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Samantha glanced over at her sister and Johanna’s look of dawning realization, more than likely matched the expression she wore. How could she have been so bloody dense? She’d been a puppet in their little show, and the entertainment was going to stop here and now. Little did they realize everything they discussed was being closely monitored and recorded. It wouldn’t be long before Tyler’s name was cleared, and she could get her ass off of this damnable planet.

As far as she was concerned, she didn’t give a flying New Grecian fig, if she ever saw
New Monaco
ever again.

“Okay, I’ll bite. If you’re the bloody real deal, what would ever possess you to fake your own death by murdering your own clone?” Samantha asked, swallowing the lump in her throat and tightening her hold on her pistols.

She knew everything could go haywire on them in a split second and she had to make sure she was ready.

“The woman that was murdered wasn’t my
clone
. Samantha, I am perfection personified.

I couldn’t be expected to allow such a freak of nature to be made in my image. Oh, no that would never ever do.
There can only be one Lady Devlin.
I needed to disappear, so I enlisted an old unwitting friend of mine to assume my identity. It was genius, actually. I hired Dolores, and told her she would only have to have plastic surgery, to take my place.” Lady Devlin produced a small gadget that displayed two holograms, sitting side by side. One hologram was Lady Devlin, the other well, Samantha recognized her.

“This can’t be,” Samantha muttered. It was the woman that she’d seen in Lord Devlin’s mansion. Which meant, she’d been
dead
when Samantha had seen her.
Oh, God.

“It is good, isn’t it? The left image is of Dolores before her surgery. The right image is the way she looked after. As you can see, I had her physical features altered to perfectly match my own and even included the map that has been forever tattooed on my back. She had the same blood type as me, so I only needed to have her DNA altered, so that if my idiot of a husband had an autopsy done everything would fit perfectly.”

“Why would you do such a twisted thing?” Samantha asked. Her eyes flickered to Rodgers when he let out a cold chuckle. She whirled her head toward the man and tried vainly to control the disgust she felt.

“Samantha, for being such a capable woman, you really don’t understand what real life is like for a woman like me, do you?” Lady Devlin asked.

RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 173

Johanna pulled Samantha’s coat sleeve, and caught her gaze.

The temperature in the room dropped and they each exchanged a knowing glance.

Samantha knew Rodgers was probably poisoning the room with some kind of drug, which he and Lady Devlin had been inoculated against.

“Well. I’ll tell you what life is like for me.
It is unbearable
. Did you know Devlin and I had a marriage contract, which kept me imprisoned in his life like a bird in a cage?”

Samantha shook her head and discreetly looked around the room. The sound of another door opening, which must have been hidden in the mahogany paneling, caught her attention, and Crenshaw and the clone known as T1 entered the room.

“Come to join the party I see,” Samantha remarked. Lady Devlin sighed impatiently, and snapped her fingers to catch Samantha’s attention.

“I was just about to admit my
mea culpa
, you stupid woman!” Lady Devlin said.

Samantha grinned and gave Lady Devlin the best poker face she could muster.

“Really? Well, by all means don’t let me stop you,” Samantha said, pursing her lips in a thin line. “The part that really interests me though is why you had to frame my husband. What did he ever do to you?”

“Patience, my dear, is a virtue, which you obviously lack. Allow me to explain everything and in due course your pea sized brain
might
be able to
understand,
” Lady Devlin purred. Johanna stiffened, and glared at the woman.

“I want to wipe that smug little look clear off her prissy face!” Johanna muttered, out of the corner of her mouth, causing Samantha to grin.

“Have patience, dear sister,” Samantha whispered. Johanna glared over at her, and Samantha winked at her.

“I had Dolores assume my identity so I could disappear without Devlin even realizing I was gone. You see I have a spy stationed on
The Emerald Star
. Her name is Connie West, and she is an old friend from my prostituting days. Connie intercepted a message of the Red Falcon’s to Tyler, telling him he wanted to hire Tyler to copy the
Empress Ileana
treasure map that is tattooed on my back. Well, when I realized the map could make me rich beyond my wildest dreams, I decided I needed to leave Devlin, and find my treasure. I didn’t want to share it with Devlin, and so telling him was out of the question. Framing your husband for my murder just seemed to be delightfully funny, don’t you think?” Lady Devlin taunted. Samantha resisted the urge to move forward.
She had to control her fury
.

“I can think of something that will be funny, and it’s going to happen in a few minutes,”

Samantha muttered. She really hated Lady Devlin.

Lady Devlin smiled causing the thick pancake on her face to nearly crack.

“The public here on
New Monaco
adores me. They plaster my picture on every magazine in existence, and I just couldn’t let them down by shattering the fairy tale that Devlin and I had created. So, I decided to martyr myself. Being brutally murdered was the best strategy. I must admit it worked remarkably well. Enlisting Jarrod’s help was something that I
had
to do. Until I can get to my treasure he had the wealth and power, which I sorely needed. He understood me.

We knew each other as children, and he could sympathize with my plight. He generously agreed to help me, as long as he could have his revenge against you, and yours. I must say you nearly took care of him when you were on
Notting Prime
. It is a pity that you didn’t succeed. My plan was already coming to fruition and now, since he is still alive I have to share my loot with him.”

“Why you devious bitch!” Rodgers yelled angrily, reaching into his desk drawer for his pistol.

RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 174

“Oh, dear me…. Is there trouble in
paradise?
” Samantha mocked. Without missing a beat, she pushed Johanna to the side. “Here it goes!” she muttered, “Now the shit is going to hit the fan. Are you guys getting all of this insanity?” Samantha asked, as Dylan’s voice answered in her ear.

“Yep, and let me tell you, Lady Devlin is one screwed up woman. I think she needs to be committed,” Dylan muttered. “She needs to go to Sunnydale Sanitarium.”

“Yeah. I’d like to continue our chit chat Dylan, but if we don’t react quickly, we’re going to get caught in the middle of something too ugly for words,” Samantha whispered, her eyes darting between Lady Devlin and Rodgers.

“Devlin’s sending a security detail, and we’re coming with them. We should be there in five minutes,” Dylan piped in.

“So sorry to burst his bubble and all, but I think that’s going to be five minutes too late!”

Samantha murmured.

Rodgers shot at Lady Devlin, who was quickly knocked off her feet by Crenshaw.

“I don’t really give a damn about any of the others but make sure that T1 makes it out of here alive! Since he’s only a drone clone, his life expectancy is going to be real short, and he may be the only way to save Tyler from public outcry,” Samantha instructed, setting her sights on Rodgers.

She pulled out her pistol, and shot T1 before he could even react. The clone slumped down to the floor, and Samantha smiled, glancing back to Rodgers. He was gone!

“
Shit!
” Samantha cursed. Now, she’d have to follow him. Why oh why couldn’t he just stay put like a good little villain?

Veronica pulled Johanna down behind a sofa, just as Crenshaw and Lady Devlin fired at them. “I have to go after him, do you think you guys can handle things here?” Samantha asked, dodging wayward shots.

“No problem,” Johanna returned, her lips set in a determined line. “The psychotic bitch is mine!”

“Oh goody. I get Crenshaw. It’s time to teach the son of a bitch that Veronica Elizabeth Hutchins
always
gets her payback. And Crenshaw needs a super sized dose of it. He destroyed my car and my space ship and now he’s going to get a world of hurt,” Veronica promised angrily, narrowing her eyes.

“
Good luck!
” Samantha called back to them. She sprinted out of the door, and raced for the top deck.

She stood on the deck and searched for Rodgers. Turbulent clouds filled the sky, causing it to go a dangerously dark color. The sea was rocking the yacht, and Samantha groaned as she realized that one hell of a storm was brewing. She had heard that storms on
New Monaco
could brew up in an instant, and disappear just as quickly as they had formed.

“You aren’t going to get away this time!” she shouted, above the mournful wind.

Swaying slightly, she felt her stomach flip-flop. The wind was increasing in its strength. She stared over at the water. It had turned a frightful shade of grey.

“I disagree,” Rodgers said, causing the hairs on the nape of her neck to bristle.

“
Watch out, Samantha!
” There went that damnable voice again. It always came to her when she was in mortal danger. Coincidence? She thought not.

She realized he had snuck up behind her, but she was unable to do anything as he lunged at her, successfully knocking the wind out of her.

“Oh, no!” she groused. They both went skidding across the slick deck. Water poured RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 175

down from the sky in relentless buckets.

They went careening against the wooden deck, fully entangled in each other. Her eyes widened in dawning horror, as she realized she was going to fall into the choppy water. Her mind screamed out in desperation. She could do nothing. Her powers remained dormant. Her heart stopped as they went hurtling into the water.

It was cold
. She just barely had enough time to take in a lungful of air, before Rodgers pulled her beneath the water.

He knew she hated water, and the sick bastard realized he had the upper hand when they were beneath water. But not this time! This time, she was going to prevail and triumph. She struck her fist out at him, and managed to pull herself out of his solid lock.

He released her, but quickly regained his bearings and lurched toward her. She moved out of his way, desperately trying to lash out at him with some paranormal help.

She kicked out at him, and resisted smiling as he went toppling backward. She saw the glint of steel coming toward her, and wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

The sicko wanted to play dirty, so she would play too. She reached down for her old-fashioned Celtic dagger, and frowned when she realized they were going through the same motions as they had back on
Notting Prime
. Weird. She had won the struggle there, but he hadn’t been dead. This time, she was going to make sure he was dead before she forgot about him.

Rodgers was on top of her in minutes, and they were locked in a mindless struggle of wills, until, she felt his dagger graze her side. She grimaced in pain. From out of nowhere, renewed strength flowed through her. She stabbed him in the gut and watched as his eyes bulged out.

She kicked away from him, and kept an eye on him watching him sink to the bottom of the sea. Satisfied that he wouldn’t be coming back to haunt her, she swam to the surface, and looked up into the concerned eyes of her husband.

Fearful, she hesitated wondering if she was going to accept the assistance of the drone clone. She froze and began treading the frigid water. Her teeth chattered. A sliver of sunlight peeked through the clouds. The storm was over.

“For God’s sake! Samantha, give me your hand. I know that you dislike water, so stop looking at me like I’ve grown two heads and a tail,” Tyler said, giving her his trademark roguish grin.

That was it!
She was still falling for her gem of a husband. Her hand slipped into his, and he heaved her onto the deck of the yacht as she fell on top of him. She spewed out a mouthful of water smiling at his open look of disgust.

“
So…,
” she remarked, looking down at him, as her wet ponytail nearly hit him in the face. “Kiss me already!” she watched a woozy Lady Devlin being led away by Devlin’s security detail.

“That bitch, Samantha, and her friends should be dead by now. We were leaking a drug into the room!” Lady Devlin babbled, as Johanna let out a heavy sigh from the rear.

“Save your griping. Didn’t you think we’d be smart enough to protect ourselves against your
magic drug?
” Johanna inquired, rolling her eyes. Johanna left the group and rushed over to Samantha.

“Oh, thank God!” Johanna murmured.

Samantha stood up, and pulled Tyler to his feet.

“I suppose I’ll have to wait for that kiss,” Samantha muttered. Johanna wrapped her into RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 176

a hug, and nearly squeezed the life out of her.

“Don’t worry,” Tyler said huskily, “
It’ll be worth the wait
,” he promised.

Thunder rumbled across the landscape. Samantha looked to the nearly blue sky. “Rest in peace, Delores.” At her words a beautiful rainbow appeared on the horizon. Samantha smiled.

Just then Dylan came bounding toward them.

“I’ve got great news, guys. It seems Devlin wants to be rid of us as soon as possible.

He’s right behind me to explain everything.” Dylan reached for Johanna and possessively wrapped his arms around her.

Devlin approached them, and Samantha smiled as she watched Veronica fall into step beside him.