Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Dathan moved through the market stalls on Souk without slowing down.
He dodged the crowds, his mind going over everything they needed for the expedition. He hitched the now heavy backpack up on his shoulder. One last stop and they’d be finished.
“This place is amazing.”
He glanced at Eos. She stared out across the jumble of stalls in the crowded central market.
There were people from all over the galaxy—a melting pot of tall and short, white, brown and green, hominid and reptilian.
The clothes ranged from sleek silver jumpsuits to flowing head-to-toe robes.
The noise was a cacophony of languages and vendors touting their wares.
She drew in a deep breath. “The scents, the colors, the people. So much history from all over the galaxy packed into one place.”
Dathan tried to see it through her eyes. He’d spent so much time here he really didn’t see it much anymore. He made his purchases and left. He breathed deep and smelled the sizzling, spicy scent of chillia. The place was a dazzling mix of beautiful woman, smiling vendors, and snap-happy tourists.
But he saw the seediness round the edges.
The Kief dealers hanging in the shadows.
The pickpockets working their way through the crowd.
The darkened alleys leading to stores that sold things the nice people out in the market would be horrified to know about.
Maybe he’d been a part of that world for so long, he’d become jaded.
Or maybe he’d just been born rough. He glanced at Eos’ elegant hands with their beautiful markings, then his own rough, scarred ones.
Annoyed, he moved forward. “We aren’t here for a tour.”
Moments later, he realized Eos was no longer beside him. He turned and spotted her at a jewelry stall. She was turning something over in her hand and having an animated conversation with the stall owner.
God, she was glowing. Ever since they’d set foot on Souk, she’d come alive. Asking questions, looking at everything, absorbing it all. With her eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushed, she was captivating.
He wanted her. It was as simple and complicated as that. She was the opposite of everything he liked in a woman, but he wanted her. She was smart, probably too smart for him, but it attracted him. And she knew her purpose, what she wanted in life. That was a quality he both admired and envied.
God. Now was not the time. They were meeting Zayn and Nik back at the Infinitas in half an hour, once they’d all completed their shopping lists. He shouldn’t be focused on Eos Rai’s curvy body.
He walked up behind her. Heard her asking about the history of the man’s designs.
“We don’t have time for this,” Dathan said between clenched teeth.
“Dathan.” She looked back over her shoulder, a smile on her face. “Look at these, aren’t they gorgeous? The vendor’s from a planet called Eiran. His family’s been working metal for seven generations.”
Dathan barely spared a glance for the hammered metal designed to circle a woman’s upper arm. “It’s called a torq.”
“The quality is exquisite.”
He leaned in close, crowding her. “It’s what the men of Eiran buy to put on their wives.”
Her hand bobbled and she almost dropped the torq.
He let his lips brush her ear. “He puts it on her to mark her as his.”
She set the armlet back on the table. “It’s still beautiful. And if he truly cherished her, she wouldn’t mind wearing his claim.”
And damned if the tantalizing image of her naked, except for that metal wrapped around her slim arm, didn’t pop into his head.
He stepped back, noticed some uniformed figures moving through the stalls. “Looks like some of your friends are here.” He nodded ahead.
She turned, then hissed out a breath. “Institute.” She grabbed Dathan and yanked him into the crowd.
“Institute has a salvage ship in orbit.” He studied her pinched face. “How come you aren’t running over to say hello?”
Heat spread along her cheeks. “That leave of absence I’m on…it wasn’t exactly voluntary.”
Why wasn’t he surprised? “You pushed one too many buttons, huh?”
She shrugged a shoulder, something moving through her golden eyes. “I’ve spent my life dedicated to my work at the Institute. I thought they’d have more faith in me.” Her gaze dropped to the ground. “Does this change things?”
“What things?”
“I guess it’s another surprise.” She glanced blindly at the stalls. “Are you still going to take the mission?”
He tipped her chin up with one finger. “You getting temporarily booted out of the Institute makes me want this more, not less. Come on, we have one more stop to make then we’re due back.”
She released a long breath. “I can’t believe you have more faith in me than the people I’ve worked with for years.” She tossed her shoulders back. “Okay, Phoenix, where are we off to?”
“A merchant I deal with a lot.” He wended his way through the people and down a small side alley. The main market was for the tourists and the uninitiated. The backstreets were where real business was carried out.
“Not so pretty back here,” she said.
He watched the interest on her face. She was enjoying the less salubrious surroundings as much as the atmospheric bustle of the market. She was like a sponge, soaking it all in.
Suddenly a group of children surrounded them.
“Dathan, Dathan.” Grubby hands clutched at their clothes. Huge grins shone in dirty faces.
“Hey.” He ruffled the hair on one small head. “Leave the lady alone.” He snatched a Sync communicator out of one tiny girl’s hands and passed it back to Eos. “And her things.”
Eos’ mouth dropped open. She patted her empty pockets and then took the device from him.
Turning his back, he quickly grabbed some coins from his pocket. Not many places in the galaxy still used physical currency, but here on Souk, the kids could sell them. In a flash of small fingers, the money disappeared.
“Okay, off you go.” He waved a hand. Then he bent down to the little girl who’d lifted Eos’ Sync. He slipped something into her hand with a wink. She shot him a brilliant smile, then whirled and ran off in a swirl of ragtag skirts.
“Did you just give her your Sync?”
He glanced at Eos. Her golden eyes regarded him steadily. He shrugged. “I’ve got a spare and Nik has a whole collection of them. We’re always breaking them or losing them.”
“Or giving them to starving street urchins?”
He cleared his throat. “Come on.”
He tugged her along until they stopped at the doorway of a decrepit store. He pulled her inside. It was gloomy and stuffed to the brim with electronic junk of all kinds.
A man’s head popped up from behind some boxes. “Dathan!”
“Hi, Selesos.”
The small electronics whiz had a booming voice for such a slight figure and a mass of curly red hair that surrounded his head like a dust cloud. “A pleasure to have you back in my store.” His dark gaze flitted to Eos. “Ah, and you bring lovely company. Much prettier than those brothers of yours.”
“Hi,” Eos said with a smile.
“How are your wives, Sel?”
“As demanding as always.” He let out a gusty sigh. “But my wise God tells me I should take as many as I can provide for.” He smiled. “A burden I must bear.”
“And the kids?”
Now Sel smiled. “Excellent. All of them.”
“Good to hear. Now, I need two of what we discussed on our call.”
The man’s smile vanished. “Not sure I have them in stock.” He tapped a finger against his lips. “If I do, it’ll cost you.”
Dathan knew the drill. Besides, with three wives and eight kids, he figured Sel needed it. Dathan pulled out a round, silver medal from his backpack and set it on the counter. “That should do it.”
Sel’s eyes widened. “I think I might have what you need. Wait here.” He vanished into a back room.
“That’s a priceless artifact,” Eos said. “Terran Olympic medals are rare.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Hence why I can purchase what we need. You gonna give me the ‘this belongs in a museum’ speech?”
She shrugged. “I’d like to. But you aren’t going to listen and besides, it would be a tad hypocritical of me since I’ve promised you the Mona Lisa.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I want to find Star’s End, prove that it’s real, so it’s time I accept what I’m willing to do to get there.”
God, she had steel under her smooth skin. He’d expected a sharp tongue all the way to Beta7, not tough practicality.
She touched a broken screen and some crumpled console parts. “You get electronics from him?”
“Nope.”
As she wandered across the cramped shop, Sel hustled back in. “Here you go.”
Dathan took the two small packages, studying all sides.
“Grade A, as always, Sel. Thanks.”
Eos moved closer and glanced over Dathan’s shoulder. She hissed. “Are those explosives?”
He sighed. “You want to tell everyone in the area we just purchased illegal weapons?”
Her mouth snapped closed. “What do we need them for?”
“You never know.” He slipped the explosives into his pack.
Sel leaned forward. “I have something else you might be interested in.” He set two silver boxes on the counter.
Eos made a choking sound. “Plasma nets.”
Sel nodded, his smile wide. “And you’ll never guess what the old guy I bought them from told me. Said he’d invented plasma nets, but the company he worked for stole the design, made all the money, and fired him.”
Dathan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You believe stories like that, Sel, and you’ll go out of business real quick.”
Sel laughed. “I haven’t told you the good bit. The guy didn’t tell the company he’d programmed in a master code that works on all of them. 7591.”
Dathan shook his head. “Thanks, Sel, but you can keep your nets and your story.”
“Anytime you need something else, you give me a call. Anytime.”
Dathan waved at Selesos and pulled Eos back into the alley. Moments later, they merged back into the main market.
As they passed some stalls, he watched Eos’ gaze take in every detail. She shoved her hands in her pockets, almost vibrating with the need to touch.