Politics Equals Death: From the Athena Lee Universe (Smuggle Life Book 2) Read online

  A taxi arrived, and it was just big enough for the team to fit. Steve rode in silence with clenched fists and tight jaw. He was beyond furious and was having trouble focusing. This wasn’t normal for him.

  By the time he arrived, his blood was boiling to a new extreme. Steve had to settle down and clear his head. This wasn’t going to go well. He would do his team a disservice by losing control. The Marine was suffering from tunnel vision and had to stop. His reaction went against his training. If he weren’t careful, he could hurt his crew. Now was the time to listen to Rea and her advice. Breathe.

  A deep inhale and hold, then he slowly exhaled. Steve exited the taxi and stared at the building. His body still vibrated with the need to hurt the slavers.

  Rea appeared next to him. “You okay?”

  “I am,” Steve said with a look that screamed he wasn’t.

  “Good,” Rea said. The Captain appeared on guard and trying to sound calm “We need you clear. Keep us safe,” she reminded him.

  “I will,” Steve said. His gaze darted around the whole street looking for threats. “Let’s go.”

  They marched up the steps and entered the building. Steve wasn’t sure where he was going, but he figured they were following the slime trail the aid would surely be leaving.

  Rea walked next to him. “Let me take the lead.”

  “Very well,” Steve said.

  It shocked Steve at how little security was in the building. They just let them march through without giving them a second look. The lack of security befuddled Steve. This total absence of any caution was foreign to him.

  They arrived at the center of the building, and an elderly woman was sitting at a desk.

  Rea approached her. “I’m Captain Dodge. I was meeting a Mister Spacey. I’d like to speak with the Governor now.”

  She smiled and said, “He is expecting you.”

  That didn’t surprise Steve. A man who was as slimy as this surely had eyes and ears in the city. He had to have been warned about them coming.

  They entered the office and saw the man in charge. He was average in build and height, but that meant little to Steve. There was a good chance he would be able to handle himself. It was the way he held himself. His stance was that of a man who had training.

  “Good morning,” the Governor said. If push came to shove, Steve would make the man pay. That much he vowed, and he meant it.

  “Not so much,” Steve said. “Governor.”

  “Please. Call me Todd.”

  No way he was going to call him that. This man wasn’t worthy of being called by name.

  Rea stepped between Steve and Todd.

  “Please tell me,” she said, “you have nothing to do with what Mister Spacey was involved in.”

  Todd shrugged. “You aren’t from around him. Many of the systems do things that others might frown upon.”

  Steve clenched his teeth. His tight fists made his knuckles white, and his hands vibrated from the tension. This man needed a kick the balls, one fast and hard.

  “Look,” Rea said. “I don’t want any trouble, but we don’t deal in human trafficking.”

  Todd pursed his lips. “Very well.” He reached over to his desk and picked up a tablet. “How about I pay you to forget about this?”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Rea said. “What we want is for you to stop, or we will turn you in.”

  “How unfortunate,” Todd calmly replied. “Then I can’t allow you to leave.”

  Chapter Seven

  Rea spun and saw Steve go into action. He leaped and punched the Governor as the door to the office opened and a horde of men entered. The Marine was in his element and on top of the situation. Steve had been observing and planning from the moment they had first entered the office.

  Even though they were outnumbered and overwhelmed, Rea wasn’t worried. Steve would get them out of this, and they would get to the ship and off this planet. When she did, Rea would have a word with Nicole.

  The office was filled with screams as the men tried to take out Steve. It was impressive to watch him fight. A punch here, a kick there and men dropped around him like flies.

  It was a whirlwind of motion in front of her. Rea couldn’t keep up with all the movements. Kicks and punches were a blur from both Steve and the other men. Rea couldn’t help but smile with the action. It was truly amazing to see it.

  Rea enjoyed watching the fight unfold in front her. The last enforcer she had wasn’t as talented as Steve and lost just as many of fight as he won. Steve never lost a fight. The training in the Marines was a cut above all the rest and Steve was a natural. It showed up every time he put his skills on display.

  Parker and Aldis inched their way toward the men in an attempted to help, but they weren’t needed. By the time they got close enough, it was too late.

  “Let’s go,” Steve said with a heavy breath. The Governor lay on the ground knocked out with the rest of the men.

  They didn’t waste any time and dashed out of the room. The old woman stared at them dumbfounded. She obviously hadn’t expected them to make it out. Thankfully, it wasn’t that hard to get out of the entire building.

  The real trick would be getting back to the Rossi.

  Rea radioed Nicole. “Coming in hot.”

  “Don’t bother,” the CATT responded.

  Rea didn’t like hearing that. “What? Why?”

  They looked around for a ride.

  “They grounded the ship and sent in a crew to damage it. No way I or B113 could stop them. We barely got off.”

  “Great, just great. How bad?”

  “Not flyable. You’ll need a new ship or a lot of time.”

  The captain cursed under her breath. This wasn’t what they needed and really put them in a bind. She needed to think quick and get them out of her. This job was going bad and fast.

  Rea relayed the news to the team.

  It was Aldis who cursed the loudest. “I told you. I told you.”

  He went off with a line of expletives, and Rea let him. The hacker needed to vent, and Rea completely understood. She had too much on her mind to pay him any attention.

  What the crew had to do now was get out of dodge and figure out a plan.

  She looked around and saw some cars off to the right. Time to live up to being criminals and steal a car. The captain rushed over to the parking lot and searched for one large enough for the whole crew. In the center, a big SUV was parked.

  “Come on,” she screamed. “Time to get going.”

  Steve was on her six in an instant. The rest joined them.

  Rea went to the car. She turned to Aldis. “Can you get us this vehicle?”

  Aldis nodded, pulled out a tablet, and went to work. It took the hacker seconds to open the car and have it start. Steve jumped in and claimed the driver's seat, and that was fine with Rea. The rest piled in. Alarms sounded from the capitol building. This was going to be a smashed up job again. It was a miracle that it took so long for the alarms to start. The people inside must have been in shock.

  Rea couldn’t believe it was happening again. Inside, the Captain was angry with herself for letting them get into another sticky situation.

  Chapter Eight

  Steve drove through the streets of the city, doing his best not to draw attention to them. It was bad enough that the governor tried to attack them and then had their ship sabotaged. Leaving the vessel unguarded had been a rookie mistake, one they made over and over. Steve was going to have a stern talk with Rea about security, just as soon as they got out of this mess. Nicole and B113 weren’t guards and were not capable of protecting the ship.

  All the alarms in the world and protection wasn’t a good substitute for a person. That was going to change going forward. A person who could fly the ship would have to stay back and make sure it was able to get away at a moment’s notice.

  They have been too sloppy recently. That needed to change. The Marine was to blame. It was his job to keep them safe, and he had f
ailed more and more recently, and that irritated him. First Taylor. Then Drake and New Detroit. Now, this.

  It sure made Steve feel incompetent. There was a reason that Rea recruited him to the Rossi. The Marine was usually in charge of his emotions and thought things through. He made sure the people around him were safe. How he had slipped so much was beyond him.

  The streets on New Philly weren’t the best. They were some of the worst he had driven on. In all the Empire, they never had enough money to make roads better. Now, he knew where that money was going. Into the pockets of the Governor. He was truly corrupt.

  Weaving in and out of traffic, Steve made his way from the main part of the city. He was in contact with Nicole. She had access to information he didn’t and helped him avoid police and security members of the Governor group.

  No matter what Aldis thought of the CATT, she was crucial to their success when she truly wanted to help. The problem with Nicole was that she did what she wanted when she wanted. No one knew what her agenda was. Plus, Nicole was never truly faithful to the Rossi. She was her own CATT.

  “Where are we going?” Lindsey asked from the rear of the vehicle.

  “An old safe house,” Steve said. “I had one lined up from when I was here before. It should still be there.”

  Rea rolled her eyes next to him. “I don’t like that term ‘should.’”

  Steve shrugged. “You never know with life. “Should” is the best I can do on such short notice. We didn’t plan this out.”

  Risking a glance, Steve saw Lindsey smile. The others in the SUV groaned.

  “Never in my life did I wish more that we had your plans,” Parker said. “Apparently, they are worth something after all.”

  “They are,” Rea said. “We’ve been sloppy. It’s on me.”

  Steve didn’t agree. He was sure it was him. “Me. My job.”

  Rea shook her head. “Our job. Going forward, we will both do better.”

  Hopefully, that was the case. They needed to be better, more strategic. If they wanted to get off this planet and find out more about Drake and Taylor, they had to be better, a lot better. It was time to live up to the reputation of the Rossi.

  An hour later, Steve pulled onto a long winding driveway. They were out in the country, well away from the watchful eye of the city. This was really out of the way.

  “I’m a city guy,” Aldis said. “I can’t work out here.”

  Steve groaned. “You’ll have to make due.”

  Parker jumped out of the SUV as soon as it stopped moving. “I love the rural parts of planets.”

  Steve tried to think of just once that she had even visited the countryside. Not since she joined the Rossi, and she never mentioned it of her time on New Detroit.

  “Have you ever visited anything but a city?” Steve asked.

  Parker glared at him. “Just because I haven’t doesn’t mean I don’t like it.”

  Aldis laughed. “Just wait. You’ll hate it.”

  Parker smiled. “If you say so.”

  The house wasn’t large, but it would do. It had enough space for the entire crew of the Rossi.

  It wasn’t long before Nicole arrived. B113 was with her. Steve wasn’t going to ask how she arrived. Since the drone could fly, it was easy for him to come, but the CATT, that was a different story and an unimportant one.

  “Any news?” Rea asked Nicole. Rea hoped Nicole would have something, anything to update and help them get out of this.

  The CATT was on the ground and licking her paws. Nicole looked up at them when she was done. Her face was stiff. “Governor is furious. He has you on every watch list. He’s blaming you and framing you for the slavery among other things.”

  “Just great,” Aldis said. “Just freaking great.”

  The hacker was waving his arms around and his face a bright red. He was terrified and enraged. Steve didn’t blame him one bit. With how this had turned out, nothing could be worse. They were being framed for what they hated the most. It made the Marine’s blood boil.

  Steve agreed with Aldis. This couldn’t be any worse, and he didn’t see it getting any better. Steve hoped and prayed that it would turn around soon. This bad luck couldn’t last forever.

  They entered the house. Dust covered the floor and the limited furniture. The kitchen would be empty of food, except for a few MREs, commonly known as “meals ready to eat.” They should still be good, not that anyone on the Rossi would actually want to eat them. Not the best food and a throwback to Earth.

  The crew piled into the house and out of the sight of any watchful eyes, assuming that there were any. Steve was positive and confidently agreed with Nicole that they were safe here, even with all the power that the Governor had.

  Lindsey sneezed. “Can we clean this place up?”

  Rea nodded. “We can.”

  Steve didn’t see why. There were more important things going on and getting rid of some dust wasn’t a top priority.

  “We need to figure out a plan,” Steve protested.

  Lindsey sneezed again. “As much as I agree. I can’t stay here. Not like this.”

  “I know we are in a bind,” Rea said, “One I put us in, but we can spare a few minutes to get settled and then make a plan.”

  That wasn’t what Steve wanted to hear, but he relented and joined in the cleaning. It didn’t take long to sweep out all the dust and cobwebs, making the place semi-presentable.

  <<<>>>

  A half-hour later, Steve sat at the table in the small dining room. The rest of the team was situated around it as well. Rea was at the head of the table. It was time to figure out what their next step would be. It was important and vital to the success of the Rossi.

  “Can we even get to the ship and get off the planet?” Aldis asked.

  Nicole, who sat on the table, looked at him. “Maybe. Big maybe.”

  Rea frowned. “I don’t like fleeing and leaving people in slavery, though I admit leaving is most likely our best option.”

  Steve couldn’t believe his ears. “Really? How so?”

  “If we leave,” Rea said, leaning forward, and resting her arms on the table, “we can inform the Empire of what is going on here.”

  Steve groaned. “Like they have time to do anything. The war, everything else going on. New Philly isn’t that important.”

  “They might,” Lindsey said.

  “Yeah,” Parker said. “You never know. The Empire might send out a team.”

  Steve took a deep breath in and held it, doing his best to calm himself. They were thinking of taking care of themselves and the people. At least, they thought of other people a little bit.

  It shouldn’t have been a surprise to the Marine. This was a crew of smugglers and not his former Marines. They had been a different breed of people. Even though the crew of the Rossi had grown on Steve, they could never replace his former team. That much was clear, and it was okay. For the most part.

  “Very well,” Steve said.

  It was Nicole that spoke next. “You can try to get the ship, but I don’t think it likely. It’s heavily guarded and damaged. I didn’t have time to scan it, but Lindsey and B113 can fix it, I think. It will take time. But first, you will have to get it.”

  Rea groaned. “Okay. Steve, you, and Lindsey go check out the ship. If you can get it and fly it without drawing too much attention, do so. Otherwise, leave.”

  “Now?” Steve asked.

  “Leave in the morning. Early.”

  “Very well.”

  Chapter Nine

  The sun wasn’t even up when Steve and Lindsey left the safe house. The rest of the Rossi team were still asleep, all except the CATT. Steve wasn’t sure the robotic cat needed to sleep or even shut down. The inner workings of a CATT were something he wasn’t ever going to understand and didn’t care to investigate.

  “I checked the video of the bay,” Nicole said. “I don’t think you stand a chance.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Steve sa
id.

  It didn’t surprise him that the CATT felt that way, but he wouldn’t mind some support. A positive attitude and encouragement went a long way, at least in his mind. He was a strong believer in mind over matter.

  “Go, team,” Nicole said dryly.

  Steve smiled and held back a laugh as he continued to walk.

  “Not very convincing,” Lindsey said.

  The CATT meowed and stalked away without looking back. Steve was lost as what to say. She really didn’t have any faith. In some ways, the man was grateful for it. He wanted to stay and get the corrupt Governor and the rest of guilty people on the planet. He wanted to make them pay for what they were doing to the people underneath them.

  But leaving was the smart move, and Steve knew that too. He loathed it since the slaving activities disgusted him to his core.

  At the rear of the safe house, was a barn. Steve ventured into it, and sure enough, still parked inside was a vehicle, an old beater that Steve knew would run great. It was designed that way. It would draw no unwanted attention but would still get them to where they needed to go.

  Having a different car would be good. Steve moved the SUV they’d driven to the barn out of sight. He grimaced at himself again. This should have been done last night. If it had been spotted, they would have been in deep trouble if the Governor and his lackeys realized they had stolen it. The Marine was sure they would soon if they didn’t already.

  “What a hunk of junk,” Lindsey said. She eyed the car Steve brought out to the front. “Will it make it back to the city?”

  “It will.” Steve smiled. The engineer was going to be in for a surprise. “Trust me.”

  It was too bad that he wouldn’t be able to really show her what it was capable of since it would draw too much attention. The whole point was to not be discovered.

  Leaving the house with the sun still down, they made their way back toward the city and the bay where the Rossi was parked. Steve hoped the ship wasn’t too damaged. Only scum would really harm a ship. No real person would damage a vessel on the ground, not in the Marine’s opinion. Out in space fighting for your life, all rules were off. But a ship on the land, that was a holy object not to be messed with.