Reckless Bounty (Intergalactic Justice Book 1)

by Marly Mathews

  She heard it hit the car, and then quickly flew out of the way, even as the large transport hover mobile raced toward her. It had been about to fire at her, but since she was able to move so quickly, the shots missed her, and instead grazed the car she’d thrown the smoke grenade at.

  They collided.

  Smoke whirled around her. She struggled to control the jetpack. It had started to emit a screeching noise, akin to fingernails on an old-fashioned chalkboard. The engine sounded as if it were fried. Looking down, she realized how high she had climbed. Her heart danced in her chest.

  “Ah, just great. Now I’m really in for it,” she muttered. At that precise moment, her jet pack lost power.

  *****

  As if by some miracle, a light flashed on her vest, just as she began to come to grips with meeting her maker. Another surge of power gave new life to the jet pack, and she realized with immense relief that Dylan had implanted a mini backup engine. She regained altitude and tried activating her com link. Nothing happened, and that almost had her crying out in frustration.

  The bomb at the Moonlight Bar and the bomb in the elevator were no coincidence. Then when she had narrowly escaped those two death traps, she had been informed that someone had made a backup plan to ensure their deaths. Followed by the thug that had tried killing her, made her come to only one conclusion.

  Whoever had murdered Lady Devlin had gotten wind of Dylan’s inquiries at the Moonlight Bar, and had sent people out to deal with them.

  Someone was running scared, and they’d stop at nothing to get her to shut up. They were trying to take her out so that her death would scare Dylan and Johanna into giving up on Tyler. But no one intimidated Samantha. If they thought that she could be easily killed, then they had another damn think coming.

  People had tried to kill her before, and she’d survived, and this time nothing would be different. She would clear Tyler’s name and she’d do it all for Dylan and Johanna.

  She’d almost reached The Excalibur and knew that Veronica had succeeded in getting to the ship before her because she didn’t see Aggie anywhere. But something was different about The Excalibur.

  It held a heaviness, that seemed to seep out to Samantha, and foreboding lodged in her heart. In an instant, her mind jumped to a whole bunch of horrible possibilities.

  Dylan was fine! He had to be fine. If something had happened to him, she would’ve felt it way before this. Her special sense for those kinds of things had never let her down and it wouldn’t begin to now.

  But she still knew that something was wrong.

  The docking bay door was wide-open. She frowned at Johanna’s blatant disregard for security. Hadn’t the harrowing experiences of the last two days taught her sister anything?

  Sometimes she thought she was the only one that ever engaged her brain.

  Shutting her jet pack off, she stepped surefooted onto the slopping metal plank that led up into the ship. She began walking quickly, and then as a lump lodged in her throat, she ran.

  She emerged into the main area of The Excalibur, and her heart gave way, as she realized that her fears had not been unfounded. But it was definitely much worse than she’d thought.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Johanna!!!” she cried, running to embrace her seemingly battered sister. She held her for a moment, and Samantha pulled away when she felt her sister stiffen with pain.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a dark silhouette.

  “Did you save her?” she demanded.

  Solemnly, Devlin nodded his head. Gratitude rushed through her and she wanted to run and wrap her arms around him.

  “Yes, Samantha, he helped me. If he hadn’t shown up just in the nick of time, I’d probably be dead right now. It all happened so fast that I truly didn’t know what had happened, until the wind was knocked out of me from behind.

  Lucy had only given me like a two second warning. Damned if I know how they even managed to break through her security sensors. I was trying vainly to get the communication channel reopened, and I definitely wasn’t expecting such an attack.”

  “It looks as if you’re going to have a black eye,” Samantha said, glancing around the bridge for Dylan.

  She didn’t want to acknowledge Devlin, or else she’d lose her head and show Johanna how crazy she was for the man, so she pretended he wasn’t there. Which was about as worse of an insult as she could manage considering the current circumstance. He had ignored her presence earlier, so she was paying him back in kind.

  “We should get you down to med bay to attend to all of your injuries.”

  “I don’t have any injury that you haven’t already suffered in past missions, and besides dear sister, you don’t look so shit hot yourself,” Johanna said all in one breath.

  “I agree wholeheartedly with what Johanna just said,” Devlin said.

  “I’m fine. I had a brush with death like you, Johanna, and death lost.”

  “What about Dylan?”

  “I could hardly do anything for him. I don’t think he’s any the worse for wear. Except for the fact that Veronica felt the need to give him medication. Which will probably knock him for a loop. At least for the next few hours anyway,” Johanna added.

  Turning her head to the side, Samantha finally noticed that Lucy had her holographic butt planted in the captain’s chair.

  “What the hell do you think that you’re doing, Lucille?” she asked, sauntering over to Lucy.

  Lucy stared up at her with a mingled expression of irritation and anger splayed across her features. Samantha wrinkled her brow, once again noticing the galling similarities in physical appearance they shared.

  Dylan had programmed Lucy’s looks and Samantha now couldn’t believe she had been so worried about him.

  “I’m running the ship. Someone has to,” Lucy drawled out, staring up at her with an impish grin.

  “Okay. I’m going to kill you as soon as I figure out how to kill something that isn’t real!” Samantha lunged toward Lucy.

  She fell headlong into the chair, with her butt sticking up in the air, just as Lucy crackled out of existence. Lucy reappeared over by the weapons locker and grinned at her.

  “Sometimes being intangible has its moments,” Lucy laughed. Groaning, Samantha tried to push herself up from the chair.

  “Oh! Now that is a rather good look for you, Samantha,” Lord Devlin said.

  She let out a frustrated groan. “Why don’t you pucker up your lips, and kiss it?” she suggested, pushing herself out of the chair.

  “Samantha, dear, why don’t you go and get yourself a cup of coffee. I think you need it,” Johanna advised, laying an ice pack against her slightly swollen cheek.

  It reminded Samantha of the pressing issues that were at hand, and she quickly poured herself a cup of the precious black brew, and settled herself in her chair.

  “Why don’t you take a hike?” she suggested, turning her head toward Devlin.

  He wasn’t any help. He only distracted her from the job at hand.

  Devlin was just about to open his mouth to reply, when Johanna loudly cleared her throat.

  “For once just once, Samantha, can’t you keep your mouth shut? I know you want him to stay here, but you can’t lower your pride enough to say so. And you can kindly wipe that look of pent-up indignation off of your face. Do I need to spell out what happened here? Devlin saved my life. I thought I was a goner for sure, and then he showed up and scared the intruders away. You need to stop fighting your feelings for him, and realize that maybe just maybe, he’s better for you than Tyler is.”

  “Yeah, sort of like the big bad wolf,” Samantha scoffed, wrapping both hands around her steaming mug. “What I don’t understand is why you needed him to rescue you. The last time I checked you weren’t a crying damsel in distress.

  When push comes to shove, you can handle yourself just as well as I can. I’ve seen you kick lots of assess in my day.”

  “Yes. But not when I’ve been
outnumbered and caught off guard,” Johanna pulled her collar down, and she cried out with horror.

  Jumping out of her chair, she sloshed her coffee everywhere. She quickly placed it down and rushed to her sister’s side.

  “And you let them get away?” Samantha cried out angrily, gently feeling the bruises on her sister’s neck. “Dear God, Johanna, they might’ve killed you!” she breathed out, feeling the ground give way beneath her.

  Whoever had been responsible for the welts on her sister’s neck, now lived on borrowed time! She’d hunt them down, and make sure that they never hurt anyone in such a way ever again. “Cowards!” she spat out, leading Johanna over to a chair. “Sit! I’m going to make you a nice cup of tea. Then you’re going to give me all of the details.”

  “No! You’re going to give me all of the details about your numerous brushes with death. From what I could hear of Veronica’s curses and half-audible mutterings, I could tell that things didn’t go so great for you either.”

  “Oh. Well. For me, it was all in a day’s work. I’ve had worse. It was nothing. Really,” Samantha murmured, dismissing her harrowing ordeal, as easily as she would forget about a bad movie.

  “Yes, and you cost me a great deal of money, young lady,” Lord Devlin interjected.

  Samantha snorted. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be able to cost you a lot more before this investigation is over.” She grinned.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” His brow furrowed.

  “Ooh, look Johanna. Devlin’s so cheap he might even squeak,” she laughed, even as her eyes sobered with the thought of nearly losing her sister.

  “I’m not cheap. I’m merely a good businessman. And since you blew up the Moonlight Bar, I will be expecting payment in the way of damages. I owned that establishment.”

  “Establishment? It was a freaking hole in the wall. Low lifers of all sorts gathered there, and you give it a hoity toity name of establishment? You really are too much to believe, Devlin!” She turned her back on him and began brewing the tea. “And if you think you’ll get any money from me, you may as well try getting blood from a stone.”

  Here she was calmly making tea while her heart was strained to the breaking point.

  An asshole of the highest class was speaking in his mother tongue, and Johanna was silently listening to the banter that was going on between them.

  “You know, Samantha, if you took the show you and Devlin create when together on the road, you’d definitely make a pretty penny,” Johanna murmured.

  Sighing, Samantha poured the tea, and added the milk. “Well. I wish that he’d hit the road without me. How much of his shit am I expected to take?” She handed Johanna the hot cup of tea.

  “You know you love it and him. I love Dylan and I am committed to being a Cassidy, but I think you chose wrongly, sis, and I’m not afraid to say it. You should be with Devlin, you should have been with him all of this time.

  Anyway, I was going to ask Devlin, some questions about the intruders, but since you’re trying so hard to piss him off, I don’t think that I will have the chance.”

  “Goody. I don’t think that he would be able to give you any clues, since the idiot doesn’t even realize that I wasn’t the one that blew up his cherished bar. If you haven’t already figured it out you brainless wonder. Someone was trying to off me, and my friends, and while I was occupied that very same person sent people here to do away with Johanna. Did any of your hired thugs have a hand in this?” she demanded.

  “Samantha, bite your tongue,” Johanna cut in. She looked pissed off. “He wouldn’t have had his thugs involved in this. Please look at the bigger picture and remember that we are on a mission to clear Tyler’s name or else he will go to the gallows.”

  “Tyler wouldn’t have to worry about going to the gallows, if not for Devlin. He makes the rules on New Monaco, and he could break them. But he won’t because he wants revenge against me, for what I did to him.”

  “I am not that petty, Samantha. You keep me close and yet so far away. I thought that what we shared last night and this morning…well, I thought you’d come over to my side again.”

  “I am…I am...” She was about to say on Tyler’s side but couldn’t make herself say those words.

  “If anyone is interested, I have a fix on the location of the thugs that paid us a visit earlier,” Lucy piped in, crackling into existence in front of Samantha.

  Samantha sighed deeply and tapped her fingers restlessly on her armrest. She stared expectantly up at Lucy.

  “Cut to the chase. Give me all of the info you have so that I can go and beat the shit out of them.” She inwardly thanked Lucy for the timely interruption. If she had to sit, and talk about her emotions any longer, she’d have to puke.

  “Lucy, where are Veronica and Ross? I’m going to need their help with this.”

  Lucy sighed. “I overheard Veronica muttering something about ripping someone a new one, and then she was gone. She took Aggie though I don’t know if she’ll be getting far with her. Ross went with her, so I guess you are on your own since Dylan is still sleeping like a baby down in med bay.”

  “Oh! Well that’s just peachy keen. I’m going to give Veronica a freaking earful when she brings her scrawny butt back here. Doesn’t she know that while onboard The Excalibur we all work as a team?”

  Stamping her foot, she punched her fist against the wall. Recognition dawned. “Shit. You let Veronica take Aggie?” she exploded, feeling her face grow hot. “Lucy, that’s it, your days are numbered. I’m going to hack into your system, blind if need be, and I’m going to erase you.

  Why didn’t you tell me that Veronica had left? When I got here, Aggie was right where she should be. And she wasn’t driving too well, so let’s hope she holds together for Veronica.”

  Samantha fumed. And though Veronica had earned a teensy bit of her respect, she’d now successfully blown all of that sentiment straight to hell.

  “You didn’t ask,” Lucy said carelessly. Her face lit up with gleeful satisfaction.

  “I didn’t ask! That’s it, I’m going to rearrange your program so that you’re talking out of your ass!”

  “Before you blow a gasket, Samantha, why don’t I just accompany you?” Johanna offered.

  “Over my dead body,” she huffed, moving to the weapons cabinet, she began reloading her personal supply.

  “You should have something to eat before you go on your kick ass mission,” Johanna said, clucking her tongue like a mother hen.

  “Johanna, you’re giving me one big ass ache, with your constant concern. Why don’t you go and get some rest. I’ll grab an energy bar, and then I’ll be on my way. So, Dev, when will you be leaving my ship?” she demanded.

  On a whim, she added another gizmo to her belt.

  She didn’t know what some of these gadgets did, but she’d be finding out soon enough since Dylan was not around to ask.

  “What the hell, are you grinning like a Cheshire cat for?”

  Samantha walked toward him and sighed heavily when he blocked her path.

  “I think we’ve done this dance before, Dev,” she muttered, trying to walk around him. She decided to blow a big blast of air in his face when he dodged side to side. As he gained great satisfaction out of her annoyance.

  Rubbing her hands together, she pushed him out of her way. God, he felt good. She had to shake it off…or she’d be pulling him back to her bedroom instead of going to kick some ass!

  “Lock the doors behind me, and don’t let anyone in. Lucy, if you don’t keep on guard, I’m going to convince Dylan to turn you into a man,” she threatened. Johanna called out her name. “What?” she barked, without really meaning to. “Sorry,” she mumbled, crossing her arms.

  “You should take Devlin with you. How do you expect to get to where my attackers are without a hover car?”

  “Well. Actually, I thought I’d rent one,” Samantha shot back, ripping open an energy bar. She hungrily bit into it. Her stomach grow
led loudly. Sighing, she chewed the dry and tasteless bar.

  “Get real, Samantha,” Johanna scrunched her face up in annoyance.

  “I was going to use my jetpack if you must know. It’s a handy dandy little thing, and has saved my ass several times today.”

  “Oh, yeah, like you’re going to be able to sneak up on them that way,” Johanna said. Samantha marched over to Johanna and pulled her aside.

  “What has gotten into you? Are you going loony? Since when was Devlin our greatest ally? He doesn’t want me to clear Tyler’s name. Let me take you down a road called memory lane. He was the one that issued the hefty bounty on Tyler in the first place. He was the one that placed our butts in the fire!”

  “And you love him. So get off your high horse and take him with you. I am still devoted to Dylan. And Devlin can watch your back.”

  “Yeah. Sure he can!” Samantha said, and then under her breath, “watch my back? How can he do that when he’s constantly trying to get me on my back?

  Johanna rolled her eyes.

  “Perhaps, I should tell my people to take Tyler and bring him down here. We haven’t had a public execution of a well-renowned criminal in many years. Don’t you think that the hanging of the Galaxy’s King of Thieves, will draw a large crowd?

  It could be a definite money maker for me, and no one ever accused me of not being an enterprising businessman,” Lord Devlin declared, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” But then Samantha thought back to when the Red Falcon had told her about the spies that Devlin had littered throughout The Emerald Star. “Are you listening to him, Johanna, or have you gone deaf? He just threatened me with doing bodily harm against Tyler!”

  “Can’t see why you’re still concerned about the little good for nothing. Samantha, the only thing Tyler ever did for you that was good was leaving you,” Devlin mused.

  “And you would have been better for me, right? Now are you going to sit there all day, or are you going to get your ass in gear?”

  “You know, Samantha, you never cease to amaze me,” he mused, walking toward the door leading out into the hallway.