To Love A Space Pirate (18 page)

“Did…did we…did we make it out,” she asked.

“Yes, we did thanks to Johnny.” He nodded to the front of the shuttle.

“Are you guys okay back there,” Johnny asked. He must have heard them talking.

“We’re good. Is anyone following?” If Bork’s men decided to give chase, they would have trouble outrunning the larger ship. A shuttle could only go so fast, but it could turn much quicker than a ship the size of Bork’s.

“As far as I can tell, no. They are not going to be willing to leave behind their captain.”

“Where is Bork and why wasn’t he with you when you returned to the ship?” He felt it safe enough to get out of his seat now so he could see to the wound on Elizabeth’s leg.

“Why don’t you ask your girlfriend.”

Carden turned to ask Lizzy but found she was passed out again. The blood seeping from the wound on her leg caused him to jump into action. He needed to stop the bleeding before she lost too much of it. He searched the shuttle and found a first aid kit stored under one the seats. Opening it, he found everything he thought he would need. Too bad Faxon wasn’t here. His friend would know exactly what to do and how to treat his mate if the wound became infected.

Carefully, he ripped her pants’ leg to expose the deep gash. He would need to clean the wound completely and pick out any debris before he could close it up. The cut extended from her upper thigh down to her knee. One part was particularly deep to the point he could see exposed bone. Whatever hit her was going to leave a scar. He worked quickly to clean her leg. Several times she moaned or cried out but otherwise remained unconscious. Each time she cried, his heart would break. He hated to hurt her even more than she already was but he didn’t have much choice. His years of traveling the galaxies had given him enough knowledge to know how to clean and dress a wound properly. Faxon was not always available to help when he and his men ran into trouble.

Satisfied with his cleaning work, he pinched the skin together and used the stapler to close the skin. It was a temporary fix until they could get her to Faxon. Just as he was putting the last staple in, her eyes fluttered open.

“Carden?”

“Yes, my love?”

“Are we going to die?”

He chuckled low and shook his head. “No, definitely not.”

“Good because I want to go home.” Her eyes blinked slowly.

“Home? You mean to Keplar 1?” He held his breath. Now would be the time to turn around and take her where she wanted to go.

“No, silly. I want to go to Sheannor.” Her eyes closed and didn’t reopen. Her breathing slowed as she fell asleep because of the injection he had given her before he started to close the wound.

He smiled and ran his hand down her cheek. “We are going home, my love. We are going home.”

Chapter 21

Gunyo was furious! The human female had escaped on the shuttle and left him to contend with Bork. At first, he thought the pirate was dead by the way he saw the human roll his limp body out of the shuttle’s door. Nothing was going as he planned and he was going to have a hard time covering it up.

The place he agreed to meet Bork was out of the way but not an unknown destination. If only the fucking pirate had agreed to bring him the human and leave well enough alone with the pirate named Scar Face, then he would not be facing the enormous amount of official looking vehicles heading his way. Someone must have heard the gunfire and reported it to the local authorities.

There was no time and nowhere for him to run at this point. He would have to explain the situation and hope they believed him. He had a way with words and was always able to sway things in his favor. This time would be no different he hoped.

The first of the flashing lights skidded to a halt not far from where he stood surround by the men he trusted the most. He put on his best face and greeted the officers who stepped from the vehicle. He thought this would be a piece of cake until the next vehicle pulled to a stop and three men he instantly recognized stepped out.

Tarwick’s owners and Martin Riley walked to him with grim looks on their faces. Gunyo knew he was in trouble.

“Ah, I see you made it. The bounty hunter has had some trouble as you can see.” He pointed in Bork’s direction. Two men were assisting the man to his feet while he held his bleeding head. “The pirate Scar Face overpowered him and took off in the shuttle,” he started to explain.

“You have a lot to explain, Gunyo,” Gene Tarwick spoke as he stopped in front of him.

“I understand that sir, but we need to send out a ship to find the escaping shuttle,” he argued.

“What have you done,” Martin Riley lunged for Gunyo.

Gunyo jerked back in surprise. “Whatever do you mean, sir? I have done nothing but try to save your daughter, and as you can see, the pirate had other ideas.”

Out the corner of his eye, he saw Bork being lead his way in handcuffs. “You have the wrong man in custody, gentlemen.” He needed to divert the attention from himself.

“No, we do not, sir. This is not a bounty hunter as you claim.” One official said.

“Do not listen to a thing this motherfucker has to say,” Bork shouted. “He’s been lying to all of you for years now, and I can prove it!”

Gunyo stiffened with the accusation. “Why would you say such a thing? I am an honorable business man. Tarwick Industries has always held me in high esteem, and I take offense to your words!”

“If I am going down so are you, you little shithead! Tell them about all the ships you arranged for me to attack!”

Gunyo felt all the blood leave his face. Bork was going to blow his life’s work all for the sake of covering his own ass. “Sir, I do not know where you get your information, but it is wrong!”

“I’m afraid not, Gunyo,” Gene Tarwick spoke. “We’ve been monitoring you for quite some time now. We had our suspicions but couldn’t prove anything until you made this last mistake.”

Gunyo laughed. “What mistake might that be?”

“This little meeting you arranged. We knew then you were dealing with a known pirate and were trying to cover it up. Tell me, how many of my people have you killed?”

“I didn’t kill anyone! I do not have any idea of what you are accusing me of. I have been a loyal employee for more than twenty years now and I…”

“Stop with the lies! We would have gladly paid the ransom for any of our people if one was received but you took it upon yourself to arrange the raids and profited from the stolen merchandise. It was becoming all too suspicious with the number of ships that kept disappearing. Only you and a select few had the knowledge of the routes the ships took. Amazingly, the ones that veered off course or were rerouted seemed to be the ones raided and the crew killed. It took us a while to figure out what was happening, but once we did, all things pointed to you.”

“My daughter is still missing because of you!” Riley shouted as two officers restrained him. “What’s going to happen to her now?” Riley looked panicked and worried as only a father could be.

“How should I know. The pirate took her back up to the ship.” Gunyo took a step away from the men. If he could get to his vehicle, he might have a chance of escaping.

“There’s no need to worry, Mr. Riley. As we speak, the Galactic Forces have surrounded the ship that was found orbiting in an unauthorized location. They were detected by the local officials than it was reported to the Council who took action. The ship will be seized and searched in due time. If your daughter is found to be on board, she will be returned to you,” Gene Tarwick explained. “As for you, Gunyo, you are being placed under arrest.” Tarwick nodded his head.

He made his move. The area behind him was wide open as he turned to flee. His vehicle was parked a short distance away if only he could reach it before he was taken down. His thoughts raced through his mind as he ran. A lifetime of work was over. The empire he amassed was all for nothing now and would not be able to help him get out of this. Instead, it would be used against him. Bork, too, would be used against him even though he was a notorious pirate. The man was not beyond selling out those he worked with for years on end.

He was within reach of his vehicle went he felt something pierce the skin on his back. A split second later the most painful jolt of electricity surged through his body and knocked him off his feet. His body stiffened, and his eyes rolled back in his head as he withered on ground. He thought the pain would never end, but when it did, he was able to look up and see the face of Bork smiling at him. The bastard was laughing!

“You will get what is coming to you too,” he pushed out as loudly as he could.

“So I will!” Bork turned away as he was lead to a vehicle waiting to transport him to the holding cell.

Chapter 22

When she woke up, she felt as if she coming out of a dream. She pried her eyes open to find she was laying in the bed she shared with Carden back on Sheannor. Mass confusion set in until she turned her head and saw Carden sitting in a chair next to the bed sound asleep.

“Carden?” Her voice was thick with sleep. When he didn’t move, she cleared her dry throat and tired again. “Carden!”

His eyes popped open. It took him a few seconds for him to realize she had called out his name. A huge smile spread quickly across his tired face as he realized she was awake.

“You are awake finally,” he said and came to kneel at the side of the bed. He held her hand and kissed it tenderly. “I was so worried!”

Her mind was fuzzy with what had occurred. “Why were you worried?” She shifted her legs and nearly cried out in pain. “Oh my gosh! Why does that hurt so much?” She pulled her hand free from Carden and struggled to sit up.

“You really shouldn’t be trying to get up yet.” He attempted to push her back down, but she refused to let him boss her around.

“I want to see what is wrong with my leg,” she said as she gripped the edge of the blanket covering her and whipped it back. She gasped out loud when she saw the white bandage covering her entire thigh down to the knee. “What the hell happened to me?”

“You don’t remember,” he asked her as he sat on the end of the bed.

She looked down at her leg and thought hard. Bits and pieces of her running came back to her. She remembered Johnny and their plan to break Carden out. She remembered crawling through the air vents of Bork’s ship to get to the shuttle bay. The shuttle bay! Her head suddenly filled with the images of things exploding around her as she and Carden ran for the shuttle that would take them away from the scene unfolding before her. “I remember now, but where is Johnny?”

Carden propped her up with some pillows to make her more comfortable. “He is down in the village. He has been up to the house every day asking about you. I think he’s been really worried.”

“But, why? He didn’t do this to me.”

“No and I told him that, but he feels responsible for some reason. Until he sees you for himself, I don’t think he will be satisfied. You humans form quick attachments,” he laughed. “Don’t worry, my love. I will send Sireni to get him to relieve his mind.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Tell me, how long have I been out?” It couldn’t have too long.

“Tomorrow would make a week.”

“A week!” She was stunned to hear this bit of news. How did she sleep for so long?

“I tried to clean the wound as best as I could and close it up but an infection set in. We were days out from reaching Sheannor, and there wasn’t much I could do. I kept you comfortable and gave you as much liquid as I could get you to take. By the time we reached home, your fever was spiking. Faxon informed me if it had gone on much longer it would have killed you. He was able to take you into surgery and clean the wound properly and sew it up. I am afraid you will have a bit of a scar.” He looked sad.

“A scar?”

He nodded his head but didn’t say anything.

“Are you concerned about me having a scar,” she asked.

“I am sorry. Faxon said it could not be helped. I do not wish for you to have to live with a scar like I have to.” His voice broke.

When Carden looked up at her, her heart broke. Tears filled his gray eyes. “I am not worried about having a scar, Carden. No more than I am worried about yours. It makes you who you are. It makes you the man I love.” She could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke to him. This man she thought she could never love, because he was a pirate, was worried about a scar!

“It is all my fault you will have it. Every time you see it, it will remind you of what happened.” One fat tear slipped free and slid down his unshaven cheek.

“It will remind me of how much I love you and how close I came to losing you! I would go through it all again if had to. Things change a person for reasons unknown. I thought my life was over when you stole me away but, in reality, it was just beginning. If anything, this is all my fault for not following company orders.”

Without warning, Carden pulled her to him and kissed her. It was a kiss filled with so much emotion it overwhelmed her. Carden had his demons he needed to fight, and she would be right there with him. She would never blame him for the things he did. She just hoped she could convince him not to continue with his pirating ways.

When he pulled back, they were both breathless. Her tears flowed freely now as she ran a hand down the scarred side of Carden’s face. “I love you, my pirate.”

“I love you too, my little human.”

~~~~~~~~

Several days later a ship landed in the clearly. She panicked when she heard the news and went to find Carden immediately. She hobbled along until she spotted him heading to the clearing.

“Carden, what is going on? Whose ship is that?” She stood on the porch and watched as others ran ahead of him.

“I will be back soon, my love. No worry!” He waved at her then fled down the path.

Feeling too uneasy, she sat down in one of the chairs she made Carden put out on the front porch. In the evenings, when things around the house grew quiet, and the moons were high in the sky, she and Carden would sit outside and enjoy the night air. She still hadn’t told him about the baby she was carrying because she had wanted to verify it with Faxon first.

It was earlier that morning when Faxon came to the house to check on her. Carden was out helping the men build a house for Sireni and her new husband, so she thought it was the best time to ask the doctor. A quick test and a scan of her abdomen confirmed her suspicions. She was nearly three months along and was starting to show already. She was surprised Carden hadn’t noticed the slight bulge of her stomach even though they hadn’t attempted to make love yet even though they slept naked in each other’s arms every night. Tonight though she had plans for changing that!

As she sat on the porch impatiently waiting for him to return, she could hear voices as they approached the house. The trees blocked her view until several people emerged from the thick forest. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

“Dad? Mom?” She stood up so quickly she knocked the chair over. Her eyes locked with her parents’ as she called out to them.

The pair stopped then a loud squeal reach her ears as her mother started to run to her. As best she could, she hopped down the steps. Before she could go any farther, she was wrapped up in a hug so tight she thought she was going to suffocate!

“Lizzy! Lizzy! My baby!” Her mother cried in her ear.

Another set of arms reached for her. “Elizabeth!”

Her father kissed her on the cheek and held her as much as he could since her mother wouldn’t let go. After the tears and hugs had been spent, they released her enough for her to look at them. “What are you doing here?”

“Carden invited us!” Her mother shouted.

She looked over to Carden, who was standing back watching the family interaction. He looked sad and happy all at the same time, and she couldn’t figure out why. He still hadn’t opened up to her about his family, so she figured it had to do with that.

“Thank you,” she said to him as she smiled through the tears.

“Should you be up, my dear? Carden told us about your leg. Maybe you should be resting,” her mother started her mothering ways.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s fine, Mom. Carden would have me resting all day long if it were up to him. My leg is feeling much better though it will take some time to fully heal.”

“Let’s go inside where you can talk to your parents without everyone listening,” Carden said then guided them to the house.

Once inside, they sat around on the sofa and chair and talked nonstop. Her parents filled her in on what Carden told them and how they came to find out where she was. Then it was her turn to tell her story of what happened and how she and Carden escaped from one of the worse pirates ever to roam the galaxies.

“What’s going to happen to him,” she asked her father.

“There will be a trial by jury, but there is too much evidence standing against him. He will go to prison for the rest of his life. Carden will testify too.” Her father nodded at Carden, who suddenly stiffen.

“Carden? Why would you have to testify?” She was missing something here and for damned sure was going to find out what it was!

“I have to testify what he did to me.” Apparently he was reluctant to speak about it in front of her parents but continued. “I used to work for Tarwick years ago. Bork attacked my ship and killed all the crew. For some reason, he left me alive and tried to ransom he back to them. Unfortunately, Tarwick refused to pay the ransom thanks to Gunyo, as we know now. Bork decided since he couldn’t get any money for me, he would make me work for him and earn money for him. He knew I knew the Tarwick ships and the routes they took. For ten years I was his prisoner until I was able to escape. He must have thought I was dead after all these years, but somehow he found out about me.”

“Why didn’t you go home,” she asked. All eyes turned in his direction. Everyone wanted to know the man sitting before them.

“Bork threatened to kill them if I didn’t work for him. My father probably thought I was dead, so I didn’t want to put them in the danger I know I would have caused them if I went home.”

“Oh, Carden!” For so long he had held in the secret. His family thought he was dead, so he protected them as best he could. It had to have been a painful choice to make, one he lived with for so long. “But, they are safe now, right? You can contact them?”

“I’ve thought about it, but I don’t want to upset them any more than they have been upset. Bork took away a part of my life I may never get back.”

Elizabeth stood up and went to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked at him. “Make the move. I am sure they will understand. They deserve to know you are still alive.”

“I agree,” her father interjected. “I can help if you need me too.”

“Thank, but I think this is something I need to do on my own.”

“You’re right. I will stand behind you with whatever you decide.” She raised up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Later that night, after everyone was in bed, she slipped between the sheets to lay in Carden’s arms. Her head was cradled in the crook of his arm and his hand lazily ran up and down her spine.

“Are you happy, little human?”

“Very happy,” she said. Her fingers toyed with the sprig of hair in the center of his chest. “Have you made your decision?” She hoped he made the right one.

“I have.” He paused. “I will contact them. I don’t know how things will go, but at least, they will know I am still alive and the reasons why I chose to hide.”

Her head popped up. “I am so excited for you. I am sure they will be ecstatic to know you weren’t killed.”

He shrugged. “Let’s hope so.”

She lay back down and waited a few moments before speaking again. “Well, while we are in the mood for happiness, I have something to tell you.”

“What’s that, my love?” His hand resumed its caressing motion.

“Let me see if you can guess my secret. Give me your hand.” She held out her hand and waited for him to place his larger one in hers. When he finally did, she twisted in his arm until she lay flat on her back. She brought his hand down to her tummy and left it there.”

“Elizabeth, what are you d…” He didn’t finish his sentence. His eyes grew wide when he came to the realization of what she was telling him. His hand moved slowly over the slight hump she knew was there. “Are you sure?”

She could feel his hand tremble as he rubbed the tender flesh. “I am positive, and so is Faxon. I asked him today when he came to the house. He also ran a scan to confirm it.”

“We’re having a baby?” He sounded stunned.

“No, we’re not having a baby. We are having two babies.” She wanted to burst out laughing. Keeping it in all day had been torture, but she wanted to wait for the right moment.

He sat straight up in the bed, knocking her off his chest and onto the pillow. “Two babies!”

“Twins,” she said as she sat up beside him.

“I am going to be a father to two babies at once?” His face paled even though he was smiling.

“Don’t worry, it scared me too, but it will all be fine. Sireni is so excited. She is already sewing up baby clothes.”

“How does she know already and I didn’t?”

“Well, while you were gone I started feeling poorly in the mornings. We had the midwife come to figure out what was wrong. Faxon was with you, remember?”

“How can I forget? It was the longest month of my life. I never want to be away from you for that long again!” He pulled her onto his lap and took her face in his hands. “I love you,” he whispered then kissed her.

They would come together again that night many times. Several times, Carden had to hush her by drowning her in a kiss so her parents would not hear them. She would have been mortified if she knew her parents heard them making love late into the night.