“Fuck this,” Celdrake said at last, motioning to two men in black, one with a weapon pointed at the fat man. “Help them get him up.”
With the five of them, they managed to lift Rigellus and drag him off the bridge. “On our way, boss,” Celdrake said with a wink, then cut the feed.
The Raven turned back to Ally, his eyes filled with an unreadable emotion. “How did you end up on that ship?”
Ally pursed her lips, fighting not to answer, but when he barked an order to tell him, she had to obey. “We bought passage to the Rings. When we boarded, we were knocked out. We woke up in chains, locked away.”
The Raven nodded, crossing his arms over his considerable chest. “Let’s have a little talk with the man who promised you a lift.”
Ally swallowed, wondering what he had planned. What was he doing on Rigellus’s ship in the first place? And now that she and her sister had been taken from the fat man’s grasp, were things about to get better?
Or would they end up a whole lot worse?
CHAPTER 7
LYK
Fury was boiling away inside him, but on the surface, he appeared completely calm. Lyk couldn’t believe he’d been laid low by that ridiculous flying creature. Then to have two females defeat the creature right in front of him while he was still unable to move? His pride was definitely stung.
But these things were not fueling his anger. They were inconsequential when he considered the fact that Rigel Rigellus just tried to kidnap the woman he’d come to think of as his own.
Lyk watched, his eyes like slits, as the men marched Rigellus onto his bridge. The fat man hung from their grip, limp, a sullen look in his eyes.
“Drop him,” Lyk said, and those holding him up did as instructed, dumping Rigellus onto the floor of the bridge.
The fat man rolled there like a turtle flipped on its back. Celdrake sauntered in and Lyk addressed him.
“Get the rest of his men off his ship and put them in the mess under heavy guard.” Turning to the two crew members of his that had helped drag the fat man here, he told them to return to Rigellus’s ship and prepare to pilot it.
“Why?” Celdrake asked. “We’ve got all the cargo off it already.”
“We’re taking the ship.”
The cyborg’s eyes widened. “Aye, she’s a fine vessel, but everyone knows that ship belongs to Rigellus. If the authorities catch wind of us cruising along in it—”
“They won’t.”
Confusion covered Celdrake’s face. “You can’t mean to sell it. Everyone would know it was hot. I suppose we could scrap it, let it be sold for parts.”
“We’re going to crash it.”
Celdrake laughed. “Any particular reason? We don’t usually mark our victims out for special treatment.”
“This is different.” Lyk looked down at the man who was still struggling to right himself. “This time, the captain is going down with his ship.”
“What?” Rigellus froze.
Celdrake nodded, his expression neutral, then exited the bridge to follow Lyk’s orders. Lyk turned to where the women he’d rescued stood. “This man promised to take you to the Rings, correct? And you paid him?”
His female nodded. “He said it was his sacred duty as a philanthropist.”
His upper lip curling, Lyk shoved at the pathetic figure on the floor with the tip of his boot. “Is that true? Did you say that?”
“I was taking them to the Rings,” Rigellus blubbered.
“Not as passengers,” Lyk snarled. “You were planning to sell them.”
“No!” The fat man finally managed to roll over and was attempting to push himself to his knees. “Slavery is illegal in this quadrant.”
