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doubt. Besides, her abilities usually had a mind of their own, making any form of training

particularly grueling.

The ship lurched beneath them. Samantha nearly lost her footing. If it weren’t for the

tight grip Devlin had on her, she would have been flat on her face. Wild eyed, she looked over

toward Charlotte. The collision with the other ship that had just dropped out of hyperspace

hadn’t affected Charlotte in the slightest. She still seemed intent upon dislodging the bomb.

“What’s going on?” Samantha shouted over the alarms that rang throughout the

Excalibur.

“We seem to have a problem down in Engineering. I’m on my way down there. If Ross

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could spare a few minutes away from Veronica I could use his help.” Dylan stood up and dashed

for the exit that lead to engineering.”

Lucy sparkled into existence. “I already sent the necessary information to Ross down in

Med Bay. He’s on his way. Veronica is also raring to go…but Johanna has her restrained.”

“Restrained?” Samantha raised an eyebrow.

Lucy grinned. “It’s the funniest sight you’ll ever see. Johanna tackled Veronica down to

the ground, and since Veronica still hasn’t regained her full strength, she had to give in to

Johanna. Johanna is sitting watching her now. I don’t think Veronica will try to get away again,

she learned her lesson the first time around. Johanna can be one tough broad when she wants to

protect her patients.”

Samantha grinned. Veronica had to be feeling lousy. Tackling Veronica was akin to

tackling a wild boar. “We’ll just call her The Wrestling Doctor.” Samantha chuckled, and then

sobered when Tyler called up the schematics on the ship that had just tried playing bumper cars

with them.

“Shit.” Tyler slumped his shoulders.

“I recognize those markings.” Quinn shuffled toward them and stood to the side of Tyler.

Samantha sat down in the chair next to Tyler and stared with her mouth gaping open at the view

screen.

“That’s Chinese isn’t it?”

“You bet, it is.” Devlin appeared from out of the shadows. The lights had been dimmed

on the
Excalibur
as they were on reserve power.

“It says…Blood of My Ancestors. That other marking represents the Fourth House of the

Anasazi Triad,” Devlin translated.

“It looks like a dragon sitting beneath a bonsai tree,” Samantha mused.

“That’s exactly what it is. It represents the peace and tranquility elements of the house

mixed with the feral animalistic side,” Devlin said.

Samantha shuddered. Swallowing thickly, she looked over to Devlin for some advice.

“So what do we do? I say we go with all guns blazing.”

“Bad idea.” Tyler interrupted nodding toward Charlotte. “If we do that they might return

fire and make the bomb Charlotte’s trying to detach detonate.”

“Oh. Well, ditch that plan down the garbage chute. Well, I guess we stall for time and try

to outrun them.”

“No can do.” Dylan’s voice blared out of the com system. “We’re dead in the water for at

least three hours. Even with Ross and I working our asses off we still won’t be able to go

anywhere for a bit.”

“So…we’re up shit creek without a paddle, then?”

“You could say that,” Dylan muttered.

“Can you reroute all power to the shields? I’m thinking we’ll need it. If we can’t fight

back, we need to have all of our defenses at maximum power.”

“You got it, Samantha.” Static cluttered the com link and droned out Dylan’s mutterings.

The hail chime and light flashed across the control board.

“I think we’ll just ignore that.” Samantha glanced over at Tyler.

“That isn’t the wisest decision you’ve made, Samantha. Let me talk to them. I know

how to speak their language,” Devlin offered.

“No. They’ve taken Rory…they can kiss my ass,” Quinn stated anger seething through

his voice. Samantha agreed wholeheartedly with Quinn. As far as she was concerned the people

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onboard the Triad Ship could take a one-way ticket straight to hell.

“How do we know they don’t have Rory onboard the ship with them?” Devlin asked.

“Because…call it a feeling, but I’m almost one hundred percent sure that she isn’t on that

ship,” Samantha murmured, looking up at Devlin.

“If Charlotte wasn’t in a self induced trance, we could ask her.” Tyler’s voice fell to a

whisper.

“Give Samantha some credit, Tyler,” Devlin snapped.

“I’ll give you five minutes, Dev. After that…I cut the communication link and all bets

are off,” Samantha stated.

“Fine,” Devlin agreed.

“Samantha, I don’t like this, you should not let Devlin have any sort of authority on this

ship,” Tyler muttered.

Thinking that his voice sounded awfully distance she looked behind her only to find him

sitting in the Captain chair with Charlotte cradled in his lap. Charlotte still had a glassy glint in

her eye indicating she was still using her telekinesis to remove the bomb from the outer hull.

“What do you think you’re doing with my sister?”

“Shush. You’ll scare her.” Tyler showed his teeth to her when he grinned, and she was

oddly reminded of the big bad wolf.

Samantha grunted when Devlin pulled her against him. He wrapped his arm around her

and looked pointedly at Tyler. “Move your ass out of that chair, Tyler, I require it.”

“Do as he says,” Samantha said grudgingly. Tyler grudgingly obliged, picking up

Charlotte and walking with her to settle into another chair.

Devlin pulled her with him toward the Captain’s chair. “What the hell do you think

you’re doing? I don’t want to go with you....”

He sat down in the chair pulling her with him. She landed on his lap with a jiggle. She

tried to forget the fact that she sat on his lap precariously close to his manhood.

Recognition hit Samantha like a bullet in the gut. “You’re using me as a prop!”

“Yes, and look at that recent photo that Quinn has of Rory. You and Charlotte look

uncannily alike, but you could be Rory’s double if you’re hair was just a shade redder.”

“Charlotte and I are identical twins.”

Devlin shrugged his shoulders. “Nevertheless, you have the bearing and personality that

Rory seems to exude.”

“Come here, Quinn!”

Samantha snatched the worn paper photo that Quinn had tucked in his shirt pocket. She

couldn’t argue with Devlin. For once in his life he seemed have hit the nail on the head. Rory

was just like her. If Samantha rooted out a picture of herself at the age of thirteen it would be

like looking at the same person. Except for the hair color. Rory’s hair was definitely redder.

Samantha and Charlotte had red highlights in their blond hair, but Rory was a redhead through

and through. Tears milled in her eyes. Her heart ached. They needed to get Rory back. They’d

missed so much of Rory’s formative years over an argument. They couldn’t lose any more

because The Triad had robbed Rory of her life.

“What are you going to do, mister hot shot?” Samantha asked, looking down at him. She

handed Quinn back his photo, which he carefully tucked away back into his shirt pocket.

“Get out of the line of sight, Quinn. I want the Triad officers to only see me and

Samantha.”

Devlin’s eyes glittered. “As for your question, Samantha, I am going to make the biggest

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bluff of a lifetime.”

“Bluff?”

“Yeah…you. You know…a bluff. Don’t tell me you haven’t made one a few thousand

times in your life.” She was inclined to smack Devlin. Instead, she put her arms around his neck

and leaned toward him on his lap. She could tell he was aroused by her action. She tightened her

hold on his neck. He felt so good. She almost lost herself in the moment.

“It would be so easy to just snap this neck of yours, Devlin,” she purred in his ears, a

playful tone to her voice.

“You would never do that. You’re my little sexy kitten,” Devlin purred.

“Of all the gall....” she whispered, staring transfixed at him. He caught the way she was

looking at him and his smile broadened.

“I would love to take you back to my quarters on this ship,” Devlin said, looking over

daringly at Tyler.

“Listen, get on with the show for the Triad already.” Tyler’s fervent gaze met hers.

“Maybe Devlin actually does know his stuff when it comes to The Triad.”

“Well, it is foreign territory to me.” Samantha relented. “Go ahead…but if you do

anything that would endanger Rory....” Her voice trailed off when Quinn cleared his throat.

“I’ll kill him.” Quinn fixed his eyes on Devlin. “Devlin if this plan of yours goes awry

and costs Rory her life…I’ll cause you a world of pain.”

“And rightly so.” Devlin puffed his chest out like a preening peacock. “Would you just

let me live up to my name? I am Lord Devlin, and my power knows no bounds.”

“You had to flee your world,” Samantha pointed out, tapping him on the nose.

He caught her hand and held it still. She bit her lip, she shouldn’t be this attracted to a

man she was supposed to despise, especially when her husband was in the same room with them.

“A minor setback. I still have a lot of power at my disposal should I want to use it.”

Samantha didn’t know what to make of Devlin’s remark so she did the only thing that

would keep her sane. She put it out of her head.

“They’ve hailed us ten times already....” Tyler trailed off when Lucy crackled back into

existence. Lucy smirked at Devlin and then turned her attention to Samantha.

“They are charging weapons. Might I be so bold as to suggest that we answer their hail

before they blow the shit out of us?”

“Tyler, open the channel.” Devlin rested her head on his shoulder.

“I am going to kill you when we’re done here. Did you hear me? You’re dead meat,”

Samantha threatened.

“Be a sweet little love kitten, Samantha or you’ll blow this all to hell,” he murmured.

“Yes, Lord Dumbo.” She had to turn her lemons into lemonade. By the irritated look on

Devlin’s face she’d scored a point.

Before Tyler could press the com button Lucy opened the channel for him. A stern

looking Asian man in his late forties appeared on screen.

The bridge of the opposing ship looked like a Chinese Palace. It was actually quite

beautiful. If looking at anything that was operated by the Triad didn’t make her sick she’d be

entranced by the loveliness of it.

“Greetings, Lord Devlin.” The man seemed shocked to hell. “I had not realized that you

were on this inconsequential vessel.”

“Who’s he calling inconsequential?” Samantha muttered beneath her breath.

Devlin roamed his hand down and lifted her butt so he could put his hand under it. She

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squirmed. She couldn’t even tell him to move his hand. Instead, she leaned forward and nipped

his ear with her teeth, hard enough to cause him to shudder.

“I happen to be well acquainted with the Cassidy’s.”

“Too well for my own comfort level,” she muttered. Devlin splayed his hand under butt

and his hand settled perilously close to her other private region. Hot molten lava swirled within

her. He was arousing her and she couldn’t seem to fight it.

“I will kill you when this is over....” She trailed off at Devlin’s pissed off glare.

On the captain’s computer a warning popped up. “Enemy ship charging weapons.” It

read.

Samantha groaned.

“Actually, Chuck, I don’t appreciate the fact that your ship is charging its weapons,”

Devlin said calmly though Samantha could tell that he was angry as hell.

“Merely a precautionary tactic.” Chuck stood up and walked toward the view screen so

that his image widened and filled the entire screen.

“Well, I’d certainly appreciate it if you were to stand down on your weapons.”

Chuck turned his back to the screen and barked out an order in perfect Mandarin.

Moments later, Lucy nodded her head.

“They’ve charged down their weapons, Lord Devlin.”

“Turncoat,” Samantha grumbled.

“Now, Chuck. I have another bone to pick with you.”

“You’re picking a bone with one of the leaders within The Triad hierarchy? Do you have

a screw loose or what?” she hissed at Devlin.

“Be quiet, Samantha.” Devlin pinched her ass. She sat up straighter and let out a shocked

exclamation.

“You are going to get it later, Dev,” she whispered, watching his eyes dance with delight.

“Leave me to my negotiating, Samantha,” he whispered, turning his attention back to

Chuck.

“Go on,” Chuck reached for a chocolate on the tray that a scantily clad woman brought to

him. “I’d send you over a box, Devlin if you don’t piss me off too much. These chocolates are to

die for…they’re from New Belgium you know.”

“Well, that would be nice, though I’d probably have to go through the trouble of testing

them for poison, now wouldn’t I?”

Chuck laughed. “Ah…I love your British sense of humor.” He smiled. Chuck sort of

reminded Samantha of a shark. Cold blooded and nasty. “Lord Devlin, I’m here for that little