Page 17 of Stars in Mist

‘By whom?’

‘A bond agency. Trevilian, if you should know.’

He’d picked one of Pegasi’s D-Class bounty firms. One so wracked with mismanagement and poor credit issues that cross-checking his information would be a pain most would avoid.

Her lip curled as she took note of the name. She, too, was aware of how incompetent they were. ‘Not much of an outfit or a tracker. You hunted me until I caught you.’

‘Now I won’t be able to collect the rest of what I’m owed,’ he added, sliding into a whine, signaling his disappointment at losing out on a good payday.

At the same time, it marked him as a shallow, greed-driven individual.

Her face relaxed somewhat, and her blade’s movements slowed. She slid it into a pouch to the side of her lithe thigh.

He shot his shot. ‘Hey, you going to let me go?’

She sucked her teeth, crossing her now empty hands over one knee. ‘I can’t. I need you.’

Her husky words were enough to send his desire into overdrive. ‘Excuse me?’

‘To be even morefokkin’ clear, I require your ship.’

He bucked in surprise. ‘Why?’

She gave a slight shrug that emphasized her shoulders that he longed to trail his lips along. ‘Mine doesn’t have the bells and whistles yours does. I’ve been tracking you for days, and your boat is to my liking.’

He sat up, intrigued. ‘This is helpful to you because -?’

‘It’ll get me where I have to go.’

‘Why would I let that happen?’

Her eye flicked over his Galician face. ‘When you asked about me, you also mentioned some other lowlife. I may know where to find them.’

She was privy to Ankis’ location? The plot thickened.

His brow rose. ‘You know where my other contract is hiding?’

‘I might have seen him lurking close to where I need to take you. If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.’

He made a few appropriate curses. ‘I have to think about it. I’ll only consider it if the bounty on his head is enough to cover my costs on both jobs.’

She shrugged. ‘Not sure you’re in a position to bargain, stranger.’

He cocked his head. ‘That may be so, but I’d like to know where you want me to ferry you to - to calculate mileage, levies, expenses, outlay -’

She ignored him and rose to her feet, lifting a hand to interrupt him. ‘Think about it, Galician. You’ll be well paid for your efforts, of course. I can take care of all your outlay.’

‘So why not book a berth with an interplanetary passenger carrier?’ he shot out.

‘Anonymity is not assured on a voyager ship. Besides, the destination I have in mind has no public spaceport, nor do the locals take kindly to unannounced visits. I need to ghost in on a small gunship with some cloaking capability. You fit, savvy?’

Swiveling on her boots, she left, walking away from him, her shapely hips rolling, sending yet another jolt to his already heated groin.

‘Hey, come back,’ he managed, his voice pleading and desperate like his spineless bounty hunter character would do.

While he spoke, he trailed his eyes along her back on the single long silver braid that swished as she walked.

He lingered on her backside, feeling his entire body react with need, a craving so palpable that he almost groaned out loud.

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