5. Donna
Donna
This was probably the craziest thing I’d ever done, but it was the only thing I could think of. With two gun ports, we were never going to outgun either the monks or Olan, let alone both at once, so we had to be faster and smarter. We had to be better.
I jammed the button to record a reply and grinned at the screen.
“Hey, little monks. I know you’re awfully attached to this skull.
” I held it up so they could see it. “But I think I’m going to keep it for myself.
No hard feelings, boys—do you know how many penthouse apartments and star-crystal chandeliers this thing can buy?
And don’t even get me started on the food I’m going to buy with the cash I get for it. ”
“Shixsun, Donna,” Aszher muttered.
“So my answer is no,” I went on, giving the recording a big, smug smile. “Do your worst.”
I ended the recording and hit send, my stomach twisting into knots. As for pissing off Olan … well, that was easier. He already seemed furious that he’d lost us earlier. A little friendly gunfire—well, not so friendly—ought to incense him.
“Fire on Olan,” I said. “Weapons charged?”
“A hundred percent,” Blitz said, admiration and a touch of mania shining in his teal eyes, his crystals flashing a deep, turquoise blue.
“A hundred percent here, too,” Aszher agreed, still looking all surly and disappointed in me.
I was a thief; he should have known better.
Fool. Big, sexy, muscular fool. Damn, when we got out of this—if we got out of this—I wanted to burn off this jittery adrenaline in their bed again. I needed all of them.
“Alright, as soon as we’re in range, fire.
” I checked with Daxer that our shields were still holding, trying not to fall into his patient violet eyes, and took a steadying breath as I gripped the controls.
One last crazy flight, and hopefully I’d be going home to my satellite apartment, where no one fired plasma weapons at me while I was in bed with three handsome men.
“Now!” I cried as I flipped us over, something crashing to the floor in one of the rooms behind us. I ignored it, ignored the trails of light we cut through space as I abused the Comet’s poor engine, pushing it faster than it was designed to go.
Bright orange gunfire exploded from our ship, knocking Olan’s ship through space, taking another bite out of its casing and leaving a nice gaping hole. “That ought to have pissed him off. Good job, boys.”
Blitz laughed, grinning. Aszher just grunted.
“I think,” Daxer said tightly, “the monks got your message. They’re powering all weapons.”
I scanned the screens in front of me. “Eleven. They have eleven plasma guns.” I went breathless. Their Ukkiyr-3256 was supposed to have three plasma guns. Three. This one must have been modified. We’d already taken out one, but eleven … plus the cannon Olan had remaining…
I wasn’t just playing with fire. I was playing with life and death.
“Shisxun,” I breathed, shaky.
“You can do this, treasure,” Daxer murmured, covering my hand on the joystick and squeezing. “Just stay calm, keep breathing. We’re all here with you.”
That’s the part I didn’t like. Whenever I was doing reckless, dangerous jobs, it was my life on the line—just mine.
I’d never been responsible for anyone else before, unless you counted Santa, my moggy.
I felt the weight of that responsibility settle on me like an anvil pushing down on my shoulders, but I followed Daxer’s advice.
I kept breathing. I didn’t let my breath race out of control. I held my nerve.
My hands were unsteady on the controls, but I kept my eyes glued to the screens, watching Olan’s ship bring all his remaining guns on board. He was ready to wipe us out of existence now, his hunt of the Di Vaur brothers abandoned in the place of revenge. Good. This might work.
It had to work.
Eleven plasma guns…
“Hold your nerve, Donna,” I whispered to myself.
What I had to do next … it was not going to be fun.
“Blitz, Asz, get your guns back online. If anything comes near us, fire on it.”
“What are you going to do?” Aszher asked, tension clear in his voice.
“Just trust me,” I breathed. It was probably a lot to ask of someone who’d met me hours ago, but if they wanted to get out of this alive, they had to trust me.
“Ready,” Blitz said, sounding breathless.
A second later, Aszher said, “Guns are back online.”
I took a breath, held it, and when I exhaled, I shot us forward at top speed, flying right for the monk’s ship, knowing Olan would follow. I aimed for those plasma guns at the heart of the ship, and ignored my trembling fingers as I kept our path steady, barely able to breathe.
If I timed this wrong…
“Donna,” Daxer said tightly.
“I know,” I gasped. “I know.”
But I kept flying for the ship, and Olan took the bait, speeding after us, slower thanks to his ship’s bulk but every bit as much a threat as the huge trawler in front of us. The plasma guns all glowed blue, but I couldn’t see orange and white fire at their hearts. Yet.
“Just a bit closer,” I breathed, to them, to myself. “Just a bit closer.”
We were close enough to see the individual windows on the monk’s ship, to glimpse figures moving behind them. Just a bit further. So close now. The plasma guns were painfully bright electric blue.
“Take out one of the plasma guns if you can,” I bit out. “The less of those trained on us, the better.”
“And Olan?” Blitz demanded.
“Let him catch up.” My heart slammed against my ribs, but I was sure of our plan. My plan. If this went badly, there’d only be one person to blame: me.
“I hate this,” Aszher growled. “I should never have brought you on board the Comet.”
“You weren’t saying that when I had my lips around your cock,” I shot back, laughing weakly. “When we get out of this, I’ll give you the same treatment. You just have to be brave and trust me.”
He snorted. “For this, I want your ass, not your mouth.”
“Done,” I agreed, shaky myself as we flew even closer to those deadly plasma guns. There was no guarantee we were getting out of this, but it felt good to make promises.
“Ready when you are, Asz,” Blitz asked tightly.
“On three,” Aszher replied. “One, two, three—”
Bright orange fire raced from the Comet and blasted into the plasma guns. I laughed as we managed to knock two out of alignment. Okay, only nine to contend with. Shit, there were still nine, bright orange now glowing at the heart of them.
Soon. So fucking very soon. I could barely breathe.
I checked on Olan in the screen and cried out at the sight of missiles heading right for us.
“Donna!” Daxer snapped, and I looked at the hulking ship before us in time to see the plasma guns turn bright white.
I hit the controls faster than light, dropping us down so fast and hard that my stomach shot into my throat.
I screamed. Something slammed into the side of the ship, knocking us into a freewheeling roll through the blackness of space.
I scrambled to gain control, gritting my teeth as the ship fought me at every turn.
“Shields are faltering,” Daxer growled.
“We’re fucked,” Aszher groaned.
“I told you,” I said through clenched teeth, twisting the controls and diverting power to our engine’s left side, righting us so suddenly that I went dizzy, “to trust me.”
It took me a second to gather enough courage to glance above us, but when I did, all the air punched out of my lungs.
Scraps of Olan’s ship floated through space, shattered into pieces, and the monk’s ship was missing half its right side.
It was limping away, back to New Earth to lick its wounds. We’d done it.
I’d done it. I’d saved us. I hadn’t doomed these men to a horrible, plasma fire death.
I exhaled a shuddery breath, slumping in my seat, the back of my head meeting the chair as I started to shake all over.
Gentle hands pulled at the straps around my middle, and suddenly I was lifted into strong arms. Daxer took control of the ship with me in his lap, and I clung to him, trembling all over, fighting to get air into my lungs.
“It’s over,” he murmured, setting a course for far away from here. “We’re safe now, treasure.”
I clung to the words, letting their safety wash over me, and felt unconsciousness rise up to grip me, dragging me under.