Anja's Star (Outer Settlement Agency)

by Lyn Brittan

  She mumbled and shimmied in her seat. After a bit more chewing she leaned over. “Who’s to say they won’t run out and double check all this?”

  “It’s too good of a deal,” he said between bites. “They want it to be true and they trust OSA. Plus the one already paid and he’s probably reading the deed on his omnitablet now. For all we know, he might already be at the docks and waved to the cockpit by the attendant.”

  “So you’re confident.”

  “Totally. But if they’re not back in ten minutes, we’re making a run for it.”

  Chapter Ten

  It’d taken him two trips to get all the money back. Three if you count the last one that had he and Anja returning to the dock together. He didn’t feel comfortable until he locked the hatchway behind him though, and even then ended up flying the ship to another quadrant just for the night.

  Anja smiled over, despite her marathon of successive yawns. “One more night, then I’ll get two nights of decent sleep in a row, right?”

  “I promise,” he said giving the money one last look, then crossing the short space to be with her. She’d laid out some emergency blankets she’d found and created a decent sized pallet for them to sleep on. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but between holding Anja and imagining Crost’s face tomorrow and the days after when he realized the scale of what he’d lost, he didn’t anticipate anything remotely close to a fitful sleep.

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to close my eyes tonight. Ignore that yawn. I mean it.”

  Retzi curled up behind her, one leg on either side. He propped himself up against the wall of the ship and started massaging her shoulders. “Have you considered my offer?”

  She tensed beneath his fingers, but only for the moment and he didn’t stop his ministrations when she said, “There’s nothing else to think about. Well, besides the obvious.”

  “And?”

  “I worked so hard with Meash Corp, living under someone else’s rules. And—”

  “You don’t think my father will control you just as easily?” He could hear his voice rising, rumbling against his own eardrums. He tried to take the edge out of it, but damnit he was getting awfully close to hauling in his father into the closest OSA station right now.

  “He’s on borrowed time. Everyone wants to be the agent who brings him down. I don’t need access to his files to know that. I don’t want you caught up in it. Figure out something else, because you’re not going back.”

  That woke her up. Anja whirled in the next instant to shove her finger in his face. “You don’t get to make that decision for me.”

  “I’ll arrest you.”

  “On what charges? Aiding and abetting and Ert’zod?”

  There wasn’t a good response to that. He’d been mulling a few over the instant the threat escaped his mouth. He pulled at that accusatory finger of hers, but Anja jerked out of his reach. “Fine. Whatever he’s paying you, I’ll double it.”

  “What?”

  “Triple it.”

  “Stop. First of all, you can’t afford any of that. Second, just, no. It can’t be like that between us.”

  “Then how do I keep you, huh? Tell me, because I don’t know what to do.”

  Anja’s mouth opened, but no words came out. She was upon him half a breath later, straddling him, pushing her soft lips into his.

  They’d been in this position before and it felt just as good this time around, but it wasn’t what he needed right now.

  No, he needed her beneath him, needed to control her, if only for the moment. Her future was hers to claim. As much as he would like her to be with him, there was no surety of this. But for the moment, she was willingly under his command and he wouldn’t let it go easily.

  Retzi’s lips never left hers while he pinned her down, locking her wrists above her head with one hand, while unzipping her uniform with the other.

  “I want to touch you.”

  “Shh, I mean to teach you that sometimes it’s good to let others take the lead,” he said, dipping his head for another kiss. Her lips should be kissed, and often, but there was so much more of her worthy of his attention.

  Her neck needed licking. Shoulders too. He took his time, letting his tongue travel into every natural dip of her body. It wasn’t enough and he chanced the risk of letting her wrists go with a half whispered, “don’t you dare move.”

  His lips traveled lower, passing until the suit had no more room to give him. He yanked it off her, pulling her hips and legs in the air. He didn’t let them come back down either, capturing a thigh on either side of his head.

  “Say please.”

  “I don’t—”

  His tongue running a straight path from the center of her dripping core to the nub at the top, had the desired effect.

  “Retzi?”

  Eventually.

  “Please.”

  That salty, sopping, creamy part of her that he’d been craving now belonged to him. There was nothing soft about what he did. He slurped, bit and pulled with this teeth wanting as much of her in his mouth as he could suck in. When her nails raked up his arms, he pulled her, stretching her drenched inner folds with his lips. “Do you have any idea how good you smell?”

  She moaned and he lowered her legs to the floor, positioning himself on all fours over her. He let the hand on her right thigh inch its way up, until it brushed against her soaked curls. He rubbed an open hand up and down her core until she writhed and gasped and, most deliciously, begged.

  He slipped two fingers inside while his thumb pressed and looped around the small mound that proved her undoing.

  And nearly his.

  He could feel his own desire thrumming up, a dull pull in the base of his stomach. They were both on the verge of cumming and he meant to be inside her when they did. The moment his slipped in, the walls of her collapsed around him, wrenching the strength from him with every thrust.

  Her legs locked tight behind him and she used it as leverage to propel upward, riding him face to face. He was sure she’d have bruises on her ass from how tightly he gripped her, but she dug her nails into him so forcefully, that he knew they’d both have war wounds in the morning.

  Remarkably, her hips could go faster and it sent his toes curling.

  He would thank every single star in the sky that hers curled first. With a series of shudders she bucked above him one last time, before screaming his name.

  She tried to get up, but he wouldn’t let her and, still half hard inside her, he slid them both until his back hit the wall and held her until they fell asleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  It’d been a long time since she’d felt this way: safe, protected, cared for and yes, sore, Anja thought with a grin.

  She sucked in air when Retzi stretched and yawned, but thankfully, he’d gone back to his well deserved sleep. She’d never been with a man who paid so much attention to her desire. And he’d been so commanding, not something she would have thought of the otherwise happy go lucky man.

  Not so long ago she’d asked herself if this was worth the risk. Now she had her answer. She’d fight for it – this future of possibilities.

  “I worked very hard last night to convince you to stay. Did it work?”

  Anja slapped the back of his head, still turned in the opposite direction. “I tried to be very logical about this and I have come to a suitable conclusion.”

  He flipped over then, forehead wrinkled and lips pressed together in a tight line. Poor thing. This close to having everything worked out and he looked terrified. “What?”

  “This. Your father and piracy will have to wait, I suppose. You think he’ll pay me what I’ve earned?”

  Retzi’s clapping cut her off. She kicked him for that, but followed up with an apologetic kiss. “Mmm, forgiven. Now,” he said, rising, “we’ve got to meet up with Crost, hopefully while he’s still recovering from your little date.”

  “You’ve got to meet him. I’m not so sure me being there is going to d
o you any favors. Here.” She pulled out the earpieces from her pack and tossed him one. “I’ll be close if you need backup.”

  “No you won’t. You’ll be right here. If I need to make a fast exit, I want this thing humming and running. You might even have to bring it into the city.”

  “Well that won’t attract authorities.”

  “If it’s that bad that I need to call you in, the authorities are the least of our problems. Promise you’ll stay? I’m not leaving until you do.”

  So, she did.

  ***

  She didn’t.

  The moment he disappeared out the hatchway, neck and arms bulging under the weight strapped to him, she went to work cleaning up the ship. When the time came to leave, they’d have to take this ship out and at some point not too far later, abandon it. Anything tracing them to it, had to be accounted for.

  Straightening everything hadn’t taken nearly as long as she thought and the only thing left to do was worry. He was there now, she could hear the small talk in her ear as he waited for Crost to see him.

  She got the distinct feeling, given the length of time and harried words of the goons that Retzi hadn’t been expected this early, if at all. She couldn’t stop her pacing until Crost’s groggy voice popped in her head over the earpiece. Then she couldn’t find a way to move at all.

  He was livid! She’d never known a man to be so upset with a treasure presented at his feet. Retzi mumbled on about honor among thieves, but it didn’t work to calm down Crost or her.

  While the man’s ranting ratcheted up in intensity, she packed her weapon and took off running. Refusing to let anything stop her from getting to Retzi.

  Except for Retzi.

  What?

  She came to a skidding stop, causing a minor pedestrian pileup that had swears coming from every direction. Including in her ear. Retzi’s swearing in her ear.

  And in front of her.

  Anja squinted against the early morning light and her heart dropped.

  Yeah, she saw Retzi. Retzi, in another few years. “Captain Ert’zod.”

  “Where the hell is my Bastard?”

  And she didn’t think he meant his son.

  That particular bastard groaned in her ear. Yep, he’d heard it all.

  “Well?” It’d come from both Ert’zod...and Ert’zod.

  The relief she heard from Crost’s “fine then,” died when the Captain’s shadow overtook hers. He bent until his breath was hot against her nose. “Where is my fucking ship,” he asked again, pausing between each word.

  “Repairs.”

  His face darkened. Right, she was repairs. “I needed a new driver coil,” she said, coughing. “And uh, protection to get in. It’s radioactive, you see and-.”

  “Yes, I know a thing or two about ships.”

  “Right. Of course.”

  “Are you lying to me?”

  “No, no, no, of course not. It really does need those repairs.”

  “And it still can’t be moved?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then where is my ship?”

  “You really stepped into that one,” Retzi said in her ear. He was huffing and out of breath. “You had to move it because of me.”

  The words rushed out of her. “I thought I saw you. Only, it wasn’t, but an OSA officer and I didn’t want to risk it, so I had it drogued to a safer location.”

  “And that location is where?”

  “Right around the corner,” said Retzi both in her ear and gasping right behind her. His chest heaved and sweat dripped from his face. “Cleared everything up,” he said finger rotating in the air. “No problem. Good to see you again, Father.”

  The Captain stepped back, looking from his grinning men behind him, to his son and back to her. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  “Nope.”

  “No, Captain.”

  Attila pulled out his omnitab and punched something on the screen. Retzi’s device started ringing moments later. “I’m not sure what’s going on here and I don’t really care. What I can tell you, is that you have until nightfall to get The Bastard’s Revenge docked at the coordinates I’ve just sent you.”

  ***

  There’d been no celebration after that, just running. Lots and lots of running. First to the ship they’d stolen, which, due to recent time restraints would have to stay right the hell where it was, then back to the location where Crost had The Bastard’s Revenge towed and hidden away. Even then, there wasn’t time to catch a breath. Anja had to go out for protective gear while Retzi kept a lookout for Crost’s men.

  “Wait!”

  She skidded to a stop as Retzi pressed Crost’s omnitablet in her hands.

  “Get rid of this. Drop it someplace with a lot of traffic and let’s hope some stranger picks it up.”

  Anja grabbed it, stole a kiss and shot off. He thanked the stars the woman could run. She came back and went straight to work an hour later, having the heap of crap roaring into the air before twilight. They made their way as the light dimmed, landing at the coordinates right when shadows faded away into night.

  Maybe that’s why he wasn’t sure he saw what he thought he saw.

  Anja’s shared disbelief didn’t make it any less confusing. “Retzi?”

  “There’s no way.”

  “So you see it too?”

  “There’s no way.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  “I hate my father.”

  Stunned to silence, they exited the The Bastard slackjawed and wide eyed as they gazed upon Retzi’s lost OSA hopper.

  “He stole my ship!”

  “We don’t know that yet, Retzi.”

  He turned to her, eyebrows raised and pointing.

  “Maybe there’s something inside explaining all this.”

  There was.

  Inside on a table were several boxes and a glimmering blue square. Anja rushed to it. “There’s a video cube on top.” She turned it on and came to stand next to him as the image of the captain projected against the side of the hopper.

  “At some point I mean to find out how your ship wound up on the black market. I hope you appreciate the lengths I had to go to steal a stolen government bird. It wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve had to order someone to do. I don’t know what you assholes have done, but I’ve taken the bags of money for my troubles. Oh and Anja, you’re fired.”

  “Damn, I love that man.”

  “Me too,” Anja said, her fingers curling around his. Retzi pulled her in for a kiss and nodded towards the main console.

  “C’mon. Let’s get out of here.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later, Titan’s Newest Sector

  Anja reviewed the specs of the rover one last time before pulling it into the garage. She smiled at the humming omnitablet in her pocket and checked the time. It was him, here right when he’d said he’d be. Though they had the worst schedules, Retzi hadn’t been late for a date once, though he’d made her late for work more than a few times.

  She waved at him from the window, but didn’t go out immediately, sparing a few moments for a quick gel cleansing. Anja checked herself one last time in the mirror, before running out to his cruiser.

  The bottom of her jumpsuit barely touched the seat before he leaned over to deliver those kisses she had come to love. “Long week. I’ve missed you.”

  “You too,” she said, settling in for the marathon ride back into the city. “So what do you have planned this time? A drive to the party district or maybe something more offworld?”

  “Well you’re right on that last bit. We’re definitely heading up, not out. I had a friend of a friend check into some old files for me.”

  “What kind of files?”

  “Hard to explain. Check my omnitablet.” He reached down and handed it over, eyes never leaving the road.

  “Coordinates?”

  “Yeah, see, Meash guys never erase any data, no matter how unimportant it may be at the time. Every worker
, every instrument, including large telescopes used on school trips.”

  She couldn’t stifle her gasp.

  “I’m not saying it was easy, and you’ll spend a lot of time in bed repaying me for my efforts, but we found all the data files pulled that day, including the blip when some strange kid knocked it off course.”

  “Stop the cruiser,” she said voice wobbling, chest aching and weak with tears.

  “Can’t.”

  “Oh Retzi, I-“

  “See, if I stop, you’ll want to hug me and I’ll be forced to return said embrace. That might lead to me asking you to marry me and you might say no. So I can’t. Not sure I can handle it,” he added lamely. “Should I...uh, stop the car?”

  “Yeah, Retzi. I really do think you should.”

  And so, he did.

  Extras

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  Scroll to the very end for a sneak peak at the cover for Quinn’s Quasar, the next book in the Outer Settlement Series

  Did you love Anja's Star? Then you should read Quinn's Quasar by Lyn Brittan!

  Half clone, half human, Quinn’s life has been anything but easy. People like her credentials just fine, by whenever news of her heritage surfaces, she’s sent back to the temp agency and shuttled off to

  another planet.

  Her handsome new boss promises a different outcome this time, but his family’s name carries a long history of clone mistreatment. Learning to trust him may be the hardest thing she’s ever done, but with a new round of attacks against her, it may also be the only way to stay alive.

  Also by Lyn Brittan

  Outer Settlement Agency

  Solia's Moon