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the Jiu Kr. Surely, too, somewhere along the line somebody would have
mentioned a man resembling a Greek statue made flesh worked on the
ship.
 C-can I help you? he asked instead, burning with embarrassment.
He tried to shrink down behind the counter, but remained frozen as the
man leaned over slightly to inspect him in full. The flush colored his legs
and ass as the man scanned his nude body with a twisted expression
that Kelly had trouble deciphering. Was it amusement or interest? Either
way, Kelly s discomfort expanded.
 Who are you? the man demanded.
Kelly stammered out a breath before catching enough strength to
respond.  K-Kelly Landry. I m the cook. That would explain my being
here, he wanted to add, but didn t dare test the man s patience. He still
couldn t explain being naked, other than it was the norm on the Jiu Kr.
Surely the man had seen enough skin on the walk over here from
wherever he came.
What authority did this man have to ask, anyway? Kelly saw no
insignia decorating the man s chest, and Tobin would have mentioned a
man like this&
& unless he was the problem weighing on Tobin s mind.
The man s eyes narrowed.  The Jiu Kr has no cook. The Jiu Kr isn t
even supposed to have a kitchen. Who authorized the installation of this
equipment?
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Leigh Ellwood
 There wasn t a cook until I joined the crew, no, Kelly managed. No
kitchen? How else were these people supposed to eat?  Rather, I was
recruited by Tobin. It s his ship, he can do what he wants with it.
A derisive snort, then barking laughter.  Tobin, of course. I might
have known he d pull such a stunt, if only to have another hole to
plunder.
Kelly didn t like the sound of that. When the blond stranger pinched
the bridge of his nose, as Kelly might have done in a similar situation, he
was spooked.
 So, from which planet in the Vectran System did Tobin pluck you?
he demanded.  I ll wager the kitchen came with you specifically in mind.
 Actually, I m from Earth 
Whoa. Wrong answer. Kelly swore the man s face turned the same
shade of red he wore, and he winced at the string of obscenities that
followed the man out the door as he stormed away.
 Stay here, he commanded Kelly.  I ll deal with you shortly.
Kelly thought his heart might explode, and it took several seconds
before he regained the use of his legs. Like hell would he stay and be
killed or arrested or whatever.
 Oh, no. Had he gotten Tobin in trouble? Had this man the authority
to bring trouble? Who was he, and how did he come aboard? Was the
Jiu Kr under attack? Hundreds of other questions swirled in his mind as
he cautiously followed several paces behind, stepping outside to a
shocking scene.
Empty. The lounge was deserted, as were the hallways and every
common area he passed. Normally he heard the moans of pleasure from
the kitchen perhaps he had been so consumed with thoughts of Tobin
that he couldn t tell something was wrong. Either that, or the ship-wide
pleasure had become so ingrained he treated it as white noise and
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Taste This
ignored it. Regardless, the silence and sense of desertion taunted him. If
the ship was under attack, why did the blond stranger leave him and not
take him into custody?
Heart pounding, he turned toward his and Tobin s quarters, thinking
to dress, but stopped. From this point the bridge was closer, and worry
washed over him. The man spoke of Tobin as if he had business with the
captain, so that would be where to go. He d already been seen nude,
what difference would his old clothes make at this point? Kelly wondered
if he could be of any help dressed, but if there was a chance the man
sought to harm Tobin, he would have to answer to Kelly Landry.
If only there were people about, he would have felt more confident.
The lift ride to the bridge was long and anguished, yet no amount of
speculation or nerves cultivated during the trip could prepare Kelly for
the scene playing out before him as he was granted entrance to the
bridge.
More strange men, red-kilted clones bearing equally intimidating
sneers, dotted the bridge. Each held one of the officers captive with a
strong arm draped across his bare chest. Kelly could only stare at his
friends and fellow crewmates, his heart failing on seeing every Jiu Kr
crewman with his head bent in defeat. How could this happen when
Tobin assured him time and again that Vectra had no enemies?
Slowly, reluctantly, his gaze fell to Tobin, held by the same man who
barged into the kitchen. Tobin seemed to sense Kelly s presence but
didn t dare look up to acknowledge it.
His captor, however, greeted Kelly in a cocky voice and turned back
to Tobin.  Well, he s here now, so why don t we ask him?
Kelly wanted to move forward, brush aside the interlopers and take
Tobin into his arms. The fear of retaliation kept him at bay. He felt
helpless and alone witnessing this tense scene, wondering if the leader of
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Leigh Ellwood
these red-kilted thugs might issue a one-word command to snap
everyone s necks. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]