Stardust Dreams Read Free

waist and he lifted her off the
ground. As she opened her mouth to protest, he covered it with his free hand. With
a suggestive laugh, he told her coworkers, "We've only been lovers a few
days, and there's still a few rough spots, as you can see. I'm sure you'll
excuse us for a few minutes."
    Cherry squirmed in his grip
and tried to bite his hand, but that only caused him to tighten both holds on
her as he carried her off the set. Her public reputation, as a fun-seeking,
free-spirited woman who tended to "love 'em and leave 'em," worked
against her. Her coworkers laughed and wished her captor good luck.
    As soon as he found an
unoccupied room, he put her down, but didn't release her. "I apologize for
hauling you off like that, but I couldn't risk arousing suspicions. You have an
incredibly powerful scream, Cherry. If you'll promise not to use it, I'll take
my hand away from your mouth. I mean you no harm."
    Cherry glared at him for a
few seconds, then decided to give him a chance to explain what was going on. If
he didn't satisfy her curiosity, she could always scream later. She nodded, and
he slowly removed his hand from her face. When she remained quiet, he let go of
the rest of her as well.
    Immediately, she backed
away from him and massaged her jaw. "So much for the Noronian code of
nonviolence." She raised one eyebrow at him. "Perhaps you're not a
Noronian."
    Frowning, he said, "I
don't have time to explain. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but my mission is
extremely important. In a few minutes, Frezlo will be out of my tracking range.
What did the Weebort say to you?"
    "Frezlo? The Weebort? Something
tells me you're guilty of breaking another Noronian code—the one about honesty.
That wasn't any test back there, was it?"
    "No, it wasn't. And
more lives could be lost if I don't catch up with Frezlo. Now—"
    "Frezlo's the one that
looked like a wild boar, right?"
    "Yes,"
he ground out,
clearly frustrated with her questions.
    The realization that she
had been in the midst of a real-life adventure had her bubbling with energy,
and she began pacing around him. "What is he, some kind of an assassin? Are
you a tracker? And was the Weebort—"
    "Enough!" he
exclaimed, grasping her shoulders to make her stand still. "Just tell me
what the Weebort said to you before he burned up."
    Suddenly Cherry sensed that
the dangerous look about this man wasn't created by a costume. It was inbred. "I
don't know."
    He gave her an urgent
shake. "What do you mean, you don't know? You're wearing a
translator."
    She pushed him away from
her, more angry than frightened by his macho behavior. He was acting like some
American men she had known; not at all like a Noronian. "I
mean,
I don't know. I couldn't hear what he said. There was too much noise."
    The man frowned at her
again, but he appeared to believe her. "All right. I'll have to get
someone to touch your mind. Even if you think you didn't hear him, your
subconscious would have picked it up. If you'll accompany me to my ship—"
    Cherry sidestepped the hand
that reached out to her. "No way, mister. If someone's going to crawl
around inside my head, it'll be somebody I trust. Governor Romulus is my
friend. I'd let him do it."
    "Romulus is my friend
as well, but I don't have time to go looking for him. You'll have to come with
me." He reached for her again, and this time she barely avoided his touch
as she headed toward the door.
    "Last chance,
Cherry," he warned.
    She glanced back to issue a
smart retort, and saw the small black box in his hand. As her mouth opened to
scream, he fired.
    Gallant Voyager's chest
tightened with near-panic as he saw her collapse on the floor.
Drek!
His para-lyzer had been set to stop Frezlo, not a pint-sized female. Going to
her quickly, he checked the pulse at her neck and was relieved to discover a
faint assurance that he hadn't killed her.
    He hadn't even meant to
stun her—only convince her of the seriousness of the situation. But something
about the way she