“I thought it best to stick with male mercs for this job. None of them will come down with any maternal feelings for the boy. Unlike you.” His eyes raked over her like a physical caress, and Renna shivered. “By gods, woman, you still make me hard just looking at you.”
Renna glanced up at him through lowered lashes. “You’ll make me blush, Viktis.” Heat twisted her insides, but she wrenched her mind back to the task at hand.
“That was my plan.” He pressed a finger to the switch on the wall, and the door swished open. “How about a drink? We’ve got some catching up to do. I want to hear about what you’ve been up to.”
“Since you tried to murder me?”
He draped a heavy arm around her shoulders and grinned wickedly. “Since you escaped.”
His quarters were comfortable and sleek, just like Viktis. She threw herself down into a threadbare chair and reached for the whiskey bottle on the table, along with one of the glasses sitting beside it. She held the glass for a moment, testing its weight before she tugged down her sleeve and used it to wipe out the inside. “Since I have no idea if this thing’s ever been washed,” she said with a laugh when he raised his eyebrow. She poured a splash of whiskey, then handed the glass to Viktis.
He smiled as he watched her pour another measure for herself. “To old times.” He held up his glass in a toast and sank into the chair across from her.
Renna mimicked the movement, then took a gulp of the amber liquid. The burn of the alcohol slid down her throat like silk. Damn, she hadn’t had Preill whiskey in years. It instantly set her insides quivering in the best possible way. But instead of enjoying the pleasant buzz, she had business to conduct. And she’d have to be careful with this one. He knew most of her tricks.
She also knew most of his.
With a twitch of her wrist, she reached up and pulled the band from her hair. It spilled in dark waves around her shoulders, and she shook it free.
Game on. Viktis had always been a sucker for her hair. She needed every advantage she could get if she was going to get out of here and save the kid.
“Ah, Renna. You can still make a man forget to breathe.” His eyes drifted down her body, lingering appreciatively over her chest before he took another drink.
“You’ve filled out quite nicely yourself, Viktis.” Renna tilted her head just a little, letting her hair spill down past her br**sts. “I’m surprised I haven’t run into you before now.”
“I keep to the Preill system. Plenty of work over there for me and my men. We’ve been busy with some smuggling runs and the like. Nothing too glamorous until I got this job.”
“So you’re branching out into the slave trade? I thought you had more sense than that, Viktis.”
“You know better than to ask questions in our line of business. The job paid handsomely, so I took it. I’m sure you understand.”
Of course she did. She was a merc; she knew how the business worked. She’d never allowed herself to take jobs with slavers, but most of her counterparts had at some point. It was a fast, easy way to make some quick credits, and they all found themselves needing the payout at one point or another.
But a girl had to have her principles, and slavery didn’t fit into her moral code.
Renna crossed her legs. Her tight leggings clung to her thighs, highlighting her carefully toned muscles. Viktis’s gaze dropped lower for a moment, and she bit back a smile. Thank the gods for MYTH’s well-stocked supply room. “Who hired you to find this kid? And why’s he so important?”
He smiled but shook his head. “You know I’m not going to tell you. It’s unprofessional.”
Renna scoffed into her whiskey glass. “I’m not trying to steal your job, ass**le.”
“Doesn’t matter. Someone wants the boy, and they’re going to get him whether I find him or not. Figured I might as well be the one who gets the reward.”
Renna shrugged, mentally changing tactics. She’d have to do this the long way. Ah, well, there were worse things than having to seduce a handsome mercenary who obviously still had feelings for her.
She tilted her head and traced a finger across the lip of her glass. “So how’s Serenita? You two were still a thing last I heard.”
“We had a falling out.” Viktis grimaced and took another sip of whiskey. “She’s changed since you knew her. Hardened.”
Not surprising. Serenita had always had an edge; it had made her one of the best mercs out there. But the woman had never known when something was a lost cause. She’d see it through until the end. It had almost killed her, more than once.
“How long has it been?” Renna asked.
“She left about a year ago. Said she wanted to see new things, take on jobs my crew wouldn’t touch. I haven’t heard from her since then.” His shrug was indifferent, but she’d swear there was hurt in his eyes. Who would have guessed Viktis the Pirate had a heart?
There was her opening.
But Renna paused, chewing on her lip. A girl had to have her morals, but where should she draw the line? Sleeping with him to get what she wanted? She’d certainly done it before, but this time…? This time she couldn’t afford to make mistakes.
Renna set the glass down on the table and leaned forward. “So I wouldn’t be poaching on her territory if I made a move on you?”
His smile deepened as his gaze wandered south again. “You’d forgive and forget? I tried to kill you, Renna.”
“And I escaped. It would take a better merc than you to actually kill me.” She gave him a slow, predatory smile. “Besides, it’s been a long time, Viktis. And by the look of you, you’ve gotten some experience since last we met. Maybe a few new scars?” She licked her lips, brow arching.
Viktis set his glass down as well and stood up. “This is a dangerous game you’re playing, Renna. It could backfire.”
“Dangerous games are always the most fun.” She stood and slipped out of her jacket. “Besides, I know how much you like to gamble.”
“Ah, you still know me, don’t you?” He unlatched his holsters and shrugged out of them, setting them carefully on the table. His violet eyes glowed in the flurolamps on the ceiling. “You know I don’t trust you.”
“No more than I trust you. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves.” Her gaze flicked to the bedroom door, then back. “A secret for a secret?” She tugged her shirt free of her waistband, flashing him a small patch of her stomach.