That was what Kane wanted to know. It seemed a little too convenient that after years of no contact she happened to cross Renny’s path at this exact moment. The captain finally sobered up enough to process the questions buzzing around him. He kept his eyes glued on Arabelle when he spoke, as if afraid she might vanish if he looked away. “She’s wearing a collar. She belongs to someone here. Probably the owner of that restaurant.”
Kane took notice of the slim silvery choker around Arabelle’s neck. It was a device programmed to deliver pain injections if a slave or an indentured servant strayed too far from home.
“I have to buy her contract,” Renny said.
Kane nodded. “Of course. We’ll help you.”
“I hate to bring this up,” Doran cut in, “but what if she doesn’t want to come with us? She could have a husband, or someone she doesn’t want to leave behind.”
“I don’t care,” Renny told him. “I’ll buy her freedom anyway. And her husband’s or friend’s or boyfriend’s, too, if that’s what she wants.”
It was then that Kane saw two major snags in their plan. The first was Renny. “You can’t be here. You have to go to the ship and let us handle the deal. If Arabelle’s contract holder sees the look on your face, he’ll ask for the moon…and you’ll give it to him.” Which led to their second problem. “We don’t have much to spend.”
“I have the Banshee,” Renny said, confirming Kane’s worst fear.
The crew traded nervous glances.
“Renny, listen to me.” Cassia touched the captain’s elbow. When that didn’t get his attention, she cupped his cheeks and turned his face until it met hers. “Come back to the ship with me. Let the others do the negotiating.”
“But what if—”
“They won’t let you down,” she told him. “Kane could sweet-talk water from the desert, and Doran and Solara have more street cred than anyone in this hub.”
Doran cracked his knuckles menacingly. “It doesn’t matter who owns her contract. I promise he won’t say no to Daro the Red.”
Renny still didn’t look convinced.
“Do you trust me?” Kane asked.
Renny’s gaze wandered back to Arabelle. “Yes, but—”
“Then let Cassy take you to the ship.”
“But I have to talk to her first, to tell her I’m not really leaving.”
“No. She could belong to anyone. Maybe he’s watching right now.”
“You don’t understand,” Renny said in a small, broken voice that plucked at Kane’s heartstrings. “I walked away from her once, and it almost killed me.”
“I do understand,” Kane promised. “And I won’t come back without her.”
After a long pause, Renny took one backward step and then another. Each pace toward the docking lot seemed to cause him physical pain, but he kept his boots moving. A group of men passed in front of him, breaking his view of the food cart. That seemed to help because he turned around, paused for another moment, and strode away.
Right before Cassia followed him, she crooked an index finger at Kane and waited for him to lower his ear to her lips. “Don’t bring that woman on board until you scan her for weapons,” she whispered. “Com devices, too.”
For once, they were on the same page. “Already planned to.”
Cassia had a feeling Kane might not follow her instructions to the letter, but she never expected him to come barreling into the docking lot with Arabelle hoisted over one shoulder, shielding his head with his free arm and yelling like his pants were on fire. Behind him, Doran and Solara ran through the open doorway, each armed with a stolen pulse pistol and firing indiscriminately at someone out of view.
So much for smooth negotiating.
Cassia darted up the boarding ramp while tapping her com-link. “Fire it up, Renny. We’ve got Arabelle, but it looks like we wore out our welcome.”
“Copy that,” Renny said from the pilothouse. The engine rumbled to life, followed by the low whine of the thrusters warming for takeoff. He asked in a tentative voice, “You’re sure they have her?”
Standing out of the way, Cassia glanced down the ramp and watched Arabelle’s skirt-clad rear end bounce atop Kane’s shoulder as he hauled ass—literally—onto the ship. “Yep, I’m looking at her right now.” Once Doran and Solara made it up the ramp into the cargo hold, Cassia punched the Retract button and told Renny, “Go!”
The floor lurched, sending Cassia to her knees. She met the metal grating with a jolt of pain and scrambled toward the stairs for something to hold on to. As soon as she gripped the bottom step, she hollered to Kane over one shoulder. “Did you scan her?”
He didn’t answer right away. He was too busy belly-crawling toward a stabilizing strap bolted to the floor. “Sure!” He wrapped one fist around the belt while hooking his opposite arm around Arabelle’s waist. “There was plenty of time for that in between holding her boss at gunpoint and running for our lives from the mob!”
The mob?