“Well, look who fin’ly decided to show up,” called the man riding the lead horse. He was a large fellow, both tall and heavy. The layer of fat he had accumulated around his midsection did little to disguise the powerful muscles that lay underneath, and his black hat pulled down low over his eyes only added to his imposing figure. The day was cloudy but there was a glare, and Zoe could see the light reflected from the man’s twin pistols and the guns of the four men fanned out behind him. Her eyes narrowed, assessing. Five against three and the enemy held the advantage of the lay of the land. Malachi’s ground was rocky and treeless, the terrain unforgiving, but the boulders and hills around them still offered cover for potential reinforcements. Serenity offered protection behind them and the crates holding the cargo stood on the flat stretch of ground between the three of them and the horsemen—still, at this juncture, it seemed that the likelihood of getting out of here far outweighed the likelihood of getting out of here with cash in their pockets. She glanced over at Jayne. The big mercenary was standing ready, attention grimly focused on the men approaching them. Zoe let her hands snake back and rest on her hips, inconspicuously close to her weapon, the better to be prepared without appearing overtly aggressive.

“Had a bit of a delay. Couldn’t be avoided,” Mal replied smoothly. “Still, here’s your cargo, all there and intact. So if you’ll pay us the nine hundred and fifty we agreed on, we’ll be outta your way and you can go ‘bout your business. No problem.”

“No problem? Not from what we’ve heard. Seems you folks screwed around and got yer ship flagged on the way here. An’ betwixt that an’ the bein’ late, I’m gonna say we’ve earned ourselves a mighty fine discount.” One of the men in the group fiddled nervously with the brim of his hat as their leader spoke.

“Just how big a discount are you gentlemen suggestin’?” Mal’s voice was still calm, but Zoe could hear the edge of steel that was