The Star Thief (Star Thief Chronicles 1)

She’d left her own pistol in her cabin, and Myka had her nanospanner. There was no way she could fight back.

The merc opened the cell door and shoved her inside. Corporal Bokal caught her before she fell.

“Thanks,” she said, tugging at her jacket and righting herself.

He nodded. “Any time.”

“Where’s the cargo?” Finn breathed into her ear.

“Hidden.” She eyed their captor, who lounged against the door. His leather pants were well worn, and his black shirt looked like part of a gang uniform. There were only a few crews who operated this far out in the system. Fetah and her team of pirates, but they usually focused on in-space raids. Brencic, whom she hadn’t heard from in over a year. And then her stomach clenched.

These men belonged to Viktis.

TEN

Just her frakking luck. She took a steadying breath before turning to Finn and leaning close enough that she could smell his shampoo, the scent of his skin. Her lips barely moved as she whispered, “I know these mercs. And I can get us out of this, but you need to trust me.”

“You run with some nice people,” Keva muttered, her eyes flashing with anger. “Criminals and pirates. And Dallas expects us to work with you?”

Renna gave the woman a withering glance. “He does. Because I’m about to save all of your lives.”

As she spoke, a tall Ileth alien, with broad shoulders and amber skin highlighting his chiseled face, strolled into the room. Cranial ridges sloped back from his forehead like hair, and his violet eyes scanned the captives in the brig.

“Good day,” he said, sketching a bow. “I do apologize for this intrusion, but you are carrying cargo we need. Where is the little boy?”

Viktis had changed in the four years she’d last seen him, but his voice was still smooth and polite. Not the voice of a merc, but a politician. If his family hadn’t been murdered, he eventually would have taken a seat in the Coalition Senate. But his parents had been too influential, too popular with the masses. They were a threat that had been eliminated by the other houses on Ileth.

Luckily, Viktis’s silver tongue had spared his life, and the merc who’d been hired to kill him took the boy on as an apprentice instead. When Renna met him a few years later on a job, Viktis had taken over the merc’s territory. He’d even shown Renna a few things himself.

Until he’d tried to kill her.

She stepped forward, tugging at her shirt. Why hadn’t she done something better with her hair this morning? “By the gods, someone up there sure has a sense of humor,” she drawled, leaning against the cell door.

Viktis’s expression froze, shock flashing across the harsh planes of his face before he masked it. “Renna Carrizal. I thought you were on some Outer Rim world, living in luxury.”

She smiled sweetly. “Or dead?”

He shrugged apologetically. “You know I didn’t have a choice, my dear. The job paid well, and you were getting a bit too close to my territory for comfort.”

She felt Captain Finn’s disapproval like a hand pressing against her back. She ignored it and let her gaze travel across Viktis’s broad shoulders. “And here I thought saving your life all those years ago had been a good deed. Ah, well, all good deeds are punished in this business, aren’t they?” She let her eyes drift down to his lips, then licked her own. Slowly.

Viktis chuckled. “Nice to see you haven’t changed, my dear.”

“Nice to see you have.” Her gaze lowered deliberately down his lean body, the leather jacket and tight breeches he wore showing off his lithe frame. The Ileth were a handsome race, and Viktis had definitely aged well.

“You still running that old bucket of junk?” she asked.

“The Monet was a beauty. But, no, I have a new cruiser. Won her in a card game.”

She laughed and tossed her hair. “That’s so cliché.”

Viktis grinned. “For a reason. It seems to happen more frequently than you’d expect.” He turned to the mercenary guarding the door. “Get her out of there.”

The man obeyed. A moment later, Viktis grabbed her arm and pulled her into a tight hug. “Damn, it’s good to see you again, Renna.”

She hugged him back, making sure to rub her hands along his torso. Not only was he impressively muscled, she discovered he had two guns strapped to his waist and a knife slipped into a side pocket. He’d come well-armed. She expected no less.

When she stepped back, he seemed reluctant to let her go, keeping one of her hands in his. His amber fingers were long and rough, and even back then, he’d known exactly how to use them to pleasure her.

“What in the stars have you been up to these past few years?” he asked.

Renna shook her head, clearing away those long-forgotten images. “Not really the place for catching up, love. How about you tell us what you came for and then we can send you on your way.”

He scowled and ran a hand over his jaw. “We’re here for the boy. Once we have him, we’ll let the rest of the crew go. As long as they don’t try to be heroes.” He paused, his lips tightening as he studied her. “How about you come with us, Ren? I know you can’t really be part of a bunch of Marine stiffs.”

She laughed, fighting to keep her voice light. “Afraid so. And we don’t have a boy here, aside from Kojima, our pilot. I think you have the wrong ship.”

From the brig, the pilot protested her choice of words, but Finn shushed him.

A smile tugged at Viktis’s lips. “You’re lucky I like your games, Renna.” Still holding her hand, he turned to his men. His face went hard, like he’d pulled on a mask as he barked his orders. “Search the ship. Kill anyone who gets in your way. When you find the boy, bring him to me immediately.”

“I promise there’s no boy here, Viktis.” Renna nestled against his arm. “But you do have me. How about we go get reacquainted?”

He smiled down at her. “My thoughts exactly.” Viktis headed back toward the stairs, but Renna paused and frowned at Captain Finn, shaking her head ever so slightly. She’d take care of Viktis and then come back and rescue the crew. As long as they didn’t do anything stupid in the meantime.

Finn’s eyes widened, and he nodded back.

With a sigh, Renna followed Viktis from the ship. Good thing she’d washed her sexy underwear.

Viktis’s new ship, the November, was docked in the next bay. It wasn’t as pretty as the Athena, but it was a serviceable beast, large and heavy. The stench of men and sweat and carbonite hit Renna in a wave of choking fumes as she followed Viktis to the commander’s quarters. She wrinkled her nose. “This place reeks.”