Fighting Chance Read Online Free PDF Page B

files if you want to know about me. And don’t call me
Katsuko. Only my mother calls me that.”
    His dark eyebrow arched. “You are called Mahoney by others,
then?” At her firm nod, he continued, “I like your first name better. I will
study the data at my leisure, but I would prefer to hear the answers from you,
Katsuko.”
    Pushing her chair back from the table, Mahoney stalked back
across the room to face him. “And I would prefer not to be held here against my
will. I demand you release us immediately.”
    His laugh was deep and booming, causing equal parts anger
and unwelcome desire to course through her veins. “You are in no position to
demand anything, little warrior. Even if I did not wish to receive full payment
for my mission, I could not release you and the other female. We are far away
from any settlement and you would still be trapped on my ship.”
    She looked around the room in confusion. “What do you mean
‘ship’? This doesn’t look like any boat I’ve ever seen, and I don’t feel the
rocking of the ocean.”
    He smiled lazily at her, much like the cat who had gotten
into the cream. “I never said we were at sea, Katsuko. You are aboard a space
vessel bound for our home world of T’Kala.”
    She blinked at him, waiting for more laughter, but none
came. “You’re full of shit. If you don’t want to tell me the truth, then that’s
fine. I’ll still get out of here and I’m taking my friend with me.”
    Like a coiled spring, he shot to his feet and stalked over
to her. His face was a thundercloud of anger, and Mahoney immediately adopted a
fighting stance. He stopped just out of reach and snarled, “Do not ever name me
a liar again. I have killed men for less insult than that.”
    Her heart raced with trepidation and fear at the absolute
sincerity in his face. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she whispered, “Prove
that we are in space. I will not believe you until you do.”
    He tipped his head in agreement, and never taking his eyes
off hers, he announced, “Command, open window panels.”
    Above her bed, a large, rectangular window appeared. The
picture was inky black with streaks of light whizzing past at a blinding speed.
Dropping her hands, she slowly approached the bed and stared at the dizzying
tableau. Her voice barely a whisper, she said, “This could be nothing more than
special effects or an HD video.”
    His voice came from right behind her. “You do not believe
that, Katsuko. You are an intelligent member of your species. Place the facts
together and see the truth.”
    Her body began to tremble and she sucked in deep breaths of
the sterile air. She startled when his big, warm hands settled on her shoulders
lightly and ran up and down her arms in a calming touch. She made no move to
stop his caress other than a token protest. “Don’t touch me without my
permission.”
    He ignored her words and pulled her back against the solid
wall of his chest and buried his nose in her hair. “You forget, little warrior.
You belong to me now.”
    Taking advantage of her shock, he spun her to face him. She
stared at him, wide-eyed with panic, and watched as he slowly lowered his head
to hers. She could have stopped him, but the part of her that wasn’t frozen in
fear was heating up with his nearness. His lips met hers in a gentle,
exploratory kiss, his mouth clinging to hers. She sucked in a sharp breath and
he took advantage of the opportunity by sliding his tongue along her bottom lip
before dipping inside her mouth for a quick taste. Mahoney felt her resistance
begin to melt as she returned his kiss with more urgency.
    He answered by wrapping his arms around her and burying his
hand in her hair, holding her captive as his mouth devoured hers. Her hands
slid up over his chest as she sank into his body, eager to forget the
uncharacteristic panic of a few moments before. In that moment, it didn’t
matter that he had kidnapped her and taken her off her world. All that mattered
was the