Page 22 of Courting Mayhem

“No way. He thinks I’m a spoiled brat.”

“Not any longer. Get us out of here before the Overlord decides to pay us a visit.”

I quickly did a systems check and found four spy bots. Seems the Overlord wasn’t the trusting type. I destroyed them and tapped the communications key. “Warhammer to flight control. We are requesting permission to leave orbit.”

“Permission granted Warhammer,” a robotic voice answered.

“Copy.” I keyed in the coordinates to Gliese and left orbit.

“Do not engage the warp drive. It’s been booby trapped,”Derek said in my head.

“Booby trapped? Are you sure?”

“Very. We are trying to disarm the bomb.”

“Bomb in the engine room,” I advised at Poppa Jacob, put the Warhammer into orbit around Earth’s moon and set off the warning beacon.

“Get your tool kit, before Sten blows us up. I’ll man the bridge,” Poppa Jacob instructed.

“Yes, father.” I headed for the lift.

Derek teleported in. “Where is your tool kit?”

“In my quarters on deck two.”

Without any warning, Derek scooped me up and teleported.

There was a flash of black and we appeared in the corridor outside my cabin.

I looked him dead in the eye and snarled, “Grab me again without any warning and you’ll be lucky if all I do is break your nose.”

The war commander dropped me like I was a three-day old corpse. “Do you think I enjoy touching you?”

I gave him the one-finger salute. “Wait here.”

“Not a chance sweetheart,” Derek shot back. “I go where you go.”

Sweetheart? Ugh. “Whatever, Mister Obnoxious.” I hurried into my cabin.

The war commander stalked after me. He examined my terrarium filled with Komodo Spider Orchids and the holographic images of the Polynesian islands, the Magic Kingdom and family pictures rotating across one wall.

“A pink princess bedspread. Who would have guessed?” Derek muttered.

I picked up my tool case and headed for the door.”

“It’s faster if we teleport.”

“Fine.”

Derek clamped a big hand on my shoulder and poof. We appeared in the engine room.

Papi Sten was examining a Zengbo incendiary bomb.

“Do not tug on the blue wire,” I cried.

My father froze. The wire was wrapped around one thick finger.

“What happens if he tugs on the wire?” Derek wanted to know.

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