Mercenary Warden by Miles Rozak & Ethan Bristol

Author:Miles Rozak & Ethan Bristol [Rozak, Miles & Bristol, Ethan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Megaulcite Press

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Okay, so we split into two groups!” I said. “I’ll lead a team to sickbay for supplies. It’s only minutes from here.”

“That won’t work!” said Siwa. The bulbous-headed alien narrowed his eyes and pulled his daughter closer, who looked scared out of her mind. “If you split off into two teams, one of them will only have two members, and if one of those two is the killer…”

“Fine, so we all go to sickbay,” I said.

“And leave us here?!” Rosalynd countered. “What if the killer is one of them?” Her harried gaze flittered over the guests, too scared to linger on any one of them.

“It’s our only hope to save him!” Brody urged.

My breath caught at the next tiny voice to interject. “You’re not leaving us, are you?” It was Kadwa, staring at me across the table with those large trusting eyes.

Her look triggered a thought. Is this about responsibility? Is that why I put Vera off? Becoming a parent wasn’t for everyone. Becoming one would demand I step up—but here was the thing—I wanted to do that.

I shook off the distracted thought, hating myself for losing situational awareness—even for a second. I was here now—and these people needed me.

“No,” Zahn said. “They’re right. Our sworn duty is to protect the guests, so Scott, keep trying to hail emergency services and the flight deck from here.“ She went back to chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth.

But my comm wouldn’t connect, and after forty-five minutes, the doctor’s furrowed expression had turned more pale and grave.

“How long should we keep going?” Zahn said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“I suppose that’ll be enough,” said Dr. Kerding. “If he hasn’t revived by now, it’s safe to say he’s not coming back.”

Zahn rocked back on her haunches. “Dammit, Jack!” She punched his lifeless chest one more time. “Dammit! How was he poisoned?”

Brody looked on, eyes red with horror. “Someone must’ve spiked his drink.” He shot a look at Rosalynd, who was crouched at the edge of the guests.

The others fell quiet and looked her way, too.

Drake, who’d returned to our circle at some point, singled her out. “Was she the one at the bar?” he said, glaring.

The food worker’s eyes went wide. She clutched at her throat. “Don’t look at me! Why would I poison the head of security? He just saved us from megalizards!”

“Did you two have some kind of history you’re not telling us about?” Drake said, getting in Rosalynd’s face.

“No, no!” the woman protested.

“She’s telling the truth,” Zahn spoke up, pulling them apart. “Jack and I were seeing each other for almost three years. Even after we officially broke up, we stayed in close contact, and I was around him enough to know if he was… if he’d hooked up with someone.”

Fennimore’s partner, Bev, started weeping. “You’d better get to the bottom of this!” she screamed through mascara streaking her face. “You’re all supposed to protect us!”

“Well, if Jack was poisoned, someone in this room is a murderer,” Ordu Mahalian added.

“Who else was with him?” said Starnes, drawing his carbine and eyeing the crowd.

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