by Jamie Grey
But still nothing happened.
Renna chewed her lip and studied the keypad more closely. It had unlocked…something. But what? Finn stared at it, too, as if their combined brainpower could figure it out.
She felt jumpy, her body on alert, as if an ambush could happen at any possible minute. She was so distracted it was probably only a matter of time before that actually happened.
Pull it together, Renna.
She closed her eyes and forced a familiar sense of calm back into her center. Breathe in. Breathe out.
When she opened her eyes, she ignored Finn’s curious expression and focused on the keypad. She let her fingers drift over the numbers.
Ever so faintly, some of the metal pads caught at her fingertips. The ones used most often. Renna made another pass. This model used a clockwise entry order for the security code. She let her fingers tell her which pads to press, until she’d made a complete circle on the device.
There was a whirring noise as one of the machines started up. The conveyor jerked and screamed into motion, and the wall beside them slid back to reveal a long, dark corridor.
Finn’s eyebrows shot up as he glanced from the now-apparent door to Renna and back again. “Dallas might have been right about you.”
“Why, Captain, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” She flashed him a smile as she moved into the corridor. Lights on the ceiling flickered to life, illuminating a metal ladder at the far end. “Looks like we found our way in.”
Finn nodded. “Good job. Stay alert. If there’s anyone here, they’re bound to have heard us by now.” He started down the ladder, his broad shoulders disappearing into the darkness before Renna followed.
Finn’s boots clanked against each rung as they descended. She counted each step as a way to pass time, and after forty rungs, Renna’s legs were burning. Weak helolights glowed every twenty rungs or so, but the watery light made the climb even worse. Her breath hitched, but she forced herself to stay calm. The image of being trapped beneath tons of earth was not helping.
“Finally,” Finn muttered. Renna heard his feet hit the cement with a thud, and in the dim light, Renna felt more than saw him step away from the ladder.
Three more rungs and then she stood on solid ground again, too, arms wrapped around her waist so he wouldn’t see her trembling. “I hope we find another way out of here. I’d rather not have to do that climb going up.”
Finn nodded. “I’m with you there.” He pulled his gun out, and Renna did the same.
They were in another narrow corridor, colored pipes running along the walls. The lights flickered on as they walked, obviously motion sensitive. She guessed they were heading south through the complex.
“Hang on. Let me make sure these aren’t tied to a security system.” She pulled down one of the wires and studied the electrical components of the light. She’d only seen one security system like that, but it had always stuck with her as ingenious and something she’d do when she had her own place.
“Looks clean.” She tucked the wires back in and shrugged. “I’m actually surprised there isn’t more security in this place.”
“I’m pretty sure they figured they had an unbreachable facility, what with no doors or windows.”
“Right. But we have Dr. Aldani. Bonus points for us.” A few steps further and she made out the shape of a door panel. “I think this is it. Are you ready?”
“I wish we knew what was behind there.” A muscle jumped in Finn’s jaw, and his fingers tightened around the handle of his gun.
“Damn, so do I.” Renna tugged at her jacket and stretched her arms. “I can’t remember the last time I went in blind on a job.” She rolled her shoulders, then pulled her gun from its holster. “Guess it’s now or never.”
Finn gave her the ghost of a smile. “Let’s do it.”
Renna pressed her fingers lightly against the door, and it slid open without a sound. She stepped through…
…and froze as a dozen pairs of eyes turned to her at once.
NINETEEN
Renna turned to dart back into the corridor, but a man grabbed her arm and yanked her into the room before she could even struggle. “Let me go!” she demanded, but the Ileth just glared at her.
She froze. Dear gods, what was he? Instead of violet pupils like Viktis had, this man’s eyes shone with an odd metallic glow. More machine than biological.
Another one—human this time—tried to grab Finn, but he’d had enough of a warning to fire off a shot. The bullet hit the man’s thigh, penetrating the skin with a spurt of blood, but he kept coming like he didn’t even feel it. The air filled with an iron-rich sent, almost like blood, and Renna gasped as the bullet pushed back out of the entry wound and bounced on the floor. The hole in his skin knitted closed a second later, leaving only a smear of crimson behind on his pants.
Finn threw a punch, his fist connecting with the man’s jaw, but the hulking mercenary had Finn’s arms pinned behind his back in three moves. The captain jerked and thrashed against his captor, but the man stood steady, unmoving. Like a rock.
Or a machine.
Renna let her gaze rake the rest of the room. The mercenaries seemed to be a mix of human, Ileth, and Trezian, but each of them had something that seemed off. A robotic hand. Glowing cornea implants. Half a face full of metal.
One of the Trezians stood up and crossed two of his arms. “Well, well. Someone must have found some seriously high tech to get in here.” The scales on his skin glinted sliver in the light. One side of his face was completely gone, replaced by a metallic mask. His other two arms he shoved into the pockets of his uniform pants. “The boss isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“What do we do with them, sir? Kill them?” the merc holding Renna asked. She wrinkled her nose as he moved, the scent of sweat and dirty clothes rolling off him in a cloud of stink. And beneath that, he carried the strange undertone of metal that permeated the air here.
She struggled against him, trying to arc her body as far away from his chest as possible. The man’s fingers curled into the skin of her arms. She grunted at the pressure.
If he left a frakking bruise, she’d make sure he never touched a woman again.
“Hold still,” he ordered, jerking her bag from her shoulder and dropping it on the floor to get a better grip on her.
The leader started pacing. “We need information from them before we do anything. The boss will be the one to decide if they live. He may want to use them for other things.”
Renna’s brain spun. She didn’t recognize their uniforms, but these men were mercenaries. Her people. Maybe she could get the captain out of here at least.
She shifted into her role, like putting on an old jacket. Her lips lifted in a conspiratorial smile. “I know you guys aren’t Iron Elite; you’re too well-funded for that. But I’m not sure who you’re with. The Star Raiders? Phi? Who’s running this part of the traverse now?”
The leader narrowed his eyes. “You’ve never heard of us.”
“Try me. I have more connections than you can dream of.”
“Who are you?” he asked. “You look familiar.”
Renna shook her head. “Uh-uh. You first, love.”
The alien’s neck slits flared, and all four fists clenched in front of him. “Answer me, dammit. Or I’ll make you.”
The guy was wound tighter than she’d expected. What the hell had they stumbled into? Renna swallowed and kept her face expressionless. “How about you let this guy go,” she nodded toward Finn, “and I’ll tell you whatever you’d like to know? He’s not important, just one of my bodyguards. A smart woman never travels without one.”
“A smart woman wouldn’t need one in the first place.” The leader glanced between Finn and Renna, then motioned to one of his other men. “Why don’t you convince the lady to tell me what she knows?”
One of the human mercs stalked toward Finn, a satisfied smirk twisting his face. Without warning, he slammed his fist into th
e captain’s stomach.
Finn grunted, his body bowing, eyes closed, but a breath later, he straightened his spine and stared straight ahead. As impassive as a glacier.
Renna’s muscles screamed to stop these men, to fight back, but she forced herself to stay still. There was no way they’d win a physical fight against them.
“You gonna talk, beautiful?” the leader asked. The metal plate on his face caught the light of the helolamps and glowed silver. She looked him in the eye and simply smiled.
He gestured, and the man punched Finn again. Aside from the violent sound of air leaving his lungs, the captain remained silent. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a shuddering breath before straightening again.
Damn him. Why did he have to be so stoic? If he collapsed into a quivering mess, these guys were more likely to believe he was nothing but hired help.
“Again,” the leader ordered.
The thud of the man’s fist connecting with Finn’s jaw sounded through the room, echoing off the scattered card tables and chairs. Renna gritted her teeth as Finn spit out a mouthful of blood.
Obviously this wasn’t working. Time for Plan B.
“Fine,” she drawled. “I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
The leader held up his hand to stop his merc from hitting Finn again. “Go on.”
“My name is Renna Carrizal.”
The man’s lips parted. Good. Hopefully her name would be enough. In certain circles, she was legendary. For several reasons.
He raked his gaze up and down her body, his expression two parts cunning, one part lethal. “Well, well. I can think of quite a few people who’d love a chance to talk to you, beautiful.”
Renna suppressed her shudder. “I’m sure we could all sit down for tea and cookies. Sounds delightful.” She tried to yank her arm away from the man holding her, but he didn’t let go.
The Trezian chuckled. “I can’t believe I caught the best thief in the galaxy. I’m going to be famous. And you’re going to be the boss’s new plaything as soon as we ship you off to him.” He rubbed his hands together, his teeth gleaming as his lips stretched into a triumphant grin.
Renna shrugged and examined her nails. “Sounds like I get the better part of this deal. I’m leaving this planet, one way or another. You guys are trapped here with—what—a bunch of half-finished mechs and a team of dirty men? Doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. Things just got a lot more fun.” The brilliance of his smile dimmed from elated to sadistic. “We’re not just building mechs here. It’s a whole different type of army. And I think you and your friend here will make excellent additions.”
Two of his arms pointed to the back of the room where there was a thick wooden door that looked surprisingly out of place in the high-tech facility. “Take them to the holding cell. I’ll contact the boss. I’m sure he’ll be happy to have Miss Carrizal on his team.”
“In your dreams, love. The only team I work on is my own.” She forced a slow smile to her lips. She’d been in enough oh shit situations to know better than to show her nerves. Even if they were screaming loud enough to deafen her.
The man holding her arms yanked her toward the door, and the other man did the same with Finn. She struggled, using the motion to scan the rest of the room without them noticing. An arms bench sat on the far side, next to a half-opened crate full of assault rifles. Starmasters if she wasn’t mistaken.
The two mercenaries dragged them down another corridor. Their boots echoed loudly on the cement floor, and the walls were built of the same gray stone as the rest of the facility. A series of alcoves were cut into the walls, and Renna’s merc stopped in front of one. He typed in a number at the keypad, and the metal door slid open.
He shoved her inside, and she stumbled a few feet. Finn followed a heartbeat later.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be back for you soon,” the merc called just before the door swished shut.
The captain took two shuffling steps, then fell to his knees. His eyes widened at her before he toppled sideways.
Shit. Renna raced over to him and collapsed by his side. “Are you all right?” Her fingers itched to touch him, to wipe the trickle of blood away from his lip, but instead she folded her hands in her lap. “How bad is it?”
He took a shuddering breath and opened his eyes. The blue depths had lost their usual sparkle. “I think he broke my rib.”
Renna pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I’m sorry. I thought I could get them to release you if they thought you weren’t important.”
“I figured. Too bad it didn’t work. Besides, do you really think I would have left you here?” He touched her arm. “I know we didn’t start out on the best terms here, but I haven’t changed that much. I don’t leave my crew behind.”
Her heart twisted strangely. Having someone looking out for her was something she hadn’t experienced since she was a kid. But at the same time, it was nice to know someone had her back.
Finn dropped his hand like it had suddenly gotten too heavy. “You shouldn’t have told them who you are. You’re not exactly anonymous in this galaxy, even if they don’t know you’re the Star Thief.” He gasped as he struggled to sit up.
Her heart stuttered at the pain etched on his face. Dammit, he was really hurt. She slid an arm beneath his shoulder and helped him lean against the wall. His body against hers was hard and muscled, and even injured, she got the impression he could still kick her ass.
“Thanks,” he said once he was propped up. Deep lines gouged the space between his eyebrows, and his skin had taken on a shiny, waxy tone, like he was made of plastic. But he tried to smile at her anyway. “So what’s the plan?”
Renna jumped to her feet and paced the room, careful not to look at him. Finn was hurt, and it was all her fault. Whatever she came up with had to get him out of there and quickly. Those punches had been vicious. She wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t injured more than he let on.
The cell wasn’t much bigger than her bunk back on the ship. It only took six strides before she hit the wall and needed to turn back around. She made three passes before she let out a long sigh. “I have no idea.” She shoved her hands into her pockets. “They took my tools and the destabilizer. The only thing that might work is attacking the next guard that shows up and hope we can get away.”
Finn shifted against the wall and winced again. “I’m not going to be much help.”
“I can take care of myself.” His eyes looked strangely sunken, and she made her voice light and joking. Maybe it would be enough to distract him. “You haven’t seen me in a bar fight. Your lessons came in handy.”
“I don’t suppose that’s where you got the scar on your neck?” Finn studied the white line running from below her left ear around the front of her neck. She usually tried to hide it with her hair, but when she pulled it back like now, it was clearly visible. Heat crept across her skin at the curiosity in his gaze, at the way she could almost feel it like a caress.
She laughed awkwardly. “You know it’s not. I had it when I first met you.” She never talked about that night. Even after ten years, just thinking about it still made her skin crawl. Renna wrapped her arms around her waist and sank down the wall to sit on the floor beside Finn. It was better to not have him looking at her. To not feel so exposed under his steady gaze.
“You going to finally tell me what happened?” he asked gently.
The metal was cool against her back, even through her leather jacket, and she tried not to shiver. She stared straight ahead. “It was nothing.”
“Right. And I’m not a space Marine.” Finn sighed. “Want to know how I got this one?” he asked, unbuttoning the top of his uniform to uncover a puckered white circle on his shoulder.
Her eyes widened. “Gunshot?”
“Even better.” His smile was wicked. “One of my first missions out after joining MYTH, we got shot down on Devon Alpha. I was only a corporal then,
trying to prove myself. We were trapped in the jungle with only our blasters and a few days’ rations.”
“Damn. That is not a friendly planet.”
“You’re telling me.” Finn refastened the buttons, then rubbed his shoulder as if bothered by phantom pain. “The remaining crew and I decided to make for the main spaceport and hope we could get there before the supplies ran out. Halfway there, a gang of Krongs attacked. Have you had run-ins with them before?”
Renna shook her head. “They’re fairly primitive, aren’t they? Live in huts in the jungle? No space travel?”
“Yeah. They still use spears and bows and arrows. And when they attacked us, one of the spears found the weak patch in my armor where the mesh meets metal. I’ve never been in so much pain. I had to walk around with half a spear sticking out of my shoulder until they could get me to a medicenter. The team called me ‘Pincushion’ for months.”
Renna chuckled. She couldn’t imagine Finn as a raw recruit. Even back in Blur’s gang, he’d been the one to order them around. He’d always seemed so together…so military. “At least it wasn’t poisoned. I hear the stuff they use has…special effects.”
“You mean the penis-shriveling kind? Yeah. I got lucky. I can assure you there’s no damage there,” he said with a sly smile.
Renna’s stomach dropped. If he grinned at her like that again, her insides might spontaneously combust. To distract herself, she shrugged out of her jacket and pushed up her sleeve. A long, jagged scar stretched up her forearm.
“I had a job go tits-up on Enill when I was eighteen,” she said. “The boss thought because I was a girl, he could cheat me out of my payment. He sent his men after me when I left his headquarters. One of them tried to relieve me of my earnings by threatening me with a laser knife. He got one swipe at me before I cut off his balls with it. I made sure the boss understood it would happen to him if he tried that again.”
