God's Bounty Hunter (Biddy Mackay Space Detective Book 1) by T Olivant (reading in the dark .txt) 📕

Phil grabbed at the Augment’s head and pulled away a small black transmitter. “Sorry, ‘tec, I should have checked him.”

“No matter,” Biddy said, her eyes back on the sky.  Would the Augment’s friends come down and get him?  Would they blast her and her bodyguard into smithereens?”

“Any moment now,” the Augment said.  He was fidgeting from one foot to the other.  Not very God-like behavior, but Biddy supposed that she had never actually met a God before.  Besides, what did it matter when the big ship was about to kill them.

“Any second…” Now the God’s voice was hesitant.  Biddy looked back at the sky.  The ship was turning.  After a few seconds an engine flared and it moved out of the atmosphere into space.

Biddy turned back to her suspect. “Well, any other tricks left?”

The Augment’s face was a picture, eyes wide and staring and mouth hung open.  Biddy waited for him to speak, but he said nothing at all.

“Time to go,” she said to Phil. “Let’s get this asshole on the shuttle.”

Chapter 24

Betrayed.  It was pretty clear that he had been betrayed.  But who by?  And for what reason?  Lu Tang sat in his stark white cell and thought about nothing else.

He didn’t waste time thinking about the juvenile Detective that had captured him.  She had got lucky, that much was plain enough.  She was someone’s puppet, he just had to work out whose.

His allies on the black ship, now they were a different matter.  He had been so sure that the third ship had been the home of his special caller.  But it had flown off without even attempting to intervene in his arrest.  It had made him look like a fool.

It couldn’t have been the voice, he told himself.  The idea that his sole companion for the entire time of his imprisonment would just abandon him like that… It was unthinkable.  It must have been one of his other enemies, someone who merely wanted to gloat at the indignity of his arrest.  But who exactly?

Of course, the list of people who didn’t like him was pretty long.  But the question was: if they were just trying to get at him then why hadn’t they done so on Widdershins 3?  A nice little assassination attempt would at least have broken up the monotony.  So it followed that his most recent capture by the irritating Celtic girl was carefully timed.  It could only be because they wanted the portal drive.

Lu Tang felt his initial anger ebb away.  He yawned.  Humans were so boring.  He had a thing, they wanted to take the thing.  Simple as that.  Centuries in and there was nothing that could truly surprise him.  What an interminable existence it was that was granted to a God.

Now he would have to plan another escape.  How tiresome.  But before he escaped he would have to find out what that stupid girl had done with the portal drive.  Hopefully she had stored it somewhere safe without bothering to look inside.  And if she did look inside… well, she wouldn’t have the brains to fathom what it was anyway.

Would he have to kill her?  Despite everything, Lu Tang did not enjoy the idea of taking a life.  But if it was the only way to achieve the outcome he desired, then he would have to consider it.  After all, what was the loss of one human when compared with the completion of a project that had spanned nearly half a century?

Perhaps he would find a way to use the girl instead.  She didn’t seem as if she would be hard to manipulate.  Yes, he just had to find her weak spot.  And then push a blade into it.

Some young crew member knocked at the door, opened it and deposited a plate of food before scurrying off again.  Running away from him as if he was some sort of monster only found in the darkest of nightmares.

It’s better if they fear me, Lu Tang told himself.  That will make them easier to manipulate.  He pulled the plate towards him and grimaced.  Curry.  Better make that escape plan sooner rather than later.

Lu Tang closed his eyes in semblance of sleep.  The smell of reheated food and dry metallic smell of his cell put him right back on Widdershins 3.  It had almost sent him insane, that cursed planet.  A decade of isolation.  If he had been a mere human he would barely have lasted a month.  For a God it was merely a tiresome inconvenience.

“Time to get up,” a sneering voice said from the door.

Lu Tang opened his eyes.  The plate of curry was cold.  Had he been truly asleep?  Well, no matter.  Two men stood waiting in the doorway, the muscle from earlier and another young man in greasy overalls.  Both were at least a foot taller than him and looked like they could handle themselves.  Even so Lu Tang was sorely tempted to attack.  A swift punch to the throat of the one on the left followed by a kick to the groin of the other would incapacitate them in moments.  But what would that achieve apart from soothing his mind?

Better to keep his temper and attack when his enemies were at their lowest ebb.

“Mackay is waiting for you,” the bodyguard said. “So get moving or we’ll drag you to her.”

Lu Tang moved from his bench and followed the men along the corridor.  There was no point in attacking the pawns, he told himself.  He would save his strength to kill the Queen.

Chapter 25

At first, Biddy had been hoping that the Augment would talk.  She was worried that he would stay silent, and she would never get the answers to her questions.  Within about five minutes of getting him into the interview room, however, she realized