Thief (31 page)

“She’s IWOG scum.”

“Kraft damn near died fighting to protect us,” Garrett said. “And since Jace is down, I’m in command, not you. I’m giving you a direct order to stand down. Payton will work on Jace. Charissa and I will tend to Kraft. We can save them both.”

“That bitch,” Heller said, glaring down at Kraft, “covered her own ass and you know it. She’s IWOG scum. The only reason we’re all still alive is ’cause it suited her. I’ll bet the only reason she did anything is she wants our ship.”

“This isn’t about you, Heller.” Bailey pointed a gun at Heller’s head.

Looking over his shoulder, Heller sneered. “You don’t have the balls to shoot me, little boy.”

“Do you really want to find out?”

From her position on the floor, Kraft could see the gun trembling in Bailey’s hand.

“Get back on the bridge, Bailey,” Heller snarled.

“I will just as soon as you drop that gun.”

“I do believe he’s serious,” Garrett said. “Drop your gun, Heller.”

Heller did. He turned and faced Bailey with his hands up. “You’re making a big mistake, little boy.”

“I don’t think so.” Bailey tossed a pair of handcuffs to Garrett, who clicked them down hard on Heller’s wrists.

“She’s IWOG—”

“I heard you the first time!” Bailey yelled. “And the second, and the third, and I heard Captain Lawless say it too. And everyone else. That may be so, I don’t know because I wasn’t in the need-to-know loop. But I do know whatever Kraft was before, she certainly isn’t that now. I like her. She’s a hell of a fighter and one hell of a cook.”

Heller glared. “You just got itchy pants for her, boy.”

“So? Gives me all the more reason to want to save her life, doesn’t it?” Bailey cocked the gun and Heller flinched. “I owe you two for flinching.”

“I’ll take that.” Garrett took the gun from Bailey. “You best get back to the bridge.”

“Let me help you get her on a table first.”

It took Garrett, Bailey, Payton and Charissa to lift her up to the table.

“Damn, she’s one heavy lady.” Garrett pulled the shredded fabric of her shirt and pants aside then examined her injury. “Oh, mother of mercy. I’ve never seen a wound this bad.”

Bailey took one look at the bloody mess, fought back rising gorge, then fled back to the bridge.

Charissa leaned over and winced. “Mom? This is really bad.”

Payton examined Kraft carefully. She shook her head and looked again. “I don’t believe it.”

“What?” Bailey asked over the com.

“It’s not bleeding. It’s like it’s been cauterized. Most of this blood isn’t hers.”

Payton checked her heartbeat. “Slow, steady, but only about ten beats a minute.” She shook her head. “Pack the wound, set up an IV.” Payton turned back to Jace.

“How’s his?” Garrett asked, nodding to Jace as he packed Kraft’s wound.

“Clean through and through.”

“He better live, Payton or I’ll—”

“You threaten me one more time, Heller, and I will march over there and sedate you.” She set up an IV on Jace. “My operating room is tense enough at the moment, thank you very much, and I won’t stand here and let you exacerbate matters because your ridiculous ego feels slighted by Kraft yet again.” Payton sighed hard. “You either control your testosterone or I will.”

“Chemically or surgically?” Garrett asked, as he ran an IV to Kraft while Charissa packed her wound.

“Clip him or slip him,” Payton said.

“What?” Heller snarled.

“I could castrate you or inject you with estrogen.” Payton looked up at Heller. “It’s how the IWOG handles violent male prisoners. If you promise to sit quietly, I’ll do neither.”

Heller leaned back against the wall with a face so suffused with fury it turned crimson.

“Jace will recover, Heller.” Payton kept her voice calm and soothing. “Relax. In two days he’ll be on his feet.”

“And most like punching you in the face for what you did today,” Garrett added.

“What about Kraft?” Bailey asked over the com.

Finished stabilizing Jace, Payton moved to Kraft’s table. She peeled back the bandage and sighed. “She needs hours of surgery, Bailey. And even then…” Bailey couldn’t hear Payton shake her head but her trailing voice made the outcome clear enough.

Voices swirled around Kraft’s ears and she felt weightless as she listened. Her hands gripped the cool metal of a table. She’d been on this table before. She’d been in far less dire straits then as compared to now.

The scatter blast to her belly caused devastating damage. Automatically, her body shut down, conserving blood, energy, resources, but Kraft knew it was the worst wound she’d ever had. There wasn’t a knowing in her body that it could recover, and it frightened her.

As the voices rose and fell like crashing waves, she took stock of her body. Too much damage. Way too much. Kraft shut everything down. As the voices became a rising drone, she forced her body lower, even though she knew without surgery she would die. She’d led a good dance through the Void and realized she’d have to take her last dance with fate.

Chapter Twenty-six

After dumping Heller in Kraft’s bedroom-turned-prison-cell, Garrett returned to help Charissa assist Payton.

“You sure she’s not dead? She’s hardly breathing.”

“Kraft is in a self-induced state of suspended animation,” Payton said, using delicate stitches in the open wound. “Don’t ask me how, but she is. Right now, it’s the only thing keeping her alive.”

Hours later, Payton stood away from Kraft and stretched.

“Dressing, please, Charissa.”

“Will she live?” Garrett asked.

“I’ve done everything I can. All we can do now is wait.” She snapped off her latex gloves and threw them away. “Charissa? Will you take the first watch, please?”

Charissa collapsed gratefully into a chair as her mother and Garrett left. She watched Jace’s chest rise and fall.

When she had first come to
Mutiny
, she developed a terrible crush on Captain Jace. Awkward and painfully shy, she mistook his kindness for interest. Her grand seduction scheme had been a crushingly painful defeat when Jace gently but firmly explained she was far too young for him. He called her a daughter and it had been months before she’d been able to look him in the face again.

But now, years later, she did see him as a father. Her young heart had fallen instead on Bailey. When he’d come aboard a year ago, it was as if Jace had never taken place in her heart at all. But Bailey was just as shy as she. And as soon as his eye had started to fall her way, Kraft had shown up.

All tall and dark and scary and sexy—Kraft made Charissa feel more boring than oatmeal. But Kraft treated Bailey the same way Jace had treated her. She’d watched, jealous at first, as Bailey followed Kraft around like a puppy. To her horror, she realized she once followed Jace around the exact same way. Her jealousy gave way to empathy. Eventually, Bailey would realize the futility of chasing after Kraft.

Even though he’d stood up to Heller in Kraft’s defense, Charissa sensed it was more from caring than infatuation. It seemed Bailey had already made peace with it. For surely he knew like everyone else that Jace and Kraft had been sleeping together. The two had been almost inseparable the three days before the dung hit the duster in Kali.

Jace moaned and Charissa leaned over him.

“Don’t worry, Captain Jace, everyone is fine.”

Jace blinked, nodded and fell asleep.

With a sudden inspiration, Charissa pushed the two tables close together and put Kraft’s hand into Jace’s. They both gave a curious little squeeze then held on to each other. Charissa burst into tears.

When Payton came back two hours later, Charissa flung herself into her mother’s arms. “Oh, Mom, I don’t want them to die!”

Payton wrapped her in a fierce hug. “Honey, we’ve done everything we can.” She pulled back and looked into Charissa’s face. “Remember, we’re doctors, not magicians. We can only do so much.”

“But they have to live because they love each other so much.”

“Sweetheart, we’re just going to have to wait and see.” She noticed Charissa had linked their hands. Her eyes watered at the picture Jace and Kraft made, bloodied and bandaged, tubes and wires dangling from their damaged bodies as they held hands, like lovers ready for an evening stroll.

Payton knew Jace would be able to get up and stroll away. Kraft might never even wake up again. If she managed that, she might not be able to walk again. Some of the blaster shot could have nicked her spinal cord. Payton didn’t have the equipment to find out. Only time would tell.

“Nice to see you back on your feet, Captain,” Garrett said, two days later.

“I won’t be entering any dance contests anytime soon,” Jace returned, sitting down with an old man’s grace at the kitchen table.

“Least you still can dance, albeit slowly,” Garrett tossed the comment off, then thought about it, thought about Kraft still laying motionless in the infirmary. “Aw, hell! I didn’t—I hope—I’m going to shut up while I only have one boot in my big, fat mouth.”

“Don’t worry about it, Garrett. I know what you meant, and we’re all worried about Kraft.”

“Except for Heller.”

“I still can’t believe he tried to take over the ship.” Jace scratched at his bandage.

“If Bailey hadn’t stopped him, Kraft would have died on the floor. But, to be fair, he wasn’t out to kill her so much as he was out to save your hide.”

“I’ve taken that into consideration.”

“You gonna leave him locked up?” Garrett asked.

“For now. Kraft is utterly helpless and I can’t risk him going in there and—” Jace shook his head. “He’s safe where he is and so is Kraft. It’s the best I can do at the moment.”

“Hey, I’m not faulting you. I’m the one who threw him in there in the first place.”

“You did the right thing. So did Bailey.”

“Not to mention Charissa and Payton.”

“I was getting to that.” Jace touched his bandaged chest. “Cut me some slack for being a bit slow on the draw for a while. I know everyone tried to do the right thing.”

“Funny kind of irony about it, though, Heller locked into the prison he took such delight in keeping Kraft in.”

“Poetic justice.” Bailey entered the kitchen and plunked down at the table.

“Don’t you go and get a big head about it, Bailey,” Jace said. “You did right to protect a member of the crew without bloodshed but don’t you be lording it over Heller.”

Bailey flushed. “I won’t. But he needs to stop picking on me. I’m tired of his, ‘I owe you two for flinching’. If he smacks a noogie onto my arm again—”

“Down, boy!” Garrett slapped his back. “One taste of power and the boy’s like to run mad with it.”

“And that’s another thing!” Bailey yelled, standing up. “Stop calling me a boy and stop hitting me!” Bailey shook with indignation. “I’m fed up with being treated like the ship’s stupid but lovable mascot. You all make jokes about me right to my face, slap me, punch me, ruffle my hair whenever the whim strikes like I’m your little brother! Well, I’m not! I’m a damn good pilot who deserves your respect. If you can’t give me that then you best leave me at the next port!”

Bailey’s outburst rendered Garrett speechless.

“Bailey?” Jace asked quietly. “Have I ever done any of those things to you?”

“No, Captain, not you, but they—”

“Are going to stop. Right here and right now. They are going to treat you the way I do. Is that agreeable to you?”

“Yes, Captain.” Bailey turned to go.

“Bailey?”

He turned back.

“You were right to stand up for yourself. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“You were right to stand up for Garrett.”

Confusion washed down Bailey’s face.

“Heller disobeyed his direct order and you were right to treat it as a mutiny.”

Bailey nodded. “Thank you, Captain.”

“You can call me Jace.”

“Really?” Bailey’s voice broke with excitement. He swallowed hard and strove for a casual face.

“Really. You’ve earned it.”

Bailey stood a bit straighter. “Thank you, Jace.”

“One more thing before you go.” Jace looked at him long and hard. “We’re all worried about her.”

Bailey nodded and went back to the bridge.

“Will wonders never cease.” Garrett shook his head. “I didn’t think he had it in him.”

“He’s right, you know.” Jace was exhausted after the brief exchange. His energy level was low to start with and even minor movement drained away what little he had.

“Hell, I know it. I just didn’t think he did.”

“First time a boy knows he’s a man is when he starts looking at women.” Jace toyed with his cup of water, wishing it was swassing.

“That’s a fact,” Garrett said. “Kraft’s one hell of a woman to set his cap for, though. He ought to do himself a favor and aim elsewhere.”

“If I told you that about Payton would you?” Jace asked.

“Hell, no!” Garrett slapped the table. “Even if you were chasing after her, it wouldn’t change my mind.”

“Payton is a wonderful woman.”

“So’s Kraft.”

Jace nodded.

“You think Bailey grasps your cap is set for her too?”

Jace laughed, but winced when it rattled his chest. “You think it matters much? Every man in the Void could flash an eye her way, but she’s the one who decides. What makes you think she’ll want anything to do with any of us when she wakes up?”

“If she wakes up.” Garrett groaned and covered his face. “Aw, just shoot me now, I did it again!” Realizing Jace had been shot he slapped his own face. “I just did it again! Stuff your boots in my mouth before I do it again, Jace!”

“Captain?” Payton called over the kitchen com.

“Yes?”

“Kraft is waking up.”

Kraft blinked. The first thing she saw was the grey ceiling of exposed pipes and stabilizer struts.

“Don’t try to move,” Payton said. “Just relax.”

“Wasn’t gonna go for a jog.” Kraft wondered what that burbling was, then realized it was her voice. What she tried to say came out as a bunch of gurgling whistles.

Payton helped her sit up. “Try to clear your throat.”

Kraft did. It hurt. Payton lowered her back to the table.