In the Devil's Nebula (Phoenix Adventures #2) Read online

  “I think she’s decided she’s had enough of burned-out, old treasure hunters, decided a younger, leaner space jock is more fun. Has more stamina.”

  Dathan growled.

  Eos clicked off the scope. “Stop it, both of you. All finished, Zayn.” She touched a finger to his face. “Glad you’re okay.” Then she turned to Dathan. “Now come here, my burned-out treasure hunter, and show me I picked the right Phoenix.”

  Dathan wasted no time. He swept her into his arms and pressed a wild kiss to her lips. Eos gripped at his shoulders, pressing her body into his.

  Something in Zayn’s chest tightened. He was damned happy for his brother. If anyone deserved some happiness, it was Dathan. He’d copped the brunt of their father’s bitter disgruntlement with the world before the old man had drunk himself to death.

  But as Zayn watched the couple—two people who belonged, who were making a life together, fulfilling all their passions—he felt something else he refused to name, to acknowledge.

  Zayn glanced over at Nik. His older brother had a brooding look on his face, his gaze zeroed in on Dathan and Eos as well. He was always more reserved, more academic than Dathan and Zayn, but lately broody had been his main mode of operation.

  Zayn hopped off the stool. “If you two can drag yourselves away from each other for a few seconds, how about we discuss Mr. Bird of Prey. Guy’s becoming a right royal pain in the ass.”

  Dathan swung an arm around Eos’ shoulders. “Damn straight. We need to work out who he is.”

  “And how he knows about all our hunts,” Eos added.

  Zayn and the others stared at her. “Why the hell didn’t we think of that? How does he know what we’re going after?”

  “I just want to know what the hell he wants,” Nik added.

  Zayn had a thought. “You don’t think its Darc do you?”

  Nik pondered for only a second. “No, she doesn’t go for subtle. She’d be letting us know she’s stealing our targets and rub our faces in it. Just like all the other times she’s bested us.”

  “Bitch,” Dathan added.

  That she was, but since she’d helped save Dathan a few months back, they hadn’t heard from her. Zayn glanced at Nik’s closed face and felt a twinge of suspicion. Well, as far as Zayn knew they hadn’t.

  “I’ll keep pushing our sources.” Dathan held Eos close to his side. “Someone must know who he is.”

  “I’ll run some searches.” Nik crossed his arms over his chest. “See where he’s selling his goods.”

  Zayn nodded. “We’ll start—” A discreet beep from the cockpit cut him off. “That’s an incoming message.”

  He stalked to the command center, a large screen that controlled all the ship’s systems. A message blinked on the screen and he tapped it.

  “Looks like someone’s already responded to your call, Dath. Darwood.”

  Dathan grimaced. “Slippery bugger. But his intel’s always been solid, if a little old. Of course, he only sells it for an exorbitant price.”

  “He says he might know something.” Zayn scanned the text. “But he’ll only meet in person.”

  “Strange. Usually he’s happy to do business over the comm.”

  Zayn read the rest of it. “It gets worse. He wants to meet on Syntha.”

  Even Nik cursed. Syntha was a megacity world. Every inch of it was covered in neon-colored humanity and quite a few species that weren’t human. There was the Sub World tunneled into the ground, the Tower World for those who lived in the mega-skyscrapers and then the Sky World—communities built on huge floating platforms tethered to the towers for the richest of the rich. The entire planet was filled with bars, strip joints, gambling dens and brothels. It was loud, chaotic and full of people out to take your e-creds.

  Zayn caught his brothers’ gazes. Then his sister-in-law’s.

  She gave him a short nod. “We have to find out who this thief is and why he’s targeted us.”

  Zayn turned to the control panel. “Setting course for Syntha.”

  Chapter Two

  The bar stank of high-octane kila and ale. Ria sat in a shadowed corner, avoiding the garish glow of the neon lights, and unlike the other inebriated patrons, sipped her coffee. The drink had been popular on Earth and now was coming back into fashion. Everyone else was gorging themselves on drinks in an entire spectrum of colors, some with mysterious vapors rising from the top.

  She kept her eyes on the door, occasionally glancing at the chunky timepiece on her wrist. He was late.

  Then she saw them.

  Three men, clearly brothers, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the doorway. One was taller, a little broader than the others. He had short, dark hair and a raw-boned faced that screamed smart. He’d be Niklas, the former astro-archeologist.

  Next to him was a rangier man with shaggy hair and eyes that scanned the entire room without appearing to do so. He had an alertness to him, like he was ready to throw a fist or slide in behind you and take your wallet before you knew it. The legendary treasure hunter, Dathan Phoenix.

  Her gaze landed on the final man and her heart leaped into her throat. Zayn. His name echoed through her head, just like the way the hazy images of his face haunted her dreams. He was leaner than his brothers, his hands shoved in the pockets of his navy trousers. His tawny hair was no longer as regulation short as the Strike Wing required but wasn’t as long as Dathan’s. Zayn rocked on his heels, almost like he couldn’t bear to stand still. His trousers and loose white shirt somehow looked wrong on him. He needed to be in something sharper, like a uniform or a flight suit.

  Ria had spent months studying him, all of them. And she’d spent months luring Zayn out. She wanted—no, needed—to know everything about this man.

  She’d been born and raised in the Devil’s Nebula. Her earliest memories were of training with the Assassin’s Guild. She fingered a scar on her arm. It had been brutal, but they were all she had in the way of family. The Guild didn’t believe in children being raised by parents. In fact, no adults saw the Guild children until they reached majority. They were reared in secret, their training starting as soon as they could sit up.

  But during the last few years, Ria had started to have strange nightmares. They were muddled and hazy, but she remembered one thing: Zayn Phoenix’s face.

  And if that wasn’t enough, now she also had bigger problems than nightmares. The Assassin’s Guild was out to get her.

  Dathan looked over his shoulder and talked to someone else. It was then the woman moved up between them. This had to be Dr. Eos Rai-Phoenix. She was lovely, with a curvy body, flowing dark hair and floral designs on the back of her hands. Most of the treasure hunting community had been shocked when the galaxy’s most notorious ladies’ man had up and married after discovering the biggest haul of treasure ever—the Treasures of the New Louvre at Star’s End.

  The only thing missing from the haul had been the famed fragment of the Mona Lisa, spirited off Earth by colonists during the Great Terran War.

  Her gaze was drawn back to Zayn and she watched the group move through the crowed bar. He moved with a graceful, loose-limbed stride and she saw other female patrons looking his way. She also noted the way the men surrounded Eos, keeping her between them.

  Ria saw them spot Darwood who sat several tables away from her. She touched the communicator on her timepiece. “Keep it cool, Darwood.”

  The small time thief gave a jerky nod before slurping at his drink. He was wearing a tiny comm device in his ear that received and transmitted so she could hear the meet.

  The Phoenix gang joined him around a tiny table, sinking onto the circular couches. Darwood bobbled his drink and spilled bright blue liquid down his shirt. Ria rolled her eyes and touched her timepiece again. “Keep it together, Darwood. Calm down.”

  She saw him try to relax, sprawling back and offering the Phoenix brothers a wide smile. Her jaw clenched. The idiot looked about as sincere as one of the sharp-toothed Graga monsters that lived in the Helix nebula. She needed this to work. She needed the Phoenix brothers to help her and get the Guild off her back.

  “So, Darwood, you got us here. What have you got for us?” Dathan asked.

  Darwood leaned forward and set his elbows on the table. “You wanted information on this new player. Likes to leave a little metal bird behind.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I have info.”

  “Then spit it out.”

  The low, dangerous tone sent a shiver through Ria. She knew that voice, deep in her soul. Zayn.

  “He’s very mysterious. Doesn’t use a name and he isn’t selling his goods.”

  A mumble. From Niklas.

  “What else?” Zayn asked.

  “Ah, well…”

  Darwood stumbled on his words and even from her table, Ria saw the beads of sweat glistening on his brow.

  Zayn leaned forward. “You didn’t get us all the way out here to waste our time, did you?”

  “No. No.” Darwood wiped a shaky hand across his mouth. “The thief likes jewelry. Expensive stuff.”

  Zayn tossed a hand in the hair. “Info we already know. Give us something good. Why’s he after our hunts? Where’s he from?”

  Ria chewed on her bottom lip. If she didn’t give them something, they’d walk. She wasn’t ready to reveal herself yet. Not yet. But she needed them wanting what she had to offer. “The Devil’s Nebula. Tell him that’s where I’m from.”

  Darwood’s gaze swung across the bar to her, his eyes wide.

  “No,” she whispered frantically. “Don’t look this way! Just tell them.” Idiot.

  “Ah, the Devil’s Nebula. She is…I mean he is from there.”

  Zayn stiffened and Dathan Phoenix swore, uttering some pretty creative curses Ria had never heard before.

  “Devil’s fucking Nebula.” Dathan’s hand pressed over the top of Eos’ on the table. “That place just keeps coming back to haunt us.”

  Zayn was staring at the scarred surface of the table, his face hard as stone. “So, the thief is from one of the guilds.” He looked up. “Which one?”

  “Ah, well.” Again Darwood looked her way.

  “Tell them you don’t know and quit looking at me,” she growled.

  But Zayn’s head snapped up, like a predator scenting prey and he followed Darwood’s gaze, scanning the bar. Ria sank back into the shadows, her heart thumping. She ran her fingers down the side of her face, along the tiny, parallel ridges that her species were known for. The ridges were nestled against her hairline and dotted there in a darker brown than her skin, continuing down the side of her neck. They itched like crazy whenever she was nervous.

  Like now.

  “I don’t know which guild,” Darwood replied, tugging at his ear.

  Suddenly Zayn leaped up, knocking the small table over and sending drinks crashing to the floor. Darwood jumped, his face blanching white. Zayn gripped his shirt and lifted the smaller man a few inches off the sofa.

  “Who the hell is feeding you info?” Zayn dropped Darwood and plucked at the man’s ear.

  Ria watched in horror as Zayn picked up the small comm device and held it to his lips. “Where the hell are you? Talk to us and quit being a coward.”

  Ria dragged in rapid breaths. He didn’t know where she was. She was safe.

  “What the hell do you want?” he demanded.

  “I can’t answer that. Not yet.” The words were out before she could stop them. She knew she wanted the Guild off her back. But this man was a stranger despite the fact she felt a powerful pull toward him. She wasn’t sure what to do about those feelings yet.

  Zayn stilled, his gaze probing the crowd. “You’re a woman.”

  “Problem with that?”

  “Show yourself.”

  Ria stood, turning her back on him and heading for the door. “Not yet. What I want you to know is that I need your help. Yours and your brothers’.”

  “Funny way to get our attention.”

  “I got it, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah. You need us to hunt something for you.”

  “Yes. Something big.”

  “That’s what they all say.”

  “Old Earth treasure. Ever heard of the Lincoln Derringer?”

  “Hang on.” She heard Zayn talking to the others. Heard Dathan’s excited exclamations and Eos’ indrawn breath. “Apparently we’ve heard of it. It was a small handgun used to assassinate the famous Terran president.”

  “Yes. Abraham Lincoln. A president of the United States of America.”

  “Okay, we’ll talk,” Zayn said. “Come out.”

  She paused at the exit of the bar, resisting the urge to turn and go to him. But she wasn’t ready yet, the swirling emotions in her conflicted for so many reasons. “No. I’ll contact you.” She couldn’t resist a glance over her shoulder.

  He was still looking around the bar, turning in a slow circle. Then suddenly, his head turned her way and his gaze collided with hers for the briefest second.

  Her pulse spiked. She turned and left the building.

  ***

  “Flame-burned piece of crap.” Zayn yanked his bleeding hand back and swiped at the cut. He kicked the piece of the ship engine he was working on. Stupid part was stuck.

  “Here.” His cousin, Malin, leaned over and handed him a rag.

  He eyed the dirty thing, covered in black smudges of engine oil. At least he thought it was engine oil. “I’ll probably get an infection from that.”

  “Big baby.” She pressed the rag to his hand. Then she passed him a small, slim tool. “Laser cutter will help get that off before you lose a body part.”

  “Thanks.” He fired up the cutter and sliced into the metal.

  “No, thank you for helping me pull scrap off these junkers.” She adjusted the cap pulled low over her choppily cut dark hair. She was dressed in baggy coveralls that swamped her tiny frame.

  Zayn knew that just like he lived to go fast at the controls of a ship, Mal lived to tinker around with engines and pull scrap parts off broken-down ships. He glanced across the hangar. Their moon, actually a captured asteroid, was covered in the ruins of ships, like some sort of spaceship graveyard. Mal ran the scrap business while he and his brothers ran the treasure hunting. But Zayn knew more about ships than the others and often helped her out.

  “I’ve got another shipment coming in soon. Actually, from our cousins,” Mal said.

  “Cousins? Not those deep-space reprobates?” Zayn had only met his other cousins two or three times. After his father was estranged from his brother, the cousins had drifted apart. The other three Phoenixes were deep-space explorers running convoys beyond chartered space. Crazy, in Zayn’s opinion.

  “Yep, the ‘other’ Phoenix brothers. They’re running a convoy out of the Sahara Quadrant.”

  Zayn grunted and as he tried to focus on the job, she popped into his head. He promptly scraped his hand against a ragged piece of metal. “Flaming son of a bitch!”

  “You want to talk about what’s bothering you?” Mal swung a hammer at a large exhaust pipe. The clang of metal-on-metal rang out.

  Zayn hunched his shoulders and rubbed the last of the blood off his finger. “No.” He kept thinking of the woman. The Mystery Woman.

  “Sometimes it helps to clear the air.”

  He cast a sideways glance at Mal. “How would you know? You are the most cheerful person I know. Do you even have problems?”

  Amethyst eyes stared up at him. “We all have problems, Zayn. Challenges, things that get in the way of what we want.” Something flashed in her eyes before she turned back to her beloved scrap metal. “Or who we want. Just remember I’m here if you ever want to talk.”

  He knew better than most that some obstacles surrounding who you wanted could never be resolved. He stared at his cousin’s bent head. “Same goes, Mal.”

  She glanced up and smiled at him. “Thanks.”

  “Zayn?” Eos’ shout echoed though the hangar.

  “Yeah,” he called back.

  “Meeting in Mission Control. I have more information on the derringer.”

  “Be right there. Catch you later, Mal.”

  “Later.”

  He headed toward the stairs that would lead him up to Mission Control, dodging the piles of junk. Some it was Mal’s spare parts and some were bits and pieces pilfered from hunts. He passed the rusted chassis of a genuine Earth automobile. He ran a hand over the metal symbol on the front of it, a circle with three spokes. It almost looked like a wheel. Even damaged, he could tell from the sleek lines that she’d been built for speed.

  Eos kept threatening to start The Phoenix Museum. Dathan protested about it every chance he got. Vocally. Loudly. Said it’d ruin his reputation and he didn’t want people traipsing all over their moon.

  Zayn had money on Eos talking him around eventually. The woman was mad for sharing artifacts with everyone in the galaxy.

  He ran up the steps, hoping to burn off some of the edgy energy winging through him. Once again he thought of her and that tantalizing hint of her across the bar. That glimpse of creamy skin and blonde hair. He shook his head. It was driving him mad and dredging up things best left unremembered.

  Zayn shoved his hands in his pockets and his fingertips touched metal. He pulled out the silver bird and turned it over in his hand. “I’m going to find you.” He slipped the bird back into his pocket and entered the large room where they planned all their treasure hunts. Eos and his brothers stood crowded around the holo-table. Images were displayed on its flat screen surface. In Mission Control there was no disorder, no junk. Artifacts were lined up on the shelves on the wall, all neatly tagged and bagged. Treasure hunting was about adventure but it was also their business.

  “What have you got?” he asked.

  “Okay, I found an image of the Lincoln Derringer.” Nik tapped the screen. “It’s grainy because the file was damaged, but I recovered what I could.”

  The image appeared and Dathan whistled. “Now that is a tiny little beauty of a gun.”

  The derringer was a gentle curve of wood inlaid with metal. It was small, Zayn mused, maybe fifteen centimeters. But size didn’t really matter. It was still dangerous and had taken a life. “Is that silver?”