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A man stepped from the shadows. “So nice of you to join us, Miss Carrizal.”
FOUR
She didn’t recognize the older man’s chiseled features or the uniform he wore, but he held himself like someone who’d spent his life in the military. And she knew what military men liked.
“I didn’t know you were expecting me.” Renna used her best seductive voice. If her hair had been loose, she would have given it a toss for good measure.
He raised an eyebrow, unmoved by her display. “We’ve been watching you a very long time, Miss Carrizal. I’m glad to see you’ve retrieved our package for us. I knew the Star Thief would be able to get the job done.”
She froze at the nickname, and blood roared through her ears. That was supposed to be her dirty little secret. Only two other people in the galaxy knew she was the one who’d finished that job.
Before she could question him, half a dozen men dressed in the black ninja suits stepped from the shadows to surround them. A second magnacraft pulled up beside them, and more sword-wielding ninjas got out, taking up places behind her. Her stomach clenched as one of the men stepped forward, sword drawn. She recognized him even with his mask still in place; how could she forget those cold eyes? The same eyes that now raked over her, pausing slightly at the jagged scar on her neck before turning to focus on the older man.
He ignored the new additions and stepped forward to peer around Renna into the van. “I see you got the job done a little too well, my dear.” He frowned at the body of the dead soldier lying on the floor. “A miscalculation on my part.”
What had he expected her to do—sit back and pretend she was on vacation? She glared at him. “Who the hell are you, and what do you want with us?”
“All in due time, my dear. Right now, I’d like to get the little boy cleaned up and fed. I’m sure you’d agree.” The man crooked a perfectly groomed eyebrow at her and then slid his eyes to Myka, who stood half-naked and shivering in the glare of the helo lamps. Dirt streaked his emaciated torso, but he held his chin defiantly.
“I’m not going anywhere without her,” he said, moving closer to Renna.
“Nobody’s going to hurt you here, son. You’re safe now. Your uncle David works for us, and we promised to get you back for him.”
Myka looked up at her with big, dark eyes, and Renna’s heart twisted. For some reason, this kid trusted her. Nobody ever trusted a thief. She couldn’t betray him after everything that had happened.
“Myka’s not going anywhere with you until you tell me what’s going on. What do you know of his uncle?”
“David Aldani works for us a consultant. Technically, it’s his company, Aladea Science Investments, that works for us. But he personally helps us out on occasion.” The man winked as if Renna was supposed to know what he meant.
She tilted her head to study him. “So why didn’t you rescue the boy?”
“Do you think we haven’t tried?” A wry grin twisted his lips. “Veth is the fifth city the poor boy’s been to in the last month. We didn’t think retrieving him would be nearly this difficult.”
Renna squeezed Myka’s hand. She would personally kill the Cordozas if she got out of this alive. “What did they want with him?”
The man shrugged. “Blackmail, we assume. Dr. Aldani is developing some extremely important technology. If an enemy system got hold of it…” He let the words trail off.
Renna already knew what would happen if Aldani’s tech leaked onto the black market. The same kind of tech she currently carried in her pack. She shifted it closer to her body. It had to be a setup. Two birds with one stone and all that shit. She was going to kill Boyd when she saw him.
Renna studied the man’s expensive uniform, the private garage, his own personal ninja army. “So exactly where do I come into this?”
“Wouldn’t you much rather go inside and sit down? Have a nice cup of tea, perhaps? The boy looks positively exhausted.” The man’s smile was full of kindness and solicitude, and Renna almost believed him. Then she realized what he was doing.
“We’re going inside whether we like it or not, huh?” She shook her head, tsking. “I thought you had better manners.”
He spread his arms. “This sort of thing shouldn’t be discussed in the open. Come along, please. Captain Finn, please accompany us.” With a beckoning gesture, he urged Renna and Myka forward into the shadows at the back of the structure.
The leader of the ninjas nodded and pulled off his black hood, running a hand through his dark hair to make it stand on end. His angry gaze met hers, and Renna froze, the world dropping away as she stared at him, her heart banging out a staccato rhythm in her chest. The man’s chiseled jaw. The bright blue of his eyes. The way the uniform clung to his muscles. She’d recognize him anywhere.
Dear gods.
“Hunter?” The word tangled in her throat. It wasn’t possible. He couldn’t be here. Alive. With them.
He ignored her and shoved his way toward a heavy metal door guarded by a glowing keypad. She couldn’t tear her eyes from his hard body and the even harder expression he wore. He looked so different. So much…older. Maybe she was wrong. The Hunter she knew had died seven years ago in a raid.
Hadn’t he?
She forced her gaze to the keypad he was using, and her heart sank as she recognized the technology. State-of-the-art biolock from Ohm Industries. It would take her exactly three-and-a-half minutes to hack. She didn’t stand a chance against six sword-wielding ninjas and a well-armed military captain for that long. She swallowed, fighting the sick twist of her stomach.
Could this day get any worse?
Renna squeezed Myka’s hand, making her voice light and cheerful. “Come on. I’m starving, aren’t you?”
Captain Finn held the door open for them, and the older man gestured her inside with a slight bow. Renna ignored the courtesy but followed him down a short hallway. Captain Finn and his ninjas trailed silently behind. Only the rustle of their silk uniforms—and the crawling skin on the back of her neck—hinted at their presence. Whoever he was, Captain Finn’s—Hunter’s—dislike of her was almost a tangible thing.
They approached the end of the hall. With a whoosh of air, a set of frosted glass doors slid open, revealing a command center. Holovid screens and computers filled the room. One wall contained a vid screen with a map of the galaxy. A round table and half a dozen chairs sat in front of it.
