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Outside, he flen the driveway, taking the buht at the high-pitched whine of the motor-and-cap combination Out on the main road, Skyler twisted the handle to full acceleration and nearly fell off as the round as it surged forward

As he weaved his way through the streets of Belé 100 kiloht of Samantha She would kill to ride a bike like this Over the years they’d brought a few back to Darwin, but the price offered always outweighed her desire to keep one

The thought of her das of Belé anywhere near as much fun, wherever she was

Chapter 2

Darwin, Australia

27APR2283

THE FIST CAUGHT Samantha squarely on the temple

A solid blow, and she ht have fallen had she not expected it Fallen and lost

Instead she let the guard’s punch assist her in a shift of position, her weight ht her right aruard’s abdoasp

A few of the onlookers groaned in sympathetic pain

Fueled by their reaction, Saain to the ht the poor bastard on his jaw and produced a loud, sharp crack

He spun a half turn, his eyes rolling back in his head, and toppled to the floor Just like that, Sa frouard and leaned over hihtcliff goon turned his head and spat blood onto the dusty concrete floor "Damn well try," he muttered

Sam extended her hand and he took it Conversations eed hands Fistfuls of stamped notes here, a half bottle of cider there, and all the bravado and excuses that ith such things

"That was fun," she said, rolling her head from side to side "Who’s next?"

"Take a break," so her a labeled bottle of vodka, quarter-full "No one fights twice in a row That’s a rule"

She shrugged "Advantage, htcliff personnel returned their attentions to the fight, bets, and drinks She pushed through the crowd, noting the icy stares of potential opponents as she passed Each wore their thirst for revenge like a badge

Her handler waited at the back of the roo across his knees His face betrayed a hint of admiration as Samantha handed hihn, from the handwritten label on his helrew on his face, fra a wide nose and narrow eyes The brown hair atop his head he kept shaved as close as his young beard "I’ll eat like a king this week thanks to you," he said

"Told you," she replied, taking the spot on the wall next to hi" He took a polite sip from the bottle and offered it back

"That’s yours I need uess we’re both staying dry" He handed the bottle to his right instead, and the spectator there took it without hesitation

Asup to the bloke He’d becoht of her iht her food marked hiht

Seduction had never been her strong suit, though She knew fro too overt usually killed her chances, and that hness and robust curves, not for her fe of lips bullshit, and taken a h talk, opportune lack of enuine interest in his ed to do was get Vaughn to ad club thatmilestone in her escape She was out of her cell, step one in any prison break

Next on her list was finding Kelly Vaughn occasionally answered her inquiries about the woman, with reluctance Blackfield had ordered the two of them held separately, he’d told her No contact whatsoever Kelly was doing okay after a short hunger strike, kept in a similar cell to Sam’s but on the other side of the fortress That’s all he clai at the collar of her tank top Men loved a wet shirt--she knew enough about seduction to know that--but the bout had ended quickly In hindsight it et her white shirt nice and sweat-soaked She settled for stretching the collar in and out to fan herself, giving Vaughn an eyeful with each pull should he bother to glance

All you have to do is ask, you idiot, she thought, and we’ll be rolling between the sheets A good tih the last time you’ll ever see me I’ll make it worth your while

The crowd erupted as another , feetfirst

"My turn, jailbird," cah voice nearby

Saiant of a man stood a few centimeters taller than her and had a bushy beard that came down to his chest Faded tattoos laced his neck and arms "I’m not sure if that’s drink in your beard," she said, "or drool"

He glanced down at her chest, then back "Bit of both C’ave the slightest of nods, and folded his arer would fall

They walked to the center of the crohere an open space for Samantha flexed her hands and then did a few quick juht the attention of half the roohn saw from his place at the back, she had no idea

Her opponent noticed, though He licked his lips "Nice big targets," he said with a drunken grin

"Sorry, mate," Samantha said "If I can’t hit below the belt, you have to stay away fro enuinely wounded "Christ, wouided her by the arhtcliff’s dreary yard

He hadn’t bothered to cuff her, a good sign, in her view Still, he kept his black baton in hand He would put up a hell of a fight if she picked one, and besides, there was still the issue of Kelly Patience

"I’ll find you so to put on that eye," he said after a time

"Don’t bother It’s not that bad"

"It’s purple"