by Vi Keeland
“You’re choosing now to believe me. Now, when she’s actually not affecting me? Now when it looks like she might actually be on to something?” Thaegan shot Dallas a warning glare. “And you sure as shit don’t think she committed murder any more than I do. So why don’t you shut up and let the woman finish her story? In light of what we think’s going on with our own situation, doesn’t it seem plausible that QAL has more than its share of traitors walking among their ranks?” Thaegan turned back to Lilly. “Finish.”
“Anyway, not only did he not get what he wanted, but I managed to best him in a sting operation by collaring a Drikspa alien who QAL had been chasing down for several years. Turns out the dickwad alien had been kidnapping human males and selling them into the slave trade on Krystallos Three and no one could catch him…”
Lilly inhaled deeply, biting her trembling lip. She turned her eyes to the ceiling, no doubt to make the whole charade more authentic or perhaps to stoke up the energy that seemed to be controlling Thaegan.
Tears glistened in her eyes when she continued. “It turns out the QAL agent was making money working with the Drikspa. Seems my wonderful investigative talents ruined his side business and the agent decided I needed to be punished.” Her brows pinched in a deep furrow as she pursed her lips, trying to control the tears before continuing.
Damn, she was good.
“The alien not only managed to escape, but he kidnapped me and took me prisoner. I found myself imprisoned on a ship filled with sex slaves. Just before we left the planet, the QAL agent paid me a visit. Seems the Drikspa figured out what I was and shared that with the asshole. He got up in my face and made it very clear that if I ever managed to escape, not to bother to go back to Earth. He’d be sure to tell the whole world about my mother. He might as well have told me he would kill her with his bare hands. Earth doesn’t take too kindly to aliens with gifts.”
Dallas didn’t want the betrayal of QAL to sit cold in his gut. Didn’t want the statement about her parents to matter. And he sure as hell didn’t want the tears streaming down her cheeks to burn a path to his heart, but if she spoke the truth, then he and Lilly may have more in common than a couple of very satisfying sexual encounters.
“Still doesn’t explain how you killed a ship full of humans, Lilly.” The words came out flat and hard, just as he’d intended.
Lilly looked at him, hatred and pain clenching her teeth. “There was no way in hell they were getting me to Krystallos Three alive. Do you have any idea what they do to human females there? Just imagine how they’d treat a Seraphelium.”
Dallas flinched at the thought. Agencies throughout the Nebulae Galaxy were aware the president of the mining planet turned a blind eye to the underground sex trade business. Reportedly, buying, selling and exploiting humans earned more money per year than both the water purification and luna crystal mines combined. And of course that currency greased the bureaucratic wheels of the planet’s upper levels of government. No one, save for the newly Commander-elect, had even acknowledged the problem in a public forum. Yeah, Dallas could only imagine what would happen to someone like Lilly in that system. He ignored the cold fingers of nausea clawing at his throat.
“How did you get away, Lilly?” Thaegan asked.
Lilly looked through them both. Her eyes focused blindly on a memory only she could see. Her hands moved absently up and down her arms as if the room had chilled.
“At one of the docking stations, I managed to overpower one of the male guards and get myself and some of the young men off the cargo ship. But I couldn’t save them all.” She dropped her face in her hands, her shoulders shuddering with the sobs racking her body. “God help me, I couldn’t save them all.”
Thaegan walked over to within arm’s reach of the woman standing alone in the middle of the room, but he didn’t offer a touch of comfort. “You did your best, Lilly.”
“Did I?” Her gaze searched his face, seeking a truth the alien couldn’t offer. “I just wanted to survive. I told myself there were too many for me to guarantee our safety, so I took those in my path as I got the hell off the ship and stowed away on a frigate bound for Dallas Eight. In the end, I managed to take less than ten.” Anger and despair trembled along her chin as the agony of her decision brought on a new flood of tears. “There were almost one hundred scared young men and I saved only myself.”
Dallas couldn’t stand it anymore. The hard dam of doubt burst within him, flooding his heart with compassion. She wasn’t using her tears to control them. Lilly blamed herself for a situation that wasn’t of her making. No one understood better than him how that kind of guilt gnawed at the gut, eroded confidence and weighed heavy on your shoulders. He was across the room and pushing past his partner before he thought about his actions.
“It wasn’t your fault.” He tried to gather Lilly in his arms, but she shoved him away.
“Like hell it wasn’t my fault! Ninety. Can you comprehend that?” Lilly tapped her fingers against his forehead as if she could pound the information into his brain. “Ninety humans I sent to a living hell. Killing them would have been more humane.” Sobs racked her body. She covered her mouth with her hand and ran to the sink, her hard, dry wretches filling the air.
Christ, he understood that. How many nights had his body purged itself in penance for the ones lost on Canus Delta?
Walking to her, he rubbed her back until the worst of it was over. Dallas pulled her into his arms, hoping she thought he was offering her support, but in reality he sought solace from his own pain. The warmth of Lilly’s cheek brushed against his chest as she melted into him. Her arms snaked around his shoulders, pulling him hard against the softness of her body. He ran his hand down the silken waves of her hair. “But you survived,” Dallas whispered.
“At what cost?” Lilly stared up at him, her lashes still wet with tears. “My life is a fair exchange for ninety human souls going—”
“That’s enough, Lilly.” Thaegan had been so quiet Dallas had nearly forgotten they weren’t alone. “Guilt is a wasted emotion. It doesn’t leave you with anything but bitterness and ulcers. There isn’t one of us who hasn’t done something in the line of duty that we’ll regret until our dying day. That doesn’t make the decision we made any less valid. We all do what we have to do to survive. There is no right or wrong in this business only adrenaline-charged gut instinct.”
Dallas stiffened at Thaegan’s words. He had no doubt his partner had intended them as much for him as the woman in his arms.
“Thaegan’s right and you know it. You did your best and you survived.” Dallas said the words his partner had repeated ad nauseam. But finally they made sense. This woman had been put in his path not to bring him harm, but to help exorcise the demons that had been living in his nightmares. It was suddenly all very clear.
“It seems there’s a reason you’re here now, Lilly. You may not have been able to stop that scum of an alien, it appears there’s another asshole you may be able to help bring to justice—if you’re willing.”
“Of course I want to help. But how?”
Dallas looked at Thaegan and the Ka’al nodded. The silent exchange of expressions and subtle body language that happens between partners took only a moment, but what they decided was monumental. Thaegan shrugged, retrieved the chairs Lilly and he had used and rearranged them back at the table.
“Why don’t we sit? This could take a little time.”
Less than forty-five minutes later, Lilly fell back against the chair, her fists clenched in rage against the monster they’d dubbed Hij’Rozhod, mist of death. She had no idea if the hologram of the Braugtot she’d seen was the mastermind behind all fourteen deaths, but if he’d somehow orchestrated this whole mess, including the disaster on Canus Delta that had nearly killed Dallas, she’d do anything she could to bring him down.
“Wow, you’re sure all those assassinations are linked to one person?” she asked.
“We’re operating on that assumption,” Dallas replied.<
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“And no one got a look at him or her on Canus Delta?”
Thaegan exchanged another furtive glance with Dallas. There was definitely something they weren’t telling her about that operation. Their details of the botched mission had been sketchy at best as they described the mayhem that had left President Orch and several of his team dead and Dallas severely wounded.
“I mean no description at all?” she asked.
“We were counting on you to fill in that missing piece,” said Thaegan.
“Assuming Grebetz hasn’t been scared off by the chaos at the tavern last night,” continued Dallas. “We have a man who’s been working undercover in hopes of being hired on to Hij’Rozhod’s team. We have an interview set up with the Znedu and his boss tonight. Last night was supposed to be a dry run.”
“That’s why we couldn’t let you take him,” Thaegan finished.
“Just give us a description. We’ll feed it into our software and it’ll spit out a likeness. We can take him down the minute he enters the tavern.” Dallas sounded so hopeful.
“But it’s a male Braugtot,” Lilly said slowly, giving them time to assimilate that information. “I only saw him in his natural form.”
Dallas’ fist slammed down on the table. “Can this get any more fucked up?” He pushed out of the chair and stalked to the front window. “And you couldn’t have told us that an hour ago? Before we filled you in on classified information.”
“That’s enough, Dallas. Lilly needed to know what she was getting herself into before she signed on. She’s done nothing wrong.”
“Except forget to mention the alien was a Braugtot.” Dallas turned away from the window. Bruised skin of exhaustion sat below his eyes, the emotional weariness of the night curving the expanse of his shoulders. The man was definitely slogging around some additional burden Lilly wasn’t privy to.
“With millions of them in the galaxy all those tattoos blur together. They’re nearly impossible to distinguish with just one look,” said Dallas.
“Oh, that’s bullshit and you know it,” Thaegan said. “Lilly’s a detective trained to pick up on the smallest nuances of behavior. Every tattoo is unique in some way. I have no doubt she’d recognize it regardless of what form the Braugtot was in.”
“Thaegan’s right,” she said, lilting her voice to sound more hopeful than she felt. Identifying a Braugtot by his tattoo required attention to detail or complicated software. “I might not be able to describe him enough for your software to create a 3-D likeness, but surely I could distinguish major swirls on his face regardless of what form he took.” Lilly smiled, trying to crack the tough exterior Dallas had erected as he’d spoken of Hij’Rozhod. She suspected Thaegan had contacted his superiors while he was out, which meant they didn’t have much time before they would have to bring her back to QAL Headquarters for an official interrogation. “I don’t see a problem. I’ve been a regular at the tavern for the last week or so. I’ll simply go back there tonight with the rest of your team. I doubt my presence will even spook Grebetz.”
“You’re not going anywhere near that tavern tonight,” Dallas said, his determination emphasizing his statement. “We’ll figure another way for you to get a look at the tattoo.”
“I think she’s right, Dallas. Like Lilly said, without her we’re flying blind.”
“Then we’ll go in like friggin’ bats.” Dallas’ angry strides carried him back to them. “I’m not going to allow Lilly to put herself in danger like that. As team leader, I make those decisions.”
Indignation had her pushing back from the table and standing toe-to-toe with Dallas. “I haven’t had a boss since being kidnapped from Earth over six months ago.” Her finger poked into his sternum. “And you, you arrogant asshole, aren’t going to tell me where I can and can’t go on Garalon Five.” Poke. Poke. “You’re not taking me to QAL headquarters.” Poke. “You’re not keeping me from that tavern.” Poke. “And you’re sure as hell not going to stop me from helping you.” Poke. Poke.
Dallas wrapped his hand around her fingers, his touch possessive. His eyes, dark and hard, locked on hers. The smile curving the corner of his full mouth communicated only the stubborn determination to have his way. Lilly had to fight the urge to swallow against the wave of desire his obstinate stare created in her. Energy snapped along her nerves and she worked to tamp it down. Whatever they decided, she didn’t want it to be skewed by overly charged male hormones.
“When we go to the tavern tonight,” Dallas said finally. “You will be safely tucked away at home, doing whatever it is you do at night that doesn’t involve bounty hunting.”
“No, I—”
He silenced her with a finger to her lips. “It’s not because I don’t trust you, Lilly…I do. And I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself. You’ve proved it several times already tonight.” Dallas shot a look over her shoulder and smiled, this time with genuine amusement that brought out his dimple and softened his eyes. “Hell, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone best Thaegan.”
She heard the Ka’al’s mumbled curse behind her.
“Then let me help.”
“The problem is the location. It’s always bothered me. I suspect this thing with Grebetz has long arms that could snag innocent bystanders. I’ll have enough to worry about tonight, keeping the patrons of the tavern out of harm’s way and my team safe. I’m afraid if you were there, I couldn’t concentrate. You’d be the only thing I could focus on.” His lips brushed hers, touching off a wave of desire that seared straight down her core. “And I don’t think you want to be responsible for one of my men getting hurt because I wasn’t one hundred percent focused.”
Wasn’t that just like a man to turn a compliment into a guilt trip? “You’ll hardly know I’m there.”
“I’m very aware of where you are, Lilly.”
“You’re not going to change my mind on this one, Dallas.”
“What makes you think I’m trying to? My boss would be very unhappy if I didn’t do a thorough interrogation of a suspect.” Dallas slid his hand around the back of her neck and brushed his lips whisper-soft against hers. “We’ve got another couple of hours before we’re expected back at headquarters.” His teeth nipped at her bottom lip and his tongue swept out to soothe. “And since you have no intention of going back with us, I’ve got to have some excuse as to how an unarmed streetwalker got away from two well-trained QAL operatives.” Velvet soft and hot, his mouth teased and aroused. “Overpowered by a Seraphelium seems likely.”
His hands slid up her ribs, curving seductively around the outside of her breasts. His thumbs teased her nipples into to taut points, sending fire scorching through her veins and igniting her energy. Lilly wanted to tamp it down, to enjoy what Dallas could do to her without affecting him, but that wasn’t possible. Her hormones controlled the energy and with the man’s talented hands stroking her flesh, she couldn’t slow her libido.
“What about Thaegan?”
The Ka’al stepped up behind her, the solid muscle of his chest, sandwiching her between the men. Butterflies took flight in her belly as confusion warred with intrigue. She wasn’t sure she wanted this and her body tensed at the contact. Lilly’s focus had been on Dallas and her desire for him. But having the heat of Thaegan’s body pressed against her back certainly kicked her heart rate up another notch.
“I was hoping to join you.” Thaegan’s words came out as if he’d dragged them over a burning road of molten lust.
“I don’t know. I…” Her body thrummed with energy and need and Lilly wasn’t sure how to respond.
Thaegan’s tongue rasped the shell of her ear, his warm breath caressing her throat and sending aching shivers of lust straight to her clenching womb. “You know how much you make me want.”
She did. And that was the crux of her dilemma.
But then sex for her had always come down to that—desire and need. Lilly wanted to be desired, to be craved with a ravenous hunger so overwhelming that a man
would wither away without her intimate touch. What she had instead were males whose bodies were overloaded by hormones and needed—no, demanded—mindless rutting.
Thaegan ran his hands up her arms, gently massaging her shoulders, reminding Lilly she hadn’t responded. That had to mean something. Neither of them was taking without first making sure it’s what she wanted.
“The decision is all yours, Lilly,” Dallas said before sucking her beaded nipple into his mouth, dampening the comfortable fabric of his shirt. “I think it’s obvious how much we both want you.”
The orgasm earlier had only taken the edge off the energy flowing through her. With just a few deft strokes of their hands and mouths, these men had made her body quiver with need. It would be foolish to deny all three of them the pleasures their bodies demanded just because her heart wanted something unattainable.
As if confirming her thoughts, Thaegan buried his face in her hair, filling his lungs with her scent. His body trembled as her energy flowed through him. A rumble of sexual need vibrated against her back, quivering over her sensitive nerves, stoking the greedy fires of lust.
No, she didn’t want them to stop. Didn’t want them to leave her with this burning urgency. But the words wouldn’t come and all she could do was nod and moan out her approval. Her restless hands glided around Thaegan’s hips, squeezing the firm muscles of the Ka’al’s ass, pulling his growing erection tight against her back, confirming her decision.
The men moved in synchronized rhythm, stroking her body in a masterful dance of hands and mouths until she was trembling with need. Their moves, choreographed without words, were meant only for her pleasure. Lilly suspected she wasn’t the first women these partners had shared. But it was most definitely her first experience with multiple partners. In all her wildest fantasies, she couldn’t have imagined the security and thrill of being pressed between the heat of two men whose sole focus at the moment was her satisfaction.
“Yeah, this is definitely okay,” she managed to pant.