Finding Lara (Distant Worlds Book 3) by Kelly Lucille Read Free Book Online Page A

babe,” she answered softly, as if that said everything, and apparently,
to her it did.
    “An avian male child you
say?” Tolan Lark asked, something happening behind his eyes that Barnos could
not read.  “Fine, we’ll find the child.”  Tolan Lark sighed and Barnos would
have fallen out of his chair if he wasn’t already strapped in.
    “We’re going to do what!?”
    The Lady Lara smiled. 
Even recovering from acute shock, he could not help but take in that smile.  He
shook himself out of it when Tolan Lark pulled up the tracking and sent her to
get cleaned up.  “You can use the same room as last time.  You look like you
need a bath and a rest before we get to where we are going.”
    “Thank you,” she beamed. 
“I knew you would help both of us.  No matter what my sister says about you.” 
Then she practically skipped out of the room.  Skipped, a full-grown woman,
after being rescued from a kidnapping and the slave pits.  It boggled the
mind.  Barnos watched her until she was out of the bridge and then turned back
to his temporary partner, who until this moment he thought he understood.
    “Have you lost your mind?”
    “What reason would
someone buy an Avian male child?”
    Barnos narrowed his
eyes.  “Are you going to answer my question?”
    “I just did.”
    Barnos blinked at that,
and then really thought about it.  “Not sexual slavery; they are too dangerous
. . .”  Then Barnos started to laugh, his good mood restored.  “The death
games,” he smiled, and this time the smile was half evil, half satisfaction. 
They bought him for the fights.”
    “And he wears an
undetectable tracker that we have the code to trace.”  Then for the first time,
it was Tolan Lark who laughed.  Barnos was no lightweight but even he had to
suppress a shiver at the rough sound of it.
    “And the girl?”
    “Has a way with words we
might need, not to mention I have no intention of giving back the Alliance
tracking device until I’m damn well good and ready to.”
    Now that was the
heartless mercenary he had come to know.  Driven and focused with little
thought to anything but ending the death games.  Barnos had never learned Tolan
Lark’s reasons for the quest he had given himself, but then he had never
discussed what drove him with the cat either.  Barnos fisted his cybernetic
hand at the end of his cybernetic arm.  And grimly his thoughts turned to Cor
Warrung. Owner of the death games and slippery evil bastard.  After months of
fruitless searches, they finally had a way to find the bastard.  Who would have
thought it was the Lady Lara of Heti that would ultimately bring down someone
as evil as Cor Warrung?
    That thought was enough
to send Barnos into a gale of laughter.  He ignored the cat’s hiss at the loud
sound.  Then he sobered.  That was a meeting he never wanted to take place. 
Cor Warrung would take great delight in destroying something that beautiful and
innocent.  The genetically twisted monster would revel in it.  He remembered
the joy on Lara’s face when Tolan said they would help rescue the boy.  Shite.  
He assured himself that they would keep the boy and the Lady safe, but it was
not as reassuring as he wanted it to be.  In a fight like this innocents paid
the price all the time, and if switching her tracking device showed anything it
was that the lady was just as innocent as she appeared.  God help them all.  He
did not want to live with that on what was left of his conscience.

CHAPTER FIVE
    The next blast hit them
broad side.  Barnos grinned when Tolan Lark cursed.  “No luck with their
computers?”
    “I’m not even sure these
pirates have one,” he shot back.  “It’s downright barbaric.”
    Another blast shook the
ship.  “Maybe they figured the cannon and shield were enough tech.”  When the
ship rattled, he silently thought they might be right.
    “Bloody pirates,” Tolan
Lark muttered.  Barnos laughed when he added a quick, “No