Lunar Exposure (On the Hunt) Read Free

was, she could feel moisture slicking between her thighs and her nipples peaking against the delicate fabric of her dress.
    She didn’t need the distraction, no matter how pretty or how well he danced. She was here to hunt. Nothing more. She took a last glance at the Helvelet , now joined on stage by a female. There’d be a lot of trading in flesh after this show—but then that was the idea. With a sigh, she left. There was no need for her to linger.
    The Moon was well laid out, not to segregate species but to make it easy to mingle with ones who had compatible body parts—not that anyone minded if one crossed over into something else. Personally, she preferred the mammalian levels. While she knew that Icavaris were brilliant fighter pilots, she couldn’t get past the eight legs and exoskeleton. They were too alien and reminded her of bog spiders—mind you, they probably looked at her and thought she reminded them of lunch.
    Different species also had slightly different gravity and air requirements, and while the changes wouldn’t kill her, they could leave her short of breath or feeling very sluggish. Noga wouldn’t be on those floors either. He preferred to mix only with his own species.
    She drifted in and out of a few bars, another show, drink in hand as if looking for just the right place to relax and unwind. A place with the right music, the right people, the right atmosphere. If someone stopped her, she smiled and was polite. There’d be some story about how Haliday was taking time off after helping rebuild a school that had been bombed years ago. Sometimes the media made her a darling for helping, other times they slammed her lifestyle. But no one ever turned down her chits and the media never missed a story, as she was worth too much to the rebuilding effort.
    In the Aqua Bar, she hit the jackpot. A Dooraump was talking to a man of a species she didn’t recognize, his orange skin almost glowed in the blue lighting. She let her gaze slide to the Dooraump , the heavy brows and deep-set eyes that made his species perfectly adapted to the hot, dry conditions of his planet made him look shifty. His eyes were hidden in shadows and she couldn’t be sure it was Noga. She knew he’d had work done since his pictures and bounty were posted. She’d need a sample to check against his DNA—that could only be faked at great expense and pain.
    If it was Noga and she let him slip past, it would only be a matter of time before he blew something else up. Plus, she didn’t have the luxury of chasing him all over the galaxy. She had to take scalps in locations that fitted with her Haliday cover. She sipped her mocktail without tasting it. She wasn’t afraid of death, but the idea of being discovered and captured chilled her to the core. She knew Yem would pay to get her back.
    She’d have to approach the businessmen and act as though she was hitting them up for donations to her charities. Hopefully she’d be able to confirm it was Noga and then move in. Until then, she’d be all smiles and giggles. While she hated playing dumb, it worked and it suited her cause. No one would think someone so flakey could be the Kingfisher, a faceless, unregistered bounty hunter, growing in reputation. She smiled as she took a seat and ordered another drink. One day, she’d go after Yem.

Chapter Two
     
    The Aqua Bar was everything Callen had read about in the brochures. The center of the bar was a spherical tank filled with exotic species of sea creatures that had been donated by the Polpos people. The Polpos were water dwellers who rarely left their homeworld, but they had some of the most advanced communications gear. They had contracts with the APM for all kinds of tech. He still bought Polpos -made tech because he trusted it not to break at a crucial moment.
    The tank and the creatures in it were a reminder to everyone here that the Polpos were part of the Alliance, even if they weren’t space travelers. It was a very pretty