The weapons clattered to the floor and hands were raised. Gemma peered around the chair, wondering how this Kange person would react.
“I tried to warn the commander,” he said at last, his voice rugged. “I told her to have me with her when she met you, but these damn felines are always trying to cheat you.”
Cal shrugged, moving closer to the man while Juston used his powers to freeze the remaining guards. “They’ll only hold so long,” he cautioned. “I’m at my limit.”
It had been their biggest question, how long Juston’s powers would hold. Cal’s hadn’t had time to recharge. That meant they’d have to fight their way back off the ship somehow.
“How’d you know about the cloak?” Cal asked the man.
Kange gave him a sly grin. “I charge for that kind of information.”
“How about I let you keep your life? Or is that not valuable enough for you?”
Kange shrugged. “I guess that depends on whether I believe you can take it from me.”
Gemma rose, moving forward. “Guys, this macho slap fight is cute and all, but maybe we should start saying our goodbyes.”
“It looks like at least one of you has some sense,” Kange said, then turned to look at Gemma and froze. “Ah, that’s interesting.”
“Interesting?” Cal growled, holding his weapon up to the back of Kange’s head. “Keep your eyes elsewhere, bounty hunter. Or you’ll see how quickly I can take that life you think so highly of.”
Gemma frowned. There was something about Kange, something that made him more than an ordinary human. He had a secret, and he knew much more than he was letting on.
“I think your female companion is right,” Kange said. “You should probably get back to your vessel before someone finds out you’ve been here.”
“They’re not going to find out,” Cal said. “We won’t leave any evidence.”
Gemma’s eyes widened. She knew what he meant. Cal was going to murder the bounty hunter. Before she could protest, Kange kicked out, knocking Cal off balance.
The man was quick, almost a blur, and he landed another blow on the Vartik. Juston fired a shot at him but he dove between the frozen felines.
Cal scrambled after him but stopped when he reached the knot of unmoving guards. “Where the fuck did he go?”
“What?” Juston asked, circling around the cats. “He’s gone? How?”
Gemma was stunned. She’d seen the man disappear between the cats. He had to still be there. Unless he could turn invisible.Even then, you’d be able to touch him.
She moved closer, investigating the loose grouping of frozen Vanfians. “Guys,” she said after a moment. “There’s one more guard here.”
Juston shook his head. “What are you talking about?”
“She’s right,” Cal said. “There were four guards that went for Kange, and four that stayed here. That makes eight. But there’s nine here.”
“Shit.”
Gemma moved closer, inspecting each feline, looking for imperceptible differences.
“What are you doing?” Cal asked, drawing closer.
“One of these has to be the bounty hunter.”
Juston groaned. “We don’t have time for this. My powers are tapped and so are yours. We’ve got to get while the getting’s good.”
“We can’t just leave Kange here. He knows too much.”
“And no doubt he’s told everyone what he knows already. Or enough people to make it a moot point. Let’s go.”
“Not with a chance of being stopped,” he said. “As soon as we leave this room, Kange pops back out and we’re fucked.
