Read Hostage To The Stars: A Sectors SF Romance for Free Online Page B

rear of the building.
    The ground shook as the shuttle blew up in a massive explosion. Johnny slung Sara unceremoniously over his shoulder and descended the slope to the streambed. There was a second explosion as the heat and radiation from the burning shuttle touched off things in the piles of cargo waiting on the landing pad, or maybe the fuel truck which had been parked too close. Johnny didn’t care. Either way, the warlord’s men were going to be too busy to wonder about the cause of the explosions or to check on their prisoner. Running at a steady pace, he stuck to the canyon, wading in the shallow stream, and then climbed the ever steeper slopes.
    Silent, Sara held onto him as best she could. Once he’d reached his predetermined point high in the canyon, he set her on her feet in the lee of a boulder formation. Barely glancing at her, he said, “I’ll be right back. Stay put.”
    He patrolled a few hundred yards of the trail to check there was no pursuit. With his viewers, he saw the landing field becoming a total inferno, as more and more of the cargo caught fire. The cargo haulers were burning now and the jail was fully engaged in flames as well. No signs of any pursuit. He jogged to rejoin her.
    Using the boulder for support, she stood as he approached. “I can walk.” She retreated a few steps and put a hand to ward him off. “What’s the plan?”
    He eyed her for a moment. “I apologize for the rough treatment, ma’am, picking you up. We had to move fast.”
    Voice shaky but determined, she said, “I understand. Please don’t do that again without warning me, okay? I-I’m kind of jumpy. Did your distraction work?”
    “I believe so.” Grinning, he said, “It’s a beautiful sight, all those ill-gotten cargo containers going up in smoke. Partial measure of payback for Umarri’s crimes anyway.”
    “We’d better keep moving though, right?”
    He nodded. “I cached a few necessary supplies in a cave a few hours hike from here. We’re going to go to ground there for the balance of today, move again tomorrow morning.”
    She asked no questions, merely stood waiting.
    Figuring she was probably in shock or at the very least dazed, he said, “All right then, we hike. Let me know if you need to stop for water or to rest.”  
    They made better time than he’d expected and reached his chosen hiding place in midafternoon. He dragged the camouflage away from the entrance and guided her inside, before replacing the branches and debris. Much as he hated caves and dark, closed-in places, this was the best shelter he could devise for them under the circumstances. He could deal with his issues.
    Sara stumbled to a flat rock and sat, leaning against the cave wall with her eyes shut, but startled as he walked toward her.
    Johnny put a shielded handlamp on a rock close to her and ripped his shirt free of his pants, as he noticed her shivering. Brow furrowed, she shrank away. “Just going to lend you my shirt, relax. I can handle the cold better than you can, miss. We can’t afford a fire so add a layer at least.”
    She put it on and rolled up the sleeves with a businesslike air. “Thank you for rescuing me. I should have said that sooner today. I think I’m in shock a bit. I’m having a hard time believing you’re real and I’m not going to wake up in a cell.”
    “Doing my job, no thanks needed. And you’re definitely not going to wake up in a cell.” He dug food packets and a canteen out of his cached supplies. “Not the best meal in the world but it’ll restore your energy,” he said as he handed her the bars. “I’m Johnny Danver, by the way.”
    “Sara Bridges, but you know my name.” Head tilted and a slight frown on her face, she looked past him. “Where’s the rest of your team? When will the other soldiers be catching up to us?”
    “No team. I’m a one man rescue op.” He took a long drink from the canteen.
    Sara paused in unwrapping the energy bar. “The authorities sent you