Page 109 of Stealing Mercury
Samantha looked over to see Saber serving as a launching platform for Lo who came flying at them. Lo slammed into the edge and with a groan Mercury pulled him onto the walkway.
Samantha looked for Chelle and her stomach heaved when she saw her. The guards had followed them across the sand. They had the group surrounded and Chelle lay face up, glassy eyes wide. Her head lay at an unnatural angle, neck broken.
Samantha heard a whip crack below. For a moment she thought she’d see Drake at the end of that whip, but it was another man. The whip wrapped around Saber’s arm.
“Go,” Saber shouted. “Go.”
Mercury pulled her back from the edge.
Samantha resisted his tug. “We can’t leave Saber behind.”
“He won’t go without his pack brothers,courra.”
The truth of his words settled her. She understood, because she couldn’t leave without Mercury or Lo.
“We’ll find a way to get them out,” she vowed.
“We will,” Mercury agreed. “One day, we will.”
Mercury pressed his forehead to hers, his hands framing her face. They were shaking. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
“A good idea,” said Lo. “But we need to go. Now.”
“Since when did Lo become the sensible one?” Sam shook her head as Mercury released her and they all headed down the tunnel.
“I don’t much like the role,” answered Lo. “So you two had better start thinking clearly.”
Samantha somehow found the strength to chuckle. She buzzed with hope.
She turned and led them toward the exit tunnel. As they came out, spilling into the path of people streaming out from other areas of the arena, the people closest got a good look at Mercury and Lo and screeched, then scattered like sand-cats in rain.
“Which way?” Lo ran to the outside wall and looked over. “Too far,” he said.
“Knock has a transport waiting,” she explained. “But we have to get to it without being seen.”
“There will likely be guards waiting for us at the exits,” Mercury warned.
“When we are low enough, we’ll jump or climb down,” said Lo.
“So how do we make it that far?” Samantha turned in a slow circle, desperate for some safe route to magically appear. She spotted a set of doors along the interior wall and they looked very much like lift doors of some kind. “Wait.” She charged toward them and slid to a halt as the doors slid open.
Drake stood in the doorway, blood staining the front of his shirt from where she’d injured him earlier. More importantly he was holding a plasma pistol and pointing it in her direction. His finger was already on the trigger.
“I’ll blow a hole in her if you so much as move.”
They all know his speed wouldn’t match Mercury or Lo’s. He might get one shot off, but he’d never make two. Still, as long as he had her in his sights, he could control them.
Keeping the pistol ready, he strode directly to her and spun her around. He put an arm around her throat and tugged her back against his chest and there was nothing she could do to stop him.
“Now that’s better. Time to talk,” he said, facing off against Mercury and Lo. “You can’t get off this planet. Cooperate and Sam won’t be harmed. I give you my word.”
Mercury and Lo both growled and snapped, but neither moved closer.
Samantha’s mind raced. She still had the cutter. She just needed to get it out of her pocket. “You don’t think they’re going to fall for that, do you Drake? Didn’t you teach them better than that?”
She locked her gaze on Mercury’s and pleaded with her eyes for him to help her distract Drake. To her surprise, he held out his hands as if waiting for restraints.
“I will do as you ask,” he said. “Just don’t hurt her.”
