Bounty Hunter

Chapter 18

As the door swung outward, he stepped out, firing shots above the girl's head. He took out three murcs before they unslung their rifles. The child fell to her knees and covered her head.

Sloan stumbled behind the remaining murc, who had his rifle in his hands. Joe fired without hesitation, and the guard fell.

Sloan blanched. "Don't shoot!"

Joe was pulling the trigger when alarms went off outside. Joe immediately relaxed his finger but kept the blaster aimed at his mark. All the murcs in the barracks would be running outside, cutting off Joe's escape route. He'd never be able to sneak off the farm now. He scowled, wanting very much to strangle Val for screwing up what was intended to be a run-of-the-mill assassination. Now, he'd need a miracle...or leverage.

He took a step toward Sloan.

"Don't hurt me," the man pleaded. "H-here, take these. I have more where they came from." Sloan held out the credits the girl had stolen.

Joe swiped the coins and handed them to the girl. Then he grabbed Sloan by the shoulder and shoved him forward, pressing the barrel of his blaster in the rich man's back. "You're my ticket out of here. You play along or else you're going to be able to whistle tunes through several new holes in your chest."

"Anything! Just don't kill me!" the man blathered.

Joe glanced at the girl. "Stay behind me, kid. We're getting out of here."

She stepped tentatively toward him at first, then closed the distance to grab onto his belt.

Joe tapped his armlet to make a call. Val answered on the chime.

"I need a pickup," he said.

"I'm a little busy right now."

"Make yourself unbusy."

"Fine. Where?"

"I'm coming through the front door."

"I'll be there in five minutes."

"Make it two." He hung up.

"Where are you taking me?" Sloan asked.

"We're taking a little stroll which, from what I see, you could use one or ten of."

"If you're kidnapping me, my brother will pay ransom. But if you kill me, there is nowhere you can hide that he won't find you. He will kill you and everyone you know."

"Relax. I don't want to be around you any more than you want to be around me."

Joe pushed Sloan up to the front door, pausing long enough to see the whole damn army of Sloan's so-called farm boys out in the courtyard, shooting at fleeing slaves. There must've been hundreds of people fleeing the farm, all in ratty clothes and many just skin and bones. He hadn't expected so many workers to be crammed into the buildings. He could see why Val broke them free, but she still should've waited until Joe's job was done.

"Here's what we're going to do," Joe spoke close to Sloan's ear. "We're going to walk right through that courtyard, and you're going to make sure none of your farm boys shoot at us. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he said in a surprisingly high-pitched squawk.

"Good." Joe glanced down at the girl hanging onto his belt and gave her a small nod. Then he shoved his captive out the front door.

"Hold your fire, hold your fire!" Sloan cried out as Joe pushed him forward.

Murcs near them stopped and turned. Most raised their rifles at Joe but didn't fire. Others stood there, seemingly unsure what to do with their weapons. Joe's exoshield could reflect some blaster shots, but not if they were in too close or too high powered. The girl had no such protection, so he hoped that she clung to him like a fly on a sticky trap.