As they approached, Zuniga sat up, rubbing his hands together. “And this must be my cat. Jules told me you were on the way up.”
Layth pulled the carrier from its false crate while Meja sat on the couch opposite the man. “Will be, at least. There’s the matter of our transaction first.”
“Of course, of course. But let’s see the merchandise, shall we?” He reached across the small space and squeezed her knee affectionately.
Anger speared through Layth’s gut. If three-hundred-thousand credits wasn’t riding on this deal, he’d already be on the way out. This asshole was everything he hated about where he’d come from. About the type of person he’d been. He passed the carrier to Meja without comment, while a waiter jogged up and handed Rhys a jeweled collar with a thin chain lead. Because of course. It was all Layth could do not to roll his eyes.
She lifted Collins out of the carrier, and the buyer practically squealed. “Oh, he’s smaller than expected. But still beautiful!” His voice went nasal as he leaned in to ruffle the cat’s cheeks. “You’re beautiful, yes you are!” His squeezed at the corners of Collins’s jaw, forcing the cat’s mouth open so he could check the teeth.
“It’s a domestic, Mr. Zuniga. Not a lion.” Meja pulled back, bringing Collins with her. Layth tensed, feeling the anger that flashed through the other man. “He’s also still a baby. He’ll grow more over the next six months.”
He glanced at the collar next to him, almost comically big for the house cat. His lips tightened as he looked back at the animal. “He’s been maimed!”
Layth blinked, not entirely certain what the man meant, but Meja clearly understood. She tucked Collins back into the carrier as she spoke, voice calm. “Mr. Zuniga, I informed you in our communication that the cat would be neutered. Unauthorized litters would only serve to strengthen genetic mistakes and deflate the overall value.”
“I thought that was a disclaimer. Why purchase a stolen cat if it comes with the same restrictions as going through Golden Ratio?”
“This cat isn’t stolen. It was slated for destruction and rescued. And you would go with my animal because it’s still one-hundred-thousand credits cheaper, while still being an animal of quality.” Meja’s voice had an edge to it that he hadn’t noticed before.
While not physically imposing, especially compared to the three guards, Layth moved to stand behind her.
“I’ll pay you half, since he’s been mutilated.”
Layth actually laughed out loud, drawing a look of ire from Zuniga. Meja raised her hand to mollify them both. “That’s not what we agreed upon.”
“Where else are you planning to go? It’s not like you’ll find a buyer on every corner.”
“I’m willing to take my chances.” She stood and handed the carrier to Layth and stepped around the side of the couch before Zuniga caught her by the wrist.
“You’ll sell to me, at my price, or I’ll tell Golden Ratio where to find you.”
That thought made Layth’s hands sweat. GRCA was very protective of its assets, but by being at the far end of the TriSystems they were somewhat better protected from the sunward-based company doing random searches. But if they knew where Meja was? The company had the resources to get her back.
The urge to protect her was as foolish as it was strong. He didn’t stick his neck out for people. Not anymore. That was how you got your heart broken.
Meja tugged free of Zuniga’s grasp. “If you feel like you must, I won’t stop you. But obviously I’m even less inclined to humor you than I was. We’re finished here.”
Layth was impressed that she could keep her footsteps slow as she walked out of the club as though nothing had happened. Then they were on the street, and she collapsed against the wall.
Immediately, he was next to her, Collins all but forgotten. “Are you okay? That was amazing.”
“I’m fine. Just…call an autocab? I don’t think I can walk back to the spaceport.”
He tugged out his Omni. “Of course.”
8
Meja tapped her omni against the console in the center of the autocab and sat while Layth gave the onboard computer their destination. Anger still thrummed in her veins alongside a heavy emotional weariness at the realization that they were heading back to the Sentinel empty-handed. There would be other leads, she knew, but it would take time. And she’d work harder to vet them whoever she chose to sell to. They might be a paycheck and a status symbol, but each of the kittens deserved to go into a home where it could be loved.
Layth surprised her by sitting next to her, rather than across, as the cab eased away from the curb and into traffic. “Now seriously, how are you?”
The concern in his face should have been more of a surprise; she was too tired to try to make sense of it. “Frustrated,” she finally said.
“If it helps, he was a bad choice for Collins.” Layth spoke to the window, or maybe to the street passing by outside. Because of its distance from the sun, all of the worlds in the Accipiter system were dim at the best of times, but now streetlights and LED neon streaked the glass from outside and flashed a rainbow of colors through the cabin of the vehicle.
“I figured you’d be upset about not getting your paycheck.” It was a cheap shot, and she felt guilty for saying it out loud. “I’m sorry.”
“No. I deserved that.” He exhaled slowly, and his shoulders tensed as he came to a decision. “Where the money comes from is more important than getting paid, sometimes.”
“That doesn’t seem like a very pro-smuggling attitude. At least not a lucrative one.”
“And yet.” He shrugged. “If it was about money, I wouldn’t be where I am.”
She reached into the carrier and ran a hand down Collins’s back. The cat stretched out, purring as he pushed into her palm. “You mean babysitting me?”
“I mean on the Sentinel.” He looked back out the window, and for the first time she noticed the few silver hairs sprinkled into his auburn curls. After a long silence he said, “My family had plenty of money. I just didn’t agree that it was an end in and of itself.”
Meja rested a hand on his shoulder and felt him tense at the touch, but he didn’t pull away. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“What’s to say? We disagreed. I left. They thought it was a juvenile stunt and have waited for me to come crawling back to them ever since.” He still looked out the window, but she could see his eyes were focused on some middle-distance event in his mind.
“How long ago?”
“Ten years. Plenty of time for me to have gone back if I wanted to.”
“But you won’t.”
“No.” He reached up and patted the back of her hand before taking it off his shoulder. “But you don’t need to know my reasons or get burdened with my bullshit. You’ve got enough on your plate. Suffice to say I didn’t like that guy, and he wouldn’t have appreciated Collins as anything more than a trophy to flog around. Shit.”
The last word caught her off-guard. “What is it?”
“We’re slowing down, and we’re nowhere near the spaceport.” He tugged out his omni and sent a message. “Text Hicks. Things are going to get interesting. Wait for us until you can’t.”