Jack this heart, p.4
Jack This Heart, page 4
“You make a lot of noise.”
She jumped again and this time almost fell out of the seat. “Double fuck. You think you could not sneak up on people?”
The chuckle that echoed around the room, a low sound she couldn’t identify as male or female, had her skin breaking out with chill bumps.
“I get paid to be sneaky. You left a message and Bridget wants to know if you have the designs.” Stepping out of the dark shadows in the corner of the room, one of Bridget’s spies came into view. They were covered head to toe in dark fabric, wrapped up like some sort of monster from ancient Earth stories. Their eyes glowed faintly, a reminder they were enhanced. Several assassins had found moonie doctors willing to try experimental surgeries with less concern about the safety of the humans they operated on.
“You can see in the dark, but what other tricks did they give you?” She sat up straight in her chair and crossed her legs and arms. Show strength, not fear.
“It doesn’t matter what enhancements I possess. Answer the question or I add pain to the situation.” They spoke dispassionately as if the end goal didn’t matter.
Shannon took a minute to analyze this spy, most likely a hired assassin. They weren’t much bigger than her. She could try to make a run for it if needed, let out a scream. “I don’t have the designs. It’s near impossible to gain access to them. The mechanics bay is locked down tight enough even you can’t infiltrate it.”
The glow in their eyes increased, damn near predatory. “The point isn’t if I could… This is your bargain. You didn’t meet it, so you die.”
They started to approach and for a split second Shannon froze. The fear slid through her veins, as if infusing to her bones. Imminent death. No one kills me, I choose my fate.
She leaned over and grabbed the bag at her feet with one hand, while she gripped the talisman she wore around her neck with the other. She tossed the bag toward the approaching assassin and it hit them in the stomach.
They stopped as the bag fell to the floor at their feet, having no impact other than to get a glance from them. “That’s the best defense you have? It’s not a bomb.”
“It’s flash. A portion of the debt I owe. Take that to Bridget and let her know I’ll have what she needs within two weeks. Just two more weeks.” Time was all she wanted.
“This doesn’t change the payment promised.”
“I’m aware.” She’d figured it wouldn’t, even though a nicer person might have been willing to negotiate. There was a lot of crinkle in the bag, enough to get Shannon close to buying a small lot on a Jupiter moon. She could’ve run.
The assassin spy picked up the bag. “I’ll relay your request, but if she doesn’t accept, expect my return.”
Shannon nodded. “Fine, whatever. I’ll keep working in the meantime.”
They gave no additional response, just stepped into the shadows and disappeared from sight.
Shannon didn’t recall a hole in the wall there or even a tunnel, but she was far too concerned with her survival to bother finding out. She stood and kept her focus on that corner as she made to exit the building. Once outside, she strolled toward the Watering Hole. She’d stay there until close.
* * * *
The next morning, she arrived at the mechanics bay doors just as the starting bell chimed, signaling the beginning of the workday for the miners, mechanics, brewers, horticulturists, airponics workers and more. The town of Frog Lick became a veritable cornucopia of folks heading to and fro with smiles, friendly greetings and playful banter… It’s strange.
Hell, they even had a school for the kids. Her gang-town, Zephyr, believed children needed to occupy themselves while the adults worked. Forget reading and writing—any education at all was forged by watching, and since most folks didn’t care, those in Zephyr ended up not amounting to much unless they fought for what they wanted. Or got sold off.
There were times she didn’t regret escaping this hell-hole of a planet. Though maybe if more places were like Frog Lick, it wouldn’t be so damn awful. Stop thinking fantasies.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jack’s aggravated tone helped wash away her fruitless musings.
She glanced over at him and tried not to be attracted to those deep blue eyes that looked at her with dislike. She was the one trying to help him. Spacehole.
“You said we leave today. Just trying to figure out the plan.”
“I was going to come by this afternoon. Have some stuff I need to wrap up, then pack the vehicle with supplies—”
“We’re taking the racer?” Maybe her luck might finally change.
Jack snorted. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Been angling for a look at that damn thing ever since you showed up. No, we’re taking a hauler. As soon as the bell rings for the day, we’ll depart.”
She relaxed against the metal wall of the building, soaking up the warmth already gathering from the rising sun, then she adjusted the sun goggles over her eyes. “Why is it when I’ve only ever tried to help you and your friends, you always think the worst of me?”
“My father always said if it talks shit, it probably is—”
The double doors to the mechanics bay burst open and Snapper stepped outside. “Jack, the hell? We need you right now. I need extra torque and…oh, sorry, didn’t know you were in the middle of something. Hello, Shannon. Hope you’re having a good morning.”
Shannon gave Snapper a nod. “It’s good to know one of you cyborgs has manners. Might do your friend Jack a favor and teach him how to be polite to people. Especially the person who’s going to risk her neck to save his life.”
Jack gave a half-chuckle, half-snort. “You’re acting like you’re doing this because you care, but you’re getting paid for it. Quit pretending. When you stop with the fake sentiment and want-to-be-friends routine, maybe I’ll bother being polite to you.”
“You must have been seriously tricked as a child to be so mistrusting. Did momma or poppa not feed you enough? Maybe they didn’t spend any time with you?”
The scowl on Jack’s face turned downright predatory…something she’d only seen on people with a mind to murder.
He opened his mouth to say something then immediately closed it, stomping off past Snapper and into the bay.
Snapper let out a low whistle. “Damn, I mean…he’s the one we consider nice. The lady charmer. For you to piss him off so bad he looks ready to strangle something, my people and my woman are not going to be thanking you today.”
“Just tell him I’ll be ready to go at the bell, and I’ll be at the shack you call a doctor’s facility.” She decided to walk off then, adjusting her goggles against the sun’s rays. The accusations Jack hurled her way weren’t lies, but it damn well pissed her off. Especially when she had problems just like he did, and she was doing her best to solve them.
Only no one will let me.
* * * *
“You really hate that woman. Why?” Snapper asked, marching up next to Jack.
Bent over, wrench in hand and loosening a bolt, Jack debated on responding because the truth would be childish and ridiculous. The other option made him sound more like Snapper than he ever cared to be.
Snapper tapped the bumper with his cybernetic arm. “Not leaving until you give me something because I don’t like the idea of putting you two in a hauler heading on a cross-country mission of mercy. She knows how your cybernetics work and she could kill you.”
Jack chuckled, at first in a self-deprecating way then with a little more conviction. Of course, the woman who wore the necklace he’d made for his mother a long time ago would be the very person who was supposed to save his life. Irony at its finest. The god, goddess…whatever fucking deity created this hellscape had come back to deliver agony on him in multiple ways
And I only ever did good things.
Or at least Jack thought he had. “Think of it this way.” He moved out from underneath the hood and stood up straight, the wrench in one hand and the loosened bolt in the other. “If she kills me, you and Drag won’t have to pay her.”
“Yeah, but then it’s a revenge mission. You’re our brother.”
“Not by blood.” Compared to the rest of the leaders of Full Throttle, he was the outsider. The leftover from the previous gang who stuck around because where the hell else did he have to go? Frog Lick was his home, the mechanics bay his second skin, the refuge when a woman’s arms didn’t cut it.
“You’re family regardless.” Snapper smacked on his metal arm. “This, your leg, the nanites running through our blood connect us together. We went through an ordeal, a transformation, and lived. So, stuff those impostor thoughts back in the hole they emerged from and tell me what the hell about this woman is driving you nuts?”
Jack opened his mouth then closed it. What the hell did he say?
“For the first time he’s attracted to someone and doesn’t know how to act?” Hemi stepped up then.
“I’m not—”
“Don’t even lie. I’ve watched you give her more than a few visual appraisals.”
Jack shook his head. “Yeah, but I was going to say I’m not going to intrude on another brother’s territory. Or fuck with a potential business arrangement.”
That was the reputation he’d built. The ladies liked him, they entertained him and he kept a select clientele happy until they found something permanent. But he wasn’t in the market for something built to last long term. At least that was the lie he sold them on.
Because you were waiting for the necklace. Fuck.
“Another brother?”
“He means me.” The announcement came with the slide and grind of Hemi’s too heavy walk, his inability to perfectly balance himself with his cybernetic half and human side. Add in the click of the cane he used and Jack could have sworn Hemi might be able to create his own music.
Snapper cocked his head to the side. “You got the hots for your nurse, Hemi?”
“If I do, the feelings are not mutual.”
Snapper laughed as he glanced between the two of them. “You both are ridiculous. Jack, finish up whatever you’re tweaking on that hauler. Then meet up with me and Drag in the office, before the finish bell. We should go over some details.”
Jack gave a single nod and watched Snapper walk off, shaking his head. Hemi kept moving until he stood beside Jack.
“So, traveling to Auster…with Shannon.”
He’d barely slept contemplating the sheer insanity. Auster…hell, Jack had never ventured outside Wespero except the one time he’d had to race in the main dome in Aurora territory. Even then, he’d traveled with a crew from Frog Lick.
“Yeah, seems like the dumbest idea I’ve had yet. How about you go instead?”
Hemi shook his head. “I’m damaged goods. Can still barely walk. Sure, you’re not peak health, but you can handle yourself a bit better than I would be able to.”
Jack shrugged. “Maybe. But don’t dismiss yourself. You’re learning and the adjustment takes time.”
“Yeah…sure. Is it true though? The nanites are degrading?”
Jack glanced around, looking for interested glances. Sure, everyone in the bay had been vetted, but gossip in this small town only fueled concerns for the coming races. Everyone was already feeling nervous with losing Full Throttle’s shipbuilding permits and the inability to sell Marsanium. They were starting to fill up spaceship hangers with the stuff.
“It’s only affecting me. Let’s leave it at that. Shannon happens to know someone who might be able to fix the issue, but everyone else is fine.”
The deep sighs coming from his friend were bothersome. “All right, I’ll leave it lie. Just…treat her good, not like those other women you’re always hanging around.”
“Hemi…I am not interested in that way.” Not exactly true, but physicality and desire needed to be put to a halt. Even if the necklace around her neck meant otherwise to him.
“Denial is a hard beast to beat, but I’ll say this—I like her, and I want her to come back. She doesn’t put up with my bullshit and has helped me a lot. Her skills with this cybernetic crap are no lie.”
Jack waved him off. “Nothing to worry about here. Let me fix this damn hauler so we can make sure to leave after the quitting bell. The sooner we’re gone, the sooner we’re back.”
And he’d get some damn peace and quiet for a few hours. He didn’t want to talk about Shannon anymore. Not about her knowledge, her likability or her looks. The fucking way she acted all tough, even when she didn’t have the upper hand. Her snarky retorts, that curly dark brown hair he wanted to plunge his fucking hands into and grab hold of.
Jack shook his head with a growl and Hemi laughed. “All right. Looks like you’ll punish yourself more than I ever will. Later.”
The work on the hauler went a little smoother after Jack got some alone time, though his body seemed intent on penalizing him, from dropped wrenches, to miscalculating the distance between his head and the engine cover. An hour or so before the final bell, he’d managed to get the hauler tuned up, extra fuel in canisters and supplies assembled.
His mood hadn’t improved. Leaving Frog Lick with barely four weeks before the next race bothered him. There were obligations he needed to meet. And you need a functioning body to meet them.
Jack squeezed his fists together and took a deep breath. He’d have to let go of this animosity toward Shannon and pray she could deliver on her promises. Because already his worst fears were starting to come true—becoming of a shell of himself…like his father.
Nope, not ending up like him.
“Hey, Jack…are you wrapped up? Drag wanted a minute.” Gina poked her head around the hauler. She stepped out, spreading her hands out over the hauler’s side panel as she looked at the engine. “This looks good. You cleaned it up?”
“Yeah, no sense in traveling across Mars looking like another hunk of junk.” The truth was he’d gotten lost in menial tasks, letting his mind wander. Debating the possibilities of the future, of what could go wrong on the road with Shannon and thinking a few scenarios he needed to shake away versus embrace. That damn necklace Shannon wore fueled those musings. Wish I’d never noticed it.
“Well, I wouldn’t want you to draw attention to yourself.”
He shrugged. “Doubtful. This hunk of metal will be covered in dust within the first couple hours. Tell Drag I’m coming.”
Instead of turning and leaving, she approached him, closing the gap. He noticed her movements were hesitant as if she couldn’t understand how he might react.
“Everything okay?”
“I just don’t like you traveling alone, without one of us.” She reached and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Come back safe and make good decisions because without you…well, I don’t want to think about Full Throttle without Jack. And it’s only one month until the next race.”
He chuckled a little bit. This outward display of affection from Gina was a little weird, especially when she saved all of her emotional output for Snapper. “If I didn’t know better, I might think you had a crush on me, Gina.”
“A crush? Is that the same concept as smothering something?”
The small laugh he had turned into a big one. “No, but an interesting comparison. I’ll make sure I come back. That’s a promise.”
Gina frowned. “Then you better keep it.”
Chapter Six
Jack tapped on the door to Snapper’s office before entering. The door itself was open, with Snapper and Drag inside. They were seated, sharing cups of amber liquid and chatting as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
The grins on their faces, the casual relaxation in their frames…This shit he would miss. Quit thinking like you’re already dead.
The friendships he’d made, though limited, had helped buoy him in a place where he’d felt alone for years. The cybernetic connection they all had gave him a bond to people in ways that meant more than blood.
They shared limitations, fears and plenty of strengths. Without those common things—
“You just going to stand in the door, or do you want a drink?” Snapper asked and Drag glanced over his shoulder at him.
No more sulking in the doorway.
“I’ll pass on the drink. Want to be fully alert for the trip.”
Drag nodded his agreement. “Good call. I already like how you’re thinking about this and wanted to talk to you about Shannon and going into Auster.”
“What about it?” Jack moved further into the room, toward Snapper’s bookshelves along the wall. There was an extra chair, but he’d be sitting enough the next week. Standing made him feel stronger, allowed him to push back the doubts and fears his leg would give out at any moment.
“Be prepared for anything. She says she has someone who can help, but help doesn’t come for free. Watch for the double cross and, if you feel it’s necessary, ditch her once she gets you access to the tech we need. We can pay her when she makes her way back here. Gina is capable of figuring out the rest.”
Jack bunched his eyebrows, disliking the uncomfortable sensation gathering in his chest at the idea of Shannon hurt. “Gina would kill Shannon?”
Snapper blew out a sharp burst of air, then laughed. “No, she can take care of inputting the tech. Gina’s not hurting anyone.”
Relief flooded him, releasing some tension held in his sternum, stress that had coiled tight at Drag’s words. Already, the necklace, the memories, the silent promises he’d made based on the stories his father had shared—Jack had pinned his future on a piece of jewelry and knowing it was back seemed to affect all his intentions. Shit.
Jack faced toward the shelves, fingering the spines of the books there. Old engine manuals, assembly pages and tales of different types of engines.
“Can you do that, Jack? Put yourself first?” Drag took a sip and when Jack found himself unable to speak right away, Drag continued. “You said it yourself—we can’t trust her. Nothing’s changed, correct?”
