Stealing the Dragon’s Heart by Kiersten Fay
9
“You!” Onnika gasped when she recognized the beast who crashed through the hatchway like a man ready for war.
She’d felt his furious intention before even knowing he was the one whose wallet she’d lifted. Before that she had just figured the ruse was up and that they’d simply be bumped off the ship directly. Now she feared for their lives.
He was flanked by three others: an even larger man with silver-hued skin and metallic hair; a shorter blond man with one eyebrow raised in amusement; and a red-haired female wielding a set of pulse guns aimed at both her and Caryn.
Hopping off the counter, she moved to place herself protectively in front of Caryn.
“Oni?” Caryn murmured. “What’s going on?”
Lear stood too, looking confused. “Aidan, do you know these women?”
Hostility glared through the man’s—Aidan’s—eyes, boring into Onnika like daggers of pure lava. “Where’s my money?” he demanded.
Instead of answering, she said to Caryn, “We made a mistake coming here. We need to go.”
Hearing the stress in her voice, Caryn didn’t hesitate. They headed for the hatch, the only way out, which meant they had no choice but to pass by the group of angered crew. As they did, Aidan’s hand shot out and caught Onnika by the arm. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Fiercely twisting her body, she ripped her arm free, taking Aidan by surprise, which she used to her advantage. Planting her left foot, she kicked out with the right, striking him across the jaw with her heel. He stumbled back several steps and grabbed his jaw in apparent shock.
His intention to detain them solidified into granite.
“Caryn, run!”
Onnika twisted around, ready to bolt. Aidan lunged for her. She saw it coming and deftly twirled, dancing out of his reach, and then used her momentum to crack him in the temple with her elbow. That move had dropped bigger men than him, but Aidan’s skull was like a cement block. The sharp vibration bit up her arm. Likely she’d be the one who’d be sore later.
He moved faster than she could anticipate and in the next instant had her arms locked behind her back. She squirmed and writhed to break free, but his hold was as solid as his head.
The silvery one grabbed Caryn soon after, wrapping his beefy arm around her delicate throat, and the redhead rested the barrel of one of her guns on Caryn’s skull, daring Onnika into further action with a look. Their action was effortless and fluid, as though the two were used to working in tandem.
Heart in her throat, Onnika ceased her struggles. Aidan dragged her back to the table and shoved her onto the bench.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” The lanky blond man put his palms up in a crowd-calming gesture. “What’s with the extreme display of violence?”
Aidan loomed over Onnika, using his considerable size to intimidate. “This is the woman who stole from me.”
“Oh shit.” The man dropped his hands. “You’re the grenade?”
Onnika blinked at him. “The what?”
“Not now, Zeek.” Aidan rubbed his jaw and demanded in a deceptively calm voice. “Where’s my money?”
Already she felt the formation of a bruise near her elbow. “Look, I’m sorry, but it’s gone, okay?”
“Gone?” Aidan huffed out a dark laugh. “You spent ten thousand credits in a couple of hours? On what?”
Tearing at the arm around her neck, Caryn’s eyes widened in distress, her wheezing audible.
“Does it matter? Hey, get your hands off her!” Onnika stood to confront the silver man. His arm only tightened around Caryn’s throat.
Aidan forced her back into the seat. “You’re lucky we don’t kill you both. This is Phase Nine. No one would question us.”
Onnika looked at Lear for help, but he only crossed to stand beside his crew, his previously carefree expression now stony. Their new friend was now their enemy. She was always surprised by how quickly that happened.
The blond man said, “Need I remind everyone the race is starting?”
No one responded, the tension in the room as thick as mire.
Onnika set her gaze on Aidan, her would-be murderer. His responding glower was cold and deadly. She couldn’t read his true intention, which could mean he was undecided. Participants died all throughout Phase Nine. Thanks to her great idea, she and Caryn were registered with this ship, considered to be crew, and therefore subject to the dangers of the race. If they disappeared, they’d just be one more statistic. No one would be surprised. No one would miss them. It would be as if they’d never existed.
Things had gone wrong for them before, but this was bad. Even Tag wanted them alive. Had they escaped his grips only to meet their end here and now?
Caryn’s gasps grew gargled. When their eyes met, Caryn mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
That silent apology tore at Onnika’s heart. She might defer to Caryn’s direction, but she was always the one leading the charge. Attempting to purchase a ship of their own long ago had lost them what little credits they’d saved. Stealing to feed their bellies had gotten them locked up. Escaping prison had made them invaluable to Tag and his crew. Her attempted murder of Tag had them on the run, leading them to this new low. Her headlong actions had put them in danger more often than not.
Caryn’s face darkened to a purplish color as her nails dug into the silver-hued flesh around her neck.
Awash in terror for her sister, Onnika turned to Aidan and begged, “Please. She can’t breathe.”
Aidan’s gaze dropped to her quivering lips, then he looked away, seeming to lose a bit of his rage. “Ease up, Ash.”
Instantly, Asher loosened his hold. Onnika watched anxiously as Caryn sucked in breath and her color returned.
“I’m okay, Onnika,” Caryn assured, her voice cracking. Onnika slumped in relief.
“Onnika.” Aidan repeated her name, rolling it around his tongue. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t gut you both right here.”
Her own ire reared up. “Because it would be messy.”
The blond man snorted and quickly tried to cover it with a cough.
Aidan was not amused. “A thief and a smartass. Do you know what they do to thieves on this station? It isn’t pretty.”
She’d heard the rumors. Every station had their own set of rules, some more harsh than others. This station leaned toward the harsh. But what choice did she have with Tag on their trail? It was either steal or sell themselves, and that was never going to happen.
“So…are you going to turn us in? Or kill us yourself?”
As he contemplated that, Onnika saw her own stark expression reflected in his eyes. Even knowing she was at the mercy of this man, she hated that she looked so frightened.
She knew the moment his decision was made; his intent emerged as if from smoke.
She stifled the urge to sigh with relief.
Finally, he said, “You’re lucky I have neither the time, nor the inclination for either.” To Asher and the redhead still holding a gun on Caryn, he ordered, “Get them off my ship.”
“Uh,” Lear finally spoke up. His actions and silence convinced Onnika he wasn’t the captain he’d claimed to be, but some lower rank. This man Aidan appeared to be in charge. “You canna let them off the ship.”
“And why the hell not?”
Lear nervously scratched the back of his neck before replying, “Because I registered them as crew.”
Dead silence filled the room for a second, then a curse slipped from Aidan’s lips.
“What is the problem?” Asher asked.
The redhead answered. “The rules state that all registered participants must be on their assigned ships at the start of the race. Tossing them out before we take off will result in disqualification.”
The silence that sliced the air was suddenly interrupted by a loud buzzer and a reverberating announcement indicating the start of the race.
A barrage of loud booms followed. Were those engines firing…or explosions?
“Uh, guys,” an invisible voice sounded over the com-system. “Why aren’t we moving? You do realize the race just started, right?”