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“Bloody hell. I don’t need her grandstanding, Johanna. She is impulsive and she thinks

she knows everything!”

“Sounds familiar,” Johanna muttered.

Samantha stamped her foot against the floor and whirled on Johanna.

“Johanna, do you know what we could be in for? We’re going on one hell of a wild and

dangerous ride. If Charlotte pulls off her oracle crap and screws stuff up. You know how

thoughtless she is when it comes to using her abilities. I don’t want to make her out like the

villain, god help me I don’t, but I sure as hell do not want her sticking her nose where it doesn’t

belong!”

“Might I point out that I highly doubt mom would send Charlotte into the lion’s den if

she didn’t know that she could trust her to behave.”

Samantha furrowed her brow, and sighed.

“Your consistent optimism can be a thorn in my side, you know,” Samantha grumbled,

and walked toward the door. “I need Charlotte coming here, like I need a hole in the head.”

Samantha whirled around and stared at Johanna. Johanna was throwing off tension like

no tomorrow.

“I take it that Quinn is still up to his old tricks?” Johanna’s question caught her off guard.

“How did you know?”

“Well, he’s a bit like you, and with you, old habits really die hard.”

“Oh, kiss it. Would you? I have had my fill today. Devlin got shot....” Johanna’s mouth

gaped open at her announcement.

“Samantha, I should look at him....”

“No worries, he’s perfectly fine… and I think I am starting to like him. A lot.”

Johanna eyed her suspiciously and then let out a bellow of laughter.

“Johanna, stop that. I’m deadly serious. I like Devlin. I am starting to like him more

than I like Tyler, if you get my drift. In fact, during our battle on New Monaco, I saw the side of

him that really endears me to him.”

“Shit. You need to stop feeling that way. As for Gregory, how the hell did he rise from

the dead?” Johanna stood up. “I thought you said you’d killed him. How many more men that

you thought you killed are going to come back from the supposed grave? We could have an

army knocking at our door one day!”

“Well, this guy must have nine lives.”

“Wonderful. Just what we need, another psycho gunning for our asses.”

“Well, at least you can count on something in this lifetime.”

“What pray tell is that?” Johanna asked, as the door slid open for them.

“Just when you think the galaxy has enough live assholes, another asshole comes back

from the dead.”

“Samantha, you never fail to entertain me with your interesting outlook on life.”

“Glad to be of service.” Samantha traipsed out onto the deck and stopped in mid tracks.

“What exactly is that?” she asked, pointing to the view screen.

Somehow, they had managed to get out of New Monaco airspace by the skin of their

teeth, but what now appeared on the view screen made her almost wish they were still in a

firefight with Gregory’s goons.

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“I think it’s....” Dylan trailed off at her scathing glare.

“I know what it is, Dylan. I was just voicing my thoughts. I can’t believe it. Now this

one really blows the ship out of the water.”

“They are hailing us.” Tyler looked over at Samantha, darting his gaze between

Samantha and Johanna. Tyler looked furious and he seemed ready to rip someone’s head off.

Seeing him angrier than when he’d had his altercation with Devlin made her uneasy and she

wanted to know what had inspired such rage to flare within him.

“I keep wishing she’d just dump him, but do you think we’d get that lucky?” Johanna

muttered, knitting her eyebrows together.

Samantha felt an ulcer coming on. “I need milk,” she murmured.

Johanna gave her a confused stare while Tyler continued to fume.

“We don’t have all day…they’ve already sent the hail out twice.”

“Boy, did she make good time.” Johanna moved forward and settled into the chair that

Dylan had recently vacated.

“Wow…the engines on those brand spanking new Space Yachts are really cool. Do you

think I could wheedle my way on board to see it?” Dylan asked.

Samantha snorted. “Wheedle? You might get an engraved invitation.”

“Someone really needs to answer that hail.” Devlin sauntered back onto the bridge and

glanced at the black view screen.

“Look, Dev, you don’t run this ship. Johanna and I do.”

“Samantha, Devlin’s right. We’re being rude by not answering them. If Charlotte really

wanted to get our attention she could have already enforced other options.” Johanna swiveled

around in her pilot’s chair and gave her a knowing glance.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Samantha sighed, and plopped her butt down into her

Captain’s chair. “Let’s get this over with. I want to eat…and they’re keeping me from my

dinner.” Like an imperial emperor she raised her hand and said: “Proceed.”

Tyler pushed the correct button and the image of a smug man in his mid thirties filled the

screen. Samantha pursed her lips and leaned forward in her seat.

“Greetings, Samantha.” When Charlotte had introduced them to her new boyfriend back

when they were vacationing in Hawaii, Johanna and she had thought Charlotte was in jest.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t. Tyler as he was now actually looked good in comparison to Sterling

Chambers. The man was a prick of the highest class. One thing puzzled Samantha. If Charlotte

had such extraordinary abilities, why couldn’t she see Sterling for the jackass that he was?

“Hello, Sterling. It’s sort of nice to see you again. Of course I would rather be looking at

someone else right now but why split hairs?”

Sterling’s face looked blank for a few mind-numbing seconds and then, he laughed. “I

trust everyone on board the
Excalibur
is well?”

A shadow draped across the screen. Seconds later, her sister appeared in the shot.

“I already told you, Sterling. Veronica’s sick, isn’t she?” Charlotte asked.

Samantha licked her lips and squirmed in her chair. She could never quite get over how

intuitive Charlotte could be.

“She’s very sick. Sterling, you wouldn’t happen to have any Alo on you, would you?”

Samantha didn’t really expect anything but her ears perked up when Sterling cleared his throat.

Charlotte looked at him expectantly. “Don’t you think you ought to fess up, Sterling?”

Samantha didn’t know what was going on. Her brain felt numbed. Placing her head on

her hands, she heaved a great sigh. Staring at the bulkhead in her line of sight, she started

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counting the scuffmarks on the metal. She was at twenty-two when Sterling finally started

talking again.

“I might have some in my possession.”

Samantha shook her head and peeled her drooping eyes open.

“Did you just say you had some Alo on you?” Her heart missed a beat. How could she

get this lucky? The Alo had just landed in her lap. She wanted to do the dance of joy.

“Yes. I don’t have much, but I’ll send you as much as I can spare.”

“As much as you can spare?” Samantha snorted. “Your generosity is too much,

Sterling.”

“We need two hypo sprays worth.” Johanna dropped into her doctoring mode.

“That much.” Sterling’s face fell. Charlotte prodded him with her elbow.

“He’ll be more than willing to give you that amount, Johanna. It’s Veronica’s life

hanging in the balance, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Johanna looked over in confusion at Samantha. Samantha shrugged her

shoulders. She didn’t have a clue as to what Charlotte was hinting at. Everyone always thought

that Samantha could read Charlotte’s mind but sometimes Charlotte could puzzle her to

distraction.

“Sterling will send over his supply within the next ten minutes. I’ll be coming with the

shipment.”

“What?” Sterling blubbered. Now Sterling was the one that didn’t have a clue.

Charlotte smiled at him. “Yes, dear. I told you that we’d be rendezvousing with my

sisters.”

“You told me they’d be coming with us to the Rungaria Races.”

“Oh....” Charlotte had that deer caught in the headlights look on her face. “Actually,

there’s been a slight change of plans.”

Devlin cleared his throat. “She’s had this concocted all along…you mark my words. She

has something up her sleeve and I don’t think it was just to help us and to help Veronica.” Devlin

looked over at Tyler, and Samantha followed his gaze. Tyler looked like he wanted to kiss

Charlotte. She stared between the view screen and Tyler, uneasiness settling in the pit of her

stomach.

“Devlin, my sister is a crafty little thing, she concocts a lot of interesting scenarios for us.

She’s a regular little alchemist,” she whispered.

“Charlotte, if you want to go to the races go right ahead. Please, don’t let us keep you

away from all of that fun!” Samantha smiled.

Quinn emerged on the bridge and let out a low whistle.

“Oh, Samantha, I think you struck a nerve,” Quinn remarked staring at the constipated

expression crossing Charlotte’s face.

“Quinn!” Charlotte’s rather happy greeting caught them all off guard, including Quinn.

His mouth gaped open.

“Good lord, I could never get over your....” He trailed off when Samantha put her hand

up to silence him.

“Don’t even think about saying it, Quinn.”

He fell silent.

“I’ll be right there. The races can wait. They go on for three months, you know.

Sterling, perhaps I’ll be able to meet you after I rescue my niece.”

“I could accompany you.” Sterling looked like he was making his offer under duress.

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Charlotte’s dismissive laugh filtered through the com system.

“My dear, we’re not going to be on the edge of the Rim, this time around. We’ll be going

right into the heart of Rim territory.”

“We will?” Tyler muttered.

“Guess so....” Johanna replied.

Samantha rubbed her temple again. She could feel Charlotte trying to talk to her by way

of telepathy. But right now…she wasn’t in the mood for that kind of shit.

“I’ll be coming over by shuttle right away.” Charlotte waved at them. The com signal

died out with Sterling looking as if he just sucked on a really sour lemon.

“Oh…too bad.” Dylan looked stricken.

“You might get to take a gander at the engine another time, sweetie.” Johanna gave

Dylan a sympathetic smile.

Samantha made a noise that strangely resembled a fart and rolled her eyes. “Finally, we

can get moving. Time’s a wasting.”

“You know, shouldn’t a ship like that have a transporter?” Quinn looked perplexed.

“Well, Sterling isn’t exactly a free spender. He probably skimped out on the transporter

upgrade, at the last minute. Handing over that Alo must have almost killed him,” Samantha

muttered.

“Especially since he’s a junkie.” Devlin moved over to pour himself a cup of tea.

“Junkie?” Samantha bristled. “My sister was going out with a junkie?”

“I suspect…that Charlotte always knew about Sterling’s little…problem. Even without

her abilities, it would be hard to miss the giveaway signs,” Devlin commented, sipping at his hot

cup of tea.

“What sort of signs?” Samantha gave Devlin a questioning look.

Johanna sighed, and slapped her head.

“Why didn’t I see it sooner? I must be slipping.”

“What do you two mean? What signs?” Tyler, Dylan and Quinn shared the same look

that Samantha knew had to be on her face.

“They have an orange glow to their eyes,” Johanna murmured. “I never questioned

Sterling’s shades when we in Hawaii. But when his hands shook that one night, I should have

suspected.”

“So that explains why he kept wearing colored shades even at night. I thought he was

just being annoying. You know…too cool to be associated with us.” Samantha swallowed.

Tyler nodded his head. “I should have seen it too. It was all the rage when Dylan and I

were at The Starlight Academy.”

Samantha groaned. “If it’s so addictive, what will keep Veronica from becoming an

addict?” Samantha was genuinely worried. Veronica didn’t deserve that listless fate.

“She won’t.” Devlin rubbed the stubble that was creeping along his jaw line. “As long as

she only takes it as a cure for the poison, she’ll be fine.”

“Why doesn’t that comfort me?”

“Because the high she might get from it…could entice her to look for some more,”

Devlin said giving Samantha a serious look. “Veronica will resist temptation, when we tell her

she has to stay away from it in order to continue kicking ass, she will. Alo junkies lose some of

their muscle mass and their reflexes slow down as a result of being addicted. Some even suffer

permanent paralysis if they try to quit their habit.”

Johanna sighed. “I hate this. I wish she hadn’t even gone after The Triad in the first

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place.”

“Well…if anyone had listened to my voice of reason, this wouldn’t have happened,”

Samantha pointed out.

“Since when were you the voice of reason? Oh, my God that must be a personal first for