Chapter 6

Denton stood frozen, his amber eyes fixed on the medical supplies scattered on the floor. He saw the expensive disinfectant, the clean gauze. It wasn't poison. It wasn't acid.

He slowly turned his head to look at Angel, who was still hiding behind the sofa. The boy's wounds were indeed cleaner. The blood had been wiped away.

Denton's massive frame seemed to shrink. He didn't know what to do. He was used to fighting the monster, not dealing with... this. He searched Ina's face for some sign of a trick, some hint of malice. He found nothing but a calm, steady gaze.

Before he could speak, a new sound shattered the silence. The high-pitched whine of a hovercar engine. It was loud, obnoxious, and getting closer.

A bright pink hovercar descended from the sky, landing right on the overgrown lawn. The door swung up, and a woman stepped out. She wore a tight leather skirt and high heels that sank into the dirt.

Charlee Guthrie. The daughter of the Black Soil City lord.

She walked up the steps, two burly bodyguards trailing behind her. She didn't knock. She just walked right in, waving a scented handkerchief in front of her nose to ward off the smell.

Her eyes immediately found Denton. They lit up with a greedy, possessive hunger.

"Denton," she purred, ignoring the broken glass and the bleeding Ina. "You've been in this trash heap long enough, haven't you?"

Denton frowned. He took a step back, his expression disgusted. "This is none of your business, Miss Charlee."

Charlee's smile vanished. She turned her attention to Ina, looking her up and down with obvious contempt.

"Ina, look at you. You're a mess." She laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "I'll offer you five million Star Coins for Denton's contract. That's enough to pay off your debt to the loan sharks, and maybe buy some diet pills."

Denton's fists clenched. He knew the situation. He knew Ina was desperate for money. Five million was a lifeline. He felt a cold despair settle in his stomach. He was going to be sold.

Angel grabbed Denton's sleeve, his eyes wide with fear. If Denton left, there would be no one to protect him.

Ina casually wiped the blood from her hand onto her cargo pants. She straightened up, her chin raised. She looked at Charlee like she was looking at a piece of rotten meat.

"Five million? Do you think this is a scrap yard?" Ina's voice was flat, devoid of the original owner's usual fawning tone.

Charlee blinked, surprised by the defiance. "Don't be ungrateful," she snapped. "My father runs this city!"

She gestured to her bodyguards. "If she won't take the deal, take him by force. Let's see who can stop us."

The two guards stepped forward, reaching for Denton's arms. Denton's eyes narrowed. He prepared to fight.

"Bang!"

The gunshot was deafening in the small room. A bolt of blue energy struck the floor inches from the guard's foot, leaving a smoking, black crater.

Everyone froze. The guards jumped back. Charlee let out a short scream, clapping her hands over her ears.

Ina stood there, holding an old-model electromagnetic pistol. She held it with both hands, her stance perfect, the barrel steady and aimed directly at Charlee's forehead. Her eyes were cold. This was the look of someone who had killed before.

"Take your dogs and get out of my house," Ina said, her voice low and dangerous. "Take one more step inside, and the next shot goes through your skull."

The killing intent radiating from Ina was real. It wasn't a bluff. Charlee felt it like a physical force. Her legs went weak. Her face turned pale.

She stumbled backward, nearly tripping over her heels. The guards grabbed her arms and dragged her toward the door. They scrambled into the pink hovercar and sped away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Ina watched them go. She let out a breath, flicked the safety on the pistol, and tucked it back into her waistband.

She turned around. Denton was staring at her. The shock on his face was unmistakable. He had never seen her like this. He had never seen anyone handle a weapon with such casual deadliness.

Ina ignored his stare. She didn't lower her guard immediately, taking a slow, steadying breath as the adrenaline began to ebb away. The silence in the room was thick, suffocating, broken only by Angel's ragged breathing from behind the sofa. She looked down at the medical supplies scattered on the floor, then at Denton's rigid posture.

"Put the medicine on him," she said. "We'll deal with the broken door later."

She turned and walked toward the stairs, leaving Denton standing in the ruined living room, his world turned upside down.