Truehearts & The Escape From Pirate Moon Jake Macklem (classic romance novels TXT) 📖

key behind, the guards buzzed them through a series of locked doors. Finally, Ace was let into an interrogation room—a fifteen-foot cube with a metal chair welded to the floor. The sterile room was uninviting. The cold floor chilled her feet.

The door opened again and two guards shoved in an enormous one-armed man, his wrist chained securely to his waist, ankles shackled together, a thick black bag pulled over his head and drawn tight around his neck. One guard said, “Stop,” and the massive man did. The guard unlocked his handcuff.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Why am I here?”

The guard grabbed the black bag and ripped it from the prisoner’s head and jumped back slamming the door shut. The prisoner stepped to the door and shouted, “What in the Verse is going on?” He slammed his shoulder into the reinforced door.

“Hey, Mick.” Her voice cracked.

Slowly he turned, his face wide and blank, drained of blood as though he had heard a ghost. His temples had greyed more, and he seemed thicker, like he was stronger from being in prison, so much larger than she remembered. His eyes lit up in bright excitement when they settled on Ace. A grin of joy and pride grew across his face as he took in the woman that stood before him. “What are you doin’ here kid!” She rushed to him and he scooped her up in his one arm, dwarfing her with his giant bulk. She wrapped her arms around him in a powerful hug.

I don’t know if I ever felt so happy. I know I haven’t since.

She felt the tears streaming down her face and felt the shaking sobs of the giant man who held her. His knees gave in to the shaking and he dropped to the ground, letting her stand but refusing to let go. “I never thought I would see you again. I’ve missed you, Ace.”

“I’ve missed you too, Mick.” She pressed her face into his chest and felt his pounding heart.

“What are you doing here? What’d they get you for?”

“I’m not a prisoner. I got permission to see you,” she explained between gasps.

Mick laughed. “Some trick. Shonda’s been trying to see me since the day I got arrested. What happened to you? I had Shonda look, but she couldn’t find you.”

“I was sent to the Hart School for Young Girls. Spacer prep school.”

Mick’s eyes twinkled. “You going to space?”

Ace shook her head. “No. I joined the Sol military.”

“You’re a soldier? You’re getting off Earth?”

“I’m here to bust you out, Mick.” Ace beamed.

Mick’s face faltered and the happiness vanished. “What?”

“Look, I mapped the path and I have the warden’s key card, don’t ask me how I got it. Just stay close behind me. We’ll fight the few clowns they have guarding the shuttle and we’ll…”

“No, Ace. No.” Mick held her at arm-length, his hand on her shoulder. “This is a bad idea. This will get you killed.”

“No, Mick, you don’t know what I can do now. We can escape!”

“And then what, kid? You run for the rest of your life? I ain’t gonna go for that, Ace.”

“But…” Her eyes started to water, a second round of tears beginning to well up.

“Ace, I can’t risk you. You are too important.” He smiled. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah.” Ace smiled.

“More than I can ever express.” He pulled her close and cradled her against his chest. They stayed like that for a few long moments, losing themselves in this singular moment of happiness and comfort before the gravity of the situation pulled them back. “How long is your contract?”

“Just finished training. Getting deployed soon. Four more years.”

“Really? I have three and a half left if everything goes well. What do you say we meet up and float through the Verse together when we’re both free again?”

Ace’s cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. “I’d like that a lot, Mick.”

“Yeah me too. So, when you’re done, you come get me from Earth and we’ll go visit Rosetta Station.”

I’m gonna make it to Earth.

&

Ace heard muted shouts through the ringing in her ears. Get up. She lifted her heavy body—everything hurt. I’m alive. Touching her ear, she felt warm liquid and looked at the blood on her fingertips. She tried to gather her senses. How long was I out? Is Shaw still alive?

A thud vibrated through the floor. Shaw just blocked the second tunnel. I gotta move. Get up! Reaching into the depths of her soul, she grasped at the forever-burning white light within and touched the power of her higher self. I’m getting off this moon.

Beams of light flashed down the tunnel, searching through the thick smoke and dust floating in the air. A few pirates rushed in her direction, unaware that she was in there in the smoke, laying on the ground. She waited until they were close, then leaped up and thrust her open palm strike into the throat of the pirate on her right. Stepping between them she brought her knee into the thigh of the second pirate. As he stumbled, Ace grabbed his weapon, spun it around, and pulled it toward her, forcing the pirate to pull the trigger; scattershot tore through his thigh meat, ripping it to shreds. The pirate fell to the ground screaming.

Spinning the shotgun into a proper firing position, Ace smashed the hot barrel into the pirate’s face, knocking him unconscious. She pumped the next round into the chamber, spun around, and drove the heel of her boot into the skull of the first pirate, dropping him. Still hidden in dense smoke, she reached down, picked up the full backpack, and started walking to the entrance of the cave.

  26: Remy

Remy stood near the cave entrance with his two remaining men. The rest of the