Page 4 of Crossing Quinn

“Let me set you straight. One. Papa is quite capable of dealing with our guests. Two. I might look harmless, but I’m not. Three. I. Am. Not. Going. To Tanith. Go start a war or steal some other female.”

“I will find you, and I will take you to Tanith,” Quinn promised in a quiet, scary voice.

Gak! Typical stubborn male. “Do you always do what the Overlord tells you?”

“Yes, and I never disappoint Detja.”

A smart male never did. “My father says Coletti warriors mindlessly follow orders and are ball-less. Is he right?”

Quinn raised an inquiring eyebrow. “Curious about a warrior’s body, are you, darlin’?”

I blinked in surprise. I had expected more threats, not for him to start flirting with me.

He grinned, pure devilry in his eyes. “Want a peek at my goods?”

For a brief second, I was tempted. His black battle suit displayed his heavily muscled form to perfection, but Papa hadn’t raised a fool. I plastered a love-stricken expression on my face and gushed, “Oh, I know exactly what you look like, lovey.” I projected the image of a wrinkled, hairy body with sagging male breasts and thick clumps of fibrous warts obscuring the groin. “Dead on, right?”

Quinn laughed. “Clever girl. Detja said you were full of surprises.”

Why was he being so charming? Was it a delaying tactic? Did Quinn have a way to track my transmission? “A word of warning. No one messes with my father. Not even the Overlord.”

“Zarek’s eager to add a fire-starter and illusionist to the Coletti gene pool. What the Overlord wants, the Overlord gets. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Quinn stated, dropping his flirtatious manner.

Quinn had finally revealed his true self. A relentless hunter with a bit of a temper. And we had a conundrum. Since there was no honor among thieves, and Dolon had a big mouth, there was a good possibility every relic hunter in the galaxy would show up in the next day or so. We were going to need help to protect the site. How did I get Quinn to stand down? The Overlord’s interest in old relics was well known. If he knew we had found Qeeturah, would Zarek order Quinn to help us guard it? Only one way to find out. “Tell Zarek we found Qeeturah.”

Quinn tilted his head, obviously intrigued. “Quite an accomplishment.”

“It is. Which is why I’m not leaving the find of the century to travel to Tanith.”

“Your father gave his word. The Overlord deals harshly with oath breakers.”

“I still have six weeks to show up.” I winced as my psychic senses screamed a warning. When that happened, it always felt like someone had shoved a bristly bush into my head and twirled it around.

Quinn demanded, “What’s wrong?”

“Trouble.”

A loud crash was followed by Mami’s shriek and the sounds of a fight.

“Balock’s balls!” I opened the cockpit door and took a stun beam in the chest. Agony seared every nerve ending, and I fell. A cry broke from me as violent muscle spasms twisted my body. My arms and legs drummed against the floor.

“Do not pass out!” Quinn commanded.

My vision dimmed, and I struggled to stay conscious. Have. To. Protect Mami.

Quinn growled, “If you want to live, send me your coordinates. Now, Xenia.”

Totally ignoring the enraged Coletti on the vid screen, Dolon kneeled on my chest, crushing me against the floor. “Stop fighting, Lysis, or your daughter dies.” My uncle shoved the muzzle of his laser pistol against my forehead.

“Get off her. She can’t breathe,” Quinn roared.

“What. He. Said,” I gasped.

My uncle shifted his knee. I sucked in a lungful of much needed air. My vision cleared enough that I could see Mami sprawled under the table. Papa had broken one henchman’s neck, and his knife protruded from the second one’s chest. He had his large hand wrapped around the third one’s throat.

“Let him go!” my uncle yelled.

Papa released the thug. He crumpled to the deck, gasping for breath.

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