Page 72 of Freedom Mine
“Alli!”
Kayo? She stopped running, and waited, but heard nothing. Was her mind playing tricks on her?
“Blue?”
That sounded like Liet! Alli turned back and ran toward the compound, stopping at the tree line to survey the area before sacrificing her cover. Toward the main house, one of the guards had Masher and Liet pinned down behind a stack of crates. Laser fire streamed across the compound, shattering the crates in seconds. A knife sailed through the air, striking one of Garitt’s men in the shoulder. Liet and Masher raced into the longhouse. She didn’t see Kayo anywhere.
Men ran in every direction. From out of nowhere, Kayo tackled one of the guards. The man’s gun flew from his hand. The other two guards raced into the crowd of fleeing slaves, knocking many to the ground, in their attempt to isolate Masher and Liet.
The guard slashed at Kayo with a knife. Kayo deflected the knife with a rod, pulled the man down by his wrist and kneed him in the chest. The man thrust his elbow up, clipping Kayo in the face. He pushed Kayo back and dealt a solid kick to Kayo’s injured leg, felling him instantly. The guard lunged, his knife in hand. Kayo, still on his back, brought the rod up to block the guard’s advance, but the guard kicked the rod clear and thrust his knife at Kayo. Kayo grabbed the man’s arm with both of his hands.
Alli searched in the direction she’d seen the gun land. A metal handle was sticking out from under a bush. Just as she gripped the gun, a foot slammed down on her hand. Tieg stood above her, grinning.
“Whatever Garitt’s paying you will never be enough,” she said. “Kayo’s the only one who can free you legally.”
“I’m already free,” Tieg said as he took the gun in one hand and her in the other. “Got a new chip for giving you to Garitt.”
“Black-market chips are flawed.”
“Nah, got a good one. That’s how much Garitt wanted you. He knew Kayo would come for you.” He pointed to Kayo who’d managed to push the guard off of him and disarm him. The guard pulled a second knife from the back of his belt.
“Garitt wants Kayo dead. Looks like he’s finally going to get his wish.”
“Kayo!” she screamed, worried he wouldn’t see the second knife. She’d ended up distracting him at the wrong time. Kayo turned his head just as the guard thrust the knife toward him.
Tieg yanked Alli into the woods before she could see what happened. She tripped over roots and rocks several times as Tieg shoved her up against a tree. Her mind started to shut down as Tieg unbuckled his pants. Then she heard Kayo’s voice in her head, telling her to trust herself. She’d always done what was necessary to survive, but there was more at risk here than Tieg killing her if she resisted. Kayo could be bleeding out, dying with every minute that passed.
The chain and board were still wrapped around her left arm. She swung at Tieg, slamming the board into the side of his head. He went down, the board and much of the chain unraveling from her arm as he hit the ground.
She ran, only to get yanked back by the board stuck to his head, by a nail of all things. Three hard yanks later, the nail popped free and she went flying backward.
When she hit the ground, the clamp on her ankle struck something hard and tightened impossibly snug. Alli gathered the chain and plank in a bundle, forced herself up, and bolted toward the fighting.
An eerie silence blanketed the area as Alli limped forward, a few inches at a time. The clamp on her ankle sent pain up her leg, making each step harder. Blood pooled on the ground where she’d last seen Kayo, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. A hand closed around her mouth from behind.
Lips drew against the back of her head and gave her a soft kiss. “Sh, Alli,” Kayo said, slowly removing his hand. She swung around and threw her free arm around him, the chain clanking loudly as she did so.
His warmth seeped through her dress, and suddenly she realized she’d nearly lost him. Her body shook uncontrollably until his arms wrapped around her and tucked her head against his chest. The sense of safety, of completeness, filled her as Kayo’s scent suffused her soul. He was real; she wasn’t dreaming.
“Keep the chain quiet,” Kayo whispered as he scooped her into his arms.
“Sweetness!” Masher said, his voice low but excited as he came up from behind. “I’ll scout ahead, Boss.” Then he was gone again.
“Are you okay?” Kayo whispered, his face tight. She could see the worry there, the unspoken questions.
“I am now,” she said. She had one hand around his neck and another holding the chain as steady as she could.
Once aboard the landglider, Kayo readied the controls as Masher guarded the open door. They were waiting for someone apparently. She didn’t want to say anything, to distract either man, but Kayo glanced at her every so often, his frown ever-present. He didn’t say anything, and she began to question if he was displeased with her. Maybe he thought she had run off.
Liet suddenly jumped aboard. “I can’t find Tieg.”
“I smashed him in the face, and ran,” Alli said.
Kayo’s eyes flared then hardened. The betrayal had sunk in. “Shut the door, Masher.”
The landglider lifted before the door fully shut. The craft pitched. A laser stream streaked by the front view screen and suddenly the landglider dropped ten, maybe twenty feet. Kayo’s focus never wavered, but whoever had fired on them from the ground had stopped. Within minutes, they were over Kayo’s property.
No one said a word. She peered in back, smiled at Masher and Liet and they nodded to her. Both men had minor cuts and bruises, but they were talking, and they suddenly looked different to her. Not like slaves, but more like soldiers, though without uniforms.
