Infinite Justice by Shéa MacLeod

Author:Shéa MacLeod [MacLeod, Shéa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: futuristic, action, aliens, adventure, murder mystery, Space Opera, space
Publisher: Sunwalker Press
Published: 2019-06-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“YOU WANT ME TO MURDER someone?”

“That’s not what I said.” An edge of impatience crept into her voice. “If possible, I we need to capture him. The Syndicate will have questions.”

He crossed his arms. “And if we can’t capture him?”

“Then it’s an execution. He’s a serial killer. He’s evil. He was already judged and sentenced once before.”

Riders and captains had free reign to execute whomever they chose—as long as the person had been properly judged beforehand. Which, in Tannen’s case, he had.

“Wouldn’t killing him make me just like him?”

She barely refrained from an eye roll. “Execute him. It’s a rider’s job. Serial killers get two choices: lobotomy or death. Since this guy has a pile of victims from here to Luna, let’s just say option number one is out. So, if we can’t capture him...” She didn’t bother finishing the sentence.

“One problem.” He leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. His kilt rode up his thighs, revealing a delightful amount of tanned, muscular legs. She forced herself to ignore the view, poured a cup of coffee and joined him at the mess hall’s only table.

“And that problem is?”

“Technically, I am not a recognized Syndicate rider. You kill him, it’s execution. I kill him, it’s murder.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. In order to carry out rider duties, a person had to be licensed by the Syndicate Houses and the Confederacy of Riders, otherwise everyone would be running around shooting whomever they pleased. It would make the chaos of the last Old Earth war look like a Sun’s day picnic. The problem was, she couldn’t do this job alone if she wanted to get out of it alive. Tannen was far too dangerous, and she was particularly vulnerable. That’s why she was enlisting Xander.

“What do you care?” Zala snapped. “You’re a wanted terrorist.” If the Syndicate ever discovered who he really was, his life wouldn’t be worth living. But she wasn’t ready to let on that she suspected his true identity.

Xander laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I destroy only the evil and corrupt. I’d say ‘terrorist’ is a matter of perspective.”

“And you don’t think bringing down a serial killer who brutalizes his victims is equally important?”

His eyes locked with hers. “Of course it is, but it’s your job. Why do you want me to do it?”

“A ship usually has both captain and rider. Mine is deemed too small, so while I’m captain in truth, I am only rider by default. I need someone with more experience dealing with this kind of criminal.”

He frowned. “Why would they send such a small ship? Why not send you properly outfitted to do your job?”

“It’s a long story,” she said. And one she wasn’t willing to tell a virtual stranger. The Syndicate currently had no idea Tannen was alive or that she was tracking him. “Suffice to say the Syndicate feels my ship sufficient for the outer planets.”

“Not wasting their big ships on the ghetto, huh? Surely they trained you in the law so you could efficiently administer justice.

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