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“You are a great big bully, Devlin, and I just want you to know we will not be affected by your brutish attitude.” Johanna looked about ready to strike Devlin. Samantha wished she would.

That would make her day.

Samantha and the Red Falcon watched Johanna at her very best. She would stick with her sister through thick and thin, but in all of their years together she’d never seen Johanna so inspired to make another person feel like he was two feet tall.

Then Lord Devlin’s eyes flickered to Samantha, and he seemed to regain some of his former cockiness. The asshole had returned. He acknowledged her out loud for the first time, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

“Then I trust,
Samantha,
that you will not mind if I search your ship to verify the fact you haven’t anything to hide.” He slanted his mouth into a smug grin, while a flicker of jealousy flashed in his eyes.

She stared unbelievably at him, and felt a coldness overtake her. It hit her like a punch to the gut, as she realized she was still in
New Monaco’s
airspace, and technically she was still under
New Monaco
jurisdiction. This was why when she’d first met Devlin a few years ago, she’d wanted as far away from him as possible. He was like playing with fire…and she didn’t want to get burned by him…if she did get burned there would be no turning back.

And since, Lord Devlin ran the crime-infested planet, she would have to acquiesce or face a severe fine or punishment. She couldn’t push her luck. They didn’t have much money left, and well the punishment thing wasn’t an option. She’d have Devlin at her mercy, before that came to pass. Samantha swallowed past the barbed wire in her throat, and tried to hide her true feelings.

Please God, let what I am about to say not come back to bite me in the ass
!

She stared up at the Red Falcon for some kind of confirmation. She felt quite sure that as long as the Red Falcon needed Tyler’s information, he’d protect his investment. For once in her life she was thinking rationally. Her mother would be proud.

She breathed deeply, praying that her hunch was correct. She had never been so insecure before, and she hid it by using her rather colorful mouth on Lord Devlin. Her mouth was her greatest gift, and her greatest curse, when used unwisely that is.

“Kiss my ass, Lord Devlin,” she drawled out. Drawing another breath, she prepared to do her worst. “But since I am in such a charitable mood, I shall allow you to have full access to my ship. You may even inspect my
toilets,
if you feel the need.”

She started to head in one direction, and was subtly pushed in the other direction by the Red Falcon. Like she’d admitted before, she had a shitty sense of direction.

“It’s this way,” he murmured, in her ear.

She smiled sheepishly and gave him a glance of appreciation. “I knew that.”

Johanna snorted, and tried stifling it with the back of her hand. Johanna gave her a searching gaze, and Samantha mouthed the words
‘trust me
.’

She was just about to place her faith in a pirate’s hands and she prayed that she wouldn’t be dealing with the brutal blow of betrayal. But she had a fifty, fifty chance so her odds were RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 78

good.

Ah, what the hell. What have you got to lose, Samantha? Everything. She answered
feeling the trepidation nearly bring her to her knees.

* * * *

Samantha pushed herself ahead of Lord Devlin just before they reached
The Excalibur
. It hadn’t been necessary to use the Red Falcon’s transporter system, since
The Excalibur
had docked in
The Emerald Star’s
massive docking bay.

She tapped her fingers restlessly against her side, frowning when Dylan greeted them in an overtly defensive manner.

His aquamarine eyes searched his wife’s, and Samantha followed the exchange with a sense of exasperation. They didn’t have anything to be concerned about. If Dylan was worried that Johanna was going to leave him or something he couldn’t be further off track.

Samantha moved past Dylan, and watched Lord Devlin crinkle his nose in disgust. “Well, this place hasn’t changed. It still looks as if it should be in a spaceship junkyard.”

“Now see here,
Lord Devlin
,” Samantha said, extenuating every single word. “I will not tolerate you patronizing my ship. Everything can’t live up to your stuck up expectations. You are here onboard my ship for one reason alone, and that isn’t to assign our ship a Lord Devlin approval rating. So move it, before I’m tempted to make you lose it.”

She sniffed the air, and for the first time noticed the quiet guards flanking them. One of them wore cheap perfume. She sneezed, and was caught off guard when Lord Devlin offered her his handkerchief. She took it and blew her nose, then didn’t know what to do with it.

“
Keep it
,” Lord Devlin clipped out.

They were now in the hallway that led to the private living quarters. Samantha let out a loud groan, when he tried opening one of the guest rooms.

“Lucy, kindly open the door,” Samantha murmured, genuinely hoping that her husband wasn’t inside.

Lord Devlin stared over in victory at Samantha, and her stomach rolled as she attempted to keep her cookies right where they were.

“I can’t comply, Samantha. The inhabitants have ordered complete privacy mood. I don’t disobey such commands. I am an obedient, AI,” Lucy answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Lucy sounded as if she believed Samantha had completely lost her senses.

“Obedient, AI, my arse. If you don’t comply, I’ll have you ejected from
The Emerald
Star
and blown into next Sunday,” Lord Devlin threatened.

“Well, since it’s Friday already, what kind of a threat is that?” Samantha asked. “You definitely need to come up with some new material.” Samantha had had enough! That was it, she’d bloody his proper pinched up face, and make him sorry he’d ever patronized her in the first place. She had just about taken it upon herself to do just that, when she felt The Red Falcon’s steadying hand.

Samantha stared over at Dylan incomprehensibly. He moved toward the master control outside of the door. “Dylan!”

“Lord Devlin wants to be allowed inside. I say we give him whatever he wants, within reason,” Dylan muttered. “And if he likes surprises, this will be right up his alley.” Dylan reconfigured the command, and made sure Lucy forgot the whole uncomfortable incident.

The door quickly opened and everyone let out shocked exclamations at the rowdy display of sexual intercourse that met their eyes.

“I so didn’t need to see that. That image will be ingrained in my memory for days… and I RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 79

can’t wash out my mind with soap,” Samantha managed to say. She turned around, smiling when she heard Lord Devlin’s outraged cry.

“Where are you hiding HIM?” Lord Devlin demanded, striding over to Samantha, and grabbing her by the shoulders.

He shook her and then well, she lost it. And she bit her lips as everything around them went straight to hell.

* * * *

Veronica came lunging out of the bedroom. She was by now wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top, and Ross was still mumbling and lumbering around back inside of the room, struggling to get his clothes on.

Samantha couldn’t seem to shake the picture of his large backside that had been burned into her mind. Johanna, reached for Samantha, just as Veronica’s fist connected with Lord Devlin’s jaw.

Lord Devlin staggered back, and then Samantha moved forward, to knee him, when Veronica jumped on his back. He whirled around with Veronica screaming like a banshee trying desperately to shake her off.

“For the love of God!
Woman, get off of me!
” he ordered, still trying to rip her from his back.

“I got to hand it to you, Veronica! You are one determined little cookie. Oops, I meant big cookie!” Veronica tossed her a dirty look.

“I’ll show you what happens when my privacy is invaded by a sick son of a bitch!”

“Let me know if you need any assistance, Big V.” Samantha stepped out of the way, watching the show with immense enjoyment.

For once in Samantha’s life, she actually discovered that she and Veronica had a common foe. A bond was forged between them.

“Danny,” he grunted.

When Samantha looked around for the Red Falcon she discovered he had made a beeline to make himself scarce. He should’ve taken her with him.
Jerk
.

“I am going to break this back of yours, Lord Asshole,” Veronica screamed.

“You tell him, girl. Would you like some more help?” Samantha offered.

She watched the entertaining scene with a sense of contentment. For once in her life, she actually admired Veronica. She felt like worshipping the woman. Veronica clawed at Lord Devlin’s pretty boy face, until he finally succeeded in throwing her off of him.

As Veronica clattered against the floor, Ross came charging out of the room. “Oh, excellent. Here comes the raging bull,” Samantha said, enjoying her running commentary of the unfolding events. If Samantha judged Lord Devlin’s reaction accurately enough she swore he’d just lost control of his bodily functions. She could’ve sworn Ross’s weight had tipped
The
Excalibur
slightly. Ross had to learn not to run on
The Excalibur
. She couldn’t risk him breaking her ship, by accident. They didn’t have broken by a raging bull insurance.

Devlin’s bodyguards had by now restrained Veronica, and the one that wore the cheap stinky perfume, had moved forward with her rifle charged and at the ready.

Samantha caught sight of the reading on the rifle, before anyone else did, and rushed the woman. There was no bloody reason to have the rifle set on kill, and she’d be damned if she were going to have anyone killed on her watch. She wouldn’t let her kill Devlin! She slammed the woman down to the ground, and heard her groan, when she knocked the wind out of her.

The rifle went flying from her arms, and hit the wall. Johanna bent to pick it up, and had RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 80

it aimed squarely at Lord Devlin.

“Everyone stops, right
NOW!
” Johanna instructed, placing her finger on the trigger.

Samantha looked up at her sister, and realized in one terrifying instant that Johanna had not yet ascertained that it was set on kill.

“Johanna,

NO!!!”
she screamed in horror, just as her sister discharged it.

She realized she was holding her breath, when she opened her eyes, to see why everything had become so damnably quiet. Johanna had missed, so that wasn’t what had everyone in such a state of apparent distress. She turned around to look behind her.

And the image that met her eyes, nearly made her blood run cold.

“Just lovely,” Samantha murmured, willing herself to maintain a cool demeanor. “Would someone please check to make sure the dog is done biting me in my
ass?
” she asked. This time, her heart threatened to fail her completely.

RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 81

Samantha stared fearfully at Tyler, who seemed unaffected by the whole state of affairs.

For the life of her she couldn’t read the expression in his guarded gaze, and that scared the hell out of her.

“This

is

bullshit
,” she drawled, hoping that for some reason she was daydreaming. She pinched herself and sighed when she didn’t suddenly come out of her pipe dream.

Then in desperation, Samantha did the only thing she could possibly think of. She walked straight up to Tyler, and slapped him across his face. Hard. Maybe a bit too hard. She’d have to kiss that better later.
Oops
.

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t say a word, or even utter a single noise. His nostrils were flared, but his eyes were still guarded, and his lips were pursed in a severe line.

For the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to do. Here was Tyler, standing in front of Lord Devlin, as if he was inviting Lord Devlin to lead him to the noose. She couldn’t figure out anyone’s motives, and her brain was on overload. If the pressure didn’t stop mounting around her she was going to blow a fuse and with the instability of her powers that wasn’t something anyone wanted to happen, especially her.

Everyone had his or her own agenda’s. Except for her, and the rest of her family. She took in Dylan and Johanna’s look of helplessness, and then saw Veronica’s complete bafflement.

For once in their long rivalry, they both finally shared the same thoughts.

“Would someone spill the fucking beans about what exactly is going on here?” Veronica asked, momentarily distracted. Ross gently helped her to her feet, and she stared dolefully up at him.

Samantha inwardly thanked Veronica, since she wanted to ask the same question herself.

“I have brought Tyler to you, Devlin. You shall not ask any more questions. Enough is
enough
,” The Red Falcon stated.

Lord Devlin stared at him, with his mouth open slightly. He looked at the Red Falcon as if he’d suddenly grown two heads and a tail. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve sworn that Devlin was just as surprised as she was.

“I certainly shall not agree to anything that you have just said, Danny. Do I need to remind you that I do not take orders from you?” Lord Devlin demanded.

“No reminders are necessary. But you are on my ship, and for now, you are beneath my control. I make the rules here.”

Lord Devlin puffed himself up like a peacock. Samantha had no idea why he felt the need, since her money was on the Red Falcon. Devlin was a big man but he didn’t look as if he liked getting his hands dirty with fighting. But the play for power was sort of fascinating.

Maybe the Red Falcon would give into his temptation and give Lord Devlin a good one two. If anyone deserved to be given a bloody lip, Lord Devlin did.