Thief (13 page)

Charissa frowned at Heller then turned her big green eyes to Kraft. “You forbid it?”

Appalled at the very idea, Kraft shook her head. “No. A captain can’t dictate matters of the heart.” Finished with the dishes, she methodically wiped down the stove and countertops. “I just made it clear that their allegiance to the crew always came first. Not to me, mind you, but to the whole of our ship.”

“Yeah, bet you had all kinds of fun with your allegiant crew.” Heller flashed her a nasty smirk.

It took all her willpower not to force Heller down on his knees and make him apologize for being such an ignoramus. Lord on high, Heller had all the appeal of a festering anal fissure.

“You never fell in love?” Charissa asked.

“I fell in love with each and every member of my crew.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet you ‘loved’ them.” Heller slashed quote marks in the air and his implication was unmistakable.

“There is love without sex, Heller, just as there is sex without love. I’m not surprised you don’t understand the difference.”

Her gaze settled on Charissa. “I loved my crew. Much like your mother loves you.” Kraft nodded to Payton, and understanding filled Payton’s eyes.

Kraft dried and stowed the dishes. “It’s funny that our Universal language knows only one word for love when there are many kinds of love, and all are special. But all can cross a captain. Love is a dangerous thing on a ship.”

Kraft knew Jace listened intently, but he never turned around. In a way, she felt she spoke directly to him, warning him not to fall in love with her. And perhaps reminding herself that such an emotional entanglement between them could only end badly. More than anything, she didn’t want to repay his kindness by hurting him.

“Bet that didn’t stop you from getting a little thrust and wiggle.” Heller made a rude hand gesture as he flashed her a perverted grin.

Coldly, Kraft said, “I never touched a member of my crew in such a manner.” But she thought of the times she’d held them as they cried over a real or imagined loss. She’d been like a protective mother. Her embrace had been the only place Bavin could find peace within her last hours on the Random Trifecta. Kraft had not been able to soothe Bavin’s shock and pain, and a feeling of failure crept over her again.

“They ain’t around to deny it, are they?” Heller’s eyes glittered.

Wanting to bash him in the nose like Jace had done, Kraft instead looked Heller in the eye. “Ugly fits you like a tailored suit.”

Heller sat stock still as he digested her comment.

When she turned around, she found Jace watching her speculatively.

“Tell you what, I like men in my bed, notably pretty ones.” She winked at Jace, who blushed just a bit. She found his blushing sexy. Maybe because it made her feel like she seduced a man about three steps from the priesthood, especially since he had a decade of celibacy under his belt. She still couldn’t believe he was thirty-five and knew only his wife. She hoped her open and blatant flirting made it clear she didn’t take anything too seriously, and that he shouldn’t either.

“What man would want a ball-buster like you?” Heller asked.

“A man with a hefty set?” Kraft dipped her gaze to Heller’s crotch. “Guess that leaves you out.”

Heller puffed himself up, but backed off when she pressed her index finger to her thumb.

“As charming as this conversation is,” Jace said, “we’ve got a job to do.”

After washing their dishes and stowing them, Payton and Charissa left the kitchen.

Garrett, Heller, Bailey and Jace sat around the table while Kraft dawdled near the stove.

Jace cleared his throat. “You’re excused, Kraft.”

She left before she gave in to her desire to argue but it damn near killed her. She wouldn’t have a notion of what they were planning to do. Even as a raw recruit on Fairing’s ship, she’d always heard enough scuttlebutt to grasp the plan. Not so on
Mutiny
.

“Unless I tap the kitchen com from my bedroom.”

Kraft considered the idea.
Mutiny
was a 2xBasic with limited upgrades. Mucking about with the electronics would be child’s play. Open any com panel, twist three wires, and she’d be privy to everything on the ship.

“I’d also kiss my honor goodbye.”

Jace had every right to spy on her but she had no right to spy on him. He was the captain and she had to follow his orders.

Kraft waited until she heard the port shuttle disengage from
Mutiny,
then she made her way to the bridge. She looked out the main window. “Is that the ship they’re salvaging?”

Bailey nodded, obsessively tuning his guitar.

“Lord on high, do any of you know what that is?”

“Sure,” Bailey said, “it’s just an old IWOG scout.”

“No, it’s not.” Kraft yanked the guitar right out of his hands. “That’s a Runner ship.” She set the instrument aside. “That ship is loaded with deadly hardware.”

“How can you tell it’s a bounty hunter’s—”

“Do you have a com link to them?”

“Sure.” Bailey nodded to the console.

She activated the com. “Captain Lawless?”

“Kraft? Get off the com,” Jace ordered.

“You are in danger, Captain Lawless.” She kept her voice calm even though her heart tried to pound its way out of her chest. “Stop where you are, turn back, and get off that ship right now.”

“Everything looks—”

Rapid gun fire crackled over the com, causing both her and Bailey to wince.

“Activate the other shuttle,” Kraft said.

Terror-filled, Bailey froze.

“Now, Bailey. I don’t have time to explain.”

Bailey just gave the com a wide-eyed look of fear.

Kraft grabbed him by the shoulders and gripped him hard enough to hurt him, but the pain made him focus on her.

Calmly, she said, “If you don’t activate the second shuttle, they are going to die over there.” Kraft let the truth sink in. “Trust me. I can save them.”

Bailey slapped at the console.

She ran to the second shuttle, fired it up, disengaged from
Mutiny
and made her way to the IWOG scout. To her relief, the shuttle had a small cache of guns. She picked the best of a bad lot.

It took forever to double-dock her shuttle piggyback to Jace’s on the cargo bay of the Runner ship. When she did, she touched the airlock. The entire ship was filled with autofire weapons. Jace and his crew were pinned down, unable to retreat.

She walked along the central hall. Thanks to Bailey’s boots, she had two thin surprises in conjunction with her crummy gun. She touched the walls, read where each autofire weapon was located and blasted it to smithereens with a shot. Or two. Her gun had a sight off by about five degrees. Annoying, but she had the ammo to take at least three shots for every solid hit.

Kraft yanked out the spent clip, slammed up another and continued down the hall, hoping like hell she wasn’t too late.

Finally, she found Jace and his crew bunkered down behind a pile of wooden crates, hiding from the infrared sensors of the autofire modules. Dodging, using the crates to shield her body heat, she made her way toward them.

To her horror, Jace stood when he saw her.

She jumped in front of him and took a shot in her left arm as she tackled him to the floor. Before she could enjoy the feeling of his rugged body below hers, she scrambled up, spun around and shot the autofire weapon apart.

“What are you doing here?” Jace put his hands around her waist and pulled her behind a crate. He pushed up her sleeve to check her arm.

The bullet grazed a three inch long and inch wide gash across her upper left arm. The wound looked a lot worse than it felt. She rolled the fabric down and a crimson blossom seeped ever larger against her yellow sleeve.

“I’m okay.”

“Shit howdy! What’s freak-show doing here?” Heller had to lie flat to hide his bulk.

“I’m selling cookies.” Kraft rolled her eyes. “What do you
think
I’m doing here?”

“You made this ship do this!” Heller’s eyes were wide and he looked on the verge of a full blown attack of hysteria.

“No, but I could have told you to expect this if you would have let me be a part of your little planning session.” Kraft touched the floor, rose over the crates, took out two more autofires with three shots and dropped back behind the crates.

Jace looked at her with an expression she couldn’t figure out, and after their chat earlier, she didn’t want to violate his privacy by trying to read him through the floor, which they both touched. She also didn’t want to feel that odd feedback that blasted her when she’d tried to read him through his plate.

“Yeah, I forgot you know everything,” Heller snarled.

“I think the gun in my hand is more capable of coherent thought than you are. Lord on high, we’re not done yet.”

Touching the floor, she waited. A roving autofire rolled down the hall. Popping up, she blew it away with three shots. It slumped down to a quivering mass of snapping electronics.

“Now we’re done.” She yanked out the spent clip, flipped it over her shoulder, then slammed up another. All of the sudden she realized the crummy gun she held was far superior to the ancient Sod Busters Jace chose to arm himself with. She wondered why he didn’t upgrade his guns, and then decided he had a fondness for them or felt more comfortable with them, just as she did with a modified Katana. And such a random thought didn’t really matter at the moment.

“Well, that went simple.” Garrett blew across the barrel of his gun and holstered it.

Heller grunted and slapped his back.

“I vote she goes with us next time, Captain,” Garrett said.

Heller shoved Garrett hard for betraying him.

“If you folks keep pulling boners like this, there isn’t gonna
be
many more next times.” She winced as she pressed her sleeve against her wound. Focusing her mind, she made the injury stop hurting, but let it bleed. She wanted the wound clean before she shut it down.

“How did you get over here?” Jace demanded.

“My fairy godmother flew me over.” She shook her head. “No, she was gonna, but I thought it would be faster if I just took the other shuttle.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Jace said, his voice rising.

“Tell you what,” she said, raising her voice, “neither should you.”

“Everything was just fine—”

“Until you almost got shot!”

His gaze fell on her bloody arm. Lowering his voice to an intimate whisper, Jace said, “I wouldn’t have stood up if you wouldn’t have come in the room.”

Glaring at him, Kraft whispered, “Oh, goody, let’s play blame the victim.”

His voice rising again, Jace said, “You are so far from a victim, lady, it makes my head spin.”

Climbing to her knees, Kraft said, “That bullet would have literally made your pretty head spin. Lord on high, Captain Lawless, you’re just embarrassed because your cook-whore saved your ass, or rather, your head. Oh, and by the way, you’re welcome!”

Kraft found herself practically nose-to-nose with Jace. She wanted to shake him for almost getting himself killed. She realized he wanted to do the same thing to her. Fury erupted because they were both safe. Getting pissed off was a hell of a lot more comfortable for both of them to deal with rather than the underlying emotion of affection.

Looking up, locking her gaze to his, Kraft knew down to her bones Jace had the same insight. They were furious at each other because they cared about each other. Simple and complicated all in the same breath.

“Would you two stop squalling?” Garrett shook his head at them as if reprimanding children. “Ponder the weirdness wonder of it all, but we’re safe, and we still have to salvage this ship of horrors. That is, if it’s safe to do so.”

“We’re clear.” She shook from the surge of adrenaline and the sudden connection to Jace. Gathering her wits, pulling herself from the knowledge in his eyes, she touched the floor, read lightly, confirming, and said, “We’re clear.”

Garrett stood, stretched, and settled his hat. “Let’s get moving on this then.”

Jace also stood.

“You’re taking the word of freak-show?” Heller’s hands shook as he clutched his Sharp Shooter rifle. His breath, short and gasping, burst from him like ten lions in a crowded cage.

“Why would I lie?” Kraft looked at her wound and then at Heller. “Did I come over here to make sure you all got shot or just me? How stupid are you?” She deliberately goaded Heller. As soon as she did, his fear turned from free-floating rage to self-preservation. Heller got a very hard and fast grip on himself.

“Stop calling me stupid, she-bitch.” His hands steadied on his gun.

“If the boot fits,” she drawled, “you best take it from your mouth.”

Heller took a deep breath and stood, looming over her. He touched the butt of his gun to his crotch then flicked it toward her face. “I’ve got something nasty to shove in your mouth, and it ain’t no boot.”

Before Jace could punch Heller again, she smiled up at Jace then turned her gaze to Heller. She gave a calm, cool assessment up his massive frame from her submissive position and pressed her right index finger to her thumb, over and over.

Heller backed off so fast he almost tripped himself with his own big feet. Embarrassed by his fear, he recovered, lowered his gun, flicked off the safety and pointed the barrel at her head.

Kraft laughed. “You think?”

Doubt flickered across Heller’s face.

Kraft smoothed her hand down from her waist, along her thigh, to the top of her borrowed boot. Her fingertips stroked the handle of the thin blade tucked between the seams.

Heller’s gaze followed her stroke.

“I got fast hands, Heller. How fast are yours?”

Meeting her gaze, Heller clutched his gun and swallowed.

“Do you think I can knock that gun from your hand before you can shoot me?”

Heller’s brows lowered as he considered.

“Enough.” Jace wedged himself between them.

Heller yanked his gun up and flipped on the safety.

Jace wouldn’t let her do it because he knew she could. One flick of her hidden blade and she could take off Heller’s hand long before he could pull the trigger.

“Garrett, Heller, start stripping the ship.”