Samhain Publishing

On the edge of freedom lies a dangerous love.

Fringe, Book 1

Nothing has ever come easy for Jace Lawless, captain of the salvage vessel Mutiny. Forced into thievery after a virus unleashed by the InnerWorld Government killed his family, only one ambition burns at the back of his mind. Kill the next IWOG officer he has at his mercy.

Bargaining over goods with a middleman isn’t exactly his strong suit. But who in his right mind spends an entire salvage job’s profits on a woman, even if she has a body built for sin and eyes so fathomless a man could lose himself in them? He must be getting soft.

Once Kraft realizes Jace expects only the “cook” part of their cook-whore contract, she sets out to change his antiquated ideas about women. A challenge she relishes, especially if it earns her the freedom and money to get her own ship. Her big mistake is letting down her guard.

Shameless flirting only intensifies the itch to ride Jace hard and put him away wet—several times. It’s an itch it would be dangerous to scratch. Exposing her heart could reveal her secret, one that the still-grieving Jace must never know…or showing her mercy will be the last thing on his mind.

The Wild West meets space adventure—Anitra Lynn McLeod’s Thief is rip-roaring, sexy fun!
—Susan Grant, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Warrior

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Copyright © 2010 Anitra Lynn McLeod
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

“I hate to be so forward, Captain Lawless, but I insist you be bare.” Kraft nodded to his hips.

“Of what?” Jace asked. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind of what this woman could do to him. Not all of them wholly unpleasant.

“Weapons. Not clothes.” She considered. “Unless you’d like to take them off.” She dropped him a saucy wink. “I’m a bit short of time at the moment, but I wouldn’t mind a quick dance in your trousers.”

Gritting his teeth, he dropped his pistols, a dagger, and put his hands back to level with his shoulders. If she had taken an interest in him, perhaps he could distract her long enough—Kraft dropped her blade tip to his heart.

“You have a chance to live to fight another day, Captain Lawless.” Her voice rolled soft and seductive. “Foolish to spoil it now.”

Could she read his damn mind? He looked at the blade to his heart, and then up to his captured crew. “Let them go.”

Fathomless black eyes pinned him. “You’d give me the hold and yourself in exchange for your crew?”

“If you’d honor such a trade,” Jace said.

“They say there is no honor among thieves.”

“Is that what they say?”

She considered him, her gaze seeming to delve right into his soul. “Let us suppose there is honor among thieves. What would that make you? Honorable, or a thief?”

“Both?” He shrugged.

Her eyes lit up. “An honorable thief?” She pondered the idea. “Tell me, Captain Lawless, would your crew hold to your word when you are in mind not to?”

“They stood down,” Jace pointed out. “What more do you want?”

“You itch to grab my blade and turn it on me.” Her dark eyes stripped him.

“There’s an idea,” Heller snarled.

Jace wished Heller would shut the hell up for once.

The gigantic armor-clad woman behind Heller gave his bonds a yank, and he yelped like a pup.

“Don’t hurt him, Danna. Not yet.” Kraft considered Jace with a speculative gaze that disturbed and aroused him all at once. She flipped three feet of black, linen-bound hair over her shoulder with a toss of her head.

“Can’t we just kill ’em?” Danna asked.

“Wouldn’t be neighborly,” Kraft said. “They haven’t given us a reason to. Isn’t likely they will. I think I found more than a smart man. I think I found an honorable one.”

The women of her crew laughed, but Kraft seemed genuinely perplexed. She examined him like one would an exotic pet of dubious origin. As she did, Jace studied her face. High, sharp cheekbones set off a wide, sensuous mouth. No make-up, but her highly creamed, coffee-colored skin didn’t need enhancement. He’d never seen such stark, powerful beauty in his life.

Heller struggled against Danna, who edged a blade out of her hip holster. Still looking directly at Jace, Kraft said with soft menace, “Move your blade another inch, Danna, and this time I won’t let any doctor reattach what I hack off.”

After a momentary consideration of her right arm, Danna shoved the blade back into her hip holster.

“Got eyes in the back of your head?” Jace asked Kraft. How did she know what he was thinking and what her crew was doing?

“Could be.” Kraft nodded. “Or maybe I just know my crew.”

“Maybe her crew would be happier on our side,” Heller said.

“Fetch!” Danna tightened the rope around Heller’s hands a notch, and when he grunted she smiled, obviously enjoying her work, maybe a little too much.

“Don’t waste your breath,” Kraft said to Heller as she kept her attention on Jace. “Danna hates men. She likes to carve them up like pumpkins.”

“I take it you don’t feel the same.” Jace delved into the blackest eyes he’d ever seen. Huge and dark, but wide and open, staring into her eyes was like looking into the Void and discovering light.

“I got all manner of use for a man like you.” She appraised him as if he were expensive goods she could well afford. “Don’t think you’d be too terribly unwilling.” Her husky voice enticed and mocked all at once.

“Really,” Jace said with terse regard. “You might be surprised. I don’t much fancy a woman with bigger balls than mine.”

Garrett gasped.

Heller barked laughter.

Kraft’s eyebrow drew up.

“If you’re taking notes, sugar-britches, I tend to like my women a touch less deadly as well.”

To his astonishment, Kraft uttered a rolling chuckle that enveloped his whole body. “You surprise me more and more, Captain Lawless.”

Over the com, a female voice said, “We’re locked, Captain Kraft, but his crew can hear us.”

“Good,” Kraft said. “I hope they’re having as much fun as I am. Time?”

“Clear for thirty. Time enough to dance, Captain Kraft.”

Jace didn’t want to unpack that. What could dancing with Kraft mean?

“Well, isn’t this cozy.” Jace leaned against the wall, his hands still up. If Kraft literally wanted to dance with him, she’d have to make him do it at blade point.

“Having a good time?” Kraft asked with a bright smile. “I know I am. Too bad I can’t offer refreshments and have a proper little sit-down chat, but I’m rather in a hurry.”

“Seems to me you’re wasting all kinds of time,” Danna said from behind her.

Kraft silenced Danna with a glare over her shoulder and turned to Jace.

“How’d you find out about this haul?” Kraft asked. “And before you even think about it, don’t lie to me. I’m not in the best mood.” Blade tip to his heart, she asked, “Sugar-britches?” She shook her head. “As compelling as you are, Captain Lawless, I’m apt to kill you where you stand.”

“Glad you cleared that up,” he said, deadpan. “Here I stood thinking you’d come a-courting.”

She did it again. She laughed. Not maliciously, but with abandoned delight. Her blade held as steady as her eyes.

“What a package you are. Clever, funny, honorable, and like icing on the cake, you’re real pretty too.”

Jace thought again of grabbing her blade.

With a raised eyebrow and a light tap that slashed a hole in his shirt without drawing blood, Kraft said, “You’re not that pretty.” She dropped her smile like a bad habit. “Who sent you here?”

Figuring the truth didn’t matter, Jace said, “Feller by the name of Trickster.”

Kraft swore in what sounded like German.

“I’ve got no idea what you’re saying, but it sounds awful bad.” Jace kept his hands up, wondering what the hell was going on now. This woman changed moods quicker than water went through sand.

She pulled her blade back, and he lowered his hands.

She lifted her blade, and he lifted his hands.

Kraft swore up a streak of German, English, French, Spanish, Japanese and Universal—a cornucopia of international foul words. He understood about half of what she said, but he grasped enough to know how she felt about Trickster. She liked the little weasel about as much as he did. Not much.

“Dammit, Kraft, just do it,” Danna said. “We could take the hold, his ship, all of it!”

“I can’t.” Kraft shook her head.

“Then I’ll do it.” Danna reached for her dagger.

“No.” Kraft lowered her blade and stepped back. “I won’t let Trickster set the tune for my dance. Let them go.”

“What!” Danna exploded. “We’re a heartbeat from scoring—”

“You knew my code when you signed up with me, Danna. I’m not twirling you anywhere you didn’t consider going.” Kraft kept her voice low and calm, but filled with quiet authority.

“Your stupid code’s your own damn problem,” Danna argued. “We got nothing. If we don’t get this, we’re dead in the Void.”

“I know,” Kraft said. “Likely, so are they.”

Behind Kraft’s back, a snarl darted across Danna’s face, and Jace knew his survival hinged on how well Kraft could control her crew. When Heller opened his mouth to speak, Jace shook his head sharply. Mercifully, Heller closed his mouth.

“Trickster tricked us again,” Danna said. “Big surprise! I don’t see how it can violate your precious code to take our due.”

“If I do this, I lose one of the only two things I have left.” Kraft spoke to Danna yet pinned him with hungry eyes.

“Is this about your honor again?” Danna yanked Heller’s bonds hard. Heller’s face went white with pain, but he didn’t utter a peep.

“Stop hurting him, Danna,” Kraft said, keeping her gaze pinned to Jace.

“But that’s our job!”

“No, it’s not. Our job isn’t about hurting or killing anyone. Our job is to keep flying. And we can do that. So can they.” She nodded to Jace. “There is honor among thieves.”