B Clones (Clones #1) - Laurann Dohner Page 0,44

to prove they must have lifted off the planet while she’d been unconscious. She hadn’t even felt the vessel moving.

Now she was trapped on the luxury shuttle with at least four kidnappers.

Think! She paced, her hand throbbing. There was no way she could pilot the shuttle if she managed to seal herself in the cockpit. She’d never flown one. She considered trying to radio for help, but she didn’t know how to do that, either. Something her father had said tugged at her memory, and she tried desperately to remember…

Then it came to her.

The Morgan’s captain’s quarters could be detached from the shuttle and used as a life pod.

It was a safety feature for the super-rich, in case their shuttles suffered massive damage. According to her father, there were emergency supplies stored somewhere inside it that could last a crew for weeks. It should also send an auto distress signal once the section detached.

She remembered the map next to the plaque on the wall. It would tell her exactly where those quarters were located. But that meant she’d have to leave the room and make it back to the map without running into one of those men.

She didn’t have time to waste, assuming the men would be looking for her soon, since they’d already left the surface. It wouldn’t take them long to secure all the various crates she’d seen in the cargo area.

Her gaze darted around the room, seeking a weapon. She opened a closet and found a bunch of high heels. One pair had sharp metal tips on the heels. With no other option in sight, she grabbed a shoe and walked to the door. It took a lot of courage to disengage that lock and push the button to slide it open.

No time to think. Just move!

No one waited to attack her in the hallway. She rushed to the map and studied it quickly. The captain’s quarters were straight ahead and one floor down, right under the cockpit, in the front. Next, she located the nearest lift that would take her down there, then bolted.

Her shoes made noise on the hard surface of the corridor floor. She stopped briefly, kicked them off, then sprinted down the hall and located the lift. She pushed a button and gripped the deadly high heel tight, prepared to stab someone in the face with it if she had to. The doors parted—but the lift was empty.

Hailey darted in and pressed the button for the lower deck.

She hugged the wall beside the door, taking a deep breath before tensing as the lift slowed. The high heel wasn’t much of a weapon, but it could take out an eye. That should drop someone, or at least slow them down.

The lift stopped and opened. The hallway looked clear.

She stepped out, glancing both ways. No one in sight.

Hailey turned right and ran for the door at the very end of the corridor. It was marked, assuring her that she’d found the captain’s quarters. She pressed the button to gain access—and was surprised to find a second set of doors, roughly three feet beyond the first. She opened the second set, noticing the thick seams encircling the walls and floors in the room beyond. She slowly entered the large bedroom and tapped the panel beside the door, sealing herself inside.

“Now what?”

She looked at the panel, but didn’t see any kind of emergency symbol. Her father would know what to do. She wished he were with her.

A second panel flush with the wall caught her attention, and she ran her finger over a closed central hole on the smooth surface. It popped open, revealing a big red button inside.

“Here goes nothing.”

Hailey pushed it.

A loud scraping sound startled her, then a flashing light came on above the door she stood next to. She hadn’t even noticed the lighted panel. It just looked like another part of the white wall, until it had lit up.

“State separation code,” a smooth computer voice demanded.

Hailey’s mouth parted. She didn’t know what to say.

“State separation code,” the computer demanded again.

She backed away and knew she was screwed. There must be a voice or word activation to detach the pod. Those men would come after her, and she’d be trapped with nowhere to go.

“Lockdown initiated,” the computer stated. “Press activation button again to unseal doors.”

She felt a little better at hearing that. No way would she push that button. She just hoped that lockdown meant the crew couldn’t bypass it somehow to get at