A Surprise Favor – Chapter 28

After a brief rest, we leave the jewelry store and hurry through the busy mall. It’s now mid-morning shopping time, and everyone is out and about.

“Ai, we’re on the move again. Keep a lookout for us,” I say under my breath.

“You know the way to the elevator? I can watch your path.”

“Yes. Sejal knows where she’s going.”

My sanity is slipping now. The world swims around me. My legs are jelly, and my head is pounding. I really need to go to the bathroom, too. But we can’t stop. If we stop, we’ll be spotted. Kalvin, Takemo, and Saif lead the way. Declan and Sejal stick next to me, and Nina brings up the rear, her eyes darting between shops to check for any signs of pursuit.

A wave of nausea crests and splashes over me. I break into a sweat.

“I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Not yet,” Declan urges, ushering me forward.

I swallow and hope to keep it away.

Everything is going fine until Ai is in my ear.

“On your right,” she warns, but it’s not fast enough.

A tall figure steps out from a storefront selling bulk snacks.

“Look out!” I try to pull Declan towards me.

The man brandishes a stun gun and points it at Declan, now between me and the man. Before anyone can react, the assailant fires off a shot. Declan drops to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and I fall over him.

“Oh my God!” Sejal spins out of the way.

Nina charges forward without hesitation and takes down the man with lightning speed. I blink, and she’s flying at him. Damn, she’s fast. The man howls in pain as she sends her fist crashing into his face, before turning him around and pinning him to the ground with one hand.

“We don’t have time for this,” she growls. She grabs his stun gun and jams it into his side, knocking him out cold with his own weapon.

Sejal gasps, her eyes wide before she turns to Saif. “You weren’t joking.”

Kalvin pulls me up from the floor. “Shit. We didn’t even make it fifty meters.”

People are turning to look at the commotion, and more and more arrive by the second, curious to see what’s going on. They chatter among themselves, their voices rising and falling over the stillness of the air. Their anticipation is palpable, and if we don’t get out of here soon, we’ll have the police to contend with. Again.

“We need to go,” I urge everyone, taking in the curious expressions and the hushed conversations.

Ozone from the stun gun and cinnamon from a nearby spice shop mingle in the air as everyone looks on in disbelief at Declan and the assailant on the floor.

“Come on,” Nina orders, beckoning Takemo and Saif towards Declan.

“What happened?” Declan asks as they pick him up.

“You were attacked.” Nina surveys the crowd. Declan’s eyes focus on the assailant unconscious on the floor. Saif slings one of Declan’s arms over his shoulder; Takemo takes the other.

“Let’s go,” Kalvin urges.

We sprint through the arcade, weaving around the slow-moving shoppers and ducking under outstretched hands. I still feel like utter crap, but my legs move anyway. It must be the adrenaline.

“That way,” Sejal says, peeling to the right and pointing.

Finally, we make it to the elevator. Thankfully, no one is waiting for it. We pile in, and I sink back against the far corner against Declan. He’s woozy but conscious.

“Uh, we have a problem,” Ai says in my ear. “Someone is waiting outside the elevator on the roof. He has a weapon.”

“For fucks’ sake.” I moan and everyone looks at me as I jump forward and access the elevator panel. I choose the floor below the roof. “We have another one waiting for us on the roof.”

Nina curses under her breath. “I didn’t want to alarm you, but I think there’s a hit out on you, and whatever the bounty is, it’s big.”

“What?” all the guys ask at once. My stomach drops.

Nina shrugs. “It’s the only explanation.”

Sejal pulls her hand from her mouth. “I agree. From now on, we assume Skylar needs protection one-hundred percent of the time.”

The elevator stops on the floor before the roof. The doors open, and the hallway is quiet. The only amenities on this floor are a spa and a doctor’s office.

“The stairs are at the opposite end of the hallway,” Ai says, “which is good because the assailant is right above you.”

I look up like I can see him through the floor. Of course, I can’t.

“But you will still have to get to the shuttle. It’s close to him.”

“Go.” I point down the hall. “The stairs are there.”

The guys take off, and Sejal grabs my hand and runs with me. When we get to the stairs, Nina pushes the door open, and we dart up the steps.

“Can you see him?” Sejal asks, trying to catch her breath.

“Ai, can you see him?” I ask, my heart pounding.

“Yes, he’s standing outside the shuttle bay, still at the elevators. He hasn’t noticed you yet.”

“Good.” My eyes scan the rooftop, but I don’t see anyone else.

“Let’s go,” Sejal says, tugging on my arm.

We reach the shuttle without incident and pile in. Everyone seems to be in a state of shock, but we all buckle our seatbelts before Sejal initiates the engines and takes off. Her hands shake as she flips switches, so I jerk my chin at Kalvin.

He rests a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll take over, if you like.”

Sejal nods and trades places with him.

Out the window, the assassin runs towards our shuttle and looks up at us before running off. My money says he’s going to get to the Amagi, maybe before us.

A tear rolls down my cheek and hits my hand. I sniff up and wipe my face.

“Are you okay?” I ask Declan, resting a hand on his knee.

He nods and lifts his shirt. A small red spot on the side of his chest looks painful. “Motherfucker,” he mumbles, looking at the spot before dropping his shirt back down. “Never thought that would happen to me.”

Takemo chuckles. “Just wait until you’re running for your life with us in the jungles of Rio. It’s a damned good time.”

“Speak for yourself,” Saif says, watching his sister. “I found it absolutely terrifying.”

“As you should,” Sejal butts in. She turns to me. “Who would do this to you?”

“I have some ideas.” Dominic is the most likely. Kenzie is next on the list, though it’s doubtful she’d put a lot of money into something like this.

Turning my wristlet over, I try to access the ship’s systems remotely, but everything is still offline. “Ai, any change in the status of the Amagi?” I could really use a break right now. Please, please, something go right!

“I’m sorry, Skylar. Nanci and other ship’s systems are not responding.”

I take a deep breath and let it out. Whoever is on my ship has gone to a lot of trouble to stay undetected for this long. This is not good. What if Carlos, Lia, and Nisrine are hurt? I won’t be able to forgive myself if something happens to them. I turn to face everyone. “We have to get back there and figure out what’s going on. Now.”

“We’re coming in now,” Kalvin says, banking the shuttle to the left.

The shuttle shakes as we begin our descent towards the Amagi. Kalvin counts down the seconds until we dock with the ship, and I hold my breath as we wait. As we draw closer, the chaotic movement of the spaceport appears before us. We get closer and closer to the Amagi until finally we make contact with a loud clank. Oh, thank God, we’re almost home. After a moment of silence, the engines power down as we come to a complete stop.

Unfortunately, this day is not over yet.

Nina stands up and faces the airlock. “I’ll go first.” She stops and turns to Sejal. “Any chance you have a weapon stashed here?”

“No. I never needed one before today.” She sighs. “Looks like that’s changing,” she mumbles.

I wince. “Sorry.” I feel awful having dragged everyone into this mess.

“Don’t worry about it,” she says sincerely. “We’re family now. Family backs each other up.”

“Agreed,” Saif says, a smile pushing through his worry.

Takemo rolls his eyes. “Let’s get through this in one piece before we say we’re family.”

Pride and joy swells in my heart for these people. Their faces shine as if illuminated from within. They’re lively and powerful, like the mountains that cut this continent in half. They’re the reason I wake up every day now. It’s not piloting. It’s not my work. It’s them and the promise of our future together.

The me from six months ago would not recognize the Skylar standing here. Old Skylar didn’t believe in herself. Old Skylar was too afraid to trust anyone. Old Skylar had no clue she was capable of such love.

But I’m not that Skylar anymore. I’m the Skylar who loves and is loved, and I will not let anyone or anything take that away from me. New Skylar has her found family. I’m not letting that go, ever.

“Let’s go.”

Nina works the airlock controls and the door slides open. I hold my breath, expecting the worst — gunshots, grenades, smoke bombs, anything.

But the ship is silent, the lights dim.

Maybe things aren’t as bad as they first seemed?

I jump as a figure steps out of the shadows. Unfortunately, I know right away who it is.

So does Kalvin.

“Aw fuck, really?” he says, over my shoulder.

Ricardo Nine smiles, and the sentiment doesn’t reach his eyes. I doubt it ever does, seeing as he’s an android and all that.

“Welcome home.” He lifts a gun and points it at Nina right in front. “We found a lot of lovely weapons aboard your ship. Are you looking for trouble or trying to keep it away?”

Whatever I was doing, it obviously didn’t work.

Here we go.