B Clones (Clones #1) - Laurann Dohner Page 0,45

her.

Now she just needed to find the emergency supplies to prevent from starving or dying of dehydration. She’d overheard the kidnappers in the cargo hold saying something about landing on Jebler planet in twenty-one days or they wouldn’t get paid. A missing ship would be searched for, if they decided to run. Either way, she just had to hope she remained safe until someone realized she was on this ship.

She finally turned around and looked at the room. It was as nice as she’d expected, with a big bed. An open doorway led into an opulent bathroom. There was even a small kitchen in the corner. She approached it and opened the cupboards, finding food had been stocked inside.

“I might live after all.”

Chapter One

A beeping woke Hailey, and she jerked upright on the massive bed. Her gaze fixed on the doors across the room. She shoved away the covers and slipped off the mattress.

Marks on the wall near the doors, put there by her, consisted of fourteen lines. It’s how many days she’d survived since being kidnapped.

It sounded like her captors were at it again.

It wasn’t the first time the criminals had tried to reach her, and she hoped it wasn’t the last. That would mean they’d succeeded. It had been five days since their last attempt, the longest break so far.

She turned, waiting for another transmission from the room-to-room intercom. Sometimes they used it to make threats and demand she come out.

It was currently silent.

Hailey paced but the doors remained sealed. The beeping stopped, and she relaxed. It seemed to be a warning signal of some kind, if anyone messed with the exterior doors, or maybe if they tried to override the security system.

She entered the bathroom and ran cool water over her face.

She couldn’t complain about her living conditions, at least. It had been a concern that the crew could cut power, air, and water to the cabin, but none of those things had happened. There was plenty of food, and she’d even taken some long soaks in the massive bathtub. No one could ever accuse Goldoff Redmore of not enjoying the best accommodations money could buy.

He might be furious that she’d stayed inside his luxurious cabin and eaten his food, but he’d probably been the one to hire those thugs to transport his shuttle to another planet. She was a victim. None of this was her fault.

She brushed her teeth, combed her curly brown hair, and used the bathroom.

The beeping began again, and she rushed back into the bedroom.

“Just stop,” she whispered. “Go away!”

A loud blast shook the room, and Hailey whimpered. That was a new and decidedly scary sound.

She backed up and bumped her left hand on the foot of the bed. Pain shot up her arm. It was a reminder that she hadn’t set the bone correctly. She’d given it her best try. The cuts had almost healed over and the swelling had gone down, but she couldn’t move her thumb without agony.

“Override accepted,” the computer voice stated. “Unsealing doors.”

“No!” Sheer terror hit. Those men were going to rush in and her worst nightmare would begin.

The doors parted, and she lunged around the bed. She’d found a weapon in a drawer. She wrapped her good hand around it and spun, pointing it in the direction of the doors, prepared to take down as many of them as she could.

The tall black-haired man who entered wore a skin-tight outfit, also black. He was huge, with wide shoulders, massive arms—and he also held a weapon.

Hailey kept hers pointed at him as their gazes met. “Stay away from me!”

He froze.

“Get out. I will shoot you.”

He tilted his head a tiny bit, peering at her with dark blue eyes. “Is this your ship?”

That wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. His voice also startled her. It was deep and kind of raspy at the same time. It was also one she hadn’t heard on the room-to-room intercom.

“Is this your ship?” he repeated. “Your crew is dead. It looks as if they’ve been that way for several days.”

It had to be a trick. “I don’t believe you.”

He frowned and lowered his weapon, holstering it at his hip. “I’m Blade. I work security on a transport vessel. Your ship didn’t respond to hails. We boarded and found four dead male crew members. I would appreciate it if you’d also lower your weapon. I don’t harm women, or wish to cause you distress. Are you on drugs, as well?”

His question confused her.