Countdown John Walker (motivational books to read TXT) 📖

signal to civilization, a ride out of there, and the ability to send a message to her friends meant freedom in a few days.

But I can’t just let this guy go. Rita turned to Loch. He grabbed her wrist again, urging her onto the ship. I need to take him out. Finish him off. They’ll find his body, do whatever they want then leave. And I won’t have to worry about him chasing me down again. Because if I don’t kill him, he’ll be at my back with a gun rather than an offer.

They reached the cargo bay. Rita balled her free hand into a fist, preparing to lay him out. Loch stopped abruptly, pressing the earpiece against his head. He let her go and paced away.

“Hello? Who is this? Can you hear me? What’s going on?”

Rita leaned closer to him to listen. She could just make out the voice on the other end.

“We’ve got comms back online!” The man’s voice sounded strained, as if he’d been screaming for hours. “Dunno what jammed them! We’ve been under heavy attack! Someone trapped the corridors, set this place up as a death trap. I think we got one of them, but I don’t know how many there are.”

“You don’t…” Loch sighed. “You have to be kidding me! Have they said anything? Talked to you at all?”

“Negative, sir! They started shooting immediately!”

“Hello?” Loch tapped his computer. “Whoever attacked my complex, come in! Right now! This is Tobin Loch and I demand that you respond!”

“Hi there,” Zem’s voice made Rita’s entire body light up. She bit her cheek hard not to respond… to remain neutral. “So you’re Loch, huh? I didn’t think you’d have the balls to talk to us directly. Since I’m pretty sure you ran away when your guys got into the shit. That about right? You’re running?”

“You pile of filth…” Loch growled as he spoke. “I want to know your name! Who are you with? How did you get here?”

“A while back, you brought a friend of mine to your compound,” Zem said. “I bugged her computer. Sent me the coordinates. I figured that since you’re an asshole who likes to make threats, I might need to find this place on my own someday. Lo and behold, that time came.”

“Clever… but it won’t do you any good. I’ve got a starship overhead that can dust this place!”

“Yeah, sort of. Long-range comms are still down though so… you won’t be talking to them for a while. I’m on a bit of a time crunch though so I need you to surrender. Let me just warn you that launching one of those ships will get you killed. I’ve got the turrets charged up and ready for it.”

“You son of a bitch!” Loch shouted. “What do you want? Money? You’re insane! You know I’ll track you down!”

“Are you seriously in a position to bargain with me?” Zem asked. “I’m looking at the scanner and there are only a handful of men left alive in here besides us. We’ve torn through them so far. We can kill them all then come out there for you. But if you give up, no one else has to die.”

“Where’s Biggun? He spoke to us on the way down! Did you kill him too?”

“Why would we? He’s been extremely helpful.”

“That traitor!” Loch turned to Rita. “One of my own helped these swine!” He shook his head. “Listen, you haven’t even told me what you want! You don’t know how to negotiate, thug. Tell me why you’re here and we’ll make a deal.”

“It’s simple. You launch, you die. Stay on the surface, give up, and we’ll talk. Otherwise, I’ll just shoot you and feel bad that we didn’t have a conversation.”

“At least explain why you’re here!” Loch looked at Rita. “Wait… you’re here for her aren’t you?”

“Not sure what you’re talking about,” Zem said. “Unless her is a fat payday and the starship you’ve got all pimped out with that tech we’ve heard about. You see, we’re entrepreneurs. The best way to get ahead is to find someone doing better than you and take what they’ve got.”

“Christ, really? You came after me? Do you know how many men are under my employ?”

“A lot less now,” Zem said. “Anyway, one minute. You’ve got that much time to let us know if you’re giving up. Later.” The line went dead.

“Shit!” Loch kicked a crate that didn’t budge. The blow made him curse more, dancing about in pain. “I can’t believe this! Who are these people? Did you recognize the voice? Did you know that man?” He grabbed Rita by the shoulders. “Are they here for you? Tell me! Right now, tell me!”

“Honestly? You’ve got way too many enemies to blame this on me.” Rita shrugged him off. “Don’t start pointing a finger. What’re you going to do?”

Loch tapped his foot, turning his attention toward the bridge. She figured he wanted to try his luck at escape. He knew the defenses better than Zem. There was a chance, however slight, that he might get away. That can’t happen. Now I know who’s here. There’s no reason to play games anymore.

“Let me help you make that decision.” Rita jabbed him in the back of the neck, hard enough to toss him to the floor. He hit hard, crawling immediately away. She stepped beside him, kicking him in the gut.

Loch flipped on his side with a huff. Rita grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him to his feet.

“You should’ve just shot me.” Rita slammed her fist into his gut, making his eyes bulge. A second punch to the face tossed him backward. He rolled to his stomach, crawling again. This time, as she came close, he cried out, throwing a kick that caught her in the thigh. As he clamored to his feet, he stumbled toward