by test
“So, let me get this straight. You were charming Lady Devlin, seducing her actually, so you could case her place and then steal something that was priceless? ” Her heart thudded. In some small way he’d brought this upon himself. Even though he was only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Guilt framed Tyler’s features and he averted her gaze. But his touch still carried right through her leather coat.
“Yeah,” Tyler muttered, scraping his boot along the floor.
“And you hired him?” she asked, directing her gaze at the Red Falcon.
“Yes,” he answered, repositioning his chair, and settling himself into it.
“Why didn’t you just procure the priceless item yourself?” she demanded, shaking her head. They were two little boys. Both of them thought ass backward when it came to claiming a prize.
The Red Falcon looked straight past her and leveled his dark blue gaze on Tyler.
“Because I do not possess the necessary skills, and I wouldn’t have even been able to get inside of the mansion to Lady Devlin’s room in the first place. You are forgetting my personal relationship with Lord Devlin. He was my mentor. A long time ago, he rescued me from a hideous life, and taught me how to become a man, and survive on my own. He is too close to me, I would have never been successful.”
“You don’t possess the necessary skills. Tell me another one!” She tossed a scorching glare Tyler’s way, and tried to pull out of his hold. But it was firm. Damn.
“You don’t realize yet, what it was that I wanted, do you?” the Red Falcon inquired.
His eyes bored straight through her, and they burned her with their intensity.
“Okay, I bite. Why the hell was it so crucial that you had to hire my husband?” Samantha nearly dreaded the answer.
She suddenly realized she’d probably end up with a headache the size of New San Francisco.
“You are familiar with Tyler’s talents as an artist are you not?”
She nodded her head, encouraging him to continue.
“Well, I did some digging on Lady Devlin, and discovered she hasn’t always traveled in high society. When she was a very young woman, she had been employed at an establishment of ill repute. While there, she entertained a man, which used her for her carnal services. When she had fallen asleep, he did something so crazy that even you will not believe it.”
She watched him with growing uneasiness and butterflies circled around in her stomach.
“Go on,” she urged reluctantly. Disgusting mental images flashed through her wearied brain.
RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 70
“While Lady Devlin was sleeping this man tattooed a map on her back. As you can understand, her slumber was drug induced. Well, when Lady Devlin woke up and discovered what he had done, she was infuriated. She tried to have it surgically removed, but for some reason it was ingrained into her DNA, and no matter how many times they tried, it kept reappearing on her skin.”
Samantha shuddered, and didn’t fight Tyler when he pulled her against the side of his body. “Yuck! ” was all she managed to say.
“Indeed. No one ever knew what the map was about, including Lord Devlin. The man that had painted it on her back, was killed in a bar brawl the next day. As I said, Lady Devlin definitely didn’t come from much. Eventually, through much laborious research I discovered what the map was for.”
“What was it for?” she asked, hooked into the story the Red Falcon was weaving.
“It was a map to the lost treasure of Empress Ileana Of Elendara. ”
“Holy shit!” she murmured. Her head swam, all of the blood drained from her cheeks.
RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 71
Chapter Eight
Samantha sagged against Tyler, and he wrapped his arms around her. It felt so good to have him with her again. She hadn’t had time to even breathe since she’d rescued him, and her heart panged as she realized just how much she had missed him.
“I just have one other question. Why didn’t you just have some other sneaky thief sneak into her abode and take a picture of her back? Did you really need Tyler to draw it? That seems so archaic. I know that artistry is a dying trade....”
“You misunderstand. The map could not be removed from Lady Devlin’s back, nor could it be photographed or caught on any kind of a recording device. It is astonishing but the map is amazingly resistant to being removed or copied, hence the reason why I needed someone to sketch it with a precise and exacting hand.”
She considered the Red Falcon’s words, anger fueling through her once more. She gradually began to piece the jigsaw together. He had hired Tyler, and Tyler had become vulnerable because of the Red Falcon’s greed.
“You were responsible for Tyler being implicated in the first place,” she exploded, shrugging Tyler off.
Marching up to the Red Falcon, she pulled her hand back to strike him. Tyler grabbed her hand, and held her back despite her protestations.
“LET ME AT HIM!” Rash through her actions were, she had to do something to quell the burning need inside of her.
Eventually,
Tyler
overpowered her weary body, and pulled her back against his broad
chest.
“I accepted the job,” he whispered in her ear. “I put myself in danger of being caught, and I even put myself in danger of being blamed for a murder I didn’t commit. I made the perfect scapegoat.”
Hearing
his
explanation,
she relaxed slightly.
“How do I know you didn’t have Lady Devlin killed? I would assume that it wouldn’t be above a pirate’s scruples to kill someone, just because they were a wrench in their plans.”
An eerie hush fell through the enormous room.
“That would make me a dishonorable man. Tyler and I shared a contract. Had I gone behind his back and set him up for a murder, then that would make me a no good dirty bastard. I may be a bastard at times, but I am not a bad man, no matter how many times you may want to label me as one. I have met a great deal of unsavory characters in my time, and none of them would have been at all concerned that you were being attacked by rival pirates. Tell me, Samantha, have you ever heard the expression appearances aren’t always what they seem to be?
Perhaps, in the future you should try to curtail your impulsive headstrong nature, and instead study your surroundings before jumping to the wrong conclusions. I don’t care what a person looks like on the outside, I try to reach inside and see the inner beauty. And I hope one day you will do the same with me!”
Ashamed at her irrational behavior, she frowned when she heard her stomach growl once again. She darted her eyes toward the floor, and let what the Red Falcon had said sink into her RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 72
brain.
Tyler tried to pull her around, she resisted at first and when she finally turned around to face him, his eyes held a burning love that she thrilled to see. His love still burned brightly for her.
She watched the Red Falcon stride out of the room. Before he left, he turned to them and sighed.
“You may return to your ship for now. I have taken those ugly pirates out of your brig. I have a much bigger facility for them here, and I will make sure that they are dealt with properly.
If they have any outstanding bounties on them, I’ll re-wire the money to you and your crew. For now, I will remain in orbit, and I’ll gain you the time that you need with Lord Devlin.”
Tyler stepped out in front of Samantha, and stood up to his full height. Remarkably the Red Falcon regarded him with a hint of deference. That was why she loved him. He could come through even in the toughest times.
“The bargain you made with Samantha is now null and void. If you want your bloody map, then you will need me alive to draw it for you. And at the moment, my memory seems a bit sketchy. Once everything reveals itself, I will fulfill the contract I made with you. Then you will have what you initially wanted. Sama
ntha wasn’t involved in this whole debacle until I got her involved. She doesn’t need to suffer for what I’ve done.”
The Red Falcon regarded him coolly. Hope flared in Samantha’s heart.
“You do comprehend the precariousness of your situation do you not?” The Red Falcon asked.
Tyler nodded and boldly kept his emotions in check. “Yes,” Tyler admitted, squeezing her hand gently.
She watched with avid interest, and reveled in a part of Tyler, he’d never before revealed to her. Her husband had gall and guts! She’d known about the guts part, but he usually kept a reserved distance. This in your face attitude was a startling change. And it was one she didn’t mind. Now, they made the perfect pair. Maybe he was made of the stern stuff that had shaped her.
She would bend over backwards to keep Tyler safe, and yet here he was putting his butt on the line for her. Suddenly, she was more in love with him than she had ever been before.
“Right then. I was just checking to make sure,” The Red Falcon muttered.
He turned away from them, and quickly left them alone.
“So what the hell took you so bloody long to come and get me?” Tyler demanded.
Gradually, the look of love faded from his green eyes.
* * * *
Samantha stared mutely at him. How could he say such a thing? Feeling the fury roll through her she took a hold of his jacket collar and pushed him. He stumbled backwards until he slammed up against the nearest wall.
“What took me so long? ” she mimicked, staring at him in open-mouthed amazement.
“Why you arrogant, self-serving, egotistical man!”
He put his fingers up to her mouth and stared down at her tenderly.
“I’m just joking for cripes sakes!” his eyes softened.
She licked her lips. She always jumped to conclusions. Mental note, give Tyler a chance to explain in the future.
Anticipation welled through her body. She had waited for this moment for months!
She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Coiling her legs around his RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 73
middle she sighed. Being near him. Feeling his body heat and staring into his eyes was like being transported to Heaven. Stunned, his eyes widened when she hungrily molded her lips to his. She kissed him with everything she had and managed to take as much as he had to give.
She was so damn hot for him. She felt as if she burned from the inside out. She really wanted to rip his clothes off him.
He moaned, making her wrap her arms tighter around him. She could feel his want for her rioting through his body. She waited until the perfect moment and then she fell away from him. His breathing became labored. She stood on her own two feet, and looked up at him.
The sexual tension was palpable between them. She had to root herself to the floor to keep from jumping him again. She wanted him so badly that she ached with the need, but she wasn’t going to drop head first into the deep end, without first getting the answers she so richly deserved.
Tyler had abandoned her when he had been unwilling to trust her to take care of herself.
But she had been there when he had been in dire need of her and yet, when she had needed him the most he hadn’t been there to support her. A bitter taste filled her throat and hot tears stung her eyes. She shouldn’t have let him go. But that still didn’t excuse the fact that he’d wanted her to quit her life calling in the first place.
She loved him. Oh, God yes. She loved him, more than life itself. But she couldn’t go back to the way it used to be, without knowing first that he wouldn’t take off on her, as soon as the murder mystery was solved. She couldn’t take losing him twice in one lifetime. She couldn’t take falling back into his arms, only to wake up one morning to find him gone. Oh, no!
She wasn’t living that life again. It was time for some changes.
He stared at her in utter confusion and she moaned nearly doubling over in pain. She wanted to remain stoic and untouched, but she wasn’t made of ice. She was a human woman, and she had red blood coursing through her veins. Her heart could be broken, and she needed to protect it from any further suffering. She could put on a cool façade with almost anyone. But with Tyler, well, things were different. They both had holes in their hearts from what the other had done. Some things needed to be said, and she hoped he’d make the first move.
“We can’t go back to the way it used to be. I desperately want to, but until you can accept me for what I am, we can’t move forward. I listened to everything that went on between you and Lady Devlin and I haven’t yet passed judgment. If you tell me here and now that you are perfectly agreeable with me being a bounty hunter, then we can start to mend our strained marriage. If not, I fear we are damaged beyond repair.” She waited expectantly and a tear slipped out of her eye.
He took a deep breath. Resting his hands on her shoulders, he looked her straight in the eyes.
“I can accept who and what you are.” There was a hitch in his voice, which meant there had to be a but coming. She really wanted to squish that but.
She searched his eyes, for any hint of doubt. They wavered for a moment, and her heart fell down into the pit of her stomach.
“Nice try, Tyler. But I can see it in your eyes. You can’t move past it, and I can’t be something I’m not. No matter how much I may want to try.” Samantha turned on her heel. “You should get to med bay. I know you’re still hurt. That healing gauze will only do so much. What if the laser that struck you was encrypted with some sort of virus? You can’t play around with that stuff, and you know it.”
She felt bereft and deflated. She still had to prove his innocence and deal with the fierce RECKLESS BOUNTY Marly Mathews 74
love she still had for him. She might be able to physically turn herself away from him, but she knew she would never be able to stop loving him. If order to stop loving him, he’d have to do something pretty terrible.
She took a hesitant step toward the door, feeling him mentally pull at her.
“You know, no one makes me feel the way that you make me feel. But I can’t force myself to live a lie. Why can’t you just take me as I am? You were willing to seduce Lady Devlin, and yet you couldn’t even stick around long enough to work things out with your wife? ”
The thoughts of Tyler being in the arms of another woman made her feel sick on the inside.
While they had been separated she’d remained faithful to their vows. Secretly, she’d hoped that Tyler would’ve done the same thing. But whom the hell was she kidding? He was a rake of the foulest sort. Obviously, a little thing like true love couldn’t stop him from screwing other women. He’d always have to get a piece of the action.
Her anger and frustration had finally gotten the better of her, and she gave into it.
“I loved you more than anything else! I devoted myself to you and you repaid me by leaving. You haven’t done a damn thing to show me that you have changed the way you feel about things. For now I can accept this, but as soon as I clear your name, I want you to leave.”
She moved closer to the door, and felt him come up behind her.
“Don’t do this!” he pleaded.
Her hackles rose to massive proportions. Here he was, asking her to rethink her decision.
The man was more of a bastard than she’d originally believed.
“Take your hands off of me. You don’t believe in me, and you don’t believe in the love we share. I seem to remember you telling me that once, and yet I still wanted to attempt to work things out. I can’t pretend anymore.”
The door made a whining noise as it automatically opened.
“We’re stuck with each other for now. But as I said once everything is settled, we’ll go back to the way things were when we were apart.”
She hated herself for forcing out such cruel words, and she wanted to tear her hair out when she saw the searing pain in his eyes. But there was no other way. A clean break was the only way that festering wounds could he
al. She walked out into the hallway, and made her way back to the bridge.
She wanted the hell off of this sad imitation for a battle cruiser. It looked like a warship on the outside but in the inside it looked like a cruise liner and then she understood what the Red Falcon had been trying to tell her. She was always in control on the outside, when in fact she was tearing herself up on the inside. God, how she needed an ass to kick!
Samantha collided with Johanna and caught her sister before she fell to the floor.
Johanna stared at Samantha wonderingly, but kept herself focused on the information she had come to deliver. Johanna looked extremely stressed, and hives had broken out across her face and neck.
“What is it?” She inclined her head. Johanna definitely had something important to tell her. For once in her life she actually wished she’d been born a certified mind reader. It did run in the family. Unfortunately, the gift had sort of skipped her. Well, at least that’s what she liked to believe. For now, she’d just tune out the random telepathic whispers that sometimes entered her brain.
