The Transporter's Favor by C.M. Simpson (pride and prejudice read .txt) 📕

“They’ve stationed their troops there.”

Near the weapons and the range. It made sense. There were also a couple of scenario sections there. Mack’s training center was pretty thorough, or Stepyan’s was, I hadn’t decided whose idea that sweet set-up was.

“Mine. Stepyan just fine-tuned it.”

I blinked, and headed across the room to the door. Even though Tens had said the space beyond was clear, I stopped and waited for the other two to catch up. When they took longer than I thought they should, I looked back.

Tens had stopped in front of the regen tank. I looked towards it, noting that Rohan might have looked better in black and blue, rather than the rainbow of purples, yellows and greens he’d taken on as the bruising faded. Mack wrapped an arm around Tens, and pulled him toward the door.

“He’s okay, Tens, and we’ve gotta go. Cutter, check that corridor, again.”

I checked the corridor, using the ship’s internal monitors, and gave the thumbs up.

“We’re good.”

“Find me a gun,” Tens said. “I’m gonna put every one of those mongrels down.”

“He stopped Cascade from getting shot,” I said, “and then he took the knee out from under a wolf warrior, and sassed the pack. They took their three rounds.”

“They shot him?”

“No,” and I led the way into the corridor. “Three rounds on the mats, for striking a superior.”

“That is all your fault!”

I shrugged.

“Apparently. You’ll have to ask Rohan when he gets out. Wolves said he was stable and would recover.”

“You might sound like you cared,” Mack said.

There was no answer for that. I did care, but I couldn’t do a damn thing for Rohan, and I couldn’t have done a damn thing for him when he’d met the wolves in the hangar. The only thing I could do, now, was get the ship free, and get him out wolf hands before anything like that had a chance to happen, again.

I’d thought Mack might understand.

“I do, but Tens might not.”

“Then Tens can give me a matching set of bruises when the mission is over, but we have to get through this, first.”

“I heard that,” Tens said. “Might take you up on it.”

My heart sank. Well, fine. I nodded. Time came, I wouldn’t go down easy. Right now, the wolves were the problem. Rohan had survived, and so would I.

I led the way through to my room, and pulled out the storage compartment I’d tucked in the ducts, as well as in false panels at the back of my drawers and closets. The look on Mack’s face said he was getting an education, and trying to work out how he’d missed what was going on. I wished my implant wasn’t such an open book.

“I took steps,” I said. “Sorry, Mack. Girl’s got to have her secrets.”

He frowned, and then nodded.

“Fair enough.”

I didn’t know what to make of his response, but I figured he’d deal with me, when this was over—and, if that was anywhere near the money, he didn’t say. He just took the weapons I passed out, and then the ammo packs.

“Damn, girl. You getting ready for an invasion?”

“Spiders scared me when they took the ship,” I said. “I wanted to be ready when they came, again.”

“Again? You know something I don’t?”

I sure as shit hoped not.

“Nope.”

He folded his arms, looking down at me, as I reached into the back of my underwear drawer.

“Yet, here we are.”

What-thefuck-ever.

He nudged me with the toe of his boot.

“You know you don’t have to cuss so much.”

“Your point?”

He unfolded his arms, raised his arms.

“Nothing.”

“Here,” and I hauled out the three long blades I’d tucked behind a panel. “Those I bought especially for the spiders.”

“I’m sure Askavor would appreciate it,” Tens muttered.

“You don’t have to have one if you don’t want one.”

He wasn’t impressed. “Pass it over.”

I knew which one he meant. I’d bought a laser-blade the first chance I’d got, after I’d seen him wielding one on the bridge. Of course, Mack had banned it straight afterwards, but I’d remembered. I’d wanted one from the minute I’d seen Tens’s.

Mack sighed.

“Sword envy. Not something I’d have expected from a girl.”

“Not your average girl, Mack.”

I pulled a set of the armored underwear out of the drawer, and then grabbed one of the spare pairs of boots from the bottom of my closet.

“Don’t you throw the old pairs away?” Mack asked, and I smiled.

“Plenty of wear left in ’em. I keep ’em until they fall off my feet.” That much was true, and it kept me from admitting I just didn’t want to throw any of them away.

“Why not?”

Trust Tens to spoil the illusion.

“None of your goddamn business,” and I grabbed a set of light armor from the closet. “Give me a minute.”

I headed for the san, leaving the two of them to sort through the weapons, while I got changed. It was nice not to have an audience—even if it was another of the fastest changes I’d ever done.

“Did we lock the wolves down?” I asked, when I emerged, and by ‘we’ I’d meant Tens.

“Did it on the way up,” Tens said. “I don’t need to stand still to get my business done.”

“Screw you.”

“In your dreams, kiddo.”

“Not in my wors—” but Abby cut across me before I could finish.

“She’d better bloody well not.”

I stopped, and stared at Tens.

His face had paled, and was now taking on a faint shade of pink. I looked at Mack, but he looked about as flummoxed as I felt. Tens and Abs?

“Why not, sweetie? It’s not like the ship is the only shell I have.”

She was smirking, I could tell. The damn ship was enjoying the Hell out of yanking Tens’s chain—and Tens was blushing like a school boy. I looked at him, and arched an eyebrow.

“Care to kiss and tell?” I teased, and he jacked a round into the chamber of the Blazer he’d taken from my stash, scowling all the while.

I guessed not, then.

10—Taking Back the Ship

Mack and Tens waited while I picked my weapons and grabbed as much spare ammo as