Bounty Hunter 2: Redemption Read Free

daughter?”
    “Still
not talking to me. How is your wife?”
    Cass
burst out laughing in Burke’s ear. He shook his head and smiled.
    “Well,
right now she’s laughing. So, happy I guess because of you.”
    Geoff
nodded and set the bottle of vodka aside. The server came over with a plate of
hot food without being asked. It was the usual breakfast of eggs and ham that
he always had. He ate quickly while Burke picked at his steak.
    “How
was the job?” Geoff asked with his mouth full.
    “It
was fine.”
    “Ask
him already,” Cass said.
    “Anything
I can do for you?” Geoff asked.
    “There’s
your opening,” she said.
    “No.”
    “Just
the tracer, then?” Geoff said.
    “Yes.”
    “How’s
the ship?”
    “Acceptable,”
Burke said. “For now, at least. With the tracer we’ll be bringing in a lot more
money. It won’t be long until we can get a better ship. Can you send it
straight to me when it gets here?”
    Geoff
nodded as he chewed his food. Eating was sobering him far better than the vodka
had.
    “How
long?” Burke asked.
    “Four
days at most. Do you want another job in the meantime?”
    “No,”
he answered. “I’ll take the time as a break.”
    “Hah,
that’ll be the day. I’ll be lucky if you’ll come back out here. You’re in the
ship too much.”
    “He’s
right,” Cass said.
    “I’ll
see you, Geoff.”
     
     
    Burke
paused when he was back on his ship. The doors closed behind him and sealed him
away from the rest of the station. He stood in the cargo hold and closed his
eyes. His right leg felt like it was throbbing, a temporary side-effect of the
transplant. Without an augmentation he thought he would be experiencing phantom
limb pain in those moments.
    Instead
the situation was met with a conflict, as if he was rejecting the synthetic
muscle. The leg itself was made out of the same material as his aegis. He no
longer wore that part of the leg’s armor and had it was permanently a part of
him. The leg was bulletproof and felt like steel to the touch. He couldn’t feel
pain from the connected nerves there, just pressure and the presence of
different temperatures. He was told the instances of pain would lessen in time.
    When
it subsided, he started walking through the ship. It was still a constant
reminder of his time spent stranded with only Cass, even if they had changed so
much of the inside to suit their needs. The cargo hold had been halved and
filled with the single jail cell. The rest of the lower level had originally
been the crew’s quarters. They had been changed to the armory and supply
storage. The engine was behind them at the rearmost point of the ship.
    The
top floor was now only two larger rooms: Burke’s room, the control room, and
the corridor that connected them. He disliked the layout but he had to admit it
met his needs. The rest of the ship was less pleasing. It had no weapons and
was too slow. The only tools he now had at his disposal were ones he added
himself: Cass, the identification blocker and, soon, the identification tracer.
    “Cass,
did you copy everything Geoff said?”
    “Yes.
He gave you two openings to ask him for help. He has enough money to lend to
you to buy two new ships, never mind one. He’s your friend, Burke. He saved
your life.”
    “No.
He did save me, but I won’t ask him. No debt to anyone. That’s one of our
rules. We didn’t buy a single thing until we paid him back for his help. We’ll
get the new ship ourselves.”
    Cass
huffed. Burke was always surprised by how human she could be. He continued
talking. “Did you hear what he said about the tracer?”
    “Yes.
Do you want to start sorting through the open contracts now?”
    Burke
nodded. His leg still ached as he climbed the stairs to the upper floor and
walked to his room. It was barely furnished: a small bed, a computer terminal,
and a space for clothes built into the wall. He walked to the corner farthest
from the door and pulled out a compartment from the wall.