"I've got it," Sway said, stepping forward and placing his palm over the plate.
The door slid open and they walked in.
Devyn faced them, his eyes piercing her. "Cute trick."
Alix frowned in confusion. "What trick?"
He approached her, backing her up several paces, dwarfing her with his size. If he was trying to intimidate her, it worked.
"You turned down the atmosphere in my quarters. I almost froze solid before I could get dressed and get out."
Her mouth fell as disbelief washed over her. "I didn't do it."
He curled his lip and raked her with a sneer. "Then I guess Sway did."
"I didn't do anything," Sway said.
Devyn looked at Alix and she almost took a step back in reflex. But this time she held her ground, knowing she was right and hadn't done anything wrong. "I didn't do it."
His eyes turned even chillier. "I guess the computer is holding a grudge against me. Maybe it wants new chips."
"Very funny," Alix sneered. "It could be a glitch in the system."
"All right, Madam Expert," he said, sweeping his arm out like a majordomo. "Run the diagnostic."
Alix moved to the terminal and typed in the diagnostic sequence.
After several minutes, the system came up clean. "I don't understand," she whispered.
Devyn came to stand so close beside her, she could feel his breath fall against her cheek, smell his warm, clean scent. Goosebumps spread over her arms and neck.
"I understand," he said, his voice low, lethal. "But next time, you'd better curb your pranks. I don't appreciate them."
She glared at him. "I'll stay up and run a few more tests. Maybe the diagnostic is malfunctioning, too."
His menacing glare didn't change. "Yeah, you do that."
Alix clenched her teeth, wanting to throttle him. He could be so damned unreasonable.
After Devyn left, Sway scratched the back of his neck. "You want me to hang around?"
"No," she said with a sigh. There was no need for both of them to lose sleep. "I've got it under control."
"Okay. I'll see you in the morning."
For the next hour, Alix ran through test after test, but couldn't find anything that would cause the temperature in Devyn's room to fall. Sighing, she decided to give up for the night. She left the diagnostic on, hoping it would uncover something while she slept.
With each step that took her closer to Devyn's room and her own, her stomach drew tighter. Memories assailed her and she wished she could return to the day they'd made love. He'd been so gentle and caring. Not at all like the man who accused her of playing pranks, who threatened her with bodily harm.
What would become of her? Was Sway right? Would Devyn free her? But then what would she do?
Grab a ship and start over. It was what she'd always wanted, but why did that thought now sear a pain in her heart? She knew she couldn't stay. Devyn would never forgive her for what she'd done. Sway's words were proof of that. She couldn't even blame Devyn for not wanting her around.
Are you willing to fight?
Sway's words echoing in her head, she stopped outside Devyn's door. The only thing to lose was hope, and she'd lived without that for so long that its loss didn't seem to be much of a deterrent anymore.
Too bad Zarina wasn't here. She'd know what to do to make Devyn drool. Alix smiled. On second thought, she was just as resourceful as Zarina and she had listened well.
She touched Devyn's door, the smooth steel icy to her touch. The wall Devyn had erected around himself seemed every bit as solid and unbreachable. But just like the real door separating them, all she had to do was find the right control to push and the door would slide open.
"I'm not giving up, Devyn Kell," she whispered. "Good luck setting your alarm against me. You're going to need it."
Chapter Eleven
Devyn pounded against the door for the eighth time. His patience had long worn thin. "Computer, unlock the door!"
Still no response.
"I'm going to kill her!" he snarled, knowing only Alix could reprogram the computer to ignore his commands. Sway had never given a damn about technical things. Besides, it was Alix who had a reason to want to play havoc with his life and comfort. And after being locked in his small, cramped bathroom for half an hour, Devyn was more than ready to play a little havoc with Alix's health.
Suddenly, the door hissed and slid open. Devyn stepped out before it had a chance to close again. He'd had enough of this. Last night his room, today his bath. Snatching up his pants, he promised himself that this time she would regret her mischief.
After pulling on his tunic, he headed down the hallway.
Halfway to Alix's room, a strange feeling came over him. He couldn't explain it, but he had an immediate need to check their heading. It wasn't like him to be paranoid, but drifting off course happened quite often. Since he hadn't spent the night in the control room as usual, he had a strange urge to verify their position.
Turning around, he'd started toward the bridge when a whistle sounded.
"Devyn?" Sway asked.
He stopped at the nearest link. "Yeah, what do you need?"
"You're not going to like this. I need you at my nav station. Now."
Devyn frowned. Was Irn hailing them? Or maybe a Prober. What else could go wrong?
He growled low in his throat, tired of their delays. He just wanted to get to Paradise City, dump their cargo, then get Alix off his ship and out of his life.
So why did his stomach lurch at the very thought of her leaving?
"Because you're a fool," he muttered.
Sprinting the rest of the distance, he quickly joined Sway at the helm.
"What is it?"
Sway pointed to his tracking screen. "Last night when we went to bed, we were here," he said, indicating the coordinates on the outer right edge of the screen. "Now, we're here."
Devyn's sight dimmed. Disbelief ran through him, only to be quickly replaced by rage. "We're eight hours off-course?"
Sway nodded.
His breathing ragged, Devyn wanted blood. Minor drifting was normal, but their ship had turned around and was now heading toward the Skjold Sector. "Alix," he snarled.
Sway looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "She wouldn't do—"
"No?" Devyn asked, his vision darkening. "If we'd slept two more hours, we'd be in orbit around Twrdr."
Sway's mouth dropped. Looking back to the screen, he made a few calculations.
"Sonovabitch," he whispered.
"Exactly," Devyn said, slapping him on the back. "She rerouted us so she could jump ship on the one planet that allows runaway slaves freedom from prosecution or extradition."
Sway shook his head. "And I left her here alone last night. I didn't even think about her doing something like this."
"That's because we're both too trusting," Devyn said between his clenched teeth. "But not anymore. I've had it with women and with Alix in particular."
"Wait," Sway said, grabbing his arm as he started to leave. "Maybe she didn't do it."
"Oh, then who did? The Tourah beast? Maybe we should conduct a search looking for little fey creatures who have decided to play games."
"You don't have to be so damned sarcastic."
Devyn narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to be a lot more than sarcastic when I get my hands on Alix."
Devyn grabbed a set of gyves from storage and headed to her room.
By now she should have known he didn't take well to delays. Every second that passed killed more Jaruns. Damn it, how could she be so selfish?
His gaze narrowed. He'd make sure she got her precious freedom all right, but she was going to wait until he'd finished his mission even if he had to tie her down.
Women! And to think he was stupid enough to believe Alix was different. She was every bit as petty as Onone had been. Right down to her little pranks to get back at him.
No more. She'd long regret her viciousness.
&nb
sp; Opening the door, he walked into her room intending to shower her with the full barrage of his anger. But the sight of her curled up on her bed in peaceful sleep stopped him.
She lay on her side, her lips parted. Her cheeks were flushed and her soft, tangled brown hair fell across her pillow like a shiny piece of satin. All too well, he remembered how the strands felt sliding between his fingers, brushing across his naked chest, the sight of her beneath him while her hands clutched him closer, driving him beyond slanted with their gentle caresses.
His body burned and his breath caught in his throat. How could he want her after all she'd done? Dear God, it was Onone all over again. Just like her, Alix had him wrapped around her finger, a toy to manipulate at will.
But not this time. No. He'd learned his lesson when Onone's blaster had seared his side. Alix would not control him. He could block her from his thoughts and he could control his errant body.
Regaining his anger, he crossed the room in three strides and jerked the covers from her.
"Get up," he snarled, doing his best to ignore how angelic she looked as she blinked her eyes open and stared up at him in confusion.
"What is it?" she asked with a yawn.
Before he'd seized the blanket, he hadn't realized she wore nothing but a thin, short shirt. Now he couldn't think of anything except the way the flimsy white material displayed the curves of her body, the delicate, delicious pink tips of her breasts. His mouth dried.
The hem of her shirt stopped midwaist, and from there down the only covering she had was a tiny, tiny pair of underpants. Underpants he wouldn't mind sliding off her soft, curving hips to explore what lay beneath.
His loins tightened and all he wanted was to pull her into his arms and make love to her.
Finally, she woke up enough to realize what he was staring at. Gasping, she sprang from the bed, grabbed the blanket out of his hands, and wrapped it around her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice indignant.
Devyn took a deep breath to steady his nerves and bring his body under control. He forced himself to remember why he had come.
"Did you think me so stupid that I wouldn't check our heading?" he demanded.
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"Or was locking me in the bathroom supposed to keep me occupied until you had a chance to escape?"
"What are you talking about?" she asked, trying to position the blanket over her to form a lopsided dress. "Have you been sniffing delutants?"
His breathing ragged, he wanted to take her over his knee. "No, I'm sober and I'm one step away from launching you out the air lock."
She crossed the room, nearing him like a professional fighter meeting an opponent. "At least give me a trial before you convict me. What crime are you charging me with now?"
Why was she playing dumb? Could she be innocent? No. The ship was too new to have the type of malfunctions plaguing them. A human had to be behind it, and the only suspect was Alix.
"Did you or did you not alter our course to take you to Twrdr?"
Her mouth dropped. Shock and confusion darkened her eyes, but whether from surprise at being caught or honest astonishment, he couldn't guess.
Deciding on the first, he closed the distance between them. "I don't give a damn what you do, but you're going to wait until after we reach Paradise City. If you want to live on Twrdr, fine. I have no intention of stopping you. Hell, I'll even bring you back here. But you will leave this ship alone or I'll see you launched HAWC style."
The blood drained from her face.
"Do you understand me?"
Her lips in a tight line, she glared at him. "I didn't do it, you dense-headed slug."
Devyn pulled the gyves out of his back pocket. "Fine. I'll just make sure you don't not do it again."
Grabbing her right arm, Devyn snapped a gyve onto her wrist.
"Stop it!" she shrieked, reaching to claw him, but he held her hand away from his cheek.
Panic dimmed Alix's sight. She tried her best to push him away, but he dragged her across the floor and secured the loose gyve to the bar in the closet.
Screaming in fear and degradation, she slung her arm out to hit him, but he stepped back before she made contact. She had to get free. She couldn't stand the thought of being left in the closet.
"Calm down," he sneered. "No one's going to hurt you, but you won't mess with my controls again."
"I didn't do anything!" she insisted, hoping he would see the truth. Why was he being so stubborn?
"We'll see. If the malfunctions continue, I'll come back, let you go, and apologize. If they stop . . . then I guess I'll know your true nature."
Fury clouded her sight; her chest heaved with each ragged breath she drew. "You'll know my true nature all right, Kell. I don't take kindly to being bound. If you have any sense at all, you'd better send Sway to release me."
He moved to stand before her. "Don't threaten me."
She wanted to claw out his eyes. "I can't believe I ever cared for you. That I thought you were different."
A trace of pain drifted over his face so briefly she thought she might have imagined it.
"I'm the one who was lied to," he snarled, his eyes cold. "You used me to escape Irn and now you've tried to use my ship. If I had any sense at all, I'd hand you over to that bastard and let him deal with you."
She pulled against the gyve, wanting to be free long enough to kick him.
Instead, she struck out at him with the only weapon left: her words. "Then do it. I'd rather be with Irn than you."
This time, there was no mistaking the pain his eyes reflected.
"Enjoy your rest," he snarled, and left her gyved in the closet.
Alix closed her eyes, letting her frustration flow through her. What was she going to do? She stared at the metal gyves, a wave of panic rushing through her. In her childhood, her father used to chain her to keep her out of his things. He'd leave her for days without food. Forgotten.
Hot tears fell down her cheeks, but she angrily brushed them away. She had to escape. Somehow there had to be a way out of this mess. Leaning her head against the wall, she allowed her anger free reign.
"I'll get you for this, Captain," she swore to herself. No one would bind her and leave her ever again.
Devyn glared at the light screen, his vision dimming. "Half our logs are erased," he muttered, pushing himself away from the terminal, disgusted with his failure. "Can you retrieve them?"
Sway laughed in response and looked at him as if he were slanted. "Sure, if I had a manual and a year. I can't believe that you, the only son of the Valerian Kell, infamous computer hacker, can't even figure out minor retrieval."
"Arr," Devyn said, raking his hand through his hair in frustration. "My dad didn't like me messing with this stuff. He was afraid I'd take after him and start hacking systems."
Sway sighed and punched a few keys, which did nothing. "Yeah, well, I do know one person on board who can fix all this."
"Right," Devyn said snidely. "The same person who erased them. No, thanks. I'll keep trying."
Sway drummed his fingers against the console. "Why don't you call your dad?"
"I tried, but there's interference. I couldn't get through."
A slow smile split his face. "I wondered why we hadn't heard from your mom."
"Don't bother me with your humor," Devyn muttered, rerunning the start-up program.
Sway gave him a look that let him know how much his friend wanted to say whatever was on his mind.
Sighing, Devyn knew he'd hear it sooner or later. Why wait? "All right, let it out."
"I think you're a real prato for what you did to her. When I took her lunch in, I couldn't believe my eyes. It's not like you to do something like that. You used to be fair."
"I used to be a fool." Devyn slammed his hand into the terminal and turned to face Sway. "Besides, I didn't shut her up in the closet; I did leave the door open. I just made sure she couldn't access any more computer ter
minals! And I can't believe you'd defend her after what she's done."
"You don't have any proof."
"What proof do I need? A huge sign—Alix Garran lied to you, cotched your files, played pranks, and altered your course?"
"You really should bottle that sarcasm. I bet you could get a fortune for it. Remind me to tell your mom she should have beaten your ass more while you were growing up."
The League 3: Paradise City Page 15
