Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

M yrria was the first to move, standing and running her hands down her apron to hide the fact that her palms were sweating. She hesitated as she stared at the heavy, wooden door. There hadn't been another thump, and if Rixx and Zala hadn't also been gaping at the door, she might have doubted that she heard a sound at all.

"Maybe it was the wind," Zala said, in a voice so quiet it was barely audible.

But Myrria knew that the wind didn't thump on doors like that, and it also didn't whip down their narrow alley.

Rixx had stood and pivoted toward the door. "Whoever made the sound did not stay to make another." But even his voice was a hush that would not be heard through the wood planks.

"You should stand behind the curtain." Myrria waved for him to step from the line of sight as she took tentative steps toward the door.

He complied, but he did not seem happy about it.

Myrria shook off her nerves, reminding herself that it was most likely a neighbor or her landlord or even a messenger from one of the pleasure houses bringing her a new order. With that knowledge fresh in her mind, she glanced over her shoulder to lock eyes with Zala. "There is no need to look worried, child. It is probably no one."

Zala, who'd been half out of her stool, sat back down and plastered a smile on her face. One thing her daughter was skilled at was pretending that everything was fine even if it wasn't. She'd had too much experience perfecting that for Myrria's liking, but what could she do when it was just her and Zala?

Her gaze slid to Rixx. Well, now they were three again, and she suspected she was going to find out soon if that was a good or bad thing.

Myrria reached the door and put her eye to the peephole. She saw nothing, but that meant little. Anyone who wished to be unseen would merely need to squat below the view of the eyehole or to one side. She put a trembling hand on the bolt, sliding it back and swallowing hard before pulling the door back far enough for her to peek out the sliver in the door.

Nothing. She opened the door wider. There was no one on her doorstep. She swiveled her head from side to side. No one in the alley either.

"Foolish kids," she muttered to herself, realizing that it was probably some bored children running down streets and banging on doors. She allowed herself to exhale fully, closing the door again, when a flash of white caught her eye.

She stopped closing the door long enough to see that there was something stuck to the outside of it. A squat metal tack kept the sheet of paper from falling, and Myrria suspected the thump was someone giving the tack a hard whack to fix the flyer to the door.

She didn't bother to remove the tack, instead ripping down the paper and stepping back inside. She slid the bolt home again and allowed herself another relieved breath. "We were right. It was no one. Just this paper."

She walked back to the table and Rixx joined her, the tension in the room breaking as they met each other's eyes. Myrria found herself grinning, feeling silly for reacting so strongly. Of course, it wasn't Zevrians looking for Rixx. For one, they wouldn't knock once, and for another, they had no clue where he was.

Rixx returned her smile as he sat back down and picked up his spoon. "Do you often get papers nailed to your door?"

Myrria had set the paper beside her without glancing at it. She'd been so relieved not to have opened her door to an alien mercenary that she hadn't even bothered to look at what it said. "Actually, we don't."

Now her curiosity was piqued. She flipped the wrinkled paper over and sucked in a startled breath. Huge block letters took up most of the top half of the flyer, the black ink blaring the word REWARD!

But it was the words below that made her blood run cold and made Rixx's spoon clatter to the table.

1000 Credits To Anyone Who Finds

The Dangerous Dothvek Criminal

BE WARNED: HE IS ARMED AND DANGEROUS!

Before Myrria could flip the paper back over, Zala read the words and fixed her gaze on Rixx and then Myrria. "That isn't true, is it?"

Myrria shook her head with more vehemence than she felt. "Of course, it isn't true."

Zala eyed Rixx, her expression more guarded than it had been.

Rixx's gaze didn't leave the paper. "This is the work of the Zevrians, although I am a bit surprised that they know how to write in the universal tongue."

"They used the word dangerous twice," Zala pointed out. "So they don't write it well."

Myrria smiled at her daughter, glad to see that her initial fright was fading. "You're right, they don't."

Rixx reached for the black bread and tore off a piece from the heel. "This is very good news."

Myrria tilted her head at the Dothvek as he casually took a bite of bread. "A flyer that offers a reward for your capture is good news?"

He nodded as he chewed, swallowing and closing his eyes for a beat. "I can see why you love this bread. You will have to teach me how to make it."

Zala bounced up and down on her stool, the flyer and the ominous thump on the door clearly forgotten. "I'll teach you."

Rixx gave her a dazzling smile, which only dimmed when he turned to Myrria and saw her giving him a pointed look. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Why is being hunted by the Zevrians good?"

He leaned forward and beamed at her, making unwanted frissons of pleasure skitter across her skin. "If they're posting these everywhere, it means they have no idea where I am or how to find me."

If Myrria's body hadn't been tingling and her heart pounding, she might have been able to acknowledge that he was right. The wanted flyer meant he was safe—for now.