“We finished running the additional security scans last night. The problem is going to be traveling outside our monitoring areas.”
Carl nodded at Cruncher’s assessment and took another bite of food. He glanced around the table at his crew and considered his options. They couldn’t close up shop while they waited for a resolution of the issue with Ramiro. No matter what he decided, their productivity would take a hit.
Xantham leaned over, swiping a fruit stick off Jinx’s plate. She glowered at him and snatched it back, bopping him on the head in the process. Ignoring their antics, Carl turned back to Cruncher with the intention of continuing their conversation. He fell silent at the older man’s expression.
“Hot damn.” Cruncher’s jaw dropped.
Carl looked up to see Kayla striding into the room. With a cheerful “Good morning,” she flashed a smile to the group and headed toward the cabinet that stored their prepared meals.
Carl swallowed and couldn’t help but gape as she bent over the cabinet. Her shorts hung low on her waist and hugged her curves seductively. The small top was low cut and accentuated her breasts while leaving her midsection bare. Oblivious to the reaction she’d caused, she pulled out one of the breakfast meals and programmed the computer to heat it.
“You’re going to have to beat off the potential recruits if they get a look at her.”
Carl eyed her appreciatively, silently agreeing with Cruncher’s comment. It was more than her appearance though. There was such an effortless sensuality to her movements. Something about her captivated him, and judging from the reactions of the other men in the room, he wasn’t alone.
Elyot was close to drooling, and Xantham nearly fell out of his chair trying to get a better look.
Jinx looked at the men in mock disgust. “You know, I don’t remember getting that kind of reaction when I wore the same outfit.”
Xantham’s eyes didn’t leave Kayla. “Much love to you, Jinx, but you don’t have a body like that.”
Jinx rolled her eyes, taking a large bite of her fruit stick. Carl cleared his throat, and Xantham had the grace to look abashed. Kayla brought her food tray to the table and sat down.
“Sleep well?” Carl leaned forward, watching while she uncovered her plate.
Kayla nodded. “Yeah. Those privacy dividers are nice. I didn’t mean to sleep so late.”
He gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. You haven’t missed anything.”
“Oh, thanks again for the clothes, Jinx. I’m hoping Veridian will be here this morning with my things.”
“Yeah, thanks for the clothes, Jinx,” Xantham echoed, putting his head in his hands to gaze at Kayla.
Jinx kicked him under the table. He jerked upright and grimaced at her. Jinx turned back to Kayla and smiled. “Anytime, Kayla. Ignore Xantham. He was dropped on his head when he was a kid.”
Kayla arched a brow, then looked at the faces seated around the table. “So where are Lisia and Zane? Did they head to the ruins?”
Jinx looked slightly uncomfortable and so did the men. “Uh, Lisia wanted to get out of camp for a bit. They’re running the perimeter to check for security flaws.”
Kayla cocked her head. “Oh?”
Before Jinx could reply, Carl pushed away his plate and changed the subject. “Kayla, I have some commlink appointments this afternoon, but before that we’re going to run some preliminary tests on the new equipment. If everything is quiet with Ramiro, we’re planning on going underground tomorrow to see how some of these new toys handle. You interested?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she exclaimed, acting shocked he would even consider the alternative. “I’m in.”
Xantham gave a dreamy sigh. “The face of an angel, the body of a goddess, and the mouth of a ruin rat. I think I’m in love, Boss.”
Jinx smacked him in the back of the head, causing him to yelp. “Excuse us.” Jinx stood and grabbed the back of Xantham’s shirt to pull him away from the table. With an apologetic smile, she said, “I think Xantham needs to go take a cold shower.”
Carl shook his head at Kayla’s look of confusion, while Cruncher and Elyot both laughed.
Elyot stood and dumped out the empty plates before turning to Kayla. “I’m going to be working on the system maintenance while you guys are testing. If you get some time later, Kayla, I’d love to see what you can do with some of the locks. Zane wouldn’t shut up about it the other day.”
“Sure.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you a bit later.” He waved and headed out of the room.
Cruncher finished eating, stood up, and dumped his plate before looking at Carl. “I’ll start prepping in the tech room while you two finish your meals.”
Carl nodded and turned back to Kayla. She glanced around at the empty room and observed, “It sure cleared out fast around here.”
He watched her pick at her food for a moment. A strand of hair fell across her cheek, and he resisted the urge to tuck it behind her ear, not knowing if he’d be able to stop touching her once he started. “Sorry for not waking you. I thought you’d enjoy sleeping in today since we didn’t have anything on the schedule.”
In an effort to keep his hands busy, he reached into his pocket, withdrew her commlink, and slid it over to her. “You left your commlink in the tech room. I would have returned it to you last night but didn’t want to wake you.”
“Thanks.” She flipped it open and read through her messages. A small frown marred her features. “Well, it looks like you were right.”
“About what?”
“V says someone from Ramiro’s crew contacted Leo last night asking about us. Leo told him we were both gone and staying at your camp now.” She took another bite of her breakfast, chewing while she finished reading the message.
Carl’s jaw tightened at the news. It wasn’t any more than what he had expected, but it still pissed him off. “Veridian is okay?”
She flipped her commlink shut and pushed away her plate. “Yeah, he should be here in an hour or two.”
Carl stood up. He’d feel better once Veridian had arrived. Both Kayla and Veridian fell under his protection the moment they agreed to work for him, and it was a job he didn’t take lightly. “If you’re finished eating, let’s go check out the new equipment. I know you’ve been dying to get your hands on it.”
Kayla nodded eagerly and dumped her plate. He led her into the tech room where Cruncher had pulled out some of the new sensors.
“Great,” Cruncher said when he saw her. “Kayla, grab that one there and see if you can configure the uplink to our system. Then you can start calibrating it.”
Kayla knelt to pick up the unit he pointed out. There was no hesitation in her movements as her nimble fingers ran across the monitor to locate the specific uplink frequency. She scrolled through the data until she detected the frequency and then initiated the connection.
Cruncher motioned to Carl, letting him know he wanted a private word. “I’ll be right back.”
She gave an absent nod, completely engrossed in her project. Anxious to learn what Cruncher had found, Carl followed him into the next room.
When Cruncher was sure Kayla was out of earshot, he said, “I managed to touch base with my contact in Ramiro’s camp. Minko has been working with Ramiro for several years. He was more forthcoming than I expected. I don’t think he likes Ramiro much.”
“What did he say?”
“He said Pretz was a good guy. Solid. Brought in a steady stream of profit and could work locks like no one he’s ever seen. They were trying to recruit his brother, too, but didn’t have much luck.”
Carl rubbed his chin, glancing toward the tech room. “Did he say anything about Kayla?”
“Not by name,” Cruncher admitted. “He said Pretz was head over heels for some ruin rat. I got the impression it caused some problems with Ramiro.”
“Did he know anything about how he died?”
Cruncher shook his head. “Not much. Ramiro discovered Pretz had fallen through two levels in one of the cleared sectors. It surprised everyone since Pretz wasn’t careless and those sectors had already been cleared. Minko said he never found out why Pretz was in a cleared sector on his scheduled day off. But Minko saw the body, and it was mangled pretty badly.”
Carl frowned. It was unfortunate, but accidents sometimes happened in the ruins. The fact he was in a cleared sector was suspicious though. “Thanks, Cruncher.”
“No problem, Boss.” Cruncher leaned forward, lowering his voice even more. “There was one more thing though. The day after Pretz died, Minko said Pretz’s girl showed up and demanded to see Ramiro. He said she was a hot little number with dark hair and a lot of attitude, which sounds a lot like our Kayla. Ramiro took her into his office, and the next thing everyone knew, the Aurelia Data Cube had been stolen.”
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“So the timing fits,” Carl mused, glancing at the door where Kayla was working. “It sounds like I need to have a talk with Kayla. I think we’re missing a pretty big part of the story.”
Cruncher nodded, folding his arms across his chest. “Sounds that way. I’m not sure how well it’ll go over, talking to her about it though. Ruin rats don’t like discussing their private lives, especially with traders. It doesn’t matter that she’s part of the crew now.”
“I’ll figure something out,” Carl promised. The alternative wasn’t acceptable.
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Kayla looked up as he entered and flashed him a huge smile. He nearly stumbled, entranced by the way she lit up the room. She was sitting on the floor, surrounded by equipment, and her eyes sparkled in excitement. Her earlier reservation was gone in the face of new technology.
“You guys have got some amazing toys here. Carl, I want to show you something.”
She jumped up and crossed over to him, handing him one of the sensors. He took it and flipped it over the way she instructed. Leaning over him, she rested her hand on his arm to point out some of the displayed readings. He took a deep breath, capturing her alluring scent. Having her this close was distracting, but her enthusiasm was infectious. He found himself smiling while she explained the settings she had configured.
“That’s great work, Kayla.” He handed back the sensor. She reached up to put it back on one of the higher shelves, and Carl noticed her shirt creeping up, barely stopping at her breasts. He inhaled sharply but couldn’t bring himself to look away.
Cruncher sat down and said under his breath, “Hot little number is right.”
Carl forced himself to breathe normally. “Kayla, if you’ve got a few minutes, I wanted to talk to you.”
“Sure. Let me just clean up this mess.”
She bent down to grab another piece of equipment, awarding them with another spectacular view of her curves. Carl cleared his throat and wondered if he should stop to take a cold shower himself.
“Uh, just leave it. Cruncher can take care of it.”
Cruncher gave him a pained look. “I can?”
Carl smirked at Cruncher. The older man was enjoying the show a little too much.
Kayla hesitated, looking between them. “I don’t mind.”
“That’s nice of you, but let Cruncher do it. I’m not sure his heart can take it otherwise.” Carl took her hand to lead her out of the room. “Let’s go to my office.”
“I’ll remember this, Boss. You owe me!” Cruncher called out.
Carl snorted and continued walking.
“What was that about?”
Carl looked down at Kayla’s confused expression. “You have no idea the effect you have on people, do you?”
She threw up her hands in exasperation. “Well, shit. I pissed him off already?”
Carl chuckled. She really was adorable. Unable to resist, he tucked her hair behind her ear. “Not even close. It’s just distracting having such a beautiful woman around.”
Kayla raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything further, Xantham walked around the corner and called out to them.
“Hey, you two! There’s a solo rider on the radar. Looks like your boy, Veridian, will be here any second. At least I hope it’s him and not one of Ramiro’s punks.”
Looking pleased by the news, Kayla turned to Carl. “It probably is. He sent me a message saying he’d be here around this time. Mind if we talk a bit later?”
“Sure. It’ll wait. I’d like to say hello to Veridian too.”
Taking a detour, they reached the entrance just as Veridian stepped inside and dropped a bag on the ground. He pulled off his helmet and ran his fingers through his disheveled, light-brown hair, his eyes lighting up when he saw Kayla. She let out a squeal and flung herself into his arms. He dropped his helmet in surprise to catch her and hugged her tightly before setting her down. Kissing the top of her head, he teased, “So how much trouble did you manage to get into so far?”
Kayla laughed. “Not enough. But the day is young.”
He looked skeptical. “I’m not surprised. But I’m glad you’re safe.”
Carl waited until they were finished before stepping forward. He found their dynamic interesting. Kayla wasn’t as reserved around Veridian, and he obviously doted on her. Carl extended his hand in greeting. “Glad you made it, Veridian. Do you need help bringing anything in?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. I’ve got a few boxes with me. They’re on my bike.” Veridian gestured to the bag on the floor. “Kayla, that’s some of your stuff. Where do you want me to put it?”
She picked up the bag and slung it over her shoulder. “I’ll take care of it while you grab the rest of the stuff.”
Xantham stepped forward to help, and each of the men grabbed their jackets and helmets to bring in the rest of the supplies. Once they came back inside, Carl directed Veridian down the hall. “We set up your private area in the crew’s quarters.”
Carl looked down at his box as they entered the crew’s quarters. “Is this box yours or Kayla’s?”
Veridian glanced at it. “That one belongs to Kayla.”
Hefting the box, he carried it over to Kayla’s private area where she was unpacking her bag. She looked up as he walked in and put the box on her desk.
“Thanks, Carl.”
“No problem. Let me know if you need any help.”
She opened up the box he had brought into the room. A picture of the young man from Kayla’s commlink rested near the top.
Deciding it was a good opportunity to bring him up, he gestured to the image. “Is that Pretz?”
Kayla froze. “How do you know him?”
“I’ve heard about him,” he replied neutrally, watching her expression. “Wasn’t he part of Ramiro’s crew?”
“Yeah, he was.” Kayla squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from Carl, shoving the picture in the back of her locker.
Her visceral reaction surprised him. He hesitated, debating how far to push her. Unfortunately, if Pretz was tied to the situation with Ramiro, he needed to know. The more information he could provide to OmniLab, the more likely Ramiro would be punished.
“I heard he was great with locks,” he prompted, hoping she would open up a bit more.
Kayla whirled on him. “You seem to know an awful lot for someone who didn’t know a damn thing about the Aurelia Data Cube the other day.”
Taken aback at her sudden anger, he held up his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize he was a sensitive subject.”
Kayla slammed the locker shut and stared at the closed door for a minute. She took a deep breath before turning around and resting the back of her head against the door. “Forget it. It’s in the past.”
Carl frowned. The look in her eyes was haunted, and he felt the sudden urge to comfort her. Before he could move toward her, Xantham poked his head in. She immediately straightened and forced a smile.
“Hey, girl. You need some help?”
Kayla shook her head, glancing at Carl. “Nah, think I’ve got it covered.”
“Okay, cool. Hey, Boss, I’m going to get Veridian set up on our frequencies, unless you needed me for anything else?”
“That sounds good. Thanks, Xantham.”
Xantham winked at Kayla before heading to the communications room. Carl studied Kayla thoughtfully. As Cruncher predicted, she wasn’t going to be forthcoming with information, and he didn’t want to push her away. Deciding it was better to retreat while they were still on a positive note, he said, “I’ll let you finish unpacking then.”
He turned and paused when he saw Lisia in the doorway watching them. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but she turned on her heels and stormed off. His lips pressed together in a slight grimace.
Kayla touched Carl’s arm to get his attention. “What’s the deal with Lisia? Every time I see her, she looks like she wants to throw a screwdriver at my face.”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Lisia’s childish behavior needed to stop. He’d been hoping her attitude would have improved by now, but it seemed to have gotten worse over the past few days.
“It’s not you. It’s me. I, ah, got involved with her a few months back. It was a mistake, and I ended it almost immediately after it began. She didn’t take it well.”
Kayla’s eyes widened as she looked down the hallway where the girl disappeared. “She still has a thing for you?”
“It looks that way. I’m hoping she’ll get over it soon.”
“Hmm…” Kayla crossed her arms and studied him. “I guess I can’t blame her. You’re kinda nice to look at.”
Carl chuckled, returning her assessment with a long look of his own. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I could definitely say the same.”
He brushed her hair behind her ear and trailed his fingers down her cheek. When he rubbed his thumb over her lower lip, her cheeks flushed, and her mouth parted slightly. Although he wanted nothing more than to pursue her, he recognized the need to give her some time to adapt to her new surroundings. Summoning his willpower, he took a step back, giving Kayla a long perusal.
“I need to take care of a few things. If you need anything, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you a bit later.”
----------------------------------------
Kayla watched him walk away, trying to ignore the familiar flutter in her stomach she seemed to get every time he was around. Leaning against the wall for support, she mentally kicked herself.
Damn, damn, damn. Get it together, Kayla. He’s a trader.
Forcing herself to turn away from his retreating figure, she looked at the box with disinterest. The thought of unpacking wasn’t appealing. Instead, she headed over to Veridian’s private area.
Shoving a box aside, she sprawled out on his bed.
Veridian cocked his head at her and then gave it a slow shake. “I haven’t been here for an hour and you’re already taking over my area.”
“Oh, shush. If you really minded, you’d kick me out.”
He chuckled but didn’t argue with her. Taking that as a victory, she fluffed up his pillow behind her. “What did Leo say? Was he pissed?”
He shrugged, but Kayla noticed his shoulders tense. “It’s probably for the best you didn’t come back last night. I got stuck listening to a Leo rant that should have been directed at you. He’s worried about Ramiro though. To be honest, I think he’s going to miss you.”
Kayla frowned. She’d known Leo was going to be upset, and she felt guilty for letting Veridian take the brunt of it. More than anything, though, she was worried about how the camp would fare without her. She guessed that was Leo’s main concern too. She hoped Carl would keep his word and allow her to transfer some credits back to them. Until they found a replacement scavenger, it would be difficult on them. “I doubt that. He’ll just miss having someone to argue with.”
“That’s probably partly true. You know, he wants us to come back when we’re done after the year. He wanted me to tell you that.”
Kayla propped herself up on her elbows to see him better. She was normally pretty good at reading Veridian, but she couldn’t tell how he felt about the turn of events. When they were younger, he had joked about joining a trader camp, but he hadn’t said anything about it in recent years. In fact, he’d always supported her anti-OmniLab campaign, especially after the situation with Ramiro.
“We’ll see. You know, we could always take off and start our own camp or something. We could even leave OmniLab territory. There are other places where we could start over.”
Veridian gave her a sharp look, and she barely managed not to flinch. “You’d better be considering options for a year from now and not thinking what I think you’re thinking. We’re not breaking the contract. We’d be blacklisted by every single OmniLab trader. There’s no going back from that, Kayla.”
Kayla groaned and fell back on the bed in frustration. So much for her fantasy. Staring up at the ceiling, she declared, “Fine. Have it your way. I won’t do anything crazy.”
Veridian turned back to the box. “Carl and his crew seem like decent people. You said yourself he wasn’t a bad guy.”
Kayla couldn’t stop the silly grin from spreading across her face. “He’s too damn pretty to be a trader.”
“Kayla!” Veridian stared at her in shock.
“What?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “He’s got these amazing eyes. And his body… Oh man, I want to bite his ass.” She let out a dreamy sigh.
Veridian threw a shirt at her in disgust, and she laughed. Unable to resist teasing him, she added, “Don’t get me started about the way he kisses.”
“I left you for one night!”
“Yeah, but nothing happened last night. I fell asleep.” Unfortunately.
“Then when did you… Oh.” Veridian frowned. “That’s why you didn’t kick his ass when he paid Leo to keep you above ground.”
“Yeah, he distracted me.” Kayla bit her lip, thinking of that day. The man wreaked havoc on her senses. “I really like him, V. There’s something about him. It feels like he actually sees me. I haven’t felt that way in a long time.”
Veridian’s brow furrowed, and he sat down next to her. His voice turned serious. “Kayla, tread carefully. There’s no future with him. At some point, he’s going to go back and live in those towers. This is temporary for him. Not only that, but he’s technically our boss now. If things go bad with him or you piss him off, we’re stuck.”
Kayla looked away, knowing he was right. Yet, she wasn’t willing to dismiss her feelings based on some future possibility. It might not be the practical thing to do, but she knew better than anyone how short life could be. She might as well live her life to the fullest. There might not be a tomorrow.
Kayla offered a weak smile. “When have you ever known me to do anything sensible?”
He shook his head and sighed. They both knew there was no good answer to that question.