Living in Freefall (Living on the Run Book 1) by Ben Patterson Page A

added.
    Buck leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table and
scrutinized Jordon for a moment. “You’re making no sense. Why must you die?”
    Jordon took and released a heavy breath. “No one must know
what I’m about to tell you. Not even Ericca. Understand?”
    Buck pushed to his feet and went to the portal to peer out,
but his focus didn’t go beyond Jordon’s reflection in the glass. There was a
desperate look in Jordon’s face.
    “Okay, fine, Jordy. I’ll hear you out but don’t ask me to
compromise my faith. There are lines I simply will not cross.”
    “No one has to die but me, Buck, and I can’t do this alone.”
     
    To pull off an ambush requires nerves of steel and
discipline to match. That’s why Jordon had come here; to a place where everyday
life challenged even a strong man’s soul. In taking on Confederate ships, he
wanted – No – he needed leverage. Here, the greatest advantage
was the field’s size. As big as a solar system, the ring of rocks were too
numerous to count, let alone sort through. If it had not been accidentally
stumbled upon, odds were against Rhone ever having been discovered. And so,
Buck’s reticence was hard for Jordon to understand.
    The second best gain in coming here was Buck’s
battle-tested, war hardened rebels. These men knew how to fight well as a team,
and were flexible enough to respond quickly to surprises, modifying their
strategies to suit the ever-changing situations. If word came that the enemy
was indeed on their way, then he and Buck’s group would try to solidify
something of a plan over the next day or two.

Chapter Eleven
    That evening, Jordon, Buck, and David Courtney shuttled over
to Lady Mae , a corsair with its hold filled with minerals bound for
Providence. They found the ship’s captain alone on the bridge.
    Captain Kelly Armstrong’s smile was sweet and soft as she
shook each man’s hand in turn. “Welcome aboard Lady Mae , Captain Kori,
Buck . . .” but when the thirty-something brunette took David
Courtney’s hand, she lingered.
    “ David , she said softly. But there was something in
her tone, the way she said his name, that said she had more than a professional
interest in the fleet’s Second in Command. David pretended— poorly —not to
notice.
    Exchanging a look with Buck, Jordon rolled his eyes in utter
dismay.
    Taking passage aboard Lady Mae , David’s assignment
was to deliver a message to Providence Prime, to the military HQ based there. His
mission; make clear to them that Saigus was engaging the Confeds and would need
Prov help.
    “Seriously?” Kelly said, “A Prov fleet crossing the Confederate
border will mean war. Certainly Providence knows that. Who are we to them that they’d
provoke such a thing? I don’t think they’ll come.”
    “Just be certain you mention Jordon Kori’s name,” Buck
urged, “They’ll come.”
    “It’s in the bag, Kelly,” David said. “Just get me there,
and I’ll see they react as we want them too.”
    Since Jordon Senior’s defection seven years ago, Providence
intelligence had failed to pinpoint Kori’s whereabouts. They didn’t know of the
senior Kori’s passing. They did know, however, that Jordon Junior was as gifted
as his dad had been. Given the chance, Prov would take Jordon in a instant. Until
now, even when working with Prov intelligentsia, Jordon had been sly enough to
stay two steps ahead of them, and just beyond their reach. Mentioning the
inventor’s whereabouts now would insure a response from them, a military
response.
    With everything finalized, Buck asked David to see them back
to the shuttle, and then he and Captain Armstrong could be on their way. Once
out of Kelly’s earshot, Jordon turned to David, and threw an arm over his
shoulder. “So, you and this Kelly hitting it off?”
    David recoiled. “I beg your pardon, sir. She is the captain
of this ship. I have a job to do. That is all.”
    Jordon shrugged and backed away.
    Buck, however, grabbed