All In (The Drift Book 2) Read online

  All In

  Susan Hayes

  Contents

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  DEDICATION

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  COMING SOON

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  When love is the prize, the only way to win is to go all in.

  The Resource Wars may have ended, but for the cyborgs created to fight in them, the battle for acceptance is far from over. Former soldiers Toro and Jaeger have been on the move since they left military service. They’re looking for more than their next payday; they want to find a place to call home.

  Cynder Armas co-owns the Nova Club with her two cyborg siblings. The club is more than her business; it’s her home— filled with everyone she cares about. Life on The Drift isn’t easy, but it is profitable, and it keeps her too busy to dwell on the losses in her past.

  When these three battle-scarred warriors meet, there’s no denying their attraction, but it takes more than a spark to keep a fire burning. To hold onto each other, they’ll have to find a way to let go of their old lives and embrace the future, together.

  All In

  SUSAN HAYES

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  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. It is fiction so facts and events may not be accurate except to the current world in which the book takes place.

  Copyright © 2016 Susan Hayes

  All In (Book #2 of the Drift Series)

  First E-book Publication: October 2016

  Cover Design: Melody Simmons ~ ebookindiecovers.com

  Editor: Rebecca Cartee ~ Editing by Rebecca

  Published by: Black Scroll Publications

  ISBN: 978-1-988446-01-1

  DEDICATION

  For my parents, I wouldn’t be here without your love and constant support as I chase after my dreams. For my best friend in the whole world, Karen, who lets me ramble on about the voices in my head and almost never laughs at me.

  This book is also dedicated to Sadie Haller. Thank you for your advice, your friendship, and for making the best coffee on the planet.

  PROLOGUE

  Out on the edge of civilized space lies a rag-tag collection of space stations and platforms known as the Drift. It’s a haven for the hunted, the lost, and those seeking second chances. The ones who live there hail from every species, class, and corner of the galaxy, but they all have one thing in common: they don’t belong anywhere else.

  There’s nothing beyond the Drift but wild space and an asteroid belt full of ore-rich rocks. Hundreds of mining vessels and their hard-working crews mine the asteroids. When the ships deliver their haul to be processed, those crews hit the infamous bars, casinos, and pleasure houses that are the Drift’s primary source of income…and the only source of entertainment.

  It’s a world of its own. One where corporations rule, the laws are flexible, and everything is for sale, for the right price.

  Welcome to the Drift.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Cynder paced back and forth in front of the door, listening to the crowd on the other side. It was another full house tonight in her bar, the Nova Club. A packed club meant profits were up, the liquor was flowing, and the betting would be fast and furious. Better yet, some of those bets would be on her performance in the ring tonight. Anyone who bet against her was going home poorer. There was no way in hell she was going to lose.

  The door opened, and she was hit by a wall of noise. Her batch sibling, Kit, who was also one of the club’s co-owners, stuck his head in and grinned at her. “You ready to kick ass?”

  “You have no idea how much,” she replied. She glanced past him, looking into the club. They had to be near their occupancy limit. Perfect. The energy of the crowd was a tangible thing: a heady blend of body heat, bloodlust, and booze-fueled enjoyment that hit her like a spike of adrenaline.

  Kit cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him. “Nothing like doing the month-end books to get you in the right frame of mind to go a few rounds, right? This time, can you please remember that your opponents aren’t the enemy; they’re contracted employees? Try not to break off anything vital.”

  She rolled her eyes at him, her thoughts already on the match to come. “I have never broken anything off of anyone, vital or otherwise. And before you even say it, a Jeskyran’s body thorns grow back, so that one doesn’t count.”

  Kit scoffed. “The way he was complaining and wailing? I’m betting he’d argue with your assessment. You stay sharp out there and good luck.”

  “I don’t need luck tonight. Not unless Frey has suddenly stopped dropping his guard and Jester learned not to telegraph his moves.”

  “Don’t get cocky. Cocky gets you dead,” he said, using a line he had uttered a thousand times on the battlefield. They might have left that life behind, and Kit wasn’t her commanding officer anymore, but some things were too ingrained to ever truly be forgotten.

  She snapped off a salute in response and grinned at him. “Yessir, Major sir.”

  “Why do I put up with your sass again?” he asked.

  “Because I’m your batch sister, your business partner, and the only person you know who can do the club’s books. Also, I’m cute as hell and your wife thinks I’m awesome.”

  There was no mistaking the look of contentment that came over Kit’s face the second she mentioned his wife, Zura. Kit and his brother had married the love of their lives three months ago, and the honeymoon phase was still going strong. The way the three of them looked at each other, Cyn suspected it would never end. Kit and his cloned twin, Luke, were deeply in love with Zura, and she felt the same about them. It was almost enough to make someone believe in true love and fairytales. Almost.

  The noise of the crowd rose to a deafening roar, a sure sign that the fight before hers had come to an end.

  “You’re on in two minutes. We’re introducing your opponents first. Fight smart, Cyn. I’ll see you ringside.” Kit tapped his fist to hers before leaving.

  Once the door closed, the noise faded. Like all cyborgs, she had excellent hearing, vision, and other senses. They had been gifts without price when she was a soldier, but now that life was over, there were times she wished her enhancements had an off-switch, or at the very least, volume control.

  She bounced on her toes and rolled her shoulders, loosening up in anticipation of stepping into the ring. The fight wouldn’t be easy, but she knew it was winnable. It was part of the Nova Club’s draw: each bout would be between well-matched opponents, and none of the fights were easy wins. It kept the betting hot and made sure everyone brought their A-game.

  The habits of a lifetime kept her breathing slow and her heart rate steady even as she felt the familiar tingle of adrenaline. This was what she lived for now— these few, fleeting moments when she could focus on the present instead of the past. The brief stretches when she could exist one heartbeat at a time, reacting instead of remembering.

  The door opened, and t
he maddening noise of the crowd rolled over her. Head up, hands high, she made her way to the ring, laughing every step of the way.

  * * * *

  Jaeger had only been in the Nova Club for an hour, but he could already see it was everything he had heard it was, and then some. The clientele was rough, the food was way above average for the Drift, and the drinks weren’t watered down at all. The fights were fair, and the casino was well-run and above board. After spending two months working their way through half the bars, gambling dens, and fight clubs on the corporation-run platforms and stations that made up the Drift, the Nova was a welcome change of pace.

  “Did you see the menu? They’ve got fraxxing grass-fed beef. Steak, Jaeg. When’s the last time we had real, planet-raised meat, never mind a steak?” Toro asked, tapping the menu with a thick finger for emphasis.

  “Where the hell are they getting beef from out here? Check the fine print, there has to be a catch.”

  Toro scanned the menu again and then shook his head. “No catch. It says it’s certified, colony-raised beef. I’m ordering it. I don’t care if it wipes out my savings. It’s steak!”

  “And how many fights are you going to have to win before you can eat again? We’re living lean these days.” That was a slight exaggeration of their financial status, but not by much. If the Nova Club signed Toro on as a fighter, the signing bonus alone would ensure they could make ends meet until Toro won a fight or Jaeger hit a lucky streak at the gambling tables.

  His best friend scowled at the reminder of their status. “We wouldn’t be in the red if the last place we worked hadn’t been run by a couple of thieving, conniving cowards. You won that money, and they had no right taking it back. Everyone knows starburst is an un-cheatable game, that’s why it’s so damned hard to win. We’re cyborgs, not magicians with the ability to manipulate odds and gravity.”

  “That’s why we’re here. If there’s any place on the Drift where no one is going to hassle us for being what we are, it’s in a club run by other cyborgs. They know better than anyone in the galaxy what we’re capable of,” Jaeger said.

  “I hope so. If this place pans out, I’d like to stick around for a while. I’m getting tired of sleeping in a new bed every few nights. It’s starting to feel like we never left military service at all.”

  “At least the food’s better,” Jaeger commented as he finally read over the menu and winced at the prices. This far from civilization, everything was more expensive. It was another reminder that they needed to start making money soon. From what he had seen of the gaming tables, the Nova Club ran an honest game, which meant with a little luck, he should be able to turn their fortunes around in a week or less.

  “Does this mean you’re going to let loose and actually indulge in a steak with me? Come on, take a walk on the wild side.” Toro was grinning as he waved over one of the serving staff.

  “Like you said, it’s steak. I’m in. Tomorrow, when we’re both broke and hungry, remind me that giving in to temptation is never a good idea.”

  Toro shook his head. “Not a chance. You know those words will never pass my lips. Temptation is fun, and life is all about having fun and taking risks. You’re a damned gambler; you know all about risk and reward.”

  “I know about carefully calculated risks and return on investment. That’s not the same thing.”

  “Says the man about to order himself a big, juicy steak. Admit it, sometimes it feels good to give in to temptation.” Toro turned to their server and flashed the young man a smile. “My buddy and I will both have the steak. Rare. Oh, and one of every side dish, and two more beers.”

  “You got it. You won’t regret the steak; it’s incredible. I got to try some the first time it came in, and it’s worth the scrip.”

  “It better be,” Jaeger muttered and pointed at Toro. “You need an impressive winning streak if you want to keep eating this way.”

  The server perked up at that. “You’re a fighter? Have you signed on here? If you have, you get a discount on food and beverages.”

  “Not yet. Got a meeting with one of the owners a little later. We thought we’d come by and check the place out and watch the fights.”

  “You came on a good night. Cynder is on the roster. In fact, her fight is up next. I’m going to put in your order and go watch. I’ll bring your steaks out as soon as they're ready.”

  “Cynder—hey, isn’t that the name of the owner we’re supposed to meet up with later?” Toro asked.

  “Cynder Armas, yeah. If she’s one of the owners, that’s good news for us. It means they let cyborgs fight here. I know they agreed to talk to you, but that’s never a sure sign.”

  “And there you go, being all practical again. I was hoping she was hot. I love a woman who knows how to fight dirty, if you know what I mean.”

  Jaeger rolled his eyes. “Keep thoughts like that to yourself, will you? You’re not half as charming as you think you are, and we need her to sign you on as a fighter, not toss us out of here because you hit on her. She’s going to be your boss, remember?”

  He took a drink out of his mug before continuing. “Besides, one of has to be logical. Otherwise, we’d be broke and working a yearlong contract on some miserable mining ship somewhere out in that field of broken space rocks,” he said, gesturing vaguely toward the windows and the asteroid field that filled much of the inner part of this solar system.

  Toro frowned and dropped his gaze to his beer. “I know you’re smarter than me. It’s just…you can’t be practical all the time. We survived the war, but sometimes I wonder if you’re ever going to put that nightmare behind you and start really living.”

  “I’m trying. I ordered the damned steak, didn’t I?” Jaeger pointed out. This was an old argument between the two of them. Jaeger played the part of the charming and laid-back gambler because it put people at ease, but most of it was an act. He had been that person once, but years of wartime service had darkened his soul. Toro kept hoping the old version of Jaeger would come back one day, but Jaeger didn’t know if that man even existed anymore.

  “Yeah, you did. I’m amazed a host of angels didn’t break out in song the second it happened.”

  “Ass.”

  “Jerk.”

  The name-calling might have continued until their food arrived, but their insults were interrupted by a louder than average cheer from the crowd surrounding the fight ring. Toro winced as he took in the scene, and Jaeger twisted in his seat to check out what had his batch brother looking so pained. The match had ended, and from the looks of things, the loser’s next stop would be the station’s medical bay. His left arm hung at his side, and his shoulder was misshapen, both telltale signs of a dislocation.

  “That’s got to hurt,” Toro muttered, rolling his own shoulders in sympathy.

  “Thank you, corporate lab monkeys for giving us the ability to turn off pain receptors. On the plus side, I do believe an opening just appeared on the club’s fight roster.”

  “It looks like it. A silver lining for us, not so much for that poor guy.” Toro reached for his glass and then froze as the crowd started to cheer even louder.

  The cheer turned into a chant. One word repeated over and over again. Sinner—no. It took Jaeger a few seconds to figure it out. Not sinner, Cynder. Curious, he settled back to watch the next fight. He hadn’t seen a cyborg woman fight since the Resource Wars ended. In fact, he hadn’t seen many of them, period. The corporations who had created and owned their cyborg soldiers had made most of their forces male. The exact ratio had varied from corporation to corporation, but as far as he had been able to determine, none of the groups had made more than thirty percent of their soldiers female. According to the official records, less than ten percent of all cyborgs had survived the wars and were eventually freed.

  There weren’t many of his kind left.

  That was one of the reasons they’d made their way to the Drift. What few cyborgs remained seemed to be out here on the edge of civilized space. The Dri
ft was unique in the galaxy. It existed on the edge of a massive asteroid field, beyond the territory of any race or government. The corporations who won the Resource Wars owned and ran the collection of stations and platforms that made up the Drift. They controlled everything from the contracts assigned to the deep space mining vessels, down to the air they all breathed. If the companies could find a way to profit from it, they did. It wasn’t the easiest place to live, but it had its benefits, most notably the fact that acceptance came a little easier than anywhere else he and Toro had been. Maybe out here they would finally find a place where they belonged.

  Toro watched the crowd around the ring with keen interest. An observant person could tell a lot about a venue by the kind of customers they attracted. The Nova Club was an interesting mix of hard cases and higher-class folks. There was a whole lot of money in play on the betting floor, but so far, everyone had been relatively well behaved. Their manners were, no doubt, due to the presence of several ever-vigilant security guards who moved through the crowd every few minutes. They kept the roughnecks from getting too rowdy, which meant the management types felt safe. It was a tricky balancing act, but done right, it made for bigger profits and a safer experience for everyone.

  The chanting died down as the next two fighters were announced. Neither of them was named Cynder though. He started to wonder if their server had been mistaken about who would be fighting next. It wasn’t until the two men entered the ring and went to the same corner that he caught on. They weren’t fighting each other. They were both going to be fighting a third opponent.

  The announcer started his introduction, but he had no chance of being heard over the excited cheers of the crowd that only got louder as she stepped into view.