by Anna Hackett
Dare’s head whipped up. “Jones? You identified her?”
Ry nodded and held out his Sync.
Dare looked at the screen. There was an unflattering ID photo of her, along with her details. “Dakota Jones.”
He remembered her touching his face and telling him her name. He scanned the text, his lips moving upward. She was a scam artist. She’d held a multitude of jobs, mainly as an astro-archeology assistant, but she was currently banned from all Institute of Historical Preservation museums. Hell, it looked like she wasn’t welcome on a few planets at all—including Zeta Volantis and Vega.
Dare pushed to his feet, and ruthlessly locked down the flare of nausea. “Where did she go? You’ve had your team lock down the escape pods?”
Ry nodded. “No way she can access them now.” He touched his ear. “Hang on, Sayer’s getting back to me. Go ahead, Sayer.”
Dare waited impatiently. When Ry went as stiff as a board, he knew the news wasn’t good.
Ry’s darker-gray eyes went hard. “We have an unauthorized access of the shuttle bay.”
With a curse, Dare broke into a run, Ry at his side. Together, they sprinted out of his cabin.
“Can you see her?” Dare asked.
“No.” Frustration was rife in his brother’s voice. “Sayer said that she’s somehow locked us out of the camera feed.”
Sayer was a genius on the comp, one of Ry’s best tech guys. If Dakota had locked him out, she was damn good.
Dare felt a sudden urge to laugh. Clever girl.
“You shouldn’t look so damn happy about the fact that a thief is about to steal one of our shuttles,” Ry grumbled.
Dare shook his head. “She’s resourceful. And she’s technically not a thief. According to what you showed me, she’s never been convicted.”
“Not like you to let people off on a technicality.”
“Oh, I’m not letting her off.”
They reached the shuttle bay doors. Through the long, adjacent glass window, Dare saw Ry’s security cuttership—the Pathfinder—and the Nomad’s shuttles parked side-by-side. He also saw Dakota Jones working on the door-control panel of the shuttle closest to the bay’s door.
Suddenly, she looked over, and their gazes locked through the glass. Her eyes widened, and she looked back at the panel, her hands speeding up.
“Yeah, you should be afraid,” he murmured. “Ry, get these doors open.”
“Working on it.” His brother had removed the control panel, and was digging around behind it. “She’s done a number on the control system.”
On the other side of the glass, Dakota pumped a fist in the air. The shuttle door opened. She cast him one last glance and then slipped inside.
“Ry, now!”
“I need a bit longer.”
“Do you have your laser cutter?”
Ry stilled. “You want me to cut a hole in the shuttle bay doors?”
Dare nodded. “Do it.”
With a shake of his head, his brother yanked a small tool off his belt. He hit a button and there was a flare of orange light.
He cut through the metal.
Dare waited impatiently. Ry moved the cutter in an arc, cutting a small hole. When he reached the floor, Dare stepped forward and kicked the metal in.
Quickly, he stooped through the hole. Then he was up and sprinting across the shuttle bay. He heard the shuttle’s engines start up.
“Dare? Rynan?” It was Justyn’s voice coming through their earpieces. “Somehow she’s accessed the shuttle bay doors. They’ll open in about ten seconds.
Fuck. Dare reached the shuttle. He had a master code to access all systems on the Nomad. He punched it in and waited.
Nothing happened. Dammit. Surely, she couldn’t have locked him out?
Then the doors opened.
He rushed into the shuttle. She was at the controls, and when she saw him coming, she cursed well enough to do a starfreighter crew proud.
The shuttle lifted off the ground and jerked to the right.
Dare stumbled and slammed into the wall. He grabbed onto the back of the seats in the shuttle and pulled himself forward.
“It’s over, Dakota.”
“It’s never over, not until I stop fighting.”
The shuttle jerked to the left, scraping against Ry’s Pathfinder.
Enough. He lunged, reaching for her. He grabbed her shoulder and leaned over her to get to the controls.
As they struggled, the shuttle moved again. Dare gripped the seat hard to stay on his feet. Dakota didn’t have the pilot’s harness fastened, and she flew out of her seat and hit the floor. She tumbled back, her head smacking against the console. He heard a horrible thud.
She didn’t make a sound. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped down.
Dammit. Dare quickly landed the shuttle and cut the engines. As he rushed over to her, he heard Ry hurrying in.
“Dakota!” There was blood matting her hair at the back of her head. So much blood.
He scooped her up. “I need to get her to the med bay. Now.”
***
She felt groggy as hell.
Dakota slowly opened her eyes, feeling like she was swimming up through sticky goo. She blinked at the bright lights, and realized she was lying on a bed. Something arched above her. A med scanner. She tried to move, and heard something clank. She looked over and saw her wrist was secured to the bed with a blue, glowing electro-cuff.
Panic was an ugly, slimy feeling in her throat. She hated being restrained. She’d been caught and cuffed as a teen. Her gang captors hadn’t had pretty plans for her.
She tried to sit up, moving too fast, and her head spun.
“Take it easy. You took a hard knock to that hard head of yours.”
Dare. She turned her head slowly and saw that he was sitting in a chair beside her bed. It looked like they were in the ship’s med bay. “Uncuff me.”
“I don’t think so. You tried to steal my escape pod, and then my shuttle. You incapacitated me.”
Dakota took a few deep breaths, trying hard to ignore the cuff. So far, Dare Phoenix hadn’t hurt her. She’d spent a lifetime reading people and gauging their capacity to do her damage. Was this man capable of violence? Absolutely. Was he controlling and bossy? Definitely. Would he hurt a woman? Maybe he’d break a woman’s heart into tiny little pieces—if she was stupid enough to let herself fall for him—but physically, she didn’t think so.
“And let’s not mention the fact that you dinged my brother’s cuttership. He isn’t happy.”
Dakota got the impression Rynan was unhappy a lot. “So what now?”
“Why is Golden Nova after you?”
She closed her eyes. She visualized the cuff gone, being free, finding the Atocha Treasure. She’d done this since she was a kid—when everything got too hard, she’d just focus on what she wanted, and will her problems to dissolve away.
Fingers gripped her chin and her eyes snapped open. His face was inches from hers.
“Dakota, it’s time you tell me why Golden Nova has a contract out on your life.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She’d figured there was a kill contract, but she still didn’t like knowing that every scumbag in the quadrant knew about it, too.
“My business, Phoenix. Take me to Sierra—”
“No. Not without knowing who else might turn up on my ship to get to you.”
“Then drop me at the next habitable world.”
He snorted. “I give the orders around here. We’re in uncharted space now. Not a lot of starship traffic around here. If I drop you at the next habitable world, you’re likely to be stuck there for months, or a sitting duck for the next assassin. Tell me why they are after you.”
She ran through her options. She couldn’t reveal the treasure—it was hers. He might not hurt her, but she could see him claiming her treasure.
She yanked on the cuff again, fighting back the taste of bile. She wanted it off.
The only
option she had left was to do what she did best.
“I dabble in antiquities sales. I purchased an…artifact. I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t know that it was stolen from Golden Nova. The dealer was reputable. I had no clue he was selling stolen goods.”
Dare’s silver eyes narrowed. He made a sound, and Dakota couldn’t read him. Was he buying it?
She bit her lip. “After I purchased the artifact, the first assassin came after me. Then another. I was afraid, so I ran.”
“Mm-hmm.”
That didn’t sound convincing.
“What is this artifact?” he asked.
Dakota took a risk. Sometimes just a little bit of truth in a lie made it believable. She grabbed the orb and held it up.
He frowned. “What is it?”
She knew this holo-orb looked like no holo-crystal ever made, so she wasn’t surprised he didn’t recognize it. “It’s some kind of jewel.” She gave him her best innocent look.
“And you have no idea why it’s so valuable to Golden Nova.”
She shook her head.
“They’ll keep coming.”
She nodded. Golden Nova never gave up. Their one agenda was anarchy, and they weren’t kind to anyone who got in their way. Maxir Sander, their leader, was not only scary, but smart. A dangerous combination. He was different from the rest of the crazy members. And Korrdo Drach, Maxir’s right-hand man…she shivered. The time she’d spent with Korrdo had creeped her out. The man had the soulless eyes of a reptile.
“Is this jewel worth it?” Dare asked.
Her hand clutched around the orb. “It’s mine.”
“Then it must be worth more than most pretty gems. It’s worth something to them.”
Her gut cramped. There was consideration in his eyes. He knew there was more to this, and he wouldn’t let it go. Dammit.
Then he stood, and she realized he was leaving.
Her stomach turned over. “Unlock me. Don’t leave me here like this.” Helpless. Trapped.
“I’m going to talk with my brothers. You need to finish healing under the med scanner. I’ll be back.”
She watched him leave, feeling sweat beading on her forehead. She remembered being locked in that gang dungeon, hearing the cries of the other girls echoing down the hall.
Dakota squeezed her eyes closed. The past was gone. She’d escaped it, like she had that gang dungeon—with her wits and determination.
She looked down at her cuff.
And she’d escape from this situation, as well.
Chapter Five
In the hall outside of the med bay, Dare conferred with his brothers. “She’s conscious.”
“Well, what did she say?” Ry asked.
Dare’s jaw worked. “She says she bought an artifact and didn’t know it had been stolen from Golden Nova.”
Justyn shrugged. “Maybe she did.”
Dare raised a brow. “She’s lying.” Dakota was a damn good liar, but he could see through it. “She has an orb. Some sort of blue jewel shaped like a sphere. Either that’s it, or she’s trying to throw me off. Maybe she has it hidden in her cabin.”
Ry shook his head. “We searched her cabin. Her stuff is just clothes, and I pulled the room apart. Nothing.”
“Well, whatever it is, she’s willing to risk her life for it.”
“Golden Nova doesn’t give up, and they don’t like being made fools of,” Ry said. “They’ll send more assassins. Is that something we want to be messed up with?”
No, but they were already in the middle of it. And Dare wanted to know exactly what was going on. He looked at Justyn. “How’s Nissa taking the news?”
His brother shrugged, but he had a worried look on his face. “She’s pretending it doesn’t matter. But any mention of Golden Nova and that brother of hers…it upsets her.”
Dare frowned. “I’ll get the truth out of Dakota.”
“Oh?” Justyn drawled. “I know that look.”
Dare scowled at his brother.
“It’s the Dare ‘I’m in charge of everything’ Phoenix look.” Justyn tilted his head, studying Dare’s face. “But it’s more than that, isn’t it? You’re attracted to her!”
“I barely know her.”
“You barely know any of the women you take to bed.” Justyn wagged a finger. “You’ve got the ‘this is mine and no one else is touching it’ look happening as well.”
Ry went still. “He never looks that way about a woman.”
Justyn stroked his chin. “Why all this trouble for her? Why not drop her off at the next habitable world? She doesn’t need to be our problem.”
Dare looked at the two people who meant the most to him in the world. He tried to never lie to them. “Truth is…hell, I don’t know. Something about her just gets to me. She’s resourceful, a fighter. She has this look in her eyes… She looks at everyone like she’s assessing how long it’ll take someone to swindle her, or hurt her. It’s a look I recognize.”
They were all quiet for a second, the weight of their dark past hanging over them.
“Hell,” Ry muttered.
Footsteps sounded in the corridor. They all turned and saw Nissa heading their way.
“I have information for you,” she said. “Sayer ran a deeper search on Ms. Jones.”
“What did he find?” Dare said.
“Not a lot. She’s hid her past pretty well. She’s from a world called Mase.”
Ry shook his head. “Nasty place. An edge world in the Triad quadrant. Gangs, crime, self-styled crime lords. They deal in anything—drugs, weapons, slaves.”
“Sounds lovely,” Justyn said with a wince.
“Most people are in service to gangs—willingly or unwillingly. Kids aren’t raised by families, they’re raised by the gangs. And it’s dog-eat-dog. Everyone fights for every single scrap they have before someone else takes it, or the gang comes looking for you. Either to make you join and fight, or if you’re a woman…well, you can imagine.”
Dare’s hand curled into a fist. So Dakota had grown up in hell, learning how to survive.
“The most recent info Sayer could find was on a business she started with some guy called Chris Tarron.” Nissa’s nose wrinkled. “They were trading in antiquities. After six months, the guy stole the entire business from her, and left her with nothing.”
Dare went very still. He waited until his anger had subsided a little. “I’ll question her some more. She took a hard blow to the head. I have her under the med scanner now, but she needs more time to heal. She’s tough, stubborn, and prickly.”
“Hmm, the best type of woman,” Justyn said with a grin.
His wife smacked him on the back of the head.
“Once she’s healed, I’ll talk to her.” Dare’s voice hardened. “I will get the truth out of her.”
“She’s not…particularly trustworthy,” Nissa said. “Based on her upbringing, I think she’ll fight you every step of the way.”
“Good.”
But he had no desire to break her. Dare loved to bring pleasure to a woman, to watch her go beyond her limits. He wanted to see if he could tame this one. Dakota Jones might just be the ultimate challenge.
He turned back to the med bay doors and they opened. As he stepped inside, he came to an abrupt stop.
The bed was empty. The electro-cuff was dangling off the side. The other door to the med bay was open.
“Dammit!”
As he strode out of the med bay, he felt a strange mix of anger and admiration.
But the biggest thing he felt was the challenge.
***
Dakota stumbled down another corridor. Her head was throbbing, her vision was blurry, and she was lost. She pressed a hand to her forehead, and as a sharp pain stabbed through her head, she felt her stomach do a slow, sickening roll.
She had no plan, and no idea where she was going. She just knew she had to protect the map and get away from Dare.
She rounded the corner and pressed one palm a
gainst the smooth wall to stay upright. This time, she really thought she was going to be sick, and stopped, breathing through her nose until she felt better.
Slipping a hand inside her shirt, she clasped the holo-orb. Her entire future was right here. She’d worked so hard to escape her homeworld and make a life for herself, but every time, she’d been knocked down. She felt a muscle beneath her eye twitch. Chris Tarron, the fucker, had been the last in a long line of bastards who’d duped her. They’d opened an antiquities store together, built up the business, shared each other’s bed a time or two. She didn’t believe in idiotic fairytales like love, but she’d thought he was decent enough, even if he was selfish between the sheets.
Until he’d tricked her. She’d discovered the deeds and bank accounts to the business had all been changed to his name. He’d booted her out and left her with nothing.
Her fingers tightened on the orb. Not this time. This time, she was protecting what was hers.
She stumbled around another corner. After she found the treasure, maybe she’d get a ship like the Sky Nomad. A ship that was all hers. Dakota Jones—starship owner. It had a nice ring to it.
As she hobbled a bit farther, dizziness hit her. She thudded into the wall and ended up on her knees. She looked up, blinking through her hazy vision, and spotted a maintenance cupboard right beside her. The door was set into the wall, with a small discreet sign on it. She managed to get on her feet and touched the door-control panel.
The door opened without a sound. Inside was a small space filled with cleaning supplies and a cleaning droid, and some maintenance access panels with blinking lights.
She crawled inside the space and fell to the floor. She curled up into a ball, and when the throb in her head eased a little, she sighed.
Sometimes it sucked to be alone. When she’d gone into business with Chris, she’d thought, for about two stellar seconds, that she might have someone to share things with, someone to lean on.
Her eyelids were feeling heavy. What a joke. Chris had just been a big pile of space waste. There was only one person she could depend on and that was herself.
She pulled her knees into her chest, curled in on herself, and drifted off.