by Lynn Hagen
“You got our ugly asses,” Thoran said as he bumped shoulders with Dax. Thoran didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve, but even he had heart when it came to his friends. He hated to see any of them hurting. “I know that is a poor replacement, but…” He shrugged.
“Don’t get all emotional on me,” Dax warned, but Thoran could hear the teasing banter in the man’s tone.
“If you try to kiss me, I’ll knock your teeth out,” Thoran countered before he chuckled. “Go back to digging into Fed records, numb nut.”
Thoran’s smile faded when Dax went back to his seat. He sat there looking at his brethren, wondering how much their lives were about to change. They’d grown up as a close-knit unit, working and living together until they’d become grown men. And then their trainer, Draven, had put each of them in their own private quarters.
Thoran had hated it when he’d been separated from them, but kept the complaint to himself. A Breed Assassin didn’t complain or protest. A Breed Assassin got the job done by any means necessary. Thoran sat there in silence as he remembered every single rule that had ever been taught to him.
“Can I see?” Nyk asked as he turned in his seat.
“See what?” Thoran asked.
“The photograph of Nyda.”
All four men were still getting used to the fact that they were related by blood. It wasn’t that big of a deal though. They’d considered themselves a family for so long that when they learned the truth, it hadn’t really shocked them.
At least it hadn’t shocked Thoran. Nothing seemed to shock him anymore. Thoran had seen too much, had experienced some of life’s worst moments when tracking down his assignments. Finding out that three of the four men he cherished were blood relations didn’t even make a blip on his radar.
He pulled out the photo of his sister and handed it over to Nyk.
“She has your eyes.” Nyk studied the picture a moment longer before he handed it back. “Cute kid.”
Pride swelled inside of him. She was a great-looking girl. But the worry in him grew stronger. Who would kidnap her and why? In the Zarino galaxy, slavery was legal. What if she’d been taken for—Thoran closed the lid on that thought. If he found out anyone had forced her into anything vile and immoral, he was going to take a millennia to make them suffer.
“We should be landing on Colossus in another hour,” Kayden announced as he made his way from the front of the shuttle to the back. “Logan has to bring us in on the dark side of the planet so that we can avoid several cargo tankers passing through the shipping lanes.”
“Would landing on the dark side of Colossus give us a better advantage?” Thoran asked, his eyes meeting each man there.
Kayden nodded. “It might take a little longer to reach our destination but we could avoid any ships waiting at the space dock.”
Thoran wanted to run into a league of Constantine Empire soldiers—better known as Feds—just to burn off some of the rage he felt toward the government he had been raised to respect. But his need to find and rescue his sister was stronger.
Kayden got up and walked back to the bridge of the small shuttle. He grabbed a Vid-pad and started tapping away on the screen as he turned. “There’s a small village called Crossover about ten miles outside of the Capitol. Its main claim to fame is a bar called the Crossover Tavern that is on the edge of a river next to the only bridge in the area.”
“What if someone is watching the bridge?” Dax asked.
“That’s what makes this plan so perfect.” Kayden grinned as he glanced up. “The owner of the tavern is a black market gun runner. There’s a tunnel that goes under the river from the back of the tavern.”
“So, how does this help us?” Anyone that recognized them was likely to turn them in for the bounty, especially someone on the wrong side of the law. It was a quick and easy way to make a crap load of money. Thoran ground his teeth at the thought of being anyone’s meal ticket.
“It just so happens that this particular gun runner owes me a favor,” Kayden replied.
Dax stared at Kayden. “Why?”
Thoran already knew without asking.
The smile on Kayden’s face was just this side of wicked. “Because I didn’t kill him.”
Chapter Two
The sun had begun to set and the light of the afternoon was on the land as the five men went downhill. So far they hadn’t run into anyone.
Thoran kept the picture of Nyda tucked in his pocket as he and the other men ducked through the woods. He could see the bridge not too far ahead. But their journey was slow. With such a large bounty on each of their heads, there was no telling who might be after them or who might be watching as they made their way to Crossover.
The area was quiet except for the soft wind that made the leaves rustle and the saw grass sway. No one was in the meadow by the river. Rumors had always circled about the lands around this area. Some said they were cursed. Others said the river was the gateway to the underworld.
Thoran believed none of it. Crossover was a small village with thatched roofs and dirt roads but there was nothing sinister about the place. The people lived with a simplicity that Thoran envied. He’d visited here just once, years ago when he was on assignment. The residents of this small village wore hemp clothing and farmed their lands.
They were nothing like those who lived in the Capitol. They didn’t have modernized vehicles. They still used horses as their mode of transportation. The Capitol had the worst of the worst—crime, slavery, black markets.
But here, it was as if they’d stepped into another world. It surprised Thoran that Kayden had been to this village before. Thoran thought himself the only one who had visited this place.
But apparently Kayden knew more about it than Thoran. Thoran had had no clue there were tunnels running under the village. He wasn’t even sure where to look for the opening.
“Keep your eyes open,” Kayden said. “Even though we’re far from the Capitol, this village is still susceptible to criminals. I don’t need any of you getting your heads blown off.”
Thoran had stopped caring a long time ago whether he lived or died. Growing up in a training facility had hardened him. His missions had been the only thing he’d lived for, and now he didn’t even have that. The prospect of owning a freighting company appealed to him though. It would keep him on the go, running from one planet to another.
But it wasn’t the same as the rush he’d gotten when he’d completed a mission. Nothing had ever compared to that. Not even sex.
There was one person in particular who had interested Thoran when he’d been here before. Since Thoran had been on assignment, he hadn’t pursued the man and now he wondered if the guy was still around.
Eaton.
The name had stuck in the back of Thoran’s mind for years.
“Ready?” Kayden asked, pulling Thoran from deep thought. He shoved the memory of pale-blue eyes and silky black hair from his mind as he nodded.
“It’s just too damn quiet,” Dax said. “Why is my gut telling me to back down?”
“That’s because your gut is getting too big,” Logan said as he crouched. “Too many sweets at the palace.”
Nyk snickered as his gazed dropped to Dax’s midsection. “He’s right.”
“Fuck both of you,” Dax groused.
Thoran grinned at the banter. These men were the only people in the universe he loved more than his own life. When he was around them, life seemed a little more bearable.
“You see that small clump of bushes?” Kayden pointed south of the bridge. “That’s where the opening to the tunnels is located, just beyond that large rock.”
“You mean Dax’s head?” Logan teased.
“One more word,” Dax threatened, “and you’ll be breathing out of a new hole, bastard.”
Thoran glanced to where Kayden had pointed. It was a good ways away with nothing but wide-open spaces in between. There had been some shuttles in the area when they first landed. Thoran wasn’t sure wh
at they’d been looking for and he didn’t want to find out.
Having a death wish was one thing, but being taken captive was something he wholeheartedly wanted to avoid.
“Move out,” Kayden commanded. The five of them moved like ghosts as they slipped across the terrain. They spread out, making their unit less of a target.
Thoran was the first to reach the entrance, but he had no clue how to open it. Kayden moved in next to him, pushing aside the bush before shoving his hand inside an opening in the rock.
The rock moved backward after a hefty push, revealing the entrance. It was large enough to fit a body in—barely. The men quickly slipped inside. Kayden lit a torch that had been on the wall and led them through the vast array of tunnels. The air was thicker down here, but cool compared to the sweltering heat of the day.
When they reached the end of the tunnel they’d been traveling, Kayden handed the torch to Thoran. He knocked three times on the wooden door, and then two more times.
The door opened to reveal a man who looked like a grizzly bear. He was thick with muscles and hairy as hell. There was even hair poking out of the collar of his shirt. “Kayden Caellen,” the man said. “I take it you need my help?”
Kayden didn’t remind the man of the debt he owed. He simply nodded. The grizzly man stepped aside, waving them in. Thoran handed the stranger the torch as he glanced around. They were in the storage room of the tavern. Large barrels were stacked in one corner, sacks of grain in another. There were baskets of bread on one table, along with cheeses of every assortment.
“The tavern is busy right now,” the man said. “It would be best if you stayed back here.”
“We’re looking for information,” Kayden stated before he glanced at Thoran. “Show him the picture.”
The man doused the torch in a bucket of water and grabbed the picture of Nyda from Thoran, glancing over it. “Lovely girl. Who is she?”
Logan and Dax helped themselves to the bread and cheese. The two acted as if they hadn’t eaten in days. Thoran cleared his throat. “She’s my sister.” It was the oddest thing to say. The familial title was foreign to him. “Her name is Nyda Legara.”
“When did she go missing?” the man asked.
“Ten years ago.”
The man scoffed, shoving the picture back at Thoran. “How am I supposed to know where she is when so much time has passed?”
Thoran growled as he tucked Nyda’s photograph back into his pocket. He knew they weren’t going to find her so easily, but the frustration was mounting.
“Look, Quido,” Kayden said. “I need you to ask around, covertly. We need some kind of lead.”
Quido rubbed his jaw, his eyes locked on Thoran. “Ten years ago the House of Mustoff put out a contract for captives they could sell on the black market. Vykilions were the first ones to raid. You might want to start there.”
Thoran’s gut twisted into a tight knot. This was the second time someone had mentioned the black market when it came to his sister. Thoran’s hope of finding her still sweet and innocent was quickly fading.
When Quido turned to leave, Thoran grabbed the man’s beefy arm. “There was a man here about five years ago. His name was Eaton.” Thoran left off the part about Eaton being a tabby cat shifter. If he located Eaton, the other men would find out, but Thoran wasn’t in the mood for their swipes and bluster. All five were like recalcitrant siblings, and most of the time Thoran liked the bantering.
But not now.
Quido’s eyes blazed with knowledge. “Try the brothel.”
Thoran’s heart sank. “He’s a whore?”
“Things are bad around here,” Quido said. “Some people are forced into a life they don’t want.”
Slavery?
“Who’s Eaton?” Dax asked before he shoved a thick piece of bread into his mouth.
“He was the blacksmith’s son,” Quido stated. “But his father sold him a month ago so he could pay the taxes he owed the governor.” Quido shook his head. “And people wonder why I still run guns. It’s dangerous as hell, but the money is good. I haven’t missed a payment on my tavern yet.”
Thoran knew he should let things be. He not only had to find Nyda, but there was a hefty bounty on his head. Lying low was his best option. He didn’t need to get involved in someone else’s affairs. But those pale-blue eyes had haunted him for years.
“You’re going after him, aren’t you?” Nyk asked.
Quido grunted. “Best take an arsenal. The man who runs the brothel protects his investments with a vengeance. He has thugs who have no problem killing.”
“And your governor lets them?” Dax asked.
Quido gazed at Dax as if he were daft. “We’re on Colossus. What the hell do you think? As long as the governor gets his cut, he turns a blind eye to what’s going on.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Logan said. “How well do you know Eaton?”
When all eyes turned to Thoran, he felt a flush of embarrassment wash over his face. “I met him once when I was here five years ago. His father gave me intel on my target.”
“You even speak to the man?” Nyk asked.
“No,” Thoran admitted. “Does it matter?”
Dax shook his head, muttering under his breath before he said, “You want us to stick our necks out for someone you’ve never even spoken to?”
“I don’t want you to do shit,” Thoran bit out. “I’ll do this myself. You guys can head back to the shuttle.”
He was angry at Dax’s words, even if they were true. He knew he couldn’t ask his unit to risk themselves for Eaton. Kayden couldn’t afford to be captured, not when Jade was going to give birth soon. The other men had no stake in this. Eaton meant nothing to them.
He shouldn’t mean anything to Thoran. But Thoran couldn’t get the sweet sound of Eaton’s laughter from his mind. He just couldn’t walk away from this.
“Death wish,” Quido said. “But if you’re going to strike, do it first thing in the morning when everyone is asleep. I doubt you’ll come out alive, but that would be the best time.” Quido waved his hand. “Until then, you men can rest back here. Stay out of the tavern.”
It wasn’t a request.
“And don’t eat all my fucking food.” Quido snarled at Dax and Logan.
“No promises,” Dax muttered.
When Quido left, Logan and Dax hit the wine barrel, pouring themselves a large mugful. He could see the way Nyk was staring affectionately at Dax. Thoran wondered if something was going on between the two.
Thoran rested on the wheat sacks. Am I doing the right thing? he wondered. It was true that he’d met Eaton just once. He was a damn fool for risking his hide for someone he didn’t even know. But his wolf snarled at the thought of leaving the man behind to a life that, in Thoran’s opinion, was worse than death.
“Get some sleep, fellas,” Kayden said as he lay back on the sacks of flour. “We have a long morning ahead of us. If we’re going up against some pimp and his thugs, we’ll need our wits about us.”
Dax chuckled. “That’s too funny.”
Thoran smiled. It was. They were trained Assassins. Taking out some lowlife and his guards shouldn’t be a problem. They were going in to rescue one man.
Piece of cake.
* * * *
Eaton curled on his side in bed, watching through the wire-meshed window as the eastern sky grew lighter. He still couldn’t believe what his father had done to him. Eaton had always been obedient, never giving his father any trouble. It would be different if he’d been out of control or lacked respect. Then maybe Eaton would understand why the man had sold him.
The life he’d once had was over and now he was going to belong to whoever paid the highest price. Not knowing his fate was the worst.
Eaton had promised his father that he would find a way to pay the taxes owed on the blacksmith business, but the man had taken the easy way out, selling Eaton without a backward glance before Eaton had a chance to make good on his vow.
&n
bsp; His throat felt dry and he could barely swallow. Eaton was so sick and tired of crying and wishing he had a different life. He’d been here a month already, but Trakin hadn’t made Eaton work the pleasure house. When Eaton’s father had told the brothel owner that Eaton was still a virgin, Trakin had rubbed his hands together, the greed leaking into his eyes. He said he was going to sell Eaton and make a fortune.
The auction was set for this afternoon.
Twice Eaton had tried to escape and both times he’d been beaten until he barely remembered his own name. Each time the auction had had to be postponed so Eaton could heal.
Wouldn’t want the merchandise battered and bruised.
Eaton was lying there with some strange outfit on that was so sheer his genitals were showing. Trakin had made the other men wash Eaton from head to toe last night, scrubbing places that had made Eaton shout in indignation.
But Trakin hadn’t cared.
When the lights flickered in his room, Eaton sat up, glancing around. He pushed from the bed when the lights flickered once more and then went out. It was still early enough that the lightening horizon had little effect. The room was dark.
Trakin was cheap, but Eaton knew the man paid the light bill. He tried to go to the door to see into the hallway, but the shackle around his ankle stopped him. The chain was bolted to the floor and the metal prevented Eaton from shifting. After his escape attempts, Trakin wasn’t taking any chances.
So Eaton stood there with his gaze fixed on the door. He jerked when he heard something heavy hit the floor out in the hallway. Eaton was getting a very bad feeling. Something was wrong.
The door swung open and Eaton jumped back, the chain scraping against the floor. Filling the doorway was the biggest, meanest-looking man Eaton had ever laid eyes on. The guy was scarier than Trakin. He had long black braids running over one shoulder and strange purple eyes. His skin was the color of honey and he was thick with muscles.
“What’s your name?” the man asked in a rush before he glanced over his shoulder and then looked back at Eaton.
