THE PRIZE: BOOK TWO - RETRIBUTION Read Free Page A

love struck kids, the shadow of his brim effectively hiding his scrutiny. He quickly evaluated their potential for profit down to the last cent. Both in their late teens or early twenties unless he missed his guess, but it puzzled him why they were here. This wasn’t exactly Rodeo Drive or some fancy big city hotel, so why come here to make a deal on some high priced items. Offhand he could think of five places you could go to make a good deal on what they had, so there had to be something else going on. As young as they were, they probably wouldn't have much experience with this sort of deal, but even so, you would think they’d be smart enough not to come into a place like this and expect to walk out again. His eyes shifted to the girl. She was definitely a looker in that outfit, and with the right motivation, she could turn a tidy profit as a whore, or he could slave her out to the Imperials once they came back. The clothes were worth a year's pay, and, if what the barkeep reported was true, he could retire on what they were carrying. How much could he keep for himself was the question? If the report was true, it would be interesting to find out where these kids had gotten their hands on a Cg disk, and whether there was any more. There was also the question of how they’d gotten here, as the scouts he’d sent out hadn’t found any rolling stock or horses.
    “I hear you have something to sell?” Moody asked as he reached for a chair.
    “I don't remember asking you to sit.” Richard’s voice cut through the hot air like a razor, stopping Moody's hand in mid motion.
    “Not exactly the way to start a business negotiation, kid.”
    “Who said we had anything to negotiate? Any talking we do, you can do it standing.” Moody looked from the kid to the girl, and he didn't like what he saw. They might look like kids, but these two were primed. It was the kid’s yellow eyes that caught his attention and he took a half step back before recovering. He'd only seen eyes like that on a bald eagle, but it felt as if he were looking down the barrels of a rifle.
    “So, what are you looking for then?” Moody shook off the feeling, but kept his hands in view by hooking them into his belt and close to his sidearm.
    “I hate dealing with a middleman.” Richard leaned back slightly and turned his head to look up at him. “I need to talk to your boss.” Moody forced himself to stand still as the kid looked at him with those eyes. He remembered a story about a man with yellow eyes, and if only a fraction of it was true, he was death incarnate.
    “My boss?” Moody snorted, recovering quickly. “I don't have no boss, I'm it!”
    “Then go away, I don't deal with low-life bottom feeders like you.” Richard saw Moody's hand twitch slightly. His fingers didn't exactly move towards the weapon on his hip, but Richard could feel the intent if he saw the slightest chance.
    Penn wanted to get under Moody's skin. Getting insulted to his face was bad enough, by a mere kid was even worse. It was one of the few times Richard was thankful for what the scientists had done to make him look perpetually young. People completely underestimated his potential.
    “You've got a big mouth for a kid who wants to make a deal.” Moody growled, his face feeling hot. Being called a low-life bottom-feeder rankled, even if it was true to some degree.
    “I’ll only talk to someone higher up the food chain. Who's your boss?”
    “I just got through telling you kid, there ain't no boss!” The kid just smiled and turned his attention back to the drowning pools of the girl's eyes, his left hand stroking her stocking covered thigh.
    “We'll just wait until he gets here, or take our business down the road.” Penn commented offhandedly as he looked up.
    The man's eyes narrowed, and he slowly reached up with his left hand to scratch his unshaven chin. He thought the move might distract the kid, as it had others, but those Golden Eyes never left those of the