Caayn watched the ship dock. Vessel A-7568. Frax’s ship. The doors slid open and out stepped Captain Frax.

Frax’s vessel was sleek and shiny, made for speed—not the speed his vessel had, he thought with derision, but it was still a nice new specimen that the government had invested plenty of coin in.

Caayn sneered. He’d attended tertiary with Frax. Useless, conniving, bastard.

Caayn had taken pleasure in plundering Frax’s vessel three years ago. Of course, Frax didn’t know it was his old classmate. And Caayn wasn’t about to tell Frax he was the one who’d held them up and pirated the taxes they’d collected from the innocent citizens of a remote farming community on Marcomal.

Now, Caayn would never confess to being the type to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Not exactly. Though he did do that. He also took a small cut for himself. Small being five percent. But five percent of many coins yielded many coins.

Naturally, he gave up that way of life. He wasn’t sure why he did it to begin with. Except that he hadn’t wanted a penny of his father’s money. His father had rejected him for many years until it had been proven that Caayn really was his son from an affair long before he met the woman he married, Tramark’s mother. So Caayn had been the black sheep. And he’d dealt with it.

Now his father was gone, Tramark’s mother as well, and all that was left was Caayn and Tramark. Legally, the old man had claimed Caayn, but once a black sheep, always a black sheep, as far as Caayn was concerned. But now, he didn’t shun his inheritance. He’d even taken steps to look into his ancestry a couple of times. And he’d become closer to Tramark.

Though, this time, I’m going to kill him for this stunt.

Sitting at the space station, waiting for Frax’s ship, Caayn had formed solution to his brother’s folly though. He’d come up with a brilliant one.

“There he goes,” Ruska said, pointing at Frax’s doughy, under-exercised body.

Ruska, Caayn’s second, was privy to the situation. Privy to Caayn’s plan to get out of the situation. Situation being the hand-fasting his brother had locked him into contractually.

Can’t hand-fast to a woman who’s been kidnapped.

Even if he was the one who did the kidnapping. Yes, even if. She’d never know it was him. The government would never know. She’d simply have vanished. He’d be free.

“You didn’t say, by the way,” Ruska added.

“Say what?” Caayn raised a brow.

“Say what you planned to do with the cargo—the women.”

“Yeah, you’ve been asking that.” Caayn kept his gaze focused on the doors. If they’d come out, if she’d come out, it would be so much easier than jacking Frax’s entire ship.

He wouldn’t get that lucky, would he?

“And you’ve been avoiding that.”

“I have no clue. I don’t know what I’m going to do with her,” he kept his voice to a low hiss. “Quit bugging me about that.”

His conscience was troubling him enough about this matter. He would be kidnapping a woman. He didn’t deal in the trafficking of individuals, regardless of what planet they were from.

Finally, he looked at Ruska. “Rush.” His nickname for his second in command. “I’m no—I don’t—”

“There.” Rush inclined his head. “Is that her?”

Caayn studied the attractive brunette. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? Was there no picture provided?”

“I didn’t look at the file. Didn’t care.” Why would Rush think that he would have studied the file on a woman he had no intention of including in his life?

“Cursed stars.” Rush made a whooshing sound under his breath. “You are in trouble.” He pointed.

“Don’t point, damnation. You’ll attract attention.”

Caayn looked.

Two more women were exiting the vessel.

“Barmanese cluster of damned stars,” Caayn exclaimed. He wished he’d looked at a picture of the woman he was to hand-fast.

“Which one is her?” Rush asked

“Well, how the creations of Alvas would I know?” Caayn responded.

“So, looks like now we’re going to have three passengers?”

Caayn rolled his eyes. “Unless a few more exit the ship.” Then what?”

“I don’t think…” Rush began.

One look from Caayn and he backed off.

“So, that’s what we’re doing, right?” Rush mustered up the courage to look past Caayn’s dark gaze.

“Looks like it.”