Page 7 of Crossing Quinn

My uncle struck the henchman again. “I said, get up.”

“How has Dolon survived this long?”

“He kills those who cross him, and he hires idiots,”Papa answered.

The henchman obediently got to his feet.

“Take my sister to the ship and lock her in the holding cell,” Dolon instructed him.

A cold rage filled my father’s eyes. “Eleni stays here.”

“You seem to forget I’m in charge.” Dolon leveled his laser pistol at my father’s chest and fired. The sizzling red stun beam struck Papa in the chest. He crashed to the floor and twitched violently.

I quickly cast a cloaking illusion over Mami.

The henchman looked around in confusion. “Where did she go?”

“Where did who go?” Dolon stunned my father again, smiling at Papa’s grunts of pain.

“Your sister.”

My power crapped out and the illusion failed. Mami reappeared on the floor.

Dolon quit tormenting my father and turned to stare at his henchman. “She’s right there, you fool. Now take her to the ship.” He rolled Papa over and pulled out some handcuffs.

The henchman bent to pick my mother up.

Poof!Mami became a rotting corpse. Her skeletal fingers reached for him.

“Aiieeeee!” The henchman jumped back in horror. “How did she get like that? How did she get like that? How?”

Too busy trying to cuff my father to look, Dolon growled, “What the drekk is your problem now?”

Maggots swarmed out of the corpse’s eyes.

“You stay. You die like our crew,”I whispered. “Leave while you can.”

The henchman bolted for the hatch but was in such a panic, he kept whacking the wall instead of the scanner.

Dolon jumped to his feet. “What are you doing, Bene?”

“We stay. We die!” Bene cried.

“We are not leaving until I have my treasure,” Dolon snarled. “Now get my sister.”

“No. Won’t touch her. She’s dead.”

Mami moaned and put a hand to her forehead. “What happened?”

“The dead can’t talk, you moron,” Dolon replied. “Now, pick her up and take her to the ship.”

Mami looked around frantically. “Lysis? Where’s Lysis?”

“Dolon stunned Papa,” I answered, palming the portable med kit.

“What?” To my surprise Mami didn’t faint again. “Why would you do that, Dolan?”

Dolon shrugged. “I’m taking the treasure, and Lysis thought he could stop me.”

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