Break Out - By Nina Croft Page 0,5
along a narrow corridor, ever deeper into the heart of the ship. With each step, Skylar’s sense of isolation grew, as though some great beast had swallowed her whole. She could only hope it would dislike the taste and eventually spit her out again.
Finally, the guide led her into a conference room. “Wait in here, please.”
Skylar surveyed her surroundings. More silver and black. The walls were bare, with no portholes this far inside the ship. At the far end, a group of low, comfortable chairs beckoned to her. She tottered across and sank into one, sighing with relief. It was short-lived. The door slid open, and a tall woman entered.
“Welcome to El Cazador,” she said.
Skylar jumped to her feet. She quickly cross-referenced the woman against the crew list she’d memorized—this must be Captain Tannis.
She was striking, her body long and slender—sinuous—beneath the tight black pants and scarlet T-shirt. Her skin glowed, a pale, luminous ivory run through with shimmering iridescent lights. Skylar raised her gaze to find the woman watching her coolly out of yellow eyes, almost a solid color and only broken by a black slit down the center.
From her intel, Skylar knew the Captain of El Cazador was genetically modified, or a GM as they referred to themselves, and it didn’t take a close look to see the effects on this woman. She’d obviously made no attempt to hide what she was, which was unusual. Most GMs tried to conceal their heritage, and with good reason. When the Church’s influence had risen in the aftermath of the Meridian discovery, the high priests had called for a purge of any with mixed DNA, claiming they were abominations against God.
“Seen enough?” the woman snapped.
“Sorry, I’ve never—” Skylar trailed off as a second figure entered behind the captain. She’d studied the files on the owner and pilot of El Cazador while planning this mission, but still her mouth fell open in shock.
Holy Meridian.
Nothing in the files had prepared her for this.
He was tall, with a lean body dressed in black pants and a black shirt. Real leather boots up to his knees, silver pistols at his hips, and an honest to goodness sword at his back.
His midnight-black hair was pulled into a ponytail, revealing olive skin and perfect bone structure. Dark glasses covered his eyes, but even so, Skylar was quite aware they hadn’t yet risen above the level of her breasts. A slow, lazy smile lifted the corners of his sensual mouth, and her hand twitched with the need to tug up her dress.
“Hello,” he murmured, his voice like warm honey. He held out his hand. “I’m Ricardo Sanchez—Rico to my friends. And I’m sure the two of us are going to be very good friends.”
Beside him, the captain snorted, but Rico’s gaze never left Skylar.
“Skylar. Skylar Rossaria,” she said, sliding her hand into his much larger one. His felt cool against her skin, and he stroked little circles on her palm with the pad of his thumb.
“Delighted to meet you, Skylar.”
His eyes behind the dark shades finally left her breasts to wander up and down her figure. A ripple of awareness prickled across her skin. She shifted, then reminded herself that there was a reason she’d dressed like this. The information on the crew had been incomplete; somehow, they had managed to stay beneath the Collective’s radar—that wouldn’t last for long if they took on this job. The rumors surrounding the owner of El Cazador had ranged from rogue immortal to spawn of Satan, depending on whom she’d asked, but all agreed on one thing—Ricardo Sanchez was a womanizer, and he liked his women obvious.
Skylar sighed but straightened up, tossing her long blond mane, drawing back her shoulders, and thrusting her breasts out a little farther.
“Really delighted,” he added.
The woman at his side groaned. “Cut the crap, Rico.”
He grinned but released Skylar’s hand, crossed the floor, and sank into one of the chairs, his booted legs resting on the table in front of him. He patted the seat next to him. “Come and sit down, Skylar, and tell me exactly what I can do for you.” His voice sank to a low drawl that caressed her ears. She stared at him, mesmerized.
The captain shook her head before sitting down next to Rico, gesturing to the chair opposite. “I’m Tannis, captain of The Cazador,” she said as Skylar took her seat. “So what is this job you have for us?”
Skylar’s gaze flickered from one to the other. She nibbled on