Page 81 of Alien Haven

“Retract the roof hatch,” Wilkes called as he propelled her toward the zip. The voice-activated mechanism obeyed, opening the barn to the star-strewn sky with a low hum.

Continuing to play the part of beaten hostage, Charity allowed Wilkes to push her halfway across the metallic floor, leaving his cohorts at the barn door to watch for trouble. Then she went on the offense. The hovercuffs on her wrists prevented her from swinging, but her feet were free. She took full advantage, waiting for Wilkes’ closest foot to step down. When it did, she stomped her two-inch heel on it.

He was wearing boots. She doubted she did any real damage, but enough of the blow got through to make him yelp and stumble. Charity aimed her next kick at his knee and connected. Her balance wasn’t the greatest, but she managed to put some force behind her attempt. It sent the surprised Earthtique to all fours.

Charity kicked off one pump quickly for a steadier stance. She drove the other in his ribs. The men at the door were yelling at him to control her as she continued to kick with all she had. As she laid into him, she glanced around desperately for a second exit, hoping for an unguarded escape route.

Wilkess’ shouts signaled pain, but it was his cohorts’ demands that shifted to startled, then frightened screams. Charity hesitated in her assault to toss a glance toward them. She gaped to discover they were under attack.

Ilid, Detodev, and Mitag had come for her. They fought Wilkes’ buddies for the blasters the Earthtiques wore. Her lovershad rushed to her rescue, though her stunned senses insisted they couldn’t be there.

Charity unleashed a banshee shriek. The sound was part triumph, part elation to see the men who filled her heart to bursting.

She fought the urge to run to them. Instead, she aimed another kick at Wilkes, who was still on the ground. She’d delayed too long, however, allowing him to catch his breath. He grasped her ankle and shoved her leg upward, knocking her off her feet and on her ass. Her remaining pump flew from her foot, spinning through the air.

Wilkes stood in an instant, his features twisted in a desperate snarl. Before Charity could react, he grabbed her. He slung her over his shoulder and raced for the zip.

“Ilid! Detodev!” she screamed, trying to rise to look at them. Her thick hair covered her eyes, impeding her vision.

But not her hearing. A blaster went off, and a deep voice shrieked. She couldn’t tell who’d been hit. She frantically shook her head to clear her sightline.

It was too late. Wilkes abruptly flung her off his shoulder. She landed hard and found herself in the cockpit of the zip, on the far seat as Wilkes clambered in behind her.

“No!” She flew at the hatch beyond his bulk.

His palm smacked her cheek and drove the side of her face against the wall of the cabin. He held her there and shoved her legs in the footwell beneath the control panel. The partition between the leg spaces of the two seats kept her from kicking him, her sole defense with her head pinned and her arms held prisoner by the cuffs.

“Hatch, closed! Engine, ignition! Full thrust!”

A disembodied electronic voice spoke disinterestedly. “Full thrust from landing pad is discouraged due to security protocols.Do you accept full legal responsibility for any injuries sustained by passengers and those outside—”

“Yes! Fucking go!” Wilkes’ tone had gone high-pitched from emotion.

“No! Power down engines!” Charity’s own voice was slurred, thanks to her lips being smooshed to the side by the pressure of her abductor’s hand. If he pushed any harder, he’d break her jaw.

Whether because her words were garbled or the zip was keyed to obey Wilkes alone, the vessel ignored her. She was abruptly slammed to the back of her seat as it shot from its pad. Her captor’s hand slid off her face, also to be pinned, wide like a starfish next to her head. No matter. She couldn’t move against the gravitational force as the zip shot off the ground.

In seconds, they were hurtling into space.

Chapter Twenty-two

“Charity!”Detodev’s cry was a roar of horror and rage as the zip rapidly became a mere twinkle in the night sky.

The man he’d knocked out and disarmed lay between his feet. Likewise, the pair Ilid and Mitag had grappled with were unconscious. Mitag’s opponent had done the Imdiko the favor of grazing his own head when his blaster had gone off as they’d fought for the weapon. Little more than a scrape ran red through his scalp, so he’d apparently fainted from the shock.

Ilid gripped the sides of his head, his horrified gaze following the zip’s path. “We’re too late, damn it!”

“We weren’t.”

Detodev whirled at Chief Groteg’s voice behind him. The enforcement officer, Dramok Dolgra, and several Kalquorian lawmen had appeared out of nowhere.

“Wilkes is an Earthtique plant! He has Charity. Do something!” Ilid commanded, marching toward the group.

The majority group of Nobeks twitched, affected by the tone of a born Dramok. Only Dolgra remained stoic. The spy raised a brow at his fellow leader type.

His com buzzed an alert, and he muttered into it. The answer was too low for Detodev to hear.

Dolgra nodded to Groteg before addressing Ilid. “A marauder has already intercepted the zip and brought it on board after stunning the occupants. Wilkes can’t resist capture or harm Matara Charity. They’ll confirm in a moment she’s safe.”

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