Mercenary Abduction (Alien Abduction) (15 page)

instinct. The purple killer with the deadly body was a natural born actor. Hell, he even had her believing he was madly in love with her. A good thing she knew they played a game, else she might have fallen for his faked smoldering glances, his loving touches, and his ardent embraces.

In retrospect, she was glad he’d eased her earlier sexual tension, or else, in the state he was

creating with his innocent caresses, she might have come at an inopportune moment, like when he dropped to his knees in the shop, grasped her right hand, and stared her in the eyes.

They’d made it to the final stage. The inner sanctum of the jeweler, an ugly corpulent being who

waddled forth, panting to hand a large box to Makl for inspection. Out he pulled a sparkling monstrosity, and she meant ugly. A band of gold disappeared under the shadow of the precious stone, which winked at her. Holy crap. The thing must have weighed a few good pounds.

Makl clasped her hand and held the beastly jewel above it. “My darling. Goddess of my heart.

The one I cherish above all others. I realize this ring can never surpass your beauty or the wealth of what I feel for you, but would you accept it and have it be the token you show the universe as a symbol of our never ending love?”

“Oh, snookums, of course I will.” On slid the ring, Makl’s fingers deftly sliding it past her

knuckle, the weight of the stone dragging her hand down. The rock was bloody huge and dwarfed her

fingers. “I shall cherish this ring and you forever.”

Makl beamed.“Excellent. You’ve made me the happiest male alive. I can’t wait for my other

wives to meet you. I am sure they’re going to love you.”

And now came the fun part. Olivia pulled back, yanking her hand from his grasp, features twisting

into an indignant expression. “Other wives? Excuse me? Would you mind explaining what you mean by

that?”

“I’d say it was pretty obvious. I said I can’t wait for you to meet my other wives. The other

shining stars in my universe.”

“You have a harem?”

“Of course. A male like myself can’t restrict himself to just one female, not when I have so much

love to give. But don’t worry, I have plenty of room in my schedule for you. And when I’m not around, caring for my growing brood will keep you busy and thinking of me.”

Up she shot, standing toe to toe with him, her ring finger poking his chest. “I don’t think so. Either you divorce those women or I’m leaving.”

“Divorce my eleven wives and leave my thirty-six children fatherless?” His eyes went wide.

She bit her tongue as she tossed her head. “If you love me, you’ll do it.”

He grasped her by the upper arms. “Ask me anything but that.”

She pummeled at his chest, her tiny fists getting caught in his cloak, the ring snagging in the fabric.

“You jerk. I thought you loved me. That I was the only one.”

The shopkeeper looked on in consternation, wringing his hands. “Perhaps you need time to think

about this?”

“Stay out of this,” they both shouted.

Olivia yanked the ring off and shoved it at the jeweler. “Looks like you’re keeping it. I find myself no longer needing it. The engagement is off.” Away she flounced, head held high.

“But darling, what happened to loving me forever?” Makl called as he chased after.

She didn’t stop her angry stomp.

Through all the checkpoints they flew, arguing and fist-shaking. She even cried at one point,

collapsing against a guard who couldn’t shove her through his checkpoint quick enough. In less time than it took to enter, they were ensconced in the aircar and headed back to the ship. They did so in silence, listening for pursuit, adrenaline making her heart race.

Only once the bay doors closed did Makl break the silence. “Did you do it?”

“Of course I did.” With a grin from ear to ear, Olivia leaned forward and deftly pulled the ring

free from the pocket in his cloak. “I’ve never had an easier switch.”

“I wondered if all that groping paid off. It certainly worked for me.” He leered and waggled his

brows.

She giggled, a mirth that grew and grew until she practically shook with it. Makl didn’t appear

offended; rather, he smiled broadly as if he enjoyed the sound of her enjoyment. An odder male she’d

never met. Most men would have huffed and puffed, demanding to know why she laughed. His ego,

though, knew no bounds. Insult him and he somehow saw it as a compliment. Call him a psychopath or a

killer and he begged for her to repeat it to everyone she met. Rebuff his sexual advances and he took it in stride, treating it like foreplay. It just never occurred to him she wouldn’t want him. Worse, he was right.

She’d never known a male so unafraid to speak his mind, no matter how warped his views. Never

encountered anyone so full of confidence and life. She’d never met anyone like him, and this drew her more than it logically should.

Yet, there were other times she had to wonder if he was completely off his rocker – and battle an

urge to kill him. For example, not even ten minutes later as they relaxed in his room while Ifruum took them out of there. Makl flipped through the news channels of the planet they’d just robbed, waiting for the announcement of the theft. They exited the galaxy without a single news bulletin. Olivia silently cheered.

They’d pulled the scam off without a hitch, and without fanfare. This, for some reason, pissed Makl off to no end.

“How can I get famous if no one knows I did the crime?” he groused as he paced the length of the

room they shared. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Olivia paused in her admiration of the ring, and the money it would bring, and threw him a look of incredulity.

“Are you serious? Why would you want people to know it was you? Isn’t the whole point to

planning the perfect crime getting away clean?”

“Yes, but how am I supposed to attain notoriety if no one knows it was I who bested them?”

“You want them to know you did it?”

“Of course. How else will I achieve fame?”

She gaped at him, blinking in astonishment for a few minutes. When she didn’t reply, he turned

back and angrily flipped through channels again, muttering nonsense. Her big purple killer wanted to

leave a trail. It made her think of the comics she used to read back on earth. Of course, Makl was less Captain America and more the guy trying to take over the world in black spandex, but hotter. “If you want people to notice you, then you need to start leaving a calling card. Something they can find once the dust has cleared and you’ve made a clean getaway.”

“A business card?” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I guess that might work. It would need to be

fireproof and waterproof, though, as I don’t always leave the scenes intact.”

She wanted to slap herself when he took her literally. “Not a real card, idiot, something unique to

you. Like Zorro with his slashed zeee. Or Batman with his mask and toys.”

“I know not of whom you speak.”

Of course he didn’t. Those were references to Earth culture. She did her best to explain.

By the end of it, he sported a wrinkled brow, but his eyes held a thoughtful cast. “So I must find

something iconic by which I will be recognized.”

“Exactly.”

“A unique factor to my escapades that will make me stand out and showcase my greatness.”

She rolled her eyes, but nodded her head.

“Now why isn’t that in the handbook?” he queried aloud, but to no one in particular, she’d wager.

The door to his room slid open without warning and Makl pivoted, relaxed pose instantly

submerged by a warrior ready for action. He had his gun out and pointed at Ifruum before her friend had taken two steps in.

“You should knock,” Makl growled, the jokester of moments before replaced by a steel-eyed

killer. Funny how she could forget this side of him most of the time, but when the tough mercenary

appeared...talk about sexy.

Ifruum ignored the pointed weapon and strolled in further. “Knocking is for the polite, mercenary

rule number –”

“You don’t need to quote the rules to me. I am well aware of them. I take it you have a reason for

barging in. Brave of you considering I might have been debauching your not-so-virgin partner.”

Ifruum frowned. “It occurs to me that as her kind-of guardian, I should perhaps question your

intentions toward her.”

“Dishonorable.” Makl replied with a grin.

Leaning forward, Olivia swatted him, her cheeks hot.

Ifruum nodded. “Good to know. I’ll assume you’re not planning to kill her?” Ifruum asked.

“No. I still need to drop her off at my cousin’s to play nanny.”

“Maybe,” she chimed in.

“Oh, most definitely. I am not going to tell my Aunt Muna that I had a human in my grasp and lost

her.”

“She’ll keep her word,” Ifruum said with a wave of his paw. “Right after we make a few more pit

stops, eh? I’ve planned us a fun itinerary on the way to your cousin’s, if you don’t mind.”

“I do mind if they’re going to be as useless as the last one.” Makl pouted, which should have

looked stupid on a grown man, but made her want to kiss the jutting lower lip.

“How can you say our mission was useless?” She held up the ring and let it glint in the light. “It

was a complete success. I mean, look at what we got. It’s priceless.”

Not impressed, Makl shrugged. “Another piece of jewelry. Who cares? I’ve got crates of them. I

steal rare items for the glory and challenge. With no glory, there is no point.”

“So, you want to get noticed?” Ifruum stroked his fuzzy chin, and Olivia didn’t trust the cunning

look in his eye. Not one bit.

“Of course I want to be noticed. I am the Galactic Conqueror.”

“I thought it was Avenger,” she remarked with a roll of her eyes.

“I changed my mind.”

“I thought that was only a woman’s prerogative.”

“Where did you learn something crazy like that?” he asked. “It is females who are most stubborn

and least likely to budge, and us males who are most inclined to change our minds. You humans are so

backwards.” He shook his head.

Once again, she didn’t understand what erratic path his thought process went through, but damn if

it didn’t entertain her.

“If you get a nickname, then so do I,” Ifruum interjected.

“How about Blood Sucking Fanged Wulfen?” Makl tossed grandly.

Ifruum rubbed his chin. “Not bad, but I was thinking more along the lines of something short and

simple. Like Fluffy, or Spot.”

“Ferocious Spot it is.” Makl beamed and Ifruum’s tongue lolled. Once again, Olivia wanted to

smack herself in the forehead. Then again…if she couldn’t beat him, join him. “What should my name

be?”

“How about Galactic Concubine?”

“Um, no, I think I’ll pass. How about the Lissome Vixen?”

“How about selecting something in a language we can all understand?” Makl scoffed, his

vocabulary apparently limited – probably from alien steroid use. “No, I think we should go with the

Galactic Pink Portal to Bliss.” Makl winked.

She just about choked. “Um, how about the Galactic Bitch who is going to kick your ass in a

minute?”

Makl smiled and beckoned with a finger for her to try.

Ifruum sighed. “Are we back to the fighting? Really? And here I thought you’d finally come to an

understanding.”

Olivia planted her hands on her hips and glared at Makl, whose ice blue eyes dared her. “We did.

I understand he’s an idiot.”

“And she’s horny again. It’s easy to spot once you know the signs,” Makl stated in a serious voice,

not breaking the stare. “She starts haranguing and getting contrary. It’s really quite adorable. I then tell her how to fix her problem. Lucky for her, my agility in the bedroom is such a cure-all. I point that out. She insists she hates me. I prove her wrong and we start all over.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks as she sputtered. “I do not do anything of the sort. You –you –jerk! I hate you!”

“Sure you do.” Placating purple asshat, always so full of himself.

She slugged him in the gut, or meant to, but he caught her hand and yanked her close. “See what I

mean? You know you can’t actually hope to hit me. You just did that so I’d grab a hold of you. But you know, barbarian, you could have asked me to hold your hand. I’m more than happy to get
close.
” He winked.

“I am not trying to get close to you,” she lied through gritted teeth. Yeah, the words came from her

mouth, but she didn’t move away. Her body didn’t even make a pretense of fighting his allure and stayed where it was, pressed against him.

“Is that a challenge? You know I love a challenge.”

She didn’t know what she would have said or done next because Ifruum interrupted them.

“Hey, you two, shut up for a second and check this out. You made the news! You both did.”

“We did?” The announcement startled Olivia from her semi-wrestling match with Makl.

Makl turned downright gleeful. “This is excellent. Which channels are running it?”

“Most of the ones for this section of the galaxy. See for yourself.”

Flipping through several news channels, Makl beamed as the headlines popped up.

The Necking Duo strike again.

Purple and Ivory, the new colors of love – or are they truly broken up? You decide.

The Galactic Lovebirds in what now seems to be a pattern have robbed the famed jeweler…

As he channel surfed from tidbit to tidbit, Makl chortled aloud at some of the wild claims, and

exclaimed about the horrible lens angle from the security cameras. The reports and headlines grew

wilder.

Olivia sat down and groaned. “Oh my God, we’re Thelma and Louise.”

“Who?”

“She means Bonnie and Clyde,” Ifruum added.

She frowned. “Who?”

Grinning in a manner that surely didn’t bode well, Makl declared, “Who cares? We’re famous.”