Chapter Two
O'Connell took his time working his way through the forest. He was pretty certain he knew where her ship was. He was also certain that Ashe was no longer on board, though the stone probably was. She wouldn't bother to take it with her into town. It would be safer onboard her ship. But then the stone was secondary. Ashe was his primary target. Ashe was what drove him forward. Ashe was the one he needed to run to ground. Ashe was his prey. Ashe…
The comlink on his sleeve vibrated, starling him. He tore the silver disk from his sleeve and barked, "What?"
"Miss you too, darling," Guun mocked.
"What do you need?" O'Connell sighed.
"A Distortion belt, Q7 bolts, a ton of them, and some really nice toilet paper. I'm tired of this sandpaper shit. Oh and coffee, we're almost out. And some real cream, if you can get it."
O'Connell tried not to laugh and failed. "You get so whiney when you're away from your mother."
"Uhmpf," Guun grunted. "I thought you were my mother! Oh that's right, you're my bitchy, ugly, older sister."
"Funny."
"Don't forget the coffee!" Guun grunted and then cut the connection.
O'Connell made a mental note of the supply list. Guun would be a bear to live with if he forgot the toilet paper or the coffee.
He paused at the town's gate. Foot traffic flowed through the village entrance with a sporadic rhythm. The animal population was large. But all of the bi-peds appeared to be human. Stepping through the village gates he paused for a moment, watching two obvious local militia frisk a turbaned merchant. Two more officers were rummaging through his cart, tossing merchandise onto the paved road. The merchant was turning purple in exasperation.
The town was noisy and crowded. Heavy on the air was the scent of cooked meat and beer. He glanced down a side street, calculating the possibility of her trying to hide in its darkness. He dismissed the idea. Ashe wasn't afraid of the dark, but she would prefer to hide in the open, right under his nose. That would give her a great deal more satisfaction. He sidestepped a couple of kids who seemed bent on relieving the merchant of his goods. The shorter of the two grabbed a scarlet robe from the ground then turned and grinned at him. The kid's blonde hair hung into his eyes, but O'Connell could have sworn he winked at him. Then the kid bolted up the street and disappeared into the crowd, the angry cries of the merchant trailing behind him.
"Cute kid," O'Connell sighed. He worked his way through the crowd, sidestepping the piles of animal dung and human debris. "Lovely village," he murmured to himself.
He scanned the crowds as he went. The human traffic seemed to be flowing up the street, most likely heading towards the village square. He passed a tavern, pausing only to glance inside. This place was too close to the front gate. She would go deeper. Head towards the center of town, if not slightly past it. He continued on up the street, taking in the location of the local tech shop, the sundry shop and the interesting placement of the local militia. They were armed well, X-36 with rapid pulsars. Yet they seemed sluggish and uninspired. O'Connell wondered if these guys ever saw any real action. They certainly weren't prepared for it, which made him wonder what or who actually was the law here.
At the top of the hill the street widened with a suddenness that was dizzying. The market center was easily a quarter of a click wide and filled with fishmongers, butchers, merchants and their stalls, their animals and their customers. The aroma of animal dung was strong and the cacophony of hawkers and their patrons was overwhelming. Searching the immediate area he noticed a mech stall a few yards to his right. Guun's voice echoed in his head. 'Q7 bolts, a ton of them.'
'First things first,' he murmured to himself, heading toward the stall. It took less than two steps before his eyes were caught and held by a large placard across the square. The faded wooden sign swung slowly in the light breeze, the image of a tankard of beer glistening in colors of gold and silver. O'Connell grinned, his mission for Guun on immediate hold. "Hello Mecca!"
Below the sign in bold script was painted, 'Mirium's'. As he made his way across the crowded market his gaze continually swept over the crowd, searching for her hair, it would be very blonde in the sunlight. She would probably be tucking it behind her ear, her eyes scanning the crowd as anxiously as his.
The tavern door was partially open and he stood in the doorway a moment, his eyes adjusting to the change in light. The tavern was filled; merchants, tradesmen, the opulently wealthy, and the ever-present pickpocket. O'Connell grinned as he sized up the crowd. Other than a dark corner near the back, the tavern's customers held no surprises. O'Connell worked his way towards the bar, trying to get into a position where he could see whomever might be in the darkened corner. He doubted it would be Ashe, she wouldn't be here. This place wasn't her style.
As he took a stool and leaned onto the bar he felt a pair of full firm breasts press against his back. A deep, languid voice poured into his right ear, "Hello stranger." Long fingernails brushed back the hair above his ear.
"M'am." He turned to her, one eye on the massive bosom that came into view, one on the darkened corner.
"Where you from, handsome?" Her eyes and hair were black, her skin a light caramel. Her lips were full and painted red and her smile was dazzling.
O'Connell grinned. "Nowhere in particular, kid. How about you?"
In mock protest, she opened her mouth just enough so that he could see her moist tongue. Then she grinned. "Same place. Isn't that a coincidence?"
"Absolutely." O'Connell could smell the spicy tang of her musk. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of light in the darkened booth. A pair of eyes glared at him for a moment through the flame of the match and then faded into darkness. 'Definitely not Ashe,' he thought. 'Unless she's developed a nasty five o'clock shadow.'
The impressive bosom was pressed against him once again. "Do you find it lonely here, handsome? So far away from nowhere in particular?" the last was whispered in his ear, her breath sending shivers down his neck.
He grinned at her. "Not at the moment."
She smiled and then reached up to the bodice of her dress. With one swift movement she unlaced the front of her dress, reveling large, rounded breasts that curved gracefully down to the darkened erect nipples. Her stomach lay bare, flat and toned, and he could just make out the dark, inviting warmth between her legs. 'Damn. This is a great tavern,' he murmured to himself.
"Come with me then. I will keep you warm. You will not be lonely tonight, I can assure you." She pressed her now naked breasts against his arm and he found himself wishing he was not wearing a leather jacket. Still, tempting as those breasts were, shacking up with a companion for the night was not in the game plan.
"Listen gorgeous…" O'Connell began.
"You would deny me?" She leaned in closer, her lips pressed against his, her hands in his hair. She glanced, ever so quickly, towards the darkened booth in the corner and O'Connell groaned.
'Wonderful,' he thought. 'I'm being set up.'
He could feel the goons descend upon him before he saw them. One to his right and one directly behind him. There was no movement yet from the darkened corner. With a sigh, he leapt from the stool and in one swift motion he turned his back to the bar and grabbed the girl's wrist yanking her in front of him. Her squeal of pain brought him a moment of satisfaction. He pinned her against him with his left hand while using his right to grab the barstool, swinging it at the closest goon. The other patrons quickly scattered and he wondered how often this scenario played itself out. There was a resounding crack as the stool connected soundly with the idiot's head. O'Connell grinned as the man dropped to the floor, motionless. The second goon glanced at his friend and scowling, lunged. O'Connell thrust the stool like a lance, but this idiot was slightly more prepared than his companion and the stool glanced off the fool's left shoulder.
The man tried to lunge at him again, a large deadly looking blade in his right hand. O'Connell held onto the girl, his arm digging into her soft expansive bosom until she gasped. He moved her between himself and the goon, using her as an effective shield. The idiot tried to lunge again, aiming for the one spot she was not covering, his right shoulder. O'Connell swung the stool, still in his right hand, backward and away. As the idiot became committed to his awkward lunge at O'Connell's right shoulder, O'Connell stepped to the left, the stool swinging backward in a powerful arch. The goon lunged passed him, missing him entirely. O'Connell, the barstool just reaching the apex of its arc, pivoted, allowing the stool to finish its orbit and smash into the back of the goon's head. The idiot dropped like a sack of dirt.
O'Connell tossed the stool and gripped his hand instead around the butt of his M-9. After watching her friend's skull get crushed, the woman had become a very passive human shield. Keeping her tight against him, he spun around so they faced the darkened corner. The intensity of the angry glare from its occupant was enough to convince him that this was the real threat.
He heard a slow, rhythmic clapping emanate from the darkness. The shadowed figure stood, and stepped into the tavern light. O'Connell was surprised by the man's finely cut clothes. His black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, his dark brown eyes gleamed with annoyance and respect. The man was unshaven, but O'Connell realized it was more for effect than sloppiness.
'Who the hell is this guy?' O'Connell thought.
"Well done, sir. Well done. Of course, these men are expensive, so I am not altogether pleased. Still, better to weed out the weak now then wait until a moment of consequence." He made an almost imperceptible gesture with his hands and two men jumped from a nearby booth and dragged the unconscious goons from the room.
O'Connell held the girl firmly against him, his grip on the M-9 equally firm.
"If you would be so kind, Lariana I am sure, would love to be released. She appears rather anxious," his tone and words suggested compassion, however the look he gave the girl was filled with contempt.
Though he would have sworn it was physically impossible, O'Connell felt the girl pull even closer to him. The indication that she was more afraid of her boss than him made him pause. "I 'd love to, right after you explain yourself."
The brown eyed man raised an eyebrow. "Explanation? I would have thought that was obvious. An introduction might be more appropriate. Marcus K'rier, Territory Holder, Privateer," he said and paused, allowing his title a moment to impress. "And you are?"
"Not here for any length of time." O'Connell pushed Lariana towards the bar, away from himself and the arrogant arse. That was all he was willing to do for her. Much as he might feel for the girl, she had made her own bed.
"Come, come now. I am impressed with your… talents." Marcus gestured to place on the floor where his goons had lain. "Perhaps I might have some work for a man of your qualifications."
O'Connell began to work his way towards the door. "Thanks for the offer. But I'm afraid I will not be here for long. And my talents… are presently occupied with another matter."
Marcus made a tsk tsk sound. It annoyed the hell out of O'Connell. "I hate to see a good man go. However, I am certain we shall see each other again soon." He smiled, it was greasy and arrogant and with a sinking feeling O'Connell knew he was going to have to watch his back.
He stepped out of the bar into the fading evening sunlight. He had to decide to either hold up here for the night, keep looking for Ash, or get Guun his supplies and head back to the ship. If she left the planet he could track her easily enough. It was while she was here that she eluded him. Cities, towns, remote villages, that was her domain. His was space. Still, he glanced around the square taking in the nearby inns and restaurants; the city itself didn't appear to be too extensive. Perhaps a night in the town might well allow him to find her. Find her and punish her.
'Of course,' he thought, 'Guun is going to be pissed.'