Jazzy (Moon Hunters Inc. Book 5) Read online

  Would they hurt her? Would they injure him? Maybe they would threaten others. That would probably be most effective on Jazzy. Somehow he knew that threatening her personally wouldn’t work. How could he protect someone with no sense of self-preservation? Jetson wasn’t sure, but he was getting tired. He lay down next to the most frustrating woman he’d ever met and curled his body around her. At some point, he went to sleep. He’d worry about everything else in the morning.

  Chapter 3

  Planning a Rescue

  Cash was going a little bit crazy. Jazzy had been gone for two weeks. Some people might not believe it, but he hadn’t lost a single hunter yet. Even though he sent them into the most dangerous situations, they all had that little extra ingredient others lacked. Call it courage, the ability to think on their feet, or even amazing luck, but whatever his hunters had, saw them through.

  Jazzy was special and he refused to let her be the first hunter lost. The others agreed and all were willing to jump into the fire to save her. It reminded him of what a close and amazing crew he had assembled and how much they had in common. More than some knew, although since he’d been raiding the labs, information had leaked out. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t expected. His people gathered information for a living and they were damn good at it. That made it likely that they would know everything by the time this was all over.

  The com buzzed and he wondered what was going on now. “Cash.” He said curtly having no interest in any more bad news and doubting it was good news.

  “What crawled up your ass today?”

  “Sorry for being so abrupt, Razar. I’m worried about Jazzy. We are narrowing down her possible location, but we are still far from having it pin pointed.”

  “You will be glad to have my information then. The ship that we sent to aid you in the last raid has been trading around the galaxies. We are trying to get enough trading pacts to open a trader’s market. This requires going outside the standard trade routes. They approached a space station not on the maps and were told it was station Z. I have never heard of that station, have you?”

  “No, I’m sure you will speed this story up?”

  Razar chuckled. “I’ve researched and there are few references to this station and it is well off the standard routes. While orbiting the station, before they were asked to leave, they picked up some kind of signal. They used every possible recourse to make the sound louder.”

  A sound played over the com. Cash couldn’t breathe for a second. It was definitely Jazzy’s locater. The sound was a jazz beat. Each hunter picked out their own sound to make it individual and the computer easily identified each agents tune.

  “Where?” Was all he could say.

  “Lista calls it the nose bleed section of the universe. It’s an unknown area past Earth’s galaxy. Earth just doesn’t put stations that far out. No planets capable of supporting life are within easy travel and the station is built on an ice planet and made to blend in. I have no idea how they found it, but the Phoenix people are amazing when it comes to things like that. They immediately became suspicious and sent me a message. They are still in the area just outside of what they have deemed the stations ability to sense their presence.”

  “I could kiss you!”

  “Sorry, I don’t roll that way.” Razar said laughing. Cash knew he understood the relief of finding a lost sheep when you were beginning to give up hope.

  “Thank you and pass the thanks on to your people. Just shoot me the coordinates and I’ll get the ball rolling.” The coordinates popped up on his com almost instantly.

  Thank you, my friend.”

  “It was nothing. Their ship will stay in position waiting for your directions.”

  “I will get my people on it right away.”

  “Best of luck.”

  The line went dead, but Cash was now filled with something that would push him to the limit and sustain him until he had Jazzy back. This thing called hope would push him and he would push the others. There was a knock on the door before it opened and Dani, his assistant, came in. She’d learned the hard way not to walk in unannounced. He’d been caught naked more than once and she always acted embarrassed when he was.

  “Did you need something?” She asked coolly. Her attitude toward him had grown chilly lately.

  “Yes. I believe we’ve found Jazzy and I want anyone within a few days of the coordinates to meet just out of the station’s sensor range.”

  “Thank the gods. Send me the information and I’ll contact everyone.”

  He pushed a couple buttons sending the information to her. They needed to do this fast and efficiently. There was no time or effort to waste. Jazzy could be in peril even as they worked to set her free. With Dani taking care of so much of his responsibilities, he felt like all he had was time to worry. Rather than do that, he began to research this strange station that she was being held on.

  He started by accessing the Encyclopedia Universe. The set claimed to have the most extensive information base anywhere. Information that couldn’t be proven beyond reasonable doubt was listed in yellow to show it was urban myth and unsubstantiated. Sometimes the yellow changed to black when it was proven or notes were added that it was disproven.

  All the information listed about station Z was in yellow except the first line.

  Nearly fifty years ago, Danil Sanders, many times great grandson of a famous restaurant chain millionaire, received a grant to build a space station at the edge of the empty zone for scientific monitoring. No proof has ever been discovered that the station was ever built.

  As recently as two years ago, traders have reported seeing signs of a space station or even seeing flashes of one near the edge of the empty zone. There are also reports of ships, both human and alien, being lost in that area never to be seen again. The area now is often compared with the Devil’s Triangle of Earth.

  It made sense that they would destroy any ships that might try to dock with the station. At least Razar’s people had been smart enough to retreat for now. That put the ball in his court and he needed to get as many ships and hunters as possible to that station.

  He pressed his com. “Dani?”

  “Yes, Sir?”

  “Update, please.”

  “All nearby hunters are notified and headed toward the empty zone.”

  “Good job.” He had so many things he wanted to say to her, but that was all he said. She deserved better and he wasn’t made to settle down.

  “Thank you. I’ll update you once they begin arriving.” Her voice was coolly professional with no sign of the warmth she used to show him. He missed the old Dani, but she was gone forever and it was for the best.

  A bad point about the location of the space station was the empty zone was remote and secluded. It would take time to get all his people there and figure out what the hell to do. Meanwhile, he had a king size headache and no way to deal with it. Maybe he should take a shower. Sometimes he could relax under the spray of hot water and come up with ideas he wasn’t sure he would have otherwise.

  It might just be he fooled himself into believing the effectiveness of a hot shower because he enjoyed taking them. Cash felt it was important, even more so than usual, to plan out this raid/rescue. Not only was Jazzy’s safety on the line, but those who ran the labs were liked trapped animals and more likely to turn on their prisoners if they saw they were going down.

  There was no way to get anyone in the station but was there any way to contact Jazzy? He’d heard the Phoenix people on the other side of the moon he was on had mental powers. It was just a rumor, the tribe kept to themselves and information was hard to gather. What if it was true? Several of them were on the ship that hovered just out of scanning range of the station.

  The only way to know for sure was to call Razar because he was the only outsider the Phoenix tribe would communicate with. The com rang and rang, but just when Cash feared it would go to messages, someone picked up.

  “This better be important.” An a
nnoyed female voice said.

  “Is that you, Lista?”

  “Yes, is this Cash?” She said with a long sigh.

  “It is.”

  “Okay, here he is.”

  “What do you need?” Razar asked.

  “I was thinking about some rumors I heard. The Phoenix are said to have mind powers. If that’s true, and they are willing, maybe they can reach out to Jazzy and see if she has information that will help us in the raid. We have no information of the space station at all.”

  “That’s not entirely true.” Razar said.

  “What part?”

  “I sent you a scan of the space station the ship took. It gives you the layout and the number of life signs. It can’t distinguish between friend and foe, but it’s a help.”

  “I’ll look it up. About the other thing. Can you ask them?”

  “I can ask, but even if they can, you know what you are asking of them.”

  “I do, but life hangs in the balance.”

  “It often does, but if they have special powers and reveal them, it could be their lives and their freedom that is forfeit.”

  “I understand. Just ask. It will be in their hands at that point.”

  “Okay. I’ll give them the information they need to make an informed decision. I really like Jazzy. I hope we can save her.”

  “Me too. Thank you, Razar.”

  The line went dead and Cash tried to think of something else he could do. The problem was it was all too little too late. It made him think back to the time he’d first met Jazzy. He’d been on Earth and she’d been in a dumpster looking for whatever she could find.

  “Anything valuable in there?” Cash asked and the little girl glared at him.

  “Find your own place to look for scraps.” Her long, straight, and black hair hung to her hips but was tied back in a ponytail. She was fierce as she jumped out of the dumpster and stood before him with her hands on her hips.

  “I’m not looking for scraps. I’m in the market for information.”

  “Giving out the wrong kind of information to the wrong people can be dangerous.”

  “I pay well for information, if it’s accurate and I never reveal a source.” Cash assured her.

  “What you want to know?”

  “I’m looking for a runaway. The kid left home to get away from a stepfather but the old man died. Her mom wants her back now. I just need to deliver a message. It’s up to her what she does with it.”

  “I might know about a new kid on the street. She’s not very savvy when it comes to protecting herself.”

  “Take me to her and I’ll give you a hundred dollars. I won’t take her if she doesn’t want to go.”

  Jazzy nodded. She walked away not looking back to see if he was following, she just assumed he would. Cash followed along behind her as she sped along the edge of the road. She led him to a lean-to set up against the back of a large factory.

  “This is my home. Come on in.”

  He moved in behind her even though he wasn’t sure why she’d brought him here. The question was answered as soon as he was fully past the blanket that hung over the entry. The young lady he’d searched everywhere for was right there, safe and well cared for. Even at such a young age, Jazzy was a protector.

  What many talked about doing for others, she just did naturally. The young girl looked at him suspiciously. “Who is he?” Valerie asked.

  “Your mother sent me to tell you that Donald died in his sleep a week ago. If you want to come back, it’ll just be the two of you. She’s sorry she let you down and promises not to do it again. It’s your choice. I can take you to her or leave you here and she won’t know where you are.”

  “Is he really dead?” She asked.

  Cash fished around in his pocket and pulled out the newspaper. The headline was about how the last of a long line of business tycoons had passed on without any offspring. Valerie took the paper and read the headline. She broke down on tears.

  “Come with me?” She turned to Jazzy.

  “I can’t. We all have to make it our own way. I’m glad you’ll have your mom back.”

  Cash thought the young girl was a real class act. He held his hand out to shake hers. The money was in his palm and she slid it off and into her pocket. “I’ll see around, kid. I can always use someone like you.”

  “I’ll be here.” As Valerie and Cash walked to his car, he looked back and saw Jazzy heading back to the dumpster. He wished he could help her more, but she was too proud to take help that way. She was too young at this point to use for anything but as an informer. Someday when he had his business established and she was older, she would work for him.

  Jazzy wasn’t the first or the last hunter he had found that way. She was one of the ones he’d felt the strongest connection to. It wasn’t romantic but more like a family link. That little girl he’d met had brought out protective feelings in him even though it was a while before he’d been in a position to do anything about it.

  Now here he sat, feeling as helpless as he had back then. The need to act sat heavy on him, but the ability to do anything wasn’t there. Soon, but would it be soon enough?

  Chapter 4

  Dreaming Out Loud

  Jazzy knew she was asleep, but the dream seemed so real. The male had a sense of familiarity about him and he told her he was a Phoenix. Cool. They lived on the opposite side of the island Moon Hunter’s Inc. Headquarters was located on. She liked the moon they all lived on and had even gone to the other side a few times.

  The Phoenix People lived simply for the most part. They did have a recreational building that housed their headquarters. It wasn’t just there for fun, it housed computers and an impressive library full of ancient books and manuscripts.

  “I am Roar.“ He informed.

  “Roar who?”

  “Phoenix.”

  “Like the tribe on the other side of the moon that Moon Hunter’s headquarters is on?”

  “Exactly. All of us use that last name because we are all Phoenixes.”

  “Never heard that before. Doesn’t it get confusing?”

  “Phoenix are rare. There are only five thousand of us on the moon and only a handful away from it. Why have many last names? There is no need at all for them among us.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “We are nearby waiting for back up. Our ship found your signal and Cash asked for our assistance. He wished to know if you were well and if there was any immediate threats.”

  “I’m well considering and I have no way of knowing what their plans are. Right now I’m asleep in my cell and overseen by the local Lothario. He’s harmless enough, at least I think he is.”

  Roar chuckled. “Lothario’s are rarely harmless to unconscious females. I’ll take your opinion on the matter, though, since you know him. Do you have any intel that will help us?”

  “Yes, and it’s scary as hell. They are doing experiments that are rapidly aging the occupants and I fear it may be a fountain of youth experiment.”

  “Do you have any exact information?”

  “No, only I was commenting on how unusual it is for other facilities to keep older people like this one does. I was told those older people are my age. It is frightening since they look sixty if they are a day.”

  “I will pass on all the information you’ve given me. Anything else? I’m about to cut our connection.”

  “They have more prisoners than I’ve seen in one place before. The guards are nervous fearing a raid. My concern is they will try to kill us all and escape.”

  “We are watching closely, Jazzy. If you are in danger, send a message to me.”

  “Will you get it?”

  “You have a strong mind. It is why I connected while you slept. You would have fought me. If you broadcast, I will hear you. Think of me when you send the message.”

  Jazzy giggled. “Call you and you will come, huh?”

  “Yes, just call me.”

  Her mind reached out but
he was gone. There was no way to be sure if he’d ever really been there or not, but if she needed someone, it would be worth the attempt. Her eyes tried to open, but failed the first time since they were heavy with sleep. The second time was successful and she stared straight at a sleeping Jetson who had wrapped his body around her. Perhaps the worst thing was she liked it. His warmth had fought off the chilly feeling she had in her cell.

  Regardless of how good it felt to be wrapped up in his arms, she needed to get more information. She slipped from his grasp without waking him, wanting to talk to her neighbor first.

  “Hannah, what are you doing?”

  “Are you crazy? I’m sitting here wishing I was somewhere else. They don’t let us do anything unless they need us for their experiments. When they do, we lay there while they inject us, cut us, remove things or add them. The rest of the time, we eat if and when we’re fed, bathe if we can get enough water, and sleep more than we need because there’s nothing to do. You do know we can get beaten if they catch us talking, right?”

  “I’m sorry. Would you rather I leave you alone?” Jazzy asked with concern.

  “No, I’d rather talk to someone and not be bored out of my mind even if it means I’m beaten later. Pathetic, right?”

  “No, intelligent races are, for the most part, social. We crave interaction with others on an intellectual and emotional level. By denying you that interaction, they hope to drive you either crazy or too numb to care what happens to you.”

  “That’s what I’ve always thought. Jetson thinks it’s only a security measure, but I think it’s more.”

  “Tell me about your life here, Hannah.”

  “It’s boring and the same every day.”

  “What were your earliest memories?”

  “I remember crying like my heart was breaking. When I was older, they told me my mother had died during childbirth but I don’t know if the baby lived.”

  “That had to be hard.”

  “It was, even though I couldn’t remember her then. Later, memories surfaced of a warm hug and a soft kiss. She’d whisper, ‘I love you.’”