Emmy took a deep breath. I watched her cleavage rise and fall in the dim light. I stared at her breasts, entranced by the sight. I wondered what she would look like when I made her come. And whether she would make a noise in her throat again if I kissed her.

We could talk, I supposed. That would take my mind off Emmy and what I wanted to do with her.

I hoped.

"Em, let me make sure I've got this straight." She looked up at me, her eyes a little unfocused as if she were returning from somewhere far away. I hadn't meant to use the diminutive form of her name. It slipped out but somehow it felt right. "You are bound and determined to get a ladle for your friend and colleague, Morley."

"Zelia's ladle. I promised him before he died."

"After you get this artifact, you're not going to make soup with it. You're going to give it to the authorities so they can use it for everyone's benefit, but Abel's men will be chasing you every step of the way."

Her eyes shifted away from mine.

"Not every step. I've been able to take care of myself until now. If I can get a head start, I'll be fine."

"Won't they guess you're going to retrieve the ladle?"

"As long as I can get there before them, everything will work out."

I stared at her. "It will all work out? You're being extremely optimistic."

She shrugged one shoulder, making her breasts jiggle in her tiny sports bra, drawing my attention back to a place I was trying to stop thinking about.

"It's worked for me so far." She looked sullen.

"Let me come with you." The words came out of my mouth before I could think. She opened her mouth to protest, and I felt like complaining myself. I had taken bodyguard assignments in the military before, and I was excellent at it. But this task would be different. For one thing, there would be no backup.

I started to justify myself instead of backing down. "We will be together. If anyone investigates the validity of our marriage, they'll see we have been hanging out the whole time." It was true. We didn't have to stay with each other on my planet. She stared at me, shaking her head. On impulse, I added, "We'll tell people we're on our honeymoon."

Even though it might not be the smartest decision, I didn't want to let Emmy go. I knew I might never see her again. An uncertain future stretched in front of her. She didn't realize how quickly people could have their lives ended. But I did. I had seen plenty of death.

I didn't want Emmy to die. I wanted her to live so I could get to know more about her. She was a puzzle I needed to solve. I wasn't going to have a chance if she were light-years away from me.

Besides, I didn't feel like going home just to sit in my big empty house again. The prospect of adventure called to me just as much as Emmy did. Hadn't I been saying I was bored with my life? I didn't want to lose all the money I inherited and the lifestyle that went with it, of course. But I also wanted something more than merely spending it.

"I can't let you do that," she said.

I was surprised at how disappointed I felt.

"It's not that I don't want you to come."

"Well, what is it, then?" I folded my arms across my chest.

"I don't want you to risk your life on something dangerous. It's my life's work, but it's not yours. Go back to your house and your money. That's your specialty and what you want, remember? You wanted it so much you were willing to marry a stranger who's not your type."

When she put it like that, I seem like an asshole. I started getting annoyed that she was pointing out what I already knew about myself but didn't want to acknowledge. She was already challenging me and my self-image. It was bothersome that she remembered a stupid comment I made about her not being my type.

I had wanted some things before, but now things were different.

"I don't know who you think I am, but you don't have to worry about me. I can handle whatever is coming our way on your impossible mission."

EMMY.

"Excuse me?" I asked. "These guys, they aren't archeologists. They're treasure hunters. More like upscale criminals. They don't play by the same rules I do. They mean business and I don't think you knows what that means."

"That's where you're wrong, Emmy."

"Could you explain yourself?" I said, feeling frustrated. How could this man make me feel so many emotions in the space of a few minutes?

The sounds of people bumping around were getting louder, but nobody had come into the cargo hold yet.

"I'm ex-military."

"Oh." That explained the shot on the car to destroy their batteries. I wondered if he was the sexy kind of ex-military, or an accountant or a chef. I didn't want to ask.

"I could help you. I could make sure those guys don't interfere with getting Zelia's ladle."

I felt myself wavering. The task would be less daunting if I had a partner.

But was that selfish? Just because something was hard to do alone didn't mean I should automatically accept Ven's help, no matter how trained he was.

I shook my head, my chest beginning to choke with regret.

"I'm sorry, Ven. It's not your problem. I couldn't possibly accept your help."

"Maybe your problem is that you try to do everything yourself." His eyes looked like black pools in the semi-darkness.

I froze. He had no right to call me out on something like that. He wasn't my friend, and he was barely my husband. Although...

He was probably correct.

Even so, he couldn't come with me. "It's not going to happen, Ven. I promise I'll return after I get the ladle. I'll be your wife for a year so you can keep your money."

"What if you don't come back because you can't?" He had a thoughtful look on his face. I felt a stab of fear. Could I die out there?

"Then you won't have to fake my death because I'll actually be dead. I'll send proof that I'm on an assignment for work. You won't have any trouble with people thinking I left you."

He was shaking his head and about to say something else when the spaceship started moving.

Ven went to the small port window and looked out. "It sounds like we're taking off."

"Into space? We're going to die together, I guess." I tasted fear for what seemed like the hundredth time today.

"Strap in." He grabbed my hand and pulled me to a seat. "We're leaving."

"Don't we need to know where we're going first?"

"I have no idea. If you don't want to be a pancake when we get there, fasten your restraints."

At least I was getting away from Stalwart.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

VEN.

I felt the shuttle touch down on an unknown planet. An announcement sounded and seemed to be giving instructions for getting off the spacecraft. I didn't know for sure because they weren't speaking Standard. Emmy nodded like she understood every word.

Of course she could speak the language. What other secrets lay hidden inside her head? I felt a tightening in my gut, and an old feeling of inadequacy threaten to overtake me. Was I smart enough or good enough to be here? My mind knew it wasn't true, but I couldn't control my body's reactions.

"I'm surprised you can understand that." I tried to distract myself from my feelings.

She had the decency to blush. "I guess it's strange that I know a few extra languages. Morley made me learn it because he thought it might be useful. He also encouraged me to learn English."

"English?" Merely saying the word made my mouth feel peculiar.

"It's one of the ancient languages from Earth. It's an irrelevant but interesting factoid about me."

"I supposed it is." I did not want to know any more interesting factoids about Emmy.

Suddenly she looked uncomfortable. "We need to go now."

"Of course," I said, tilting my head and listening. "We're going. We have to be on guard in case someone's waiting for us."

"I meant we have to go right now. I need to use the restroom."

I shook my head. Women.

"Don't give me that look. Just because you have a one-gallon bladder, doesn't mean everyone else does."

"The flight was only a few hours. The ship must have hyperdrive capabilities. There's no way we could have reached another planet this quickly without it. You're lucky it wasn't a three-day flight. I wonder what time it is here."

"Three hours are as endless as three days when nature calls." She started squirming around in her seat.

"Is another interesting factoid that you're a bad poet? We'll get off, but we can't rush around."

We heard the sounds of several people leaving. "We're on Heralla." I had checked my computer twice to confirm. "Isn't that where you wanted to go? Where the ladle is?"

"Zelia's ladle. And yes, it is."

"That can't be a coincidence."

"Something doesn't seem right," she agreed, looking troubled.

"It's close to sundown. We should wait until it's dark to leave the ship, but I suppose it won't hurt to take a peek."

"What if it's a trap?"

I held up my gun. "Then they will get an unpleasant surprise."

In about a minute, the ship was quiet. It was time to move. "Okay, let's go." I opened the door. "Stay close to me."

Emmy followed as we crept through the dark cargo hold to the door. I opened it quietly and surveyed the hallway, trying to see if there was anyone around.

It was empty.

I stepped out into the corridor. There was no sign of people. The ship was silent. We could hear voices outside, but we would worry about them later.

"Finally. A bathroom." Emmy spotted the sign on one of the doors. "I have to go." She ducked into the room before I could stop her.

She wouldn't be able to run if her bladder was about to burst. Come to think of it, neither would I.

I took my turn and with both of us feeling relieved, we made our way to the exit of the spaceship. I stopped at one of the windows and gazed outside, studying the people milling around.

Our shuttle wasn't far from the main building, which was good. The sooner we could mix in with everyone else, the better. As I watched the people, I heard Emmy come up behind me. She cursed when she looked out the window.

"We didn't end up on Heralla accidentally. Abel's men knew we were on the ship. They brought us here on purpose."

I turned to look at her. "How could you know that?"

She drew in a deep breath. I could see she was scared. "The guy out there with the white hair is Abel. He makes coincidences happen."

I looked out the window. There was a person outside with long white hair which fluttered in the wind. He seemed stick-thin and frail, like an elderly man. As I watched, he indicated where his people should put the supplies, slightly tottering as he ordered them around.

"What are the chances that we stowed away on the ship of the people who were trying to kidnap us?" I asked, mildly amazed.

"Slim to none," she said. "But Abel's powerful and wealthy. Things like this always happen when he's involved."

"They brought us here somehow?"

"I think so." She thought for a moment. "Does it matter how they did it? We shouldn't waste energy trying to figure it out. We're stuck here now, no matter what."

"No, it doesn't," I agreed. "We're where we need to be. It seems like they plan on keeping us here until we can help them find the ladle."

"Zelia's ladle," she corrected me. "You're right. They won't kill me until they get it. They can kill you at any time, although with Abel here they might show some restraint. He doesn't like violence. He just wants to get stuff."

"We need a plan." I looked out the window, watching people come and go. They were unloading climbing equipment and other supplies.

"That looks like some gear to go mountain climbing." She nodded, keeping her eyes on the people outside.

"Yep. The Mestolo's at the top of a mountain."

"How do they know?"