In the Devil's Nebula (Phoenix Adventures #2) (11 page)

Zayn flicked a glance at Ria and smothered a
grin. She was bouncing on the horse in a way that made him want to
slide in behind her, grab her hips and help her learn to move with
the rhythm of the horse. Okay, it wasn’t just Ria’s
sure-to-be-aching ass that made him want to do that. He imagined
being pressed up against that lush bottom, their bodies rocking
together.

Shit
. The last thing he needed while
riding a horse was a hard on.

He focused back on the town. Across the
road, the two-story, white building was a hotel and beside it was a
more ramshackle version with a crooked balcony on the second floor
and a set of swinging doors at the bottom. Two girls leaned on the
balcony railing wearing tight corsets—one in eye-searing red and
the other electric blue—trimmed in black lace with skirts that were
long in back and short enough in front to show off plenty of slim
leg. The girls tittered at each other and then one blew him a kiss.
He pretended to catch it and the girls laughed.

“Phoenix, what the hell are you doing?”

Ria’s sharp tone had him raising an eyebrow.
“Just being friendly. Not often you see an honest-to-God saloon,
with a whorehouse.”

“Plenty of brothels all around the
galaxy.”

“Yeah, but none with this kind of
old-fashioned charm.”

Ria made a harrumphing sound. “The diseases
are all the same. How about we remember why we’re here? How are we
going to find Lastite Lala?”

Suddenly a boom thundered through the town.
The horses shied, Zayn’s rearing up on his hind legs. It took all
his strength to stay seated and calm it down. Surprisingly, Ria
managed to soothe her horse by talking softly to it.

Ahead, a huge cloud of smoke rose in the
shape of a mushroom above the dusty roofs.

Zayn smiled. “How about we start at the
explosion?”

Ria nodded and pointed her horse in the
direction of the billowing smoke. A small crowd had gathered around
a large hole in the ground. Smoke had turned the air hazy but it
was clearing quickly.

“You crazy-ass idiot.” One man in a battered
brown hat and boots was stamping his feet, his face red.

Beside him another man hopped from one foot
to the other, slapping at his singed trousers. “I’m not the idiot.
She is.” He stabbed a finger across the hole.

Zayn heard the riotous laughter now. Through
the clearing smoke, he saw a tiny slip of girl dancing around in
circles. She was dressed in a pink checked shirt and trousers with
a short white frilly skirt over the top. Her hair was a shocking
shade of neon pink.

“Blow it up, blow it high, blow it up into
the sky.” The girl did a pirouette. “You morons shouldn’t have
tried to steal my stuff. You can’t just come in and take someone’s
explosives.” She wagged a finger at them. “Bad, bad manners.”

“I guess we found Lastite Lala,” Ria
murmured.

Yep, they certainly had.

“You blew up our house. All our stuff,”
Burned Pants yelled.

Lala poked out her tongue. “I saw you
beating that horse of yours, Ray Baker. She never did anything to
you.”

“And you destroyed the train line up to our
mining claim.” The other man was red in the face. “All because of a
damned horse.”

“No, Clint. The train line is for what you
did to Clarissa over at the saloon. She was covered in bruises, you
bully.”

“You crazy bitch,” Ray spat.

Lala paused. “What did you call me?”

The men looked at each other, nerves wafting
off them.

“Did you call me a crazy bitch?” She looked
over at the crowd. “Did they?”

There was a murmur of “yeses.”

She broke out into a wide grin. “Why, thank
you.”

Ria shook her head. “She’s certifiable.”

“Should be fun taking her with us then,”
Zayn said.

It was then Zayn saw the two men drawing
their weapons and taking aim at the girl. Pulling his blade from
its sheath, he broke into a sprint.

“Zayn!” Ria tried to call him back, but he
was already running toward the men.

Damn him, she should have known playing hero
would be in his DNA somewhere. Drawing her pistol, she ran after
him.

As the men squared off with Lala, Zayn
called out. “Two grown men against a defenseless young girl hardly
seems like a fair fight.”

The men looked over their shoulders. Ray’s
eyes narrowed. “Stranger, you don’t want to get involved in
this.”

Clint nodded. “Besides, she’s not
defenseless. She’s more dangerous than everyone in this town put
together.”

Ria slowed to a walk, trying not to draw
anyone’s attention.

In a casual move, Zayn swiveled the knife in
his hand. “Look, just let her go and there’ll be no trouble.”

“Screw you.” Ray leveled his gun on
Lala.

Zayn moved so fast, Ria saw nothing but a
blur. He swung out at the other man and Ray’s gun hit the dirt.
With a cry, Ray clutched his hand to his chest, blood gleaming on
his wrist.

Clint spun, going for his own gun. Ria
stepped forward, her pistol aimed at his head. “Not a good
idea.”

“Time to go,” Zayn said to Lala with a
wave.

She skirted her destruction. “I’m good at
swift exits.”

Ria, Zayn and Lala backed away from the men.
Both were gritting their teeth, their fuming gazes on the trio.

Ria turned a corner, followed by the other
two.

“Well, it’s not every day a damsel gets a
rescue from a handsome stranger.” Lala shot Zayn a grin, eyeing him
up and down. Then she looked at Ria. “Thanks to you, too.”

Typical
. Lala might be just a girl,
but she was female. Helpless to the Phoenix charm. “You’re
welcome.”

“If you ever need some help of the explosive
variety, then look me up. I’m Lastite Lala to my friends… Hmm, and
Lastite Lala to my enemies as well.” She broke into a fit of
laughter.

Ria fought to keep her face blank. The girl
really was crazy.

On the edge of town, they slowed. “Do you
have family near here?” Ria asked.

“Family? Nuh-uh.” Lala shook her head and
did a little dance. “Only Fuzzy and Fred.”

Zayn traded a glance with Ria. “Are they
friends?”

“My robots.”

Zayn ran a hand through his hair.
“Right.”

This young girl lived alone on this
god-forsaken planet. Ria felt a rush of sympathy. She’d had a rough
life but at least the Guild had fed her, clothed her, given her
some sense of belonging and security.

“Well, I thank you again for my gallant
rescue.” Lala bobbed in a curtsy. “But now I need get back to my
hideout. Bombs to make, things to blow up.”

Zayn released a long breath. “I can’t let
you do that.”

Lastite Lala raised an eyebrow. “Say
what?”

“We’ve come a long way to find you.”

A pout curved across the girl’s lips. “For
some reason, you ain’t looking so handsome anymore.”

“Look, we aren’t going to hurt you.” With
those lightning fast moves of his, Zayn whipped out some
electro-cuffs and slapped them on Lala’s wrists. “We just really
need you in order to complete our mission.”

Lala eyed the blue glow of the cuffs. “You
really know how to ruin a perfectly good rescue.”

“Sorry, Lala. Like Zayn said, we need your
help for a mission. After that, you’re free to go.” Ria looked
around the dusty street. A small group of cowboys loitered farther
down the road. “Maybe you’d like to move somewhere else. Somewhere
less…dusty.”

“I’m sorry, too.” Lala snapped the gum she
was chewing. Then she leaned down and spat the gum at the cuffs.
The pink glob stuck to the metallic surface.

There was a tiny spark of light followed by
a puff of smoke.

Ria coughed. Zayn waved to dissipate the
smoke. The electro-cuffs fell into the dirt with a
plop
.

“What the—?” Zayn exclaimed.

Lala shoved her hands on her hips. “I’ve
already had one set of idiots try and kill me today. I’m not
planning to finish today off with a kidnapping.”

“You blew up the cuffs.” Ria stared
openmouthed. “Are you crazy? You could have blown off your
hands.”

The girl shrugged. “It’s a new prototype I’m
testing. Chewing gum that doubles as an explosive.” She grinned.
“Worked a treat. Now, I need to be going.”

She’d skipped three steps down the street
before coming to a hard stop. Ahead, the group of men had neared.
They all stood, legs spread wide, hands poised over their holsters
and hats pulled low. There was a jostling in the crowd as two men
moved forward.

Clint and Ray.

“Not good,” Lala murmured.

No, not good. Ria went for her pistol.

“Put it down,” Clint called out. He gestured
to his associates. Three men held rifles aimed at Ria, Zayn and
Lala.

Ria’s chest felt heavy. Her mind churned as
she sought a way out of this. Left with no choice, she set the
pistol on the ground.

“Now, Lala, I’m through with you and your
crazy antics.” Ray sliced a hand through the air. “Time for you to
meet your maker.”

Lala sniffed. “Screw you, Ray Baker.” The
girl snatched something from her pocket and rolled it toward the
group of men.

The small black ball bounced once, then
rolled up and hit Ray’s boot. “What the fuck—?”

There was a huge flash of light.

“Explosives!”

“Bomb!”

The crowd dove and scattered. Ria skittered
backward, her shoulder slamming into Zayn. He gripped her waist to
steady her.

A huge ball of smoke engulfed them all. Ria
coughed. The stuff worked its way down her throat and stung her
eyes.

“I can’t see,” a cowboy yelled.

“I can’t breathe,” another rasped.

As the cowboys panicked, Ria grabbed Zayn’s
arm and pulled him to the ground.

Fresher air hit her lungs and she gulped in
large mouthfuls. She heard Zayn dragging in air as well.

“I don’t think Lala is as crazy as she makes
out,” Ria said.

“I don’t know. I think you can be a genius
and be crazy at the same time.”

The smoke slowly cleared.

Ria scanned the street. “Damn it.”

Lala was gone.

“Slippery little thing. Probably how come
she’s survived so long on her own,” Zayn said.

Scarred boots stepped into view. “Lala might
be gone, but we also have a score to settle with you.”

Ria looked up. Ray towered above them, with
Clint and their cronies standing behind him. “Look—”

Two men grabbed Zayn’s arms and hauled him
up. Before Ria could say anything, Clint slammed a fist into Zayn’s
gut.

He groaned and jerked in his captors’ hold.
Another fist. Then another.

Ria felt a familiar calm descend. She swiped
out with her leg. Ray tumbled back, arms wind-milling. As he fell,
she exploded upward, swinging a fist at one of the men holding
Zayn. Still moving, she chopped a straight palm at the other,
hitting him in the throat. He stumbled back choking. Zayn stumbled
as well, wrapping an arm around his middle.

“Zayn!” Ria lost her concentration. How
badly was he hurt? Too late, she sensed someone behind her and
spun. They were close. Too close.

Ray slammed a rifle butt against her head,
smashing it into her temple.

As the world went gray, she felt herself
falling. She saw Zayn struggling, yelling, his hot blue gaze on
her.

Then she felt dust under her cheek before
darkness descended.

***

Heat seared through Zayn’s brain and body. He
tried to swallow but his mouth and throat were dust-dry.
Flame-burned son of a
… Had he and Dathan been on a kila
bender again?

His head was throbbing hard, a bouncing beat
that sent pain zinging through his ribs. He forced his eyes open.
Bright light speared into them and he squeezed them shut again. It
took him a minute to slowly open them again and focus on what he
was seeing.

The bouncing wasn’t in his head. He’d been
tossed over the back of a horse, his wrists tied so tight the rope
dug into his skin. He swallowed back some curses. Below him he saw
the rocky terrain of the desert. He lifted his head. The sun was
blaring down toward the horizon, baking everything in its path.

Diablo. Memories rushed back in.
Ria
.
Where was Ria?

Frantic, he looked around as best he could
from his awkward position. He spotted Clint and Ray seated on
horses ahead of him. They had two extra horses on long leads,
trailing behind them. When Zayn saw the feminine body draped over
the other horse, he released a long breath.

Then worry pounded into him. She wasn’t
moving. Was she okay?

Zayn tested the restraints. They were solid.
For now, he wasn’t going anywhere. Besides, he really needed to
assess how bad his injuries were. He remembered some rib-shattering
jabs to the chest and gut before a blow to the back of the head had
equaled lights out.

And Ria. She’d gotten a damn hard blow to
the head.

He forced the panic down. She was a Guild
assassin. She’d be fine. She had to be.

It felt like hours later when Ray and Clint
stopped the horses amongst a stand of straggly trees surrounded by
a high canyon. The rocky walls were striated in every shade of red.
The setting sun hit them, turning them a bloody scarlet.

Zayn remained still and listened to the men
muttering about making camp for the night. The next second, Zayn
was dragged roughly from the horse and dumped on the ground. The
drop made fire tear through his ribs and he clamped down on his lip
to stop an agonized groan from escaping.

Ray dropped Ria’s dead weight down beside
Zayn and stalked away. The men set about creating a fire and
setting up camp with the ease of long experience. They ignored Zayn
and Ria.

For now.

“Ria? Ria?” He kept his voice low

She didn’t move.

He managed to scoot over beside her. With a
nudge, he rolled her over and he sucked in a breath. One side of
her face was covered in dried blood. As best he could with his
bound hands, he searched for the wound.
There
. A bloody gash
on her temple. He probed it a bit, was gratified by a tiny groan.
It wasn’t too bad. Might scar without a medscope, but it wasn’t
life-threatening.