Break Out - By Nina Croft Page 0,3

punched the comm unit next to the bed. “Al, get in here.”

Rolling to his feet, he stretched, raking a hand through his hair and scratching his scalp where the skin tingled. He could still feel the residual buzz of the blood in his system, and he closed his eyes to savor the feeling.

When he opened them, it was to find Tannis, propped against the wall of his cabin, arms folded across her chest. At least she’d holstered the pistol. Her gaze dropped to his naked body. She didn’t look impressed.

“Shower,” she snapped and pointed to the cubicle.

“What are you—my mother?”

“I just don’t want you smelling like a brothel when we meet the client.”

Rico decided compliance was the easier option—besides, she was right—he reeked of cheap perfume.

When he came out of the shower cubicle, Tannis was still leaning against the wall, tapping her foot on the metal floor. Al’s slight figure hovered in the open doorway. The boy peered warily into the cabin. His huge, gray eyes widened as he took in Rico’s naked figure, then shifted quickly away. Dios, the boy was skittish, always acting as if he expected Rico to bite. It irritated the hell out of him. The scrawny bag of bones wouldn’t be worth the effort it took to catch him. He was one of Tannis’ strays, picked up starving on some backwoods planet.

“Get in here,” Rico snapped.

Al sidled into the room, keeping close to the wall and as much distance as possible between them, and Rico narrowed his eyes. If Al wasn’t careful, Rico would give him something to really worry about. He flashed his fangs, and the little remaining color drained from the small face. Al stared at Rico as though mesmerized. Rico stared back. Come to think about it, the boy was quite striking, with that pale flawless skin and shock of dark red hair.

“Rico!” Tannis glared at him.

“What?”

“Leave him alone.”

He shrugged. “What did I do?”

Tannis didn’t answer. Instead, she turned to Al, her expression softening. “There’s a woman on the bed,” she said. “Make sure she’s off the ship in the next five minutes.”

Al took in the naked body on the bed. Rico hadn’t thought the boy’s eyes could widen any further, but they did, until they almost bulged out of his head, and Rico had to catch himself before he laughed at the kid and pissed Tannis off even more. Tannis was protective of her crew. He could get an arrow through the leg, and all he’d get from her was a load of sarcasm, but if one of her precious little charges was threatened…

Al took a tentative step closer. “Is she dead?”

“No, she’s not bloody dead.” Rico ran a hand through his hair. “Jesus, why does everybody think I go around killing people?”

“Well, it has been known,” Tannis said mildly.

“Only when they deserved it.” He glanced at Al and couldn’t resist adding, “Or when I was really hungry.”

Hiding his grin, Rico turned away and hunted for his clothes, scattered around the floor of the cabin where he’d dropped them. He picked up his pants and pulled them on, then found his gun belt lying on the chest by the bed and fastened it around his waist, strapped it down to his thigh. He shoved the laser pistol into the holster just as a faint vibration from the ship pulsed up through his bare feet.

“What’s that?” he asked Tannis.

“I told Daisy to fire up the engines.”

He scowled. Daisy was yet another stray. They’d picked up her damaged escape pod floating aimlessly in deep space after the experimental station where she was living had been attacked and her family massacred. She was crazy about flying, and grabbed every opportunity to take the controls of El Cazador. She was okay—a good flier—though her tendency to follow him around like a lost puppy could be irritating. “Well, she’d better not be in my seat.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t dare.” Tannis didn’t even try to keep the sarcasm from her voice. Smartass.“ But we’re rendezvousing with the client in orbit, and we should have been there five minutes ago. I don’t want to lose this one. We need the money.”

“You’re so mercenary.”

He pulled on his tall black boots and black shirt, then strapped on the leather shoulder holster. He picked up the sword from the floor where Tannis had dropped it and slid it into the scabbard so it hung down his back.

Finally, he pulled his hair into a ponytail. He glanced up to find Tannis and