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I darted behind him, my hand slipping under one of those showy bandoliers. Pulling it with me as I went, I jumped over his tail, crossing to his other side and yanking the leather strap holding all his mob markers tight to his throat. I twisted the excess harness, keeping the pressure on even as I sidestepped his lashing tail.
The mob boss tried to spin in place, and I let him. It only tightened the strap.
My arms strained, the muscles burning as I kept up the pressure.
He faced me, both hands digging at the leather where it cut across his neck, his eyes spitting fire even as his maw gaped, gasping for breath. In a couple more seconds, those eyes glazed, his inner eyelids nictitating closed and making them look milky as his knees gave out.
My arms lowered, keeping the strap tight around his neck, even as the leather bit into my fingers in lines of pain. Tula were tough—it took a lot to knock one out.
Finally, his tail gave a convulsive twitch, and a few of his minions stepped forward, ready to intervene.
I let go of the strap and stepped back, hands raised. “It’s done. I have no further quarrel with you. Duchess Prenlii has won the auction.”
“It is done,” the Grug said. “The animals will be transported to a location of your choosing.”
We’d flown here on theDaredevil’s nicest shuttle just for this purpose, a sleek dart of a ship, like a royal might use for joyrides. I flexed my hand a few times to regain the feeling in my fingers, then pulled out my comp and sent the docking information to the Grug.
A robocart whirred to life and rolled for the cages. Long articulated metal arms emerged from its side and loaded two of the cages onto its flat cargo bed. Then it moved away so another could repeat the process.
Fran-Key stepped up beside me, her gloved fingers moving in code, asking,“Everything okay?”
I couldn’t answer directly without blowing our cover, so instead, I said, “Would the duchess care to return to the Shattered Hearts club or retire for the evening?”
Fran-Key gestured to where the carts were disappearing through a back door. Then she strode after them, her shoulders back, head high. I knew my mate. She was thrilled with the success of the con.
Excitement zipped through me. The mob boss had been nothing but a blip. We’d done it! My brilliant mate’s plan had worked!
I followed her out into the cool air of night. We stepped into a back alley, but the bright lights and music of the entertainment district were never far on Fraege. One of the casino moons blazed a bright pink overhead, blocking out any view of the stars.
Like a true pro, Fran-Key kept right on walking instead of breaking character and talking.
Grabbing my comp, I sent the all clear to the other Daredevils waiting inside the club, ordering them to escort the Hyoo-mon women all the way to the shuttle. To keep up our disguises, Fran-Key and I needed to return via cab. No royal would walk that far if they didn’t have to.
I was just about to order a ride when a footfall scuffed the ground behind me. Whirling, I pulled both my blasters. No one came at you in an alley for a friendly chat.
It was the other Zaarn from the auction.
Fran-Key gasped, still facing toward the exit to the alley.
I glanced over my shoulder. More tall horned silhouettes waited there—not my crew. Turning back to the leader of the strange Zaarn, I asked, “What do you want?”
“Just a look at your royal.”
Anger boiled through me. No frekking way was I letting him lay a single finger on her. “Not going to happen.”
“Oh, I think you’ll let me. Because if you don’t”—he smirked, and my hands tightened on my guns, wanting to punch the look right off his face—“I’ll tell the Grugandthe Tula Syndicate you just conned them.”
“So you lost the auction. So what,” I snapped. “Go buy a kreecat or something and stop spouting lies.”
“It’s not a lie.” He stepped closer, his purple eyes trying to bore holes through my mate’s costume. “I can smell her. She’s no Sjisji.”
Frek, frek,frek!
Only a Zaarn had senses that good.
I braced, my shoulders tightening. We were still on Tula Syndicate turf. How the frek could I take on a group of Zaarn mercs without the mobsters noticing?
CHAPTER FIVE
