The Star Thief Read Online Free Page A

heel, Renna kicked out, taking the first ninja guard by surprise. Her boot connected with his stomach, and he grunted, doubling over and clutching his abdomen. Before she could line up a shot, the second guard sprang at her with his sword. She tried to knock it away with the barrel of the gun, but the metal of the sword sliced right through it. She stared blankly at the blaster for a split second before ducking beneath his backswing.
    She lashed out with her foot, catching him on the ankle. He twisted as he tumbled, grabbing her arm with his free hand and pinning it behind her.
    The first man let out an angry hiss and grabbed her other arm, raising his sword. Renna stared down the length of the shining metal. She’d seen what it had done to those other men. She knew exactly how she was going to die.
    “You boys sure like to play with your swords,” she drawled breathlessly. It was hard to stay nonchalant pinned against the hard chest of a murderer.
    The sword tip quivered inches from her chest, and she puffed it out even farther so that the tip touched the buttons on her shirt. “Sure would be a shame to ruin these perfect breasts. I can assure you they’re all natural. No work done here, boys.”
    Dark blue eyes watched her from behind the mask, and she shivered at the man’s cold glare. But the sword didn’t move.
    Her limbs tingled. Was this actually working? “If you let me go, I’m sure we can work something out to our mutual agreement.” She smiled slowly, raking her gaze up and down the man’s lean form.
    “Get her to the van,” he ordered, lowering the weapon. He had a voice like aged honey, rich and deep and almost familiar.
    The man behind her grabbed Renna’s arm. “Try to escape and I’ll kill you.”
    She stood perfectly still, the five men garbed in black closing ranks around her. There was one missing. Myka !
    On cue, the soldier strode up the parking ramp, carrying the struggling boy under his arm.
    Myka pounded at him with his fists, screaming. “Get the hell off me, you fucker!” The man moved like he didn’t feel a thing, dropping the kid in a heap of too-thin arms and legs in front of Renna.
    “Tie them up and load them into the van,” her captor ordered. The smooth metal of an exovise clamped around her wrists. At least he’d tied them in front of her. A flash of light in her peripherals told her Myka’s soldier had done the same to him.
    Once she was seated on the long bench inside the van, one of the soldiers leaned close to tie a blindfold over her eyes. She heard the boy struggling against him beside her. “Get off me!”
    “Take them back to base. We’ll stay and clean up this mess. And watch out for that one. She’s dangerous.” The door slammed with a thud, rocking the van, and Renna fought the acid burning her throat. In all of her years as a mercenary, she’d never been caught, never been in a situation she couldn’t get out of. And here she was, trapped like a common criminal. She was better than that, dammit!
    The van circled the parking lot, and she felt them descend the ramp into the parking structure. They circled round and round in silence for several long minutes before she felt the magnacraft straighten out. The sounds of other hover cars and wingcraft around them told her they were on a busy street, but after the circling, she had no idea which direction they were headed. Usually, she’d rely on her implant to track their movements, but it had been destroyed in the crash. She was working blind.
    Beside her, Myka pressed his shoulder to hers, as if needing the human contact. “I’m not going back in that cage,” he said fiercely.
    Her hands twitched to comfort him. She wasn’t one to get maternal, but for some reason, this boy got to her. Maybe he reminded her too much of herself at that age. Whatever it was, she had to get him to safety. If only she knew where safety was.
    “So you grew up on Banos Prime? Were your parents miners?” she asked, hoping