Finn raised his head to stare at him. “Did you know Renna has a code? She only promises if she actually means it.” Finn nodded. “She learned that from me, when we were in Blur’s gang.”
“Yeah, I knew that. It was her thing, even when we ran together. Made her a good mercenary. You always knew where you stood with her.”
Finn nodded again, the motion causing him to sway on the stool. “She promised Myka that she’d stop the Cordozas for him.”
“I know.”
“Since she’s not here, I’ll help her with that promise.” Finn pointed a finger at Viktis. “But I’m not doing anything illegal!”
He bit back a smile at Finn’s drunken order. “Of course not. It might tarnish that halo. Besides, you’re not the only one with a reputation to protect. Now, how about we get you back to the ship and talk about my plan. Looks like you’re not going to make it much longer.” He’d never seen a human get drunk so fast. The guy must not be a drinker. Not surprising, really. Finn was one of those nauseatingly upright guys who never lost control.
Viktis slipped a shoulder beneath Finn’s arm. “Come on, buddy, let’s get you out of here before the vultures descend.” He pulled Finn off the stool and steadied him. The ladies at the end of the bar frowned, one of them getting to her feet like she was going to walk over.
Viktis stopped her with a glare.
“Hey, you’re not as skinny as you look,” Finn said, wrapping a strong arm around him.
“Neither are you,” Viktis said with a grunt as Finn’s full weight fell onto him. “What the hell do they feed you humans?”
“Food?”
Viktis rolled his eyes and shifted his position. “Clever.” He helped Finn toward the door, nodding at the bouncer in thanks as he held it open for them.
“Hey, you smell good. Like grass and cookies.” Finn sighed sadly. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen real grass. Earth grass.”
Viktis chuckled. “Careful there, Cap. You wouldn’t want me to get the wrong idea.”
Finn blinked blearily. “What idea would that be?”
“That we should run away together. People are already talking.”
“Ha!” Finn’s laugh bellowed down the empty corridor and Viktis half pulled, half carried him to the elevator. “You’re funny.”
“And you’re drunk. Now shut up and walk before you pass out. There’s no way in hell I’m carrying you, no matter how good you think I smell.” But a smile curved Viktis’s lips as they walked.
CHAPTER 3
“I think we’re going to need some more help,” Viktis said as they stared at the holo monitor in his hotel room. “Kitty’s suite is here.” He pointed to a corner on the thirty-second level. “She’s taken the entire floor. I won’t be able to get in, plant the evidence, and get back out without a distraction.”
“Are you saying I’m not enough?” Finn raised a mocking eyebrow. Entertaining a mob princess wasn’t exactly his idea of a good time, but he could handle it. Once his head stopped throbbing. Whatever he’d had to drink last night had left him feeling like a dying ruska.
“You’re going to have your hands full with Kitty. I need someone to help me with her guards.”
Finn rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to ease the gritty, sandpaper feeling. “Did you have someone in mind?”
“Lieutenant Keva.”
Finn felt his jaw drop as he turned to stare at the pirate. “You’ve got to be kidding. Keva won’t help you. She can barely stand to be in the same room as you.” With Keva’s focus on following the rules, and Viktis’s insistence on ignoring them, the pair were like kerosene oil and matches. Strike a spark, mix the two, and run for cover, because the explosion was going to be big and messy.
They were even worse than Finn and Viktis when they got going.
“I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Let me give it a shot, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll figure out something else.”
“What exactly do you want Keva to do? You know she’s even more of a hard ass than I am when it comes to breaking the law.” Finn didn’t know much about his XO’s past, but since joining his team, he knew that she prided herself on following protocol to the letter, could take down a man twice her size in six Bumani moves, and she never seemed to sleep.
Viktis pulled up the schematics of Kitty’s suite. “Look at the security. Cameras, infrared, bio-locks. If Renna was here, we might have a shot at getting past them. But she’s not, so we need someone on the inside. I want Keva to join the Cordozas as one of Kitty’s personal guards.”
“On such short notice? I can’t imagine Kitty would hire a stranger off the street.”
Viktis’s smile was wicked. “Let me take care of getting the Lieutenant inside. I need you to get to the casino and start Phase One of the plan.” He paused and let his gaze travel up and down Finn’s body. “Don’t forget the tux, handsome.”
Finn groaned. “I should kill you for this. If I’d known I had to wear a suit…”
“Suck it up, old man. It’s a small price to pay for taking down the meanest bitch in coalition space.”
With a heavy sigh, Finn rose to his feet. “Fine. But I’m not sleeping with her. No matter what you say.”
Viktis found Lieutenant Keva just inside the lobby of the Luxor hotel. It was a modern hotel, with chrome and glass fixtures, but it never felt cold or clinical. He always made it a point to stay here when he was on the station. If he had the credits that trip.
Looked like Keva had good taste as well. She’d booked one of the best suites in the place. On an officer’s salary. Interesting choice.
He leaned against one of the marble pillars and watched her smile at the desk clerk before she headed toward the elevator. The woman was almost as tall as he was, and with her silver hair and violet skin, she was as striking as the twin moons on Antivia Nine. A little on the willowy side, but he could overlook that. The rest of the package was quite lovely. Too bad she’d rather fight with him than sleep with him.
He pushed himself upright and slipped inside the elevator, just as the doors closed.
Keva’s eyes widened.
“Enjoying shore leave, Lieutenant?” he asked as the elevator shot upward.
She arched an eyebrow at him. “I’d enjoy it more if you left me alone.”