He could see the anger simmering just under the surface of her calm front. He released her hips and she stood. She remained standing over him for a moment before she started grabbing her clothes. As she pulled them on, she kept shooting fuming glares at him. He dressed and folded the blanket. He didn’t think she was through with him yet.
After she’d dressed and put on her shoes, she whirled back to face him. She stomped over him and poked her finger into his chest. “Do they teach you Zarain how to send a woman into a panic attack?”
He shook his head. Ada didn’t look panicked to him, but he wasn’t going to contradict her at this moment.
“I tell you that I can’t do relationships and you blurt out not an hour later that we’re married according to your people.” Her finger stabbed against his chest and she glared at him. “Do you want to make me crazy? I really can’t make a relationship work. I’ve never been able to do that. I don’t know of anyone in my family who can.”
He took a deep breath and kept his face straight. Here might be a chance for him to learn about her problems with relationships. “Relationships are not in any way genetically predisposed. You make connections with other people. You have a relationship with the people of the trade ship crew. I’d wager you’ve been friends with some of them for years.”
“Friendship is different.” She shook her head and began walking back toward the camp.
“Only in that there’s a certain distance to them most of the time. But you’ve lived and worked with these people for years. You’ve probably been closer to them than most of the men you’ve dated and for longer periods.” He saw that even if she didn’t.
“That’s not the kind of relationship I’m talking about.” She stopped and turned to face him. “You’re deliberately ignoring what I say.”
“No, I’m not. Those are relationships, but I can tell that you’re afraid of something. Is it being hurt or hurting someone else?” It was the most obvious guess. He didn’t know enough to be sure which one scared her more or if it was a little bit of both.
“I can’t do relationships.” Her finger jabbed at him and she stalked away from him.
He followed, keeping her in sight, but not rushing. Still, he couldn’t let her think that he’d accept that lie. “You’ll have to learn then. I’m sure I can teach you.”
Chapter Ten
Ada walked beside the large Zarain man leading her out of the camp. She couldn’t quite remember his name. It felt as if it was on the tip of her tongue but simply wouldn’t slide off. It frustrated her, because she had been introduced to him.
She’d noticed the captain and a few others being ushered quietly out as well. What were the Zarain doing? She didn’t think they were planning a trap or anything such as that, but the man beside her hadn’t said anything other than she was needed somewhere. The tone of his voice and the look in his eyes hadn’t invited questions.
Until she’d seen the others also being led out of the camp, she’d thought that maybe Jagger wanted to talk to her. She had been a little wary of that but wasn’t willing to miss spending some time with him. Even after those explosive revelations, she still couldn’t get enough of simply being with him. Now she was confused.
She looked back over her shoulder. There were still people from the Setona in the camp, although the remaining Zarain there seemed to be keeping them busy. Turning her head back to the front, she wondered what Jagger was doing. This had to have been orchestrated by him.
The man took her to one of the little groups of trees near the river. As they walked, she tried to remember his name. Tag. No, Tav. He’d been introduced as Tav.
The silence stretched and she grew tense. She focused on her surroundings to try to calm her nerves. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath her feet as she approached. Patches of grass and bushes grew anywhere the sun broke through the leafy canopy. When she arrived, Jagger was already there, as was Captain Thomas. Lauren and Keegan arrived almost at the same time and they were followed by Owen and Carson. She tilted her head as she joined the others. She leaned back against the tree to wait to see what Jagger wanted.
He looked good today and a little dangerous. His hair was mussed, but that could have been from the wind or simply the walk through the trees. She wanted to peel that light cream shirt right off him and those black pants would hit the ground as well. She’d be a little more careful of the stunner that hung at his belt, but if they were alone, she’d get rid of it.
Pulling her mind away from thoughts of Jagger naked, she looked at all of the other Zarain men. They were armed. It was a visible reminder that danger remained a very present threat. The sight of so many weapons managed to cool her hunger a little.
“I’ve talked with your captain, and you’re the most senior members of his crew, the people he trusts the most. We’re going to talk about the pirate’s attack on your ship and if any of you have any idea why someone would continue to assault crew members here.” Jagger looked over the people gathered around the area.
Ada didn’t have a clue about what those people were after or why they kept trying to hurt the crew members. They didn’t transport anything that valuable. Nothing worth injury or death.
She glanced around at the others as the silence stretched. They all looked as lost and confused as she felt. The continual harassment didn’t make any sense.
“All right, since none of you seem to have anything to volunteer, let’s start with something basic. What were you carrying on this trade run?” Jagger exhaled heavily and folded his arms across his chest as he leaned a shoulder back against the tree. “I want to know everything. I want these men stopped.”
“That’s just it. There wasn’t anything worthy of even a raid by the pirates in this load. They aren’t going to make any profit from our cargo. The upkeep on their weapons and personnel costs more than what they’ll make.” Captain Thomas shook his head. “There are runs where we have more valuable cargo, but not this time. It was supplies. Mostly food.”
“Well, obviously someone within your crew thought differently, because the two people who attacked were from this group.” Jagger came away from the tree and glared.
“It was one of our scheduled deliveries though. Anyone who’d been with the crew for even a few months would have known that unless something special gets added, that leg of our normal route is almost always primarily supplies and the occasional piece of equipment,” Ada offered softly. “Even the newest person on the crew has been there long enough to know that.”
“Where were you going then? What was your route?” Jagger frowned.
“We were on the outer leg of our route that takes us to the colony world of Mantid. We run supplies and any food or extras that they can’t grow there to the planet. On the way back, we were headed to the Central Command base before heading to a planet to pick up more cargo.” Captain Thomas shook his head. “It was normal business for us.”
“The base is part of your regular route?” Jagger raised a brow, but he seemed more attentive now.
“Yes,” Captain Thomas affirmed.
“And you don’t think that might have anything to do with why you were targeted by the space pirates on this end of your trip?” Cort, one of the Zarain men, asked with doubt clear on face.
Even though she’d only been briefly introduced to the man. Ada hadn’t forgotten him. That neck tattoo made him stand out among the big muscled men. The others had tattoos, but he was the only one she’d seen with one on the neck. She opened her mouth to answer when a soft laugh drew her attention.
“You think that we carry anything special to them?” Lauren smiled. “A lot of people outside the business have that misconception.”
“You don’t carry anything valuable to them?” Jagger came away from the tree, drawing everyone’s attention to him.
“No, what we take to the base is extra provisions. Military transport carries the bulk of the supplies and all of the weapons and their equipment. We get overflow of the non-necessity art
icles or low-priority necessities. Clothes and the occasional luxuries they sometimes get are a good example.” Ada tried to help explain. They had to have security clearance, but that was only because they entered the base at all. It wasn’t because they carried anything valuable.
“It was a regular stop for you though?” Jagger ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.
She understood the feeling. The attack and continued harassment made no sense at all.
“Yes, we have a contract with them.” Captain Thomas nodded. “The cargo is always the same. We don’t carry anything top secret or any kind of weapons at all.”
“Is there a reason someone would think you were carrying something secret for the base?” Jagger’s hands fell to his side and one hand tapped against his thigh. His eyes were focused somewhere far beyond the people and trees in front of him.
Ada’s first impulse was to say an immediate no and she saw some of the crew shake their heads without hesitation. Before she did, she gave it a little thought. She considered the events of each visit. They’d unload, but they didn’t immediately leave. Most of the crew stayed on board the Setona because there weren’t very many places open to the public on the base. An escort was required almost everywhere they went. The captain always had dinner with the base commander. Sometimes another of the crew would join them.
Ada had sat in on one of those meals herself. Captain Thomas was friends with the man, and their trade route often took them to the world where the commander’s daughter worked. The captain sometimes took news from the daughter to the commander.
“Ada, is there something you think might be important?” Jagger took a step toward her but stopped.
“We don’t carry anything beyond what we told you, but there might a reason someone would think that there’s more to our visits.” Ada bit her lower lip.
“What are you thinking, Ada?” Captain Thomas asked with a frown.
“Your dinners with the base commander. I know there’s nothing behind them and so does the crew here. New crew though, I doubt they picked up on the fact that the commander’s an old friend.” Ada glanced over at Jagger and then back to the captain. She wasn’t sure, but it was a possibility. It was the only thing that might lead someone to the wrong idea about the cargo they carried. None of the other stops on this part of the route was more than a drop-off in normal circumstances.
“It might be possible.” The captain considered and nodded. “I don’t know how they’d get from a meal with the base commander to some secret cargo though.”
“Doesn’t take much for some people to jump to conclusions,” Cort offered.
“It could explain why they’ve been so persistent. They might think you’re carrying a new weapon for testing or some sensitive information.” Jagger’s eyes swept over the group. “Do you have any idea who it could be? Any suspicions?”
“I suspect everyone I’ve hired in the last year.” Captain Thomas’s lip curled and he shook his head. “That would be the three new people I told you about. All three are male.”
“It narrows down who we need to watch most intensively.” Jagger shrugged.
Ada glanced at Jagger as something in the way he’d said that caught her attention. She thought it over and realized it was the “most intensely” part. He and the other men would watch everyone. A little offended at first, Ada shot a glare his way, but as she gave it a little thought, she realized it was a good idea. She didn’t want to believe that any of her friends might have attacked her or anyone else, but someone had. They wouldn’t be certain who was behind it until the men were caught.
“You can return to the camp now. Enter the camp in small groups from different areas, please. I’d like to keep those left in camp unaware that there was any type of meeting.” Jagger straightened and looked at two of the men with him.
Tav, the man who’d walked with her, and Shade stepped forward and volunteered to walk back with them. She knew they weren’t supposed to all simply stroll back into the camp as one big group, but she hadn’t seen any kind of signal. As Ada turned, she glanced back, but Jagger hadn’t moved. He wasn’t coming back to the camp yet. She followed Tav, but she couldn’t help wondering what Jagger and the other men with him were going to discuss.
Chapter Eleven
Ada walked along the river. She’d been looking for Jagger since she’d eaten at midday. Her search had started with a walk around camp. It was quiet. Other people rested or found ways to entertain themselves, but no one had seen the big man. Some talked, others played a game that had been improvised from some smooth river rocks, a spare tent spike and circles made in the dirt around the spike.
She hadn’t found Jagger on that first foray but had thought that perhaps he was simply out of camp for a little while. She’d sat and talked to Lauren. After a while, she’d glanced around and noticed he still wasn’t anywhere in sight, so she’d walked around camp again. Finally, she’d asked one of the Zarain men. He had directed her to walk along the river until she found a spot where the river widened almost into a lake.
She had wandered along the river but mostly in the other direction. She’d never found a spot where the river widened. Strolling along the bank now, she let her eyes roam over the tall green grass along the river bank. She couldn’t see anyone around here or hear any sound of someone nearby. How far had Jagger gone? She continued along the riverbank, listening and watching.
The river curved. While she worked her way around a thicket of thorny vines and bushes that had grown next to the river, she thought she heard a noise. She stopped and tilted her head waiting to see if that snapping noise came again. It had sounded like it occurred somewhere in the trees ahead of her, but she couldn’t be sure. Her heart pounded as a little fear seeped through her. Glancing around, she tried to see if anyone was following her or if some animal thought she was prey because she was alone.
She didn’t see any movement or sign of a predator stalking her. Relaxing a little, she was still wary as she continued her quest to find Jagger. At this point, she might take even seeing the widening of the river as a triumph.
She made her way through a cluster of trees growing along the bank and stepped out into a clearing and stared at the water. The river did widen into a large roughly rounded shape before the water continued its way downstream.
A large grassy area separated the river’s edge from the group of trees that almost surrounded the area. The water looked cool and inviting and the thought of going for a swim floated through her mind. She shook her head. She was here to find Jagger. They needed to talk. She didn’t see anyone here though, or a sign that he’d been here at all.
Sighing, she looked around for a moment. Where was he? Hopefully, that Zarain hadn’t sent her out here as some sort of joke. With the danger of the two unknown attackers, she didn’t think he’d do that. All of the Zarain men seemed to take the threat seriously. Which meant that he had believed Jagger would be here. He obviously wasn’t here now.
She turned to walk back to camp, but the sound of cracking twigs and thrashing leaves drew her head around to at the tree line. At first, she didn’t see anything, but the cracks and rustling of leaves grew louder. She backed up slowly. Her eyes remained locked on the foliage.
Two huge beasts with shaggy blond and brown fur burst from the trees and bushes. Her heart slammed inside her chest. Where had they come from? How had no one seen these animals? Fear dried her mouth and panic slammed through her. All she saw were big heads with pointed ears and huge, teeth-filled muzzles. Run! It was the only thought in her mind.
A roar made her jump and one of the shaggy creatures loped toward her. She spun, found herself facing the river and ran into the water. She kept going, swimming when her feet wouldn’t touch the river bottom any longer.
Ada. The sound of Jagger’s voice was so clear that she at first looked around, fear for him spiking through her. She saw one of the beasts but nothing else. She turned and swam again, sure that she’d imagined her na
me.
She expected to hear another roar or maybe the sound of splashing if the animal came into the water after her. Laughter startled her. She stopped swimming and glanced back. Jagger stood on the grass near the water’s edge. He was naked and a huge smile curved his lips.
“Jagger, the animals. Where are the animals?” Her eyes swung from left to right looking for that large monster.
“The animals are gone, Ada.” His voice was calm and sure. “Come on out of the water.
“How can you be sure? They were huge, Jagger.” Her eyes centered on him again. Why is he naked? “Where are your clothes?”
“My clothes are over there.” He pointed to the edge of the trees, but she couldn’t see any sign of his clothes. “I know the animals are gone because I was one of them. Cort was the other one. You know we’re shapeshifters.”
She stared at him and it took her a moment for her mind to work its way around what he’d said. He was that beast and he’d stood there laughing at her when he’d terrified her. Anger built, replacing the fear. Her eyes narrowed on him.
“Come out, Ada.” His arm gestured for her to come closer. “We’ll walk back to the camp and you can get into some dry clothes.”
Ada glared at him and then turned and swam for the opposite side of the river. She was going back to get some dry clothes, but she wasn’t going with him.
“Ada, where do you think you’re going?” Jagger’s voice rose and she heard splashing.
Ada kept swimming and didn’t bother to look back. He could come after her or he could go back, get his clothes and walk back on his own. She didn’t care. As she was wading out of the water on the other side, he caught up with her. His hand clasped her arm, pulling her to a halt.
“Ada.” Just her name, but there was a distinct rumble in his voice.
Ada wasn’t impressed. She turned to face him and glared up at him. “What?”
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