Page 15 of Courting Mayhem

“Poppa Jacob is a bit of a hacker, and he sorta borrowed it from General Zan’s personal computer.”

Zarek smiled. It was almost a friendly smile. “Your fathers are full of pleasant surprises. Download the program to my bracelet.”

Two taps and Zarek had the “get out of jail” program. “We good?”

“Yes.”

Ignoring Derek’s suspicious gaze, I walked into the brig.

My fathers were imprisoned in a small cell with a shimmering yellow energy field. Both men were wearing red prisoner jumpsuits. Their relieved smiles faded when Zarek and the old man followed me in.

“Do you feel up for a hunt Poppa Jacob?”

“Are the Shadow Thieves involved?”

“They are,” I replied.

“I am.” Fury turned Poppa Jacob’s eyes to a hard, brilliant sapphire. “They transformed a magical sanctuary into a war zone.”

“Vrax took the Shebu too,” I said.

“He will head for Gliese and put it up for auction.” Papi Sten’s impassive gaze settled on Zarek. “Do we have a contract?”

“You do.” Zarek added, “If you can recover the Shebu and capture Vrax within two weeks you will receive a two million bonus.”

Derek stiffened and shot Zarek a narrow sidelong glance.

A big smile split Papi Sten’s face. “Excellent.”

“You forgot to mention I’m in charge of the mission,” Derek said dryly.

Zarek shrugged. “You reached war commander status by being able to take control of situations like this.”

“Gee, you’re the war commander for the Magic Kingdom. Tough assignment,” I quipped.

Papi Sten gave me the evil eye. “Enough Mayhem.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you know how the Shadow Thieves work War Commander? Have you been to Gliese?”

“No to both questions,” Derek answered.

Papi Sten grunted. “I thought not. You will only get in our way.”

“I worked for the Phoenix Police Department as a homicide detective for twelve years. I know how criminals think, how to track them. I’ve arrested over three hundred violent felons. After the Tai-Kok came to our world, I became the regional police chief for the southwestern states. I’ve fought the Tai-Kok and the Rodan and now I’m one of Zarek’s elite war commanders.” Derek’s eyes darkened dangerously. “I always catch my prey. I will rely on your expertise in certain situations, but I have the final say.”

Poppa Jacob nodded. “I remember you. You were a hell of good cop before you were assimilated.”

“The Tai-Kok were slaughtering our people. I did what was necessary to stop them,” Derek stated.

Zarek added his two bits, “You are nowmyhunters, and you followmyrules. If you find that unacceptable, you are free to leave, but Sadira stays with Derek.”

My fathers bowed in unison. “We hunt, my lord.”

I bit back a grin. Derek had better watch his back or he’d find himself marooned on some distant planet. “First up is a visit to the crime scene.”

“The scene has already been processed,” Derek said.

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