Chapter One
Tish sat across from her boss in the cramped office. The cluttered space felt even smaller because of the size of the female seated behind the desk. The Torski was on the smaller side for her species, but Grotta was still two meters tall and was so wide across the shoulders she had to walk through most doors sideways. Even seated, she towered over Tish.
Most beings would use that to their advantage, but Grotta never did. Tish didn’t have the luxury of making friends at the moment, but Grotta was as close as she could get without dragging the female into the mess that was her life.
The scent of rocket fuel and degreaser smelled like home to Tish. Her fathers had a small shop on a refueling station. Nothing as big or profitable as what Grotta had, but it had been enough to provide a good life…until everything went nova.
Grotta smiled and leaned forward across the desk. “You do good work, Tix. Really good. I’ve got more work than I can handle right now, but our informal agreement means I can’t give you anymore hours. Are you sure I can’t put you on the books? I offer a good benefits package.”
“I would if I could.” She wished she could say yes, but under-the-table work was her only choice. Some work was better than none, and she was still trying to find someone else willing to pay her off the books. She had to stay off anything official. She trusted Grotta more than most, but the female didn’t even know her real name.
The female made a soft humming noise that might have held a note of disappointment. Then she held out a datapad.
Tish reached out and tapped her smaller and much more banged-up device to it. It beeped as the credit transfer went through.
“Thanks,” she said. Then she sighed and gave Grotta a crooked smile. She owed this female an explanation, even if it was incomplete.
“I’m not someone you want on your payroll. Not officially. It could get complicated for both of us.”
Grotta leaned back on her chair until it squeaked in protest. Then she smiled and nodded. “I thought as much. My offer still stands. You’re one of the best mechanics on the station. Probably the best in the sector. If it’s a lack of corporate certification, I can help you get what you need. If it’s something else…”
Grotta’s smile never wavered as she spoke. “Maybe I can help with whatever it is. This station might be new, but the stories of those who come here haven’t changed. The Drift is where beings come when they need to escape their past and start over. Me included. Someone made me an offer just like I’m doing for you. One day, I hope you can do the same for someone else.”
Grotta’s expression darkened with what Tish thought was grief. “Only difference is, I intend to be around to see it happen.”
“Thanks for the offer. Truly. Thank you. It means a lot to me.” Tish changed the direction of the conversation and hoped Grotta didn’t circle back. “The one who helped you isn’t around anymore?”
“Zale [AB1] [SH2] got himself killed because he couldn’t stop trying to help others, even when it was dangerous to do so.” Grotta drummed her fingers on the metal desktop. “I get the feeling that helping you might be dangerous, too. I used to think Zale was an idiot for doing what he did. Now? I’m starting to understand why he did it.”
Tish raised both hands and shook her head. “No. I won’t let anyone get hurt because of me. My situation is complicated, and I don’t want anyone else caught up in it.” She heard the sharpness in her tone and took a breath. Projecting her worries wouldn’t help.
She lowered her hands and mustered a smile. “You have my heartfelt gratitude for making the offer. It’s nice to know there’s someone in my corner if things get rough. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry you lost your friend.”
Grotta rose from her chair, her big body taking up a good portion of the available space. “I’m here if you need help, Tix.” She cocked her head and grinned. “Or whatever your real name is. Now, I hate to cut this meaningful moment short, but I need to get out there and check on things. Not everyone in my employ has your talents or your work ethic.”
She snorted. “I’ll bet my lunch that Darby is taking a nap behind the discarded fuel cells again.”
Tish got to her feet, relieved the conversation was over, and no feelings had been hurt. “If he’s not there, check repair bay six. I’m pretty sure I heard snoring in there the other day.”
She raised the datapad. “I need to go, too. Rent is due today. I can’t risk being late. They’re at capacity, and the manager keeps threatening to reclaim any pods that aren’t paid up on time.”
Grotta nodded and gave her a thoughtful look. “Did you buy one of those deterrent locks I told you about?”
Tish laughed softly. That had been good advice. “I did. Thank you for that suggestion. Someone tried to jimmy the lock a few nights ago and got a nasty shock.”
“Serves them right.” Grotta gestured to the row of lockers by the door. “Now, stash your stuff and get out of here before I put you back to work.”
They shared a grin as Grotta opened the door and stepped through it so Tish had room to access her locker. She placed her tools and even her tool belt inside before shutting it firmly. She pressed her thumb to the pad and waited for the light to flash green to indicate it was locked.
“I’ll check in tomorrow to see if there’s work for me,” she said as the two of them parted ways.
“Stay safe,” Grotta called after her.
It wasn’t so much a warning as a reminder. Defiance Station was new, but it still had the same problems as every other platform and station out in the Drift. After a moment, she revised that thought. The station was plagued by the same issues that every place where sentient beings gathered dealt with. Especially when that location also offered intoxicants and entertainment in a vast variety of forms.
She tried to stay clear of those parts of the station. Not that she was tempted to indulge in most things on offer. Her biggest struggle was resisting the tantalizing scents that came from the food carts. The few times she’d wandered into those areas, she always left with a rumbling stomach and cravings for treats she couldn’t afford. Paying for a safe place to sleep took up most of her pay, and what little scrip was left over went to buying the other necessities of life, like nutri-gruel and the pay-by-the-minute hot shower she took after every shift.
Being paid in scrip was a novelty for Tish. She’d been locked into a contractual indenture for almost fifteen years. The contract stated she had to be provided with the means to feed and house herself. In exchange, she worked six days a week. The corporations had nice, legal names for the arrangement, but thankfully, none of them held her contract. She’d made the deal with the owner of a small business, and they’d both agreed to call it what it was—servitude.
It hadn’t been terrible. Zendi had not exactly been kind, but she’d provided corporate vouchers that covered the basics. She’d given Tish a small room at the back of the workshop and let her turn it into a cramped but comfortable home. Their relationship had been decent enough that Tish had cried at the woman’s funeral.
Of course, if she’d known who the business had been sold to, she’d have saved those tears for herself.
The second she started thinking about the past, Tish deliberately thought about something else. Why expend time and energy on something she couldn’t change?
Instead, she thought about what she’d do with the rest of her day. She rented space in a pod hotel only one level up from the docking rings. That meant she was close to work and didn’t have to enter the busier areas. As a bonus, the hotel’s customers were either crews on shore leave or techs like her who wanted to stay close to their source of income. The pods were new, clean, and relatively quiet. They were also cheaper than what was available on the entertainment levels.
First, she’d get out of her work clothes and toss them into the laundry. Her rent included one cleaning cycle a week, and today was the day. Once that was done, she would spend five glorious minutes enjoying a hot, soapy shower. It was one of the few things she had that felt normal. Like her life hadn’t gone off course and left her lost in the void. She was nearly thirty-four years old. How was this her life?
Nope. Don’t go there. Tish scolded herself and went back to thoughts of hot water and fragrant steam.
She let herself get lost in the mental imagery. Probably more than she should have. If she’d been paying more attention, she would have put more distance between her and the group of human males clustered outside the entrance to their ship.
She angled away from them, but it was too late.
“Hey there, pretty girl,” one of them called out in a sing-song cadence that told her he was intoxicated.
Tish lowered her head, hunched her shoulders, and increased her speed. This passageway connected to the main station in less than a hundred meters. Another minute and she’d be at the mag-lifts, safe in the crowd that always seemed to loiter around the vertical transports.
“Hey!” the same guy called again, but this time she caught the edge in his tone. “I’m talkin’ to you.”
“Sorry, I’ve got an appointment I need to keep,” she mumbled as she passed by. Sometimes that was enough to stop things from getting stupid.
Today, it wasn’t.
“Bitch thinks she too good for ya, Karta,” another of the group shouted. He finished with an ugly laugh that made the hairs on her neck rise.
“Shut up, Ollie,” he called over his shoulder.
Then he leered down at her. “Is dat true? You think you’re too good for me?” he demanded.
Tish kept walking, but her hands curled into fists as her mind raced through various scenarios. She had to get away from this idiot, but she needed to do it in a way that didn’t attract Corp-sec’s attention. Her identity documents were decent forgeries, but they wouldn’t hold up to real scrutiny.
A second ticked by and then another. Had he given up? The thought had barely formed before someone grabbed her shoulder with enough force to make her stumble.
She regained her balance quickly and then turned to face the man who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Leave me the fraxx alone.”
“No need ta be rude. I just wanna talk,” the male named Karta slurred.
Tish glowered up at the tall, gangly male.
“I’m not interested,” she said flatly.
“I am.” He cupped a hand over his groin and leered at her.
Behind him, several of his friends moved to join the confrontation. She was out of time and out of options.
As she struck him in the face with the heel of her palm, one question lingered in the front of her mind. Why does this keep happening to me?
She felt the crunch as she made contact. His nose was broken.
She didn’t wait to see his reaction. Tish turned and bolted. She needed to reach the relative safety of the main station.
She didn’t get more than two steps before she slammed into a flesh-and-blood mountain who hadn’t been there a moment ago.
He wrapped one arm around her, probably to steady her before she bounced off him. She shoved at his chest, trying to put some space between them, but he didn’t move. Not one fraxxing centimeter. She tipped her head back and got her first look at him.
He was human, male, and huge. He scowled down at her, his dark hair falling over his eyes. His expression was made more terrifying by the scar that ran from his temple to somewhere beneath the dark scruff of his unshaven jaw.
This man radiated menace like a plasma drive emitted heat.
She needed to run, hide, or scream for help.
Before she could decide which of her panic-fueled impulses to act on, the idiot she’d struck in the face found his voice.
“Fraxx off, asshole. Find another one. This bitch owes me.”
For the briefest of moments, the big male’s scowl softened slightly. Then he winked at her. She didn’t understand why, but that small movement gave her a spark of hope that things would somehow be all right. She gave him a ghost of a smile and hoped he understood.
Then he raised his head and glared at the guy who had accosted her.
“She doesn’t owe you anything,” he said. His voice was deep and rough, like an engine slightly out of tune.
“She fraxxing hit me!” the other man’s voice was muffled, and she realized it was probably because he had his hand over his broken nose.
She started to turn around and see for herself, but the big man locked the arm still holding her, keeping her in place.
“I know she did. And if you don’t leave, I’ll hit you again,” he said in that low, growling voice.
“Fraxx you.”
A new voice entered the conversation. “Didn’t your mother teach you any manners? The lady said she wasn’t interested. Now stop swearing at strangers and find something productive to do.”
Tish jerked her head to her right to get a look at the new arrival. He had sandy blond hair, roguish good looks, and a dangerous smile. This one was almost as big as his friend. No. Not a friend. Batch-brother. Well, that explained their massive size. She’d somehow been rescued by two of the most dangerous beings in the galaxy. Which was nice and all, but it left her with one question. What would they want in return?
Ready for more? Her Cyborg Bounty Hunters releases July 24.
