Cyn (Moon Hunter's Inc. Book 2) (2 page)

As she looked through her trunk, a red skin tight leather dress caught her eye. Strapless, snug, and short, it went perfectly with the mile high red heels, and matching red clutch purse. Her jewelry was simple, earrings, necklace and anklet with diamonds to show her wealth. A special perfume she had made just for her would lure in interest, and she was ready to go. As she headed out of her room, eyes turned to watch her, mostly males, but even a few females showed interest.

As she entered the restaurant where she was meeting Alex, a waiter immediately approached her. “Who are you meeting, Ma’am? I will escort you to them.”

“Alex Trundell.”

“Certainly. This way.” The waiter led the way to an intimate area in the back reserved for the wealthiest clients. Alex was seated and looking relaxed until his eyes hit her. The man sat up in his seat, a sexual tension running through him. It appeared Cash had guessed correctly.

Alex stood. “Miss Haskins, I presume? This is truly my pleasure.”

“Yes, please call me Cindy and may I call you Alex?”

“Indeed, you may. Let me help you into your seat.” Alex offered as he pulled it out and slid it to the table once she was seated. He leaned in with his hot breath hitting her ear. “Negotiating with you will be enjoyable.” Alex moved back to his seat and sat down. Now, he was across from her staring at her intently.

She’d just met him and she already felt off center. That was a rare feeling for Cyn and she wasn’t sure how to handle it. The man was appealing, but she didn’t want to be involved with him if he was the monster Cash suggested he might be.

“Would you care for a drink?” He asked.

“I’d love a glass of wine.” She admitted.

“I’ll have one brought right away.” He waived to a waiter who rushed over. “A glass of sweet white wine for the lady.” The waiter hurried away. “I hope you don’t mind that I ordered for us as soon as I arrived?”

“That’s alright. I’m not usually hard to deal with.”

“I hope that’s true. If we could complete these negotiations quickly, we could concentrate on pleasure for the rest of your trip.”

“That sounds lovely, if it works out. I must insist on work first, regardless of the enjoyment that might await us.”

“You’re a lady after my own work ethic.”

“That’s good to know.” Cyn said with a smile. She expected him to try to best her in negotiations. This business deal was completely real and she was negotiating on behalf of Oison.

Dinner was served and as they ate, they got to know each other better.

Chapter 2

Negotiating

Alex was completely obsessed with the lovely Cindy Haskins. She and her older brother Bear, were on the station for negotiating a contract with Alex’s trade center. Some of the goods would be used on his station, but large quantities of product would be traded with other companies that would come here to negotiate and pick up the product they purchased. The station would make money off their visit and off the trades. He was very good at making money.

“So where do you want to start our negotiation at?” Alex asked. His desire to finish so he could get to know her better could be viewed as a weakness by some.

“Let’s go through the list of products you have expressed an interest in.” Cyn took out her com unit pulling up the list which was in alphabetical order and showed it to him. She had a small pointer that she used to indicate which product was up for discussion. “I must be honest with you. Several of these products, like the Oison weed, are in high demand. There is not much room to negotiate.”

“I was aware of that. My idea is to get a small price cut and make my money by moving huge volumes of the product. Oison weed and Oison mineral should be the only two that have little price flexibility.”

“You are correct. The food stuffs have some flexibility based on quantity.”

“Why don’t I shoot you a price list, you tell me how close I am to your bottom dollar, and we take it from there?”

“I have to admit, I had heard you were hard to deal with.”

“That’s true when someone is trying to unload a shipment and they are desperate. I expect a decent profit and I have no give on that. This is different. I want to buy as much as they want to sell. This product will draw in sellers from all over the universe.”

“You are a very savvy businessman. It’s an honor to get to work this deal with you.”

“Here are my offers. Think this through carefully, and tell me which ones we’ll have to work on.” Alex suggested.

“Again, you’ve surprised me. I see many of these offers are reasonable and fall within an acceptable range. Our issues will be coffee beans, Oison weed, and Oison mineral. We do have some amounts available now that we no longer trade directly with Earth. Here is our offer.”

Alex looked at the prices Cindy had given him. He smiled as he looked at her. “I think you can do a little better.”

Cyn sighed. She sent him another offer. “This is more than fair.”

“Yes, it would be if I were buying small loads or the retailer. I’m a distributor and I need to make a profit, too. Since you can’t deal directly with Earth, my services are needed. I can move the amount of product necessary to keep the flow where it always has been. I know you can do better for me.”

“I like you Alex and because I do, I’m going to give you a final offer.” Cyn said as she showed him the price list.

Alex smiled warmly. “I can live with that. I’ll have the contracts drawn up for our signatures. Why don’t you go to your room and rest? Once the paperwork is done, I’ll call you. We can sign and celebrate afterwards.”

“That sounds nice.” Cyn replied. Alex got up and came around to help her out of her seat. He believed in being a gentleman at all times. Manners were important in the business world and they also helped with the ladies. Not that he had ever needed help in that area.

He watched as Cindy walked away and wondered if he was about to get in over his head. He pulled out his com and called his personal assistant Rutger who also happened to be one of his oldest and dearest friends.

“Hello, Boss. You’re not done with the contract already, are you?” Rutger asked.

“I am. Everything went well. There’s not a lot of room on the Oison weed or Oison mineral, but if we move the amounts I think we will, the profit will still be amazing. I need the papers typed up and I’ll send you the amounts we agreed on. How long before it’s done?”

“Give me a couple hours after you send it to me.”

“You’re the best.”

“That’s why I’m your assistant.”

“That’s true. I just sent you the prices. Let me know as soon as you’re done.”

“Will do.”

Alex felt pretty good about his day. He’d just completed a major contract in no time. Now, he would take a tour of the space station and check out all the levels. There were only a few places he didn’t tour through. One was the seedy and poorly maintained underbelly of the station. Every time he tried to update that area and make it useful, a major accident happened claiming lives and costing massive amounts of money. The other area was the tail end of the station where wastes and waste water was treated and recycled. It was wonderful that everything was now recycled, but he didn’t need to see it to appreciate it.

He trusted his second in command, which was really what Rutger was. The man was so humble, it was astonishing. In fact, he was the one who truly ran the station on a daily basis. Alex might make the big decisions, but many decisions were made before he even knew a thing about it. Rutger was the man behind the man who owned the station. What would he do without him? It would be a hard time for all.

Less than two hours later, he wasn’t at all surprised that Rutger had the documents typed up and ready for a signature. They lay in front of Alex on his desk and he looked through them, even though he never found a mistake in his assistant’s work. The man was hard working, loyal, and impossible to replace. Rutger even anticipated what he wanted sometimes and did it before he even asked.

Getting this deal out of the way quickly was all Alex could ask for. Now he would be able to pursue his personal interest in the mysteriously appealing Cindy. Sure, she was his type, but there was something more and he couldn’t figure out what it was.

There was a knock on his door. “Come in.”

“Hey, Boss man. Does it look okay?” Rutger asked, as if there was any doubt.

“Perfect as always.”

“I try. I wouldn’t want to let you down.”

“As if you ever would.”

“So, what is it I hear about the lady they sent for this?”

“What have you heard?”

“I’ve heard she’s smoking hot and completely your type.”

“That’s accurate.” Alex said with a snicker.

“Think they were trying to set you up?”

“If they were, she didn’t try to get outrageous on the pricing. She was easy to work with. We agreed to no games and she didn’t play any. I think it’s all fair and above board.”

“She would have never stood a chance against you.”

“Thank you for your faith, but anyone can make mistakes.”

“You’re not one for making them.”

“I’ve been lucky.”

“You’re too modest. You’ve created a business empire. It was built from nothing and now look at it.”

“Rutger, you are good for my ego, old friend.”

“Just let me know when you’re ready to sign and I’ll send a legal secretary to notarize the deal.”

“You take good care of me. I’ll give you a call once I meet with Cindy.”

“I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

Rutger headed out of the office. The man was always available, it almost seemed like he had no life of his own. Even though they had been close friends from a young age, Alex had no idea what the man did when he wasn’t at work. Sure, they had a meal or a drink together occasionally, but that left a lot of time Rutger must spend alone. They usually talked about Alex’s love life or family life. Rutger never seemed to have a female in his life or if he did, he was quiet about it.

Alex made a decision to be more thoughtful and ask his friend how his life was going next time he saw him. Meanwhile, he needed to plan the seduction of the beautiful Cindy. He started by leaving her a message and having it sent to her room so she knew the contract was ready. All he could do now was wait to hear from her.

He was not a patient man and he wished he had kept her with him instead. It was a full three hours after the message was sent before she responded. Maybe she was playing hard to get or maybe she was resting and had been tired. Regardless of what had delayed her, she was awake now and he was more than ready for her.

“Cindy? Is it you?”

“Yes, I just woke up and saw the message light blinking. Is the contract ready so soon?”

“No, my people are efficient, but even they need more time. I just wanted to see you. Can we meet at the restaurant we met at earlier?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll get ready and meet you there in an hour. Will that be okay?”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting for you.”

Alex needed to see her. He’d just met her, but already she felt important to him. They had talked so much that he felt like he knew her. That was crazy, but it was the way he felt. Now he went to the restaurant way too early just to sit around and wait for her. When it came to women, he was never impatient and nervous like this. She was different and he had to discover why.

Sitting at the table where he’d first met her, he was sipping a mixed drink when she arrived. Joy shot through him and his heart leapt. Was this love at first sight? Was he really considering love when he barely believed it existed? Cindy smiled at him and it gave him a warm feeling inside. He stood up to help her into her chair. Once she was seated, he moved back to his own seat and sat down.

“I hope you don’t mind that I already ordered for both of us?”

“I’m sure it will be fine.” Cindy replied.

“I have a feeling you will like it.” He said with a smile. It was odd to feel so needy for a female, but she was beautiful and just seeing her made him feel better.

The food came and he’d ordered Italian. Fettucine Alfredo was what he’d ordered for the both of them and as soon as she saw it and her eyes lit up; he knew he’d chosen right. Once the meal was over she showed signs of wanting to leave. He stalled, but she pushed and he had to let her go.

He felt a sense of loss as he watched her walk away. Alex hadn’t known her long, but he wanted to keep her at his side.

Chapter 3

Searching

As soon as Cyn got back to her room, she changed into her usual type of clothing. Standing out wouldn’t be helpful right now as she and Bear searched for a lab that had been hidden for nearly twenty years. The thing that would help them was it could only be hidden in a few places. The higher levels had no dark unused areas. The lowest level was the most likely place, but the tail of the station could also hide prisoners.

Thinking about the male she’d just met, it was hard to believe he would be part of this. Cyn had been fooled before, but she’d been young and untried by life back then. Life had taught her many things and she was more suspicious of others now. Why did this man make her want to believe in him? It made no sense.

Bear had gone to the lowest level of the ship while she was headed to the odd tail area. The information she’d researched about the station said this was where the garbage and waste water went. There was still space unaccounted for and she would see what it was being used for.

The smell hit her sensitive nose as soon as she hit the narrow space in the hall that indicated she had reached the entry to the tail section. There was the stench of unwashed bodies that rose above the usual garbage and the waste water was normally contained in pipes and shouldn’t be detectable at all.

Cyn was cautious, she disabled a camera causing it to loop so it wouldn’t show her presence and the motion detector had to be turned off temporarily. The tech was old, so it was an easy task to bypass them. That usually came from years of going undetected. Something was definitely hidden here, but was it what she was searching for?

She slipped in through the old hatch, this would be the hardest part of entering undetected. Cyn was lucky that no one seemed nearby. It was easy to see why the smell had reached the hallway, the seal around the hatch had become compromised. It was almost completely rotted away.

Stepping into the tail section, the smell hit her like a hammer. How could anyone stand it? Pulling out her camera, she began to film her trek. There was no longer any doubt in her mind something hideous waited for her. The first room she found confirmed the rumors, people were in cages and none bothered to look up at her as she passed by.

It was impossible to say how long they had been there, but their fight had been taken out of them. These people had dull eyes that reflected no hope of any kind. They had come to terms with their situation and never expected to be free of it.

Some were older, old enough to be the parents she still searched for. Could it be her search might be at an end? Moving carefully through the tail section, she filmed everything she found. At the end of the section, Cyn found an office. It was empty so she moved to the computer and looked around. When she found a list of names, she sent them to Cash to look through. A sound alerted her that someone was coming. This wasn’t a good place to get caught. Past experience had taught her these people were ruthless.

There was a small closet nearby so she slipped into it. It wouldn’t hold an average sized person so she was thankful for once that she was petite. Voices carried to her, but she didn’t recognize either of them. It sounded like a man and a woman.

“What will you do about Alex? The man is too nosey and now that his empire is stable, he has the time to dig into our shit.” The woman said.

“Don’t worry about Alex. I’ve got paperwork that will turn the station over to me should he have an unfortunate accident. Space is a dangerous place. Everything is covered.” The man answered.

“What about the female that’s visiting?”

“What about her?”

“He’s fallen hard. It could get serious.”

“Are we still talking about use ‘em and lose ‘em Alex? He’ll get bored after a few days and she’ll head back home. You’re looking for problems where they don’t exist.”

“I hope you’re right. This lab is a great gig. It pays for everything I want and I’m not ready to give it up, Rutger.”

“Just do what I tell you to and we’ll be fine. I have to go. I keep a close eye on Alex. If he and that bitch have sex, I want a front row seat. She’s hot as hell.”

“I can’t believe you have his bedroom rigged and he’s never suspected.”

“Why would he? The man thinks he’s lord of all he surveys. No one would dare, or at least that’s what he thinks.” They both laughed as they left the room.

Cyn was seriously concerned about getting out of where she was undetected. She slid the closet door open just a crack and used her superior senses. All those lab bred had superior strength, speed, and senses. It was hard to scent anything over the smell of body odor and misery, but she could detect nothing nearby.

Slipping out of the closet, she headed to the door and peeked around the corner. Wherever they had gone, it wasn’t close by. Moving to the hall, she headed to the hatch to exit this hellish place. The detector and the camera were still nonfunctioning. These people were stuck in their ways and hadn’t even checked them. She turned the motion detector back on once the door was closed. That was really all it was there to do, tell them if the door was opened. The camera was easy to reset as well.

Cyn headed back to the main areas everyone used. Unfortunately she ran into a woman dressed as security. “What are you doing here? This is a secure area.”

“I must have taken a wrong turn.” Cyn said with a smile, but the woman gave her a hard and suspicious look. Cameras were active in this section since it was near a main hallway.

“See that you don’t come into this area again.”

“I’ll avoid it.” Cyn hurried away. That encounter had cost her the anonymity she relied on. It was time to get back to her room and hopefully Bear had discovered something, too.

Entering the room, Cyn was disappointed that Bear hadn’t made it back yet. She ordered a snack and a drink, then doubled it in case Bear was hungry when he got back. They had a small kitchen in their suite, so if he took longer, she’d put his in the fridge. Bear made it in about the time the food arrived.

“I hope you got extra for me.”

“What kind of partner would I be if I didn’t?” Cyn said as she waved her hand indicating he should sit with her at the table. “It’s bad.”

“Things are terrible.” Bear said while Cyn still spoke.

“You go first.” Cyn suggested.

“It’s more like a prison than a lab. I don’t know how any of them stay alive under those conditions. Every cage has at least one person and several have what looks like a mated pair, sometimes with children. The stink of despair and filth saturates the whole level. Security is poor, but I think it’s because they’ve gone undiscovered so long. Your male must be involved, the scope of the operation makes it hard to believe he could be ignorant of what is going on.”

“I found something similar, only no actual lab. The office is in that section and I sent some information, it looked like a list of inhabitants, to Cash. They almost caught me, but I hid in a closet. A man and woman were discussing plans to kill Alex if he gets too close to their operation. He doesn’t seem to know, but the guy who runs it must be high up in Alex’s company. She called him Rutger.”

“Shit, that’s Trundell’s assistant. He would have the power and the knowledge to do this. Who was the woman?”

“She caught me before I got fully clear of the area. I think she’s the head of security. I was far enough away to be under the cameras or I think she would have taken me out. That is one vicious bitch.”

Bear chuckled. “Like recognizes like.”

“I’m not evil, Bear. I only do what I have to.”

“Easy kid. I’m just teasing you a bit. I know you’re not like those people. Did you see the message light flashing?”

“No, it’s too soon to be Alex. He has to get the contract written up and double checked.”

“I’ve heard his assistant is efficient. There are a lot of rumors about that guy and most of them aren’t nice.”

“Anyone in charge of a lab like that isn’t a good person.”

“Go check the message and then we’ll plan our next move.”

“Okay.” Cyn said and then she checked the message. “Looks like you’re right. The paperwork is done and he’s ready to meet. I’ll give him a call back and set up a time.”

Cyn called and set up a meeting for an hour later. Was it her imagination or did Alex seem disappointed that it wasn’t sooner?

“Your man is really fast.” Bear said.

“He’s not my man. I am here to find out his guilt or innocence.”

“I believe he has plans for you.”

“Yes, he wants to get his contract signed.”

Bear chuckled. “Lie to yourself, but don’t try to fool me. I think I will try some more of the local services. Maybe you should try some, too. You won’t believe what they will do.”

“Don’t even tell me. I have no desire to know.”

“Okay, suit yourself. I’m out of here and I bet I have more fun than you.”

“You probably will since I have no intention of having any fun.”

Bear headed out of the room whistling a spiffy tune. Cyn went to her bathroom running a tub of hot water and adding sweet scented bath oil. It was never wise to hurry to meet a man. A relaxing bath didn’t hurt anything, either. She had a lot to think about with all she had found and heard. The information Bear had given her was important, too.

Cyn’s mind went back to her childhood. The memories were dark and fuzzy. She had been young when she had been robbed of her parents. The memories seemed to be of the three of them living in a cage. The warmth of being held and loved was the clearest memory she had. There were others around her in cages of their own, but talking outside your cage wasn’t allowed.

Her mother’s belly was large and swollen and her father was protective of both of them. His features weren’t clear, but he was tall and broad. Her mother was tiny just like Cyn herself was. Her mother’s skin was dark, but her father’s was golden.

Both of them had been taken away by a guard and she’d never seen either of them again. Strangers had come and said they were there to help her. They’d sent her to strangers who hadn’t cared about her at all. They’d fed her and sent her to school, but she’d felt no love or care from them. Once she got to the age of twelve, she’d escaped and lived on the streets of Earth.

Scraps and the little she could earn had sustained her. She was small, but she learned to fight. At fifteen, she’d gone to work for Cash. The office was her first job and although she’d had a lot to learn, she’d done it quickly. Her mind was sharp and her memory keen.

Once she had the office skills Cash required of her, he started sending her into the field. The first jobs were easy ones, but they got harder each time. It wasn’t long before she was a fully certified field agent. As her skills sharpened, she started to specialize and was able to pick her assignments.

Cash was a mystery and Cyn didn’t know how he continued to get the information he did. These labs were secret and yet he had found one. It was her most fervent hope that she would discover her parents here and blow this whole operation open. Her boss wanted to infiltrate in secrecy, she wanted to shine a light in the darkest corners and inform the universe about what was going on here.

Bear was looking for closure, Justice wanted vengeance, and the others wanted those things and more. Evil couldn’t be allowed to hide, it just begat more evil. It also wasn’t fair to those who suffered to allow that suffering to continue indefinitely.

Done with her bath, she dried off and looked at her clothes for something sexy but comfortable. A pair of tight black pants with strips cut out down both legs that showed off some skin and a lovely green tunic style top cut low to show cleavage, was the selection she made. Ankle boots made of black suede with a matching clutch purse was added. Jewelry was switched out to emeralds to match her shirt. Cyn sprayed on some perfume, fixed her hair and makeup, and then she exited the room to meet up with Alex.

She was tempted to warn him, but he would either not believe her or take rash action. This required a delicate touch. Her body warmed as she walked into the restaurant and knew he was nearby. A waiter approached and led her back to him. The moment their eyes met her heart melted. It was crazy, but it was the way things were.

He stood up to help her into her chair, kissing her cheek as he slid her chair into position. Next he moved back to his chair and was seated across from her. “I missed you.”

It should have sounded crazy, but she understood. “I missed you, too.”

“Here’s the contract.” He slid it over to her and she perused it carefully. Once she seemed happy with it, the business secretary, a young lady dressed in a business suit, approached. They both signed and the secretary stamped the form and signed it, to make it official. The last step would be filing it and issuing copies to both parties. Once the agreement was in place, Alex stood to make a fortune.

Alex dismissed the young woman and now they were alone. Cyn didn’t know what to say and Alex looked at her with singular concentration. “I’m glad to have that behind us. Now I want to spend time alone with you.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Why don’t we start with a tour of the station? There are many things we can do here.”

“Okay. That sounds like fun.  Maybe you can give me some of the history of this place. Wasn’t it Earth’s first space station?”