by Lolita Lopez
“You have to understand that Raze created something incredible with the SRU. We all respect him and trust him in the field. He’s the kind of man you can count on when the shit gets real. He’s brave and courageous and one of the best soldiers in the entire force.”
“But?”
“But he wasn’t there for his mate when she needed him,” Pierce said. “Or, at least, that’s the version I’ve heard from men who were there. Raze would leave her alone on the ship for weeks at a time. He was hyper focused on the mission—and he failed his mate. His old commanding officer—General Thorn, actually—ordered him to take vacation leave. Raze brought her out here to Jesco. It was the new exotic place to visit at the time.”
“What happened?”
“She met another man. One of your kind,” he gestured toward her with his fork, “and fell head over heels in love with him. She ran off. Disappeared from the hotel,” he explained. “Raze had to track her down and drag her back to the ship. It was a huge embarrassment for him. She threatened to throw herself out of an airlock at one point.”
Ella gasped, and Pierce nodded sadly. “She found out she was pregnant by the man she’d had an affair with, and Raze let her go. He didn’t want her to be miserable, and he couldn’t make her happy. They were never going to work out so he allowed her to file for the Discard. He didn’t fight it.”
Ella tried to reconcile the Raze she knew with the man who had made his first wife so unhappy that she had searched for affection outside of their marriage. She had seen a glimpse of his arrogance this morning. He was trying to protect her in his own misguided way, but too many run-ins like that and she could easily imagine herself feeling the way his first mate had.
“What was her name?”
Pierce stopped scraping his tray for the last bit of his dessert. “Sossanah.”
“That’s a pretty name.”
“I suppose.” He shrugged and put down his spoon. After a long drink, he asked, “Do you think Hopper would like to come here?”
Ella raised her eyebrows with interest. “To visit?”
“Sure.”
“Maybe.”
“Would she like to live on one of our ships?”
Confused by Pierce’s questions, she asked, “Why do you want to know?” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Are you thinking of Grabbing Hopper?”
“No.” He didn’t answer too quickly or too forcefully. He was being truthful. “I’ve been thinking that she might need a safe place now that her friends are all up here.”
“She has a strong support system down there,” Ella assured him. “Hopper knows The City better than anyone, and she has the support of the mole people. No one can find her unless she wants to be found. If she ever wants to get out of The City, Danny or one of his colleagues will help her.”
“There are other ways to help her to safety,” Pierce said but didn’t elaborate. She had no doubt that the Shadow Force would reward Hopper’s continuing intel with safe harbor should she ever ask for or need it.
Pierce’s gaze flipped to the left and then the right. She realized he had been watching their surroundings as they chatted. She only now became aware of the growing group of men along the entrance to the dining hall. A knot formed in her stomach as she remembered the way all those men had eyed her at the elevators. She might have been imagining it in her panic, but she was fairly certain some of the same faces were in this crowd.
“We need to go.” Pierce gestured for Ella to pick up her tray. “Stay behind me. Don’t make eye contact. It might get rowdy, but keep moving forward.”
She nodded, and did as instructed, picking up her tray and following him across the dining area toward a long wall lined with slots for returning the trays. The wall of men closed in on them, effectively cutting off their only escape route. Pierce was clearly a highly skilled soldier, but one man against two dozen were impossible odds.
An electric arc of awareness zipped along her arms and up her neck. She had seen enough street fights to know how this would all go down. Swallowing hard, she shifted her hold on the tray. The heavy metal slab was the best weapon she had at the moment.
She wasn’t sure who threw that first punch or the second. In the span of two blinks, Pierce had knocked out two men and was violently assaulting a third, slamming his closed fist into the temple of that man. Two more men launched themselves at Pierce. Swinging his elbows and throwing out kicks, he managed to fend them off, but she knew he couldn’t keep this up much longer.
Desperate to escape the hands grabbing at her clothing and body, she climbed up onto the counter where the tray slots were located and screamed, “Help! Help! Help!”
Her high-pitched shrieks scared off some of the men who began peeling away in groups. She spotted a group of men who wore uniforms similar to Raze’s rushing toward the chaotic scene. Three more men weren’t going to be much help, but it was better than none at all.
In the moment she took her eyes off Pierce, someone grabbed her by the waist and dragged her bodily from the counter. She went down swinging and cracked her captor across the back of the head with the tray. It was just the right angle for maximum impact, and he went limp almost instantly, his arms slackening and dropping her.
Ella hit the cold, hard floor with a painful thud. The breath was knocked out of her lungs, and she waited too long to get to her feet. Someone else grabbed her this time, snatching her by the waist and hauling her straight off the floor. She kicked and slapped until she made contact between the man’s legs. He snarled angrily and let go of her.
This time she hit the floor with both feet and backed up to the counter again. From the corner of her eye, she saw Pierce take a brutal blow to the face while three other men held his arms and a leg. He sagged forward, totally unconscious, and they dropped him like a sack of rocks. Screaming his name, she rushed to his aid, kicking and slapping and snapping her jaw until she reached his side.
When she spotted the knife scabbard on his waist, she pulled free his blade and brought it right up to her neck. There was no way she could defend herself with it, but if she threatened to hurt herself, these men would back away and leave them alone. They wanted her as a prize. Dead and bloody on the ground, she served no purpose.
Her shaking hand pressed the knife’s blade against her throat with enough force that it nicked her skin. The trickle of blood was hot and slick as it ran down her throat. Knife still at her neck, she moved to the ground and pulled Pierce’s head into her lap.
One man stepped closer and she pressed the blade against her throat even harder. “If you come any closer, I’ll fucking do it. Now back up! BACK! UP!”
She wouldn’t do it, of course, but she needed them to believe her. Pierce was seriously injured and needed help. Her shrill and panicked scream sent more men scuttling backward. By the looks on their faces, they didn’t know what to make of her or her defense of Pierce.
“Get out of the way! Move back! Move!” The three men she had spotted earlier were working their way through the crowd, shoving and pushing until they reached Pierce’s feet.
Relieved, Ella lowered the knife. This close, she could tell they weren’t SRU uniforms but some kind of police. She started to beg for help, but the man in charge took one look at Ella with the knife and Pierce bleeding on the floor and jumped to the worst conclusion. Snarling angrily, he commanded, “Secure that woman and haul her down to the containment unit.”
“No! Wait!” Ella protested but in vain. The knife was taken away from her, and seconds later, she was thrown onto her stomach. The impact was painful enough that she let loose a whimper, but the man jerking her arms behind her back didn’t care. He roughly cuffed her wrists together with strange, thin strips that bit into her skin. She was pulled to her feet and dragged away from the scene. “Pierce!” She yelled out his name, hoping he would rouse and help her sort out this mess. “Pierce!”
With a rough swing, she was tossed into a waiting elevator. She shrank back into the corne
r of the box. The two men rounded on her. They had that hungry gleam in their eyes. Bound and helpless, she had a terrible, awful feeling about what awaited her.
Closing her eyes, she bit her lower lip hard enough that the pain forced away the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. She wasn’t going to cry and beg these men not to hurt her.
Opening her eyes, she pinned the two men in place. Matter-of-factly, she stated, “If you touch me, Raze will kill you.”
Because he would. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he would end these two men if they laid another finger on her.
They were smart enough to believe her. They backed away, both of them glancing at the upper corner of the elevator. She looked that way, too, and wondered if there was some kind of recording device there. These two obviously recognized Raze’s name which meant they probably knew of Cipher and his abilities. If anything happened inside this elevator, Raze would find out and hurt them.
Safe for now, she sagged against the elevator wall, but her heart raced as she imagined all the terrible things that awaited her. Containment sounded an awful lot like jail. Once, when George had been furiously angry with her, he had ordered his goons to haul her away and take her to jail. She had spent the next three days and nights in absolute hell, fighting for food and safety and enduring the filthy conditions there. When George had come for her, she had gone willingly and had sworn that she would never anger him again. Whatever he wanted, she gave him—no matter how painful or demoralizing or humiliating.
It won’t be so bad here. It’s clean here. It’s safe. You’ll be fine until Raze finds you.
But how long would that be?
Hurry, Raze, she thought with near desperation. Please hurry and save me. Again.
Chapter Nine
Standing back from the processing station, Raze watched the final couples move through the security checks. He noticed a piece of luggage that seemed much nicer than the typical beat-up bags usually gathered and left for the new brides. The supple leather looked nearly new and had no scuffs or marks. He warily eyed the bag, wondering if it might be a Splinter planted bomb.
“Has that been checked?” He pointed out the bag to Threat, the SRU soldier responsible for overseeing the security at today’s Grab.
Threat nodded. “It’s clean. It’s just waiting for its owner.”
“Who is she?” Raze glanced at the last four couples in line. All the women had their luggage. “Is she already onboard the ship?”
“I’ll check.”
Raze’s gaze moved to the thinning crowd of locals watching their relatives and friends leave forever. Some were crying. Some were angry. As he scanned the crowd, Raze spotted someone familiar. He zeroed in on the man in the dirty jacket and well-worn hat. The disguise was minimal, and he had no problem identifying Danny.
When Danny’s gaze moved to the piece of luggage, Raze finally understood. He touched Threat’s arm to stop him from hustling away. “No. That one belongs to me.”
“To you?” Threat followed his gaze back to the crowd where Danny had already turned his back and walked away, his gait steady as he blended into a group and disappeared. “Oh. I see.”
“Finish the count. I’ll take the bag through security and board last.”
“Yes, sir.”
Raze crossed the distance to the baggage area and picked up Ella’s luggage. Up close, his first impressions were confirmed. The bag was finely crafted of glossy leather. Each stitch looked perfectly placed. He carried the bag to the security check and let Fierce search it before sending it through the scanner and then following the bag through to the other side.
“Every soldier, airman and bride is accounted for on the transport ships. We’re ready for takeoff once we’ve secured the equipment and our last man,” Threat reported.
“Good.” Raze oversaw their final moments on the planet’s surface before stepping onto the ship and taking his seat. Within a minute, they were airborne and gaining altitude fast. He waited until the aircraft had safely exited the planet’s atmosphere and reached space before leaving his seat. The gravity boosters on the craft allowed him to move freely about the cabin and to the secure post where he could deliver his report to the Valiant.
When that was done, he spoke to his men and made notes for the debriefing that occurred after every mission. There were the expected protestors but no violence or attacks. He should have been relieved, but the Grab had been too easy. He worried that their enemies were plotting something far more sinister that left them little time to interfere with the Grab. Were they trying to lure the Harcos force into a false sense of security? To coax them into lowering their guards so they could strike when the fleet was at its most vulnerable?
Those troubling possibilities occupied his thoughts as he placed Ella’s bag on the small counter in the ground ops cabin and unzipped it. When Fierce had been searching the contents, Raze had noticed the envelope inside addressed to him. Now that he had some privacy, he intended to read the note.
Take care of her.
Four words. That was all that Danny needed.
Raze slipped the note into a vest on his pocket and started to zip up the bag. A glimpse of something pink stopped him. Reaching in, he carefully withdrew the small and carefully folded rectangle. He couldn’t feel the pink fabric through his tactical gloves, but he didn’t need to feel it to know that it was soft.
Reverently, he brought the blanket to his face and breathed in its scent. The light, clean hint of flowers filled his nose. His chest tightened painfully. Ella had been carrying her baby’s blanket all these years. He was eternally grateful that Danny had been quick enough to get to Ella’s home and find it before the inevitable ransacking by neighbors and looters. She might be separated from her home planet and old life, but she would always have this memento of the child she had so cruelly lost.
Not wanting to tear or stain it, he returned the blanket to the bag, tucking it into the luggage and making sure it was safe. He stowed her bag in an overhead compartment and settled into his seat. Eyes closed, he forced his body to relax and his mind to rest. On this leg of the trip, Swift was in command. Unless they were attacked or in danger of ditching or boarding, he wouldn’t be needed.
Too soon, he was roused from his nap by the click of an alert tone in his ear. He touched the small bud lodged in his ear canal and waited for the message.
“Wakey wakey,” Swift said with a laugh. “Twenty minutes until we hit Valiant airspace.”
Raze keyed his throat mic. “Thanks for the update.”
With a yawn, Raze rose to his feet and stretched his arms high overhead. His nap hadn’t been very long, but it had been refreshing enough. He walked down the corridor, smacking shoulders and arms to wake his snoozing SRU team. Up on their feet, they began the docking procedure. They were the first ship to slide onto the arrivals deck, and the first to deplane its passengers.
Taking up their guard positions, they oversaw the offloading of the new couples and escorted them to the holding area for their medical clearances. Once they were handed off to the medical and immigration teams, Raze and the rest of the SRU filed back to their headquarters to debrief. He dropped Ella’s bag on the bench in front of his locker before stripping out of his gear.
“Raze!”
Surprised to hear Swift’s voice in the SRU locker room, he glanced sharply at the doorway. The pilot was out of breath from running. Fearing the worst—another blitz Splinter attack—he reached for his vest as he asked, “Where did they hit us?”
“It’s not that,” Swift said with a shake of his head. “It’s your mate.”
The rest of the team went still.
Raze’s heart thumped in his chest. “What happened to Ella?”
“She’s been arrested.”
“Arrested? For what?” Thinking Shadow Force had double crossed him, he snarled, “Was it Torment?”
“No, not Shadow Force. The word on the deck is that she started a riot in the mess. A dozen
men are in the infirmary. Pierce was badly injured. They hauled her off to containment.”
Ella in the dining hall? Pierce hurt? What the hell was she doing outside of his quarters? He had given her strict instructions to stay put!
Angry, confused and worried, he turned to Cipher who already had his hand up. “I can handle the debriefing. Go spring your mate from jail.”
Gritting his teeth, Raze picked up her bag and jogged to the nearest elevator. Swift held it open for him. The irony of this moment wasn’t lost on him. Not even a full day ago, he had been knocking Swift flat on his ass to win Ella. Now the same man was helping him.
“Why the fuck wasn’t I informed of her arrest?”
Swift didn’t even blink at his outburst. “You know why.”
Raze clenched his jaw. The policing and containment aboard the ship were handled by the Sky Corps. Ella belonged to a Land Corps officer who had decked one of their most highly decorated pilots. “I thought we agreed last night that our dispute was finished.”
“This isn’t my doing.” Swift didn’t appear to be happy with the situation. “I would never have allowed this to happen.”
“How did you find out Ella was arrested?”
“I noticed Risk wasn’t at the intake,” Swift explained. “He’s always there. He makes a point to be one of the first faces those new brides see. I figured he would only be missing if something bad had happened that required him to stay in the infirmary. The deckhands told me all about the fight in the mess and the arrest of a woman without a collar.”
“I told her to stay in my quarters,” he ground out angrily. “I warned her something like this would happen.”
“I get the feeling she isn’t the kind of woman who takes to orders very well,” Swift remarked quietly. “Probably a good thing you stole her from me,” he added as an afterthought. “We would have been miserable together, but you like negotiation, right?”