Masked Vengeance

by Zoey Indiana

  "Got it." Freya confirmed and slipped the small cloaking device onto her vest.

  "I guess this is it then, you're ready to go."

  Freya nodded in response, but didn't say anything. He held back his need to pull her into his arms and declare his love. It wouldn't stop her from going on this suicide mission. Her hand reached out, pausing just inches from his chest. Fingers flexing and then making a fist, she dropped her hand and turned away, walking over to Nova and Cay.

  Air escaped from his chest in a rush as the pain descended. This would be their last time together because if she did survive, he wouldn't be here to welcome her back. Once she was safely on her way back, he'd move to one of the Resistance Colonies outside the city. Or maybe disappear to a safe house.

  Unable to watch Nova and Cay's affectionate goodbye, he retreated into his command room. Focusing on the mission, he pulled up several camera feeds. Running a hand through his hair, it got caught in the mask he'd forgotten was sitting on top of his head. Pulling it from his hair, he dropped it on the table. Nothing had gone right today. The party was supposed to boost morale, not provide a distraction as they ran the mission early.

  A few minutes later, Cay joined him. Bash started to activate the comms, but the door chimed. She'd come back to say goodbye! Bash rushed the door, fumbling to get through the locks Cay set when he'd entered. The door hissed and revealed Alastor who shoved him aside as he barged in. Bash winced as disappointment sank into him. He should have known she wouldn't come back to say goodbye. Numbness seeped in as he reset the door locks, returned to the screens, and slipped his gloves on.

  Nova and Freya had just passed through the last underground tunnel. Once they exited, video feed would be sporadic. If he moved any of the views, someone might catch onto the fact that he'd hacked their system, and that was the last thing they needed right now.

  "We're outside." Nova's voice invaded the control room.

  He saw two unknown women emerge from a door on the camera feed. The cloaking devices were able to project the image of different women over their bodies, visibly disguising them. Since they'd added underground tunnels connecting various Resistance held buildings through the inner-city, it was easier for them to travel. But closer to ARI headquarters, it was increasingly difficult to get buildings under their control, let alone build the tunnels. They walked off screen and didn't reappear for several minutes.

  "Nearing the camera station."

  This was it. Whether they made it past the camera without detection would determine if they lived or died. Pulling it up, they watched in absolute silence as one walked past, then the second. Bash changed over to code feeds, looking for any sign they'd triggered something. The motion sensor was still down because of the upgrades so it didn't register.

  "We're through, almost to--" a high-pitched whine screamed through the comm system and then it went dead silent.

  "What just happened?" Cay burst out of his chair and tried to pull up the camera feed.

  "Someone found our connection. It automatically shut down so we couldn't be traced. I planned for this, we can track them with the video feeds."

  The entire room delved into silent darkness.

  Chapter 6

  Bash ignored the pneumatic hiss of the door, unless it was Freya walking in, he didn't care. Why couldn't he type faster? Every second that ticked by meant that she was in danger and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

  "Hey."

  The words barely registered as his hands gestured through the air furiously. Someone grabbed his shoulder, but he shrugged them off. If he could reconnect the video link he'd had earlier, there was a chance he could find them.

  "Bash!"

  "What?" He spun on them, shouting.

  Cay took a step back with his hands up and palms out. "It's been an hour since the power came back on. If we triggered it, wouldn't ARI be here by now?"

  Bash shook his head to clear it. Not knowing what happened to her was messing with his mind. "I don't think we triggered it though. Either they reset the power in the whole inner-city to reboot the new equipment, or the attack took something out. The most concerning part is that they should have been back half an hour ago."

  "I know that. It's taking every ounce of my being to not freak the fuck out right now." Cay bit out as he stuffed his hands into his armpits.

  Bash slumped into a chair, pulled his gloves off, and dropped his face into his hands. "I don't know how you stand this. Just not knowing is making me crazy."

  He felt hands grasp his shoulders and push him upright. "Out of the two of us, only you have a chance of finding and saving them." Looking into Cay's eyes, he knew the other man spoke the truth. If ARI had captured the women, it would be almost impossible for them to escape. "Please tell me you have an idea."

  "Actually, I do." Bash jumped up from the chair and slipped the gloves back on. Inspired and refocused, he resorted to a plan that he had been saving. Last week, he'd figured out the rest of the issues preventing him from acting, but hadn't tested the theories yet. It was now or never.

  He flew through the protocols and retraced the digital path to a set of vulnerable servers inside ARI headquarters. If he made the slightest mistake, they would descend on the bar and leave it in ruins. On the other hand, if this was a success, he would land a major blow for the Resistance.

  Ten minutes passed by as he tweaked the virus and finished penetrating the firewall. Removing the gloves, he stared at the last command standing between him and making his place in history. He just didn't know if that was from how much damage it would cause or because of how spectacularly the fuck up would be.

  "What are you waiting for?" Cay hadn't left the room since Bash started the attack.

  "If I press that button, there is no going back. In theory, I can undo everything up to this point."

  "Bullshit. The moment those two women walked out of Violet Five, there was no going back. By not doing this, you are ruining the last chance we have."

  Before he could change his mind, he hit confirm.

  Chapter 7

  Another hour passed, threatening to push him deeper into insanity. While Cay had paced around the room, Alastor sat quietly in a corner glaring at everything daring to exist. Bash reverted back to his captivity days and worked out every muscle group he could find. Now he was exhausted, but still on edge.

  A perimeter alarm triggered and all three men bolted to the camera feeds that popped up on the screen. Two women walked down one of the underground corridors. Looking closer, it appeared that Freya had Nova's arm over her shoulder, assisting her. Bash closed his eyes and counted to five before looking again to ensure he wasn't seeing a hallucination. Freya was alive!

  He bolted from the command room, sprinting to where the women were. Cay reached them first and scooped Nova up. Once unencumbered, Freya jumped forward and clung onto him. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tight, and laid his face in the crook of her neck. Her thighs wrapped around his waist and they stayed embraced like that for several minutes. In this moment he realized life wouldn't be the same without her. It might be less complicated, but it would be dull and empty. His heart belonged to her.

  "Take me back to the control room?" Freya's soft voice had his cock hard in an instant, but he hoisted her higher and carried her back. Unwilling to let her go yet, he sat in a chair and held her in his lap.

  "What happened?" He knew what Alastor was really asking, but as long as he could hold her a bit longer, he didn't care what she talked about.

  "Everything was fine until we set the timer for the charges. There must have been some kind of silent alarm because ARI was waiting for us when we left. We didn't have a chance."

  "They threw us into a cell in one of the smaller buildings and left us unguarded." Nova added.

  "We were trying to find a way out when all the electronics in the building reset. I'm not sure what caused it, but the computerized lock opened before I could finish tracing the mechanics of it with my
telekinesis." Freya kissed his nose and rested her forehead on his, warming his heart.

  "The soldiers that we ran into on the way out will probably never walk right again." Nova said with an odd tone.

  "Why is that?" Bash wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he asked anyway.

  "Nova helped me realize how much I wanted to see you again. Anyone who stood between you and me didn't have a chance." Her lips met his for the sweetest kiss he'd ever tasted. "We both know I don't understand what love is, but maybe what I feel when I think of you is love."

  He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. She'd just admitting that she felt for him the same way he felt for her. Maybe it was love or maybe not, but he wasn't going to question that right now. Like nothing else in the world, he needed to show her the depths of his love. Holding her tight, he carried her from the control room, but as they passed the door that led to the bar, Freya stopped him.

  "Where are we going?"

  "I'm taking you back to our suite to show you how much you mean to me." He kissed her chin as he spoke.

  "That can wait." His spirit sank at her words. Maybe he'd let his emotions get the better of him. "I hear there is this thing called a Masquerade Party. Apparently someone is throwing an amazing one and we're missing out."

  Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Both of their masks floated over to Freya's outstretched hand. Bash set her back on her feet and carefully re-tied both of their masks.

  Looking her in the eyes, he held a hand out to her. "Shall we?"

  If you loved Masked Vengeance, please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon.

  Continue the adventure in The Vengeance Trilogy in Vengeance Executed.

  Want to read how Freya and Bash met? Start the trilogy with Vengeance Unveiled.

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  A Note from the Author

  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking your precious time to read Masked Vengeance. I hope the adventures were daring, expectations were defied, and all the liaisons were dazzling. I had so much fun writing this short story for Freya and Bash.

  But wait! There’s more. The Trilogy isn’t the end. Remember man of few words but plenty of growls — Alastor? His book is coming soon.

  Sign up for Zoey’s Zine for first access to new releases. Plus I always give my elite readers extra content, giveaways, sneak peeks, and first look at new covers.

  If you have time, would you mind leaving a review on Amazon? Reviews help other readers like you find books they’ll love.

  I appreciate you.

  ~Z

  Also by Zoey Indiana

  Vengeance Due

  Vengeance Unveiled

  Masked Vengeance: A Holiday Story

  Vengeance Executed

  About the Author

  Zoey Indiana is an emerging author of daring adventures, defying expectations, and dazzling liaisons. Her books follow headstrong heroines as they find the heroes and love they deserve. She loves writing stories that push the bounds of reality while finding a way to keep it down to Earth.

  Connect with her on her website www.zoeyindiana.com