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     Jack joined her at the last cart of the caravan, as she assisted her last patient in the move to their own more comfortable tents. Rachel looked over to him, saw the blink of the Triad collar that kept Jack confined to the caravan, and she didn’t like it, but trusting Jack was the wrong thing to do.

     Jack held his hand out to assist her exit from the cart, and she landed on her feet. Rachel leaned against the farm cart, nearing exhaustion. "I’ll be happy when we’re in bed."

     Jack gave a devilish smile. "So will I."

     "Jack!" they heard a panicked Davi call out, and they turned toward the voice  ringing through the trees behind the carts not very far away. The twilight barely lit the sway of the trees and contents of the grove, and Rachel had to squint to make out the shape of a boy in the woods, and had to squint again to see what menaced Davi so.

     Jack reached down and snatched the C-breaker from the holster secured on Rachel's thigh. Jack, and then Rachel, broke out into a hard run to Davi and, reaching him, they skidded to a halt and spotted the thing that had made Davi cry out.  Rachel froze in fear.  A very large, horned, boar-like creature, maybe four hundred kilos, was staring the boy down, snorting, clawing the ground.

     Kennis and Tonia arrived, witnessing the unmatched stand-off, and the sudden appearance of more people caused the creature to lunge at Davi.

     With cat reflexes, Jack took aim at the charging beast, and fired the C-breaker, striking the creature right in the neck. The creature did not even cry out, having taken the laser hit directly to its vocal cords. A meter away from Davi the beast sacked to the ground and began its death throes.

     Flooded with relief, Rachel ran to Davi and held the shaking boy as Jack reached the writhing beast, the C-breaker fixed on it, watching it for any dangerous move. Tonia next reached Davi and flung her arms around both Davi and Rachel, and the little princess cried out a grateful prayer to her guiding spirits.

     When the creature finally stilled, Kennis rushed Davi and Tonia off to rest from the ordeal, then Rachel and Kennis joined Jack’s side and inspected the beast. Jack pointed the gun at it. "Looks like a pig, a creature from our planet. Some of the best eating in town. What do you call it?"

     Kennis bent to his haunches to examine the fatal deathstrike,  not very pleased.  "Looks like we’ll be calling it dinner." 

     Jack casually pointed to the downed romper with his gun again. "He’s a big boy. Looks like everyone will get a bite of meat tonight."

     Dismayed at the prospect of oncoming carnivorism, Kennis went back to the wagons to collect the tools to carry the huge beast to the firepit, leaving Jack and Rachel alone. Relieved for Davi’s safety, Rachel realized that the C-breaker was still in Jack’s hand. And so was his escape.

     The I-Marshal saw her wary expression. They both stared at the C-breaker in his hand. Finally, Jack passed the weapon back to her. Surprised by his quick surrender, Rachel took the gun and placed it back in the holster on her leg.

     "Thank you, Jack, for saving Davi’s life," Rachel told him genuinely, knowing the I-Marshal had bypassed the opportunity to flee, find Quattro, and fulfill his purpose for being there.

     Jack regarded her as though he were surprised to discover her suspect of him. "I’d not let the beast kill the kid, Rachel. I’ve grown fond of him."

     "You could have run. Thank you for not running then," she said, hoping her eyes would tell him of her great appreciation. "The last few days it’s been my worst thought to have to shoot you with your own gun if you’d made a run for it."

     He shook his blond head. "Could not have happened. You could not have fired the C-breaker."

     Rachel thought him to be underrating her. "Yes, Jack, I would have shot you to keep you from revealing the Sodasi’s position to Quattro, and prevent you from giving him the proto-plutonium the mobster wants to kill the Sodasi."

     "No," Jack interrupted. "I mean, you could not have fired the C-breaker, Rachel. It operates only to my fingerprint. The laser won’t operate for anyone else."

     Rachel took another great breath, chastising herself for thinking herself secure. "I’d had it strapped to my leg all this time. You’d allowed me false security. Damn you, Jack. You'd made me think I had you."

     Jack reached behind his neck and fiddled with the locked Triad collar that kept him confined to the convoy, a fruitless effort, Rachel thought. The Triad collar allowed absolutely no manipulation of itself by its wearer. But in a moment, the blinking light that alerted the looker to its activation went dark. To Rachel’s shock, the circlet popped open under Jack’s manipulation, and the I-Marshal gave her the full power of his sober blue gaze. Jack’s superiority was winning the day.

     Jack passed her the Triad collar device, an action proving that she’d never had him under her control, and he could have left at any time, but had chosen to stay.

     Rachel stared stupidly at the collar, having no idea how he’d done it. She held the only release chip in her pocket. He’d had nothing in his hands, no release chip, no tool.

     Jack must have seen the questions in her eyes because he stated blandly, "Day One at I-Marshal school. Every Marshal knows how to get out of a Triad collar."

     Rachel bristled at how Jack had overseen her every confidence turned to his advantage.

     "I didn’t save Davi for nothing, Rachel," Jack addressed her seriously. "So far I’ve stayed where you’ve placed me. But I did not do it for free. You must pay the mercenary, you know." His eyes glittered. "Tonight you must make up for your unacceptable kiss. A long, boiling kiss. A fully involved kiss. I want a kiss from you that will make me explode."

     The news that she hadn’t beaten him set into her soul. If she had triumphed over Jack, she’d have been disappointed in him.

     A make-up kiss was all he wanted for saving Davi’s life. Rachel tingled all the way down to her knees when she imagined their make-up kiss.

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