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Chapter 20

Ivy stared at the laserMarcus had trained on her.

“Where the hell did you get that?” She remained by the controls, trying not to panic about the noise of the alarms that rang after she’d slammed into the panel and undone her hard work.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will use this if I have to.” Marcus moved the laser from side to side.

“The only reason you won’t use it is that you don’t want to serve up damaged goods at the alien auction. I bet a human with a laser injury will be worth less.”

“We’re thinking along the same lines.” Marcus grinned at her. “If you keep fighting me, I’ll have no choice. We’re going to this alien auction, and I will sell you. Be a good girl and retract your claws, so no one else gets hurt.”

Anger raced through Ivy as Marcus gestured the laser to the right. She stepped away from the control panel. “Have you ever used a laser? You don’t want to set it off accidentally and blast off your own foot.”

“I know how to handle one. I’m not as incompetent as you think I am.”

“That’s debatable,” she muttered.

Marcus moved to the control panel once Ivy was safely out of the way. “I need to fix this mess of yours.” He kept the laser on her as he stared at the controls and pressed a few buttons. The alarms silenced, and the ship stopped shaking.

“I was getting things under control when you tried to strangle me.” Ivy’s fingers touched her sore throat. “You need to realign the ship and engage the stabilizers.”

“Get you. Suddenly, you’re an expert in space travel.”

“I bet I know more than you do.”

“What’s that?” Marcus peered at the navigation screen. “We’ve got more than your new lover following us.”

“Another ship?”

“Let’s see who we’ve got on our tail.” Marcus pressed a display button and an enlarged image of the Prodigy shuttle came into view. “It’s security from the station. They must be after your boyfriend.”

“Maybe not. Perhaps they’re after you. They realized you’ve kidnapped me and are planning to sell me. That will warrant significant time behind bars, something you are long overdue.”

Marcus glared at her. “You don’t know that. They won’t be interested in us.”

Ivy shrugged. “They could be after Karn. What if they’re not? What if they want you?”

Marcus waved the laser in the air. “Get over here.”

“Why?” Ivy remained where she was.

“You’re sending station security a message to say you’re here willingly. I didn’t kidnap you, and we’re going on a journey together. Get rid of them. Your life depends on it.”

Ivy walked over. She would talk to station security, but she wouldn’t tell them that bullshit. She’d let them know what Marcus was up to. He wouldn’t shoot her. He was a nasty piece of work, but he was a coward at heart. He wouldn’t want her death on his hands. At least, she hoped he wouldn’t.

“I’ll open a comm line to station security, and you tell them everything is fine, and there’s no need to follow us.” Marcus’s hand hovered over the controls. “No, wait. Find out first if they are following us.”

“Won’t that sound suspicious?” Ivy said. “If they’re not after you, they will be when I start asking ridiculous questions like that.”

Marcus scratched his chin. “We’ll talk to your boyfriend. You tell him you’re happy to be with me, and you don’t want him. He’ll know if the security ship is after us.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“If you don’t, I will shoot his ship out of the sky.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I’m a desperate man. I owe people a lot of money.”