by Dena Christy
“I was so scared,” she whispered as a tear trembled on the lower lashes of her right eye and spilled over down her cheek. He stroked it with his thumb, at a loss over what to more he could do. It killed him to see her cry, so he did the only thing he could think of. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth against her forehead.
She put her hands up to frame his face and pulled his mouth down on hers. She kissed him tentatively, and he let her lead. He would give her whatever she needed and take nothing in return.
She pulled back and seemed to calm down somewhat. She shifted off his lap and lay back on his bed. She held her arms open to him.
“Can you hold me, please,” she said, and he gladly complied. He put his arms around him and she settled her head on his chest. He stroked soothing circles over her back.
He lay there for long moments, holding her, trying to transmit to her through the solid strength of his body that she was safe. After a while she stopped trembling and relaxed against him.
She sighed and moved her head back so she could look at him. “I didn’t even notice when we came back, but did you get your friend out?”
“Yes,” he said quietly. His only regret was that Collette had paid a high price for Cynric’s freedom. “Cynric doesn’t appear to be any worse for wear, and we got him out. It was a close call there for a moment.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. Talking about Cynric appeared to distract her from her ordeal, so he told her what had happened at the military compound where Cynric was being held.
“Commander Clancy showed up unexpectedly, but it worked out. We incapacitated him, and Cynric took his form so we could walk right out the door with him.”
“Evie must have been shocked if she saw him in Clancy’s form,” she said in an offhand manner as she stifled a yawn. She settled in closer to him and he kept his arms around her. Holding her soothed him as much as it did her, but he was struck by the remark she made about Evie.
“She was. It was like she was looking at a ghost,” Ryce said.
“It would be. She was slated to marry Clancy years ago, but she was in love with someone else. That didn’t matter since the government had assigned her to him. Her lover turned up murdered, and Evie disappeared. I’m sure when she looked at Cynric tonight it was like her past had come back to haunt her.”
Collette yawned again and shivered slightly. Ryce shifted so he could pull the spare blanket off the chair beside the bed and settle it over her.
“Is that why she does what she does now?” he asked, and she gave a sleepy nod. He settled her more firmly against him. “Go to sleep.”
“What if I dream about him?” The evening had left a mark on her that went beyond the physical, and he knew it would take time for her to get past her near escape.
“I’ll be here with you, and he won’t be able to hurt you, not even in your dreams.” He ran a soothing hand up and down her back and she closed her eyes. He lay there in the silence of the room as he listened to her breathing deepening until he knew she was asleep.
It took much longer for him to relax. Her close call had shown him how deeply his feelings ran for her, and he longed to wake her up and tell her what was in his heart. She sighed, and he soothed his hand over her back and she settled. His feelings would wait. For now he contented himself with holding her close. He would tell her that he wanted to have a permanent spot in her life, and as he stared in the darkness, he hoped that she wanted the same thing.
Jace slowly opened his eyes, and sharp shards of light pierced them and he closed them quickly again. He fought his way through the fog of his mind to figure out what the hell he was doing on his living room carpet. He sat up slowly, took a deep breath and became aware of the insistent ringing of his telecom.
He crawled over to the sofa and pulled himself onto it, blinking several times to clear the fuzziness in his vision. What the hell was wrong with him? The last thing he remembered he was having a drink with Collette, and he vaguely remembered thinking he could finally have her after all her stalling and then his world went black. He shook his head to clear the few remaining cobwebs and hit the button of his communicator so it would stop its infernal racket.
“Dawson here,” he said, and he had to clear his throat to get the thickness out of his voice.
“Where the hell have you been?” Commander Clancy’s voice ripped out of the communicator, and Dawson clenched his jaw as his voice stabbed through his skull.
“I’ve been here, sir.” He was still trying to piece together what had happened to him and listening to Clancy ranting wasn’t helping.
“...fucking alien is gone,” Clancy shouted, and Jace sat up straight.
“What did you say?” he asked, wishing he’d paid more attention to what his commander had been saying.
“The fucking alien escaped, and if anyone will be on the hook for it it will be you.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’ve been in my apartment all evening, so what does the alien escaping have to do with me?”
“Well somehow, the alien’s cohorts got hold of one of your uniforms, and was wearing your face when they got him out. If it’s the last thing I do, I will make sure your career is over.”
The line went dead, and Jace stared at his communicator, wondering what the hell was going on.
He buried his face in his hands as he tried to piece together what the hell had happened, but his mind was still disjointed and not functioning properly. His communicator rang again, and he thought about ignoring it. He wasn’t really in the mood to listen to Clancy’s ranting, at least not while he was not as sharp as he usually was. The ringing got to be too much for his pounding head, and he answered it again.
“Sir, it’s Sinclair.”
At least he was going to be spared more of Clancy’s voice.
“Sinclair, what the hell is going on?”
“The alien escaped,” his assistant said and Jace rolled his eyes.
“I fucking know,” Jace snapped as the fog in his brain lifted. “What I want to know is how it happened.”
“They found Corporal Frank unconscious and stripped of his shirt in the bushes, and we think that there were two aliens involved in liberating our prisoner. The guard at the desk says he saw the corporal walk in with you.”
“Well how could I have been there if I was here the whole night?”
“We know that now sir, it must have been another alien who got one of your uniforms and disguise himself as you. The two aliens incapacitated Commander Clancy when he went to the prisoner's cell, and we found him in there a short time ago stripped of his uniform. It’s our guess that the prisoner put his clothes on, disguised himself as Clancy and walked out the front door.”
“When did this happen?” Jace asked, although he had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew.
“Just after shift change, sir. What would you like me to do sir,” Roger’s asked.
“Nothing, unless you know how to get the alien back,” Jace snapped. He ended the call and flung his communicator away.
That fucking bitch. He should have known that a high priced chippy like Collette would have an ulterior motive for showing up here.
He shoved himself up off the couch and walked to his bedroom. He ripped open the closet door and counted the uniforms still hanging in the plastic that they’d arrived from the cleaners in. He knew before he was finished that one was missing. His housekeeper had brought them over yesterday afternoon, right when Collette was waiting downstairs for him. She must have been in cahoots with the alien, and he was probably up here stealing from him while she was downstairs arranging their rendezvous.
Anger burned in his gut as he sat down on the bed and scrubbed his hand over his face. His career, his status, everything he’d worked years to build crumbled around him. He knew that Clancy wouldn’t hesitate to pin everything on him.
Tonight had been a ruse to distract him while her alien lover took his prisoner. She was fucking the enemy, what else would a whore like her
do but spread her legs for that foreign piece of garbage. He was sure now, since the aliens had shape-shifting abilities, that he’d disguised himself as Reginald Carstairs at the ball. That’s how he’d made contact with him.
He pushed down the anger burning inside and focused his mind. His face pulled into a smile. His career may be over, but it would not end here. That bitch would pay, and he would get at least one alien.
He walked into his living room and fired up his computer. A few well placed searches on the government data base had the contact details of the one person who would be most interested in what he had to say.
He put the number in as a calm settled over him. Reginald Carstairs’ voice came on the line.
“Hello Citizen Carstairs, it’s Colonel Jace Dawson. You don’t know me but we have a mutual acquaintance. We need to talk about Collette.”
Chapter Sixteen
Collette was in her room sorting through her things when her communication tablet rang. She looked at the number on the display screen and was surprised to see it was Reggie. She hesitated for a moment. What could he possibly want to talk to her about?
There was only one way to find out. She swiped her finger across the screen to answer the call.
“I will keep this brief,” he said without so much as a hello. “I have a final settlement payment for you, in chips and I would like you to come to the apartment now to collect it.”
“I thought our association was over? Why would you be giving me a settlement payment?” Reggie wasn't prone to sentimentality, and he’d made his position clear the last time they spoke. Why would he suddenly pay her now?
“I know what I said before,” he said and his voice was sharp with impatience. “Although you deserve to be hung out to dry, I have a reputation to maintain. I won’t let it be said that I am not the bigger person in all this. I won’t have gossip about me that says I can’t pay my debts.”
That made more sense. Reggie being concerned with his reputation fell more in line with the person he was, and his motivation could only be that. Not a concern for her. Still she hesitated.
“I think you will find that I have been very generous. This is a limited time offer, and if you don't come to the apartment within the hour, my offer will be rescinded.” And with that he disconnected the call.
She didn't want to have anything further to do with Reggie, but she could use the funds. Now that Cynric had been rescued there was little reason not to take Evie up on her offer to set her up with a new life. And she could use the money if she was going to start all over.
And even if her life went in the direction she wanted, with Ryce featuring prominently in it, Reggie’s money would see a lot of use in Evie’s hands.
With her mind made up, she gathered up her purse and slung it over her shoulder. She turned toward the door and pulled up short when she almost ran into Ryce, who was standing in the doorway.
His eyes devoured her, and while she would be flattered under normal circumstance, she knew Reggie wouldn't wait.
“Do you have a minute,” he asked as he stepped into the room and took hold of her hands. She gently eased them away from him and stepped back. She didn't want to be distracted by him, otherwise she’d never get out of here.
“Can we talk when I get back? I have to be somewhere,” she said as she took a step around him. He got a funny look on his face as if that wasn't what he was expecting to hear.
“Where are you going?”
“Reggie called and I need to go back to my old apartment,” she said as she hitched her purse up higher on her shoulder. His face darkened for a moment at the mention of Reggie’s name.
“So he calls and you go running? I thought you were finished with him?”
Collette sighed. She wouldn't be getting out of here until she gave him some explanation, even a brief one.
“He has money for me, money I could use,” she said. She hoped that this was the end of it, but if the look on his face was any indication, it wasn't.
“Why would you need his money,” he said, and she stiffened at the anger threading in his voice.
“I don't know, so I can move on with my life. Do you think I want to stay here and sponge off Evie? She has offered to set me up with a new life, and I will take her up on it.” She didn't know what made her say that, in the defensive tone she used, but she couldn't take the words back. She had to move on with her life, and since he’d not indicated that he wanted to be a part of that life, she had to plan for a life without him. “Look, I don't want to fight with you about this. Reggie has given me a deadline to get the money, and if I don't leave now, I will be too late.”
“Don't let me stop you from moving on with your life,” he said, and he stepped aside. There was a hurt look in his eyes, and she wanted desperately to stay and talk things out with him, but Reggie wouldn’t wait. She’d make things up with Ryce when she came back. She wanted to be honest with him, and ask him outright if he wanted to build a life with her, but there wasn't time now. She could see the anger in his face, and knew that it would take convincing to get him to listen to her, and she needed to go.
She walked out of the room, and down the corridor. She passed Evie on her way, and her friend waylaid her.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Evie asked and Collette sighed. Everyone was conspiring to keep her from her appointment today.
“If you want me to explain, come with me, but I don't have time to get into it,” Collette said, and Evie fell in step with her.
They walked out into the parking lot and got into the car. Collette gave it the address to her old apartment, and the car lurched forward as it left the parking lot.
“Why are we going to your old apartment,” Evie asked. “You aren't getting back together with Reggie are you?”
“God no. He has a final settlement for me, and I am collecting it.”
Collette was glad that Evie had come with her. Despite her belief that nothing could happen to her at the apartment, she had an uneasy feeling. Whether it was because Reggie had called out of the blue offering her money. Or maybe she hadn't like the way she left things with Ryce.
“You don't seem too happy about it,” Evie said as she glanced over at her.
“I think Ryce and I had a fight, even though there was no shouting involved. He got his back up because I was going to meet with Reggie to get the money.”
“Why would he be upset about that?”
Collette bit her lip as she remembered what she’d said to him.
“I told him that I needed it to move on with my life, and that didn't make him particularly happy. I don't know what he wants from me. We haven’t discussed the future, and for all I know this is a fling that he’s used to distract himself while he wiles away the time on this planet.”
Evie got a considering looking on her face.
“I don't think so. I talked to him privately, told him that he better not hurt you, and I didn't get the impression that this was just a fling for him. I think there are feelings there, and also, I think you have feelings for him too, otherwise you wouldn't be so bothered by how you left things.”
Evie was right. She had feelings for him, and her thoughts that he reciprocated sent a spark of hope through Collette.
“Do you think I was wrong to leave the way I did? Should I have told Reggie to forget about the money?”
“I am the last person to give advice about relationships, but I don't think you were wrong to agree to take the money. If anyone knows how difficult it is to make it in this world without resources, it's me. And if he has a problem with you being able to take care of yourself, that's his problem, not yours. You can’t live on love alone.”
The car pulled into the parking lot, and Collette looked up that the building, making no move to get out of the car. It felt like ages ago since she’d left this place behind when she walked away. She remembered being so proud when she’d first moved in, since it was the most luxurious and expensive place she’d ever lived
in, and it had signaled to her that she had finally arrived.
Looking at it now, it looked like a building, and it wasn't what she wanted or needed anymore. What she wanted and needed was a life with Ryce. She was in love with him, and as soon as she was finished meeting with Reggie, she would go back to Evie’s and tell him. She’d make him see that taking the money was a practical decision and was not intended to imply that he was inadequate in any way.
“Do you want me to go up with you?” Evie asked, and Collette shook her head.
“It'll be fine,” Collette said as she grabbed her purse and put her hand on the door handle. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“I'll be waiting here,” Evie said and Collette got out of the car.
She hitched her purse up on her shoulder and walked to the back door of the building. The parking lot was quiet since most people would be at work at this time of day. It was a little odd that Reggie would interrupt his workday when he could just as easily see her tonight. Perhaps he had an engagement, and this was the only time he could fit her any.
At any rate she was here now, and once she got this visit over with she would never have to see him again. She used her pass card to get in and made a mental note to leave it in the apartment since she wouldn’t be needing it anymore. She honestly didn’t know why she had held on to it when she’d left him the first time.
The elevator ride up to the floor her apartment was on passed without incident but there was still a nagging feeling in her stomach.
“Silliness,” she said to herself as she stepped out of the elevator and walked toward her apartment door.
She hesitated for a moment and took a deep breath. She hoped meeting with Reggie would pass without drama and she could get out of here quickly and get back to Ryce. She had so much that she wanted to talk to him about, so much that she wanted to explain. Once Reggie was dealt with, there was nothing of her former life to hold her back from him.
She out her hand up on the panel beside the door and the light flashed blue. Apparently Reggie hadn't made good on his threat to have the locks changed yet, but she was sure that would be his first order of business once she left. She walked into the apartment and it was eerily quiet.