The Star Thief (Star Thief Chronicles #1)(51)
Author: Jamie Grey

She darted across the alley and studied the building. There weren’t any open windows she could use to sneak in. No basement access panels or ventilation shafts. She was going to have to go in the front door. Blind.

Again.

Somebody seriously wanted to test her skills.

“Building plan,” she ordered. The schematics down-loaded, showing her the first floor was one large room, with a staircase off to the right leading up to the second floor. There seemed to be a back entrance opening into a small garden. Maybe she should try sneaking in that way. But if Viktis caught wind that she was coming… She couldn’t risk him fleeing with Myka.

“Heat signatures.”

“One individual detected.”

Renna rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. Viktis was unpredictable, and after her stunt with the sleeping drugs… Well, he wasn’t exactly going to welcome her with open arms.

Her hands were steady as she pushed open the door. She did a quick sweep of the space with her gaze. It had once been the first floor of a house, but the plaster had been removed, leaving only the wooden frame behind. Wallpaper peeled from the few perimeter walls left, and the floor was scraped wood, worn and dusty with age. It smelled of must and mold and something else she didn’t want to think about.

Across the room, Viktis froze, his violet eyes widening. “Renna.”

“Miss me, Viktis?” She shifted lightly on her feet. Her gun was still in its holster at her waist, but she could get to it in a split second if he made any sudden moves.

“You have no idea.” His smile was cold. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”

“Where’s the boy?” She moved farther into the room, and Viktis circled away from her, maintaining the fifteen or so feet that separated them.

“He doesn’t matter. You and your new employer owe me a ship.”

She shook her head. “Why? Did you lose it playing poker?”

His hands clenched at his side. “I lost it when they frakking attacked me.”

He lunged forward, breaking into the no-man’s land between them. One golden arm arced out, aiming for her head.

She stepped out of the way, and he swung wide. “What are you talking about? The Athena didn’t attack you.”

He struck out again with a combination jab and uppercut. She feinted to the side, then blocked his blow, countering with a right hook to his jaw. Pain raced down her fist at the impact, and she tried not to wince.

His head snapped back with a growl. “They were waiting for us when we landed here. My men went to drop off the kid, but it was a trap. They killed the crew, blew up my ship. I only escaped because they thought I got caught in the blast.” He doubled back, his gaze cold and steady. Without warning, his fist shot out and caught her in the stomach.

Sparks blossomed in her vision, and she danced away. Renna gasped, but she almost enjoyed the pain. At least it made her feel alive. Her words came out in a raspy gasp. “Sucks to be you.”

“You have no idea. Everything I had is gone. The kid, my ship, my haul. You owe me, Renna. Big time.”

“I don’t owe you anything. I didn’t have anything to do with that. Who are these people you think attacked you?”

“Think? You think I made up the destruction of my entire life?” With a roar, he charged her again. When his fist flew out, she caught his forearm and wrenched it to the side, leveraging their difference in height to put an additional strain against his elbow.

“I’m going to kill you,” he snarled.

The hatred in his voice made her skin shiver. She’d only heard that tone once before. When he’d killed his parents’ murderer.

“You couldn’t do it five years ago. You certainly won’t be able to do it now.” Renna forced herself to stay calm, loose. If Viktis got a hold of her, it would be all over. “Listen to me. I just want to know where the boy is. I swear I had nothing to do with your ship being destroyed.”

“You’re an awful liar, Renna. I saw their uniforms. Same as what your crew was wearing.”

“You’re wrong. The people I’m working for are the ones looking for Myka.” She flexed her fingers and looked for a way to end the fight, but Viktis’s words swirled through her mind. Maybe the branch of MYTH stationed on this planet had been looking for the kid, too.

Maybe they’d found him and he was already safe.

Viktis took advantage of her momentary distraction to jerk out of her grip. “I don’t care who did it. I want revenge,” he growled. “These people are going to pay.” He grabbed her by the throat. “You’re going to pay.”

The air wheezed from her lungs as he tightened his fingers. Before panic could claw its way into her chest, she twisted and swept her leg under him.

They toppled to the floor together in a pile of arms and legs and bruises. She lashed out as he scrambled to grab her again, and her fist connected with the hard muscles of his stomach. Viktis’s hot breath whooshed out against her face in a grunt. He looped an arm around her waist and flipped her over so he was on top of her, straddling her hips.

Renna grinned up at him. “Feels familiar.”

“Shut up.” His arm came up again. Before he could strike her again, she twisted, throwing him off-balance enough to slip from beneath him and jump to her feet.

“I don’t know who destroyed your ship or why, Viktis. But if you help me find the kid, we both get what we want. Revenge and justice.”

A muscle twitched in the tawny skin of his jaw, but he didn’t go after her. “How are you going to find them?” he asked.

“I have connections. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.”

“I think you’ve done more than scratch, my dear.” He wiped a trickle of golden blood from beneath his nose.

“You’re lucky it wasn’t worse.” Her gaze fell on her bag, dropped on the floor when Viktis had first attacked. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone if she was going to be sticking around a few hours longer. She shrugged her shoulders. “How about we work out a deal? I need to find an unregistered lab on this planet. I have something I need tested.”

“And what do I get out of it?”

“A clean shot at the people who destroyed your ship and killed your crew. Once the kid is safe with us. And I’ll owe you. You know I always make good on my debts.”

He growled and turned away, shoving his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. As he paced, Renna kept her hand on the butt of her gun. They hadn’t come to an agreement yet, and she fully believed in keeping her friends close and her enemies closer.