Stealing Coal (26 page)

them but someone bigger tackled him, taking him down just feet from them. Coal

landed on the man’s back, a knife flashing in the air as it raised and then he buried it

deep in the back of the man’s neck. The guy screamed but with a vicious twist of his

wrist, Coal ended the guy’s life. His head lifted and his dark, furious gaze met hers.

“Jill!” He pushed up, got to his feet, and tore the blade out of the body in the same

motion. He wiped the bloody blade on his pants and stormed toward her.

Rune released the wall and shoved Coal hard, sending him flying back to prevent

him from reaching Jill.

“No!” Jill yelled and then launched herself around Rune to reach Coal.

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He grunted when he landed on the deck on his ass but his arms lifted when she

threw her body at his. He dropped the knife when she slammed into him, both of them

falling flat, and Jill grinned.

“You came for me.”

Coal’s eyebrow arched as he wrapped his arms around her where she lay sprawled

on top of his body.

“I am the right man for you, not the human male.”

“Yes, you are.” Jill grabbed his face and planted a kiss on his beautiful mouth.

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Stealing Coal

“It appears she changed her mind about wanting to end your relationship,” Sky

stated calmly.

Jill tore her mouth away from Coal’s and she gaped at the other cyborg standing

with his feet braced apart by their heads, hovering there looking dangerous but

amused. He gripped a large rifle-type weapon in the cradle of his arms while he smiled

at her.

“I never wanted to leave Coal.”

“That’s not what your message stated.” Sky shrugged. “I hear women do change

their minds frequently but not all of my information is accurate.”

“I didn’t send Coal any message. That jerk drugged me and used the conversation I

had with him to use my voice to mix one together.”

“That’s true,” Rune confirmed. “It’s a common practice Captain Varel and his men

use to con potential victims to gain access to their banking accounts. They prod

someone into a conversation then manipulate their words until they have enough

sentence structures to fit their purpose. Most computer verifying voice programs are

fooled but some are not.”

“Hello, gorgeous.” Sky cleared his throat. “Where have you been all my life?”

“Tell me how long you have been alive and I can give you a detailed account of my

locations.” Rune smiled at him warmly.

“She’s an android named Rune,” Jill warned softly. “She hates to be touched so

don’t hit on her.”

Sky’s grin died and his pale eyes seemed to glow. “No. Life can’t be that cruel.” His

gaze ran the length of the leggy android and then softly cursed. “Now I finally get that

old Earth saying—‘if it looks too good to be true then it probably is’. She’s perfect.”

“I have flaws,” Rune kept her smile in place.

“Not from where I’m standing.” Sky suddenly released the weapon handle to brush

his palm quickly down the front of his leather pants while he adjusted his stance,

obviously in some discomfort. “Down, boy.”

Rune followed his hand with her gaze. “You have something alive in your pants?”

“Not for long.” Sky’s features hardened. “Sometimes it’s good to be able to go

numb in certain places when I set my mind to ignore shit.”

Coal recovered from his shock of being knocked over by Jill, his body turning them

until he rolled on top, and pinned her to the deck under him. His beautiful gaze

searched hers. “I didn’t care if you sent that message or not. It was irrelevant. You said

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yes after I gave you time to make certain you wanted to join a family unit with me. I’m

holding you to it.”

Jill’s fingers trembled as she caressed his jawline, happy beyond words that he’d

really come for her. “I love you, Coal.”

“This isn’t the time for the lovey-dovey crap,” Sky reminded them gently. “I’ve

hacked their system and we have company coming.”

Coal braced his hands on the deck, pushed up, and straightened. He leaned down

to offer her his hand. She gripped it tightly and he effortlessly pulled her to her feet.

“How close?” Coal bent to retrieve his knife, shoved it into the holder strapped to

his hip, and rage hardened his features.

“Too damn close.” Sky gripped his weapon again with both hands. “Rune? Is that

your name? You need to move. You’re blocking my shot.”

Coal didn’t move or release Jill. His gaze locked with hers. “Did he harm you? Did

he touch you?”

Jill’s mouth opened but Rune spoke first.

“He tried to soil her with his sexual fluids and frightened her but I interrupted

before he could force use of her body. She isn’t strong enough to have stopped him.”

“Oh shit,” Jill muttered, seeing a murderous look enter Coal’s gaze.

He lifted his head to look at Sky. “The captain is mine.”

“Good. Turn around then because he and four crew members are about to find us.”

Sky jerked his head toward where Rune stood. “They are closing fast.”

The second Coal released her hand, spun, and planted his big body in front of her,

Jill knew with certainty that Captain Barney Varel would be dead if Coal got his way.

She waved frantically at Rune.

“Come on.”

“Return to the
Jenny
now,” Coal ordered.

Rune walked casually toward them as if she weren’t aware of the danger they were

in. Jill nearly envied the android. Fear inched up her spine for Coal’s safety. “Let’s just

go. The docking door is right there. You’ve damaged the
Cutter
badly enough that I

doubt it can give chase.”

“Go to the
Jenny
now.” Coal’s tone sounded unusually harsh.

He’s going to kill them all
, Jill thought, backing away. If Captain Varel survived, he’d

come after her. She knew that deep down. Her father had meant to protect her but

instead he’d unknowingly made her a target for anyone who learned about his money

when he’d made Jill the only key to access it.

She paused at the docking door, watching as Coal and Sky separated, getting

behind crates piled by the doorway to the interior area of the ship. They both looked

ready for battle with their weapons pointed in that direction. Jill hesitated and then

inched toward the life pod to hunker down behind it.

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Stealing Coal

“What are we doing?” Rune stood next to her, watching her with a curious look

fixed on her features.

Jill reached up and gripped the android’s hand at her side. “Crouch down. We’re

hiding. I’m not leaving Coal behind,” she whispered. “Lower your voice too.”

Rune hesitated before lowering to her knees. “Why?” She whispered back.

“I love him and if he gets into trouble, I’m going to try to save him.”

Rune frowned. “You have no weapons.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can’t wait for him in my ship just praying and pacing until he

returns to me in one piece.”

“I don’t understand the logic in―”

“Silence,” Jill hissed as the doors to the interior of the shuttle slid open.

One of the crew inched into the cargo hold gripping a portable laser cannon. Terror

struck Jill when she saw it. One of those could literally cut a person in half with just one

zap. Sky suddenly moved, lifted his own weapon, and fired. He aimed with deadly

accuracy. The man screamed when his chest opened up.

Blood poured down the man’s body. His distress lowered to a soft whimper before

he fell over. The laser cannon skidded a few feet across the deck. Bile rose in Jill’s throat

at the gruesome sight but she fought it down, peeking around the nose of the life pod.

She tried to ignore the guy’s blood slowly spreading on the deck as it drained out of the

dying man.

The doors remained open. The silence in the room became stifling to Jill as she

waited to see what would happen next.

“I just want Jillian,” Captain Varel yelled out. “You can have the shuttle without a

fight. Let’s make a deal.”

The enraged growl that came from Coal reached Jill’s ears, though it wasn’t that

loud. His voice rose when he spoke. “I will never allow you to have her but I will allow

you a choice in how you die.”

Silence stretched again. “I’ll buy her from you,” Varel offered. “Name your price.”

“You can fight in a hand-to-hand battle with me or with weapons,” Coal countered.

“Your choice.” He paused. “We have an armored military droid that I will send in after

you.”

“Take Jillian then and just get off my shuttle.” Varel couldn’t hide his fear when he

responded.

“Agree to fight me as men do or you can die without honor.” Coal really sounded

furious over that last prospect. “I know you want my woman and may come after her

again. I won’t allow that to happen. One way or another, this ends here and now.”

Varel took his time in deciding. “No weapons, just you and me.” He paused. “How

do I know you won’t shoot me if I walk in there?”

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“I want to kill you with my bare hands.” The rage audible in Coal’s voice left no

doubt that he meant every word he said.

“Fine. I’m coming and I’m unarmed.”

“Don’t trust him,” Jill called out softly.

Coal’s shot her a glare over his shoulder. “I told you to leave.”

“I love you. Pay attention to them instead of me.” She jerked her head toward the

open door. “Here he comes.”
Please win
, she silently added.

Varel stepped into the cargo hold with his arms up, palms showing, and looked

furious. Coal stepped out from behind the crates gripping his weapon. Varel’s eyes

widened before he paled.

“I shouldn’t have trusted a metal head.”

Coal calmly threw his weapon aside to land somewhere near the bulkhead, far from

the captain. “I have honor. You kidnapped my woman and you attempted to force her

to have sex with you.” He moved back to the center of the room slowly, never taking

his eyes off his adversary. “I’m going to make you hurt for that.” Coal’s fingers waved

him forward as he took a defensive stance. “Fight as if you know what it truly is to be a

male.”

“Shit,” Sky muttered. “My friend Coal there is going to take you apart, slimeball.”

He paused. “I have your back, Coal. If any of his crew moves I’ll take them out. You just

worry about him. I have their locations locked, though they are staying out of visual

range. I’ll know if they try to sneak up on us. It’s probably their plan to do that with the

distraction of the fight.”

“I’m aware. It would be mine.” Coal waved the captain closer. “Let this begin. I’m

eager to see you bleed.”

Varel had to step over the dead man on the deck, his boots leaving a trail of blood.

He advanced slowly, taking in every inch of Coal’s six-and-a-half-foot frame.

“I could make you rich, cyborg. She’s just a woman. I could show you a hundred of

them for you to choose from if you allow me to have her. Jillian’s not even beautiful and

her legs are too short. Wouldn’t you enjoy a thinner woman who stands at least six feet

tall? She’s even a bit pudgy.”

Another growl emanated from Coal. “You insult my woman and my loyalty to her

as well?”

“Stupid,” Sky snorted.

Varel frowned. “Name what you want.”

“For you to die,” Coal stated. He took an aggressive step forward. “Fight or don’t

but I’m about to hit you.”

Varel threw a punch first, as soon as they were close enough to attack each other.

Coal allowed it to land on his chest. A cold grin flashed.

“Is that the best you have?”

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Stealing Coal

He threw one himself, sending Varel stumbling back but the man remained on his

feet. Varel backed up and his hand suddenly went behind him, whipping out a knife

with a long, wicked blade.

“I’m going to slice you up, you oversized lab reject.”

Coal snarled, advancing again on the captain. Jill wanted to yell for Coal to be

careful but she feared he’d look away from that nasty-looking blade that slashed out at

his gut a second later.

Coal’s body bowed to avoid the deadly weapon and his fist slammed hard into

Varel’s face. Blood bloomed where his nose took the hit but the captain slashed again,

seeming not to feel the pain. Jill watched the ghastly dance as Varel lunged again to cut

Coal but the bigger cyborg had great reflexes, dodging it again.

Movement by the door drew Jill’s gaze as three of the crew rushed forward. Sky

stepped from behind the crate, firing at them. He hit two of the crew but a third one hit

the deck in a roll, crashing into crates. A fourth crew member rushed out next. Sky fired

but the man behind the crate fired at him. Sky crouched, fired, and then fired again. He

hit the new man who went down but the one hiding behind the crate exchanged more

fire with him.

Coal and Varel seemed oblivious to the battle. Sky kept exchanging fire with the

surviving crew member of the
Cutter
to keep him pinned down. Jill turned her head,

wondering if she would be able to crawl the length of the pod to sneak up on the man

behind the crates. He happened to be on her side of the shuttle. She went to her hands

and knees and started to move forward but a hand gripped her ankle.

Jill turned her head to peer at Rune. The android shook her head and then dropped