Dealers' Choice - Susan Hayes

Prologue

Out on the edge of civilized space is a rag-tag collection of space stations and platforms known as the Drift. It’s a haven for the hunted, the lost, and those seeking second chances. The people who live there hail from every species, class, and corner of the galaxy, but they all have one thing in common: they don’t belong anywhere else.

There’s nothing beyond the Drift but wild space and an asteroid belt full of ore-rich rocks. The asteroids are mined by hundreds of vessels and their hard-working crews. When the ships deliver their haul to be processed, those crews hit the infamous bars, casinos, and pleasure houses that are the Drift’s primary source of income…and only source of entertainment.

It’s a world of its own. One where corporations rule, the laws are flexible, and everything is for sale, for the right price.

Welcome to the Drift.

Chapter One

Vic pounded on the door to the sanitation cubby, barely managing to dial back his frustration enough to avoid denting the surface. “Move your lazy ass, or we’re going to be late.”

“Cool your boosters, we won’t be late,” Ward hollered over the sound of the water. “We’re two minutes away.”

“And we are supposed to be there in four minutes. Are your onboard systems malfunctioning or did you forget how to tell time?”

There was a muttered grumbling, but the shower shut off, and Vic breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He never knew what resistance he’d meet getting Ward to these sessions. His batch-brother’s moods were harder to predict than a solar storm. Which was one of the reasons they needed to talk with Dr. Virness. She was their best chance at reclaiming some kind of normal life. Though normal was probably too strong a word. They were cyborgs, built as disposable soldiers for a war their corporate masters claimed was bloodless.

The fraxx it was. The cyborgs had bled and died for them, and when the fighting was over, the corporations had tried to decommission their toys…only to discover that their creations were self-aware and violently opposed to being terminated.

There were only four of them left by then. His twin, Ward, and their batch-brothers, Toro and Jaeger. The rest of their batch-siblings were slaughtered in the wars. Four had become two after they were freed— Jaeger and Toro had chosen to go their own way. He couldn’t blame his brothers for wanting to explore the galaxy on their own. Obedience was hard-coded into their programming, and he had been their leader since the moment they’d stepped out of their maturation vats.

Ward rushed into the main room of their shared quarters, his wet hair slicked back and his clothes clinging to his still-damp skin. “Alright, I’m ready. Happy?”

“Not yet. That will happen when I get to look at Dr. Virness’ lovely face instead of your grumpy one.”

Ward grunted. “We have the exact same face.”

“And yet, somehow, I’m the pretty one.”

“In your dreams. See, this is why we have to keep seeing the lovely little blue doctor. You’re fraxxing delusional.”

“Aha! You finally admitted it. You like her, too.” They set off, still talking as they navigated the labyrinth of almost identical corridors that connected the Nova Club’s staff area to the public areas. One of the perks to working for the club was the fact it came with affordable housing.

“Well, yeah. We’re basically the same person. Same tastes, same looks. And yet somehow, I got all the charm.”

Vic stayed quiet, savoring the win. Ward had always denied he had any interest in the Pheran doctor. Xori Virness was helping them heal the wounds that their nanotech and accelerated healing ability couldn’t touch. She was treating the damage done to their psyches after they’d been taken prisoner, reprogrammed, and forced to work as killers for a shady group known as the Gray Men.

They were almost to the sim-pod area when Ward turned and glowered at him. “Just because you didn’t say it doesn’t mean I don’t know what you’re thinking. Yes, I like her. She’s attractive, smart, and the gentlest being for light years. We’re assassins, for fraxx sake. Do you really think she’d want to be with us?”

“I have to hope so, because I’d like to be with her as more than just patient and therapist. And for the record, we’re former assassins, and we never had a choice.”

“There’s still blood on our hands, Fox. We’re drenched in it. Nothing we do is going to make that go away.”

“I don’t believe that. We deserve to have a little good in