by Susan Hayes
Alyson was still trying to think of a snappy comeback when she spotted Ariel’s blaster move. There wasn’t time to shout a warning, so she didn’t bother. Instead, Alyson snapped her own gun up and fired at Ariel just as the woman took her shot.
More blaster fire sounded, and then everything went quiet. It was over.
At least, she thought it was. Pain made it hard to think clearly, and even the smallest movement hurt, but she managed to stay upright. There was a body on the ground, and it only took a second for her to be sure that it didn’t belong to either Blade or Dirk. Relieved, she sagged against the wall as the last of her energy drained away. The blaster fell from her nerveless fingers and another wave of agony washed over her. This time, she didn’t try to fight it. She let herself slide down the wall until she reached the floor.
Dirk raced to her side and dropped to the floor beside her. “How bad is it?”
“Hurts, but I’ll live,” she replied through gritted teeth. “The others?”
“We’re fine. She missed. You didn’t,” Blade said.
“Lance?”
“He stayed behind to secure Ward. He’s fine.”
It was hard to think past the pain, but Alyson needed to know what was going on. “Is she dead?”
“Very.”
“Good.” She should probably feel guilty for killing the other woman, but right now, she couldn’t muster that kind of compassion for someone who had tried to take her life and the lives of the people she loved.
Dirk checked her wound, muttering under his breath at the damage.
“I’ll live, right?”
“Yeah.” He stretched out beside her and eased an arm around her shoulders, drawing her in close. “Nice shooting back there. You know, if you ever decide to give up being a doctor, I think you might have what it takes to be a hell of a bodyguard.”
“Thanks.” She sucked in a breath and raised her head enough to take a look at her injury. She’d taken a blaster bolt to the hip, low enough to partially miss the body armor they’d insisted she wear. A few inches higher, and she’d be in a lot better shape right now.
“She wasn’t much of a shot, was she?” Alyson gently touched the edges of the wound. It was already healing, thanks to her new medi-bots, but it was still going to be painful for the next few hours.
“Apparently not, which is something I will be forever grateful for. If she’d been a better shot, you and Blade might not be with us right now.” Dirk’s voice caught as he looked at her injured side. “We failed you.”
“I’m alive. Ward’s alive. The bitch who messed with us is dead. I’m calling this a win.”
“I love it when you get all bloodthirsty. How you feeling, Doc?” Blade joined them behind the barricade, crouching down at her feet with a worried smile on his face.
“Like I got shot. Any chance one of you wants to go get my medical bag from the ship? I could use a pain blocker.”
His smile widened a little. “If you can still manage sarcasm, I guess that means you’re going to be fine. And your bag’s already here. Lance brought it down just in case things didn’t go according to plan.”
“I owe Lance a kiss for that. How’s Ward?” she asked.
“Out cold and secure. We’ll take him with us when we head back to the Sun Sprite. There isn’t much we can do for him, but we can keep him comfortable until the IAF gets here.”
“I hope they understand he’s a victim in all this. The guilty one is over there.” She nodded toward the corpse of Ward’s handler.
“They know,” Lance assured her, arriving with her bag and handing it to Dirk.
“What was that she said at the end? Did any of you understand her?” Alyson asked as Dirk rummaged through the bag for a pain blocker.
All three of her men shook their heads.
“It wasn’t in any language we’re programmed with,” Dirk said.
Blade’s expression clouded into one of disturbed concern. “I think—I hate to even say it—but I think it was another override command. One she thought would affect us.”
“I think so, too. I saw her face when she said it. She thought something would happen, something that would help her.”
“We’ll talk about this later.” Dirk placed an injector loaded with pain blocker to her thigh and pressed the trigger.
Within seconds, the pain started to ebb, and soon she was floating on a comfortable cloud. She settled back into Dirk’s arms and let herself drift.
“You ready to get out of here?” one of them asked.
She nodded. “More than ready.”
Once Dirk was standing she reached out for Lance and Blade. “I love you three so much. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“We love you too, sunshine.” Lance squeezed her hand.
“Then take me home.” She liked the way that sounded. Home, to a place where she was welcomed and needed. A place filled with friends who had her back, and three amazing men who were sworn to love and protect her. Home had never sounded so good.
EPILOGUE
Alyson looked around the table and smiled as she counted her many blessings. They were back in the Nova Club for a well-earned night of celebration, surrounded by friends that were more like family. The cyborgs, their allies, her staff from the clinic, even a few of the Interstellar Armed Forces officers who were part of the investigation team were here tonight.
It was the first time they had all been together since the Sun Sprite’s return to the Drift, and it was the last night she’d see some of them for a while. Tomorrow, Phaedra, Nya, Zale, and his cousin Denz would be leaving on an IAF cruiser to take part in what everyone hoped would be a rescue mission. If everything went well, they’d be coming back with the missing cyborgs. The ones the corporations were still denying existed.
Well, most of the corporations. Some of them had seen the writing on the wall. Astek had been the first to quietly hand over their files while maintaining a public front of denial. Others were coming forward now, and the stack of evidence was growing into a mountain that would eventually bury the guilty ones.
The investigation was so big that the IAF was establishing a base out here in the Drift. For now, they were working out of Astek station, who had been exonerated early on. Soon though, a new station would be brought in to add to the Drift. The Interstellar Armed Forces were settling in for a long stay.
“I haven’t seen you smile this much in well, forever, actually.” Phaedra dropped into an empty seat at her side and set down two glasses on the battered tabletop, pushing one of them toward Alyson.
“Torskian Ale? Are you trying to kill me? I tried that stuff while I was away. My liver has yet to forgive me.”
“Drink up, you wuss. You’ve got medi-bots in your bloodstream. You can’t get a hangover.” Phaedra raised her glass and grinned before taking a swig. “And now, neither can I.”
“Zale?”
“Zale. Bless him and his magical nanotech.”
Alyson nodded to a distant corner of the Club, where a rugged-looking older man in a perfectly fitted IAF uniform was sitting with several other officers. Since arriving on the station, Colonel Archer had made his presence known, but so far he had been mostly supportive of the cyborgs and their cause. “I thought the Colonel had banned him from producing anymore until they got things under control?”
Phaedra shrugged. “By the time Colonel bossy brass set foot on this station, Zale had already ensured we’d all gotten a dose. He wanted to be certain we were all protected. Not all of us have an entire team of sexy bodyguards to keep us safe.”
At the mention of her men, Alyson glanced over in their direction. They were back to their normal, relaxed selves, laughing and drinking with Phylomenia Harrington and Royan. Captain Phyl had only arrived back at Astek station this morning, and no doubt she had a lot of questions about what had gone on while she had been on her last cargo run. She was the group’s official den mother, dispensing advice and ass-kickings as needed, and they all loved her.
&nbs
p; Phaedra tapped her glass against Alyson’s. “No matter how long you stare at them, they can’t get any hotter, you lucky woman.”
“I am lucky, aren’t I?” She finally tore her attention away from her men to look at her friend. It was hard to believe she was leaving tomorrow, but Phaedra didn’t like staying in one place too long. Her past had a way of catching up to her. She’d be safe enough with the IAF, and once she had learned about the missing cyborgs, she’d pestered the Colonel until he had finally agreed to let her go along. They might need her unique skills where they were going: a secret base where Victor and Ward claimed they had seen the captives.
“Who knows, maybe I’ll find myself some sexy cyborgs on this mission. Those IAF officers look damned fine in their uniforms. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to find out what they look like out of them.”
“You worry less about getting laid and more about staying in one piece. This could be dangerous. We have no idea what those bastards did to the cyborgs. They could be fine, or they might be like Vic and Ward.” Astek had given the IAF confirmation that there were failsafe command words, like the one used to control Vic and Ward, programmed into the cyborgs. Astek claimed they had deactivated that element from all of their cyborgs before they were released. Apparently, some of the other corporations hadn’t done so.
Phaedra sighed. “How are those two doing? I know they’re both out of custody, but I don’t see them here tonight.”
“They’re not ready. At least, that’s what Toro said when I asked. I can’t imagine what they’ve been through, but it’s going to take them time to work through it.”
Phaedra nodded. “Not to mention, coming here tonight would mean meeting more than one person they were assigned to kill at one point or another. Talk about awkward.”
Alyson had already visited Victor. It had been awkward, but she didn’t blame either of them for what they’d done. After all, Victor’s warning saved her life, and since his recovery he had taken the time to show the others how he and his brother had gotten around the station without being detected. Thanks to him, Astek station was more secure, and so was her clinic.
He’d explained to the others how his memories and his free will had started to return after he spotted his batch brothers in the Nova Club one night. He’d been following one of the Reaper’s assigned targets to gain intel when he saw them. He had managed to hide his growing awareness from his handler, and when they were assigned a new target, he’d risked his life to alert Alyson to the danger while doing all he could to break Ward’s mind free.
When Ariel finally figured out what Victor had done, she sent Ward to intercept Alyson. Once his brother was gone, she’d told Victor he was a liability and shot him.
Fortunately for everyone, her aim was lousy and he’d survived.
“Your smile is fading. Do I need to call your protection detail over here?” Phaedra asked.
“Sorry, I was thinking about Vic and Ward, and their bitch of a handler. I’m not sorry she’s dead, but I do regret that we couldn’t get any information out of her. We still don’t know who she worked for. That information might help you guys when you get to this base.”
“We’ll figure it out. That Colonel is a pain in the ass, but he’s motivated. I heard he’s got Nova Force looking into the whole thing about what the Vault of the Fallen is, and how someone got access to their DNA. He’s beyond pissed about that.”
A niggling thought struck Alyson. “You are not hacking his comms, are you, Phae?”
Phaedra blue eyes widened in an attempt to make her look innocent. “Me? I’d never do such a thing.”
“You’re insane. Just once, could you try to behave yourself?”
“I don’t want to behave myself. I want to make a difference, the way you have.” She raised her glass and pointed to where Cynder stood, having a quiet conversation with Nya. “You changed their lives, Princess.”
“You do make a difference. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
Phae grinned. “That’s very true. If I hadn’t stepped in, you would have married that Bryce idiot without ever knowing he was cheating on you, and then you wouldn’t be engaged to marry those three sex gods in black leather over there.”
Alyson looked down at the set of stacking rings on her left hand and grinned. They had asked her last night. All three of them on their knees and their words carefully timed so that they spoke in perfect synch. When she said yes, each of them had opened their hand to reveal three identical rings designed to be worn together. The narrow gold bands were set with three small, square-cut diamonds, and they had slipped them onto her finger one after another.
As if aware of her gaze, Dirk turned to look at her with that slow, sexy smile that she loved. A moment later all three of them were headed her way.
“And here they come. That’s it, I’m out of here. I’m happy for you, but I’m not equipped to deal with the level of mushiness that is about to ensue.” Phaedra drained her glass and leaned over to hug Alyson. “I’m off to find more booze and some trouble. Wish me luck.”
“Love ya. I’ll be at the docking arm tomorrow to see you off.”
“You’d better be!” Phae headed off to the bar, her pink hair glowing in the strobing lights of the club.
“Hello, sunshine.” Lance reached her first, setting down his drink and sweeping her off her chair and into his arms. She was wrapped up in warm leather and strength as he held her close and kissed her without restraint or a care for their audience.
By the time she was spun into Dirk’s waiting arms, the room had erupted into cheers and laughter. His kiss was scorching, one hand on her ass, pulling her in hard as he laid claim to her mouth with his.
“She’s wearing my ring, too, you know,” Blade finally complained when Dirk showed no signs of letting her go.
Laughing, Dirk released her into Blade’s embrace. “Good things come to those who wait.”
“And I’m definitely a good thing,” she added before Blade’s lips were on hers. He didn’t stop with a kiss, or two, or three. Tongues danced, lips mated--he kissed her until she was breathless and trembling in his arms.
“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he whispered against her lips before finally lifting his head again.
“The best thing that’s happened to any of us.” Dirk moved in behind her and Lance claimed a spot at her side as their friends all laughed and catcalled from around the bar.
She was too happy to care that she was making a scene. From somewhere in the shadows, she heard Anne calling out “And it’s about time too!”
Alyson laughed with joy. Anne was right. It was about time she allowed herself to be happy. Tonight, they were celebrating all the good that had happened in the last few months. They’d achieved so much. Though there was more work to do and undoubtedly more threats to face, she wasn’t going to face them alone. She had three of the bravest guardians in the cosmos watching over her, encouraging her, and loving her. She’d put her life in their hands, and they’d given her their hearts in return.
THE END
NEXT IN SERIES
No Limit
The Drift, Book Five
Three hearts. Two worlds, No limits.
Tyros Varorsa and Ket Xir are scouting for planets to colonize and new allies to trade with. The last thing they expect is to find a potential mate along the way. Especially not a diminutive female with pink hair and a warrior’s spirit.
Phaedra Kari has been called a lot of things in her life: trouble, cyber-jockey, lunatic, hacker, but never someone’s mate. Not until Tyros and Ket arrived at the Drift.
A chance for a new life is within their grasp, but to seize it they will have to find a way to escape their past, defy the rules, and claim the future for themselves.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan lives out on the Canadian west coast surrounded by open water, dear family, and good friends. She’s jumped out of perfectly good airplanes on purpose and accidently swum with sharks on the Gr
eat Barrier Reef.
If the world ends, she plans to survive as the spunky, comedic sidekick to the heroes of the new world, because she’s too damned short and out of shape to make it on her own for long.
To contact her about her books or to arrange end of the world team-ups, you can email her at [email protected].
For all titles by Susan Hayes, please visit her website:
susanhayes.ca
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