In the Devil's Nebula (Phoenix Adventures #2) (10 page)

She snagged his mouth again, taking in all
the flavors of him. Enjoying the way he kissed her back, not a
dance or a seduction, just a hard, fast race of sensation.

Ria let her hands slide between their
straining bodies. Her hand cupped the large bulge beneath his cargo
pants. He thrust into her palm but at the same time his entire body
stiffened.

“You’ll regret this later.” He swallowed. “I
don’t want you to hate me.”

She stroked the hard cock beneath the
fabric. Desperate to see it. Taste it. Feel it. “I won’t.”

He let go of the armrests and for a second,
she thought he’d stopped fighting. Then one of his big hands
grabbed hers, while the other tipped her chin up. He rubbed a thumb
down her ridges, making her shiver. “I see more than an easy lay
when I look at you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Ria stared at him. A strange warmth washed
through her, followed by an intense cold that left goose bumps
across her skin. She blinked. Reality was like a bitter wind
washing over her. The heat that had driven her the last fifteen
minutes dissipated.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw that
the space ahead of them was dotted with stars once again.

Oh, God
. She wanted to scramble off
him but she was tougher than that. She took responsibility for her
actions…always.

She lowered her forehead to his, dragging in
some deep breaths.

“You back with me?” he asked quietly.

“Yes.” Another deep breath. “Zayn, I’m
sorry—”

“Don’t apologize.” His hand brushed her hair
back from her face.

She’d thrown herself at him. Thank the
cosmos he’d retained the slightest thread of control. “Thank you
for not…taking advantage.”

“Look, you don’t have to say anything—”

She straightened. “Lucky for both of us you
want someone else when you look at me.”

“Hey.” His voice held an edge now. He
gripped her arms. “Don’t for a second think this was easy for me.”
He blew out a breath. “I was tempted, Ria. You stir something in
me.”

“Vik does.”

His hands tightened. “I see you, Ria.
You
.”

Everything in her stilled. His blue stare
was direct and she found herself falling into it. No one had ever
seen just her before. She’d always been a tool, a weapon, a
soldier. Not just Ria.

A chime echoed through the cockpit and
BEll’s cheery voice filled the ship. “If you two lovebirds are
finished dancing, we’re approaching our destination.”

Zayn set Ria on her feet. “We’re coming up
on Diablo.” He reached out and zipped up her top. “You should
buckle in for landing.”

Ria thought Diablo looked like the homemade
marbles she’d seen the street kids on Lucifa playing with. It was
shades of brown and red, without a single hint of green or blue to
break the monotony.

Beside her, Zayn handled the ship with a
finesse that continually impressed her. She stared at his hands as
he manipulated the controls. Hands she was all-too-aware had been
touching her not long ago.

“BEll, runs scans for high explosives
concentrations on the surface,” he said.

“You got it,” the computer replied.
“Displaying on screen now.”

On the console screen in front of Zayn, a
color map appeared. Ria leaned closer. “Half the planet reads
positive for explosives.” How the hell could they possibly find
Lastite Lala amongst all that?

“The planet’s covered in mines. Mainly Ma
and Pa type operations, no regulation. Anyone who can get their
hands on explosives can light a fuse and blow things up.”

“Well, Lala chose her hidey hole very well.”
Ria sank back into her chair. “Where do we start?”

“BEll, where are the largest concentrations
of explosives?”

The map changed, showing half a dozen hot
spots.

Zayn frowned as he studied it. “Any that
aren’t right over a mine?”

“One.” The computer zoomed in on one spot
near the equator. “A small town with the delightful name of
Bedlam.”

“We’ll start there.” Zayn tapped at the
controls, then pointed to something else on the screen. “See this
canyon, just out of town? We’ll hide the
Infinitas
in there.
See if we can buy a couple of horses at the trading post
nearby.”

Ria turned her head. “Horses?”

“No tech, remember? You go zooming in on an
airspeeder and you’ll get mobbed sooner than you can blink. We’ll
have to wear local clothing and carry older weapons than you’re
used to.”

“You’ve been here before.”

“Yep, one lovely visit chasing a smuggler
who’d relieved an arts collector of a crate of Tuskian bourbon.
Unfortunately for the smuggler, the collector had also hidden his
prized Terran coin collection in the crate.”

“You got it back?”

“Yeah, but we learned the hard way not to go
in covered in high tech goodies. A lynch mob of cowboys almost made
off with the
Infinitas
.” Zayn stroked along the top of the
console. “We were lucky to get out with just a few scratches. This
time, we’ll go in under the radar.”

The Phoenix brothers just couldn’t resist an
adventure. “Sounds like a good idea.”

“Sit back, we’re going through the
atmosphere.”

Heat flared over the cockpit windows and the
ship vibrated with the descent. Moments later, they broke through
into a cloudless blue sky.

“What if someone spots the ship?” she
asked.

“Cloak’s on.”

Below was a dusty desert landscape of
twisting rock formations that speared into the sky and flat-topped
mesas that sat like giant tables.

They flew in lower. Ria tried to spot the
canyon Zayn had pointed out on the scans but her attention was
captured by the landscape. She could see the different layers of
rock that made up the rock formations. Bands of gray, yellow,
brown, beige and red. Like some giant sculptor had mixed all sorts
of clay together then twisted it into the brilliant formations. She
saw shapes amongst the rocks, one spire looking like a tower on the
Assassin’s Guild Headquarters, another like a graceful Gardan
dancer, and one like the lances carried by the soldiers on Dentan
VI.

Zayn flew the ship in lower, until they
passed down a narrow canyon, the formations flying past only
centimeters from the sides of the ship. Something about this
desolate place was beautiful, in a stark, harsh way. She could
understand a little why the settlers had come here. This place
equaled freedom. Just you, the rocks and the hot desert air.

“Setting down.” Zayn’s brow furrowed as he
concentrated on landing.

They set down with the slightest jolt in the
shadow of a large mesa.

Zayn unclipped his belt. “Once we’re changed
and out of here, I’ll reset the cloaking device. Don’t want some
prospector to stumble onto my baby.”

“I am perfectly capable of using the ship’s
weapons systems for protection,” BEll said with a sniff.

Zayn’s lips quirked. “Yeah. I know, but you
aren’t exactly subtle.” He turned to Ria. “I’ve pulled out some
clothes from storage that should do the trick.” He eyed her. “I’m
pretty sure there’s something that’ll fit you.”

“I’ll find something.” She stalked back
toward the cabins.

Ria didn’t take long to get changed. The
trousers she found were made of a soft, brown leather and were only
a little bit too big for her. She cinched the waist in with a belt.
The navy and white checked shirt he’d left for her, however, was a
size to small. She slipped on one of her navy tank tops underneath
and fastened the shirt over the top. A hint of cleavage was still
visible, but at least she didn’t look like a pleasure worker. Ria
braided her hair then glanced in the mirror.

God, she looked like something out of the
neo-western movies that had made a comeback in the last decade. She
picked up the pistol Zayn had left her. The thing took real
bullets. Real bullets! She slipped it into the holster fixed to her
belt. She pulled on her boots next. They came to her knees and were
soft and supple and a perfect fit. Inside one of them, she slipped
in a tiny scanner. It was no bigger than her palm and looked
nondescript. If someone found it, hopefully they’d just think it
was a hunk of metal.

She made her way back to the cockpit and
came to an abrupt halt.

Well-worn denim sheathed lean hips and long
legs. He turned for a second to adjust something on the control
console and the way the fabric cupped his butt made her mouth
water. He straightened and she saw his white shirt was unbuttoned
at the top showing a generous slice of tanned chest. A dark-brown
leather vest completed the outfit. The man looked good in
anything.

His head shot up and his gaze ran over her
in a slow, deliberate way that made her want to fidget.

“You make a pretty decent cowgirl.”

She grimaced. “Thanks. I think.”

“You’re missing one thing.” He strolled over
to her with his loose-limbed stride and snatched a brimmed hat off
a chair. It was a soft, supple brown and looked like it had been
worn previously. He set it on her head. Adjusted it.

“There you go. A certified Diablo cowgirl.”
He grabbed his own hat and jammed it over his tawny hair. The
battered black cowboy hat had seen better times, but of course it
suited him in a roguish kind of way.

She cleared her throat. “We should get
going.”
Before I do something stupid, like touch you.

“Go get ‘em, pardners,” BEll drawled.

Zayn rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”

They left the ship and it only took Zayn a
moment to set the cloaking device. The air around the
Infinitas
shimmered and then all Ria could see was rock. It
was no surprise to her that Zayn had a top-notch system.

Following a barely discernible track created
by some sort of animals, they wound their way out of the canyon.
The afternoon sun beat down on them mercilessly and soon Ria felt
sweat beading on her face and dampening her shirt.

“How far to this trading post?” she
asked.

“Not far.”

Twenty hot, sweaty minutes later, they came
across a tiny, dilapidated wooden shack. A crude, hand-painted sign
hung crookedly above the door and pronounced ‘Smoky’s Fine Goods
Emporium.’

Ria snorted. “Is Smoky serious?”

Zayn grinned. “If nothing else, he’s
optimistic.”

Smoky turned out to be a wiry man with a
shock of gray hair and a face like boot leather. “Horses, you say?
I might have a couple.”

He chewed on something and then spat a brown
blob of saliva on the sawdust-covered ground. Ria suppressed a
wince.

“They’re good animals. Well bred. I can get
a real good price for them in Bedlam.”

Zayn kept his face blank. “Two thousand
e-creds.”

The old man gave a harsh, hacking chuckle.
“You must have dust in your head, boy. Not worth my time.”

Ria watched as Zayn haggled back and forth
with the old man. They finally settled on a price and Smoky led
them out behind his shop.

When she saw the two horses in the small
pen, she realized she and Zayn had just been swindled.

She threw her hands in the air. “They don’t
look strong enough to carry us.”

“They’re stronger than they look.” The old
cowboy opened the gate and the two horses plodded over. One was a
deep, chocolate brown, the other was white with brown patches. They
were both on the thin side with tangled manes. “Hardy Diablan
stock. We don’t need pretty around here.”

Ria glanced down the dusty, rock-strewn road
and across the barren landscape. Smoky wasn’t lying about that.

Not long later, she found herself bumping
along down the road clinging onto the rope reins for dear life.

“Relax into the horse’s movement, Ria.
You’ll be damn sore before we reach Bedlam.”

She shot Zayn a glare. He trotted up beside
her, looking like he’d been born in the saddle. All liquid grace.
Could all space jocks operate any mode of transport—artificial or
living—with perfect ease? It—along with her numb butt—made her
testy.

“I
am
relaxing but this dumb animal
isn’t exactly a smooth ride and this road…well, I use the word road
lightly.”

Zayn coughed and looked away. “Lucky for you
the town isn’t far.”

Ria stiffened, which only hurt her ass more.
“Are you laughing at me?”

He shook his head vigorously but refused to
look her way.

Her temper flared. “You are!”

Now blue eyes swung her way. A wide grin
showed white teeth against a handsome face she wanted to hit.

“I just thought assassins were competent at
everything. I like seeing you a little out of your element.”

“Fuck you, Phoenix.”

“Now, now. You look cute.” His smiled
widened. “Look ahead.”

She did and for a second all she saw was
more desert shimmer off the hot rocky ground.

Then she saw the first of the buildings
lining the road.

Mostly single story wooden shacks but as
they neared the town more came into view, including some larger
two-story places painted bright, shiny white. A small whirl of wind
sent a cloud of dust spinning through the main street of the small
town.

Why the hell would anyone want to live here?
She jolted hard in the saddle and her sore butt throbbed.

“Welcome to Bedlam.” Zayn kept pace beside
her. “Let’s go find ourselves a teenage explosives genius.”

***

Zayn thought Bedlam had its own kind of
laid-back charm. Part of him got the attraction of not living
amongst the hustle, bustle and bombardment of technology the rest
of the galaxy gloried in.

He saw some sharp-eyed cowboys sitting out
on a wooden deck watch them go by. He tipped his hat to them. There
was a neat and tidy mercantile, a small shop with ladies’ dresses
in the window and an office with a brass star out front. Sherriff’s
office, he guessed.