by Nina Croft
Everyone except him, of course.
Rico spoke into the comm unit. “Tannis?”
“What?”
“Are you getting this?”
“No. I’ve gone deaf all of a sudden. Of course, I’m getting it. You want me down there?”
He sighed. “Yeah.”
“Aww, poor Rico. Fun time over?”
“Maybe.” He glanced across at Skylar where she sat nibbling on her succulent lower lip. He’d known she was afraid, but he was also aware it wasn’t only fear she felt. He could scent her arousal, the sweet muskiness making him shift in his chair as his body hardened in response. “Or maybe not.”
He sat back and tried to detect any flaws in her story while he waited for Tannis to join them.
There was one thing about the story he didn’t understand. “Your brother,” he said to Skylar, “how did he do it? No one’s ever managed to kill one of the Collective before.”
“I don’t know. He never shared the details with me.”
“Hmm, very convenient. I heard he managed to completely destroy the DNA, making reconstruction impossible. I’m betting the Collective weren’t too happy about that.”
He’d also bet they’d be sending their own private army after anyone attempting to free the killer. And nobody wanted to be targeted by the Corps, not even Rico.
Tannis strode in before he could ask any more questions. She ignored Skylar and perched on the seat next to Rico. Her eyes shone with excitement—the prospect of money always had that effect on her.
“I think you’re going soft, Rico.”
He grinned. “Honey, if you can find one soft spot on my body right now, you get another chance at that right fang.”
Her eyes drifted over his body, lingering on the bulge in his pants. She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you ever think of anything else?”
“Sometimes. But not often. So, what do you think?”
Tannis studied Skylar. “Do you believe her?”
“It makes sense. Not many people would go up against the Collective. Hell. Are you sure you want to? It’ll end your chances of getting the treatment if they find out.”
He knew Tannis’ ultimate aim was immortality, though he had serious doubts about how she would fit in with the Collective. No one, outside the Collective, knew how Meridian worked. The treatment appeared to have no outward physical effects other than turning the eyes a deep, inhuman violet, but it altered something fundamental inside the mind, forming a tight bond with the rest of the group. And Tannis was a loner.
She’d actually make a much better vampire than a Collective member. He bit back a grin as he attempted to visualize Tannis as a sex-crazed predator. It would almost be worth the risk of changing her just to see how she’d cope with that. In all the time he’d known her, she’d never taken a lover.
But Rico hadn’t changed anyone in over a thousand years, and he had no intention of doing so now.
“That might be true,” Tannis said. “But I’ll have no chance of getting the treatment if I don’t get the money. So we’ll just have to make sure they don’t find out.”
“The job’s still virtually impossible.”
As far as he was aware, no one had ever escaped the prison on Trakis One. Security was top of the range, as the prison held mostly the Collective’s prisoners, many incarcerated for attempting to break into the Meridian stores. It seemed ironic to Rico that most of them ended up surrounded by the stuff, laboring in the mines on Trakis Seven. Instead of the immortality they sought, they got a reduced lifespan due to overexposure—if they were lucky, they lasted two years. Though maybe lucky wasn’t the right word to use—he’d heard their slow death was far from pleasant.
Tannis interrupted his thoughts. “No job’s impossible. I say we go for it.”
Rico got up and paced the room. The prospect of an impossible job at least sounded a little bit more interesting than the smuggling jobs Tannis normally took on.
Skylar sat in her chair, hands clenched on her lap. “So you’ll do it?” she asked. “You’ll get Jonny back for me?”
Rico came to stand over her. This position gave him the perfect view of her cleavage, and the hunger rose inside him. The darkness had drawn back, the need to feed and kill receded until it was no more than a background buzz, but that didn’t mean he no longer wanted to taste her.
“Under certain conditions.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What conditions?”
“Well, you see, the problem is—money alone doesn’t interest me. So if I do this I want a reward.”
Tannis coughed behind him. He was quite aware how much money interested her. “A reward as well as the money,” he added.
“What do you want?” Skylar’s eyes narrowed.
“You, of course.”
“Me?” It came out as a squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Me? I’m not sure I follow. Just how do you want me?
He smiled with a flash of fangs. “Every way there is, darling.”
. . .
Skylar licked her lips and stared into his eyes. She knew what he meant, and instead of the expected fear and revulsion, heat curled in the pit of her stomach. She took a deep breath. “Isn’t that sort of fatal?”
“Not necessarily.”
Not exactly a comforting answer, but did she have a choice?
“You get little Jonny for me first. Afterward…” she trailed off.
“Afterward,” he agreed, and she relaxed.
A small flicker of apprehension nudged at her mind, but she ignored it. She’d promised herself she’d do whatever was needed to get the job done. Besides, his crude demand for a “reward” eased her conscience slightly; once ‘little Jonny’ was out she doubted Rico would be in a position to collect anything.
Minutes later, they left, and Skylar stood alone, staring at the closed door. It seemed the job was back on track. If not quite as originally planned.
At least this way she could get out of this dress and these ludicrous high heels. The sooner the better. She crossed to the door and pressed her palm to the pad, but it didn’t respond. She had a momentary flash of panic, but she forced it down. They were just being cautious—they were unlikely to give her a free run of the ship until they trusted her a little more.
She went back to her seat and pressed the comm link.
Tannis answered. “Yes.”
“I was wondering if I could go back to my shuttle. Pick up some stuff. Get changed.”
“No problem. I’ll send someone to escort you.”
. . .
Skylar frowned down at the small figure standing in the open doorway, hands shoved in the pocket of his baggy pants. He wasn’t what she’d expected. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected. After all, so far she’d met a hybrid and a—she stopped short, her mind still refusing to say the word. Anyway, this one appeared almost normal, like an ordinary young boy, though with his mop of dark red hair, skinny figure, and huge gray eyes, he seemed far too young to be on this sort of ship, exposed to these sorts of people.
“He’s a vampire, you know.” The boy spoke for the first time.
Skylar scowled. “Actually, I was sort of in denial about that bit, but thanks for spelling it out for me.”
The boy cocked his head to one side and examined her. “I just thought you should know. There might still be time for you to get off before he eats you.”
“I’m sure he’s not going to eat me,” Skylar replied. Actually, she wasn’t sure at all. Hadn’t she just agreed to let him?
“He always eats the pretty ones.”
“Always?”
He nodded solemnly. “I can stay outside when you get to your shuttle. I’ll tell them that you overpowered me. Maybe you could hit me or something, make it look like you knocked me out. You might get away.”
“Just who are you?”
“I’m Al, the cabin boy.”
“Well, Al, I don’t want to escape. Your captain’s going to help me save my little brothe
r.”
“Oh. Well maybe the captain will keep you safe. She keeps the crew safe.”
“And who keeps Tannis safe?” Skylar couldn’t help the question. She’d been wondering about Rico’s relationship with his captain ever since she’d met them.
“Nobody,” Al replied. “Tannis can beat any old vampire.”
She could detect a good measure of hero-worship in his words.
Skylar shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but no can do. I told you, they’re going to help me save my brother.”
“It must be nice having a brother,” Al said, his tone wistful.
She heard the longing in his voice. “Do you have any family? Do they know where you are?”
“No. I’m an orphan.”
He sounded so forlorn that Skylar had to resist the urge to hug him. Instead, she followed him back the way she’d come.
“I’ll wait for you out here,” Al said at the entrance to her shuttle. “I’m to take you to the bridge afterward. The captain wants to talk to you.”
In the privacy of her shuttle, Skylar kicked off the ridiculous shoes and stripped off the dress, tossing it on the floor and heaving a huge sigh of relief. She pulled on a black jumpsuit made of a strong yet supple material and long boots, strapped a laser pistol to her waist, and began to feel almost normal. Finally, she pulled off the wig and ran a hand through her short blond hair.
When she came out of the shuttle, Al peered behind her as if looking for the “pretty” one, and she grinned.
Skylar had never been anyone’s idea of a “reward” before, and while her mind might balk at being treated like a pleasure provider, another part of her—mainly the part between her breasts and her knees—was secretly thrilled.
With her no-nonsense, military demeanor, she’d always had a tendency to intimidate men, and she’d found that useful. The laser pistol didn’t hurt either. Now, Skylar couldn’t wait to see if the sexy pilot was as easily frightened off.
In all likelihood, Rico would take one look at her and decide he didn’t want that reward after all.
Chapter Five
“You might want to change your mind about that reward,” Tannis murmured from beside him. “This one looks like she might fight back.”
“I don’t mind a good fight,” Rico drawled. “As long as I win.”
He swung his chair around and followed the line of her sight, his gaze settling on the tall figure in the doorway. He wouldn’t have recognized her if he hadn’t known what to look for.
The silver dress was gone and a black jumpsuit now hugged her tall, toned body. She walked with the lithe grace of a predator, one hand resting on the pistol at her thigh. The long, blond hair, which had done a lot to soften her features, was also gone. In its place was a severely short, almost military cut that emphasized the sharp cheekbones, and the large, almost beaky nose. Her dark blue eyes were the same though, as was the wide, red mouth. He dropped his gaze. There was no disguising the lush curve of those breasts either, and his body tightened at the sight.
She’d come to a halt in front of them, and he raised his eyes from her breasts to her face to find her frowning at him.
“Skylar,” he said, kicking out a chair and patting the seat. “Take a seat.”
She regarded him suspiciously for a moment and then sat.
“Quite a disguise you had there.”
“Part of my training,” she replied.
“Your rebel training?”
She nodded.
“Tell me. Why were you with the rebels? You seem a little too…”He studied her, trying to think of the correct word. Normal maybe, but he had an idea that Skylar was far from normal.
“Human?” She supplied for him. “I am. But my parents worked for one of the genetic engineering companies. They really believed humans could be improved by gene modification. They were killed in an attack on the facility. My brother and I escaped and were picked up by a rebel patrol—we’ve been with them ever since.”
“Hmm. So what else did they train you to do? What were you exactly?”
“Does it matter?”
“Humor us.”
He watched her closely. She appeared relaxed now, no hint of tension in her body or face. Either she was a very good actress, or she was telling the truth. After the failed bimbo disguise, he was pretty certain she must be telling the truth.
“I was a fighter pilot first, then a division leader.”
“Impressive.”
And it was. Those rebels were a tough lot; they had to be to survive with both the Collective and the Church after them. To get to division leader she had to be very tough herself. He liked that. It made the idea of her squirming beneath him, begging him to take her, all the more enticing. Maybe she’d try to shoot him. He’d have to restrain her—
“Rico!”
He came out of his daydream to find Tannis staring at him in exasperation.
“Get your mind out of your pants.”
“My mind wasn’t in my pants.”
She rolled her eyes. “Concentrate for just a few minutes.” She turned to Skylar. “Okay, what do you know?”
Skylar took a deep breath. “Jonny was taken just over a week ago. He was on Trakis Five. He did the job, but something went wrong. I don’t know what, but they caught him. He was classified as high priority—because of the Collective death—and they shipped him straight to Trakis One. I tried to see him before they took him, but—” She broke off and bit her lip. For the first time, Rico saw a hint of the vulnerability she had shown earlier. Maybe it hadn’t all been an act. “They must have rushed him through the system—he didn’t even get a proper hearing.”
“They never do with Collective cases,” Tannis said. “Do you know anything about where he’s being held?”
She nodded. “The rebels researched any possibility of getting him out. But when they learned he was in the high-security section, they said no way.”
“Great,” Tannis muttered. “The high-security section of a maximum-security prison. Maybe it is impossible.”
“Just think of the money,” Rico murmured.
“Oh, I am.” She turned back to Skylar. “That reminds me. I need you to set up the payments—I want half the fee now and the other half set up on a timed transfer for ten days’ time. We’ll be done by then, either that or locked up with little Jonny on Trakis One—headed for the Meridian mines.”
“Or dead,” Rico added cheerfully.
“Wow,” Tannis said. “I really hadn’t thought of that option.” She rose to her feet. “I’m going to talk to Janey. Get her working on the systems, see if we can’t find some intel on Trakis One. There has to be a weak link somewhere. We’ve got ten days to find it.” She glanced from him to Skylar. “You’ll look after our guest, Rico?”
“I’ll see to her every desire,” he replied.
“Yeah, I bet you will.” Tannis cast one last look at Skylar, shook her head, and headed for the door, muttering something not particularly complimentary about men as she stalked away.
. . .
Skylar waited until the captain left the bridge before turning to Rico. He settled back in his chair, watching her from hooded eyes. He appeared relaxed, but the air throbbed with tension, and a little trickle of apprehension washed through her.
She’d been so sure he’d lose interest once she was out of that stupid dress. But the expression on his face wasn’t intimidated or disinterested—it was hungry.
Nervous energy thrummed along her skin, and she jumped to her feet. “I’m going back to my shuttle to make that transfer.”
His lips curled into a lazy smile. “No need. We have guest quarters on board—you can do it from there.”
“But I—”
“I insist,” he said smoothly. “You’ll be much more comfortable than in your cramped little shuttle.”
She gritted her teeth and nodded.
“Just give me a minute.” Rico pressed the comm unit at his side. “Daisy,” he said. “Get
up here. You’re driving.”
Skylar waited. She didn’t know whether to sit down again or remain standing. She wasn’t used to indecision; it wasn’t part of her nature. Rico appeared totally relaxed, if a little amused, and she shifted restlessly under his intense gaze. She admired the up-to-date equipment on the bridge and the gleaming black and silver décor, then she peeked sideways at Rico with his black clothes and silver weapons.
“Tell me,” she couldn’t resist asking, “do you dress to match the ship, or did you decorate the ship to match your wardrobe?”
He gave her another lazy smile and opened his mouth to answer when a woman appeared in the doorway. Skylar stared. The woman was green.
She hurried across to them as Rico rose to his feet. Skylar hadn’t realized earlier, but without her high heels, he loomed a good six inches over her.
“This is Daisy,” he said by way of introduction. “And this is Skylar. Skylar is our new client.”
Daisy appeared young, barely out of her teens, and she was dressed in all black, a sort of mini version of Rico, down to the knee-length boots. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She nodded at Skylar then turned to Rico. “You want me to drive?” Skylar could hear the suppressed excitement in her voice.
“I want you to sit in my chair and stare at that screen. Comm me if anything changes.”
Daisy grinned. “Sure, boss.”
Skylar peeked back over her shoulder as they left the bridge. She hadn’t wanted to stare, but she’d never seen anyone quite that green before. Skin like new leaves, hair of jade, and eyes the color of emeralds.
“She’s a plant hybrid,” Rico said as the door shut behind them.
“I’ve never seen one before.”
“There aren’t many left. The Church destroyed most of them in the Purge. Daisy escaped from a GM station just before it was attacked by religious fanatics. The rest, including her family, were murdered. By the time we picked up her pod in deep space, she’d been in cryo for years.”
“And you took her in?”
“Tannis took her in.” He shrugged. “Tannis is captain—the crew is her responsibility.”