Ka'Cit's Haven (Riv’s Sanctuary #3)

FUCK!

One more glance at Ka’Cit and he was as still as stone.

No one in the lounge made a sound except the Hedgerud—no, Hedgeruds, plural.

Judging from the voices, there were at least four of them.

“—deliver the shipment.” One of them was talking and she only realized this fact now that she’d calmed down enough to listen.

“Don’t know why the qrak we have to go to the excrement center that is Port Six.”

“You know they give our team the bad runs. Maybe if you’d pledged allegiance sooner we’d get better assignments.”

“You should talk to the boss about it.”

One of them scoffed. “And get my head chopped off. Qeffing qrak. I have a life to live…jekins to phek.”

They chortled at that and it caused a painful memory. Images of being in that alien slave ship and their laughter came right back to her like it was yesterday.

They had yellow eyes and elongated snouts with wicked teeth. They hadn’t cared how frightening they were. They would laugh right in her face, if only to scare the shit out of her.

And it had worked. It had worked so well that they’d kept doing it.

They were scum.

“It’s talix metal though. Why Port Six? We’ve never sent talix through Port Six before.”

There was a sound like someone got hit over the head. “Shut your mouth. These degenerates don’t need to know what we’re carrying.”

But the Hedgerud had already said enough.

Talix metal.

Wasn’t that what Ka’Cit said had been in that package? The one they needed to retrieve from the smuggler?

She glanced up at him and realized that he’d been as still as stone because he’d been listening far earlier than she’d thought.

His gaze met hers and they turned from cold ice to warm green. Then alarm passed through his eyes.

He shook his head a little to tell her no.

“We have to try,” she mouthed, her whisper almost inaudible.

“Not on my life. I’ve already put you in enough danger. If they so much as see you…”

She knew what he meant.

If she was caught, they were going to bring her right back to the slavers.

But there were humans that needed her help.

On this side of the universe, they were outnumbered and the odds were always against them.

She couldn’t simply not do anything.

“We can do it.”

Ka’Cit studied her. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”