Risk nodded. “I’m more worried about what happens when they get off that ship.”
“That’s out of our hands.” Noble shrugged. “We’re doing what we can to give them a head start. After that, it’s on Terror’s shoulders.”
Raised voices in the corridor caught his attention. He could pick out Savage’s voice and frowned. “Stay here. Do what needs to be done. I’ll keep him out.”
Risk glanced at his watch. “Hallie will be here in forty minutes.”
Noble’s brow furrowed. “The general’s wife?”
“I needed a body double. She’s the closest in size and hair color.”
“Sure, but how are you going to make the switch?”
“Leave that to me,” Risk remarked sagely. “You handle that loudmouth out there.”
Fully aware that his part in this conspiracy would send him straight to the brig if discovered, Noble stepped into the hallway and prepared to face Savage. He had been charged with getting Maisie off this ship, and he wasn’t about to disappoint the admiral.
And if he had to knock Savage into next week to get him to shut up and sit down, well, he figured Orion wouldn’t mind that much.
Chapter Twelve
Maisie bolted awake at the sensation of being jostled. Panicked, she swatted out at the hands lifting her from the exam table. Her blurry and confused gaze settled on the reassuring face of the doctor who had treated her. He shook his head and urged her to be quiet. She stared at his mouth as he repeated the words, “I’m helping you escape.”
Escape? Was it really possible?
She noticed the large bin in the corner of the room. It was bright red and had yellow biohazard symbols all over it. Did he intend to stick her in there?
Before she could ask if that was his intention, a set of bigger, more muscular arms took her from the doctor. She was even more shocked when she realized it was the general now carrying her. Her last interactions with him had been less than friendly. Why is he helping me escape?
The two men spoke hurriedly, and she struggled to decipher all the words they exchanged. Something about the general’s wife and a surgery?
The doctor must have seen the confusion on her face. He touched her arm to get her attention. “I had them bring you to the operating room for a gynecological procedure. The general’s wife was already on this floor for a pregnancy scan. She’s now in the operating room having a nice nap while we sneak you off the ship.”
The general carefully placed her in the biohazard bin. There were stacks of medication boxes, IV bags and MREs at one end. A blanket had been arranged in the bottom, and the general stunned her by gently tucking it around her. It occurred to her that his treatment toward her had been nothing but a ruse. He had wanted everyone on their rescue trip to believe that he disliked her, probably as a smokescreen for this exact moment.
The general tipped her chin with his rough fingers. He held her gaze as he spoke. “Terror will meet you on the ship. He’s going to take you somewhere safe.” The general hesitated. “If something happens and he doesn’t make it, you’ll be on your own.” He handed her a tablet. “This has been wiped. There’s no tracking device on it. You can use it to communicate with others.” He unsnapped the pocket on the front of his shirt and retrieved a thin green metallic card. “This has money on it. It’s enough to get you to one of the mining colonies or the agricultural belt.”
She accepted the items and wordlessly thanked him. He nodded at her and then reached into the neck of his shirt. He grabbed hold of a chain and tugged hard, breaking the fine metal links. “Hold out your hand.”
She held up her palm, and he dropped the chain onto it. She eyed the circle of metal dangling from it and inhaled sharply. “Your emergency beacon?” she signed and mouthed the words.
“Yes. My beacon,” he confirmed. “If something happens to Terror, if he needs help,” the general paused and swallowed hard, “use it. I don’t care where you are. I don’t care how far I have to travel. I don’t care who I have to kill. I will rescue him.”
She understood the depth of friendship between the two men. They were brothers who had survived horrific battles she couldn’t even begin to fathom. The general had nearly lost his friend when Terror had