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past him.

“I think for now, Dev, our relationship doesn’t translate into hand holding.” She glanced

over her shoulder and gave Johanna a smile.

“Have a good time,” Johanna called to them as they left the bridge.

“So, your quarters or mine?” Devlin asked. Her stomach knotted. Granted, if she

returned to hers, she just might have to contend with Tyler and loathe, as she was to admit it,

contending with Devlin right now was more appealing.

“Yours,” she said. She watched as his left eyebrow inclined. He was startled to say the

least. “Just don’t get any harebrained ideas, Casanova. I want to eat and maybe I’ll crash on

your couch, other than that, it’s a strict hands off policy.” If she allowed him to touch her, he

would drive her mad with desire. She’d be tearing off his clothes and dragging him to the

MAXIMUM VELOCITY Marly Mathews 68

bedroom before he could say passion.

“As ever I will be the gracious host. I just wish we were returning to my mansion on

New Monaco instead of going back to....”

“Say dinky little quarters and I’ll belt you one. First of all, the
Excalibur
used to be a

galaxy class Cruise Star Ship. Secondly, we don’t exactly have the big balance bank accounts

that you have. I wish.” She sighed. She fell into step beside him. Devlin’s quarters were quite a

jaunt from the quarters she shared with Tyler. She could only pray that they would not bump

into each other while he was coming back or going to engineering.

“I was surprised to see that you carry fresh food on the ship,” he remarked just as they

reached the door to their quarters.

“Well, the stuff in the packs I can’t bring myself to eat, and our food replicator systems

haven’t been fully re-charged in some of the quarters so when we land on planets that are sort of

hospitable, we buy food.” She laughed. “Ross is a real connoisseur he loves to do the bulk of the

grocery shopping. He can keep us in food for a month with the way he hits the bulk outlets.”

The door whooshed open for them. “I....” Devlin regarded her for a scant moment.

She looked past him into the quarters. “Don’t worry, Dev, we can fix up the clothing

replicator to conjure up something suitable for you to wear. We dashed away from your prized

planet so fast you didn’t even get to bring along any of your own underwear!” Her cheeks flamed

as soon as the word underwear slipped out of her mouth. She’d gone and done it again. Her

attention was now being commanded by other thoughts that she shouldn’t and couldn’t be having

right now.

“Don’t you even want to know if I wear boxers or briefs?” he asked, a devilish gleam in

his eyes.

“Shut up,” she muttered, walking into the living area of his quarters. Well, now she’d put

her foot right into it. She was now in the lion’s den. Brilliant.

She turned back to look at him. He was leaning against the now closed door with one

eyebrow raised.

“So what do you want to do now?”

“I want to eat and then I have more work to do.”

“No rest for the wicked, eh?” he asked, chuckling as he sauntered past her.

“Indeed not. I guess that makes you a pretty restless guy.”

He stopped and slowly turned. “I wouldn’t be if I was married to a woman like you.”

She wanted to bolt out of his door so fast and yet, she tempted fate by walking right past

him toward the kitchenette that the quarters boasted.

“What are you craving for dinner?” she asked.

“You,” he replied a wolfish grin on his face. Licking her lips, she prayed for the strength

to endure his sexy eyes, sexy body, and damn it, he even had a sexy personality.

Why had she pushed him away for so long? Was it finally the right time to pull instead

of pushing?

MAXIMUM VELOCITY Marly Mathews 69

Chapter Eleven

Rory Mallory looked at the bright blue sky through the porthole in the side of the space

yacht. She didn’t know what planet they were on, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t New Earth

by the two moons and two suns that orbited the planet. The bunk she was sitting on was small.

The quarters were small. Everything was small. Her head throbbed and her stomach growled

with hunger. When had she last eaten? She couldn’t recall.

Pulling her night robe closer around her, she settled back against the lone pillow on the

bunk. She wanted her father. She’d heard the crew muttering in Mandarin and though she could

understand a few snatches of what they were saying, it wasn’t enough to tell her anything of

much importance.

Settling her fingers around her star pendant she wore around her neck she stared up at the

grey ceiling. She’d been shoved in one of the crewman’s cabins. She definitely wasn’t holed up

in one of their most luxurious cabins. Loud angry voices carried through to her from the

hallway. Sitting up, she stared wildly about her. She’d tried to escape from them once and had

only earned herself a few bruises on her knees from where she’d fallen. She couldn’t try to make

another run for it until she was out in the open.

The cabin door flung back on its hinges.

“You, girl. You come with me. My master wants to see you. We go to the palace.” She

shook her head, flinging her legs over the side of the bunk.

“Whatever you say,” she grumbled standing up. Blisters lined her feet. Her flimsy

slippers weren’t made for the kind of walking she’d been doing in the last two days. She

shrugged away from the man’s fingers when he reached out for her. “I can manage on my own.”

As soon as she emerged in the hall two other goons flanked her sides.

“You keep quiet. No speak unless spoken to.”

She blew hot air out her nose. They emerged on the top deck of the space yacht.

“The hover car will be ready in two minutes,” One guy said. He was wearing a uniform

of some sort, though she didn’t recognize his military yank or affiliation.

Hover car? That meant she wouldn’t be able to make a run for it when the right

opportunity presented itself. She glanced down at the gun holster the one guy in front of her

wore. Could she grab his phase pistol in time and make a break for it? Her father had taught her

how to use a lot of weapons, but she didn’t recognize the type of phase pistol the one guy wore.

Hunger gnawed at her again, and she swayed. Her blood sugar had to be low, not to mention the

fact that she had to be dehydrated. They hadn’t given her water in five hours.

Chatter went on around her as if she weren’t even there. She tried to figure out what they

were discussing but she just couldn’t seem to focus.

“You sit. You don’t look so good.” The man gestured to a stool in front of her.

Obediently, she sat. She would have given him more trouble, if she’d had the energy. Maybe

she could do something once they got her into the hover car. Whatever happened, she couldn’t

let them take her to their master. She knew all about the slave trade. Her father had never

shielded her from the more unsavory aspects of life. She knew all too well the kind of horrors

that could be awaiting her.

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She shivered, and wrapped her arms around her chest. The inquisitive and sometimes

intrusive gazes the crewmen were giving her were setting her on edge.

“We go in five minutes.” The guy that had brought her to the bridge said again. She

didn’t know what his name was, if only she’d been able to overhear that.

“Gee, I can’t wait,” she muttered beneath her breath. There were no windows on the

bridge and she had no idea of her outer surroundings. One of her main hang-ups was that she

always needed to know where she was at all times. Being grabbed in the middle of the night had

terrified the stuffing out of her. She had tried calling out for her father but he’d never come. She

hoped he was still alive…if he wasn’t.... Shaking her head, she tried to focus her thoughts on the

here and now.

“Come with me…we go now.” The nameless man gripped her elbow and hoisted her to

her feet. “You nice and little, just the way the master likes them.” Her head reeled. She tried to

keep from hurling.

“I’m going to grow, you know.” For her barb, she was rewarded with a cuff to the back

of the head. She staggered forward and regained her footing when another guy reached out to

steady her. Remaining silent, she looked dead ahead and kept a careful eye on her surroundings

through her peripheral vision. In no time at all, they were in the massive hover car. It had to be

at least three years old. Strange, since she’d obviously been abducted by a wealthy man.

“You’re going to need a good scrubbing once we reach the palace.” She ignored the man

and tilted her head to look out the window. She sighed when she realized they were frosted so

that she couldn’t see out.

“We’ll be at the palace in ten minutes.” A voice from the front of the car called back to

them.

Fixating her attention on the man’s gun holster that sat across from her...she bided her

time. When he reached for her to pull her out of the car, she was going to move into action.

She’d only have a three second window of possible escape she had to take advantage of it.

“You’re a little scrawny, but my master will get you fattened up in no time.”

She stared into his beady little eyes. Biting her lip, she tried to ignore everything he was

saying to her. Her skin crawled. “For your age, you are quite well developed.”

“Am I?” She shrugged her shoulders. Anger flared in his eyes, but he didn’t reprimand

her for speaking without permission.

“You should feel lucky to have drawn the attention of my master. His taste is

impeccable. Beyond reproach.”

“How come you’re speaking such perfect English now?” Her question seemed to unnerve

him. He looked away. Seconds of silence passed before he let out a great sigh.

“I was raised mostly by my Caucasian mother. I speak with the halting accent so that I

will fit in with my other fellow Asians.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” She grunted.

He pierced her with his glinting eyes again. “You need to learn to hold your tongue. My

master will teach you to that. He does not like his women to be chatty. He only likes them for

one reason.”

She didn’t want to know what that reason was, even though she had a pretty good

suspicion. As if he wanted to torture her further, the guy cleared his throat to catch her attention.

“Do you want to know what that reason would be?”

“Doesn’t really matter if you tell me now, does it? I’m sure I’ll be finding out soon

enough.”

MAXIMUM VELOCITY Marly Mathews 71

“This is true. You will have to learn how to dance. My master likes his females to dance

for him…before they service his needs.”

She swallowed and kept her gaze fixed on his pistol.

Wait for it, Rory. Don’t act before the time is right. Her mental warning to herself served

to clear her head.

Pressing her lips into a flat line, she literally bit her tongue to keep herself from speaking

out.

“We have arrived. You may disembark.” That same voice said from the front

compartment.

“Well…the time has arrived. Soon, you will be able to behold the grandeur of my

master’s palace.”

“Why do you have a master? Weren’t you free before?”

“My life is none of your business.” The door opened, and he stepped out. “Come.” He

reached his hand in for her. She shied away from it.

“I can handle myself quite nicely, thanks.” Her snub seemed to have the desired effect.

He lost interest in her for just the right amount of time. She darted her hand out and had his

pistol in her hand before he could even react. She scooted out of the car and body checked him

with her full weight. He teetered to the side and then righted himself. They were just inside the

gates to the palace. They were closing, but if she moved fast, she might be able to get out in

time. She moved out of his reach and began hoofing for it.

He had to let her go. She heard something charging. It had to be another gun. So

reinforcements had arrived for him. Darting a quick glance over her shoulder, she noticed the

one guy gaining on her. He slapped his hand on her shoulder and pulled her around to face him.

The gate was almost closed. She didn’t have time for this. She couldn’t let him take her again.

Pointing the pistol into his stomach, she pulled the trigger. His eyes gorged out of his head.

“Oh, my God!” she breathed. The gun fell out of her hand. Stepping back, she watched

as red blood gushed out of his abdomen. “Real bullets.” Shaking her head, she felt cold icy shock

grip her in its tentacles. “Not happening. This was supposed to be a phase pistol. No.” He let out

a low moan and slumped to the ground. She couldn’t stick around to see if she’d done him in or

not. She had to move while the getting was good. There was no telling what they would do to

her now that she’d accidentally shot one of their men. “I’m sorry.”

With that, she turned around and hightailed it to the gate. Turning her body, she