by Lolita Lopez
Emma couldn’t shake the cold feeling that gripped her at the clinical description of Max and Jack’s childhoods. Compared with her own, theirs seemed so sad and bleak. “Who named them? If they were raised in barracks without parents, who decided what to call them?”
“It was done alphabetically in each sperm donor line,” Rio said. “Adam, Brian, Charlie, David and so on,” she explained. “You’ll also figure out pretty soon that there are only a few dozen surnames around here.”
“Why?”
“Because the scientists who created the first cyborgs selected sperm donors from the military and there were only, like, forty of them with the right DNA profiles and high enough scores on their aptitude tests,” Rio said. “When the war started, they didn’t have time to waste on testing so they just kept producing more and more cyborgs them from the same sperm donations.”
“I suppose that’s another reason they’re pushing cyborg-human matches,” Emma murmured. “They need some new genetic material in the bloodlines.”
“Yes. Plus a lot of the here at Outpost 9 are half-siblings.”
“Really?”
Rio nodded. “Like your Max? He’s a Cardwell. The cyborg who rescued me when I was a little girl—Jace—is also a Cardwell. Adam Gray? The engineer you’ll be working with now? He’s got a half-brother named Logan Gray who is the most kickass pilot you’ll ever meet.”
Emma perked at her mention of Adam Gray. “Anything I should know about Adam Gray?”
“He’s got terrible scars all over his face and neck.” She made a sad face. “I’m not sure how it happened. I’ve heard it was some kind of fire. He had a mate, but she died a few years ago. He basically keeps to himself except for chow. He even lives above the workshop.” As if sensing that she might have given a bad impression, she hastily said, “But he’s actually a really nice guy! I swear. He takes some time to get used to because he can be really gruff, but he’s a good man. He’s always been kind to me.”
Before Emma could reassure Rio that she would give Adam Gray a chance, she was interrupted by loud, forceful knocks at the front door. Rio was on her feet first. Frowning, she ordered, “Stay here. I’ll see what this is about.”
“I think I should answer the door,” Emma said, rising to her feet.
“No, you really shouldn’t,” Rio argued. “Some of the men here can be difficult. No one is supposed to bother you until Max or Jack return. Just wait here.”
“All right.” Emma remained in the kitchen and listened carefully as Rio opened the door.
“Can I help you?”
“Are you Emma Ramirez?”
Rio laughed. “You must be new around here if you have to ask that question. Nope. I’m not Emma. I’m Rio.”
The soldier on the porch didn’t share Rio’s amusement. “I’m here for the new female.”
Emma didn’t like the sound of that. She tiptoed closer to the doorway between the kitchen and living area and peered around the corner. She noticed the way Rio had squared her shoulders and shifted her weight to her back foot, almost as if anticipating a confrontation.
“Well the new female is busy. You’ll have to come back later.” Rio tried to close the door but the man on the other side forced it open. She stumbled back a few feet but quickly regained her balance. She jumped in front of the door to block the soldier form entering. “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Get out of my way. I’m here for the other female, but I have no problem taking you in with us—in cuffs.”
“You are not coming inside this house!” Rio stood up to the brute, but he overpowered her easily with a rough shove that sent her tripping backwards and flat onto her backside.
Gasping at the way her new friend had been treated, Emma rushed to intervene. Rio wasn’t about to take his crap, though. She kicked him right in the shin. When he bent down to snatch her up, she donkey kicked him right in the shoulders. He stumbled backward and into the door as Emma hurriedly helped Rio to her feet. Grabbing Rio’s hand, she tugged hard and gestured to the side exit from the kitchen.
The soldier who had attacked Rio blocked their path. Looking for something to use as a weapon, Emma glanced frantically around the living room. She grasped the salvaged lamp on the closest table and wielded it like a shield. Sharing her thoughts, Rio picked up a broken antenna from the pile of discarded and broken radio parts next to the couch.
“If you take one step closer…” Emma warned.
“You’ll be leaving here on a backboard,” Rio threatened.
The soldier who had come to fetch her wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He laughed right in their faces. “I’d like to see both of you try.”
“They may not be big enough to put you in the infirmary, but I sure as hell can,” a raspy, pissed-off voice snarled from the open doorway. Emma glanced at their savior and was immediately taken aback by the terrible scars on his face. This had to be Adam Gray. But why was he here?
Emma decided she didn’t care what had brought him to her front door. Relief washed over her as Gray stormed into the house and slammed his chest into the other soldier’s. It was like watching two wild beasts fighting for dominance as Gray cowed the younger soldier into submission and forced him into the corner. “What the hell are you doing in this house?”
“My job!” The soldier shot back. “General Gage sent me for the new female.”
“Gage?” Adam seemed surprised. “What does Gage want with her?”
“That’s above my clearance level. I just do what I’m told.”
“Yeah? Well I’ve known Gage since Gulf Point, kid, and I know that he wouldn’t allow a single one of his SICOs to put a hand on any woman, human or cyborg. What do you think he’s going to say when he finds out how you’ve treated these two?”
The soldier swallowed with obvious nervousness and didn’t answer.
Shaking his head, Gray said, “You’re new to the Outpost, kid, so I’m going to lay out the facts for you. That girl?” He pointed to Rio. “She’s General Adamson’s daughter. She also belongs to a Zed team tracker.” Adam nodded. “Yeah. Judging by the look on your face, you know what kind of men become trackers. If Jace finds out you touched her, he’ll rip your arm off and beat you to death with it—and General Adamson will let him.”
Emma’s mind reeled as she tried to take in everything Adam had just said. Rio belonged to Jace? If she belonged to him, was it some kind of arranged marriage type thing? Those sorts of arrangements were actually fairly common in the Outlands. When she was younger and her father had been alive, he had even considered matching her up with one of the younger sons of their far-flung neighbors.
“Get out,” Adam said, taking a handful of the other soldier’s uniform shirt and swinging him toward the door. He shoved him hard and right out of the house. “I’ll bring Emma to headquarters myself.”
Alone in the house with Adam and feeling safe, Emma and Rio lowered their makeshift weapons and set them aside. Wondering what had just happened, Emma turned to Rio and asked, “What the hell is Seek-Oh?”
“S-I-C-O,” Adam Gray spelled out for her. “It stands for Special Investigations/Covert Ops. You want to stay as far away from them as possible.”
Rio grumbled, “They ought to pronounce their name like psycho because they’re all a bunch of paranoid loons.”
Emma shouldn’t have smiled at that jab, but it was too hard to stop. Her smile faded when Adam turned his full attention to her. He seemed irritated, and she felt the need to apologize. “I’m so sorry about all this.”
His mouth settled into an even more irritated line. “You don’t need to apologize. I told Max and Jack I’d keep an eye on you. I should have come by earlier today and brought you with me to the shop where you would have been safe.”
“But then I would have missed out on breakfast with Rio,” Emma said, hoping to put him at ease.
It didn’t work. He seemed perpetually tense and grumpy. He gestured to her clothing. “You need to
change, and be quick about it. We need to get you to HQ before they send another SICO squad down here.”
“Okay.” Feeling anxious and scared, she hustled upstairs and put on a pair of new pants and a loose fitting shirt that looked similar to the undershirts Max and Jack wore. She found a pair of boots and some socks among the clothing they had chosen for her. The boots were a little big but they would have to do.
Downstairs, she found Rio poking at the almost-finished radio and Adam standing in front of a window like a sentry, his massive arms crossed in front of his chest. Like a child caught playing with something forbidden, Rio hastily stepped away from the radio. “Sorry! I should have asked first before I touched it.”
“It’s fine,” Emma said. “When I get it fixed, you should come over and talk to the outside world with me.”
“Really?” Rio perked up with eagerness.
“Don’t get too excited about that possibility,” Adam warned. He shot Emma a warning glance. “You need to get that contraption of yours cleared by SICO. The last thing Max or Jack needs is Gage and his boys rousting them out of bed in the middle of the night and dragging them in as suspected Faction sympathizers.”
“That’s crazy,” Rio protested. “Emma didn’t even know what Faction was until, like, half an hour ago when I told her, and Jack and Max are the most rah-rah-cyborgs on the post.”
“SICO doesn’t just show up and take new wives into custody for no reason,” Adam retorted. He pinned Emma in place with a warning look. “If there’s something you haven’t told Max and Jack about your family or your connections or your history, you better spit it out now. I can’t help you if you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying!” Panicked, Emma wrung her hands. “I don’t know why anyone on this base would be interested in me.”
“Well we’re about to find out, aren’t we?” Motioning toward the door, he said, “Let’s go.”
“I’m coming with you,” Rio decided and grabbed Emma’s hand.
Adam looked like he wanted to argue, but Rio wore such a determined expression he must have known it wouldn’t work. “Then come on.”
Trailing Adam and holding tight to Rio’s hand, Emma silently wished Max and Jack were with her, but she was infinitely grateful to the new friend she had made and the scarred protector who had come to her rescue.
A sick feeling twisted her stomach as she climbed into Adam’s vehicle. Like a bad premonition, her earlier fears that something terrible was coming had come true—and it had come for her.
5 Chapter Five
Filthy and haggard, Max stepped off the helicopter and kept his head low until he had cleared a safe range. Every muscle in his body ached, and he had to physically force each step, his boots feeling heavier and heavier with each passing moment. Torn between his desire to see Emma and his duty, he exhaled roughly and motioned for one of the soldiers to hold a spot in an idling transport vehicle. He jumped into the front passenger seat, leaned back and rested his eyes.
He wanted to block out the radio traffic banging around his head to get a few moments of peace, but he was on duty. Messages from command flashed across the lens implanted in his eye. General Adamson had been called away on urgent business, and Colonel Monroe had command of the post.
Damien Monroe was a stand-up soldier and had the respect and loyalty of every cyborg on the base, but Max had never warmed to the man. Monroe had earned his call-sign “Silver” as an interrogation specialist with a long-disbanded SICO squad. He used that silver tongue of his to get cyborgs to talk—and was a known and firm believer in enhanced interrogation techniques. Every time Max shook Monroe’s hand, he wondered how many cyborgs had been tortured by it.
Too soon, the vehicle slowed to a stop. Max thanked the driver for the ride and hauled himself out of the front seat and onto the pavement. A fine mist had started to fall and the temperature had dropped a few degrees, not enough to chill him but enough that it made him think about Emma and the coming winter.
The weather spurred his memory of Chloe’s description of the cold winter nights filled with hunger and fear. Had it been that way for Emma? He tried to imagine her alone and freezing in that house of hers. It would have been difficult to keep warm and the amount of work required to keep her small farm going would have kept her outdoors for long periods of time. There were so many ways she could have been hurt. He didn’t even want to think about how vulnerable she had been when ill.
She has us now. We’ll take care of her. He started compiling a mental list of all the cold weather gear she would need. He’d be damned if she spent one minute of the coming winter in anything but comfort. They had promised to keep her safe and provide for her, and he was determined to make good on those vows.
Two steps into his command post, Max halted and scowled when he spotted Rio Gomez Adamson perched on the desk of the logistical specialist who kept his office running smoothly. This little troublemaker had wreaked more havoc than Max had ever imagined possible. Hell, she’d even attempted to take a helicopter for a joyride once!
His clerk was nowhere to be seen. Undoubtedly, Rio had cooked up some errand for the young man who had probably scampered off like a puppy to complete it for her. Now that she had blossomed into a strikingly beautiful young woman, Rio had single cyborgs panting after her. Only the knowledge that Eve would have their balls in a vise for trying to seduce Rio kept the men at bay. Jace’s claim to her only complicated the matter.
Max dreaded the day that Rio announced she was ready to find a mate or two. There would be a bloody street brawl for her hand.
“Off the desk!” Max barked, not at all in the mood for her shenanigans today.
“Yes, sir!” she offered an emphasized salute as she jumped to her feet and followed him into his office.
He started to strip his gear and stow it in the locker in the corner of his room. Narrowing his eyes, he glanced back at her and asked, “What do you want, kid?”
She glared at him for that kid remark. “I went to see your lady this morning.”
Max groaned inwardly at the thought of Emma becoming friendly with Rio. After meeting Leila Keaton he could spot the similarities between the two young women. Rio had always made it clear that she wanted a sibling, and now she had the perfect big sister within reach. He didn’t even want to think about the kind of trouble Rio might cook up with Emma as her sidekick.
“You can thank me later for making her breakfast and keeping her company,” Rio continued. “But right now you might want to hustle over to Building Twelve before the SICO squad tears into her—”
Max stopped yanking on the Velcro attached to his thigh holster and spun around to face Rio. “What?”
“Some asshole from the SICO team damn near beat down your front door this morning,” she said. “I had to fight him off when he tried to force himself inside your house. Thankfully Gray got there in time, but—”
“Adam is with her?” Max cut in, his heart in his throat as he imagined Emma with the shadowy men who worked in intelligence.
“I tried to stay, but General Gage threw me out of the building.”
Max’s pulse sprinted. His earlier discussion with Jake seemed almost prescient now. “Gage is here? At Outpost 9?”
She nodded. “Weird, right? Mom goes out of town for a few days and suddenly SICO shows up? Some coincidence, huh”
“Hardly,” he muttered. Storming to the door, he paused briefly and looked back at her. She was the biggest pain in the ass he’d ever met—but she had a good heart. “Thank you for visiting Emma this morning.”
She shrugged. “I need a friend, and I thought she could use one, too.”
“Yes, I’m sure she could.” He gestured to the door. “Now get the hell out of my office and get back to your duty station.”
She rolled her eyes and sauntered out of his office. He locked the door to his office, and still wearing his gear, sprinted toward Building Twelve. Part of the jail complex, the building sat away from the others and required f
our different security checks before entrance could be granted. Fuming at the ridiculous red tape bullshit, Max peeled out of his gear and thrust it at the first guard so he could get through the weapons check. By the fourth guard and locked gate, he was on the verge of losing his shit.
“Let him through,” General Gage ordered, stepping out of Building Twelve to meet him personally. Tall and solid as a rock, Gage filled the doorway and eyed the guards with an imperious air. Everyone feared him—and for good reason. He could make anyone disappear.
“I apologize for the security,” Gage said when Max reached him. “I didn’t realize you were back on the post or I would have sent someone to retrieve you to bypass security.”
“The same way you sent someone to my home to beat up my wife?”
“That’s a gross mischaracterization of the scuffle that occurred.”
“I tell you what. When you have a mate, I’ll swing by for a visit, knock your door down and rampage around your living area.”
Gage settled those coal black eyes on Max. “We should speak inside.”
Without any other choice, Max followed Gage into the secure building and down a dark hallway lined with doors.
“In here,” Gage said and opened a door. Max trailed him inside an observation chamber and immediately spotted Emma in the adjacent room. The interrogation suites were separated by a retractable panel of heavy-duty glass that was opaque when viewed from Emma’s side and clear when viewed from the observation room.
Max stepped up to the glass partition and looked over Emma. She sat cross-legged on a metal chair and fiddled with the hem of her untucked shirt. She seemed anxious but otherwise unharmed. Gray stood near the door, his arms crossed and his jaw set with irritation as he glared at the glass panel.
“Gray wouldn’t leave her side,” Gage said, stepping closer and extending a tablet. “I allowed him to stay, but sent Rio packing.”
“She ended up in my office.”
“Better yours than mine,” Gage grunted. “Here.” Tapping the tablet screen, he showed Max the security camera footage taken from the front porch of their house. It reminded him that he needed to tell Emma about the constant surveillance on the post. She probably had no idea that she was being watched every minute.