The League 3: Paradise City Read online

  As she neared the control room, she heard Sway and Devyn singing. Loud music filtered into the corridor at a pitch she knew must be deafening from the interior, but even so their voices managed to drown it out.

  Frowning, she pushed the control to open the door and stood back to watch the two of them serenade each other from their chairs. A laugh bubbled up through her.

  The music stopped. "Frelin at six o'clock," Sway said in an embarrassed voice as he straightened himself up in his chair.

  Devyn swung his chair around to face her. It was obvious her presence didn't bother him in the least. A smile curled his handsome lips. "Hope you don't mind our taste in music. We get a bit strange every time we launch."

  "Strange?" Sway scoffed. "We act like bloody idiots."

  Alix smiled and pulled her cap from her head. She brushed her hand through her damp bangs and tucked the cap into her back pocket. "Don't let me stop your normal routine. I can go back to my room if you want."

  Devyn shook his head. "You might as well get used to us. Better to find out on a short trip if we're going to get on each other's nerves. I hate taking long trips with people who annoy me."

  Sway made an odd noise that Alix couldn't quite identify. Devyn ignored it.

  Taking the engineer's seat, Alix ran over the ship's settings, amazed at the updated equipment. "You've got a great ship."

  Sway snorted. "Only the best for little Devy."

  Devyn gave him a lethal glare. Alix frowned at Sway's snide comment, wondering what had prompted it.

  "My parents bought the ship for me," Devyn explained. "You'll get real used to them hailing us. Check over the frequency and make sure you know it. If I fail to take a call, my mom thinks the worst and starts calling out Rescue Probers to find me."

  Alix lifted a brow in disbelief.

  "He's not kidding. I'm actually amazed his mother ever let him out of her sight."

  Alix stared at Devyn. "Does she know what you do?"

  He nodded. "That's why she bought the ship. She wanted to make sure I"—he cast a warning glare to Sway—"didn't get hurt."

  She told herself not to laugh, but even so, she couldn't quite stop the smile breaking across her face.

  Devyn returned her smile. "Go ahead and laugh. God knows, I do. At least I've never had to doubt how much my parents love me. I'd much rather have my mom calling twice a day than not caring whether I'm dead or alive."

  Alix's chest tightened from familiar pain. She wished she could have said the same about her father, but in truth he had cared more about his bottle and freighter than he'd ever cared for her.

  Devyn stood. "C'mon. I'll show you around the ship."

  Alix rose to her feet, her mind still on her dad. Even though he'd been a callous man where she was concerned, she missed him terribly. In fact, she missed a lot of things she never thought she would.

  She followed Devyn around the ship, listening to him explain various engine specifics, and the location of gauges she'd be responsible for checking and maintaining.

  As he ran over the logs, she frowned. "We're flying into Paradise City?" she asked, a tremor of nervousness running through her.

  "Yeah, we'll stop on Nera Seven in three days, then head out to PC. Something wrong with that?"

  "I've heard it's a rough place since the rebellion broke out. Not even runners or assassins are safe there."

  Devyn shrugged. "I'm not worried."

  Alix cocked a brow at him, doubting his mental abilities. He'd seemed sane enough at first, but now she had to wonder about him. "All right, but if I end up smeared against a wall, I'll never forgive you."

  Devyn leaned across the panel in front of her, his head less than three inches from her own, and pressed a couple of switches. The crisp, fresh scent of his after-shave filled her senses. She stared at the smooth planes of his face, wondering how it would feel to touch the sun-darkened skin with her fingertips. How his lips would taste. . . .

  He glanced up at her and she looked away, embarrassed by her thoughts.

  "I don't let my people get hurt," he said in a sincere tone.

  "What about your last gunner?"

  A blush spread across his cheeks, and he dropped his gaze back to the panel. "I lied. He ran off with his lover at our last stop."

  She raised her brows, shocked by his confession. "Why'd you lie about it?"

  He shrugged again and continued to program coordinates into the computer log. "I thought you were a kid trying to leave the station because you were mad at your parents. I figured my words would make you think twice about signing on to a ship."

  Alix smiled at his kindness, but before she could say anything, a whistle rent the air.

  "Devyn!" Sway's anxious voice broke them apart. "I've got six Probers up here asking for the captain. You'd better get up here, quick."

  Devyn pushed himself away from the panel. "Better get strapped in. Looks like we're going to have a bit of trouble."

  Alix went rigid, knowing all too well the type of trouble he meant. "You want me to take the guns?"

  He shook his head. "Only as a last resort. I'm a runner, not a smuggler."

  "Is there a difference?"

  He gave her a strange look that she couldn't define. "Runners are motivated by a lot more than money," he said before dashing down the corridor.

  Alix thought over his enigmatic response as she followed him. Just what kind of man had she signed on with?

  Finally, she decided she liked his convictions about the guns. She'd never enjoyed firing at others, and she was grateful he obviously felt the same way.

  As she entered the control room, the hailing channel buzzed in her ears. The captain of the lead ship demanded their call letters and codes. Devyn disregarded the strident tone and strapped himself in.

  Sway turned around in his chair and tossed her a bag. "Keep that handy."

  "Why?"

  Before he could answer, Devyn took the controls, and the ship lurched to the right at an angle she hadn't thought possible for a ship the size of theirs. Grateful she hadn't eaten a large lunch, she gripped the arms of her seat.

  For close to ten minutes, the ship bucked and dipped like some crazed beast trying to sling off a rider. Sweat covered her face as she struggled not to undignify herself with her heaving stomach.

  All of a sudden, Devyn fired the retrorockets and the ship jerked to a crawl. Alix looked up with a frown, only to wish she hadn't. Before them, three Probers waited with a tractor net spread out in two directions. The other probers were closing in behind them.

  A trickle of sweat ran down her cheek. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tightened her grip on the armrests.

  They were about to be caught and jailed.

  Chapter Two

  "Surrender your ship, crew, and cargo," a gruff voice demanded over the hailing channel.

  Sway pulled his legs up to his chest, laid his head on his knees, and covered it with his arms. "Dev, I really hate it when you do this," he mumbled.

  Alix swallowed in fear. By now she'd learned enough about the captain to realize he wasn't going to surrender. In fact, he stared at the surrounding ships with a smile on his face that told her how much he delighted in toying with the authorities.

  "Alix," Devyn said. "Put your head down and take a deep breath."

  He didn't look at her, but from the tone of his voice she could just imagine the gleam in his eyes. Quickly, she duplicated Sway's position.

  Through a miracle of his piloting abilities, the ship dropped straight down. Alix's stomach lurched straight up. The ship's gravity field switched off automatically, and the unexpected weightlessness hit her like an asteroid.

  Alix gripped her legs, her body rigid in expectation.

  Then, just as she thought she'd definitely be sick, they stopped descending. They drifted for half a heartbeat before Devyn fired the engines. The sudden force lurched her back against the seat with an impact she was certain would leave a long bruise down her spine.

/>   Within a minute, they hit hyperspace and flew out of the sector.

  "Everyone all right?" Devyn asked as he flipped the gravity back on.

  "I think I just gave birth," Sway growled.

  "Me, too," Alix mumbled, her stomach still pitching.

  Devyn shook his head. "This is the thanks I get for saving us from jail? No 'Gee Captain, great flying,' or 'Wow, how'd you do that?'" He gave a heavy sigh as he ran over the settings. "Leave it to me to get a crew of old women."

  His words amused her, but she couldn't quite bring a smile to her shaking lips. He was right, though. That was some of the best flying she'd ever seen.

  Sway wiped an arm across his sweat-covered brow. "One day, someone is going to make the markings on this ship, and then we will be in trouble."

  Devyn shrugged off the warning. "They might, but there's never been a HAWC prober born who could outmaneuver a Laing."

  Alix looked up at the mention of the Laing surname. Everyone in the business of freighting knew of the infamous family of smugglers. .

  "Your aunt and uncle would be proud of you, no doubt," Sway said. "But your mother would have your ass if she ever saw you do what you do." "

  Devyn swung his chair around to face Alix. "Any complaints you want to add to his?"

  Startled by his sudden attention to her, Alix focused her gaze on his playful brown eyes. She wasn't used to men who joked about life and death, and the things in between.

  A strange surge of emotion filled her, but she couldn't quite name the sensation. She shook her head. "No complaints, Captain, but as soon as my legs can walk again, I think I need to lie down."

  "C'mon, I'll help you to your room," Devyn said, unstrapping himself.

  Alix started to protest, but her words stumbled on her tongue as she looked up at him.

  Maybe it was the lighting, or her shaky nerves, or maybe her leftover fear. Alix wasn't sure what caused her sudden muteness, but as she watched him, she knew she'd never seen a man so handsome, nor one so desirable.

  He unstrapped her and his warm, strong hands helped her up from her chair. A half-smile played across his lips with a devastating effect on her. No longer sure if her shaky legs were a result of the flight or the man, Alix slumped against his long, lean body.

  Devyn draped her right arm over his shoulders and held her wrist with his right hand. He wrapped his other arm around her waist. Alix trembled at the intimate contact, wishing she were the type of woman who knew how to play coy games. "I think I can manage to make my way."

  His gaze burned into hers, and for a moment she feared he might be able to see past her defenses and detect the way he unnerved her. "It's not often I get to play the gallant. Don't interfere with my good deed for the day."

  Alix smiled, her heart hammering. What she wouldn't give to be free from her past, to be a beautiful, blonde socializer who could seduce Devyn with a smile. Her smile faded in disappointment.

  Who was she fooling? He was just being thoughtful, as he'd said. He'd do the same for Sway, or any other crewmember. Still, the heat of his body warmed hers as he led her out of the control room and down the corridor.

  "That was some really good flying," she said. "How'd you know a hyperspace opening was there?"

  That gorgeous smile appeared. "I have my uncle's star charts that detail every opening in the trigalaxies."

  Alix frowned. "Your uncle?"

  "Calix Laing."

  Shocked by his words, she stumbled against him.

  He tightened his grip around her, preventing her from falling. Alix's heart beat even faster. "Are you really a Laing?"

  Devyn nodded, his features serious. "Son of a Laing bounder and a Kell clinch. Somehow fitting I ended up on the dark side of justice."

  Alix came to a complete stop. Bounders hunted down criminals and turned them over to the government authorities who paid the most for them. Clinches made their living by stealing secret government documents, and selling them to enemy governments. How two such opposite creatures could come together and breed the man beside her, she couldn't imagine.

  Devyn released her and stared at her with an odd, almost hurt expression. "Does my parentage repulse you?"

  She shook her head in honesty. "No, but I'm curious about how they met."

  He shrugged and the humor returned to his eyes. "My mom was hired to track my dad down and arrest him."

  "And I thought my parents had a rough relationship," Alix mumbled before she could stop herself.

  Devyn cocked an eyebrow. "I know your father ran a freighter. What about your mom?"

  Her heart hammered against her ribs. She squelched the sudden burst of panic before she gave herself away. He must never know about her mother. No one must ever know. She couldn't even think about it without her head becoming light and her sight dimming in mortal terror.

  "She . . ." Alix paused while trying to think up a believable lie.

  She shifted her gaze to the floor, hoping he couldn't detect her deceit. "She disappeared when I was just a kid. I don't really remember her."

  Skittish about the turn in their conversation, Alix sprinted the rest of the way to her room.

  "Alix?" Devyn called, but she didn't even hesitate.

  He frowned at the frightened look he'd seen on her face when he'd asked about her mother. Tempted to go after her, Devyn decided it would be best to give her time to get used to him and Sway slowly.

  Trusting strangers wasn't easy for most people. In all honesty, he envied her suspicious nature. Trust had gotten him into one predicament too many in his life.

  Alix sat on the bed holding her pillow to her stomach. She wasn't sure how many hours had passed, but her parched throat begged for something to drink.

  Well, she didn't have much choice. She had to go find either Sway or Devyn and get something to drink before she dehydrated to the point of illness.

  With a reluctant sigh, she swung the pillow aside and rose. She decided to try the control room first. If her luck held, Sway would be there, and Devyn would have already gone to bed.

  Reaching the control room door, she pushed the touch-activated lock. The portal opened and she sighed in disgust. Since when had luck ever been on her side? Devyn stood to her right, leaning over a panel.

  He glanced up at her. "I'm glad you're here. I thought I was going to have to wake you."

  Alix frowned at his tone, which landed somewhere between frustration and relief. "What's wrong?"

  "I've got a fluctuation in the radiation shielding and I think gamma rays are leaking in."

  Alix's eyes widened. She didn't like the sound of that at all. Stepping up to the panel, she ran over the gauges. They had pulled out of hyperspace and were traveling at fifty percent light speed.

  She glanced over the diagnostic test Devyn was running and saw the leak.

  "Where's the shield's power source?"

  "I'll show you," Devyn said, leading her back to the corridor.

  Halfway down the hall, he stopped and pushed the controls for a lift to the lower deck. "The air gets a bit thin. If you start getting sick, let me know."

  She cocked her brow. "Believe me, if I start getting sick, you will know."

  Without responding to her sarcasm, he stepped into the lift. Alix followed, but quickly wished she hadn't. The small compartment forced them together in an intimate proximity she found horribly unsettling. She bit her lip and tried not to brush up against his hard, muscular body. All too well, she remembered how it felt to be in his arms.

  "When did you notice the leak?" she asked, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.

  "A few minutes ago. I was about to go to your room." He looked down at her and smiled. "What brought you out?"

  She licked her dry lips. "Dehydration."

  A deep frown creased his brow. "Why didn't you say something before I brought you down here?"

  The anger in his voice startled her. "Why are you growling at me?"

  "I don't know. I'm frustrated, and you sho
uld have told me you were dying of thirst!" For such a reasonable response, the tone of his voice wavered on violence.

  "Well I'd rather die of thirst than radiation poisoning. I dare say it's less painful."

  Devyn laughed, his breath falling against her cheek. "I guess you're right."