Chapter 19
They were about to be exposed as very useful hostages.
Ethan knew it was wrong to blame the guard who’d outed them, because Linao would have mentioned who they were in a heartbeat if it helped her, but he gave the man a hard look as they were shoved down the passage toward two other armed Cores men who’d taken up position at the far end, weapons pointed around the corner toward the bays.
“We’re doing an exchange,” the soldier herding them forward said to his two colleagues. “The Caruso are being told about it now.”
He forced them to stop just behind the two soldiers, and after a moment, one of them turned, made a motion with his hand.
“You first,” the soldier said to Ethan. “Walk toward them.”
Ethan gripped Velda’s hand, squeezed, then stepped out around the corner.
Two Caruso stood with Ritter and Linao, and the one with Ritter moved forward, pushing Ritter in front of him.
Ritter had recovered a little from the laz strike, so it must have been on a very low setting, but he was still stumbling and out of it.
“Come forward.” The Caruso held Ritter upright, and when Ethan was within grabbing distance, he shoved Ritter toward the soldiers, grabbed Ethan, and walked backward, Ethan up against his chest.
“They don’t care about shooting me,” Ethan said. “I’m not an effective shield.”
The Caruso grunted, glanced over his shoulder at where his friend held Linao. “They care about the other one, though?”
“Yes,” Ethan conceded. “They care about the other one.”
Velda had obviously been told to approach because she stepped out and walked toward him.
In the last day she’d lost some weight, he noticed. Her face was a little leaner, her clothes looser. She carried herself lightly, as if she could jump, and gravity would have no real hold on her.
“Stop.” The soldier behind her called out, and she slowed, then stopped, looking back.
“Bring the other prisoner forward,” the soldier shouted.
Ethan noticed they didn’t use Linao’s name.
Velda had got it exactly right when she’d called Linao’s bluff about outing her.
The Cores knew her name meant something to the Caruso and they were being careful not to use it.
“Not until we’re behind cover,” the Caruso holding Ethan said. “We will let her go when we’re protected.”
“That wasn’t the deal.” The soldier slid out from cover himself, laz up. “Two prisoners for two prisoners.”
“You’ll get her,” the Caruso waved back toward Linao, “but after we’re safe.”
“Then no deal.” The soldier hesitated, because Velda was halfway between him and the Caruso, and he didn’t want to move too far down the corridor and expose himself with no cover.
“That’s fine. We know you value this one.” The Caruso holding Linao shook her a little. He began to move back, dragging Linao with him.
“No. Wait. We accept, but if you don’t keep your word, we won’t let you leave without a fight.” The soldier caved almost instantly.
Ritter had been right. Linao was definitely not your standard Cores employee.
Velda reached them, and the Caruso holding Ethan didn’t even bother grabbing her, just jerked his head toward the back, and she passed them, giving Ethan the hint of a smile as she did.
They underestimated her. He’d noticed it when she was talking to them about the silver balls as well.
They could use that.
Then he was being dragged back, and they were all in a huddle around the corner, with the bay doors a few steps away.
The doors opened as soon as he noticed them, and the Caruson soldier who’d questioned them about the silver balls stepped through.
“Who is she?” he asked Velda, pointing to Linao.
Velda hesitated, and Ethan guessed she was calculating whether to tell the truth. He didn’t know whether it was better to lie or not, either. “Her name is Linao.”
“Linao.” The Caruso turned, obviously shocked, and stared at her. “I thought she died in the explosion.”
That had taken a turn.
Ethan tried to work out which explosion they were talking about, then settled on the explosion of the Caruson Raptor that had sparked this ore-run in the first place.
They thought Linao had been on that ship when it had been blown up?
“Don’t know what you’re talking about. And I’m not Linao.” Linao pretended she was still woozy from the laz hit, but given that she was lying, and doing a good job of it, Ethan guessed she was fully recovered.
“Get in the bay.” The soldier held the doors, and when they were all in, the doors snapped closed.
“They want her back badly,” one of the other Caruson said. “She could be Linao.”
The leader turned away, spoke into his comms unit and then studied an image that came up. Then he shoved it at Velda. “Who is this?”
Velda stared at it, and the shock on her face was unmistakeable. “That looks a bit like Wren.”
“Let me see.” Ethan pushed forward and after a moment’s resistance, the soldier released him.
It did look a little like Wren Thorakis, inside a ship, with pallets containing misshapen sacks all around her. There were Caruson visible in the background, and none of them looked happy about her presence.
“You also say this is not Linao?” the leader asked.
“I might not be completely sure it’s Wren, but it’s definitely not Linao,” Ethan said. He shared a look with Velda.
“Where’s this image from?” Velda asked.
“Comms inside a ship before it exploded,” the leader said.
Ethan heard Velda gasp. If it was Wren, could she be dead?
It sounded like that’s what they were saying.
The leader looked to the right and gestured. “Bring the other prisoner.”
There were at least three other Caruson in here, Ethan realized, as well as a member of the Cores crew. The woman had probably been working in the bay when the Cores attacked the ship.
“Which one of these people is Linao?” the leader asked her, pointing to him, Velda and Linao. “Your life depends on it.”
The woman pointed to Linao. “She is.”
“Interesting.” The leader moved to the door. “You can go.”
The woman didn’t look as if she trusted her luck, so her movements were hesitant until she reached the door. As soon as it opened, though, she shot out.
That should confuse the soldiers down the passage for a bit, Ethan thought. It was a clever ploy.
They might even think it was Linao coming back until the bay worker reached them.
And now, Ethan realized, the Caruson were in a conundrum.
Because they wanted Linao. They obviously thought she was responsible for the destruction of their Raptor and the loss of their people and ore in the explosion. They felt misled by her, as well, regarding the progress the Cores had made in taking control of Aponi.
But the Cores had told them who he and Velda were, and they were valuable prisoners, too, especially if the Caruso had to negotiate with Aponi at all.
And if they didn’t give Linao back, they had been told they would face heavy fire when they tried to get off the ship.
Tricky, tricky.
He wondered which way they would go.