What the hell kind of doctor hides the bandages? If I don’t get this bound soon then I’ll definitely get one of those rare inner ring infections. Like Tarnian Blood Warts or something gross like that. I knew this job was a bad idea. But the pay was so good. Just blow up some intergalatical crime lord’s drug supply and get away. Simple. Still can’t believe my flirting didn’t work on those stupid checkpoint guards. They just had to drag me to their boss. She didn’t buy my cover story for one second. Don’t blame her. We mercenaries can’t be trusted.

“Hands where I can see them!” The familiar charge of a plasma pistol makes me roll my eyes.

I turn around slowly, making a point to hold my hands away from my belt, where my own pistols lie. “Didn’t know enforcers dressed like that.”

He frowns. “Really think they’d dare to come in here? Not with Fezah’s goons milling around.”

“Met her. She tried sending me to the core.”

“Get out of my practice now and I won’t call your escort.”

“Your practice?” I relax. “You’re the doc who hides his bandages?”

“Don’t like my supplies being stolen.” He nods to the gun. “So I don’t let them.”

I laugh. “You think that you’re going to kill me? You’re a doctor. Aren’t you lot meant to do no harm?”

“I may not kill you, but you can bet that I’ll stun your ass and throw you out.”

“Or you could be a good doctor and patch me up.” I take a step forward. “Plus, I thought you lot liked in when rogues worked on the side of good. Fezah’s drug supply is in flames thanks to me. How’d you think I got the burns?”

“By being an idiot.”

“Thought doctors had better bedside manner.”

“For our patients, not thieves.”

“I am a patient doc. Just patch me up and I’ll be the paying kind too.”

I take another step forward. He stumbles back. “If Fezah’s looking for you then she’ll have a bounty on you by now. I help you and she’ll burn my practice down and sell me off piece by piece to the black-market. Sorry, don’t plan to spend my final moments in the core with you.”

“Harsh.”

“Get the hell out of here already.”

I smile. “Think I’ll have to pass on your offer.” I step forward. “Not too sorry about it either.”

His finger reaches for the trigger. I run forward. He shoots. I duck. The blast skirts my head. I slide towards him, knocking him clean off his feet. Another blast goes off. A supply shelf explodes.

“That’s not on stun!”

His eyes widen and he fumbles to change the mode. I kick the gun out of his hand and run past him. A hand locks around my ankle and pulls me to the floor with surprising force. I knock my head on a bench on the way down. Black spots obscure my vision. He sounds like he’s scrambling to his feet. I force myself up and tackle him to the floor. From this angle, he’s kind of cute. In that ‘just tried to blast my head off’ kind of way. Of course that doesn’t stop me from drawing my own gun and resting it against his throat.

“Gonna patch me up yet?”

He smiles. “Got your other gun.”

Crap. I glance at my leg and sigh. Drawbacks of metal, can’t feel a thing through it, let alone a gun pressed against it.

“How’d you want to do this? I don’t have mine set to stun.”

“You get off me and get out of here. Maybe I won’t contact Fezah’s goons.”

“Maybe?”

“Best offer you’ll get.”

“Or I could kill you right now. Bet my reactions are faster than yours.”

“You don’t seem the type to bet her life.”

I smile slowly. “You have no idea.” I drag the gun to his head. “New deal. You give me those bandages and I leave without a word. Maybe even transfer you some credits from this job.”

“Maybe?”

“Depends how cute you are in memory.”

His eyes drift to the gun pressed against his head then back to me. “Sure. I don’t get those credits and I’ll make sure you never step foot on this station again.”

“That’s the idea. I’ve wanted off this hellhole since I got stuck here.”

“Fine then. Cross me and I’ll make sure everyone out there with any medical training turns you away on sight. You’ll be blacklisted.” He smiles, an unexpected cunning in his eyes. “How’s that?”

“Careful there. You almost make me want to stay.”

“Get off me already.”

“Fine.”

I stand up, not bothered about keeping my gun trained on him. The doc wouldn’t have pulled the trigger anyway. He starts muttering about the mess, while cleaning it up, stupid enough to turn his back on me. I stun him and pack my bag with medical supplies. Like I said: we mercenaries can’t be trusted. I don’t believe for a second that he’s got the pull to blacklist me. One Midas Station inner ring doc, as if. The only doctors in the galaxy with less influence are in the core. Those black-market surgeons are too creepy for anyone to deal with.

In any case, I better get out of here before he wakes up. Being stunned results in a nasty headache. I’d know. I’ve lost count of the amount of times enforcers have dragged me, and I mean literally dragged me, to a prison cell after stunning me multiple times. Maybe this time I’ll find a nice planet to get some work at. I’m sick of space stations. Artificial gravity gives me migraines. Too bad the doc blew up his painkiller supply.

“Terri Dale.”

That is not who I think it is. Please don’t be who I think it is. And it’s who I think it is.

“Hi, Fezah. That’s a nice hairdo you’ve got there. Let me guess, new colour?”

“Burnt, actually.”

“Shame. I was aiming for the face.” I reach for my gun. “Glad I didn’t ruin it. Always said you were cute.”

“If one of your fingers even brushes that weapon then I will personally drag you to the core. Right after I blast the finger off.”

I cross my arms. “So you’re angry.”

“Do you have any idea how many credits you’ve cost me?”

“A couple million.”

“Seven trillion.” She takes a step forward. I freeze. “Seven trillion that you’re going to get me back.”

“You want to hire me then?” I relax. “I’m sure we could work out a special rate.”

“Hire you? No.” She leans forward and drops her voice. “I own you now.”

“Maybe we can tweak this a bit. How about you own me, but I work somewhere else, anywhere else really. You choose. Just not this station, please not here.”

Fezah shoves me against the wall. “I would consider that. I really would.” She fixes her blaster to my temple. “But you just stunned my brother and stole from him. And I’m a really protective big sister.”

“Brother.” I cast my mind back. “You mean the doc?” Guess they have a similar cuteness.

“Guess you’ll be stuck on this station a little while longer.” She turns away. “Of course if you ever cross one of us again, I can always sell you to my slave trader friend. He specialises in breaking people.” Fezah glances back at me and smiles. “And he hits pretty hard too.”

I flinch. Can’t help it. “What’d you want me to do first?”

“Kill that scientist that hired you. Show him what happens when you try expanding into my territory.”

“Of course.” I start moving away.

“Oh, and Terri.”

I stop. “Yes?”

“That ship you love so much. You know, the one you planned to leave on. I already sold it to the scrapyard. I’ll be sure to send you the footage of it being destroyed.”

I bite my tongue. She leaves with a grin. I never should’ve taken this job. Never.