Kayla woke up in a bad mood. Her commlink had somehow been turned off during the night, and she was running late. She’d stayed up too late last night trying to get the defunct computer terminal back up and running. Her brand of creative engineering wouldn’t keep that piece of shit working for long. They would have to replace it soon. It was just one more thing that was going wrong. She’d planned to be down in the ruins first thing in the morning, and it was already approaching noon. On top of that, Veridian wasn’t in camp. She didn’t have a clue where he could be.

I have to go chase his ass down now too.

She hurriedly pulled on her jacket and yanked on her boots before throwing the backpack containing her tools over her shoulder. If she found him soon, they might still get some scavenging done before calling it a day. As she neared the exit, Leo came around the corner and stopped her.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

Kayla frowned, wondering what could have agitated Leo this early. He usually saved his tirades for the end of the day. Part of her wondered if he spent the whole day thinking up new colorful insults to try to best her in their verbal sparring matches. One of these days, she was going to retaliate by giving him a hug or maybe a kiss just to throw him off balance.

Glancing around, she half hoped someone else would show up so he could yell at them instead. When no one else magically appeared, she resigned herself to her fate.

Better to get it over with and get on with my day.

“I’m going back to Sector Twelve if I can find my damn spotter. My piece-of-shit commlink got shut off and I’m running late. I doubt Carl will expect us back there so soon after they caught us.” She leaned closer to him and lowered her voice. “I’ve got a feeling about that sector, Leo. I’m never wrong about this. Something big is down there. I’m going back.”

His eyes lit up greedily, but then he shook his head.

“No. You’re above ground for the next several days until you fully heal from that fall. You’re not to go into the ruins until I give the word.”

Kayla stared at him blankly and laughed at his outrageous demand. That’s a new one. With one of his scavengers injured and another ruin rat camp near their territory, there was no way he would keep her out of the ruins. They could barely make ends meet and keep the camp functioning.

She pulled her helmet off the rack. “Right, Leo. That’s cute. Now leave me alone and let me do my damn job.”

Leo grabbed the helmet out of her hands and said more forcefully, “Dammit, girl, I said no. Veridian’s been temporarily assigned to another scavenger. You’re above ground until I say so.”

Kayla’s eyes widened and then narrowed, her heart pounding in her chest. V was hers. How dare he reassign him and threaten to take away the one constant in her life? When everything seemed to crumble around her, Veridian had been the person to help keep everything together. She couldn’t lose him.

Her nails dug into her palms, the pain a reminder that fear was a weakness, an exploitable emotion. She forced herself to push aside her panic and focus on her anger, unwilling to show Leo how much the thought of losing Veridian scared her. Instead, she reached for an emotion she could wield and lashed out, going on the offensive.

“Where the hell do you get off breaking up my team? Veridian is my damn partner. I’m perfectly fine to go underground. I’ve taken worse falls before and you’ve never given me shit about it. I’m not some precious artifact that can’t handle a few scrapes and bumps.”

“It’s your own damn fault,” Leo snapped. “You had to get involved in Carl’s business, and now he’s paying me to keep you above ground. He says you were hurt the other day and if I don’t keep you off schedule until he says so, he’s threatened to increase his cut in future trades. You stay up here for a week and I collect a thousand credits. You go below ground, I lose much more than that.”

Kayla froze as his words registered. She’d kill that manipulative bastard. The idea of a trader trying to control her was anathema to her. Fury made her reckless, and she slammed her hand against the wall in frustration.

“If brains were explosive, yours couldn’t make a ripple in a teaspoon full of piss,” Kayla spat. “He’s playing you, you idiot. He’s trying to control your operation and push me into accepting his offer. That’s what these traders do. Tell him you kept me above ground and collect your damn credits, but I’m going down.”

Leo’s face turned red at her words. Kayla knew she had overstepped herself, but she was too angry to care about the consequences.

“If you go, you’re out!” he shouted. “Don’t you dare drag Veridian down with you either. Just two days ago, Carl had our comm system bugged. He’s got the resources to find out if you drop below. I cross him and we’re out of the game, Kayla. You’ve already screwed up two trade relationships for me. As good as you are, even you aren’t worth this. I’ve got a dozen other people who need to eat.”

Kayla snatched her helmet from him. She couldn’t stay, not like this. Her emotions were clambering inside her, and she was close to her breaking point. “Fine. If you don’t have the balls to handle this, I will. I’ll deal with Carl myself.”

She yanked on her helmet and headed to her bike, ignoring Leo’s shouting behind her. Flipping on the engine, she backed up quickly, spraying dirt against the wall. He’d be pissed, but she didn’t care. She was furious and needed to let off some steam.

Throwing the bike into full gear, Kayla sped toward Carl’s camp. The landscape flew past her as she pushed the bike forward.

There’s no way in hell I’m going to let that insufferable, pompous ass coerce me into doing anything.

Kayla made the trip in record time and shut down the bike’s engine before climbing off. The ride had done little to cool her temper. When she recognized Carl’s speeder leaning against the wall, she kicked at it. Keep her above ground, will he?

Cruncher cut her off at the entrance, curtailing any attempt at storming the fortress. He scratched his head, looking puzzled by her appearance. “Hey, Kayla, I thought it was you. I don’t think Carl’s expecting you today. Did you decide to sign up after all?”

Kayla yanked off her helmet and tossed it on the ground. Fury lit her eyes. “Get your worthless, slimy, piece-of-shit boss out here so I can see how far my boot’ll go up his ass.”

Cruncher stared at Kayla, taken aback by her temper. “Uh, I guess that’s a no. I sent him a message when I saw you on the radar, but he’s on a commlink call right now.”

“Do I look like I give a shit? Get him out here by the count of ten, or I’ll find him myself and it won’t be pretty.”

Cruncher held up his hand and began, “Kayla, I’m sure he’ll—”

“One…” Kayla narrowed her eyes. “Two…”

“Uh, I’ll go check and see if he’s done.” Cruncher turned to go find Carl.

“That’s not necessary,” Carl spoke from behind him. “I finished my call.”

Carl walked toward the entrance, his brown eyes warming when he saw Kayla. He wore a loose, green shirt and a dark pair of UV pants. He looked as though he had just returned from being in the field, which pissed Kayla off even more. If he was determined to keep her above ground, he had no business going into the ruins himself.

She strode over to him, clenched her fist, and took a swing. Her fist connected squarely with his jaw. Shock flashed across his face as he stepped back, his expression now wary.

“Where the hell do you get off meddling in my affairs? You had no right to pay off Leo to keep me above ground.”

Cruncher’s eyes widened at her declaration. His jaw dropped, and he gaped at Carl. “Oh shit, Boss. You didn’t, did you?”

Carl gingerly rubbed his jaw but kept his expression neutral except for a slight tightening around his eyes. “If you’d like to discuss this, Kayla, maybe we could do so privately in my office?”

“Fine,” she snarled and stormed off down the hall toward his office.

“That woman packs a hell of a punch,” Carl muttered behind her.

Still fuming, she leaned against his desk and crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at Carl when he entered and closed the door, calmly engaging the privacy fields behind him. Kayla wasn’t sure if she should be impressed with his cool façade or kick him in the shins to get more of a reaction out of him. She shouldn’t be the only one who was having a shitty day.

“I’m sure I probably deserved the punch back there, but I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance to explain.”

He took her stony silence as consent and began. “I contacted Leo out of concern for your welfare and suggested you take a few days off to fully recover. He said he couldn’t afford to have one of his best scavengers lying around for a few days. I simply offered to cover the costs associated with that.”

“Bullshit,” she accused, pushing away from the desk. “Leo said you were going to cut into future trades if he didn’t agree.”

“Ahhh, well, yes, I might have indicated something to that effect.” He gave her a sheepish look and held out his hands in a placating gesture. “Leo, as well as yourself, can be difficult sometimes. You’re both stubborn, and I had to be a little firm with my request.”

Kayla put her hands on her hips. “You have absolutely no right to make any such requests. Call it off. Now.”

Now it was Carl’s turn to be stubborn. “Forget it. I view you as a potential asset and a pain in my ass. Either way, it benefits me exponentially to have you above ground for the next several days. If you come to work for me, I need you healthy. If you decide not to join me, a few days out of the ruins will only help my bottom line.”

“You’re nothing but a scum-sucking, OmniLab bootlicker who couldn’t hack it in the pits. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you control whether or not I go underground.”

“Watch it, Kayla,” Carl warned, his eyes hardening. “You can only throw insults at me for so long before you cross the line.”

Kayla moved to stand directly in front of him, challenging him with her eyes. “You don’t intimidate me, Carl. You may have your crew and the rest of the ruin rats wrapped around your little finger, but I won’t be one of them.”

Carl held her gaze for a long moment. Suddenly, he grabbed her and yanked her to him. He lowered his head to hers, almost punishing her with his lips. His kiss wasn’t gentle but was entirely consuming.

If this was what it felt like to be plundered, she would gladly surrender. His tongue invaded her mouth, questing and demanding a response. Kayla whimpered, and her body melted against his. Unable to resist him, she returned his kiss with equal fervor.

She vaguely registered his hands moving to unzip her jacket and tug it off. When he began kissing and teasing the sensitive areas of her neck and shoulder, she could barely think beyond the sensations she was feeling.

Kayla purred in his ear and nipped at his neck as he lifted her and put her on the edge of the desk. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him close to her. Her fingers worked their way down his muscular chest and up under his shirt to touch his bare skin.

Carl groaned in response. Pressing his lips against her throat, he inhaled deeply and murmured her name as his lips reclaimed her mouth. “You’re driving me crazy.”

His words brought her back to reality. Kayla broke the kiss and stared up at him. “What the hell am I doing? I’m a complete idiot.” She pushed him away. “Okay, stop. If you keep putting your hands on me and kissing me, I’m going to forget why I came here.”

“From my point of view, that wouldn’t be a bad thing,” he said huskily and pulled her closer to nuzzle her neck.

Kayla shook her head, trying to clear it, and pushed him away firmly this time. “Get back. I can’t think straight when you’re close. You’re too damn pretty.” She slipped off the desk and out of his grasp.

Carl stared at her and then burst into laughter. “Pretty? I don’t think I’ve ever been called that before. I’m not sure men qualify as pretty.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not seeing yourself from where I’m standing.” She shoved her hands in her pockets and took another step away from him. If she stayed any closer, she’d be all over him again.

“And you’re absolutely breathtaking.”

Her stomach fluttered as he gazed at her, desire clearly etched on his face. Her eyes widened. “Oh man, V’s gonna kill me. A freaking OmniLab trader. What the hell am I thinking? I’m beyond stupid. I’ve gotta get out of here.” She grabbed her jacket and headed for the door.

Carl caught her hand and stopped her. “Kayla, wait. What will it take to get you to join my crew?”

She turned to peer up at him. “I’m not joining your crew, Carl. What happened just now has nothing to do with your offer.”

His mouth twisted into a teasing grin. “Should I scan for another listening device?”

She gave him an exasperated look. “Oh, like you wouldn’t suspect that. Give me some credit, will you? I was just returning the favor. But no, I’m not joining your crew. It’s not that part of me isn’t tempted. But this life? For me? Not in a million years.”

“Why not?”

Something in his voice made her pause, and she turned to study him. He seemed to be sincere in not understanding why she would reject his offer. “Do you really not get it? You’re an OmniLab trader. From what I’ve seen, all you traders seem to do is try to run our lives. We’re constantly held under your thumb and have to tiptoe around you. If we piss off the great trader, we’re screwed. Our lives mean nothing to you. I mean, look at what you did earlier today. You threatened Leo, took away my freedom, and split up my team. Now you think I should join you? So I can give you and OmniLab more control over me?”

Carl blew out a long breath and released her hand. “I see.” He lowered his gaze for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. When he looked up, she saw the frustration and disappointment in his eyes. It wasn’t what she expected from a trader, and she wasn’t sure what to think about it.

“It’s obvious you have some pretty strong feelings about the matter. But not all traders are the same, Kayla. I’m not sure what you’ve been told or what you’ve experienced, but each of us has different styles. I try to guide my crew, but I wouldn’t say I control them. I trust them and rely on them.”

It was a nice story, but everything she’d experienced led her to believe otherwise. Kayla knew firsthand how cruel and manipulative traders could be in their dealings with ruin rats. Even though he seemed to be more trustworthy than others, it might be a ploy to manipulate her further. She wasn’t willing to take that leap of faith.

“I find that hard to believe. Your actions earlier were classic trader. Do you handle all your crew members the way you handled me? Do you decide you know best and order them around?”

Carl sighed. “No, I don’t. But then again, most of my team is much more sensible and cautious than you seem to be. From everything I’ve seen over the past several months and from what I’ve heard, you consistently push the limits. You’re talented, Kayla. You’re probably the best scavenger I’ve ever seen, but you’re also the most reckless.” When she didn’t reply, he took a step toward her. “I don’t want to control you. I respect your talent. I just don’t want to see your potential go to waste either from recklessness or an idiot like Leo who doesn’t know how to utilize your skills.”

Kayla glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Leo may have napped on the wrong side of the ion shield a few too many times, but he doesn’t try to control me. He may yell, scream, and threaten, but up until today, he’s always let me go my own way. You changed that, and it pissed me off.”

She wasn’t sure what Carl saw in her expression, but his eyes softened. He was silent for a long moment as though choosing his next words carefully.

“You’re right. I admit it wasn’t the best approach. I didn’t understand how important your independence is to you.”

His admission surprised her. Just when she was convinced he would react in a certain way, he would do or say something unexpected. She bit her lip, unsure how to handle this situation. The man kept throwing her off balance. The intense chemistry between them didn’t help matters either.

As though sensing her turmoil, he took her hand in his again. “Kayla, I want you on my crew. I’ll try to give you the freedom you seem to want. I can offer you things and opportunities you’d never experience as a ruin rat. If you decide this isn’t the life for you, you can always leave. You have nothing to lose.”

Kayla shook her head and pulled her hand away. It was too much—his touch, him, the whole OmniLab trader thing. “I can’t. Look, I appreciate the offer, but I won’t ever join a trader’s crew.”

A loud beep at the door interrupted them. Carl cursed and pressed the button to open the door.

Veridian entered the room, panic on his face when he saw Kayla and Carl together. He looked anxiously back and forth between them. “I came as fast as I could. Are you okay?”

Carl raised an eyebrow. “She’s fine. Why wouldn’t she be?”

Veridian shook his head. “Not her. You. Leo called me and told me Kayla was pissed off and headed here. I was worried she was going to come over here and try to kick your ass.”

“One punch is hardly an ass kicking,” Carl admitted.

Veridian’s eyes flew open. Whirling around to face Kayla, he threw up his hands in exasperation. “Are you crazy, Kayla? You hit him? You hit a trader?”

Kayla gave a small shrug. “I didn’t get to finish a full ass kicking. Give me a few more minutes and I’ll see what I can do.”

Cruncher stuck his head through the open door. “Sorry to interrupt, Boss. Ramiro and Vex just pulled up. You want me to bring them in here?”

Kayla jerked her head up to look at Carl. “Uh, would that be Trader Ramiro and his trusty sidekick?”

Surprise crossed Carl’s face. “You’ve met them?”

“Oh, shit,” Veridian swore, running his hands through his hair in agitation.

“What is it?”

Kayla shifted uncomfortably, not liking the turn of events. “Yeah, Ramiro and I go way back, and not in a good way. So, if you’ve got a back door, it might be a good idea to show us to it.”

“Oh?” Carl leaned against the desk, waiting for an explanation.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Veridian paced the floor. He spun around and pointed at Kayla. “Dammit, Kayla, this is what happens when we get involved with traders.”

Kayla gave Veridian an annoyed look and then turned to Carl. “Ramiro and I had a misunderstanding about a year ago.”

Veridian shook his head. “It was a lot more than a misunderstanding.”

“Keep them in the entrance for a minute, Cruncher,” Carl instructed. The moment Cruncher disappeared, he turned back to Kayla, “You’d better tell me fast.”

Kayla crossed her arms over her chest. “It was his own damn fault. I found that data cube. That pig-headed sack of shit stole it from me, so I stole it back.”

Veridian nodded, his shoulders slumping. “Not to mention she slapped him down in front of his crew when he made a pass at her. By the time he realized it was missing, she had already sold it to Warig.”

Carl gaped at Kayla. “The Aurelia Data Cube? That was you?”

“Well, you don’t see anyone else claiming credit for it,” she retorted, annoyed that he seemed surprised. “Besides, don’t you traders talk to each other?”

Carl took a deep breath. “Yes, but Ramiro was pretty tight-lipped about that one. Cruncher heard about it from some of Ramiro’s crew. It’s a low blow to a trader when an artifact like that disappears. They lose a lot of respect. He tried to keep it quiet as best he could.”

Carl’s commlink beeped, and he glanced at it. “Cruncher just met them at the entrance.” He pointed to Kayla. “Stay here. You’re a potential recruit, and I’m going to resolve this one way or another.”

Veridian gaped at Carl. “You’re crazy if you think Ramiro’s going to listen to anything you say when it comes to her.”

“He’s right. I tend to piss Ramiro off simply by existing. I appreciate the gesture, but you might want to show us a back door.”

Carl headed for the door, ending the discussion. “Forget it. You’re staying here. I’ll take care of this.”

Kayla grimaced and leaned against the corner of the desk, trying to mentally prepare for the inevitable showdown. She caught Veridian’s worried look and tried to give him a reassuring smile. There wasn’t much she could do to extricate the two of them from the situation. They’d have to roll with it.

She heard the voices in the hall and recognized Ramiro and his right-hand man, Vex. In Kayla’s opinion, they were both creeps.

The door slid open, and Carl and Ramiro entered, followed by Cruncher and Vex. A look of confusion crossed Ramiro’s face when he saw Kayla standing in Carl’s office.

Ramiro stood a few inches shorter than Carl but was considerably wider. He wasn’t overweight, but simply massive. His dark hair was cropped extremely close to his head, and his arms were covered with intricate tattoos. He reminded her of some pictures she’d seen of tanks from the pre-war era, both in stature and personality.

Vex was a bit taller and thinner than Ramiro, but his brown hair was slicked back away from his face, rather than cut short. His dark eyes narrowed dangerously when he saw Kayla. Neither one of them had much love for her.

“Heya, Ramiro,” she said cheerfully, giving him a little finger wave. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“You little whore,” Ramiro sneered, his face twisted in rage.

Before anyone could react, he leapt across the room, grabbed Kayla’s arm, and yanked her off the desk.

“Get your slimy, ass-grabbing hands off me!” she shrieked and kicked him. He backhanded her across the face.

Pain lanced through her cheek as she stumbled backward, falling to the ground. Carl and Veridian both tackled Ramiro and wrestled with him. Cruncher grabbed Vex and held him back.

Kayla scrambled to her feet and rubbed her throbbing cheek. Veridian and Carl both managed to subdue a raging Ramiro. He glared at her with venomous hatred. She considered blowing him a kiss to piss him off more but then decided that might be akin to suicide.

Carl gripped Ramiro’s arm and said, “We’ll let you go if you can keep your hands off her.”

Ramiro pulled away from Carl and Veridian. “Why are you protecting this little bitch, Carl? If you think you can trust her, you’re a fool.”

“She’s a potential recruit.”

“Bullshit,” Ramiro declared. “She’s screwing with you.”

Carl pulled up her contract on his monitor and pushed it toward Ramiro. “I’ve already made her an offer. See for yourself.”

Ramiro stared at the screen and his eyes narrowed. “She hasn’t accepted, and this doesn’t change anything. She owes me. I intend to collect.”

“I don’t owe you a thing. The Aurelia Data Cube was mine!”

“You stole it from my sector,” he snarled.

“Your crew cleared those tunnels!” she shouted, clenching her fists. “If they can’t figure out their asses are on fire with a flashlight and three-way mirror, that’s not my problem.”

“Wait a second,” Carl interrupted. “You cleared the tunnels, Ramiro?”

Ramiro crossed his arms. “You’re a trader, Carl. You understand how things work. Maybe my crew had already finished in that sector, but that was my sector. I offered her a generous finder’s fee for the data cube. She refused and then walked into my base and stole it.”

“You lying sack of shit,” Kayla spat. “Your ‘generous offer’ was five hundred credits and me flat on my back while you tried to figure out how to pilot my speeder.”

Carl’s eyes narrowed. “Is that true, Ramiro? If you said those tunnels were clear, you know she was damn well within her rights. As painful as it may have been, the data cube was hers.”

Ramiro turned to Carl in disgust. “You would take her side over another trader? She’s nothing but a piece of ass.”

Carl’s face hardened. Understanding crossed Ramiro’s face.

“Ahh, I see now,” he sneered. “You’re hoping to get a piece of her. So how much are you offering to pay her?”

Carl’s fist shot out, and he punched the man square in the face. There was an audible crunch, and blood gushed from Ramiro’s nose.

“You bastard! You’ll pay for that!” Ramiro yelled, grasping at his nose.

“Get the hell out of my camp,” Carl growled.

Cruncher pushed Vex toward the door and yelled for Xantham and Zane, who appeared a moment later. Along with Veridian, the four men forcibly escorted Ramiro and Vex out of the camp.

As soon as they were gone, Carl turned to look at Kayla. She gaped at him, incredulous that he had defended her against another trader. The side of her face was beginning to swell, but it was insignificant compared to the emotions coursing through her. She swallowed, deciding it might be best to make light of the situation.

“Well, shit, Carl.”

“What?”

“I wanted to be the one to hit him.”

Carl stared at her for a moment. He shook his head in disbelief and laughed. “Are you okay? It looked like he hit you pretty hard.”

“He hits like a girl,” she replied, gesturing to her swollen cheek.

“As I recall from earlier, some girls can hit pretty hard.”

Kayla considered that for a minute and then admitted, “Well, I guess he hits like a pissed-off girl, then.”

He chuckled and reached out to touch her cheek. Although his touch was gentle, she winced. “You need an ice pack on that cheek. Come with me and we’ll get you fixed up.”

“Do I get more of that scotch?”

“Against my better judgment, but sure,” he agreed, grabbing the bottle from the drawer. He took her hand and led her out to the common room. Plopping herself down in one of the seats, she poured herself a glass of the liquor while Carl put together an ice pack for her.

Elyot came into the room followed by a tall, fair-skinned, willowy redhead with hazel eyes. The girl’s gaze swept over everyone before settling on Kayla. “We heard the commotion. What’s going on?”

Carl handed Kayla the ice pack and introduced her to Jinx, a former ruin rat. “We had an incident with Ramiro.”

Jinx sat next to Kayla, studying her cheek. “Wow, the bastard hit you? I knew I never liked that guy.” Kayla pressed the ice against her cheek and winced. That made two of them.

Kayla looked up at the sound of excited voices to see Xantham, Cruncher, Zane, and Veridian enter the room.

Xantham walked over to inspect her cheek. “Holy shit balls! What the hell happened?”

Cruncher shook his head and stared at Kayla in amazement. “Unbelievable. You were the one who stole the Aurelia Data Cube?”

Xantham’s eyes grew huge. “No freaking way! That was you?”

Kayla looked around in exasperation, lowering the ice pack from her cheek. “I don’t know why everyone seems to have a hard time believing that. And it’s not entirely accurate. I stole it back. That pustulant zit on the ass of humanity stole it from me first.”

Xantham climbed over the chair and sat down. “I’ve gotta hear this story. You better start talking, girl.”

Carl nodded. “I’m curious too.”

The crew gathered around while Kayla pressed the ice pack against her face and took a sip of her drink. She didn’t usually subscribe to the practice of swapping personal tales with trader crews, but she figured she owed them an explanation. Carl hadn’t thrown her out on her butt after hitting him, and then he’d stood up for her against another trader. She gave him a long look, once again contemplating the sincerity of his earlier words.

Carl leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest like some sort of ancient warrior standing sentinel over his troops. His gaze, along with the rest of the crew, focused on her, and she resisted the urge to squirm under the scrutiny of an entire trader camp. She spared a quick glance at Veridian and he gave her a nod of encouragement. Somewhat reassured by her friend’s presence, she took a deep, steadying breath and began.

“Veridian and I were scavenging in a sector Ramiro’s crew had cleared the week before. I didn’t expect to find much since it looked like some sort of office building and was pretty picked over. I ended up locating a false wall that hadn’t collapsed. The room behind it had mostly trash in it, but I found a safe in the floor.”

She twirled the scotch in the glass and took a sip before continuing. “The data cube was in there, along with a bunch of journals that looked like lab records. I took the cube and the journals and went back above ground.”

Veridian nodded and added, “One of Ramiro’s crew used to come by to visit Kayla. He’s the one who told us the sector was clear. When he saw our bikes that day, he stopped by to see her.”

Kayla shot Veridian a warning glance. There were some things she wasn’t willing to discuss. “It was piss-poor timing. He saw my bag and called it in to Ramiro. A few minutes later, there was a freaking party in our tent. Ramiro demanded the cube, and I refused. It got ugly. Vex broke Veridian’s arm, and Ramiro took the cube from me.”

She paused for a moment before continuing the story. “After we got Veridian back to camp, I worked on a program to send false data readings to the UV guard at Ramiro’s camp. I drove out the next day by myself and told Ramiro I had reconsidered his offer. He took me into his office, and I activated the program. When the alarm went off, he left me to go check the equipment. I broke into his safe, took my data cube back, and ran.”

“Holy shit,” Cruncher muttered.

Kayla took another sip. “I knew Ramiro would be hunting me down, so I drove straight to Warig’s camp. I told him I’d found it in a cleared sector, and he bought it on the spot for forty thousand credits.”

Xantham let out a low whistle. “Damn, girl, that’s a lot of credits.”

Kayla shrugged. It was strange how some things seemed so important at the time. “It was fine until Ramiro found out I’d sold it to Warig. He flipped out and told Warig I had stolen it from him. Both traders blacklisted Leo’s camp on the spot. Leo was pretty pissed about it, but the forty thousand credits helped smooth things over. He decided it would be a good idea to get out of the area, so we picked up and moved closer to Henkel and Carl.”

“So that’s why you came this direction,” Carl mused. “You first popped up on our radar about a year ago, right after that incident.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like we had a lot of choice.” Kayla finished her drink and pushed away from the table. “So, thanks for the drink and the entertainment, but I think it’s time for us to head out. Come on, V.”

Kayla dropped the cold pack on the table and avoided looking at the surrounding faces. She knew she’d see a mix of emotions on them, some with awe and others with pity. She’d seen it before and wasn’t any more prepared to deal with it now. None of it changed anything. The past couldn’t be rewritten. There was no use dwelling on it.

Veridian moved to stand beside her, offering her the opportunity to retreat. With a smile, he took control of the conversation at the table and gave her a gentle nudge toward the door. She tossed him a grateful look.

Barely registering Veridian’s voice saying his goodbyes, Kayla headed toward the exit and nearly ran into Carl leaning against the wall by the door. When she met his eyes, he gave her a small smile and a brief nod. Her face flushed at the approval in his expression. Turning away, she hurried out the door, wanting to leave and rebuild her emotional shields before they collapsed.