated over his mangled hand.

“
You put a strap on his
injured hand and I will hunt you down.” Every one of the men
towered over her by several inches, but they obeyed her.

Her mother wrapped her arm around
Emma’s shoulders. “Let them take him, Emma.”

“
I’m going with
him.”

The general spat out more orders and
the soldiers hefted the stretcher. They carried Vin toward a large
transport parked outside the gate and taking up most of the
street.

Emma hurried along beside them as other
men loaded the wounded soldiers. They fastened Vin’s stretcher on
last near the back. Emma started up the ladder to the deck, but one
of the soldiers stopped her.

“
I’m sorry, miss, but you
can’t ride with us.”

“
I’m going with my … my
bodyguard to make certain he receives the medical care he
needs.”

“
No, you’re not, miss.”
The general growled out more orders to his men. “Captain, keep a
dozen men and secure these grounds. Everyone else will escort the
wounded back to the base.”

“
General, I’m going with
my man, or he is staying with me.” Emma set her hands on her hips.
“I’ll take him to a civilian hospital.”

“
I understand you’ve been
through a traumatic time here, miss.” The general probably meant to
sound kind in his stern way. “Stay here with your
mother.”

“
Perhaps you’ve been
traumatized, general, if you can’t understand my words. I’m going
with my man.”

The general didn’t pretend at sympathy
now. “Miss, this soldier isn’t your man. He belongs to the army. At
this moment he’s charged with disobeying orders, failure to report
to station and more counts of lying than I can number at this time.
On top of that, he has six months of possible criminal activities
to explain and needs to account for the whereabouts of numerous
men, some of whom he may have murdered. He is my prisoner, going
with me to a secure room where he will receive whatever medical
care I deem he deserves. Now, step aside.”

The military vehicle moved away before
Emma could respond to the obvious anger of the general’s tirade.
She watched it go, feeling more helpless than when Ben had held her
prisoner.

Her mother and Nate Ward joined her in
staring after the departing transport. Nate had accompanied her
mother into hiding, the two of them working out the legal issues to
cut Ben off from the Brand fortune. Her mother put her arm around
her again, and this time Emma didn’t shake it off.

“
I have to help him,
Mother.”

“
Of course you do. General
Drant is the chief of staff for the entire military. That’s why we
contacted him. He’s been looking for Ben for months.”

“
We can’t sacrifice
Vin.”

“
We’re not sacrificing
him.” Her mother held her tighter. “Let’s get our house in order.
Despite his harsh words, General Drant will get the best medical
care for Vin. Then we’ll go claim your bodyguard and bring him
home.”

As usual her mother had a plan.
Sandra’s calm washed over Emma and quieted her panic. She took a
few deep breaths and returned her mother’s hug. Nate encircled them
both with his long arms. The gangly lawyer had been a friend of
Emma’s father and was even more so nowadays to Sandra. Their warmth
reminded Emma how lucky she was to have a family. Her mother, Nate,
Vannie … but not Moe and maybe not Vin.

“
You’re right.” Emma
stepped out of the hug and looked around at the soldiers gathering
up the mercenaries, the wounded and the dead. “Vin’s injuries
aren’t lethal though they need expert care. The doctor at the base
is a good surgeon. I’m going to change my clothing and go make sure
that happens. Nate, what are my legal rights to see a prisoner held
by the military?”

Nate grinned. He looped one arm through
Emma’s and the other through her mother’s. He led them toward the
house. “General Drant is a powerful man but even he must give
audience to the richest woman in the universe and her heiress
daughter if they ask a boon of him.

“
Richest?” Emma hadn’t
even told them about the iridium yet.

“
Emma dear, with all the
other major shareholders in prison, nearly every mining entity
known is under our control.” Sandra grinned as largely as Nate.
“Ben’s shares will come to us with his conviction just as Geoff
Hadrason’s did. Nate is making sure they forfeit all rights to
profits. Your very clever father must have figured out the type of
men he was working with when he had those protection clauses
written into their partnerships. It all belongs to you and
me.”

Emma staggered, but Nate held her up.
What could she do with that kind of wealth? And it wasn’t just
wealth. She and her mother would be running the business. They
could fix all the things that had gone so wrong over the years. She
needed Vin at her side if she was going to rule the financial
universe.

* * * *

As long as Vin didn’t try to wake up
the pain remained distant. At times he sensed people near him and
sometimes they spoke to him, but he heeded the call of the painless
dark. One thought always cleared the fog when he thought of leaving
the comforting unconsciousness. Emma was safe. His mission
completed. All the bastards in custody somewhere. Yalo avenged.
Emma safe. He slept.

“
You’re going to have to
wake up and talk to me sometime, Captain.”

The command in the voice and hearing
his secret rank tugged Vin to the surface. Between the first blink
of his eyes and the next he assessed his situation and environment.
The bright white walls and ceilings along with the medicinal scents
and the low hum of machines said medical facility. Sticky tags
clung to his chest and straps bound his shoulder in place. Whatever
they’d done to his broken hand rendered his fingers immobile though
plenty of discomfort remained. And a general leaned over him. Five
stars, the highest ranking officer in all the military.
Drant.

“
Sir.”

Drant stood up straight, his eyes
narrowed as if Vin tried to trick him in some way. “Are you ready
to talk now, marine?”

“
Yes, sir.”

Drant still looked suspicious but he
pulled a chair up beside Vin’s bed. “Then start at the beginning.
Don’t leave anything out. Give me names and locations.”

Vin searched his thoughts for a
beginning. The first years of his life had been secrets layered
beneath secrets. But this was the lead officer and the Recon
Marines were no more. Did the secrets matter? So the beginning
would be when he was two or three. “We lived in a barracks with one
large room and trainers bunked in with us.”

“
What the hell are you
talking about, Captain?”

“
That’s the beginning as I
remember it, sir.”

Drant stared at him and then looked
away for a moment. His bottom lip quivered, and he made a sound
like a snort. But when he turned his stare back to Vin, his
expression looked as stern as ever. “Let me restate. Tell me when
you left the company of the other Recon Marines and then everything
you did up until this moment.”

Vin told him, starting with Yalo’s
death and his fight with Joe. He told Drant of the months hunting
down Hadrason’s compatriots. Each target gave up names and
locations of another until only Admiral Ben Lester remained. Vin
couldn’t find him but learned from other sources that Lester was
searching for his stepdaughter. Since Vin couldn’t find him, he
found Emma and waited for Lester to show up. Speaking of the raid
on Merris Five awakened the sorrow of Moe’s murder. The end of the
tale didn’t take long as Drant knew much of it already.

“
So some of these men you
hunted are dead?”

“
Yes.”

“
How many are dead by your
hand since you went off on your own?”

Vin thought of the mercenaries and
miscreants many of the men he hunted had surrounded themselves
with. Then there were the miners on Merris Five. The men guarding
Ben. “I can’t say for sure, sir. Since I left Crevan Four, I
wounded with fist, blade or gun three hundred and seventy-six men.
I don’t know how many of that number died.”

Drant stared at Vin for a full minute
and then shook his head. “I don’t know why you guys continue to
surprise me.”

“
Sir?” Vin had seldom
interacted with superior officers except for Joe, but he’d expected
men like the general to speak plainly and not in riddles like a
civilian. A disturbance outside the door warned Vin right before
the door swung open.

Emma swept into the room, her gaze
skipping over the general and landing on Vin. Her mother and the
man who’d been with her at the castle followed her in. Emma hurried
the few steps to Vin’s side. She smiled and her eyes looked moister
than usual as if she might cry. Why would she cry?

Vin tried to sit up, wondering who had
to answer for Emma’s upset. But straps crossed his chest, hips and
shackled his feet. He cursed and sank back into his
pillow.

“
Don’t try to get up,”
Emma ordered, her small hand pressing against his chest. She
frowned at the machines humming over his head.

“
What are you doing here,
ladies?” Drant asked. “Please leave this room
immediately.”

“
We’re not going
anywhere,” Emma said. “Actually, you should leave. Vin, don’t say
another word to the general.”

“
Miss Emma, I know you’ve
been through a rough time, but this soldier is under my
command.”

Emma stood straighter, her full height
still well below the general’s size. “This man … Vin isn’t a
soldier.”

The man with Emma and her mother
stepped forward. He nodded at Vin but spoke to the general. “Nate
Ward, esquire, in the service of both ladies. We’ve studied the
court martial documents about Vin and his fellow Recon Marines. We
also looked into the overturning of those charges as well as the
new charges leveled against a number of men like Ben Lester. After
the disobeying orders charge was dismissed, the surviving marines
were named free men.” Nate smiled. “Named in writing by your own
hand, general.”

“
Don’t throw you fancy law
degree around in front of me, son. I know what the decree meant and
it was intended for the four Recon Marines currently residing on
Giroux. This man was not among them.”

Nate looked like he might smile but he
didn’t. “Names were not used, sir. And whatever you might have
intended, the courts always side on the words of the law not the
intent.”

“
Vin is my protector,”
Emma said. “Without him, Ben Lester would never have been
caught.”

“
Ten men are dead on this
planet alone,” Drant growled. “Someone will answer for
that.”

“
If they do, it will be in
civilian court,” Nate said in a calm and confident
voice.

Vin re-evaluated the tall, skinny
lawyer. He looked a little soft and worked at a career of physical
ease, but when he talked to the general he had steel in his
voice.

“
Thank you for rendering
my man medical assistance, general,” Emma said. “We’ll move Vin to
our home immediately.”

Vin savored her words while Durant
argued about where Vin belonged. He let the conversation flow over
him as they argued across his bed. He watched Emma, memorizing her
fine features and the animated way she used her hands to emphasize
her points. Despite the pain stabbing his hand and the deep ache in
his shoulder, Vin felt more at peace than he had since Yalo died.
His eyes drifted closed, his body needing rest even if his heart
demanded he stay awake and watch Emma.

“
Are you falling asleep,
Captain? Is discussion of your future boring you, soldier?” Drant
barked.

Vin blinked himself alert. “Yes, sir. I
mean, no, sir.”

“
There are no negotiations
going on here, General Drant.” Nate handed the AI unit he carried
to the general. “Here’s the order from the Galactic Ministry
ordering the former Recon Marine to be released into the custody of
Brand Enterprises. He is in our employ and serves as the personal
protector to one of the owners of Brand.”

“
How did you get them to
agree to this?” Drant glared at Vin and Nate in turn. “I had to
fight those sanctimonious bastards tooth and nail to get a fair
judgment for the other Recon Marines.”

Nate smiled. “As you’re probably aware,
the mining industry is Hadrason Mining and with Hadrason in prison,
the only other major shareholders, the Brand family, will take over
every aspect of operations. The Ministry is eager to work with the
new management. Especially knowing the goodwill of the Brand family
will spill over into future contracts for the military.”

“
Including our newest
iridium mining venture,” Emma said.

“
Iridium?” Nate and Drant
asked at the same time.

Emma smiled. “I understand the military
has a great need for iridium. I’m sure the Brand family would want
to assist the organization that trained the owner’s
protector.”