Thieving Women Always Lose

THIEVING WOMEN ALWAYS LOSE TALES OF THE UNDEAD & DEPRAVED ADRIAN J. SMITH EREKA PRESS Copyright © 2022 by Adrian J. Smith All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Cover by MiblArt CHAPTER 1 The smooth white pill left a chalky texture as it slid down Jerry’s throat. The thing was barely bigger than a squash seed, but it was all she needed to keep her head in the game to get more. Gripping the wooden wheel tightly, her knuckles white, she spun it hard to starboard, her small ship turning through the air under her skilled command as they hovered meters above the poisoned sea. Azar stood at the second wheel, his tall, muscular form holding firm, steering with her as they maneuvered Yarrow. Jerry’s heart pattered a steady thrum as she followed the ship in front of them at close range. The sleek white medical vessel was rumored to have exactly what she wanted. Gritting her teeth, she took a sharp turn to port when the vessel they followed tried to out-maneuver them. If Jerry’s mouth hadn’t been so dry with the flavor of ass, she would have laughed. She was one of the best self-taught pilots out there, and she had been flying the seas far longer than any pilot who had gone through the government’s training program. Azar grunted when something in their engine chugged loudly before sputtering. Scrunching her nose, Jerry scanned the dash to see if she could quickly figure out what had made the noise and if they were going to be able to continue the chase. She didn’t want to lose another shipment of drugs. She needed them. Hell, her crew needed them more. “What is it?” Jerry called to Azar, knowing he was staring at the same readouts she was. “Don’t know yet. Hoping a loose screw.” “Screw loose.” Jerry sneered. A screw had been loose in her head since she was conceived. Hats off to her mother for that one. “We can’t lose them.” “Pick up speed.” Jerry leaned forward and gripped the thruster, forcing Yarrow’s engine to work overtime. Again, the medical vessel tried to twist out of their way, but Jerry easily followed them. “Do they think they’re really going to get away?” “How are you going to board them?” “Wait until they’re dead in the water.” “Chase them until they run out of steam? What if we run out first?” Cursing, Jerry glanced at their fuel stores. They didn’t have much left. They’d gotten the tip on a whim when they were working their regular job, and she hadn’t waited a second to call her crew of two back so they could take a shot at finding exactly what they needed. “Fine. Get on top then, and I’ll jump.” “You’re insane. If you miss—” “Then I guess you’ll get to be captain.” Jerry turned Yarrow, guiding her ship above the medical vessel and bearing down. It forced them to slow their speed since they had no idea what she was planning. Jerry ordered, “Take the helm.” Goal One—get on the ship. Swishing her black leather jacket behind her, Jerry raced out to the deck then the edge of her ship. She looked down, her stomach in knots as she stared at the distance below her. “Shit.” “Shit is right!” Azar’s voice reached her from the wheelhouse. Jerry jerked around to glare at him through the front window. She would never live this down if he was right. “Lower us down!” Azar did as he was told, even though she knew he disagreed with her. She was the captain, and he worked for her, her second only because she allowed it. It had been much that way for the last year since they’d become infected with the virus that was the bane of her very existence. Gritting her teeth, Jerry leaned over the edge of Yarrow and held on as tight as she could to a rope. When they got closer, she let go, pushed off the ledge with her feet and spread her arms and legs out as she dropped. Her stomach rose into her throat, and it was next to impossible to take a deep breath. Clenching her jaw, Jerry waited to be able to reach the boom of the medical vessel below her, flying through the air. She thanked the heavens they hadn’t moved or jerked to the side yet. She wrapped her arms and then her legs around the large boom, sliding down it to the first lookout for the mast that was never used anymore. At one point in the past, it had been useful. Now it was just for show. Jerry relaxed in relief as her feet touched the surface. She’d made it. Ignoring the fact that Azar would likely yell at her for it later, Jerry flipped over the lookout and jumped to the main deck of the medical ship. As she stood up, she grabbed her gun in her left hand and her short sword in her right. She didn’t hesitate as she dug her boots into the white deck and ran for the wheelhouse. Goal Two—take control of the ship. Two officers guarded the wheelhouse. Jerry kicked open the side door and pointed her gun at one and her sword at the other. “Surrender and you’ll live.” Cocking her head to the side, she gave them each a hard, determined look. One put his hands up, but the other continued to maneuver the ship, losing Azar for a brief second, but Jerry trusted him to find his way back to her. In the past year, they hadn’t been just crew mates. They had become family. Jerry trusted him and his sister, Yafe, with her life. Jerry fired her gun, shooting the captain