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.”
She listened 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.”
He coughed and looked away. “Lucky for you the town isn’t far.”
She 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 smile 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.
They were 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 thoughtBedlam had its own kind of laid-back charm. Part of him got the attraction of not living among 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, watching 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.
He flicked a glance at Ria and smothered a grin. She was bouncing on the horse in a way that made him want to slide in behind her, grab her hips, and help her learn to move with the rhythm of the horse. Okay, it wasn’t just Ria’s sure-to-be-aching ass that made him want to do that. He imagined being pressed up against that lush bottom, their bodies rocking together.
Shit. The last thing he needed while riding a horse was a hard on.
He focused back on the town. Across the road, the two-story, white building was a hotel, and beside it was a more ramshackle version with a crooked balcony on the second floor and a set of swinging doors at the bottom. Two girls leaned on the balcony railing wearing tight corsets—one in eye-searing red and the other electric blue—trimmed in black lace with skirts that were long in back and short enough in front to show off plenty of slim leg. The girls tittered at each other, and then one blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it, and the girls laughed.
“Phoenix, what the hell are you doing?”
