Excerpt of Deadly Pursuit by Nina Croft

After taking a deep gulp of air, Alex looked up, straight
into Tannis’s eyes. “I’m not a boy.”

Tannis frowned. “You’re not?” Her gaze ran over Alex, took
in the baggy pants and shirt hanging off her skinny frame.
“Are you sure?”

Rico lounged in his chair, an amused expression on his
lean, handsome features. “I believe you, but I’ve got to
say”—his gaze roamed her slim figure, lingering on the
flatness of her chest—“you sure look like a boy. How about
you show us some evidence?”

Alex ignored him and glanced across to where Jon still sat
in his seat, his legs stretched in front of him, his
expression bored.

Skylar leaned across and switched on the main monitor so a
floor-to-ceiling screen lit up in front of her. She tapped
a few keys and sat back as an instantly recognizable image
appeared. Recognizable to Alex at least, but a quick glance
around the room revealed no noticeable reactions.

The image showed a woman in full-length black robes, her
hair covered by a dark veil, a serene, otherworldly
expression on her small, pointed face. A wave of
suffocation washed over Alex as she remembered the weight
of those robes—how much she hated black.

Rico was the first to catch on. “No fucking way.” He turned
to stare at Alex, then back at the screen. “That’s you?”

She nodded.

“The Lady Alexia, High Priestess of the Church of
Everlasting Life? You’re kidding us, right?”

Alex ground her teeth but said nothing.

“There’s a reward,” Tannis said.

Alex peered closer and read the screen. There was indeed a
reward, and it was a huge sum of money. Way more than she
would have ever thought they would offer. It didn’t make
sense. And Alex didn’t like the speculative look in the
captain’s eyes. Tannis was a good person, but if anything
could sway her, it was money, and this was a lot of
credits.

“The Virgin bride of the Everlasting God,” Tannis read out
loud, and Alex cringed. “Virgin?”

Somebody sniggered, and two masculine gazes swiveled in her
direction.

“A virgin, huh?” Rico murmured, his voice tinged with
amusement and a measure of curiosity.

Skylar slammed him in the gut with her elbow. “Get that
look off your face.”

“What look?” He grinned and shrugged one shoulder.
“Virgins? Highly overrated I’ve always thought. Give me an
experienced older woman any day.”

“It’s only a title, isn’t it?” Janey asked. “I mean, it
doesn’t actually mean she’s a real honest-to-god virgin.”
She shifted her gaze from the screen to Alex. “Does it?”

Alex’s toes curled within her boots. For a minute, she
studied the floor. When she looked back up, everyone was
staring at her. Even Jon’s bored expression was replaced
with avid curiosity. He caught her gaze and raised an
eyebrow. Alex scowled. What was the big deal?

“Hey, give her a break,” Skylar said, but Alex could hear
the laughter in her voice. “She was married to God. It’s
not Al’s fault he didn’t demand his conjugal rights.”

“Ha-ha,” she muttered.

Janey gave her a sympathetic smile. “Hey, she’s only a kid—
leave her alone.”

“I am not a kid.”

“You’re not?”

“She’s twenty-four,” Skylar said.

“No freaking way.” Tannis stared at her.

Alex drew herself up as tall as she could, which still left
her the shortest person in the room by a good six inches.
What was the point? She slouched again, stuck her hands in
her pockets, and thrust out her lower lip. And waited for
them to get over it.

And for someone to jump to a few conclusions.