Morgan Selwood 3: A Victory Celebration Read Free Page A

hand, the fleeter
sprawled backwards onto the pavement. "You bastard." He struggled up,
his face red, his hands clenched into fists.
    This was starting to look ugly. "Maybe
we should do something," Morgan said.
    Bella held her back, shaking her head.
    The second fleeter had more sense and
grabbed his companion's arm. "Let's go. There's plenty of other places
that'll take our money."
    Bella smiled, watching them weave their way
down the street. "They'll have a headache tomorrow." She stepped
forward. "Come on. Time for some dancing."
    The bouncers stared at Morgan, eyes
flicking over her golden-brown skin and silver eyes. Yes, different; unusual. She'd
bet these two fellows were ex-troopers. They reminded her of Chief Abu Prakesh
and his platoon on Krystor.  She smiled up at both of them as she walked past
them into the club.
    Infectious dance music assailed her ears,
accompanied by lights that changed with the beat, sweeping colored beams over
the handful of couples gyrating on the dance floor at the bottom of a wide staircase.
At this relatively early hour, the place was busy without being crowded, so the
women were able to find an unoccupied booth on the top level, not too far from
the stairs.
    "Let’s dance," said Leila, taking
Morgan's hand.
    Morgan tripped down the stairs with the
others and took some impromptu lessons from Leila. Dancing was dancing, after
all. She’d been a very good dancer back home. These were just new steps. She
let the rhythm flow through her body, move her legs, her feet, her arms.
    Leila leaned toward her, eyes sparkling. "Gee,
you're good."
    Morgan grinned as the joy of the dance
rippled through her being. She pranced, then spun, tight and fast. The music
paused and she stopped, panting, waiting for the next tune.
    "Care to dance, Suri ?"
    Morgan looked up at a good-looking young
man with green eyes. Why not? That was why she’d come, after all. This was fun.
     
    ***
     
    In the foyer Ravindra tried again. The call
connected but she didn’t answer. What the hell was she doing? Pacing the floor,
he switched the call to his security guard on Vidhvansaka .
    "Check her room."
    The reply came back in minutes. "She’s
not there, Srimana , but we found her comunit on the table."
    This wasn’t right. If anything had happened
to her… But how could it? She worked on the ship surrounded by people she knew.
    "Go and find her. Now."
    He should have made her come with him. Perhaps
something had happened. There were always Bunyada sympathizers on ships.
What if they'd waylaid her, drugged her, smuggled her off the ship?
    A call from the ship interrupted his
thoughts.  
    "Well?" His heart beat faster.
    "She’s left the ship, Srimana ,
with a group of officers. They went planetside about three hours ago."
    Three hours? Three blasted hours? After
telling him she was going to work on the shift drive. Oh, she’d be sorry. But
then again… Sick apprehension replaced anger. Last time she’d gone down to a
planet without permission she’d been abducted.
    "Which officers?"
    "There’s a list on your comunit, Srimana ."
    Ravindra’s eyes flicked over the list as it
appeared. All female. The most senior was Bella Chantriss, a commander in the
medical centre.
    "Have you tried calling them?"
    "Yes, Srimana , I have. No reply
from Commander Chantriss. I thought it best not to try too many of them."
    No. If anything has happened to her, he’d
rather the abductors didn’t know that people were searching. Oh, Morgan, you
foolish, foolish idiot .
    "Find out where they are."
    "We’re on that already, Srimana .
If you’ll hold, we’re analyzing the coordinates now."
    He waited, his mind filled with images.
Morgan drugged, carted off who knew where. Asbarthi might be dead but his
movement lived on. Worse, the knowledge about the Krystor Temple had leaked.
One of the leaders of the uprising here had been adamant. Proof that the Vesha were
the equals of the Mirka, somewhere on Krystor. They didn't have the