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Act casual.
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so.”
In the next moment, Loran's callused hand had a tight grip on Kaia’s face as he bent down to her level.
“Is that right?” He dragged her up from the chair by the force of his grip. The cabin narrowed around her. Her fingers strayed to the folded knife in the back pocket of her khaki trousers.
“None of that.” Loran smacked her hand away. He pushed her backward, and she stumbled over the chair, tripping over her feet before finding her balance. “You’ve been skimming, Scav.”
“What are you…” Loran’s look shut her up, and she swallowed hard.
Fuck.
“And here I was, thinking we had a good thing going.” Loran sounded almost disappointed, some of the sharp fury fading momentarily from his voice. Maybe she could work with this… Maybe he wouldn’t space her.
“W-we did. I only took the box to keep it safe until the market—”
Her head cracked to the side with the force of the back of his hand slamming into her cheek. The room spun as she stumbled. She raised trembling fingers to the burning skin.
“I can’t believe you’re still lying through your teeth, you little bitch.” He spat, hauling another step toward her. Kaia recoiled, but there was nowhere left to go. With her back against the cold wall of the cabin, all she could do was stare at a frayed thread in Loran’s shirt inches away, waiting for the next strike.
“I’ve taught you well, haven’t I?” His gravel voice was in her ear, his face close enough for her to feel the stubble against her smarting cheek, making her wince. The sweaty musk of him crowded her senses. “Tell me why, Kaia.”
“I… I don’t know.”
The breath was knocked out of her as he drove his palm into her breastbone, slamming her harder against the metal. “No more lying, Scav. Had enough of that. Tell me.”
“I need more… a lot more,” Kaia hissed, coughing. “There wasn’t time to do it by the book. I didn’t think… I only took a little.”
“Never took you for a greedy liar, Scav,” Loran spat. “Go on.”
For the past five years, Loran had let her follow his fleet around in her little ship, collecting the ruins of those he had destroyed once the battle was over. And Kaia had agreed to give him ninety percent of the take. She did it by the books the first year, but ten percent just wasn’t enough. Not for what she needed.
“It’s not for me. I promised someone else.”
“A debt?”
“Yeah.”
Kaia took a shuddering breath, tears prickling for the first time. All the years of keeping her secret, gone to shit. Even Loran seemed taken aback, brow furrowing. He never liked criers.
“Who?” he pressed.
Kaia dragged her eyes back to his, setting her jaw as she pulled herself together. She hated showing weakness to anyone, but especially to the warlord who ruled the run-down station—and her—with his iron fist.
“My brother.”
“Fucking family drama,” Loran rolled his eyes. “How much?”
“One million, seven hundred thousand, fifty-five hundred chips,” she muttered the number from memory.
Recognition flashed on his face, because of course it did. Everyone knew the current going rate to Heaven, even if they claimed no interest in it themselves.
Loran straightened, taking a step back.
“He dying?” he demanded.
“I am.”
