Captive - Cheryl Brooks Page 0,10

ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

His mother had quoted Hanlon’s razor enough to imbed the idea in the minds of her sons. However, in this case, Moe wasn’t convinced it applied. Nedwuts might not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but they were certainly malicious.

A brief stock of his surroundings suggested his best bet was to either go up another block or retrace his steps to a parallel street. With the Nedwuts out of sight, he could get close enough to get off a shot when he rounded the corner. Retracing his steps would put him closer to the gang that really was chasing him. If the Nedwuts could smell him, so could she.

Damn. I’m in trouble no matter which way I turn.

Unless he followed his original plan, which was to get the heck out of Dodge.

No. His best bet was to use himself as bait to lure in and eliminate any threats to his survival. He could easily get the drop on the Nedwuts, who were still bickering among themselves, and keep right on going.

“Oh, what the hell,” he muttered. Within seconds, his use of the available cover brought him within range. Setting his pistol for a wide, heavy stun, he peeked around a rusty barrel and pressed the trigger.

One of the Nedwuts jumped as though he’d been pinged in the ass with a very light stun.

He fired again.

This time, nothing happened.

For the first time ever, his trusty pistol had failed him.

With a shout, the entire pack of Nedwuts charged toward him. Suddenly, running back to that woman and her minions didn’t seem like such a bad idea. At least they had weapons that worked.

Or perhaps he could bluff his way out.

Waving his arms, he leaped into the clear and shouted, “It’s a trap! A nasty Zetithian woman and her gang are headed this way, and she hates Nedwuts. Better run for it or you’re all dead meat!”

Their leader didn’t hesitate. He aimed his fully functional rifle at Moe and fired.

Once again, Moe awoke to find himself tied up on the floor of the cell he was beginning think of as his new home. At least this time he wasn’t gagged. To be honest, he wasn’t sure why he’d been gagged the first time. It wasn’t as though anyone could’ve heard him scream.

“So, you’re awake,” she said.

“Yeah, I’m awake.” From his current position, he couldn’t see her, although her scent proved she was in the same room. “But I gotta tell ya, I’m getting really tired of this shit, especially since I was trying to do you a favor.”

“By sending a pack of Nedwuts after me?” she drawled. “I’m not sure I would consider that a favor.”

“Hey, I tried to stun them. Can I help it if you idiots drained the charge on my pistol?”

“An understandable precaution should you recover your weapon and try to escape.”

“Yeah, well, if I’d had any sense, I’d have taken yours. But, no, I just had to be a nice guy and not steal from you.” Somehow, he doubted anyone could fault him for making off with a half a bottle of beer and one measly slice of pizza—although with renewed hunger gnawing at his belly, he wished he’d taken all of it.

“It’s a good thing you didn’t,” she said. “Otherwise, I might not have been able to rid the galaxy of so many Nedwuts at once.”

“You killed all of them?”

“Of course I did. That’s what I do. Remember?” Her callous tone sent a chill through him. Sure, his mother had killed a passel of the hairy beasts, but she’d at least done it in defense of her family, and she hadn’t needed to do that for nearly twenty years. This woman had done the same thing, but her motive was revenge rather than defense. She’d even managed to get them to come after her, eliminating the need for her to hunt them down.

“I haven’t forgotten. Have you forgotten what I said about getting your share of the trust fund? Seriously, you don’t have to live this way.”

“So what? Maybe I like this kind of life. Although ridding this world of the scum of the galaxy is a rather thankless occupation.”

Moe might’ve agreed with her if he hadn’t been among those she was trying to eradicate. “I am not scum. I’m a perfectly respectable businessman who happened to get drawn into a barroom brawl. You’ve already taken my credits. Therefore, you have no reason to sell me or