Page 86 of Owned By Two

“Scan complete. Now, please sir, return to your seat.”

They had done as I asked… and now we were about to leave Lizzy to her fate?

I don’t think so.

“I need to get over there,” I told the pilot. “Please. My friend is on board. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

“We understand your concern,” the pilot said over the speaker. “But we have other passengers to worry about. Please return to your seat. The relevant authorities have been notified and—”

“The escape pods!”’ I said. “Give me an escape pod!”

“The escape pods are for emergency use only,” the pilot said. “We cannot allow passengers to—”

I bolted past the attendant and headed for the escape pods lined along one wall.

I dove into one and strapped myself in and jabbed at the controls.

“Computer!” I yelled. “Begin the launch sequence now! Computer?”

Computer refused to answer, and as I pressed at the buttons to override the system, the pilot spoke over the speaker inside the escape pod:

“Sir, we must insist you return to your seat—”

“Give me this escape pod,” I demanded.

“Sir—”

I decided to play my ace card. “Look, do you know who owns that shuttle?”

“It doesn’t matter who—”

“James,” I said, letting his name sink in.

After a pause, the pilot said, “James is dead—”

“But his only daughter isn’t. She’s on that shuttle now and if anything happens to her, I’m going to hold you personally responsible.”

I took a deep breath.

I didn’t want to threaten him, but sometimes it was the only way forward. “Look. She’sextremelywealthy.” Okay, so she still hadn’t signed the contract yet but once she did, it would be true. “If anything happens, I will ensure you never get blamed for any of it. You have my word.”

There was a pause — far too long for my liking — before his decision came over the speaker:

“Strap in. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

The control desk came online as the door hissed shut.

The escape pod came to life and the countdown to launch began.

I held on tight to the arms of my chair as the numbers ticked down.

It might have been a day for goodbyes but it was never meant to be a day of tragedy.

I shut my eyes and muttered a prayer to the Creator that I wouldn’t be too late.

28

BLOR

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