Through Uncharted Space: A Phoenix Adventures Sci-fi Romance (7 page)

Dakota sat back against the pillows, but he could see she was turning it over in her head. “I’m going to regret this.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Fine. But if I get screwed over, I’m going to spend the rest of my life making your existence hell.”

He smiled. “Good. Now, one more thing to discuss. What happened with Golden Nova?”

She bit her lip, and as he watched her white teeth dig into her plump flesh, it gave him certain ideas.

“I infiltrated their cult.” She shivered. “I spent weeks in that colony with those sickos, bowing and scraping and listening to their dangerous, loony ideas. When I got close enough to the orb, I took it.”

His heart stopped. “You stole from Golden Nova.”

She nodded. “They had plans to find the treasure themselves. I’m pretty sure no one wants a terrorist cult who likes blowing things up to have billions of e-creds.”

Dare laughed. “You must have balls the size of planets.”

She gave him a sour look. “I can assure you, I don’t.”

Dare let his gaze drift down her tight, compact body.

“No, don’t look at me like that.” She shook her head and held out a hand. “Stick to those simpering women like those ones who were flirting and flinging themselves at you. They’ll be far easier to handle than me.”

He reached out and yanked her close, so their noses brushed.

“I don’t want them.” He saw her pulse fluttering at her neck. “And yes, I’m sure those women are infinitely easier to handle, but I’m not interested in easy.”

“Dare.”

“Dakota.” His lips were just a breath from hers. “I will never take anything from you by force. But I promise, you will give everything to me before we’re done.”

He saw something pretty close to panic skitter across her face.

He smiled and pulled back. “But for now, let’s set up a comm link with Eos.”

Chapter Six

Trying not to fidget, Dakota sat in Dare’s office, waiting for the comm call to connect.

The office was off the bridge, and it suited its owner perfectly. The man had a huge desk with a glossy black surface, and the latest high-tech comp sitting on top of it. Everything was neat, tidy, and in its place.

Rynan and Justyn were leaning against the wall nearby. Rynan was scowling and Justyn was grinning. Something told her that was usual for these two. Dare sat in his huge chair behind the desk, tapping on the comp screen.

She looked up and saw Justyn wink at her. She’d thought he’d resent her, for bringing Golden Nova trouble here, considering his wife’s link to the cult’s leader. But he seemed pretty easygoing. She saw Rynan elbow Justyn. All three of the brothers had this easy camaraderie that she found confusing.

Then Dare’s arm brushed against hers, and her thoughts scattered. She looked down, and she could almost hear the danger alarms going off in her head. He was too good-looking, too demanding, too masculine. She should get as far away as quickly as she could.

“I don’t think we should do this,” Rynan said, his voice holding an edge.

Dare’s gaze flicked up. “You’ve already told me this. Three times. Your concern is noted.”

“But it won’t make you change your mind.”

“Justyn’s agreed to pursue the treasure. That’s two votes to one, so we’re doing it.”

“I don’t trust her.”

Rynan didn’t look her way but she guessed he didn’t really need to. “I said I was sorry about your cuttership. I’ll pay to have that teeny tiny ding fixed.”

Boiling gray eyes met hers and she bit her lip. Rynan Phoenix was not happy with her.

The call connected, and the face of a pretty brunette projected up above the desk. Dakota recognized her instantly. The woman lifted a hand to wave hello, and Dakota saw the swirling floral mehndi design, similar to a tattoo, covering her hand and wrist.

“Hello, Dare. Oh, and Rynan and Justyn. It’s lovely to see you.”

“You too, Eos,” Dare replied. “You look as beautiful as always.”

“Thank you.” Eos smiled. “There’s that Phoenix charm.”

“Where’s my reprobate cousin?” Dare asked.

Eos’s smile widened. “Oh, Malin is visiting, so he’s helping her salvage some parts of an old starship wreck in the junkyard.” The astro-archeologist’s curious gaze lingered on Dakota. “What can I do for you?”

“We’re doing a recovery job with Dakota, here. She has a map we believe leads to a Terran treasure somewhere out here in uncharted space.”

Dakota barely controlled her jolt. Stars, hearing him blurt out her secret made her twitchy.

Eos’ gaze sharpened. There was a bright intelligence in her gold-colored eyes. “Go on.”

“Dakota, I’ll let you take over. This is Eos.”

Dakota nodded. “Hello. Um, I procured a map—” there was a small scoffing sound from behind her and she guessed it was Rynan “—and it leads to a Terran treasure.” She swallowed. “The Atocha Treasure.”

Eos leaned forward. “The lost treasure of the
Nuestra Señora de Atocha
? Most people don’t think it ever made it off the planet.”

“This coming from the finder of the mythical treasure of Star’s End?” Justyn said with a laugh.

Eos pulled a face at the man. “I didn’t say I believed that.” Her gold gaze moved back to Dakota. “I know the treasure was salvaged from the waters off the United States of America. But nothing I’ve seen suggests it ever left Earth.”

Dakota shifted. “It did. On a ship called the
Southwind
. A member of the crew got back to charted space. He left a map.”

“Incredible.” The archeologist’s gaze narrowed. “Wait…you said Dakota? Dakota Jones?”

Oh, stars
. Eos knew of her. Dakota stiffened. “Yes.”

A tiny smile tipped the corners of Eos’ lips. “I heard you got banned from the Institute’s museums.”

“I never stole from a museum,” Dakota said firmly. “I thought the deal was legitimate. Turned out that the astro-archeologist selling to me had a side job that wasn’t so legitimate.”

Eos nodded. “I’m no longer surprised at the kind of things that went on in the Institute. As you know, I haven’t worked for them for some time. So, the Atocha Treasure…it was said to be incredible.”

“Do you know what it might include?” Dare asked.

Eos’s smile widened. “I happen to have a fragment of a document from the ancient Terran treasure hunters who first discovered the wreck. The treasure hunter and his family searched for it for years, were obsessed with it and almost bankrupted themselves in the search. But they did find it and became its self-appointed guardians. They built a museum to house it, and then restored it, safeguarded it, and put it on display for the public to see.”

Dakota’s heart knocked hard against her chest. “You have a document about it?”

“My brother-in-law had the chance to visit Earth not so long ago. He brought back a lot of documents.”

Dakota knew that had to be the infamous Dr. Niklas Phoenix. Tales of his Earth expedition had reached all corners of the galaxy. “You know what was in the Atocha Treasure?”

“Yes. Over forty Terran tons of gold and silver.”

There were swift intakes of breath from the men. Dakota was so excited she could barely breathe.

“Gold and silver coins, ingots, artifacts. Some of Earth’s highest-quality emeralds. They couldn’t have shifted everything off-world,” Eos said. “But a portion of it could have been aboard the
Southwind
.”

“The crew member said his captain went crazy. That he was obsessed with the treasure and was duty-bound to protect it. From everyone. He deliberately crashed the
Southwind
on an uninhabited world.”

Suddenly, a quiet alarm sounded. Dakota frowned and saw the men trade glances. Dare glanced out the window and that’s when she saw that the ship was slowing down.

Rynan pushed away from the wall. “I’ll see what’s going on.” With a nod, Justyn followed him.

On the screen, Eos shifted. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“You’ve given us a lot,” Dare said. “Thank you.”

“You’ve been a fabulous help. Thanks,” Dakota added.

The archeologist tilted her head. “May I ask what you plan to do with the treasure if you find it?”

Dakota crossed her arms. “Probably not build a museum for it.”

Eos smiled. “I didn’t think so.”

“But Dare and his brothers will have a share. They can build a museum.”

Eos’ face stayed calm and amused. “There are lots of ways to safeguard our history’s treasures, Dakota. Being in a museum isn’t the only answer.”

Suddenly, a man appeared on the screen behind Eos. And it wasn’t Dathan Phoenix. Dakota took in the man’s black uniform and the silver enhancement at his temple. She blinked, her blood running cold. “Why is there a CenSec behind you?”

Eos waved a hand, unconcerned. “Oh, that’s just Xander.”

Dakota blinked again. Eos was on a first-name basis with one of the deadliest cyborg killers in the galaxy? People whispered about Centax Security cyborgs in dark corners, and if they saw them coming, they got their affairs in order.

Dare made a small sound. “Saros.”

“Phoenix,” the man—or was it machine?—replied.

Another small woman appeared on screen, pressing into the cyborg’s side. “Hi, Dare!”

“Malin.” There was a wealth of warmth in Dare’s voice. “How’s my favorite cousin?”

“Excellent, thank you.” She smiled, her short, dark hair feathered around her cute face.

“You look good. Your CenSec must be treating you right.”

These two were a couple? A tiny human woman and a giant, enhanced cyborg? Dakota’s head spun at the thought.

“How’s the convoy?” Malin asked.

“Great. We just headed out of the galaxy on a run. But we’re considering making a slight detour for a treasure hunt.”

Malin’s nose wrinkled. “Well, you be careful. And avoid any rogue planets.”

Dare smiled and nodded. Dakota guessed there was a story there.

The image flickered, distorting a little from interference. “We have to go,” Dare said. “Great to see you, and thanks again, Eos.”

“My pleasure.” Eos’ gaze landed on Dakota. “Good luck. And if you find it, I’d love to study some of it.” The screen went blank.

Dakota spun. “Your cousin is shacked up with a CenSec?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting family you have.”

“You could say that. So, we know your treasure isn’t worthless.”

She nodded. It felt so good to know exactly what she was looking for.

“Okay, now we make a plan to find it,” he said.

“That means you need to tell me about this world of spires, waterways, and bridges.”

His face darkened. “I think we need to go over all the information in your map. See if there is anything I or my team can pick out that’s familiar.”

“You’re not telling me something.”

“Dakota—”

The comp screen flashed to life again. It was Ry, standing on the bridge. “Dare, we need you on the bridge. We have a problem.”

***

Dare strode out onto the bridge with Dakota by his side. There was a tense atmosphere, all his crew looking his way with worried faces.

The
Nomad
wasn’t moving.

Dare automatically checked the screens. The convoy ships were all still in line, waiting on the
Nomad
.

“What’s going on?”

Nissa stood from the captain’s chair. “A power distributor failed. We’ve lost most engine power, and there’s no way we can travel at interstellar speed.”

Dare sucked in a breath, conscious of Dakota watching him. “What happened? When was the distributor last checked?”

“Before we left Galaxy’s Edge,” Ry answered. “It was in perfect condition.”

There was silence.

Dare didn’t like the implications. “You’ve got someone down there looking at it?”

“Geneva is down there, swearing at it.”

The ship’s engineer. The woman loved starships more than she loved people.

A muscle in Ry’s jaw ticked. “Right now, she’s thinking it’s been tampered with.”

“Fuck.” Dare was mad. No one tampered with his ship. Out here, it could mean death. “You’ve checked security footage.”

“Sayer’s in the security room. Hasn’t found anything.”

Dare looked at Dakota. She lifted her hands. “Wasn’t me. I wouldn’t know a power distributor from a spark plug.”

“Do we have a spare?”

Nissa shook her head. “Geneva says one is listed in inventory, but it isn’t there.”

“Dammit,” Dare bit out.

“Good news is that we’re pretty close to two planets that would have the parts.”

Dare had spent time cultivating relationships with most of the planets along the convoy routes. For situations just like this.

“Rostrum,” Nissa said.

Rynan crossed his arms. “No. It’s a safety risk. Its people have been locked in a civil war for decades.”

“And Sulla,” Nissa said.

Dare’s chest locked.
Damn
.

Dakota was watching him. “What is it?”

“Looks like you’ll get to see your city of spires and bridges up close, after all.”

“It has the parts you need?” Her eyebrows had risen. “And this world is close by, and you hadn’t mentioned it yet.”

He heard the hardness in her voice. “I was going to.”

“I thought they were a low-tech world.”

“No, but they do like to give that impression. Come on, we’ll have to get dressed for the occasion. My friend, Vero, will welcome us, but it is imperative we follow their rules.”

Dakota wrinkled her nose. “I hate rules.”

“Maybe you should stay aboard the
Nomad
while I—”

“Don’t even think about finishing that sentence, Phoenix.”

Yeah, he’d guessed as much.

Ry crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t like this.”

Dare didn’t either. Sulla was pretty on the outside, but with an undercurrent of ugliness and danger beneath. He’d prefer to leave Dakota on the
Nomad
, but she’d never stay put. Better to keep her close than have her run off on her own.

Hell
. Who was he kidding? He wanted her close.

“We’ll be fine. We’ll go in, negotiate for the parts, find out anything we can on Caleb Stock and be back.” He strode off the bridge, heading for his cabin.