Free Microsoft Word - MaximumVelocity.rtf by Andrea DePasture Page B

don’t know me. Care
    to tell me who tried to knock you off just now?” He grimaced, and sighed.

    “Not really.”

    She stood up, and went to sit on the opposite seat. She had to put distance between them
    or she’d be finishing what she almost started. “Look, Lord Devlin, I just saved your sorry ass,
    and you owe me an explanation. I want some answers, and I want them now!”

    “I have a rival.”

    She coughed. Then she began laughing. “Tell me another one.” It was too much! The
    thought of Lord Devlin being pushed off his gilded throne really made her happy. Maybe then,
    he’d be humbled to a point where he’d want to come after a lowly bounty hunter like her.

    “This is not a laughing matter, Samantha. Do you realize that New Monaco actually
    helps to make the galaxy a safer place for people like you?”

    That got her attention. “What do you mean people like me? Unless you haven’t already
    noticed, I can take care of myself quite nicely. People like me, my fat aunt Harriet!”

    “You’re jumping to the wrong conclusions. What I meant to say is that I do not put up
    with slavery, or any other demeaning sort of trade.”

    “Ah. Is that all? I guess I now have my explanation for why you have a mobile army at
    your beck and call. How much does that set you back, anyway? I mean I know you have deep
    pockets and all…but that must be steep.”

    Devlin rubbed the side of his temple. “Samantha, I am on the brink of war. War! This
    isn’t the kind of a scuffle that you sometimes find yourself facing. This is SERIOUS!” His eyes
    hardened. His voice dropped to a mere, strangled whisper. Her chest constricted. War, huh?
    She didn’t do wars. The mob war she’d found herself in six months past had been quite enough
    for her. There had been that time when she’d found herself in the middle of a world Civil War
    on Nova Spain, and she almost hadn’t gotten out alive. She wasn’t going to make that mistake
    again. No siree bob. Maybe she could just leave with Devlin on one of his fancy ships and chuck
    her relationship with Tyler out into space where it could go to rot.

    “How could all of this blow up over the course of six months, and if it was this serious
    why didn’t you ask for help?”

    “Would you have helped me, Samantha? I am not even sure if you like me let alone if
    you would be willing to help me. Besides, I have other more powerful allies. You are not as
    strong as you think.”

    His insult was like a slap to the face. Her eyes burned with repressed rage. She glared at
    him, wanting to lunge herself at him, unfortunately, if she did that, their altercation would turn
    MAXIMUM VELOCITY Marly Mathews 36
    into something she could not have happen right now. He cleared his throat, his eyes softened
    toward her. Had he seen how much his words at hurt her? Perhaps.

    “Your precious Rodgers set a plan in motion to ruin me. That plan of his seems to be
    working remarkably well. If things get any worse, I just may have to leave the planet with you
    and come back later with a bigger force. I’ve tried contacting Jordan but he must be out of com
    range. I’ve lost more friends in the last few weeks than I can count. My allies are growing
    scarce.”

    “I thought you said you had stronger allies than me…and yet I seem to be the only one
    here.”

    “You always seem to pop up when I need you.”

    She fell into a lengthy silence. The windows were darkened so that she could not see
    through them, but any minute now, they’d be under water. She resisted the urge to shudder. The
    last thing she needed to do was to show her apprehension to Devlin.

    “Say something, Samantha! This stone cold silence of yours is beginning to make me
    uneasy.”

    “I was just trying to think of a way to ditch you before you left the planet with me.”

    He regarded her silently. His jaw line was twitching and if she didn’t know better she
    could have sworn that he was fighting the inclination to