Page 20 of Stealing Jia

“No.”Loki pointed at a viewscreen. “See that buoy?”

I spotted the big metal ball bristling with spikes and nodded.

“Once we pass it, the Askole will not follow.”

I let out a relieved breath.“Good to know, but what’s stopping the powers-to-be on Threll from shooting us down?”

“We have the passcode,”Loki answered.

In our line of work, everyone needed a bolt hole. I had a couple myself. I watched the viewscreen and sure enough the Askole battle cruiser came to an abrupt stop. That had been way too close.

I glanced at the second viewscreen. Threll was a flat, desert world with an ocean of onyx sand. No trees, no bushes, and no oceans. A hodge-podge of buildings sagged under the unforgiving sun.

A harsh voice spouted some alien gobbledygook.

“Who’s that?”

Ivan responded in the same alien gobbledygook.

“That was their air traffic controller. We’ve been instructed to land on pad nine,”Loki advised as Ivan sat the shuttle down on badly cracked concrete.

“Now what happens?”

“We wait until the Askole battle cruiser leaves and then we find another ship.”

“That could take days,” I cried.

Loki shrugged. “Or longer.”

“Adam could be dead by then.”

“He could be dead now,”Loki countered.

I clenched my jaw and fought back the urge to scream. No. He wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be. I was certain of one thing. Giovanni was a dead man walking. I didn’t care if it took me the next hundred years, I would kill him.

Ivan lowered the landing ramp. “Welcome to the ninth hell.”

Chapter Five

I released my seatbelt and stood up.

“Human females are worth their weight in Ditrim crystals. Unless you want to be sold to the highest bidder, keep your head down, and your mouth shut.”Loki handed me a dirty brown cape. “Cover your friend too. They will consider him food and try to take him from you.”

“Anyone stupid enough to try will regret it.”

“Me eat them,” Pepe said, baring his fangs.

Loki’s big, callused hand closed painfully around the back of my neck. “That would be a mistake that would get all of us killed.”He shook me. “Understood?”

“Yes.” Giving him the stink eye, I pulled the cape on and covered Pepe with it.

Ivan added, “Does your friend understand?”

“Me does.”

“Pepe understands.”I followed him down the ramp.

Threll’s spaceport was a dung heap of barely space worthy ships. One vessel in decent shape had a screaming skull painted on the hull.

---