“Nope. This is a retrieval.”
Retrieval? Now he was really curious. “What?”
“I think I’ll let our cousins do the honors.”
“Cousins?” Justyn groaned. “Don’t tell me those glory-hound, treasure-hunting rogues are here.”
“They aren’t,” Dare said.
“They’re on the holo-com,” Rynan added, a faint smile on his lips.
Justin groaned again. “And they’re trying to suck us into some treasure hunt? Ever since we helped Malin and her cyborg steal that treasure a few months back, they think we’re their own private treasure hunters.”
“Let’s just hear what they have to say,” Dare said.
They headed for the apartments they’d rented for their stay on the Edge. They didn’t keep a permanent base on the space station, but Justyn had wondered if it would be a good idea to get a place. A place where he could actually keep a comfortable bed to fall into, maybe store some of his things. Not on the space station. It was too busy and the security issues would make Rynan’s head explode. Maybe something on a planet or moon nearby.
What the hell?Justyn pressed his fingers to his eyes. Him settling down in one place? Not likely. He liked picking up and taking off when the mood struck him. He hated being locked in one spot.
Dare opened their apartment door. The apartments on the station were…rough. Bare and spare was a good description. The gray walls were serviceable at best, downright ugly at worst. The furniture had been new when the central systems were unexplored space.
Justyn strode over to an armchair and dropped into it. The chair adjusted to his height and weight. Or tried to. As the gears ground noisily, obviously in need of maintenance, he gave the armrest a thump. The chair finished its adjustment, and he thankfully leaned back in it.
Rynan strode to the holo-screen set on the wall and pressed the controls. Dare leaned a hip against the battered table in the center of the room and waited.
It took a few seconds for the transmission to connect. The screen flared to life and the three-dimensional image of a downright beautiful female appeared. Justyn arched a brow andleaned forward. She was medium height and from what he could see of her, she had a curvy little body. Dark curls cascaded over her shoulders and golden eyes glowed in a lovely face.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he drawled.
The woman smiled. “You must be Justyn.”
“At your service.”
Her lips twitched. “Glad to hear that.”
A man muscled in front of the woman, a dark scowl on his face. “Can it, Phoenix. She’s mine.”
Dathan Phoenix—infamous galactic treasure hunter—was all lean muscle and dark hair. His blue eyes were hot.
Justyn smiled. Nothing he liked more than pissing off his formerly estranged cousin. “Scared she’ll take up with a better Phoenix?”
Dathan crossed his arm. “Nope. And she’s a Phoenix, too.” His scowl turned into a smile. “Justyn, Dare, and Rynan, this is Dr. Eos Rai-Phoenix.” The smile turned smug. “My wife.”
Justyn slapped a hand to his forehead. “Eos, what the hell made you do something as stupid as marry this rogue?”
Eos’ smile radiated happiness. “Oh, just a pesky thing called love.”
Love. Justyn tried to imagine Nissa smiling as she talked about him. All his teasing feelings evaporated, leaving him with a sharp pain under his ribs.
“A pleasure to meet you, Eos.” Dare’s gaze switched from Eos to Dathan. “How’s Malin?”
“Sickeningly happy living on Centax with her cyborg.” Dathan shook his head. “She’s helping run the salvage yard there and Xander spoils her. Constantly.”
Justyn smiled at the thought of their tiny salvage-mechanic cousin taming the deadly Centax Security cyborg she’d come to the Edge with on a treasure hunt. “And Zayn and Niklas?”
“Fine. Zayn’s happy being a married man.”
“And Nik?” Justyn noted the omission. “He’s recovered from his…run-in with Darc?” Justyn had been there in the nightclub right here on the station when the rival treasure hunter had left Nik unconscious.
