Stealing Coal Read online

  “Dig in and hold him,” Jill yelled.

  Two popping noises assured her that Arm followed her order. Jill winced again. Floor panels were difficult to fix but then the shuttle shot forward fast and the engines powered to maximum. Pain tore up both Jill’s arms as she clung to the wall to avoid being thrown around. Arm didn’t move and he kept hold of the cyborg. Jill’s weapon wasn’t so lucky. Metal scraped the deck before it slammed into a far wall. Once again she wished for better gravity stabilizers.

  “We are clear, evasive maneuvers, and full burn.” Roid’s girlish voice could barely be heard over the racket the engines made. “I’m not reading any hull breaches.”

  As soon as the vibrations were manageable Jill released the wall and turned to face her guest. He’d recovered from the astonishment of Arm, his attention now fixed on Jill when she moved forward.

  “Hi. I’m Jill.” She paused, not sure what exactly to say to the cyborg since she hadn’t planned to steal him in the first place. “In three days we’re going to reach Hixton Station in the Gambit system. When we get there I’ll set you free and give you enough money to shuttle you wherever you want to go.”

  The cyborg had really beautiful but frightening dark eyes. He gave her a chilly stare but said nothing though his full lips pressed tightly together. He took a deep breath but didn’t speak as seconds ticked by.

  “Okay, I guess you don’t want to share your name. That’s all right. You’re aboard my shuttle. I’m a trader, and against my better judgment I couldn’t leave you behind after I heard what they were planning to do to you.”

  He still didn’t respond but instead watched her until it made her nervous. She knew he could speak and that he understood English since she’d heard him make threats. The silence grew uncomfortable. Jill backed away a few steps since she could practically feel the angry vibes coming off the big gray guy. She shifted her gaze to Arm.

  “I’m going to send Roid in here to babysit our guest. Do not release him.”

  “Understood.”

  “I thought you stated I’d be freed.” The cyborg’s raspy voice startled her.

  Jill met his cold gaze. “I said I’d free you when we reached Hixton Station.”

  He fought the chains, his body tensing when he strained, but the restraints held. Pure rage narrowed his glare.

  “I’m not breeding with you.”

  She took another step back, reeling from his staggering announcement, and skimmed her gaze over his gray skin. His words sank in and unless he spoke a different version of English, which she highly doubted, his words implied sex. She openly gawked at his powerfully built chest and ran her gaze down his long, massive body. She shivered with fear at the mere concept. He was the biggest male she’d ever seen, besides her bulky androids.

  “No worries there. I’m not suicidal and you aren’t my type. I didn’t steal you for sex.”

  “That’s why females keep males tied down and restrained. If you aren’t going to force breed me then release me now.”

  “I don’t know you and I enjoy having the ability to keep breathing. You’re going to stay restrained until I know that you won’t hurt me.” She paused. “That will be when I have Arm push you onto Hixton and release you after you’re off my shuttle.”

  He literally growled at her. It was a deep, scary sound that reminded her of a vicious dog she’d once found trapped in a ditch. She’d rescued it and the thing had promptly bitten her once she pulled it to higher ground. She subconsciously rubbed the scar on her upper arm. No good deed goes unpunished. She could still remember her aunt’s voice telling her that as she’d tended Jill’s wound twenty years earlier.

  Jill backed up, putting more distance between them. “Okay then. You stay here and growl. I’m going to go pilot the shuttle but one of my androids will make sure you’re fed if you’re hungry. I’m well stocked so you’ll have plenty to eat as my guest.” Her gaze flicked over his body once more. He didn’t look as if they’d starved him. She turned away. “Just tell one of them you’re hungry when you want to eat.”

  “What is it?”

  She froze, and then frowned over her shoulder. The cyborg stared up at Arm, studying him with a perplexed expression. Arm watched him too. She took a deep breath.

  “He’s a military android I found and salvaged. Earth Government had tossed him into a trash heap on a dump planet. His name is Arm and he’s not an ‘it’. I have two more of them, Roid and Fray. Please don’t call them anything but their names. I’m very fond of my guys. They won’t hurt you but they won’t take orders from you either. Their first priority is protecting me. They are loyal and it’s a rare trait these days that I appreciate.”

  The cyborg frowned at her. “I’m going to break free and take control of your ship. I may show you mercy for saving me by not killing you.”

  “Great,” Jill muttered, storming toward the door. “It’s official now. I really am a sucker. I’m going to have it tattooed on my ass in big block letters.”

  Chapter Two

  “He’s requesting to be freed from the chains.” Roid hesitated. “Arm stated he’s our man. We should release him. He isn’t acting irrational.”

  Jill wished she’d learn to think before she did things. If she did, she wouldn’t end up in these messes. “He’s dangerous so, no, you can’t free him. He’s to remain locked down. Did you feed him?”

  “Yes, Jill.” Roid watched her. His two-colored eyes were sparking, making her feel guilty for not being able to fix him properly. She had to look away not to flinch when his left eye flickered on and off rapidly.

  “Just tend to him and make sure he has what he needs.” She checked the screen again to make sure the freighter wasn’t coming after them. She knew when they’d blown their docking door seals that it would slow the freighter down, hopefully damage the bigger ship enough to keep them from coming after her at all, while they made repairs. She wanted to put a lot of space between them before they recovered. “I’m going to stay here and keep monitoring space to make sure that freighter isn’t in range.”

  “It would be irrational of them to hunt us.”

  “They are people, not computers, and logic doesn’t mean a thing to them. Humans are emotional and they really seemed to want to keep the guy in the cargo hold. Some people get pretty testy when you steal something they highly value.” She hoped Roid understood.

  “May I move him into your quarters?”

  “Why?” The question surprised her. “I told you to keep the cargo hold warm so he’d be comfortable. I remember he’s not fully dressed.” The memory of the mostly naked cyborg flashed in her mind. All those muscles he had were fascinating. She pushed that image aside, knowing how wrong it was. “If he’s cold, adjust the heat again.”

  “You have a bed. Real people sleep on those.”

  Jill turned her head, bit her lip, and looked directly into Roid’s sensors. “I don’t know how to explain it to you but that wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  “Is he not a real person?”

  Shit and hell. Sometimes trying to teach androids things had to be the most difficult thing she faced in her day-to-day life. The androids tried hard to learn everything they could and she even considered them friends. She knew they weren’t actual living beings, but they had the ability to adjust as they picked up new facts to save in their programming, and they were all she had. She tried to go with logic since she couldn’t exactly tell Roid that there was no way she could sleep feet away from a chained male who wanted nothing better than to break free. As for having him sleep in her bed? She pushed that thought away fast, not even willing to go there.

  “He’s real but he needs to be where he is. Real people don’t share a bed or quarters unless they are a couple, which we’re not. He’s going to have to make do until we reach Hixton Station. While I’m thinking about it, could you please go through storage and see if you can locate some of those discarded men’s clothing we have onboard and see if something might fit our guest?