Stealing Trouble by A K DuBoff

Author:A K DuBoff [DuBoff, A K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BDL Press
Published: 2019-05-10T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8: Frenemies?

— — —

Triss checked around the hall to make sure they had all the booty bags. “We’re good. Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, Jack ran back to where he’d left Merica.

She was still squatting in the alcove, a frown darkening her face beneath the sleep mask. “What happened to the guards?”

“They’re just disabled, nothing serious,” Jack assured her.

“That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“Well, plans change.” He gripped her arm and pulled her to her feet. “Also, for supposedly being our captive, you’re talking and making demands an awful lot.”

“I thought I was hiring professionals who wouldn’t need direction,” Merica countered.

“Honesty time: we have no idea what we’re doing.” Jack held Merica’s elbow and encouraged her to jog toward the door through which his group had entered.

“Our original egress plan is shot,” Triss said as she jogged ahead of Jack.

Alyssa nodded while she helped Larry along. “Provided there aren’t guards waiting for us right outside the door, we should be able to make it to the crawler, at least.”

“Not that it will do a lot of good. Can all of us even fit in it?” Triss asked.

“It can support the weight,” Finn replied, “but it’ll be slow and we’ll be completely exposed.”

Alyssa frowned. “Is there any way to get the shuttle to us?”

“Not without disabling the shield,” Finn told her.

Alyssa looked to Trent. “How did you get planetside?”

“Dropped off. We were supposed to steal one of the guards’ transport shuttles to get back to the ship.”

“That’s a terrible plan!” Alyssa exclaimed.

Trent glared back. “It would have worked fine if you hadn’t shown up!”

Merica scowled. “Wait, you’re not together?”

“Long story,” Alyssa said with a groan.

“No time to argue! We need a way out of here,” Finn urged. “I can program a pick-up flight path for our shuttle if someone can bring down the estate’s shield.”

“No way I’m letting him set foot on our ship.” Triss glared at Trent.

He rolled his eyes. “What if we take your shuttle to my ship? If you can get it here.”

“Fine,” Alyssa agreed. “Finn, do what you have to do. Jack and I will take care of the shield. We’ll rendezvous at the crawler—the cloak will hide you until we get there.”

Jack handed the blindfolded Merica over to Trent. “No funny business.”

Trent scoffed. “You weren’t even supposed to be part of the abduction.”

“That’s beside the point.”

Alyssa handed over Larry to Triss.

“See you soon,” Triss said.

The five of them headed for the exit door.

“Where’s the shield generator?” Jack asked Alyssa while they took off in the opposite direction from their friends.

“Probably in a fortified bunker somewhere.”

“Then how are we supposed to take it out?!”

She gave a dismissive flip of her wrist. “No sense in trying to do it that way. We’ll just destroy the base.”

Jack’s brow knit. “And how do we do that?”

“By shooting it, of course.”

“Right, of course…”

Alyssa sighed. “Look, the field is meant to withstand an exterior assault. There’s virtually no protection on the interior of the field generators. All we have to do is fire a few well-aimed shots and the entire system will fail.

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