He moved closer, drawn to her beyond his will. “You want to steal it and give it back in return for your freedom.”
A nod.
“You trust them not to take it and still come after you.” He couldn’t believe anyone would trust any of the denizens of the Nebula.
Another nod. “Honor is vital to the assassins. They’ll honor a deal. Master Kassius, head of the Guild, he’d do anything to secure the derringer.”
Niklas stood, leaning against the wall. “Making enemies of the Assassin’s Guild isn’t a great idea.”
“I’ll include your immunity in the deal.” She made eye contact with all of them. “And I can pay.”
Dathan crossed one leg over the other. “I’m not sure there are enough e-creds in the Exodus Quadrant to make it worth pissing off the Assassin’s Guild.”
She managed a tiny smile. “How about all the treasures I’ve collected from under your noses the last few months? The lanthiam necklace from Medalia, the Degas sketch from Earth, and of course, the Crown of the Consorts.”
Zayn raised his eyebrows. Quite a haul and all items they already had buyers for. But he didn’t care. Even if she had nothing, he wanted to do this. He needed the chance to discover exactly who this woman was.
“Take the test.” He felt his brothers’ gazes but he didn’t look at them. No matter how much they ribbed each other and occasionally fought, they always had each other’s backs.
Eos stood. “Ria, would you come with me? We can take this sample quick and easy.”
Zayn watched the women leave, struck by their near-opposite appearances. Eos with her darker skin and dark hair, Ria pale and blonde. Eos of medium height and Ria several inches taller. The one thing both women had in common were their curves—and Zayn couldn’t tear his gaze off Ria’s.
“She’s probably not your Vik.”
Taking a deep breath, Zayn faced Dathan. “Let’s wait for the test.” He needed the truth. And even if it turned out she wasn’t Vik, he still felt compelled to help her.
No one deserved to be trapped where they didn’t want to be. Especially somewhere like the Assassin’s Guild.
“Penance?” Nik asked.
Zayn ignored the question even as it wormed under his skin. “We need to start planning.”
“Jesus, a raid on a guild. In the Devil’s Nebula.” Dathan shook his head. “I’m not sure it’s worth it, even for those treasures.”
“I want the crown,” Nik said.
“And the other two treasures are valuable, and we already have buyers lined up,” Zayn added.
Dathan shook his head. “Fine. But whatever the plan, I don’t want Eos there.”
Zayn understood. Eos had been kidnapped by slavers and sold at auction in the Nebula. Thankfully, Dathan had gotten in and rescued her in time. But Zayn knew she still had occasional nightmares. A few times in the middle of the night, Zayn had caught Dathan making her a warm Bailen milk drink that she found soothing.
“I believe that’s my choice.”
Eos’ tart voice made Zayn wince. The women were back.
Eos tossed her head, shooting a glare at her husband before she looked at Zayn. Her expression softened. “We’ll have the results in a few minutes.”
“Thanks, Eos.”
His sister-in-law turned back to her husband and any softness disappeared. “I think you and I need to have a talk.”
Dathan straightened his shoulders. “Bring it on, Doc.”
As the couple moved out of the room, Nik sank onto a couch and pulled out a thin Sync communicator. He extended thescreen so it was larger. “I’ll start pulling any additional data on the derringer.”
Zayn was left standing with Ria. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know what to say to you.”
