Read Not the Man She Thought for Free Online

ass, you know that?”
    His mouth quirked. “I’ve been called worse.”
    She let out a little snort of laughter. “I’m sure you have.”
    Karsten glanced down at the cargo hold where the other men
were watching the exchange with interest, before his gaze locked on her again.
“Can I trust you to go back to your cabin, or do I have to escort you there myself?”
    Laken glared up at him, wanting to say something rude, but
then remembered her promise not to lose her temper. Whirling around, she
stormed down the passageway. She knew she should go back to her room, but she
was too wound up. Back on Tellune, she would have worked off the excess energy
by doing laps in the pool or going for a run, but since her choices were more
limited on a spaceship, she would have to settle for taking a walk instead.
    The ship was quiet, the only sounds coming from the soft hum
of the engines, and Laken didn’t encounter anyone as she made her way along the
passageways. After a while, she found herself on the walkway above the cargo
hold again. Karsten and the crew had left, and she stopped for a moment by the
railing to gaze down at the crates below.
    Remembering how Karsten had brusquely ordered Kamran to
close the box they had been looking in when she had come by earlier, Laken
found herself wondering what it was that the captain didn’t want her to see.
Suddenly curious to know what he was hiding, she looked around to make sure no
one was around, then quietly made her way down the metal steps and into the
cargo hold.
    Wondering if she might need something to pry open the box,
Laken was surprised to discover that the lid wasn’t fastened shut. She slowly
slid it to one side, careful not to make any noise. Packing material covered
whatever was inside and she was just reaching out to push it aside when she
heard the tramp of boots coming toward the cargo hold.
    Her heart pounding, Laken quickly closed the box and headed
for the steps, only to realized the men were coming down the upper walkway.
Knowing there would be no escape that way, she quickly backpedaled as the
voices came closer. Maybe she could just tell whoever it was that she had been
out for a walk and gotten lost down there. Then she recognized Karsten’s deep
tones and groaned. He would never believe her story. Swearing under her breath,
she looked around wildly as she searched for a place to hide.
    Darting across the hold, she ducked behind a stack of crates
just as the men came into view. She’d hoped they would continue on their way,
but no such luck.
    “This drop has the potential to go wrong very quickly,” a
man’s voice said from above her, and Laken recognized it as belonging to the
ship’s first officer. “You know that, don’t you, Rade?”
    Rade. That was Karsten’s given name? Somehow, it fit him.
    “I know,” the captain said in answer to the other man’s
question. “Which is why I’m having Finn and Kamran with me for security.”
    The other man sighed. “Good, but even with four of you out
there, you’re certain to be outnumbered if they decide to change the terms of
the contract.”
    There was silence for a moment before the captain replied.
“I know. But the money’s too good to pass up.”
    Crouched down behind the wooden crate, Laken frowned as she
listened to the men’s exchange. She didn’t understand what they were talking
about, but it definitely didn’t sound like any merchant dealings she’d ever
heard of her father having.
    Above her, the sound of footsteps receded along the walkway,
and she breathed a sigh of relief. She waited until they had disappeared
completely before slowly getting to her feet, only to freeze in place when she
realized that the captain was still on the walkway. Though he was gazing down
at the hold, he gave no indication he’d seen her, and she quickly ducked down
behind the crate again. In her haste, she knocked a small box from where it had
been precariously perched on a bigger one, and she cringed as