Page 72 of Courting Mayhem

Searing red laser bolts streaked across the sky. They struck the patrol boats, vaporizing them instantaneously. Not one of the thugs noticed. Nope, they were too busy looking for me.

Maybe that was Baelish’s plan. Get them too drunk to fight or realize that two of the galaxy’s deadliest warriors were standing beside them.

The high-pitched whine of the barge’s energy shields abruptly stopped.

Sariel and Zarek shot down the drones.

Twenty seconds later the deck was full of Askole and Coletti warriors. A short bloody battle followed.

I frowned. Where was Vrax? I didn’t see Qa’a or Zosia either. A flash of black caught my attention and I watched Baelish drop down an open hatch. He wasn’t wearing his robe or Qa’a boa. How had he managed to ditch the Supreme Leader? Was he going after Mallox alone? Or was he in cahoots with the Shadow Thieves? Baelish was a pirate, so it was a toss-up.

Vrax could be very persuasive, and he was an expert at running shell games. The last time the Shadow Thieves stole a weapon of mass destruction, they had three very realistic copies made. Vrax successfully slipped the actual weapon by General Zan’s soldiers.

My time spent at the Shadow Thieves’ school had paid off. The Guild had several legitimate businesses they used to ship their stolen merchandise. After a quick check of their warehouses, we located the stolen weapon and retrieved it.

Mallox would do everything in his power to gain control of the Shebu. His desire to create monsters was all consuming. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned them on his own people.

Vrax didn’t care how many people died as long as he had a fat bank account. How was he planning to get the Shebu off this ship? Time to find out.

Teleporting over to the hatch, I mentally scanned the corridor below me and sighed in relief. No hungry hybrids or rotting dead bodies. I could sense Baelish and Vrax two decks beneath me along with several Bjarke warriors. Hmmm. What were the chances Mallox wore a bio-inhibitor? Pretty damn high.

I linked with Derek. “I found Vrax and possibly Mallox. Bring the troops.” I frowned when he didn’t answer. “Derek? You there?” I chewed on my lower lip. That was weird. I could feel his presence in my mind, but I couldn’t talk with him telepathically. Fuck! Mallox had activated a neural blocker.

I’d take a quick peek to see if Vrax had the Shebu and teleport for help. I was halfway down the ladder when the ants began dancing in my head.

“I found her,” a male voice shouted in Galactic Basic.

Dropping to the floor, I looked up and groaned. There were three very drunk thugs eyeing me hungrily. I might have overdone my deranged nympho act. What I wanted to know was how had they escaped Zarek and Sariel and their horde of lethal warriors? Blind luck? They didn’t look like they’d last more than thirty seconds in a fight.

“I get to fuck her first,” a fat Farin called.

“I found her. I go first,” the Hrungnir troll protested indignantly.

A hairy Kellpie licked his rubbery lips. “Me first or I eat you.”

I gave an excited giggle and clapped my hands. “I know. I know. Whoever catches me, gets me.” I took off at a dead run. Vrax was about to have some unwelcome guests.

“Get your foot out of my face.”

“Stop biting me.”

“Get off my back!”

A series of loud thumps sounded behind me.

I threw a quick glance over my shoulder and skidded to a stop. The three fools had tried to get down the ladder at the same time and failed spectacularly. Moaning loudly, the thugs were a tangled heap of arms and legs.

My diversion had just hit a snag.

The Kellpie got to his feet, grabbed the snarling troll, and hurled him down the corridor.

I dodged his flying body.

The troll smacked headfirst into a Rodan soldier, knocking him flat.

Ballock’s balls! Where had the Rodan come from? Why hadn’t I sensed him? And where there was one Rodan, there were more. Time to teleport for help.

A black blur zipped down the hallway.

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