Free Nell Thorn by Sophie Angmering Page A

to Angel for an answer. He completely ignored Nell as he pulled out a chair from between them and sat astride it.
    “If you want the short version, I was returning to my ship, and I found our mutual acquaintance causing something of a stir in one of the service corridors.”
    It was the first time Nell had heard Angel speak of her attempted kidnapping.
    “What were you doing in a service corridor?” Nell asked before she could stop herself.
    “Returning to my ship,” Angel replied.
    “Did you recognise anyone?” Rowe asked him.
    Angel simply raised an eyebrow and said, “Everyone was dressed in black. No markings were evident on the uniforms, faces covered. They were trying not to speak but Commander Thorn managed to kick one of them so hard he did shout out.”
    “Anything useful?”
    “Not really, but someone must be running scared to try to steal a witness out from under the nose of the Rim Council.” Angel took another swig of his drink and went on to state, “Of more concern to you is that you would appear to have someone on your crew who can be persuaded to part with information. There are factions on the borders of Eastern Complex space that have taken it into their heads that they no longer need the Rowe Collective gene strain to pioneer mining in the extreme districts. They have fallen into company with—”
    “Slavers,” Rowe finished the sentence for him.
    “You know?”
    “Let’s say I had plenty of time and opportunity to work it out.”
    “I’ve missed you, you arsehole.” Angel said the words as if they were wrenched out of him.
    Rowe stared at him long and hard before grabbing one of Angel’s shoulders and shaking it slightly. “Sure you have. Good to have someone watching my back again.”
    Nell looked from one to the other.
    “Just who are you two jokers?” she asked, waving to the barman for another drink.
    “Just the usual,” said Rowe, holding up one hand to signal that three drinks should be brought over to their table. “Two people who have known each other for an awful long time, and who would have done better to have listened to each other before listening to other people.”
    “I’ll drink to that.” Angel held his glass high and drained it dry. “The far Eastern sector is getting reckless. They’ve been asking repeatedly where you have gone, and the emergency council that has been set up in your absence has blanked them repeatedly. In fact, the colonies in the delta quadrant have simply stopped sending ore for processing. They are stockpiling it until they get their answers.”
    “Gotta love those difficult bastards in the delta quadrant,” Rowe said, not without affection.
    Nell thought they sounded like awkward little shits.
    “If you return now and show your face, it’ll be obvious that the emergency council have been up to something and there will be an all-out war. People are already angry,” Angel informed Rowe, his face grave. “It’s going to be one hell of an ugly fight, and might give other factions the opportunity to annex large portions of the Eastern Complex for themselves. I would guess Gordon would be first among them.”
    “Gordon?” In her head, Nell echoed Rowe’s question to Angel.
    “Fleet Sector Commander Gordon.” Angel replied, with a quick glance towards Nell.
    A GEF Sector Commander? Nell stifled a groan.
    “Then it’s back to the Council, or war.” Rowe looked up at Angel. “I thought you had betrayed me.”
    “Why the hell would I do that?”
    “It was something Gordon said.”
    “Bloody Sector Commander Gordon,” Angel growled. “Everything leads back to that greedy bastard.”
    Nell kept quiet and stared at her hands, listening. She still did not quite trust Angel as far as she could throw him, but the involvement of an officer of the Galaxy Elite Fleet made her role in this all the more difficult.
    Gordon. Nell had heard of him, and none of it had been good. It was a well-known fact that he had harboured a deep,