Embrace the Romance

by S. E. Smith

  “Not possible,” he said. “You’re…not possible.”

  Her vision clearing, she studied him now.

  “Boris,” she said. “You’re Boris. You’re the one who erased my family.” It was the only way he could have recognized her. Because of him, they didn’t exist. She didn’t exist.

  “Boris?” The man seemed puzzled, though it was hard to be sure in the moonlight.

  “Boris Karloff. The always bad guy.”

  Now he chuckled. “That depends on your perspective, I suppose. I did what had to be done.”

  “You erased my family, my brother, and the people he was meant to save died. You had no right to do any of it.”

  He shrugged. “Apparently I missed my target.”

  “I was away,” preparing for the Olympics that had never happened for her, she thought painfully, “they came for me first. But they were not in time to save….” She couldn’t continue. Didn’t need to. He knew what he’d done.

  His quiet laugh chilled her to the bone as he came closer. Stopping only when he was just shy of the shimmering cage that held her back from killing him with her bare hands. She’d tried not to think about meeting him, because it would have eaten her up inside, but now that he was there? She wanted him dead.

  “You really believe that? You believe they were too late?” He laughed again.

  Madison felt cold go deeper into her bones as she stared into his cold blue eyes. Funny how fear changed the cold. Cold should just be cold.

  He shook his head, his gaze mocking. “You were young, but surely in time you must have realized you were the one they wanted. It was never about your family. It was always about you.”

  The one true thing she’d learned during her time with the rebellion was how to hide her feelings. It served her well now. She stared at him from blank eyes, while her brain raced, trying to feel her way to truth. His words would hurt later, if she lived, if she found out he was right. This moment, the talking, it wouldn’t last. He couldn’t erase someone who didn’t exist, but he could kill her. She was human.

  And if she died, so did Briggs. And when he died, they’d search this place and find his people. She didn’t know what was here, but she could tell Briggs believed there were people here the Time Service would want. Somehow she had to keep him talking. Time, almost she laughed, they needed time.

  “And why was a thirteen-year-old gymnast such a threat to the Time Service?” She was impressed with the bored scorn that infused the question. Girl gymnasts weren’t that big of a deal when she was training. But she’d lost that dream, too. And why had she mattered to the Rebellion? No, now was not the time for those questions. If she wanted answers, she had to live.

  “You don’t know, do you?” His laugh held surprise. “You are one of the most gifted time sensitives in, well, history.”

  She didn’t even blink. “And you didn’t want that?” She didn’t try to hide her disbelief. Never trust a Time Service agent. It was the first rule in the Rebellion.

  “Oh, we would have, but your other gift was a deal breaker. They didn’t tell you that you have a complete, built-in resistance to the mind wipe, did they? I’m sure it was just an oversight. There you have it. You couldn’t be turned. No use to us, but very useful to the Rebellion. We couldn’t risk you or any future heirs being out there, so you had to be erased.” He paused. “How every clever She was to hide you from us. We never even had a whiff of you in all this time.”

  “Are you so sure you weren’t mind wiped?” Madison asked, as hope faded. She could see death in his eyes. He was going to kill her. She couldn’t think her way out of this cage. If Sir Rupert had called in help—it was possible they’d get here in time to clean up the scene. But she wouldn’t make it. Briggs would die—or worse, be taken to use.

  He shrugged. “I never needed to be persuaded to join. I like my job.” He walked around her cage, looking her over like an animal being assessed for slaughter.

  He was drawing out the moment so she’d suffer, she realized. He did like his job. “It’s a pity,” he said.

  “What’s a pity?” she asked, knowing he wasn’t capable of feeling pity.

  “That you won’t live long enough to ask her if I’ve lied to you.” He lifted his gun, letting her see as he flicked it to the kill setting. His other hand held the cage control.

  He’d have to drop it to shoot her.

  She might be able to move fast enough.

  He stepped so that the tip of his ray gun almost touched the cage and was pointed at her heart.

  Her breaking heart.

  I’m so sorry, Briggs.

  Ten

  Briggs froze, keeping his head down, his body slack. As he went down, he’d felt something hard pressing into his thigh. If it was the drone…inch by careful inch, he eased his hand down. His fingers brushed against it, then curled around it. He traced it. Yeah, that was the drone, the EMP device still attached. He’d left the trigger back in the blind, but that would be dead anyway. There was a chance, a slight chance, that the device had enough charge left. He’d not set it to full charge, just in case. Didn’t want to cause any problems on the base.

  His guard moved closer and Briggs lowered his lashes, feeling the dull thud of his heart as Boris spoke to Madison. It was clear he meant to kill her.

  Don’t think about it. Deal with it later if we make it. His fingers traced the shape, found the device. He was running out of time. There. His finger found the manual trigger.

  “It’s a pity you won’t live long enough to ask her if I’ve lied to you.”

  Briggs pressed the button, praying at the same time. The flash was smaller this time, but the cage disappeared. His guard was close and slow to react. Briggs took him down and out and was already headed toward the two figures silhouetted against the rising moons. They disappeared into the shadows of the trees. He could heard the scuffle, the panting breaths of a desperate struggle. A grunt of pain and then silence.

  Afraid to hope, Briggs darted toward where he’d last seen them—

  Madison stepped out of the shadows, her face white, her eyes haunted.

  He grabbed her and pulled her close, his hands running down her back, then up, as if to assure himself it was her, that she was alive.

  “Is he dead?” He spoke matter-of-factly into her ear. A contrast to the frantic beat of his heart and hers.

  She shook her head. “I…no.” She inhaled shakily. “I wanted to but…”

  She stopped. His grip tightened.

  “Wait here. Don’t move.” He headed into the shadows, found the guy she’d called Boris, and dragged him out into the moonlight. He had a nasty swelling bruise on his chin and was bleeding sluggishly from a wound in his side. Briggs used more zip ties on him and his sidekick. He angled his head and studied Boris’s partner. She did look a bit like a Natasha…

  Once he was sure they were all well secured, he went back to Madison.

  She hadn’t moved though now her body shuddered with shock. Now the words she’d exchanged with Boris came back with echoing force. He didn’t know what to say or do, other than to hold her again. He wanted to tell her it would be all right, but the words stuck in his throat.

  How could anything be all right for her? She’d lost so much. Questions formed and were discarded before they were uttered. Nothing sounded right.

  “I’m sorry,” he finally said. “I’m sorry.”

  She looked up at him then. “I am, too.”

  Madison shuddered with the adrenalin that had carried her through the fight with Boris. He was a good fighter, but a lousy gymnast. The super power he hadn’t seen coming. And the knife strapped to her leg.

  She was still surprised she hadn’t killed him. He’d been worse than she’d imagined. A cold, killing machine.

  Maybe that was why she couldn’t do it. It took her too close to the edge of becoming like him, becoming him.

  “You,” she was close enough to feel Briggs swallow, “could stay here, you know. We�
�re a motley crew, so you’d fit right in.”

  She was surprised to hear, to feel herself chuckle. Knew she’d find him grinning, felt her own lips stretching into something like a grin. It was a relief to feel the drama ratchet down. She’d never wanted to be one of the drama girls, not with the team or without. It was even a relief to feel the pain in her shoulder and the slow creep of blood from the wound she’d reopened—

  She started to answer him, but stiffened instead, spinning to face the rippling horizon once more. As She and the new guy’s cells settled into this time, she stepped protectively in front of Briggs. She noted the movement and her lips twisted wryly. The new guy moved forward to examine their catch.

  “Nice work,” he said, his wary gaze moving between Madison and their boss.

  “That’s Boris,” she said, adding, “the one who erased my family.”

  “He’s dead?” She asked.

  “No.” Madison lifted her shoulders in a sigh. “I’m not like him. I’m not a killer.”

  The new guy straightened, eyeing Madison carefully. “What do you want me to do with him?”

  “I want you to keep him away from me,” she said. Briggs stepped up next to her, his hand on her shoulder.

  “You had help, I see,” She said. Her gaze returned to Madison. “You can’t trust them, you know, him least of all.”

  “Even a Time Service agent will tell the truth when he knows it will cause more damage than a lie,” Madison said evenly.

  She’s gaze flicked toward Briggs. “We can talk about this later—”

  Madison felt Briggs grip on her shoulder tighten, then loosen, as if he’d forced himself to do it. She shook her head.

  “I’m not going back. I can’t do it anymore.”

  “You could still be a target—”

  “I don’t exist, remember?” Her lips twisted wryly. “And according to him, you can’t rearrange my brain. So you’re going to have to trust me. And leave me alone to get on with my life.”

  She didn’t like it, but the new guy was watching.

  “We’re supposed to be the good guys, remember?” Madison said.

  She thinned her lips, but she gave a half nod. “Sir Rupert…”

  There was a raucous caw-caw from the trees, then he sailed into view, landing lightly on Madison’s shoulder.

  “I think this island needs birds,” he said. “Not to mention someone who can make sure you don’t interfere with…anyone’s future.”

  Madison reached up and stroked under his chin. “Thank you,” she said softly.

  The slightest slump in She’s shoulders was the only sign he’d tipped the balance. Her blank gaze tracked between Madison and Briggs. “I don’t suppose you’re going to introduce us.”

  “Not a chance.” Madison met and held her gaze. “I’ve done more than enough time. You know that’s true.”

  The new guy spoke again. “We are the good guys, are we not, ma’am?”

  “Of course.” She gave a shrug that was not quite casual. “You did good work. We’ll all miss you.”

  “You’d better,” she let iron filter into her tone, “miss me, I mean.”

  She glanced at the new guy and finally did sigh. “You have my word.” She nudged one of the men with a toe. “You have no idea how good she is…was,” she said. “You will miss her.”

  The new guy grinned. “At least we got our mole.”

  Madison’s smile was real this time. She glanced at Sir Rupert. “Good job.”

  Now that it was decided, She turned brisk. “Tag them for transport,” she ordered. With a half salute for them, she vanished in a shimmer of horizon.

  “I’ll keep an eye on her,” the new guy promised, before he and the catch of the day vanished.

  Madison tensed, reaching out with her senses, but there was nothing but the night breeze and the light from the two moons. And a man and a bird. She gave a small chuckle, then laughed with sudden joy. It had been a long time…she sobered thinking about how long.

  She faced the man. “I hope you meant it, because I can’t go anywhere now.”

  Sir Rupert, as if he realized he was a bit in the way, lifted off, circling the clearing before landing on the table. Madison would have liked more space than that, but it was what it was.

  The man rested his hands on her waist and she saw joy in his eyes, too, manly joy of course. But also hesitation.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, lifting her hand so it rested against a cheek roughened by the beard he hadn’t had time to shave.

  “Today was my birthday,” he admitted, with a rueful scowl. “That thing was a present sent by a couple of friends.”

  “Happy…birthday?” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in real time to celebrate a birthday, or been with anyone who would have cared.

  “I’m forty-five,” he muttered.

  Madison looked at him, trying to understand his problem.

  “I’m a lot older than you,” he muttered, even lower than before.

  Her eyes widened and she couldn’t help the half chuckle, half snort. “Sorry, but,” she bit her lip. “You said this was 2017, right?” He nodded warily. “Briggs,” was this the first time she’d said his name out loud? “I was born in, um, 1946.”

  She could see him doing the math.

  “1946?”

  She nodded. His hands slid further around her, moving up her back, then down her shoulders while heat built swiftly inside her. Heat and longing and an aching restlessness. His mouth turned up slowly, the smile sexy with lots of hot in his eyes.

  “You’re in really good shape.”

  “I try to work out and…and…eat right,” she said, breathlessly, her lips aching for his. Had she only known this man a few hours?

  “Do you know what my friend, do you know what Robert said, before he took the bird away?”

  Madison almost lost her breath at this sign of trust and at the way his hand trembled as he smoothed the hair back off her face.

  “What…did Robert say?” she asked.

  “He said, you should keep her.”

  “Did…he?”

  He bent his head toward her mouth. She pushed up on her toes, but his mouth was just a bit out of reach.

  “Can I keep you, Madison?”

  “Please,” she said and finally his mouth covered hers. His arms banded around her, so that all of her was pressed against a lot of him. He was a big guy. But now there was time to get to know all of him. Lots and lots of lovely time.

  History of Women in Gymnastics

  While the most famous women gymnasts competed on the Olympic stage in 1972, women began to compete on the same apparatus as men as early as 1928. The floor exercise was added in 1932, and in 1952, the bar, beam, and vault events for women were added, making it entirely possible that thirteen-year-old Madison could have been training for the Olympics when the nasty Time Service messed with her life in or around 1958.

  Also by Pauline Baird Jones

  Project Enterprise Series (Six books)

  Nebula Nine (A Time Rebellion novella)

  Open With Care (Christmas collection that includes, “Riding For Christmas” and “Up on the House Top”

  Specters in the Storm (A paranormal/steampunk/science fiction romance novella)

  Out of Time (World War II Time Travel Romance)

  About the Author

  Pauline never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance.

  Sign up for her newsletter.

  To find out more about Pauline or her books:

  www.paulinebjones.com

  pauline@paulinebjones.com

  Courting Disaster: StarDog 2

  By

  Laurie A. Green

  About Courting Disaster: StarDog 2

  From monk to married…

  Captain Navene Jagger’s certainty he will be promoted to command a new battleship is doused when the admir
al instead assigns him on what appears to be a suicide mission. If that wasn’t bad enough, he finds his self-imposed decision to be a military monk is thrown to the far reaches of the galaxy when he is ordered to escort Ketsia Tayah and her StarDog through the treacherous, rogue-infested Bradley’s Rift in a battered derelict of a vessel – a task that also makes him have to confront his painful past.

  Ketsia’s past had taught her a lot. The universe was not only a very dangerous place, it turns out that it is also a lot smaller than she would have liked! Ketsia is rattled when she discovers that she and her StarDog are to be escorted by the man she formerly had a crush on. She swears life couldn’t get any more complicated until they are thrown into jeopardy and have to pretend they are married!

  Jag soon realizes there is more at stake than his pride when dangerous rogues threaten their spaceship. After he learns the ship, the mission, and the StarDog are all much more than they seem will he be able to save Ketsia, his career, and the day? Or will self-sacrifice be the only way to save those under his protection?

  One

  Three Calendars After Operation Reset

  Carduwan Fifth Fleet Headquarters

  Talstar Station

  Captain Navene Jagger smiled as he gazed out the viewport of the immense space station. Talstar. Home of the Universal Flight Academy, orbiting the lush blue world of Veros. Good memories here. Heady times with his fellow cadets during the three calendars it had required to earn his wings. He’d left the program with salutatorian honors.

  But without Drea.

  His smile slipped. Not every recollection of Talstar was a good one. The broken engagement. The devastation in Drea’s eyes. Watching her walk away for the last time. It had been his greatest defeat—Hades, his only defeat. And he’d no one to blame but himself.