The Last Marine Read Online Free Page A

to the same planet as the sick and the poor.
    His eyes met hers and lit with recognition. Neither her short hair, nor the hurried black dye job appeared to have fooled him. She froze, waiting to find out if he would give her away.
    The corners of his mouth went down, but he remained silent.
    The two Blue Helmets muscled him over to the upright hibernation chamber. They didn’t need to use the kind of force they did. He didn’t struggle.
    Until they tried to enclose him inside.
    Chief Payne threw his shoulder against the door and head-butted one of the Blue Helmets. The man slumped to the ground.
    The other soldier punched Chief Payne in the face. He reeled back with a grunt and the Blue Helmet slammed and sealed the door.
    Prudence’s hand flew to her throat. “You’re leaving him in here? With me?”
    “If you wanted a private cabin, you should have paid for one.” Out of breath, the Blue Helmet glanced at Prudence. The heat left his tone. “He can’t bother you, miss, he can’t reach the release with his hands cuffed. Not while he’s vertical.”
    She gave him a shaky nod and as soon as he dragged his partner out, she locked the door behind them. Goddess help her if they brought her any more roommates.
    She kept her gaze on the now occupied hibernation chamber as she edged toward hers. He should already be falling asleep, but he wasn’t. His intense sea-green stare followed her across the sterile silver-and-white room. Did they expect her to undress with him watching?
    She turned her back to Chief Payne and removed her hat, scarf, and jacket, taking her time folding them. With a glance over her shoulder, she noted he was still awake. His patrician features were schooled into the stoic mask she’d grown to know so well through the holo-projector. She took off her shoes and socks, storing them in the compartment under her chamber. Waiting was risky. If she wasn’t locked into her chamber when they dropped life support, she could go under before securing all her life links.
    A thud came from behind her and she spun around, her hand flying to her heart.
    He hadn’t gotten free.
    His forehead was planted on the glass. His lips moved, forming one word: Please.
    Please what?
    His gaze dropped as he stared at something in the chamber, before shooting back to hers. He repeated the action, trying to communicate with her. His expression searching, intense.
    She approached his chamber, getting close enough to peer down into the pod. His life support links hung loose at his side. No wonder he’d fought the Blue Helmets. They’d planned to let him die in there.
    His head hit the glass, drawing her attention. Again, he mouthed one word. Please.
    Her heart slammed in her chest. He wanted her to open the chamber. What if he attacked her like he did the Blue Helmet? Despite being cuffed he’d proved to be dangerous. She’d witnessed him kill with no remorse. And the fact that he refused to speak at his trial didn’t exactly endorse his sanity.
    But could she live with herself knowing she’d let him die?
    She looked up into his sea-green eyes. “Don’t hurt me.”
    A small smile curved the corner of his lips, softening his features. He shook his head.
    She reached out and pulled down the emergency release on the side of the chamber. The air hissed as the air-lock opened. His lips parted and he sucked in a hard breath.
    “You couldn’t breathe?” She stared at him in horror.
    He shook his head.
    The Blue Helmets hadn’t hooked him up to the life links or activated life support. That must have been three or four minutes. If she’d hesitated any longer . . . . “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” She should have. She’d studied these chambers and how they worked in preparation for this trip. A mask delivered oxygen to the occupant of the air-tight chamber.
    His chest heaved with each breath and she thought she heard him say, “’S’okay,” but wasn’t quite sure.
    Before she lost her nerve, she reached into the