Chapter 17
PeaceableIt took four hours before help arrived. Only four hours, which told her that the ransomers were lying in wait.
A sleek ship landed nearby.
The obviously expensive ship tipped her from worry into fury. How dare the ransomers sit in luxury while she and Joseph suffocated? Or were torn apart? Or shiver with an uncontrolled infection? How dare those scoundrels profit from her and Joseph’s suffering?
Peaceable grabbed an iron crowbar—discovered in a search in the supply closet—and went outside to greet Joseph’s abductors. The mornclaws were still prowling, so she wore Joseph’s heaviest boots and a leather jacket. It wasn’t much, but it offered some protection.
The airlock door slid open. A mornclaw dropped from above, hissing. Without hesitation, Peaceable brought the a
