Fortune's Risk: A Star Thief Novella (Star Thief Chronicles #1.5) Read online

  “You look magnificent, Kitty. I don’t think anyone’s going to be paying attention to their cards, we’ll all be too busy staring at you.”

  She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “That’s what I was counting on.”

  A short, potbellied Conyara alien climbed onto the platform set up behind the poker tables. He spread his arms with a smile that stretched his facial ridges wide. “Welcome everyone to the first Pointe Blue Casino Poker Tournament. I’m excited at the fantastic response. The Children of the Stars charity will benefit from your extreme generosity. Now without further ado, let’s play!”

  The dealer-bots cracked open fresh packages of cards at each table and shuffled them between their metallic fingers. “Costa Five rules, minimum bet twenty thousand credits.” Quickly, the bot dealt out a hand to each player, their human-like eyes watching each of them carefully.

  The bots had been designed to be tamper proof, but if you knew the right people…And Viktis always knew the right people.

  He picked up his hand and smiled. Not bad at all.

  “Bids in.” The dealer stared at each of them. The man on Viktis’s left pushed over a stack of chips. Everyone else followed suit.

  “Show your hands please.”

  With a smile, Kitty flipped over her cards, along with the two other men at the table. Viktis kept his face expressionless, but he’d won the table. Easily.

  “Who’s lucky tonight?” Kitty asked. “That’s quite a hand.”

  “Let’s hope it keeps up,” he replied with a smile. “Luck is a fickle thing.”

  She ran her fingers down his arm, stroking the back of his hand. “Indeed it is.”

  His gut clenched. The expression in her eyes was savage. And not just because of the tournament. Every instinct screamed that there was something wrong, something he was missing, but he had no idea what. He’d have to stay the course for now and hope he could stop her before whatever she was up to went too far.

  “Next hand,” the dealer announced.

  After a quick glance at their cards, the players placed their bets. And Viktis won again.

  And again.

  After the fourth time, his hands started to sweat and he furtively wiped them on his tuxedo trousers. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He’d programmed the hack to only let him win enough to stay in the game, not to obliterate everyone in every game.

  Beside him, Kitty smiled slyly. “I had no idea you were such a shark, Mr. Zero.”

  “You must be my lucky charm,” he replied breezily.

  Keva shifted her weight, glancing around the room nervously as the crowd started whispering. The noise swelled louder than the sound of the slot machines, but Viktis blocked it out, focusing on his next batch of cards.

  A royal flush. Shit.

  There was nothing to do but play it.

  The noise crested higher, and the other players at the table studied Viktis with narrowed eyes. He took a sip of the champagne at his elbow to chase away the sudden acid burning at the back of his throat.

  Behind him, Keva coughed. He glanced back at her. And then at the trio of casino officials approaching.

  The man who’d kicked off the evening shindig glared at him. “Mr. Zero, we have some serious concerns regarding your wins this evening. Would you please stand up and place your hands face down on the table.”

  Viktis’s swallowed as he stared at the men. “I assure you, gentlemen, I haven’t been cheating.”

  “We’ll determine that for ourselves. On your feet, sir.”

  Two casino guards approached and Viktis scrambled to stand up.

  “Search him,” the Conyara ordered.

  Viktis held up his hands. “Is that necessary?”

  “Cheating at this casino will not be tolerated. Men, search his pockets.” The two guards approached and Viktis backed away, bumping against the table. His frantic gaze fell on Kitty Cordoza, watching him calmly from her seat, and his stomach dropped to the floor as it hit him.

  She’d framed him.

  “Not so lucky after all, Mr. Zero? Or whatever your name is.” She leaned back, her dress spilling open to show off her long legs. “I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to figure it out once I win here. You won’t be going anywhere for a very long time.”

  One of the guards grabbed his arm, while the other shoved a hand into the pocket of Viktis’s tux. He struggled, but the guard pulled out a small electronic device and held it out to the tournament official.

  “Looks like a transmitter of some kind.”

  Where the hell had that come from?

  “Yes. I’ve seen these before. Take him to the security office and lock him up. We’ll deal with him after the tournament.” The official shook his head. “It’s disgusting that someone would try to cheat at a charity tournament. Only the worst kind of criminal would steal from these children.”

  Rough hands grabbed Viktis by the arms and dragged him away from the table. He met Keva’s worried gaze, his skin turning icy. For the first time in his life, he was completely at a loss as to how to get out of this one. If he attacked the guards, hundreds of people could get hurt. If he played along, he’d find himself in a jail cell at Kitty Cordoza’s mercy. Neither option appealed to him.

  “I’ll call your lawyer,” Keva shouted over the catcalls and jeers from the crowd. “We’ll get you out of this.”

  He had no idea what that meant, but if Kitty was on to him, she had to be suspicious of Keva, too. He shook his head. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he ordered as they dragged him away.

  CHAPTER 9

  Keva watched the guards haul Viktis off to the security office, her heart thundering like a runaway horse. She’d watched Kitty’s expression during the whole thing and there was no doubt that the woman was behind all of this. And if she’d figured out who Viktis was, it was a good bet she already had Captain Finn.

  Now she had two men to rescue.

  Before anyone could notice she’d stayed behind rather than follow her employer to his cell, she slipped into the crowds. Stopping behind a potted palm tree, she pulled up her watch tablet and quickly checked her messages.

  Her stomach clenched. There was one from Captain Finn. How had she missed that earlier? He sounded rushed, his voice muffled like he was talking softly to not be overheard. But his words sent a shiver of fear down her spine. . He’d followed Kitty down some hallway in the hotel lobby.

  Keva sprinted toward the area he’d specified and scanned for the door near the palm tree.

  There!

  She rattled the doorknob but it was locked. Dammit. She did not have time for this. She pulled her small pistol from the holster around her thigh and switched it to silent mode. But when she fired a shot at the lock, the low bang still echoed around the lobby. Everyone stopped dead, staring at her.

  She waved and smiled. “Sorry, stiff lock, pay no attention,” she called before darting through the door. She’d only have a few minutes before someone alerted Kitty. She needed to find the captain and get him the hell out of here so they could put an end to this. Viktis’s plan was still in motion and it would blow up spectacularly if they weren’t there.

  She raced down the hallway, throwing open the doors that dotted either side. They were devoid of any life, just storage rooms full of chairs and boxes. And then she spotted the double doors at the end of the hall. That had to be it.

  Normally, she’d take her time and try to scope out the scene, her MYTH training screaming at her to be cautious. But with the adrenaline pumping through her and fear churning her insides, she kicked open the doors, gun sweeping the space.

  She was almost disappointed to find it empty of Kitty’s goons.

  Keva did a quick circuit of the space, skirting the large, glass table and spending a few extra seconds on the gorgeous swords displayed on the wall. Early Kriss era, Priell ultrasteel if she wasn’t mistaken. But she didn’t have time to study the antiques. A desk sat against the far wall and she headed directly for it. Kitty was
too smart to leave information lying around, but maybe there was some sort of clue. Anything that would lead her to Captain Finn.

  She yanked open the top drawer, but it was empty, save for a few sheets of paper. The next was bare, too. But when she pulled open the bottom drawer, Keva gasped.

  The captain’s gun. She’d recognize the MYTH-issued blaster anywhere. It was the same one she carried herself.

  Kitty definitely had him, but where? More importantly, was he even still alive?

  Her gut twisted, and for a moment, Keva thought she’d be sick. Taking a deep breath, she threw her shoulders back. She couldn’t think like that.

  Keva set the captain’s gun down on the desk and started to rifle through the tablets and papers that were scattered about. She shifted a stack of what looked like receipts – she didn’t want to know for what – and spotted a small remote control.

  Head tilted, she stared at it, a memory niggling at her mind. She’d seen something like this once, during basic. Carefully she picked it up and studied the six small buttons. They were all different colors, each with a different icon. Like a sudden flash of light in the darkness, everything connected in a burst of memory.

  This was for a Resule cell. That had to be where they were keeping the captain.

  Her fingers fumbled for the button to turn off the sound jammer and a moment later she heard the pounding through the wall.

  “Captain! Is that you?” She pressed another button and a door in the wall slid open where there’d been only plain plaster before.

  Finn stumbled out into the room and she caught him before he fell. He grinned at her. “I’ve never been so happy to see someone in my life.”

  “The feeling is mutual. Are you all right?”

  He nodded. “Kitty Cordoza knows who I am and that I work for MYTH. We need to get out of here before her men come back. The Aldanis could be in danger.”

  “She’s got Viktis, too. Framed him for cheating at the tournament.”

  Finn groaned. “That’s way too poetic, even for her, considering we intended to do the same. So what do we do?”

  Keva handed Finn’s gun over with a smile. “We stick to the plan.”

  Finn splashed his face with water, then ran his hands through his hair, slicking it back. He adjusted his captains bars pinned to his shoulder and smiled at his reflection in the mirror. He’d slipped back into his MYTH uniform while Keva waited for him outside his room. They’d determined that using his MYTH status was the fastest way to get people to believe them. Hopefully no one would recognize him until he’d already left the station.

  “Are we ready?” he asked, stepping into the hallway.

  “Damn straight,” Keva said with a smile.

  He could kiss Major Dallas for assigning Lieutenant Keva as his XO three years ago. He’d still be stuck in that godsdamned cell if it wasn’t for her. And she still wanted to finish the mission. The woman had balls of steel.

  Back on the casino floor, the tournament had resumed. Kitty was holding court at the table, the stack of chips in front of her growing with every hand. Finn’s fingernails curled into his palms. He wanted to wipe that self-satisfied smirk from her face, but he had something else to do first.

  Finn knocked on the security room door, waiting only a moment before shoving it open.

  A startled guard shot to his feet from behind the desk. “What are you doing here? Get out, this is private property!”

  “Captain Nick Finn, MYTH reconnaissance. I’m here to release one of your suspects.” He nodded to Viktis, who leaned against the bars of his cell, a smirk twisting his features.

  Finn glared at the guard, his eyes flinty. “Let him out. Now.”

  “But sir, he’s been found cheating. The officials…”

  “The officials don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. My authority supersedes theirs. Let him out.”

  The man’s hand dropped to his blaster as he studied Finn and Keva. Suspicion dawned in his eyes. “Who are you, exactly?”

  Shit, he wasn’t going to obey. Finn dropped to a crouch, tensing his muscles before hurling himself across the desk. He’d never admit it, but being in the gang had taught him to fight dirty, and those moves came in handy more often than he’d like.

  He slammed a fist into the guard’s stomach, then lashed out with his foot, but the man dodged with a grunt. From the corner of his eye, he saw Keva snatch the key from the desk and head to Viktis’s cell.

  The guard panted, his face mottled and red. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but I’m a Forever Station guard. I’ll see you rot in jail for this.” He lunged at Finn, but he’d already telegraphed his move with the flick of his gaze, and Finn easily stepped aside before his punch connected.

  He grabbed the guard’s wrist and wrenched him back into a hold. “Sorry about this, kid. Nothing personal.” He yanked him toward the cell that Viktis had vacated and pushed him inside. Keva locked the door behind him.

  “Let me out! You’re going to pay for this.” The guard’s voice went high and wavering and Finn flashed him a sympathetic glance.

  “Nice to see you could finally join us,” Viktis said, clapping a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “We were getting worried.”

  “So was I. You ready to end this?”

  Viktis glanced at his watch. “Perfect timing.”

  The trio headed out to the casino floor. In the hour it had taken to free Finn and Viktis, most of the players had bombed out of the tournament. It looked like they were playing the last hand. With Kitty in the lead of course.

  She laughed as she threw down her cards in triumph and the crowd cheered as she got to her feet and bowed. The Conyara official who’d arrested Viktis climbed back up to the small stage and gestured to Kitty to join him.

  “What a tournament! I’m pleased to award this ship and the prize winnings to our generous benefactress, Kitty Cordoza. Congratulations on a tournament well played!”

  The crowd clapped, but after they stopped, Viktis kept clapping. Loudly.

  Finn chuckled at the shocked expression that flitted across Kitty’s face as she spotted the three of them. This was going to be fun.

  “Excuse me, sir,” Finn called. “I’m afraid you have a cheater in your tournament.”

  The official waved away Finn’s claim. “We’ve already caught him.”

  Viktis stepped forward, and the man’s eyes widened. “No, you piece of shit, you arrested the wrong person. But you already knew that. Kitty Cordoza rigged the entire tournament to use as a front for an illegal tech deal. You’ll find the data chip in her dress. And the tech in your pocket.”

  The crowd gasped, and the official’s face started to turn amber. “How dare you!”

  Beside him, Kitty Cordoza froze, her gaze searching for her bodyguards in the crowd. Her whole body tensed like she was about to flee, and Finn made it to the stage in three strides, grabbing Kitty’s arm before she could scurry away. “Not so fast. Both you and this gentleman are under MYTH custody. We’ve already arranged cells for you.”

  She glared at him. “I’ve done nothing wrong. Take your hands off me. Immediately. I’ll have my lawyers on you so fast your head will spin.”

  Viktis and Keva had followed Finn to the stage. Keva took up a position on the other side of Kitty. “Go right ahead,” she said, pulling the biolock box from her pocket and passing it to Finn. “I think you’ll find plenty of evidence here to keep your lawyers busy for years.

  The color drained from Kitty’s face. “What is that? Where did you get it?”

  Finn bit back a smile while he gestured to a group of soldiers who’d appeared at the casino door. He’d called in a few favors with the station security chief, an old friend. One he could trust not to turn Finn in to MYTH. At least not until they’d left the station.

  “Take these two away,” Finn ordered. “The alien should have another box like this in his possession as well. Search him.”

  Kitty’s eyes went wide. “But if the Conya
ra still has my box with the tech data, what’s in that one?” she whispered.

  Icy hatred turned Viktis’s face into a mask. “It contains a very interesting list detailing all the sales, deaths, and transactions of slaves through the Cordoza organization. Along with several signatures signing death warrants and kidnappings. Yours was astonishingly prominent.”

  “You won’t get away with this,” she hissed. “You’re a dead man.”

  “As a matter of fact, I already have gotten away with this. You don’t think this is the only copy do you? The guards will find one in your suite when they search it. I’ve also sent one to the galactic news service, and one to every government in the sector. Seems like your organization didn’t discriminate on who they sold into slavery or the jobs you took from high ranking officials. This is going to make one scandalous story. It will destroy your organization.”

  Behind her mask of makeup, Kitty looked terrified, but jutted her chin defiantly. “Why didn’t you come to me first? I could have made you the richest man in the galaxy.”

  Finn watched Viktis take a step closer to the woman, lowering his head so only the four of them could hear.

  “I don’t want your money,” Viktis whispered.

  Finn’s skin erupted in goose bumps at the hatred in his friend’s voice.

  “Then what do you want? Name it.”

  “I want my sister back. Can you do that?”

  Kitty’s shoulders sagged in relief and she smiled encouragingly. “Of course, I’ll have my men find her. Whatever you need. Just end this.”

  “Oh, I will. The only problem is that you already killed her three years ago. Pretty Ileth girl who escaped from her Trezian owner? Pulled the trigger yourself from what I heard.”

  Kitty went even paler, her tongue darting between her lips like a lizard’s as she wetted them. “I…I didn’t…”

  “Of course you didn’t.” Viktis’s voice dropped to a low growl.

  The hair on the back of Finn’s neck stood on end and he put a hand on the pirate’s arm. “We need to wrap this up,” he said softly. Viktis had himself under control now, but if he tried to kill the woman, Finn didn’t know if he could stop him.