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“Hello, I’m Gianna.” She held her hand out, giving him a bright smile. “And I called you for the meeting today.”
He blinked, feeling all the air kicked out of his lungs. He couldn’t speak, so he pointed toward the chair opposite him.
She slid into it, giving him a bright smile as she set down her purse. She stared at him, taking a deep breath before she started talking once more. “Thank you for agreeing to even hear me out. I honestly expected you to hang up when I called. That’s what people would normally do.”
All her words went straight over his head. Kozien didn’t understand what the hell was going on with him. He was flustered, and hedidn’t getflustered, certainly not by someone likeher.
She was the plain Jane everyone saw on the streets, pale from lack of sun with freckles that littered her face. Her regular brown hair ran long past her shoulders. She was taller than the average girl with a little more curve to her body—ample breasts, a tapered waist and flared hips that he ached to grab as he—
He mentally shook his head and dashed away that line of thinking.
Honestly, he could have seen her a million times and never would have guessed it, yet staring at her now, he felt he was in the presence of a goddess. She was making his heart skip a beat.
Her hair seemed brighter, auburn even in the low lights of the bar. Her freckles were perfectly placed dots that made her brown eyes pop. They also made her face light up when she smiled.
And her outfit. God, no one could wear a plain shirt and jeans and make them look like they were spun from gold. She’d caught his attention as soon as she entered the bar.
Kozien shook his head, realizing he hadn’t said anything since she sat down. He looked like anidiot.
“Well, sorry to hear that. People are assholes sometimes. How about you tell me a little about the person you’re looking for to kick this off.”
“My brother.” She gave him a weaker smile. “His name is Gabe Clay. He went missing…. Well, I don’t know exactly when he went missing. We were in touch, and then we weren’t. I know my brother, and he wouldn’t ghost me for this long.”
Kozien nodded, taking in her words. “Is there a chance he’s just ignoring you? Maybe busy. Sometimes siblings can’t stand each other.”
“No.” She frowned. “He wouldn’t ignore me this long. We’re close. We grew up struggling, so we leaned on each other. I’ll admit we did stupid stuff growing up to survive. Humans aren’t always treated like people off Earth, if you catch my drift.”
He understood exactly what she was saying. Humans were viewed as parasites rather than people on Noxxa. If she was saying they did stupid stuff, he wouldn’t be surprised if she meant stealing. They were the top criminals because everyone treated them like dirt.
They would be promised a better life, but once they arrived on this planet, they were shoved face first in the dirt and told to figure it out. Not exactly a welcome wagon one would want.
She placed her hands on the table. “I’ve asked people and looked around, but no one is willing to help me. I’d either have to fork over my liver or spread my legs to get anyone to even bat an eye at me. So, please say that you can help me. You’re my last hope to find him.”
He gave her a nod. “I’m willing to help you, but I must warn you this will not be easy.” That was putting it mildly. This would turn into a shit storm as soon as his brothers caught wind. “These things take time, and when I tell you to do something, you need to do it without pause. I can make some calls around and see if I can get any intel. I also will need whatever information you can think of for where he might be.”
She nodded quickly, a smile spreading over her face. “Yes, of course. You have no idea how grateful I am. Honestly, this is a lifesaver for me. I swear I will somehow repay you for this.”
That was what he wanted to hear. He had been trying to convince his brothers that taking pro bono cases every once in a while would bring in more clients, which they needed. It wasn’t that they were struggling for money because they weren’t, but other people were.
That and he wanted to prove to his brothers that lending a hand occasionally was simply good in general as well as being good for the business. His brothers were firmly against the idea.
He gave her a smile, hoping in some way to calm her. He watched her shoulders relax slightly, and she seemed to be relieved. “Good. Now I’m going to have some questions for you to answer.”
Kozien wanted to prove to his brothers that he knew how to run things just as well as them. He didn’t want to be a smug ass, but sometimes he just needed to.
Chapter 2
Thehunky,purple-skinnedaliencontinued to look at her as if he had just delivered divine wisdom, and she should be falling at his feet in awe of his intelligence and wit. Gianna held a breath tightly in her throat so it wouldn’t come out as the world-weary sigh she so desperately wanted it to be.
She barely refrained from rolling her eyes, knowing that either of these expressions would infuriate Kozien. She had serious doubts that anyone so self-absorbed could help to find her brother. It looked like Kozien could only find his own head because it was shoved so far up his ass.
At least he’ll never lose his head, so long as it stays there.
Gianna suppressed a giggle. Even though she was extremely worried about Gabe, she still had to think rationally, and this guy was not giving her the vibes she needed to put her trust in him.
He was talking loudly, making hand gestures as he stared right over her head as though he was taking direction from the ether itself. Gianna had stopped listening some time ago.
She couldn’t help noticing how his muscles bulged beneath his smooth, violet skin. Every time he moved, he showed off firm, curved biceps or a flash of his broad, flexing pecs. His hands were beautiful and strong with long fingers. Kozien also had remarkably deep, shimmering violet eyes that seemed to have a hypnotizing draw if she looked too long.
