Page 21 of Courting Mayhem

“I still don’t understand why youdangerouswarlords never realized the Shadow Thieves have been stealing you blind. I mean, it’s been going on for years, you’d think you would have caught on by now,” I scoffed.

The war commander got a faraway look in his eyes. “Zarek wants to know the coordinates of their warehouses.”

“Sorry, we blew them up,” I plotted a course to Agbon. The war commander didn’t need to know we had simply moved the stolen equipment to a safe place.

Derek let out an ill-tempered growl. “How convenient.”

“The funny thing is…” I paused for dramatic effect. “Guess who taught me how to make the bombs we used to destroy all their stolen goodies?”

“The Shadow Thieves,” Derek replied.

“Mayhem is a talented bomb maker,” Papi Sten said proudly.

“But can she cook?” The war commander asked drolly.

Cook? I glanced over my shoulder at Derek. Was he serious? Huh, he was. “I think you’ve been hit in the head one too many times. Knowing how to cook isn’t a skill a warrior needs.”

“You’re also a female.”

“Gosh, you noticed.” I brought the ion drive online.

“Females have different needs and desires than males.” Derek’s eyes studied me with a curious intensity.

I snorted. “Do we?”

“I thought all the Jones females were warriors,” Poppa Jacob interposed.

“They have many interests besides fighting.”

I threw up my hands in disgust. “Fine. I like to dance and does making chocolate chip cookies count?”

“You bake cookies?” Derek seemed a little surprised.

“Of course. Can’t you?”

“I’m more of a grill master.”

I frowned. “A what?”

“He cooks different types of meat over an open flame,” Poppa Jacob supplied.

“Oh, wouldn’t using a food replicator be faster?”

Derek shook his head. “The flavor and texture of the meat is not the same.”

“What part of the ship do you want to see next, War Commander?” Papi Sten interjected, clearly annoyed.

“The engine room, then the armory and finally your cargo bay.”

I grinned at him. We had ourborrowedColetti weaponry hidden in a wall safe. “Other than a few spare parts, you won’t find anything.”

“The Overlord wants me to verify that,” Derek stated.

“Follow me.” Papi Sten strode over to the lift.

Derek’s mouth twitched with annoyance as he trailed after Papi Sten.

Once the lift doors closed, Poppa Jacob took the captain’s chair. “You’ve caught the war commander’s interest.”

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