Read Online The Other Side Of Gravity (Oxygen, #1) by Shelly Crane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shelly Crane
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to do.
“Her bounty went up,” Havard said and I could hear his smile. I felt Maxton’s hand tense on my arm. “It’s almost doubled. Someone wants this little girl. Badly.”
Maxton’s sigh was rough. And then I realized he wasn’t sighing, he was breathing deeply, roughly, over and over.
“Hey!” Havard barked. “That’s expensive friggin’ oxygen you’re wasting.”
I began to worry if the very fragile bond that I’d started to form with Maxton was about to—
“Where is it?” Maxton asked him so loudly my ears hurt.
Havard smiled. “All my pods have vids,” he chuckled. “Did you really think I wasn’t watching you from day one along with everyone else on this ship? Even made a little money selling the videos of some of the stuff that was going on in those rooms.” Maxton sighed with a little growl. “I make sure to look out for what’s mine,” Havard said and pounded his chest once. “I didn’t get all this by sitting by and letting others do it for me. Hell, I’d be—”
The scanners from the corner went over him once with their eerie red lasers. The profanity monitor went off with a beep and announced that he’d be owing an additional piece of silver on his taxes to Congress for crimes of, blah, blah, blah.
Havard laughed and yelled, “Hell, hell, hell!” When the lasers came down and the beeping began he laughed again and talked over all the noise. “See, I’m a rich man, Max. I have all the money I could ever need, and really, a few pieces of silver don’t bother me at all.” He took a step towards us. “Too bad that’s not the case with you. Too bad you really need the money. Too bad you just put your dear old m—”
“Shut up, Havard!”
Just like I thought. Everyone needs money, but Maxton really needed it for something. I had a feeling that Havard was going to say “Dear old mother”. Maxton had already said something about his sister. No wonder he regretted helping me if he was helping to provide for them.
He was probably going to ditch me the second we were out of this. I looked up at Havard. If we got out of this.
“Stay there, Soph,” Maxton said gruffly.
I could do nothing but exactly what he said, with my mouth wide open. He called me ‘Soph’. No one since my mom had called me that.
He took a step toward Havard. “We’re leaving—around you or through you, your choice.”
Havard laughed wholeheartedly. “You’re really going to let this girl ruin everything you’ve worked your entire life trying to do? Honestly?” he bent over as he asked. “Wow. Maxton Q1. Smitten.”
“I’m not—I’m fixing a wrong.”
“Who cares what—”
“It’s not right what they do to them and you know it.”
“It’s not our concern. Who cares? We make a pay day.” His face turned hard. “And you’re not walking out of here with mine.”
“You come and take her from me then—that’s the only way this is going down.”
Havard stared at him. “Is this really how you want to do this, Max?”
He nodded. “Fisticuffs. Let’s go.”
Havard laughed. “Fisticuffs.” He shook his head. “Using my own words against me?”
“It’s what I had to do to get on your crew, remember? Only fitting that it’s the way I have to get out of it.”
“You’re a real piece, you know that?” Havard growled as he stepped closer, obviously done playing and balled up his fists. “After all I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me? I made you my second. We could have ruled the friggin’ underground, Max! It would have been ours, but you let one piece of hot apple pie come in here take all that away from us?”
“It’s not about her,” Maxton ground out and stepped closer. They were within swinging distance. I gritted my teeth so hard they hurt.
“Oh, yeah? Then what’s it about if not those gorgeous, dirty legs over there?”
I cringed. No one had ever called me gorgeous or beautiful, and now I had been called both of those things all in the
“Her bounty went up,” Havard said and I could hear his smile. I felt Maxton’s hand tense on my arm. “It’s almost doubled. Someone wants this little girl. Badly.”
Maxton’s sigh was rough. And then I realized he wasn’t sighing, he was breathing deeply, roughly, over and over.
“Hey!” Havard barked. “That’s expensive friggin’ oxygen you’re wasting.”
I began to worry if the very fragile bond that I’d started to form with Maxton was about to—
“Where is it?” Maxton asked him so loudly my ears hurt.
Havard smiled. “All my pods have vids,” he chuckled. “Did you really think I wasn’t watching you from day one along with everyone else on this ship? Even made a little money selling the videos of some of the stuff that was going on in those rooms.” Maxton sighed with a little growl. “I make sure to look out for what’s mine,” Havard said and pounded his chest once. “I didn’t get all this by sitting by and letting others do it for me. Hell, I’d be—”
The scanners from the corner went over him once with their eerie red lasers. The profanity monitor went off with a beep and announced that he’d be owing an additional piece of silver on his taxes to Congress for crimes of, blah, blah, blah.
Havard laughed and yelled, “Hell, hell, hell!” When the lasers came down and the beeping began he laughed again and talked over all the noise. “See, I’m a rich man, Max. I have all the money I could ever need, and really, a few pieces of silver don’t bother me at all.” He took a step towards us. “Too bad that’s not the case with you. Too bad you really need the money. Too bad you just put your dear old m—”
“Shut up, Havard!”
Just like I thought. Everyone needs money, but Maxton really needed it for something. I had a feeling that Havard was going to say “Dear old mother”. Maxton had already said something about his sister. No wonder he regretted helping me if he was helping to provide for them.
He was probably going to ditch me the second we were out of this. I looked up at Havard. If we got out of this.
“Stay there, Soph,” Maxton said gruffly.
I could do nothing but exactly what he said, with my mouth wide open. He called me ‘Soph’. No one since my mom had called me that.
He took a step toward Havard. “We’re leaving—around you or through you, your choice.”
Havard laughed wholeheartedly. “You’re really going to let this girl ruin everything you’ve worked your entire life trying to do? Honestly?” he bent over as he asked. “Wow. Maxton Q1. Smitten.”
“I’m not—I’m fixing a wrong.”
“Who cares what—”
“It’s not right what they do to them and you know it.”
“It’s not our concern. Who cares? We make a pay day.” His face turned hard. “And you’re not walking out of here with mine.”
“You come and take her from me then—that’s the only way this is going down.”
Havard stared at him. “Is this really how you want to do this, Max?”
He nodded. “Fisticuffs. Let’s go.”
Havard laughed. “Fisticuffs.” He shook his head. “Using my own words against me?”
“It’s what I had to do to get on your crew, remember? Only fitting that it’s the way I have to get out of it.”
“You’re a real piece, you know that?” Havard growled as he stepped closer, obviously done playing and balled up his fists. “After all I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me? I made you my second. We could have ruled the friggin’ underground, Max! It would have been ours, but you let one piece of hot apple pie come in here take all that away from us?”
“It’s not about her,” Maxton ground out and stepped closer. They were within swinging distance. I gritted my teeth so hard they hurt.
“Oh, yeah? Then what’s it about if not those gorgeous, dirty legs over there?”
I cringed. No one had ever called me gorgeous or beautiful, and now I had been called both of those things all in the
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