Chapter 33
They only left one body in their wake on the way to the bridge.
Even then, no one was dead, just unconscious. Velda didn’t want to see anyone lose their lives or be seriously injured.
Ethan slowed as they got closer to the front of the ship, and carefully looked around the corner into the lounge.
“Can you create a diversion for me?” he asked softly when he pulled back.
Velda peered around herself, to get the lay of the land.
There were at least six people that she could see sitting around tables and on couches, talking to each other or eating something.
In front of the lounge area was a set of double doors leading to what she guessed was the bridge.
She handed her laz to Ethan. He had three already, one in his hand, two strapped behind him across his back, and he took hers and held it in his other hand.
She grinned at the sight of it, and he gave her a quick pose, both arms raised, with a snarling expression, and her smile widened.
“Right, enough fun and games, I need to get into character now,” she whispered. “What’s the plan?”
“Draw their attention, I’ll do the rest.” Ethan sounded absolutely sure of himself, and she had never once regretted trusting him.
She gave a nod, closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, then ran around the corner into the lounge, both hands outstretched, wrists held together as if she was in restraints. “Can you help me? I don’t know what’s going on!”
She made sure her voice was just short of a shout, and gave it a wobble.
She stumbled and then went down on one knee.
Everyone turned toward her, some jumping to their feet, others leaning back in surprise.
She bowed her head, hands still outstretched and pressed together at the wrists, and the double doors to the bridge opened as the first person reached her.
“What is it?” The woman asking strode forward, and Velda recognized Brink immediately.
She was no longer on the ore runner, but had switched over to Sylvester’s vessel, which according to Nirro was built using Caruson tech—so most likely a Raptor, one of the sleek black ships that the Cores had used since Cepi to wreak havoc in the Verdant String.
“Velda?” Brink drew up short. “Aren’t you in the med bay—?” She looked to her right, down the passage on the opposite side of the ship to the one she and Ethan had come up, and Yarmouth stepped into the lounge.
“I’ve got a body in my med bay—” He stopped suddenly at the sight of Velda and the crew around her.
“Maybe Velda knows something about that?” Brink’s tone was sharp.
“She’s been unconscious until very recently,” Yarmouth said, voice rising a little. “She probably came to and saw the carnage, same as me.”
“Is that true?” Brink glanced quickly over her shoulder as the door to the bridge opened again.
As she turned back to face Velda, two men exited the bridge and moved toward them, and Velda caught sight of Ethan.
She didn’t know how he’d done it, but he’d been edging closer to the bridge doors the whole time, and as the two men walked forward to join Brink, he moved so fast she could barely track him, getting through the doors before they closed.
“Velda?” Brink’s tone got even sharper.
“Sorry,” she said, lifting her head to look at Brink, “I’m not feeling well.”
“What happened?” Yarmouth moved toward her, and Velda hoped no one else heard the way his voice softened when he addressed her.
“I woke up and there was a dead man lying up against the counter. The man who watches Sylvester.”
The moment she said that, one of the crew who’d been in the lounge ran down toward the med bay.
“Is it Rist?” Brink asked Yarmouth.
“Yes. I don’t even know what he was doing in the med bay. I went to check on Linao because she insisted on going to her room after she woke and I was worried it was too soon. When I came back, Rist was just lying there.”
Yarmouth sounded totally believable. Velda was impressed.
She would never have suspected he’d killed Rist himself unless she’d seen him do it.
As everyone gaped at Yarmouth, someone came running down the passageway she and Ethan had taken to get here.
The soldier who burst out into the lounge was the one who’d shot at Sylvester earlier. “Smitty is down, and there are five others obviously shot down in the launch bay.”
The news had everyone gaping at him.
“The Caruson?” someone who’d been in the lounge eating a meal when she’d stumbled in asked.
“Shit.” Brink drew her laz, and everyone who had one did the same. “I want two of you standing guard on each passageway into here. I need two more to come with me to see if Sylvester’s all right.”
She strode away, two nervous-looking crew with laz in hand trailing after her.
“Better sit down,” Yarmouth said to her, holding out his hand to help her to her feet.
Velda took it, and he squeezed it a little tight and then led her to a couch.
“Thank you.” She sat down and he stood, looking slightly lost for a moment.
“Yarmouth.” Brink was back, and he turned to her. “Ethan Hyt is missing from the med bay. Did you know that?”
“What? No.” Yarmouth moved toward her. “Do you think he could be responsible . . .?”
He played the confused medic well, but he had to know Ethan wasn’t there because he must have noticed when he’d come back from setting up his alibi to ‘discover’ Rist’s body.
“Maybe.” Brink sounded a little calmer. Like she hoped it was Ethan’s doing, and not the Caruso, back for a bit more vengeance.
Unfortunately for her, Ethan was not a better alternative.
Velda glanced at the bridge doors, wondering what was going on in there, when Sylvester suddenly came up from behind Brink. He was striding with purpose, his gaze locked onto the bridge doors and then to her.
Sylvester grabbed Brink’s laz as he passed her, making her gasp in shock and then he pointed it straight at Velda’s head.
“Get up and come here,” he said.
She did so slowly, moving toward him as if she were injured.
There was only one reason Sylvester could be doing this.
“I have a secret comms feed on the bridge,” he said, and she almost nodded.
It was the only thing that made sense.
He must have seen what Ethan was doing in there and come running over to try to mitigate the damage.
And she was the perfect hostage.