Sassing Saul, page 15
part #10 of Coletti Warlords Series
“You have not defeated me.” Lior picked me up and threw me off the cliff.
“Shitttt!” As I fell, I knew my armor wasn’t going to save me this time. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the impact. My only regret was never telling Saul how much I loved him.
Chapter Eighteen
“I’ve got you,” Saul said in my head. Poof! I was suddenly wrapped in his strong arms. My eyes popped open and an inky blackness flashed across my vision. An instant later, we appeared on the cliff top.
“Oh, my God! You saved me! Mid-air no less.” I hugged him. “You wonderful, wonderful man.”
“What did you expect? I am Coletti. We do the impossible.”
A weak laugh broke from me. “Yeah, you do.” I clung tightly to Saul and watched Hothar beat the snot out of Lior. “I want to kill him.”
“So, do I, but Zarek has claimed that pleasure,” Saul replied.
A short distance away, Casey had her sword pressed against Waewae’s throat. “I surrender. I surrender,” he kept wailing.
“Where are Zarek and Talree?” Huh? My voice had a husky rasp to it.
“They’re tending to their mates’ injuries.”
“Good. Between the gas and Lior stunning them, they weren’t doing too good.”
Saul’s face hardened. “Did he stun you too?”
“Nope. He just smacked Casey and me around.”
“He did what?” The question came out as a roar.
Snikt. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. My armor abruptly melted away and I was staring into Saul’s furious green eyes. I guess that was the wrong thing to say.
His hand gently caressed my bruised face and neck. “How many times did Lior strike you?”
“A couple of times, but this awesome armor you gave me kept him from doing any serious damage.”
Saul sat me on top of the boulder and ran a medical scanner over me. “Two of your ribs are cracked and you’re covered in bruises.”
I felt a healing warmth bathed my ribs. “I’ll be fine, but not only did Lior hit Casey, he groped her and stuck his nasty-ass tongue down her throat. It rattled her badly and she’ll need some TLC.”
Saul handed me the healing wand. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” His expression one of barely contained fury, he stalked toward the combatants.
“Okay, I’ll be right here, waiting, watching.” Was it wrong of me to want Saul to kill the bastard?
Hothar delivered a single blow to the base of Lior’s skull, dropping him to his knees.
Saul pulled his sword, shoved Hothar out of the way, and swung.
Zarek appeared out of nowhere and deflected the blow with his own sword. “Stand down.”
“He beat Annie, threw her off a cliff and molested my daughter. It’s my right to take his life,” Saul growled.
Zarek’s blade bit into Lior’s neck. “Did you do these things?”
His eyes full of defiance, Lior snarled, “She tried to electrocute me, and I defended myself.”
“And Casey?”
“It was my right to touch her. To taste her. To mark her. She is mine.”
Hothar bared his fangs and a growl rumbled deep in his chest. “Have you no honor? You knew Casey had bonded with me.”
“Once you were dead, the female would be mine. The others were to be given to Lilkee to do with as she wished,” Lior said without an ounce of remorse.
I flinched as unbelievable power roiled the air around us.
“Tend to your females. I will deal with this one,” Zarek instructed.
“As you command.” Hothar did a fist to chest salute and teleported over to Casey. She threw her arms around him.
Waewae crawled away.
“Oh, hell no.” I slid off the boulder.
“I’ve got him,” Saul said. Pulling his laser pistol, he stunned the “king” and cuffed him.
I smiled when Lior’s body twitched and jerked uncontrollably.
Zarek’s gaze settled on me. “Your Earth magic is quite useful.”
“It is. Make him suffer.”
“With great pleasure.” Zarek seized Lior’s mind. “Lilkee is not clever enough to organize this kind of scheme. Who is the mastermind behind the kidnapping?”
“You will never know. My shields are unbreakable. Not even the great Overlord can shatter them,” Lior gloated.
I shook my head in amazement. The idiot was about to find out how wrong he was.
Zarek smiled a truly scary smile. “Shall we find out how indestructible they are?”
Lior’s defiance quickly melted away as Zarek dug through his mind, not giving a crap about the pain he inflicted or the damage he did. “You betrayed our people, your oath and me.”
“No!” Lior’s face went a strange grey-white as he realized he was powerless to stop the Overlord. “Stop!”
Something dark and terrifying flickered in Zarek’s eyes. “You hurt my mate. No one does that and lives.”
Lior screamed, “Cantor. It was Cantor and his mercenaries. He wants to take everything away from you. Your mate, your family and the Coletti Empire.”
I walked over to Saul. “Who’s Cantor?”
“A traitorous Coletti rebel. Malik broke him out prison several years ago.”
“How did Lilkee hook up with him?”
“An excellent question.” Saul stared down at Waewae as he convulsed violently. “With a little persuading, I think he’ll tell us.”
Lior’s screams stopped abruptly and he toppled over in the dirt.
I smiled up at Saul. “Any of that chocolate and whiskey left?”
“Yes, there is.” Saul gave me a toe-curling kiss.
“Chocolate, whiskey and you. What more could a girl want?”
Chapter Nineteen
There was a flash of black and we appeared in a sick bay. I looked around the spotless room. Six top-of-the-line regen tubes lined the back wall. Casey, Kaylee and Detja occupied three of the tubes. There were four examining tables with all sorts of thingamabobs to ensure a sterile operating field and enhanced diagnostics.
A soothing voice asked, “How may I assist you?”
“My mate was doused with Drakash, has two cracked ribs and multiple bruising.” Saul placed me on an examining table.
The medic walked over to us and my jaw dropped. He had green skin, tubular ears and exotic features. He looked like the ogre in that vid. Except he was a lot smaller. “Let me guess. Your name is Shrek.”
“It is.”
“Manners,” Saul muttered.
I held out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you Shrek. I’m Annie and the grouchy guy here is Saul.”
“The General and I have met.” Shrek gently shook my hand. “Are you a Jones?”
“Nope.”
“She’s a Jones.” Saul touched my ownership band. “We were recently mated.”
“Ah.” Amusement filled Shrek’s eyes. “I have heard much about you Annie.”
“And it’s all true,” I responded with a grin.
In a cold, authoritative voice, Saul proclaimed, “You will stay in sick bay until I return.”
“What? Where are you going?”
“Waewae gave us the location of an Earth First base where Cantor’s hiding out. We’re going to raid it,” Saul stated, every inch the General.
“Why can’t Voss and his minions handle the raid?”
“Cantor is a threat to you, Casey, Kaylee and Detja. It’s my duty to stop him.”
“What about the promises you made to me? Our vacation in the sun was a bust. My bonding ceremony went up in smoke, literally. Now my hopes for a night of conjugal bliss seems to be a no-go.”
Shrek handed me a chocolate bar.
“Thanks.” I gave Saul the stink eye. “You owe me a honeymoon.”
“Give ’em hell Annie,” Casey giggled.
Saul shot a black look at Casey. “And you’ll get a honeymoon. Later.” Poof! He was gone.
“I want a ring too,” I shouted after him.
Shrek ran a scanner over me. “Ten minutes in the regen tube will clear your body of the remaining Drakash and heal your injuries.” He handed me a blue jumpsuit with lots of sensors on it. “Please put this on.”
I looked around. “Where’s the changing room?”
A sigh escaped Shrek. “I will step out. Once you have the jumpsuit on, please climb inside the open tube. It will close automatically.”
“Okay.”
Shrek left.
Casey linked with me. “Just so you know, the jumpsuit is see-through.”
I held it up. Dang it was. I quickly stripped and put it on. “Is Shrek some kind of pervert?”
Kaylee laughed. “No. Shrek is the best medic in the galaxy.”
“And he’s deadly with a light saber,” Casey added.
“Good to know.” Climbing in the tube, I tried to find a comfortable position and a way to hide my private parts. The lid closed and a thick white mist swirled around me.
“I have decided to give you a proper bachelorette party in Las Vegas,” Detja announced in my head.
“I vowed I’d never go back to that horrible place.”
“What’s so awful about Vegas?” Casey, the curious, asked.
“Memories. Really bad memories.”
Kaylee prompted, “Such as?”
“I was married by a sloshed Elvis impersonator in a drive-thru wedding chapel. They talked Hell into renting their 1954 pink Cadillac for the grand sum of eight hundred dollars for the ten-minute ceremony. It went downhill from there. The second day of our marriage, Hell got into a drunken brawl and we were asked to leave the hotel.”
“We will replace those memories with better ones,” Detja stated firmly.
Kaylee added, “Don’t know about you, but after all the shit we’ve been through, I need a little TLC and some fun in my life.”
“Me too,” Casey said.
“Okay. Vegas it is.” The possibilities for a disaster of epic proportions were endless. “Do our warlords know we’re going to Vegas?”
“No. They have more important matters to deal with.”
The snark in Detja’s voice made me grin. “What’s that saying? Oh yeah, while the cat’s away, the mice will play.”
“Exactly. I have a shuttle on standby. As soon as Shrek releases us, we will leave,” Detja said smugly.
Holy cow! Detja was planning another jailbreak.
Shrek walked back in and examined the control panels on our tubes. “Only three minutes left on your treatments, then you may rest in my chambers until your mates return.”
I frowned. “How are we going to ditch Shrek without hurting him?”
“Zarek’s instructions were quite explicit. We are not allowed to leave Shrek’s custody,” Detja said.
Casey interjected, “I bet Shrek has never been to Vegas.”
“It would be a shame to leave him behind,” Kaylee said with an impudent grin.
Shrek didn’t strike me as a rule breaker. “Not to be a party pooper or anything, but how do we get Shrek on the shuttle?”
A decidedly wicked smile curled Detja’s lips. “Blackmail.”
The lids slid back, and we all climbed out.
Kaylee walked over to Shrek and put her arm around his shoulders. “You do realize you’re still part of my crew and must follow my orders.”
Shrek eyed her warily. “The Overlord warned me you would try to leave sick bay. I was not to allow it.”
“Not only are you going to allow us to leave, you are coming with us.” Detja’s expression was one of implacable resolve.
Shrek exclaimed, “I cannot. I have duties.”
Detja simply said, “I know about Murdo.”
“I have always wanted to explore Las Vegas. When do we leave?”
Chapter Twenty
For some unknown reason the Tai-Kok and Rodan had never attacked Las Vegas. The military claimed responsibility for that awesome fact. Others thought the city was protected by one of the Nabatean’s Shebu, a giant spinning rock of incredible power. Scientists were still investigating that theory.
After ten years of war, Vegas was still a glittering mecca with architectural wonders, miles of colorful neon lights and one-of-a-kind exhibits. The sidewalks were crowded with humans and aliens of every shape and form. They were all here to take in the sights and gamble away their money.
A white stretch limo met us at the airfield, and I had to admit I was impressed. As we cruised the main strip, the night air was full of music, laughter and the gimmicky calls from twenty-foot tall screens luring the unwary inside the casinos with promises of instant wealth.
“When the Overlord catches us, he will kill me,” Shrek said plaintively.
I patted his knee. “We’ll protect you.”
“From the Overlord? Impossible,” Shrek replied. “All he has to do is check the scanners and he will know we are no longer on the ship.”
Detja smiled. “The computers and scanners are under my control. Zarek and the others will see only what I want them to see.”
“What will they be watching?” My always inquisitive daughter asked.
Detja shrugged. “Us planning Annie’s wedding and shopping online for the perfect dress. I am the master of illusions.”
“And what if they check in on us mentally? I mean, Saul seemed to know exactly where I was when he was pursuing me.”
“Our warlords are focused on capturing Cantor and will not link with us during the hunt or any combat. We have two days before they come looking for us,” Detja stated complacently.
Kaylee clapped her hands. “Bravo! What kind of exciting things do you have planned for today?”
“We start out with a hydra facial and massage, which is immediately followed by a manicure and pedicure,” Detja answered.
I sighed. “Sounds wonderful.”
“I also booked us time at the styling salon for a deep conditioning treatment. Drakash is very damaging to our hair,” Detja advised.
Shrek’s expression was one of utter horror. “I have no wish to participate in these activities.”
“The hotel’s casino should keep you occupied. I have dinner reservations at Tao, an Asian bistro, and tickets for a show called Starship Troopers,” Detja said.
Casey gaped at her. “You do know they’re male strippers?”
Shrek’s expression of dismay was priceless.
“A proper bachelorette party includes male strippers.” Detja clearly didn’t have a problem with naked dancers.
Kaylee chortled. “I’ve heard about this show. They claim some of the strippers are genuine extraterrestrial lifeforms, but most of the dancers are alien impersonators.”
“What kind of aliens?”
“Coletti, Askole, Bjarke, Farin and some guy dressed up as a Gorum,” Casey answered.
I hooted. “This I’ve gotta see.”
“I am doomed,” Shrek cried.
***
The night started out perfectly. We were pampered by the best. Our hair and makeup were flawless. Detja had provided us with vintage rhinestone cocktail dresses, in black of course, and black ankle boots. We looked hot.
Shrek’s green skin clashed violently with his red sequin tuxedo. He tugged at his collar. “Are you sure this is proper attire for dinner?”
We all nodded and led him out to the waiting limo.
“We’ve gotta get a picture of him. We can blackmail him forever with it,” I whispered to Casey.
“Kaylee is handling that,” she whispered back.
On the ride to Tao, Detja broke out the champagne, filled crystal flutes with the bubbly and handed them out. “To family.”
We raised our glasses and took a drink.
Shrek held up his flute. “To living beyond tomorrow.”
We all took a drink.
“To Molotov cocktails, car bombs and things that go boom,” I toasted.
Bam! The limo shuddered and squealed to a stop.
The driver lowered the glass partition. “Sorry folks, we’ve been involved in a minor fender bender. I can arrange for another limo to pick you up.”
Detja glanced at her warrior’s bracelet. “That won’t be necessary. The restaurant is only a few blocks away.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The partition rolled up.
I grabbed a napkin and dabbed at wet spot on my dress. “Damn. It looks like I pissed myself.”
Shrek ran his scanner over us and let out a breath of relief. “No injuries.”
All of us stiffened when our internal radars went off.
“Incoming hostiles at two o’clock,” Casey advised.
I nodded. “Probably Earth First soldiers.”
“Let’s go say howdy,” Kaylee said.
Detja handed us laser pistols. “They are set on stun.”
I stepped out of the limo and scanned the black clad men charging toward us. They were human and intent on kidnapping us. “I’ll take the two on the left.”
“I’ve got the three on the right,” Casey said, hitting them with a telekinetic blast. The men bounced off a city bus and landed on several street performers. A fight broke out.
Before their buddies could react, I unleashed my psychic grenades and smiled as our attackers tumbled to the pavement. “Now we need to find out who told them we were in Vegas.”
“This, I will handle,” Detja said and concentrated on the men littering the sidewalk. She shook her head and laughed. “They thought we were vid stars and were expecting to collect ten million in ransom.”
Another white stretch limo sped by. Must be the vid stars.
A hulking man in a black ski mask jumped out of the white van blocking our limo. “Get in the van or I’ll kill you.”
We all burst out laughing.
The kidnapper waved his gun around. “I’m not joking.”
“Run while you still can.” Detja’s voice was filled with a quiet, deadly venom.
“You fucking bitches are making a big mistake!”
Kaylee shook her head. “No. You are.” She summoned a massive swarm of birds. “Attack.”
Hundreds of pigeons, hawks and sparrows swirled madly around the kidnapper’s head. He stumbled backwards as the birds hammered him with their wings and beaks. “Aiieeeee! Aiieeeee! Aiieeeee! Aiieeeee!” He took off running with the birds in hot pursuit.
“Shitttt!” As I fell, I knew my armor wasn’t going to save me this time. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the impact. My only regret was never telling Saul how much I loved him.
Chapter Eighteen
“I’ve got you,” Saul said in my head. Poof! I was suddenly wrapped in his strong arms. My eyes popped open and an inky blackness flashed across my vision. An instant later, we appeared on the cliff top.
“Oh, my God! You saved me! Mid-air no less.” I hugged him. “You wonderful, wonderful man.”
“What did you expect? I am Coletti. We do the impossible.”
A weak laugh broke from me. “Yeah, you do.” I clung tightly to Saul and watched Hothar beat the snot out of Lior. “I want to kill him.”
“So, do I, but Zarek has claimed that pleasure,” Saul replied.
A short distance away, Casey had her sword pressed against Waewae’s throat. “I surrender. I surrender,” he kept wailing.
“Where are Zarek and Talree?” Huh? My voice had a husky rasp to it.
“They’re tending to their mates’ injuries.”
“Good. Between the gas and Lior stunning them, they weren’t doing too good.”
Saul’s face hardened. “Did he stun you too?”
“Nope. He just smacked Casey and me around.”
“He did what?” The question came out as a roar.
Snikt. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. My armor abruptly melted away and I was staring into Saul’s furious green eyes. I guess that was the wrong thing to say.
His hand gently caressed my bruised face and neck. “How many times did Lior strike you?”
“A couple of times, but this awesome armor you gave me kept him from doing any serious damage.”
Saul sat me on top of the boulder and ran a medical scanner over me. “Two of your ribs are cracked and you’re covered in bruises.”
I felt a healing warmth bathed my ribs. “I’ll be fine, but not only did Lior hit Casey, he groped her and stuck his nasty-ass tongue down her throat. It rattled her badly and she’ll need some TLC.”
Saul handed me the healing wand. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” His expression one of barely contained fury, he stalked toward the combatants.
“Okay, I’ll be right here, waiting, watching.” Was it wrong of me to want Saul to kill the bastard?
Hothar delivered a single blow to the base of Lior’s skull, dropping him to his knees.
Saul pulled his sword, shoved Hothar out of the way, and swung.
Zarek appeared out of nowhere and deflected the blow with his own sword. “Stand down.”
“He beat Annie, threw her off a cliff and molested my daughter. It’s my right to take his life,” Saul growled.
Zarek’s blade bit into Lior’s neck. “Did you do these things?”
His eyes full of defiance, Lior snarled, “She tried to electrocute me, and I defended myself.”
“And Casey?”
“It was my right to touch her. To taste her. To mark her. She is mine.”
Hothar bared his fangs and a growl rumbled deep in his chest. “Have you no honor? You knew Casey had bonded with me.”
“Once you were dead, the female would be mine. The others were to be given to Lilkee to do with as she wished,” Lior said without an ounce of remorse.
I flinched as unbelievable power roiled the air around us.
“Tend to your females. I will deal with this one,” Zarek instructed.
“As you command.” Hothar did a fist to chest salute and teleported over to Casey. She threw her arms around him.
Waewae crawled away.
“Oh, hell no.” I slid off the boulder.
“I’ve got him,” Saul said. Pulling his laser pistol, he stunned the “king” and cuffed him.
I smiled when Lior’s body twitched and jerked uncontrollably.
Zarek’s gaze settled on me. “Your Earth magic is quite useful.”
“It is. Make him suffer.”
“With great pleasure.” Zarek seized Lior’s mind. “Lilkee is not clever enough to organize this kind of scheme. Who is the mastermind behind the kidnapping?”
“You will never know. My shields are unbreakable. Not even the great Overlord can shatter them,” Lior gloated.
I shook my head in amazement. The idiot was about to find out how wrong he was.
Zarek smiled a truly scary smile. “Shall we find out how indestructible they are?”
Lior’s defiance quickly melted away as Zarek dug through his mind, not giving a crap about the pain he inflicted or the damage he did. “You betrayed our people, your oath and me.”
“No!” Lior’s face went a strange grey-white as he realized he was powerless to stop the Overlord. “Stop!”
Something dark and terrifying flickered in Zarek’s eyes. “You hurt my mate. No one does that and lives.”
Lior screamed, “Cantor. It was Cantor and his mercenaries. He wants to take everything away from you. Your mate, your family and the Coletti Empire.”
I walked over to Saul. “Who’s Cantor?”
“A traitorous Coletti rebel. Malik broke him out prison several years ago.”
“How did Lilkee hook up with him?”
“An excellent question.” Saul stared down at Waewae as he convulsed violently. “With a little persuading, I think he’ll tell us.”
Lior’s screams stopped abruptly and he toppled over in the dirt.
I smiled up at Saul. “Any of that chocolate and whiskey left?”
“Yes, there is.” Saul gave me a toe-curling kiss.
“Chocolate, whiskey and you. What more could a girl want?”
Chapter Nineteen
There was a flash of black and we appeared in a sick bay. I looked around the spotless room. Six top-of-the-line regen tubes lined the back wall. Casey, Kaylee and Detja occupied three of the tubes. There were four examining tables with all sorts of thingamabobs to ensure a sterile operating field and enhanced diagnostics.
A soothing voice asked, “How may I assist you?”
“My mate was doused with Drakash, has two cracked ribs and multiple bruising.” Saul placed me on an examining table.
The medic walked over to us and my jaw dropped. He had green skin, tubular ears and exotic features. He looked like the ogre in that vid. Except he was a lot smaller. “Let me guess. Your name is Shrek.”
“It is.”
“Manners,” Saul muttered.
I held out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you Shrek. I’m Annie and the grouchy guy here is Saul.”
“The General and I have met.” Shrek gently shook my hand. “Are you a Jones?”
“Nope.”
“She’s a Jones.” Saul touched my ownership band. “We were recently mated.”
“Ah.” Amusement filled Shrek’s eyes. “I have heard much about you Annie.”
“And it’s all true,” I responded with a grin.
In a cold, authoritative voice, Saul proclaimed, “You will stay in sick bay until I return.”
“What? Where are you going?”
“Waewae gave us the location of an Earth First base where Cantor’s hiding out. We’re going to raid it,” Saul stated, every inch the General.
“Why can’t Voss and his minions handle the raid?”
“Cantor is a threat to you, Casey, Kaylee and Detja. It’s my duty to stop him.”
“What about the promises you made to me? Our vacation in the sun was a bust. My bonding ceremony went up in smoke, literally. Now my hopes for a night of conjugal bliss seems to be a no-go.”
Shrek handed me a chocolate bar.
“Thanks.” I gave Saul the stink eye. “You owe me a honeymoon.”
“Give ’em hell Annie,” Casey giggled.
Saul shot a black look at Casey. “And you’ll get a honeymoon. Later.” Poof! He was gone.
“I want a ring too,” I shouted after him.
Shrek ran a scanner over me. “Ten minutes in the regen tube will clear your body of the remaining Drakash and heal your injuries.” He handed me a blue jumpsuit with lots of sensors on it. “Please put this on.”
I looked around. “Where’s the changing room?”
A sigh escaped Shrek. “I will step out. Once you have the jumpsuit on, please climb inside the open tube. It will close automatically.”
“Okay.”
Shrek left.
Casey linked with me. “Just so you know, the jumpsuit is see-through.”
I held it up. Dang it was. I quickly stripped and put it on. “Is Shrek some kind of pervert?”
Kaylee laughed. “No. Shrek is the best medic in the galaxy.”
“And he’s deadly with a light saber,” Casey added.
“Good to know.” Climbing in the tube, I tried to find a comfortable position and a way to hide my private parts. The lid closed and a thick white mist swirled around me.
“I have decided to give you a proper bachelorette party in Las Vegas,” Detja announced in my head.
“I vowed I’d never go back to that horrible place.”
“What’s so awful about Vegas?” Casey, the curious, asked.
“Memories. Really bad memories.”
Kaylee prompted, “Such as?”
“I was married by a sloshed Elvis impersonator in a drive-thru wedding chapel. They talked Hell into renting their 1954 pink Cadillac for the grand sum of eight hundred dollars for the ten-minute ceremony. It went downhill from there. The second day of our marriage, Hell got into a drunken brawl and we were asked to leave the hotel.”
“We will replace those memories with better ones,” Detja stated firmly.
Kaylee added, “Don’t know about you, but after all the shit we’ve been through, I need a little TLC and some fun in my life.”
“Me too,” Casey said.
“Okay. Vegas it is.” The possibilities for a disaster of epic proportions were endless. “Do our warlords know we’re going to Vegas?”
“No. They have more important matters to deal with.”
The snark in Detja’s voice made me grin. “What’s that saying? Oh yeah, while the cat’s away, the mice will play.”
“Exactly. I have a shuttle on standby. As soon as Shrek releases us, we will leave,” Detja said smugly.
Holy cow! Detja was planning another jailbreak.
Shrek walked back in and examined the control panels on our tubes. “Only three minutes left on your treatments, then you may rest in my chambers until your mates return.”
I frowned. “How are we going to ditch Shrek without hurting him?”
“Zarek’s instructions were quite explicit. We are not allowed to leave Shrek’s custody,” Detja said.
Casey interjected, “I bet Shrek has never been to Vegas.”
“It would be a shame to leave him behind,” Kaylee said with an impudent grin.
Shrek didn’t strike me as a rule breaker. “Not to be a party pooper or anything, but how do we get Shrek on the shuttle?”
A decidedly wicked smile curled Detja’s lips. “Blackmail.”
The lids slid back, and we all climbed out.
Kaylee walked over to Shrek and put her arm around his shoulders. “You do realize you’re still part of my crew and must follow my orders.”
Shrek eyed her warily. “The Overlord warned me you would try to leave sick bay. I was not to allow it.”
“Not only are you going to allow us to leave, you are coming with us.” Detja’s expression was one of implacable resolve.
Shrek exclaimed, “I cannot. I have duties.”
Detja simply said, “I know about Murdo.”
“I have always wanted to explore Las Vegas. When do we leave?”
Chapter Twenty
For some unknown reason the Tai-Kok and Rodan had never attacked Las Vegas. The military claimed responsibility for that awesome fact. Others thought the city was protected by one of the Nabatean’s Shebu, a giant spinning rock of incredible power. Scientists were still investigating that theory.
After ten years of war, Vegas was still a glittering mecca with architectural wonders, miles of colorful neon lights and one-of-a-kind exhibits. The sidewalks were crowded with humans and aliens of every shape and form. They were all here to take in the sights and gamble away their money.
A white stretch limo met us at the airfield, and I had to admit I was impressed. As we cruised the main strip, the night air was full of music, laughter and the gimmicky calls from twenty-foot tall screens luring the unwary inside the casinos with promises of instant wealth.
“When the Overlord catches us, he will kill me,” Shrek said plaintively.
I patted his knee. “We’ll protect you.”
“From the Overlord? Impossible,” Shrek replied. “All he has to do is check the scanners and he will know we are no longer on the ship.”
Detja smiled. “The computers and scanners are under my control. Zarek and the others will see only what I want them to see.”
“What will they be watching?” My always inquisitive daughter asked.
Detja shrugged. “Us planning Annie’s wedding and shopping online for the perfect dress. I am the master of illusions.”
“And what if they check in on us mentally? I mean, Saul seemed to know exactly where I was when he was pursuing me.”
“Our warlords are focused on capturing Cantor and will not link with us during the hunt or any combat. We have two days before they come looking for us,” Detja stated complacently.
Kaylee clapped her hands. “Bravo! What kind of exciting things do you have planned for today?”
“We start out with a hydra facial and massage, which is immediately followed by a manicure and pedicure,” Detja answered.
I sighed. “Sounds wonderful.”
“I also booked us time at the styling salon for a deep conditioning treatment. Drakash is very damaging to our hair,” Detja advised.
Shrek’s expression was one of utter horror. “I have no wish to participate in these activities.”
“The hotel’s casino should keep you occupied. I have dinner reservations at Tao, an Asian bistro, and tickets for a show called Starship Troopers,” Detja said.
Casey gaped at her. “You do know they’re male strippers?”
Shrek’s expression of dismay was priceless.
“A proper bachelorette party includes male strippers.” Detja clearly didn’t have a problem with naked dancers.
Kaylee chortled. “I’ve heard about this show. They claim some of the strippers are genuine extraterrestrial lifeforms, but most of the dancers are alien impersonators.”
“What kind of aliens?”
“Coletti, Askole, Bjarke, Farin and some guy dressed up as a Gorum,” Casey answered.
I hooted. “This I’ve gotta see.”
“I am doomed,” Shrek cried.
***
The night started out perfectly. We were pampered by the best. Our hair and makeup were flawless. Detja had provided us with vintage rhinestone cocktail dresses, in black of course, and black ankle boots. We looked hot.
Shrek’s green skin clashed violently with his red sequin tuxedo. He tugged at his collar. “Are you sure this is proper attire for dinner?”
We all nodded and led him out to the waiting limo.
“We’ve gotta get a picture of him. We can blackmail him forever with it,” I whispered to Casey.
“Kaylee is handling that,” she whispered back.
On the ride to Tao, Detja broke out the champagne, filled crystal flutes with the bubbly and handed them out. “To family.”
We raised our glasses and took a drink.
Shrek held up his flute. “To living beyond tomorrow.”
We all took a drink.
“To Molotov cocktails, car bombs and things that go boom,” I toasted.
Bam! The limo shuddered and squealed to a stop.
The driver lowered the glass partition. “Sorry folks, we’ve been involved in a minor fender bender. I can arrange for another limo to pick you up.”
Detja glanced at her warrior’s bracelet. “That won’t be necessary. The restaurant is only a few blocks away.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The partition rolled up.
I grabbed a napkin and dabbed at wet spot on my dress. “Damn. It looks like I pissed myself.”
Shrek ran his scanner over us and let out a breath of relief. “No injuries.”
All of us stiffened when our internal radars went off.
“Incoming hostiles at two o’clock,” Casey advised.
I nodded. “Probably Earth First soldiers.”
“Let’s go say howdy,” Kaylee said.
Detja handed us laser pistols. “They are set on stun.”
I stepped out of the limo and scanned the black clad men charging toward us. They were human and intent on kidnapping us. “I’ll take the two on the left.”
“I’ve got the three on the right,” Casey said, hitting them with a telekinetic blast. The men bounced off a city bus and landed on several street performers. A fight broke out.
Before their buddies could react, I unleashed my psychic grenades and smiled as our attackers tumbled to the pavement. “Now we need to find out who told them we were in Vegas.”
“This, I will handle,” Detja said and concentrated on the men littering the sidewalk. She shook her head and laughed. “They thought we were vid stars and were expecting to collect ten million in ransom.”
Another white stretch limo sped by. Must be the vid stars.
A hulking man in a black ski mask jumped out of the white van blocking our limo. “Get in the van or I’ll kill you.”
We all burst out laughing.
The kidnapper waved his gun around. “I’m not joking.”
“Run while you still can.” Detja’s voice was filled with a quiet, deadly venom.
“You fucking bitches are making a big mistake!”
Kaylee shook her head. “No. You are.” She summoned a massive swarm of birds. “Attack.”
Hundreds of pigeons, hawks and sparrows swirled madly around the kidnapper’s head. He stumbled backwards as the birds hammered him with their wings and beaks. “Aiieeeee! Aiieeeee! Aiieeeee! Aiieeeee!” He took off running with the birds in hot pursuit.
