Page 8 of Alien's Love Child

"Now."

Taluk's jaw works, scales flushing darker red, but he turns and stalks away.

"Strong personality," Davin comments.

"He's good people. Just needs some seasoning." I watch Taluk's retreating back. "And if you're going to join us, you'll need to work with him, not against him."

Davin's expression softens as he watches Taluk disappear into the station. "Kid's got potential. Give him time to warm up to me. Could teach him a thing or two about proper combat techniques."

"Before we get ahead of ourselves..." I lean against my ship's hull, the metal cool through my jacket. "One more thing we need to clear up."

"I'm all ears." He crosses his arms, his blue skin almost luminescent in the station's artificial twilight.

"That every-man-for-himself attitude? It stays in Sirius." I tap my fingers against the hull. "I know Marcus ran that operation like a slave ship. Heard stories about crew members disappearing when jobs went south. So I get why you split."

"You seem well-informed."

"Had a few run-ins with Sirius. Enough to know I want nothing to do with their methods." The memory of a particularly nasty encounter makes my jaw clench. "On my ship, we're like family. We watch each other's backs, share the wins, weather the losses together. No one gets left behind."

"Family." He tests the word like it's foreign to his tongue. "That's a dangerous way to run a criminal enterprise."

"Maybe. But for me it's literal. Born into the business, learned it from my parents before striking out on my own. And I've buried exactly zero crew members since I started operating." I push off from the hull. "Can Marcus say the same?"

His hand drifts to the scar above his eye. "Point taken."

"So here's the deal: you want in, you're all in. No calculated risks where you save your own skin at someone else's expense. We rise together or fall together."

"And if someone betrays that trust?"

"Then they better hope the authorities find them before I do." I meet his gaze steadily. "Family goes both ways, Davin. You protect us, we protect you. Simple as that."

I expect my speech about family values to send him running for the nearest transport, but Davin's lips curve into something almost resembling a smile.

"All in." He extends his hand. "You've got yourself a deal."

Before I can shake on it, Rena's voice cuts through the tension. "Tell me I didn't just hear you hire someone without consulting your pilot first."

"Since when do I need to consult you about hiring decisions?" I turn to find her striding toward us, Taluk trailing behind like a thundercloud.

"Since always. I'm the one who has to calculate weight distributions for takeoff." She stops beside me, giving Davin an appraising once-over. "Though I suppose adding some muscle won't hurt our payload too much."

"Meet our new security officer." I gesture between them. "Davin, this is Rena, best pilot this side of the system. And you've already met Taluk."

Taluk's scales darken. "We don't need-"

"This calls for a celebration," Rena interrupts, clapping her hands together. "And new guy buys the drinks. That's tradition."

"Is it?" Davin asks.

"It is now."

As they head toward the station's bar, I hang back, watching my unlikely crew. Rena's already peppering Davin with questions about his experience, while Taluk sulks three steps behind. The extra muscle will come in handy on Glimner – assuming we make it that far without them killing each other.

My gaze lingers on Davin's broad shoulders, the way his jacket stretches across them as he walks. The view certainly doesn't hurt either.

CHAPTER 4

DAVIN

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