Double Down (The Drift Book 1)

by Susan Hayes

  The thing was, with each passing day, he was feeling more and more like he wanted to be someone she could turn to. After swearing off women for life, Kit felt like a fool for even considering going down that path again so soon. Zura was special, though.

  There was no doubt that their first attempt at a normal relationship had been a spectacular failure. They wanted a woman to love and share, while it turned out that Andrea was only interested in playing around. She’d done a number on them both, but Luke was ready to move on. He had been waiting for Kit…and it was plain to see that Luke was done waiting. Kit wasn’t sure he was ready, but he had promised Luke he would try.

  He followed Luke across the club, idly noting that the moment his brother left the bar, another bartender stepped up to fill his spot. It had taken them time to learn what they were doing, but these days the Nova ran smoothly. Everyone here took pride in their job and in the club itself. They weren’t merely employees; they were like family.

  Luke led the way toward where he had last seen Zura, the bottle of liquor and an empty glass in one hand and his full glass in the other. He knew Kit was only a few steps behind him, no doubt scanning the crowd for potential trouble with every step he took. These days, looking for trouble was all that Kit seemed to do.

  Both he and Cyn were worried about Kit. Andrea had broken both their hearts, but Kit didn’t seem able to pull himself out of the tailspin she had put him in. He had been in a dark mood ever since she had dropped a plasma bomb into their happy threesome and walked away from the ashes. All he did was patrol the bar or sit at the security station and scan the monitors. The only person who could bring a smile to Kit’s face was Zura. When she was around, he was more like his old self, the one who laughed and joked and always had to get the last word.

  Luke spotted Zura without any problem, despite the dark atmosphere of the bar. She was seated at her favorite table, the window giving her a view of the ships coming and going from the docking arms outside. She was looking out the window when they approached, but when they neared her table she turned to smile at them.

  “You again, Luke? Did you miss me already?”

  “Care to join us for a drink? Since you brought this stuff, it seems only fair you get to try it with us,” Luke said, holding up the bottle.

  He might have seen her less than ten minutes ago, but that didn’t stop him from taking a moment to admire her again. She was of mixed species, half human and half Pheran, and he suspected her alien appearance was one of the reasons she kept to herself. Full Pherans looked vaguely feline to human observers, complete with rounded eyes, tufted ears, and stripes that resembled the long extinct tigers of Earth. Zura’s appearance was less cat-like, but it was obvious that somewhere in her past, her mixed heritage must have drawn unwanted attention. She hid herself away and always seemed surprised when anyone noticed her.

  As far as Luke was concerned, though, she was breathtaking. She had the blue skin of her Pheran mother, with subtle stripes of even deeper blues marking her face and body. Her hair was made up of a myriad of shades of blue, ranging from cerulean to indigo, and her rounded, silver eyes were currently alight with pleasure. As usual, she wore a long, flowing cloak that obscured her body, though tonight she had left the hood down, revealing her face. She had only started doing that in the last few weeks, and Luke took it as a good sign. He wanted her to feel safe at the club and with them.

  “I’ve never said no to a free drink in my life. Take a seat, and we’ll give this stuff a test flight. Hey, Kit. Nice to see you taking a break for once.”

  “Welcome back, Zura. You made good time. I’m assuming that means it was a smooth run.” Kit set his drink down and claimed the seat to her right, leaving Luke to claim the seat on her left.

  She held out her hand and ran it level to the table top. “Smooth sailing all the way. Even the paperwork was in order for once. I think they were taking it easy on me. Speaking of freight, I talked to an old friend of mine while I was gone. He’s one of the colonists on Tagar 9, and he’s willing to ship real, grass-fed beef to you guys if you’re still interested.”

  Luke sat down and let out a low whoop of joy. “Fraxx yes, we’re interested. Our customers would pay premium prices for real beef this far from civilized space. You’re amazing, you know that? We’ve been trying to find a reliable supplier for non-synthetic meat since we started this place. It’s been a lost cause until now.”

  She shrugged. “It’s a lot easier to make deals when you’ve known the people involved for most of your life. My father used to transport Dag’s livestock for him when he was still trying to build up his herds. You have no idea how much mess a half-dozen cows can make when they’re stuck in a cargo bay for a couple of days. I swear it took a year to get the smell out.”

  “Having never seen a cow, I can only imagine. I’ve only ever seen such creatures after they’ve been reduced to tasty serving-size. Did you really transport live animals? Wouldn’t embryos be easier?” Kit asked, curious.

  “Embryos take time to mature. Dag spent a small fortune bringing in some fully grown animals to get a head start building up his herd. Have you really never seen a cow?”

  “Only in videos and sims,” Kit said.

  “Not a lot of livestock on the planets we’ve visited. The wars were predominately fought over uncolonized planets, moons, and asteroid fields. Most of our planetary time was incredibly dull, if you discount the fact someone was usually trying to kill us.” Luke said.

  “If you ever want to see a cow up close, Tagar 9 isn’t that long a trip. I could take you. I hear it’s a pretty place, if you like farmland.”

  “I’m happy right here. I’ve got no plans to ever visit another planet,” Kit said.

  “Plans change. If you ever change your mind, I would be happy to let you charter the Sun Sprite somewhere. I hear the Horus system is nice this time of year,” she offered.

  Luke scoffed. “Horus is not my idea of a vacation spot, thank you. That whole system is one fraxxing ice planet after another. I would rather go somewhere with sun-drenched beaches, a warm ocean, and someone else serving the drinks for once. For that, I might consider putting up with inconveniences like weather and gravity.”

  Zura Watson didn’t like to admit it, but she had missed the company of the two cyborgs while she had been away. She had always found them attractive. There probably wasn’t a female in the Drift who didn’t, no matter what species they were. The Armas brothers were both well over six feet tall, with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair. Kit wore his swept back from his face, while Luke’s hair was always falling into his eyes, a trait that had Zura’s fingers itching to tuck it back in place. Their hair was the only way to tell the two of them apart. They were identical in every other way, right down to the barcodes imprinted on their left wrist.

  During her recovery, she had gotten to know the brothers as more than the men who ran her favorite bar in the Drift. Somehow, despite her best intentions to keep to herself, they had become her friends—big, buff, sexy-as-hell friends.

  The truth was that the two of them had played a starring role in more than a few of her fantasies the past few months. She knew enough about them to know that they shared everything, including the women they took to their bed. That discovery had fueled her fantasies for weeks as she wondered what it would be like to be tangled up with the two of them at once.

  Not that she expected them to ever return her interest. They were so far outside her orbit it would be insane to imagine they’d look twice at a half-breed freighter jockey like her. At least, that’s what she used to think. Since she had been invited to stay at the Nova to recover, things between them had slowly started heating up.

  It was in the way they watched her sometimes when they didn’t think she was looking. Small touches and flashes of tenderness that she never saw them show to anyone else. They had been flirting, too, but she knew better than to take that too seriously. They were in the hospitality business; making people feel good
was part of the job. Besides, the last thing she needed was entanglements, in the sheets or out of them. She kept reminding herself that she came out here to start over again, not repeat the mistakes of the past.

  Kit snagged the bottle from Luke and poured her a glass of the liquor she had gifted them with. “Not me. I have better things to be doing than roaming around a planet getting my boots dirty.”

  She took the glass and raised it in a toast. “To spending our time on the better things in life. Like sharing a drink with friends.”

  “To sharing time with good friends,” Kit repeated, while Luke merely nodded. They raised their glasses and drank, and three seconds later both males’ glasses were empty.

  “That’s good. Really good. Where’d you get it?” Luke asked.

  “You’re not going to believe this, but I got it from a mining ship. They’re making it themselves.”

  Kit scowled. “That’s homebrew? Are you trying to kill us?”

  “They’ve been drinking it for months. I figured it was safe enough. Besides, Luke ran it through the scanner before he opened it. It’s fine, right Luke?”

  “Totally. And tasty, too. If you can get them to part with more next time, I’d be happy to stock it.”

  “I’ll see what I can do, and since we’re friends, I’ll even waive my finder’s fee,” she joked, taking another sip of her drink.

  “How about I create a new cocktail and name it after you as a thank you?” Luke offered as he poured another glass.

  “And what would you call it? Zura Juice?” she asked with a laugh.

  Luke choked on his drink. “Fraxx, no. Give me a little credit, will you? First, I have to figure out what to mix this with, and then I’ll work on a name. Creating a new drink is an art-form, best you leave it to the professionals. You stick to piloting that rust bucket of yours.”

  “Rust bucket? You did not just insult my baby!” she exclaimed, well aware Luke was teasing her.

  He threw his big hands up in the air in mocking surrender. “I take it back. She’s not rusty. She’s gorgeous, just like her owner.”

  “Better. You know I don’t let anyone put down my ship. You didn’t have to add in the flattery, though.”

  “That wasn’t flattery, I meant it,” Luke said.

  Kit leaned forward slightly and gave her a look so intense she forgot to breathe. “You’re gorgeous, Zura. Believe me. There isn’t another female in this bar that compares to you,”

  “Agreed,” Luke chimed in.

  “Cynder would likely take exception to that statement,” she said, as her pulse started to race, and warning alarms went off in the logical part of her brain. This was taking their flirtations to a new level, and damn, she liked it more than was wise.

  “Cyn’s our sister, she doesn’t count,” Kit said and shrugged in dismissal.

  He seemed about to say something more, but before he could, there was a loud curse and the crash of glass shattering. His head snapped up as he looked for the source of the disturbance.

  “Gotta go,” he muttered as he rose from the table and headed toward the fight breaking out on the far side of the bar.

  She watched as the crowd of patrons parted before him, giving the big cyborg a wide berth. There weren’t many beings in existence who would deliberately put themselves in the path of a cyborg on a mission. Whoever had broken the peace, they were about to regret it.

  “And there he goes, the master of romance and seduction. Utters one compliment, then wanders off to break up a bar fight,” Luke said with a sigh.

  “Romance and seduction? Is that what you two are up to?” she asked, trying to keep her tone light despite the sudden pounding of her heart.

  Luke winked at her. “If you have to ask, then we haven’t been doing a very good job of it.”

  Her stomach did a slow somersault, and a voice in the back of her head started to cheer wildly. Holy fraxx, she hadn’t imagined their interest.

  Before she could say anything, a loud crash followed by a screech of pain and angry shouting had Luke on his feet in a second.

  “Re’veth, someone’s trying to get themselves killed. Be right back, gorgeous.”

  He was gone before she could say another word. She marked his passage through the crowd, who moved out of his way with the same speed as when his brother passed through.

  The fight was over shortly thereafter, and she caught a glimpse of Kit lugging a barely-standing customer toward the exit. Luke was right behind him with an unconscious patron slung over one shoulder. Neither of the cyborgs had so much as a hair out of place. She took a moment to enjoy the sight of their heavily muscled arms flexing as they hauled the troublemakers across the bar and out of sight.

  She knew it would be a while before either of them would be back to finish their drink, if they got the chance to come back at all. The club was nearly full now, and the cage fights would start shortly, which meant the brothers would soon be too busy to socialize…or flirt.

  The safe, sane voice in the back of her head was whispering again, reminding her that this wasn’t a good idea. She had come out to the Drift to get away from her old life and start over. The smart choice was to keep the brothers at arm’s length. The problem with the smart choice was that it meant walking away from two of the sexiest, most decent men she had ever met.

  If her father were here, he would remind her of one of his favorite sayings—no risk, no reward. If it meant having a chance to be with Kit and Luke, then she suspected she was willing to risk a hell of a lot.

  She downed the rest of her drink and sighed. What the fraxx was she going to do? Stay safe and alone, or gamble with her heart and see where things went with Kit and Luke?

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kit’s night wasn’t going the way he had planned, not by a long shot. He still couldn’t believe he had blurted out that compliment and then walked away from Zura two seconds later to deal with a fight. Not my finest moment.

  Now, it was like the universe was out to mess with him. Every time he tried to get back to Zura, some new problem cropped up. One of the night’s fighters was a no-show and another one was too drunk to stand up on his own, never mind step into the ring. Then club security caught one of the club’s licensed pharma dealers selling undocumented product, which meant reporting the infraction to Astek Corp and security. He’d left Cyn to deal with that problem, including filling out the headache-inducing reports that corporate security would require.

  He hadn’t been able to say a word to his brother, either, and at the moment, Luke looked almost as frustrated as Kit felt. They both wanted to get back to Zura, but the universe wasn’t giving them a break.

  It was over an hour later before he finally got a moment to himself. He headed straight for Zura’s table, and when one of the other security guards stepped in for a word, Kit shook his head and waved the other man off. “I don’t want to hear about it. For the next twenty minutes, I’m not available for anything less than an invasion, explosive decompression, or a four-alarm fire. Got it?”

  Owen nodded. “I’ll handle it.”

  Kit was halfway to the gaming area before he spotted Zura. She was still seated at the same table, their drinks still sitting where they left them, untouched and waiting for their return. Well, at least she hadn’t cut and run on them. After the less than stellar approach he had taken tonight, he wouldn’t have blamed her if she had. He wasn’t much for romance at the best of times, but even he knew that growling a compliment then bailing wasn’t the best approach to take with a woman he was trying to impress.

  His pleasure at seeing her again evaporated the second he saw she wasn’t alone. There was a Jeskyran sitting across from her, and the newcomer’s body language set Kit’s teeth on edge. Something wasn’t right.

  Resisting the urge to charge in, Kit closed the distance slowly as he strained to hear what was being said. He knew he was eavesdropping, but he didn’t give a damn about Zura’s privacy at the moment. The second he got close enough to see her
face, he knew he was right to be concerned. Her silver eyes gleamed with annoyance, and her fingers were strumming the tabletop, a sure sign she was unhappy. Another step, and he was close enough to hear every word.

  “You keep saying no like you have a choice in this, Zee. That’s not how it is. These days, what Vin wants, he gets. So be smart and say yes before things get…unpleasant.”

  Zura lifted the fork she was toying with and pointed the prongs at her gaunt and angular companion. “Vin will have to learn to live with disappointment. Whatever he wants to meet with me about, it’s not going to happen. For fraxx sake, he stole from me and put me in medical for three days. How can he possibly think we have anything to talk about?”

  “Zee, you need to think this through. Things have changed back home.”

  “If you call me that nickname one more time, I will jam this fork somewhere you won’t enjoy it, Ganzer. Only my father got away with calling me Zee. Go back to your soulless bastard of a boss and tell him my answer is no.”

  “You don’t know what you’re saying, Zee—Zura. You say no, you’re going to get hurt…again. I don’t want to see that happen.”

  Kit had heard enough. He was at Zura’s table in seconds and planted a hand on the alien’s shoulder, though he was careful to place his fingers so they missed the groupings of thorns that rose from his mottled orange and yellow skin. Jeskyran’s were an unattractive species, both physically and in personality. It didn’t help that because of their thorny skin, they rarely wore more than a loincloth.

  “She gave you her answer, asshole. I suggest you accept it and go.” In order to make his irritation clear, Kit didn’t bother being subtle. Instead, he gripped hard enough to cause the Jeskyran to yelp in pain and surprise.

  “Who the fraxx do you think you are that you can tell me when I should go—oh, veth.” The alien’s tone changed to one of dread as he twisted around and got his first look at Kit.