But he knew this place, knew it very well. It didnt matter if the planet was Ryge, hidden within the Smoke Quadrant, or another planet in some other solar system. Kell knew the streets, knew the people, their avarice and need to survive. He might not have the map for this particular city soldered on the circuitry of his mind, but he understood without a doubt that, if he had to, he could find his way through this filthy maze.
Yet when it came to Mara Skiren, he felt himself
wandering without guidance. Made him damn edgy.
He walked beside her through the twisted, grimy streets of Beskidt By. They dodged wasp taxis darting past, drivers bent low as the fares clutched the side bars for safety. Cries of hawkers clotted the thick air, selling everything from service drones to black market drugs to cups of steaming kahve .
Overhead, glimpses of sulfurous clouds peered between the towering buildings, reminders that no one could fly in or out of Ryge until the storm dissipated. Kell and Mara had been the only ones to land in nearly twenty-four solar hours.
She led them now through the web of Beskidt By, her movements sure and confident. The city belonged to her, in its way. Kell saw this in the way she was greeted, again and again, by the various lowlifes lingering in the street. Those that didnt seem to know her stared at her, anyway. Easy to see why. Her sleek curves, those provocative clothes, the poised, almost aristocratic way she held herself.
Any male, and likely many females, would want her.
He counted himself amongst that number. Only half an hour earlier, hed almost had her. His body still protested the loss. Shed been fire and spice and hungry, so hungry. Hed never touched a woman like her before. Now his body wanted, demanded more.
Dont think about that now, or else youll be walking the streets of Beskidt By with a gigantic hard-on.
Youre a popular character, he noted after a one-armed woman shuffled out from a shop to pound Mara on the back.
Yes. She tossed the remark carelessly over her shoulder. But now Im legendary. Nobody else has flown through the storm. She sent him an opaque glance. Nobody else had the same kind of help.
There were two of us, but we worked as one. Though Wraith ships could accommodate twoa pilot and a gunnerKell usually flew alone. He hadnt expected the seamless way he and Mara had performed together. She was a damned good pilot too. Intuitive but astute.
She also looked damned sexy with her hands on the ships controls. Kell couldnt help but wonder if she might grip him with the same assured skill. An image flared in his mindhim laying back, her grasping his cock, positioning him to slide into her.
Dont fucking think it.
Partnership is new to me, she said.
Maybe youll grow to like it. He certainly was.
Doubt that. But she smiled and edged ahead, leading the way. Not much further. Even if her image wasnt already burned into him, he could find her through the thick, raucous crowds choking the streets. There werent many Argenti here, and her creamy white hair shone like a beacon in the grime and glare of Beskidt By. He felt the strange urge to shield her from the filth of both physical and human varietieswhich was ridiculous. She was a scavenger, a dealer of stolen goods, and candidly admitted to doing what she had to in order to persevere.
She eyed the long, thin scarf he had wrapped around his neck before they had disembarked. Do you have to wear that? Looks like your psychotic grandmother wove it on her digiloom.
Kell fingered the garment in question. It serves its purpose.
If that purpose is to cause spontaneous blindness, then Id say it succeeded. She stopped outside a singularly shabby door, covered in rust. It looked like it hadnt been serviced in half a millennium. This is the joint.
He eyed the building dubiously. Still, she knew this world better than he did, so he nodded.
Mara stepped forward and pounded on the door. A small peephole slid open with a rasp. Two red-
rimmed eyes stared back.
Piss off, snarled a gravelly voice.
Stick your fist up your ass, Mara returned.
Skiren.
Yrjo.
The red eyes glared at Kell. Whats with tall, dark and menacing?
Hes with me. When the owner of the red eyes didnt answer right away, Mara said, Come on,
Yrjo. Ive been coming here for years. If I say hes with me, hes with me. And he isnt going to cause trouble. This was said more for Kells benefit than the doorman.
Much, Kell added.
Mara shot him a glower, letting him know his commentary was not appreciated.
After a moment, the peephole shut. With an angry groan, the door slid open. Mara stepped inside,
and, after checking the street one last time, Kell followed.
Inside, the red-eyed doorman continued to stare balefully at him. There was no doubt in his mind that the squat man had used the giant plasma shotgun strapped to his back. The weapon looked
like it had been modded to cause maximum pain.
Go on up, the doorman grunted. He jerked his head toward an elevator bay.