The Star Thief by Jamie Grey Page B

years ago had been a good deed. Ah, well, all good deeds are punished in this business, aren’t they?” She let her eyes drift down to his lips, then licked her own. Slowly.
    Viktis chuckled. “Nice to see you haven’t changed, my dear.”
    “Nice to see you have.” Her gaze lowered deliberately down his lean body, the leather jacket and tight breeches he wore showing off his lithe frame. The Ileth were a handsome race, and Viktis had definitely aged well.
    “You still running that old bucket of junk?” she asked.
    “The Monet was a beauty. But, no, I have a new cruiser. Won her in a card game.”
    She laughed and tossed her hair. “That’s so cliché.”
    Viktis grinned. “For a reason. It seems to happen more frequently than you’d expect.” He turned to the mercenary guarding the door. “Get her out of there.”
    The man obeyed. A moment later, Viktis grabbed her arm and pulled her into a tight hug. “Damn, it’s good to see you again, Renna.”
    She hugged him back, making sure to rub her hands along his torso. Not only was he impressively muscled, she discovered he had two guns strapped to his waist and a knife slipped into a side pocket. He’d come well-armed. She expected no less.
    When she stepped back, he seemed reluctant to let her go, keeping one of her hands in his. His amber fingers were long and rough, and even back then, he’d known exactly how to use them to pleasure her.
    “What in the stars have you been up to these past few years?” he asked.
    Renna shook her head, clearing away those long-forgotten images. “Not really the place for catching up, love. How about you tell us what you came for and then we can send you on your way.”
    He scowled and ran a hand over his jaw. “We’re here for the boy. Once we have him, we’ll let the rest of the crew go. As long as they don’t try to be heroes.” He paused, his lips tightening as he studied her. “How about you come with us, Ren? I know you can’t really be part of a bunch of Marine stiffs.”
    She laughed, fighting to keep her voice light. “Afraid so. And we don’t have a boy here, aside from Kojima, our pilot. I think you have the wrong ship.”
    From the brig, the pilot protested her choice of words, but Finn shushed him.
    A smile tugged at Viktis’s lips. “You’re lucky I like your games, Renna.” Still holding her hand, he turned to his men. His face went hard, like he’d pulled on a mask as he barked his orders. “Search the ship. Kill anyone who gets in your way. When you find the boy, bring him to me immediately.”
    “I promise there’s no boy here, Viktis.” Renna nestled against his arm. “But you do have me. How about we go get reacquainted?”
    He smiled down at her. “My thoughts exactly.” Viktis headed back toward the stairs, but Renna paused and frowned at Captain Finn, shaking her head ever so slightly. She’d take care of Viktis and then come back and rescue the crew. As long as they didn’t do anything stupid in the meantime.
    Finn’s eyes widened, and he nodded back.
    With a sigh, Renna followed Viktis from the ship. Good thing she’d washed her sexy underwear.

    Viktis’s new ship, the November , was docked in the next bay. It wasn’t as pretty as the Athena , but it was a serviceable beast, large and heavy. The stench of men and sweat and carbonite hit Renna in a wave of choking fumes as she followed Viktis to the commander’s quarters. She wrinkled her nose. “This place reeks.”
    “I thought it best to stick with male mercs for this job. None of them will come down with any maternal feelings for the boy. Unlike you.” His eyes raked over her like a physical caress, and Renna shivered. “By gods, woman, you still make me hard just looking at you.”
    Renna glanced up at him through lowered lashes. “You’ll make me blush, Viktis.” Heat twisted her insides, but she wrenched her mind back to the task at hand.
    “That was my plan.” He pressed a finger to the switch on the wall,