Microsoft Word - RecklessBounty (39 page)

She roamed her hand across the bed and let out a disappointed moan, when she found the bed empty. Thinking he had just gone to the bathroom she rolled back over curled herself up and began drifting back into dreamland. She pulled the pillow up to cover her ears, when she heard the beeping sound of the communication link activating.

“Samantha,

WAKE UP!!!
” Johanna’s frenzied voice called out.

“Go away. Come back in about three hours. I’m getting my beauty sleep.” Reaching her arm out she searched for her miniature communication device. Problem was, it was so damn small she couldn’t find it.

She had at least another forty minutes to sleep before she had to resume her manhunt for the killer. Until then, why couldn’t Johanna just leave her alone? Johanna knew how cranky she RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 160

was in the morning, since she detested mornings and resisted rising before eleven if she could help it.

“We’ve got a situation on our hands. It definitely demands your attention!” Johanna said, stress filling her voice.

“Be quiet, Johanna, you’re making my ass ache,” Samantha mumbled, rolling onto her other side. She’d given up brushing her hand over the bedside table. She’d never find her communicator device until she peeled her eyes open.

“Good,” Johanna replied. “Because Tyler’s surrendered himself. He’s been transported back down to the surface with Devlin. Devlin’s people are scheduling his much anticipated public execution for tomorrow.”

“That’s nice.” Samantha mumbled sleepily, not quite comprehending the severity of the situation.

Then she remembered the empty bed, as Johanna’s warning began to sink into her thick head.

“
SHIT!!!
” she cried, jumping out of bed stark naked, just as the door chime sounded, and Jordan waltzed in. “Well,” she barked, “This day’s really getting started with a bang!” She stuck her tongue out at the Jordan, who got his eyes full, before turning his back to her. “Ready
The
Excalibur
, I’ll be right there. I need my weapons, and....” She looked down to the bedside table and picked up her communicator.

“I’m taking care of everything. Don’t worry.” Johanna’s soft voice actually did calm her nerves.

“He isn’t going to die!” Samantha could actually hear her heart thumping against her ribcage.

“’Course he’s not darling. We’ll just break him out again and run with him,” Johanna finished, not in the least bit fazed by the thought of aiding and abetting a wanted criminal.

“I didn’t hear that!” Jordan began humming. “I’ve suddenly gone
deaf.
”

“Yeah, well, I wish you were blind too! Sneaking into my room, I should give you black eye for that.”

Johanna’s shocked exclamation sifted out through the com link.

“Samantha, you should’ve told me that you had company. Please, tell me you didn’t spend the night with him!” Johanna urged, her voice filling with anxiety.

“No! Johanna, I spent the night with my husband, if that meets your approval. How the hell did Devlin get away with taking Tyler? You shouldn’t have let them go! I thought you had sway over the man.” Samantha was annoyed to no end. Grumbling, she reached for her jacket.

She’d already put on everything else, and she was itching to get on the move.

“I do! But since you weren’t listening the first time, Tyler turned himself in. For his credit, Devlin looked as shocked as I felt. He even asked Tyler if he was sure. Samantha, I don’t think Devlin wants to kill Tyler. But he’s bound to, or the public might band together and form a lynching mob. The situation on
New Monaco
is as tense as it’s ever been. Rodgers is stirring up the forces that oppose Devlin, and I think Devlin kind of realizes that he has to execute Tyler in order to keep the already strained peace.”

“How can one have peace on a planet filled with criminals?” she demanded.

“It’s that or everything goes straight to hell,” Jordan supplied, as Samantha stared at him with blazing eyes.

“Did I tell you to speak? I’m having a conversation here. Johanna, you shouldn’t have let him go. It was your greed that got him into this mess in the first place. Hey you, Red, why RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 161

couldn’t you have persuaded Devlin to keep Tyler here?” Samantha demanded, turning on him like a wild cat.

“No one persuades Devlin to do anything! Just for your information, I did get in contact with Devlin, but he sounded so damn miserable I didn’t have the heart. I don’t even think he believes that Tyler is guilty anymore. You planted the seed of doubt and Devlin is someone that never lets anything go. You and he are quite similar that way, which is probably why you can’t stand each other. I’ve never heard my--” Devlin sounded so strange. He’s stuck between a rock and a hard place and I don’t think he knows which way to turn.”

“Humph!” Samantha mumbled, pulling on her black leather boots. “So what you’re telling me is that I’ve got exactly twenty-four hours,” she assumed, making sure that her dagger was still tucked inside her boot.

“Don’t worry. Samantha, it won’t even take us that long to break out Tyler,” Johanna murmured.

“Dearest sister of mine, I don’t intend to break out my husband. I intend to clear his name and watch the true murderer have a nice little swing.”

“Samantha, dear, I don’t think you have time,” Johanna contradicted.

“I’d have to agree,” Jordan remarked. Samantha sighed. She turned and scowled over at him.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion! Johanna never fails to tell me the odds when I’m fighting time. But guess what, Old Man Time can kiss my ass! I’m going to make it work, and when I do you’ll both see that I’m always right.” She smiled as something began percolating in the back of her mind. She reached for the remote control and turned on the T.V.

“What are you doing? Going to watch a movie for inspiration?” he asked, sarcasm dripping through his voice. He moved to stand beside her.

“You know, you tell me that I’m like Devlin, but if I didn’t know better I’d swear you had sprung from his loins!” Samantha complained, fast-forwarding through everything that she didn’t need to see.

She paused the frame that she needed to see and smiled. “Woo-hoo, I got you, you little piss ant!” she muttered, ejecting the recording chip, and running toward the door.

“Have you lost your mind?” the Red Falcon called hurrying after her. She ran as if her ass was on fire. She needed to show her discovery to everyone and then gloat about how intelligent she was.

They had all given up. But she had told Tyler, she would find something wrong with the footage, and she had done just that. It was something Tyler should’ve noticed himself, but then she hadn’t married him for his brains, or his looks. She’d married him for his heart. And she had to make sure that it didn’t stop beating before she cleared his name.

Samantha ran into
The Excalibur
, and barreled into Veronica.

“Watch it! You idiot!” Veronica grumbled. Samantha rolled her eyes at her, reached up and planted a wet kiss on her cheek.

“Oh, gross! What a way to start my morning!” Veronica grumbled. Samantha rushed over to the computer on the bridge and shoved the chip into the drive.

“Lucy, playback frame seven and still it halfway through,” Samantha ordered. Her nerves were at a pitch. They didn’t have much time. They had to get moving.

“What’s the magic word?” Lucy huffed, crackling into existence.

“
Move it!
” Samantha barked, as Lucy snorted, and did as she was told.

“Samantha, we’ve watched this footage nearly a thousand times,” Dylan said, sighing RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 162

heavily, “And it all ends the same way!”

“Yes. But I wasn’t here watching it with you, monkey boy, so you were missing the smartest one among you.” Samantha smiled at him, and Dylan grumbled while Johanna patted his arm.

“You should listen to Samantha. Tyler’s life is at stake! If she’s found something then you should be overjoyed,” Johanna advised.

“I am. But why does she have to rub it in?” he groused, as Samantha pointed at the screen.

“
WHAT?
” they all asked, including Ross who had just joined the party.

She sighed, just barely managing to keep her patience. “What is Tyler, or as I would like to call him The Impostor doing?” she demanded, looking expectantly at all of them.

“He’s walking down the stairs,” Veronica said, looking at Samantha as if she’d lost her mind.

“Yes, I know, Big V, but what
else?
” Samantha prompted expectantly, holding her finger up to her temple.

“Tyler’s looking up at the camera,” Johanna commented. Samantha let out a whoop, and rushed to hug her.

“It must be in the genes,” Samantha remarked, even though everyone was still looking at her blankly. “Okay, I’m going to say this real slow like and hopefully everyone will be able to follow me. Tyler told me that he never left the house by the front door, because there were too many people and too many cameras. I’ve been inside of Lord Dumbo’s house, and even with my sharp eyes I didn’t notice the cameras and I was looking. But I knew they were there, his house was so fancy that he’d be stupid not to have surveillance equipment. But why would Impostor Tyler look straight at the camera, it was as if he did it
deliberately
.”

“Which means that someone had to tell them they were there,” Dylan concluded.

“
Exactly
. And what does Rodgers specialize in?” Samantha asked, as everyone groaned for being so stupid.

“His legitimate firm deals in outfitting security among the privileged,” Johanna said, smacking her hand against her thigh.

“Fine. Say that Rodgers really is behind the murder. But why did he murder Lady Devlin, and where the hell did he find such a convincing double of Tyler? Cloning is outlawed, remember? That thing in the footage isn’t an Android,” Dylan said matter-of-factly.

“I don’t know why he wanted to kill her. I don’t know whom he hired to kill her. But I’m going to find out! Then I’m going to rescue Tyler,” Samantha vowed, her brow furrowed in a determined line.

“Yeah, and you’re going to do all of this in what twenty-four hours?” Jordan seemed doubtful.

“You just watch me. I might need your help, so make sure that you keep our communications channel clear,” Samantha instructed, fixing her ponytail. “So guys, whose up to a healthy dose of good old fashioned ass kicking?” she asked, as they all raised their hands.

She was going to do it
. She was going to find a way, and she was going to make everything right. Because she was Samantha Cassidy and it was her job to save the day.

RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 163

“Tell me again. Why did Devlin leave us
Eleanor?
” Samantha asked, as they flew down to the planet. Johanna seemed to be in absolute bliss and
Eleanor
was being generous by allowing Johanna to have full driving control.

They had left Ross and Dylan behind to continue repairs to
The Excalibur
. Samantha thought briefly back, to
Aggie
and felt a twinge of guilt. “
Aggie
got us through some rough times...,” she remarked sighing, as
Eleanor
sniffed.

“I was very saddened when my sister died. Even though she was not a
Faerie Cruiser
, she was still of my kind. Such brutality was not appreciated,”
Eleanor
remarked sadly.

“That’s sweet, Eleanor,” Samantha said, biting her tongue to keep herself from saying anything that might hurt the AI’s feelings.

She

needed

Eleanor’s
full cooperation, in the coming hours. If she hurt the AI well, she’d be screwed.

“I told Dylan to go and stay with Tyler, once he’s finished the repairs on
The Excalibur
.

And I’m really glad that I did, because Tyler will have someone to keep him company as the time dwindles away, all Dylan has to do is take
The Excalibur
. Our ship has to be ready to go just in case I can’t find the murderer. But that’s only our back up plan, I don’t intend to use it,”

Samantha grimly remarked, as they entered
New Monaco’s
atmosphere.

“What makes you think we’ll find Rodgers in
New Monaco’s
seafront area?” Veronica demanded. They were heading for the capital city of
York
.

“I know what makes that bastard tick. He loves the sea, and took great displeasure in my dislike of it, during our unfortunate time together,” Samantha explained, closing her eyes, and briefly reliving that one particular horrible experience from her past.

“What happened between you and Rodgers anyway?” Veronica inquired, leaning forward in her seat.

“Not that it’s any of your freaking business, Big V, but since you’re on this mission with us, I guess you deserve a little bit of info. The
sicko
was obsessed with me, and kidnapped me, until I taught him that no one messes with Samantha Mallory and gets away with it.”

“Mallory, being your maiden name?” Veronica asked perplexed.

“Yes. I’ve only been married once, and once is good enough for me,” Samantha answered, as they approached the large city of York.

“Hope that you taught him a lesson or two,” Veronica remarked, looking out the window.

“I sure did, and I even gave him a small memento of our time together so that he would always remember me.” Samantha fought back a shudder. “Which reminds me of something that I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time. Why the hell are you coming with us on this mission
anyway?
You don’t have to. After all you
are
the mighty, Big V,” Samantha muttered, looking over her shoulder to stare at Veronica.

“My ship’s been destroyed and my hover car was totaled. At first I didn’t think that I had any choice. But now I’ve decided that if you can’t beat them, you should join them,” Veronica stated simply, folding her arms across her chest.