Ricochet (23 page)

He’d expected her response. His Willa would never sanction anything that would distract her from achieving a goal. Right now, there was nothing she wanted more than finishing the damned race. He understood. Maybe more so than she. There was still the matter of what to do about Chaf. Yes, he and Willa had reached an understanding of sorts and had come to a truce at a base level, but they’d never addressed the issue of his job.

Guilt added its bit to the unrest. This was exactly the reason he never kept women around after the initial hookup. The longer they stayed, the greater the chance he’d get interested and start caring.

As a soft string of cursing wafted to his position, he focused his gaze on Willa. A few sparks rained down on her as she worked on a ladder, wedged at a weird angle beneath a gorgeous, black cruiser. The wings sloped downward over an oblong belly and would provide smooth aerodynamics while entering and exiting atmosphere. He relaxed his jaw and smiled. The difference lay in Willa herself. She didn’t come off as needy or clingy. Hell, he wasn’t real sure where he stood with her at the moment, but he was willing to do whatever it took to find out.

Too bad the crux of that problem was one bastard liar and thief. He’d worked too long and hard at chasing Chaf to abandon the bounty now, yet—

“We’re in!” Willa’s low shout shattered his thoughts. “Let’s go.” She scuttled up the remainder of the ladder and disappeared into the cockpit’s back seat.

“Great.” Though he’d questioned the wisdom of stealing a brand new Ghost-class shuttle, from the moment he’d sat in the forward seat of the sporty ship, he’d agreed with her decision. Supple, black leather covered the seats. Lights blinked from a shiny state-of-the-art console. Two thick joysticks for steering felt right beneath his hands. As the ship was smaller than their first two crafts, there was no cargo hold or any other storage area. It would be just the two of them, alone, in the fast, lightweight ship. “You okay with me piloting this bird?” He twisted around to look at her as the canopy door lowered into place with a soft hiss.

“For the moment. Don’t screw it up, Ace.”

“Aye, ma’am.” Stratton grinned and strapped into the safety harness. A few clicks behind him indicated Willa had done the same. He detached a black helmet from a hook above his head, then put it on and connected the few hoses. “Let’s get her up and into space.” A flick of a red switch activated all vital systems. The cool air of the controlled environment wafted over his face. It still had that new-ship smell. “Rolling out now. Hope we’re armed in case there’s a chase getting airborne.”

“We’re carrying two photon cannons and an array of four lasers. All of it’s the newest technology in this part of the galaxy, which is funny since it was so easy to break into.” The clack of her fingers over her control panel filled the enclosed space. “Hangar bay doors will open in three, two, one… Get a move on before the owners can assemble a patrol. It’s lunchtime, so they haven’t spotted us yet, but our luck won’t hold.”

Two giant metal doors slid to the sides of the hangar. Stratton eased forward on the steering stick. The ship advanced, knocking the rolling ladder out of its way.

“Increasing speed. How long until we can employ rocket engines?”

A beep sounded from behind him. “Two minutes. There’s a short runway just beyond the hangar. You’ll be able to clear it with no problems.” She dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Good luck.”

As soon as they cleared the hangar, he flipped another switch, and the ship smoothly lowered while the extended landing gear retracted. “By the way, what’s her name?”

“The
New Independence
.”

“Sounds about right.” A small jolt concluded the gear’s lowering. They rolled along the paved strip, steadily picking up speed. “Computer, set course for the planet Renara.”

A series of beeps echoed in the cockpit; then an automated voice said, “Course laid in. Target will be reached in thirty-six hours, twenty-three minutes.”

“What? That can’t be right.” He frowned at his console, not sure which button to press that would figure out the information. “Willa, double check that intel.”

“I’m checking now.” Willa’s fingers on the keys reassured him she’d figure it out. “The computer is right—partially. Without the use of hyper-light, her figures are correct. We’d only be going half the speed of light, or roughly 150 kilometers a second. If we employ hyper-light, we can go much faster and be there in an hour, give or take.”

That made sense. “Computer, please figure hyper-light speeds into—”

“Fuck!” A gasp from Willa cut into his command. “Uh, Stratton? This is a Ghost-class vessel. The engines aren’t big enough to obtain hyper-light speed.” Silence followed her speech. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know, otherwise I wouldn’t have suggested stealing it.” He couldn’t be sure without seeing her, but he thought he heard a tiny catch in her voice.

All the previous excitement seemed to be sucked out of the atmosphere in the ship. Stratton reeled with the news as his blood chilled. They’d never make the end of the race in time. “Let me think about this.” He fisted a hand, resting it on his thigh. “Computer, please go to autopilot and idle here until my next command.”

“Stratton, we’re not even airborne yet! It’s too risky to linger.”

He ignored Willa’s outburst. “Patience.”

Gonna need a miracle here.

After pushing a few buttons, he examined the star chart that illuminated the windscreen. Treachin Houth on the map blinked in blue, while other planets in the system were depicted in green. Not far off, a different sort of object flickered in red. “Computer, is there a space station or spaceport between Treachin Houth and the next planet?”

“There are no outposts in this quadrant.”

“Great.” At the moment, he wanted to chuck the smart-ass computer out the window. Time to rephrase the question. “Computer, there’s an object in red on my star chart. What is it? I don’t recall seeing it before.”

Both the computer and Willa answered, “The Cangatarist Shooter.”

“Of course!” Stratton switched off the chart. “We’re saved, Willa. We can use the Shooter’s power to reach an accelerated velocity. From there we can achieve hyper-light, but only for a while. If we’re lucky, it’ll be long enough to reach Renara and join the rest of the field.”

“It’s a long shot. If we hurry, we can return the
New Independence
and maybe exchange it for—”

“Oh, that’ll work.” He huffed out a breath. “You think the authorities will let us quietly return a stolen ship and request an exchange? Nice try.” Rubbing his jaw, he stared into the atmosphere. The urge to move into space pressed in on him.

Finding a way to reach the end of the Trike wasn’t the issue. Being able to trail Chaf was, and if they had no hyper-light capability themselves, neither of the goals could be achieved. Utilizing the Shooter was the only way.

“Computer, set course for the Cangatarist Shooter. I’ll resume control now.”

A beep sounded; then the electronic voice replied, “Course laid in.”

Willa thumped the back of his seat. “You do realize that’ll take us off course, right? And if the Shooter doesn’t work like you say, we’re screwed.”

“Yeah, but we were pretty much shit out of luck anyway. At least it’s a chance, so shut your yap and let me do this.” When she smacked his shoulder, he grinned. “Hey, you had the opportunity to be the pilot. Since you bowed to common sense and realized the man is always right, we’re doing this.”

“Wow, if your ego inflates any more, we’ll explode.”

“That’s right.” He chuckled, enjoying the return of their verbal sparring. “Stick with me, and you’ll be surprised at where I’ll take you.”
If she doesn’t end up killing me.

“Actually, I’m beginning to regret that decision already.” A string of Lingorian curses filled his ears, too soft to properly translate, but he had a feeling she’d called him cattle excrement again. “I think I might hate you.”

“It’s a fine line you walk, my girl, and you’re no party either, yet somehow I intend to put up with you for a bit longer.” Relaxing slightly, Stratton leaned into the supple leather. The steering joystick felt made for his hand, and the ship responded to the slightest movement. “Good choice on the bird, by the way. A guy could get used to this.” He needed to change the subject and raise the temperature in the ship a few degrees. The danger of teasing Willa was that she ran hot and cold by turns, until he had no idea which he faced. A thrilling game he could easily become addicted to.

Frosty silence reigned in the cockpit.

Stratton rolled his eyes. “Come on,
kita
. This is what we do. I know you want to brag about stealing the craft. So tell me, then I can crap all over your parade and you'll get mad. Don’t mess with what works.” He’d never worked so hard to cajole a woman into talking.
How the mighty have fallen.
He ignored the thought. This was different.

The intercom crackled. “It was a means to an end. After the race, I’ll plead with my father to pay for the use of the ship, so try not to ding it up, all right?”

“Of course, daddy dearest to the rescue. Must be nice.” His knuckles whitened as he clenched the controls. The differences between them couldn’t be ignored.

“I’m covering all bases in case I ever want to come back to Treachin Houth.” Annoyance hung in the air between them. “You don’t know everything.”

As the ship picked up speed, the scenery went by in a blur. “Why would you want to revisit the planet? It’s tacky and cold. Seems to me it’s all about the tourist money. An icy playground for folks with ranking.”

“You have to overlook that side of things. I’d forgotten how magical it really is. I might want to remember, you idiot, but if you keep talking, I’ll change my mind.”

Heat crept up his neck from her candid words.
She wants to remember,
which meant their time together must have made an impression. His cock twitched as
he
recalled last night’s events. Maybe having company along wasn’t a bad thing if he could get past the huge learning curve. “Fire booster rockets. Let’s see how this bird handles in the air.”

“Rockets employed.”

The roar of the engines filled the cabin, muffled by his headgear. Easing back on the joystick, Stratton grinned as the
New Independence
parted ways with the ground as quickly and painlessly as picking up a baby. A thump was the only indication the landing gear had tucked itself into the belly of the ship.

In seconds, white clouds enveloped the ship with a few peeks of azure blue mixed in. Not long after that, the fat clouds gave way to higher atmosphere and thin ribbons of mist. “You’re right. Treachin Houth was my favorite rest stop in this whole race.”

“Wait, can you repeat that? I can’t believe you agreed with me.” A smile in her voice broke through her teasing and sounded intimate in his ears. “Let’s catch up to the field. I’m in the mood to kick some ass today.”

“Sounds good.” The blackness of space blanketed the ship, bringing with it the accustomed quiet and brilliant stars. “Leveling off. Adjust course a few degrees. Radio silence until we get to target.” He guided the
New Independence
slightly to port, then put it on autopilot, though his mind was far from calm. As he watched, another racer went by, a Scout-class vehicle, the name of which was unfamiliar to him. Not long after it passed, it jumped into hyper-light, vanishing with a flash.

They’d reach the Shooter soon, and he had to make a decision. Should he follow Chaf’s secret course or stay on the rally path and finish the race? He narrowed his eyes and stared out the windscreen. The money he’d get for the bounty could change his life, yet the prize purse for winning the Nebulon Trike could be enormous. Plus, he and Willa would get a new ship, a free vacation and endorsement contracts on top of it all.

There was no easy answer. He’d either lose the job or lose the girl. Both options left him cold and empty…and more than a little angry. Why couldn’t he have both? Where was it written he had to choose?

After a few minutes, he couldn’t take the silence. The drawback of the new ship was that they weren’t sitting side by side. He couldn’t see Willa, couldn’t catch her facial expressions or be distracted by her, yet he missed being able to talk easily to her. Of course, the logistics might make the conversation easier.

“Willa, we need to talk.”

Nothing but a soft inhalation greeted the statement. Then she cleared her throat. “Yeah, we do.”

If anxiety had chewed at him earlier, now it attacked him at suicide levels. “I can’t give up the pursuit of Chaf. I have too much invested in his capture to ditch it now.” Mentally, he shoved every complication to the back of his mind. Change and compromise didn’t happen overnight. That was the reality, and he’d have to deal with the repercussions later. “If we have enough time afterward, we’ll rejoin the field. I’m sorry. I need to do this.” He gritted his teeth.
Since when do you apologize to a woman, Sin?

“It’s a good thing this ship doesn’t allow freedom of movement. Otherwise, I’d slap you for not giving me the option of deciding with you. That’s how a partnership works.” Willa remained quiet for so long, he thought that was all she’d say. Seconds ticked by. She sighed into the intercom. “But I agree with you.”

What the hell? Willa,
his Willa
, actually agreed with him? He wanted to grin or at least pump the air with a fist, but he refrained from both. Now wasn’t the time to remind her he could be an ass. “What?”

“When we land, you might want to get that hearing checked. Age isn’t being kind to you.” Her chuckle tickled his ears. “Here’s the thing. I think Chaf’s pulling a bait-and-switch.”

“How do you mean? You were with me all night, so unless you planned this with him…” Hot jealousy burned in his throat. After everything was she playing him? “Damn it, Willa, I—”

“Before you say something you’ll regret, just listen.” He heard the smile in her voice. “I looked up the placings on the datapad. Chaf’s in the middle of the pack, for whatever reason, when he should have been near the top. Knowing him, and also knowing he found out you’d stolen his intel, I think he’s made a deal with another racer.”