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inside? Because I am at your service.” She shivered. What the hell was he getting at anyway?

Did he really think they had any time for a dalliance? Though she was tempted, she had to keep

him at an arms length. If she got involved with him now her life would become so bloody

complicated. She thought of Tyler back on the
Excalibur
and her heart burned and not in a good

way. She shook her head, while she tried to come up with a clever retort. Instead, she jumped

inside, and sighed when her butt connected with the soft plush leather seat. Gunfire ripped out

around them all of the sudden. Instantly, she was alert and ready. Devlin had his hand on the

door, and he was beginning to slump forward.

“Oh, shit! Devlin!” Her voice broke with emotion. By the looks of it, he’d been hit in

the shoulder. Dashing forward, she caught him before he could fall. “Damn, you’re one heavy

bugger.” She dragged him inside and settled him beside her. The door automatically shut, and a

figure of a small woman appeared in front of her.

“What course of action would you like me to take?”

“Get us the hell out of here! Raise your shields, and shoot back at those dirty rotten

bastards!!!” She wanted them all dead. If she didn’t have to take care of Devlin she would have

made sure they died by her own hand.

As if he sensed the intensity of her emotions and what she was thinking about, he met her

anxious gaze. Smiling, he made her heart leap. He was still very much alive, thank God.

“Your wish is my command.” The small woman disappeared, and Samantha was thrown

back against the seat as the
Pixie 500
took to the air.

“Devlin?” She rolled him over, and frowned when she noticed the blood streaming out

across his white shirt. “Oh, my God.” Her hands started to glow, and she hoped he hadn’t

noticed. He was slipping away into an unconscious state of mind. Her mind reached out to

touch his, just as his eyes closed. Could she heal him with her powers? Or was it too risky?

Thinking on impulse, she opened his shirt and pulled it aside, so she could look at his wound.

Fortunately for him, it was just a laser burn and didn’t seem to harbor any poisoned little

electronic bugs. He had fallen unconscious, though he was beginning to moan. “Devlin,

wakeup you silly bastard! Please, wake up. I need you to wake up!” She reached inside of her

black gadget bag for a piece of healing gauze. It was a wonderful invention, and in lieu of being

in a med bay and having a skilled physician on hand, it did wonders. Gently, she pressed it

against the wound. Within seconds, it molded to his skin. In a few hours, his wound would be

completely healed.

“Jane?” he murmured, rolling his head to the side. She grunted. Whoever this Jane was,

was probably his last harlot that he had slept with. Jealousy swept through her. She pushed it

down and tried to smother the bitch. Shaking him gently once again caused his eyelids to pop

open. Recognition dawned as he locked his gaze on her. “Oh, it’s you. Samantha.” He sounded

disappointed.

“Glad to see you back with the land of the living too, Lord Devlin.” Her heart sank down

into the pit of her stomach. Her hands shook as she swept them over his chest. His muscles

tightened beneath her gentle caress. He looked at her and in that instant; she was nearly tempted

to do the unthinkable. Leaning toward him, she gazed intently at his lips. What would they feel

like pressed against her own. As if in a trance, she continued to lean in toward him. His eyes lit

MAXIMUM VELOCITY Marly Mathews 35

up with fire, as something important occurred to him. He’d just remembered they were still in

what could still be a dangerous area.

“Vanessa, take us to the Caterra Casino.” He sat up straighter. The color started to return

to his cheeks.

“Right away, Lord Devlin.” A voice filtered through the intercom and it sounded

remarkably like the woman whose holographic projection had just filled the car.

“So that’s this AI’s name.”

“Yes.” He flexed his fingers and she winced at the look of pain that flashed across his

features.

“I think I have a pain pill somewhere in here....”

“No.” His curt reply surprised her. “It will only cloud my head. I need to be in full

control right now. Samantha, you just might be out of your element.”

“Out of my element…yeah, right, whatever. Obviously, you still 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 laugh.

“Well, now that you mention it, I’ll make sure I stick to you like glue.”

“Gee, thanks.” She rolled her eyes. “Why did we have to meet Quinn in the Caterra

Casino anyway?” She felt almost claustrophobic. Her vision was hampered, and not being able

to see the usual sight of scenery whipping by was putting her on edge.

“Quinn requested that we meet in the Caterra Casino. I have gone to great lengths to

make it one of my most secured positions on the planet.”

“Need I remind you that we were almost blown to bits in that Casino?” She really hated

being alone with Devlin. This was pure torture, and when she got back to the
Excalibur
she was

going to point that fact out to Johanna. Being put into her own personal hell wasn’t fair. Deep

calm breaths, Samantha! She had to hold out so that Devlin wouldn’t see her one weakness.

“I have a fine memory, Samantha. As you can hopefully imagine, after that troubling

little incident, I secured the Casino and ensured that its security was fool proof.”

“That’s saying something. Especially when the planet is run by a fool.” She gasped, as

he lunged across to sit beside her.

“I do believe that you actually enjoy goading me. But listen up, and listen well,

Samantha. I’m in no mood for all of your witty barbs at the moment. I don’t have the luxury of

humoring you. Either you talk straight with me and lay all of your cards out on the table or you

discard your little act with me.” Electricity crackled between them. He touched her wrist.

Suddenly, the hover car wasn’t big enough for the both of them. She loosened the collar on her

blouse. Heat traveled through her. She was going to start hyperventilating if she wasn’t careful.

Swirls of water gushed past the car. Wetting her lips, she swallowed thickly and turned her

attention to Devlin. He was staring at her chest. She cleared her throat.

“Once you get your eyes full down there, how about paying me some attention up here?”

He looked up at her, a smirk on his face. “You try to act as tough as a man sometimes,

but you wear clothes that certainly display your feminine charms.... And I like to admire

beautiful women. You know we’re at a disadvantage now, you’ve seen my bare chest...,”

“Don’t even go there, Dev.” She wanted to laugh; his eyes sparkled when they met hers.

“You can’t blame a man for trying,” he mused.

MAXIMUM VELOCITY Marly Mathews 37

She smiled. No, she couldn’t, and really, she was thinking the same thing. She yearned

to see more of his bare body, just as much as he wanted her to reveal more skin to him.

She had to change the volatile subject they focused on. “Do you know anything about the

antidote called Alo?”

He stared at her with his eyes nearly gorging out of his head. “Whatever would you need

that for? Don’t you know it can be dangerous when used for the wrong reasons?”

“What? Johanna didn’t tell you?”

“Johanna’s message was brief. I was hoping it would have been you when I opened it up

to view it. Alas, it wasn’t. Her message just covered the fact that Rory was missing, which I

already knew. She was just telling me that Rory was her niece and that you were coming to be

on the job. Basically, she was giving me all of the information I needed to assist the lot of you.”

“Bet you she begged you to get along with me, right?”

“You could say that.” This time it was Samantha that pursed her lips. Johanna shouldn’t

be running into Devlin. It would only strain her relationship with Dylan. Johanna had a good

thing going, she just wished that her sister would come to her senses and stay far, far away from

Devlin. Besides, if Devlin wanted a Mallory woman, he’d have to be happy with her. Johanna

had never been meant for him… she on the other hand....

“Don’t even think about taking my sister away from Dylan. I love that lug, even if I

don’t always show it the right way. And losing Johanna would break his heart.”

“I don’t think that could ever happen, Samantha. I lost something once that I didn’t even

have… and the pain remains with me.” He gave her a pointed look. “You trashed the

relationship I had with Johanna but instead of sticking around you left with her. I don’t think I

was ever going to go to the next level with Johanna anyway. She was the one who sort of

decided we might be to the point where marriage could be discussed.”

“Well, I’m glad we have that settled. Just keep your hands and eyes off my sister, and

we’ll be just fine.”

“You do realize that you resemble Johanna a good deal, at least with your hair done

differently, don’t you? I think I like you better just as yourself. Samantha, I—”

“Don’t be getting any crafty ideas. I know I’m God’s gift to men, but really.” She