Free On a Rogue Planet by Anna Hackett Page A

voices had almost reached the cockpit.
    Malin’s gaze raked his face, something in her expression softening. “Yes, it pleases me.”

Chapter Eight
    As Dathan and Nik strode into the main cabin, Mal reluctantly pulled away from Xander.
    Holy stars, her entire body was vibrating.
    Simply from a kiss.
    She could not believe the transformation in him. No way would she pick him as an emotionless CenSec now.
    His bare chest was oiled and shone under the cockpit lights. The amazing temp tattoo covered the left side of his chest. Eos had outdone herself. It was an interlinked design of cogs that incorporated and hid his implants. It snaked up his neck, right up to his temple.
    He looked so hot.
    Mal dragged her gaze off him and looked at her cousins.
    “Right, we need to—” Dathan came to an abrupt halt. “Holy hell, Mal.”
    Mal shifted uneasily and held her arms out to the side. “I’m thinking of making this my new salvage yard uniform. How do you think it’ll look with a tool belt?”
    Dathan blinked. Niklas was frowning.
    Lala sashayed in with Eos. “Sexy cyborg, you look deeeelish.” Lala shot Xander a wide grin and licked her lips. “Hubba hubba, where were you hiding all those muscles?”
    Dathan and Nik pulled their gazes away from Mal to frown at Lala. She shot them an innocent smile.
    Eos bustled forward. “Okay, let’s talk plan of attack before we hit orbit around Rhage.”
    Dathan reluctantly moved toward the holo-table. “I’m thinking Mal needs a coat.”
    Mal scowled at her cousin.
    “As do I,” Xander added.
    Her head whipped around to face him, her scowl deepening.
    “Stop it, all of you,” Eos touched the holo-table. “Malin’s a grown woman. Get used to it.” Eos tossed her long braid over her shoulder. “Now, let’s talk about what you need to do once you set foot on Rhage.”
    “Prime objective is to find out who has the information on the Antikythera,” Xander said. Mal noticed his gaze was locked onto her bare legs, and she suppressed a smile.
    “You’ve been scheduled to fight later in the night,” Niklas said.
    Mal growled. “What do you mean, fight? He can’t fight!”
    His gaze flew up to hers. “I won’t lose.”
    She rolled her eyes. “I’m more worried about you being hurt.”
    He blinked. As though no one had ever expressed worry for him before.
    She shook her head. “No. We need to get the information and get out before your fight.”
    “I agree with Mal,” Eos said. “I think it’s a far better option to avoid the pits. Dathan, you found some info on who might know where the Antikythera is.”
    “Yep.” Dathan leaned a hip against the holo-table. “Informant came through about the head honcho of the Rahl. Guy called Gurion.” Dathan wrinkled his nose. “Not a nice person. Highly volatile, big anger-management issues.”
    “That doesn’t sound good.” Mal worried her lip.
    “I will deal with him,” Xander said.
    “Nope.” Dathan shook his head. “My informant recommended we steer well clear of Gurion. He’s prone to challenging people to fight in the pits on a whim. And he’s never lost.”
    “Never?” Mal squeaked.
    “Never. I believe the words ‘fair fight’ don’t feature in the Rahl’s vocab.”
    “Very true.” Eos tapped the holo-table, reading the display. “From what I can find about their pit fighting, there are no rules. Or rather, there may be rules, but they aren’t followed or enforced. For example, supposedly there are no weapons allowed in the pits, but if you manage to sneak one in and use it…” she shrugged. “No one cares.”
    “Win, in whatever way possible.” Xander made the statement like he understood the sentiment.
    Mal guessed CenSecs liked getting the job done as efficiently as possible.
    “So, you want to avoid Gurion.” Dathan tapped the screen. “Instead you need to find this man.”
    An image flashed on the screen. Definitely a Rahl but older and smaller. Nowhere near as tall and muscled as the