Sleep eluded me, so I decided I should use my time productively and run through my sword kata. I pulled off my pajama pants and donned a pair of shorts, leaving my chest bare. It was a warm night, and I would be hot soon enough. At the training studio, I picked up the meerkif hanging on the wall. It was a curved sword and a traditional weapon on Stalwart.

The meerkif was my favorite blade. It was heavy, but I was used to the balance. I hefted it and centered my weight correctly, assuming an opening stance. Taking a deep breath, I flipped the sword out, facing the blade away from me and carving an arc through the night air.

I lifted the weapon over my head and brought it down with a controlled swing. I slashed horizontally to the left and the right, moving backward each time.

When I finished the exercise, I bowed and replaced the sword on the wall. I padded slowly up the stairs in my bare feet, feeling calmer and more relaxed. Perhaps I would be able to sleep now.

As I lay in bed, about to drift off into a deep sleep, I realized what made the loud clicking noise. The epiphany jolted me awake.

The sound came from one of my largest climbing clips. I used it for hauling large amounts of cargo up and down cliffs. Stalwart was a rocky planet, and everyone knew how to climb. I knew it as well as I knew the sound of my voice, but I hadn't recognized it immediately due to the context.

Why would that sound be coming from Emmy's room?

I wasn't going get any sleep now. I hopped out of bed and was in the hall in seconds, positioning myself outside her door. My hand was poised to knock when I hesitated.

What if I imagined everything? Was she sleeping peacefully in bed at this moment? What if I woke her up, demanded to know about a vague clicking noise, and she told me to get the hell out of her room? It would not be an auspicious beginning to our union. Along with the chaste wedding night, it was shaping up to be an evening full of bad omens.

The security camera footage would let me see what was happening without disturbing her. It would also make me feel like a creep. It felt like invading her privacy and if she ever found out, she would be justifiably upset. Spying was out.

On the other hand, if something was wrong and she needed my help, I would kick myself for not going in sooner. My life had gotten pretty complicated in a few hours of marriage. I pressed my lips together and made a decision.

I knocked on the door and waited. I imagined Emmy would come sleepily to the door and ask me why I was bothering her. I had a story prepared that was mostly true. I could tell her I heard a suspicious noise in her room and wanted to investigate.

She would probably think I was coming in to seduce her. Would that be a bad thing?

The door wasn't opening. I waited, frowned at the door, and knocked again. No answer. When I tried opening the door, I discovered it was locked.

Either she was a sound sleeper or something was terribly wrong. What was happening inside that room? I scanned my retina on the lock, and the door slid silently open. I crept in quietly, not wanting to wake or disturb anyone in the room. It was dark and I felt like checking the window to make sure it was closed. The security system in the house was state-of-the-art, but you never knew what might happen.

I tripped and found myself falling onto my face, but I tucked and rolled at the last minute, avoiding a painful fall. I smiled to myself. The reflexes were still there.

Why had I tripped? I spoke a command to activate the lights, revealing a mess on the floor. I had tripped over one of my climbing ropes, which someone had clipped to the pole of the canopy bed. The line led to the window.

There wasn't a sign of Emmy anywhere.

Some of her clothes were still here, but her backpack was missing. I couldn't tell if she had taken any clothing with her, but it seemed clear she was gone. I didn't know where or why, but I had to get her back. Otherwise, this marriage would have been for nothing.

It took eight hours to retrieve the location of the gun. The information was available, but I had to go through a lot of government red tape to get it. If I had foresight, I wouldn't have needed to wait at all. I could have put a tracker under my control in the gun instead of relying on the government-provided chip. The decision could have saved me hours.

Instead, I had to wait until the office opened, then wait some more because there was a line of people in front of me. When it was finally my turn, I had been standing around for hours while someone else found my information and decrypted it. I never thought anyone would steal my weapon.

I stared at the screen, trying to interpret the data. The locator chip sent back information every ten minutes. I was looking at a map with flashing lights ranging from faint yellow all the way to dark red, showing where she had been. The brightest yellow indicated her first location and the red dot was a prediction of her current location.

After Emmy left my house, she made her way to the main city street. She made a couple of random stops, then headed directly to the spaceport. She intended to leave the planet.

The thought of her departure triggered a tremor in my heart. Why did that idea make my heart jump? I didn't know her. It didn't matter if she was my wife or not.

It seemed that she had moved around the spaceport. The darkest red dots showed her going away from the building again. Apparently she hopped into a car and was heading out onto the nearest freeway. That didn't make sense. If she was leaving the planet, why would she take a joyride back into the city? The next flight left in less than an hour.

I drew in a sharp breath and set the coordinates of my car to the loop outside the spaceport. Emmy was in trouble.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

EMMY.

I adjusted the scarf, pulling it tighter around my head. I wished I was already on the spaceship. I purchased the scarf as a disguise. There wasn't a place at the spaceport to buy something which could dramatically alter my appearance. I had no idea whether Abel's men were still on the planet, but since they knew I was here, it made sense for them to keep watch on the spaceport. How else would I get off this world?

Unfortunately, the scarf itself was a little garish and conspicuous. It hid my hair and most of my face, at least. It would make me harder to spot from a distance.

I hadn't seen anyone yet, but I wasn't going to let my guard down. Abel had access to a lot of credits. He could easily pay for a couple of guys to watch the spaceport for a few days.

Morley and I had known Abel for a long time. There was a time when Abel followed the unwritten rules and played the game correctly. But as his wealth increased, he began to think rules didn't apply to him. Once he had enough money, Abel wasn't interested in credits any longer. He turned his attention to the acquisition of ancient objects.

Once he revealed that his goal was to amass a collection so vast that three blocks of warehouses couldn't hold it all. He was going to put everything on display for his eyes only. He claimed he had nothing else in his life.

Abel loved the hunt, tracking down clues and figuring out puzzles constructed to hide precious artifacts and keep them away from people like himself. The thrill of the hunt was what made his sorry life worthwhile to him.

I sighed and shifted from one foot to the other. I wondered if it was bad luck to think about Abel before I was safely away from his men. If I could get on this ship, I could catch the shuttle to Sector 72. I could easily get a ride to Heralla on a private spaceship from there, leaving no digital trace for Abel's men to follow.

As long as I could arrive with enough of a head start, I could retrieve the ladle and bring it to the authorities. I was steps away from freedom, only one person away from getting on the spaceship, when I felt two men flank me. One was blond. The other had a square jaw.

"Hey there," a blond man said in a soft voice. "Take off the scarf, pretty lady. Let us see your face."

I felt fear gnawing at my stomach. I was sure Abel's men surrounded me. "I have a scar. I'd rather keep my face private, if you don't mind."

"If we get her back to our room, she can take off more than just her scarf. The boss said she had to be alive. He wouldn't mind if we played with her a little."

"I get her first," the blond man said, whispering so he wouldn't attract attention.

"No way. I'm not getting seconds after you. Me first."

"We'll share her, then. She has three holes. Plenty of room for both of us."

The jackasses started laughing. I ignored them, thinking about how I could get out of here.

Making a scene might get them arrested, but it might not either. I had seen police officers turn and look the other way while Abel's men beat a guy and made him disappear. His money put him out of the law's reach. It was even possible they already paid off the spaceport security. Something had made them bold enough to come up to me in the middle of the line.

As an alternative, I could let them take me and have them think I had given up. Once they thought I was docile, I could pull out the weapon I took from Ven. I wondered if it was possible to steal from your husband. Didn't I own half of everything now?

They would take me somewhere, thinking they could use my body. I would stun them and run away. I put my hand into my pocket, reassuring myself the weapon was still there. I had previously set it to the highest level before a lethal shot. I didn't want to kill anyone if I didn't have to.

"I'll go with you." It didn't take much effort to sound terrified. "Please don't hurt me."

"Don't be scared, sweetie. It isn't going to hurt. You're going to be begging for more."

"It might hurt if we both take her together."

I tried not to vomit at the thought.

"Abel's got a private ship flying in here with more people, but it will take a while for it to arrive. There's plenty of time for some afternoon delight back at the hotel room. When the spaceship arrives, we'll get on the shuttle, and you'll show us the ladle of mystery. Once the boss man's got his stupid spoon, maybe he'll give me some time off."

I tried to convince myself that I had the upper hand. We wouldn't make it to the hotel.

"Let's go right now." The blond man was getting excited. I tried to keep calm and notice the details around me. It was often the smallest things that could make a big difference.

He bumped into me, his hand squeezing my breast as he turned me around. They kept me trapped between them all the way out of the spaceport, leading me into a waiting car. The blond guy leaned forward to set the destination while the other man started feeling me up. The car pulled away from the curb, and I struggled to remain calm. Would I even get a chance to go for the gun?

The guy with the square jaw pressed something onto my upper arm. I tried to wipe it off, but it dissolved into my skin before I could do anything. I didn't have time to figure out what he had done because I was beginning to realize I was in big trouble. Tomorrow's problems would have to take care of themselves.

"You know something? We don't have to wait until we get to the hotel. These windows are tinted." He called out a command to make the glass dark so no one could see in. "She can start with a blow job."

He began unbuckling his pants. I realized I had miscalculated. I thought I would have more time. The blond man sat back and without any warning, pulled my shirt over my head. I was left sitting between them wearing only a bra on top. At least it was a sports bra.

"Nice tits," the blond guy said. Square Jaw was struggling with his zipper, which seemed to be stuck.

"Hold her right there." After a minute, Square Jaw was finally able to unzip his pants. Getting dressed must have been a challenge for him in the morning.

I knew I had to act now, or it would be too late to change anything. I pulled out the gun and fired at Pants Impaired, who slumped back. The blond guy was so surprised that he didn't react right away. I'm not sure he even knew what happened.

I aimed the gun at the blond man, ready to test my luck again. Before I could fire, he knocked it out of my hand. I jumped toward the door and was about to open it when he moved in front of me and slammed it shut.

Shit.

He grabbed the gun and pointed it at me.

"Turn around slowly and I won't shoot you. It doesn't matter to me either way, though. A woman doesn't have to be conscious to get fucked." His tone was conversational.

What a bastard.

I turned, trying to figure out my next move as I rotated. I didn't want to get shot. Even if the gun was set to stun, it could still damage my nervous system. After being hit, people often found they couldn't walk or they lost control over their arms. I shuddered at the thought.

Another problem was that his gun might be set to lethal.

He was holding all the cards. I cursed myself for wasting my opportunity. I leaned against the door. I didn't want to give up, but I already felt defeated. If I couldn't even get off the planet, there was no way I was going to be able to get all the way to Heralla.

Unbidden, I heard Morley's voice in my head, just as I had heard it many times in life.

"You won't get anything by telling yourself you can't. Whatever you tell yourself, your mind will try to make a reality. Fill your head with things that will help you, not hinder you."

He always thought I was too negative. Maybe I was. Thinking about Morley made me put my chin up and look at the bastard in the eye. I was in a tight situation now, but I would get out of it.

"What now, sweetheart?" he said. "Are you going to come with me willingly or do I have to drag you away to have some fun?"

The lowest setting on the gun made people temporarily frozen. Much later, when they had regained the ability to move, their mind was groggy. A man must have designed the weapon. No one had realized they had created the perfect gun for rapists.

"Don't shoot me. I'll do whatever you want."

"That's quite a change of heart. I'm not sure I believe you. You killed my friend."

"He's not dead." I crossed my arms over my barely-covered breasts and rolled my eyes.

"When I checked him, he wasn't breathing." He looked scared but had a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"A near-fatal stunning can cause a person to go into a practically catatonic state. The breathing rate slows down so much that you might not be able to see it. It doesn't mean he's dead."

"Is something the matter with you? You sound like a textbook!"

I shrugged. I had memorized some weapons specifications for a previous search. That was one thing that held my interest.

"You should check his pulse."

He slowly reached down to feel his companion's neck. I waited for an opportunity. When he dropped his eyes for a moment, trying to find the correct spot, I had my chance. His gun shifted and pointed in a different direction. Even if he fired his weapon the same instant I moved, it wouldn't hit me.

I lunged forward and smashed his hand, trying to either grab the gun or knock it away. He cursed, firing wildly. The blast missed me and hit the door. Something buzzed, and the aroma of burnt plastic filled the room. The idiot had fried the door shut.

We struggled against each other, both trying to get the gun. Then a thought occurred to me. What if he hadn't sealed the door shut but only damaged the computer controlling the lock? Even if the door wouldn't automatically open, the physical door handle might still work.

Of course, we were still speeding down a highway. Opening the door would lead to another set of problems.

The screen on my computer blinked, and I read a message, quickly twisting my forearm so my assailant couldn't see it. I stopped trying to grab the gun and felt around in a search for the door mechanism. When I found the handle, I pulled on it and the door opened. The wind rushed in, filling the vehicle with noise. It was a good thing my hair was tied back, or I wouldn't have been able to see anything. As it was, a few loose strands of my hair blew around wildly.

"What are you doing?" He didn't even try to grab me. "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe." I turned away and jumped out of the moving vehicle into traffic.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

EMMY.

Before I jumped, I evaluated the distance between the two cars. Ven's message to me said to open the door. There weren't any additional instructions, but what else could I do except jump? As long as the car next to me kept an even speed, I thought I could make it.

I hoped there weren't any intersections ahead.

The distance between the two cars was small. The computers allowed them to drift much closer together than a biological driver could. I thought it was about two feet to the next car. Even though I didn't have far to jump, we were still speeding down the freeway. If I missed, I was as good as dead.

I didn't stop to think. I took a moment to envision myself landing safely and jumped, sailing through the air. I knew I was moving quickly, but during the time I was airborne everything seemed to slow down. When I tumbled through the open door of the other car, I crashed and fell into a heap.