by Susan Hayes
“Like I said. Cranky. You’re coming with me and that’s final. We’ve been working flat out for a month. It’s time to play a little.”
Colin knew Nikolai was right, but he was having a hard time shaking himself out of the dark mood he’d been in since they’d been assigned to Fort Saken. They had finally earned the right to claim a fertile woman, an honor only bestowed on the best of the best. Despite that, they were no closer to their dreams of starting a family of their own than they had been in all the years they’d been in space, defending their home world. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be, but it was the way it had played out. All their plans had crashed and burned on re-entry, thanks to a blonde with long legs and an overprotective father.
How the fuck were they supposed to have known she was the visiting commander’s daughter?
Colin’s fingers beat out a frustrated tattoo on the steering wheel as he drove, while the weather outside of the vehicle was doing a good impression of his mood. Massive black clouds blotted out the first stars of the evening, and the windshield wipers were working overtime to keep up to the downpour was pounding on the roof of the transpo.
Lightning slashed through the darkness, bright enough to leave after images dancing across his vision, and the thunder boomed with a force that made the whole vehicle shudder. Colin slowed their progress to a crawl, and for once Nikolai didn’t argue with their lack of speed. The badly paved road dipped just ahead of them, and as the front of the vehicle nosed down, Colin hit the brakes. There was nothing in front of them but fast-moving water.
Where the fuck was the road?
“This town doesn’t have a river that I can recall,” Nikolai rumbled in surprise and leaned forward to peer out the water-streaked glass.
“Me either.”
“I think you just proved my claim that you are the worst navigator in the history of the Alliance. Either that, or this town sprung a leak.”
Colin snorted with laughter and rolled his eyes at Nikolai. “Thank god you’re here. I’d never be able to figure these things out without your help, Captain Obvious.”
Nikolai tapped his gold insignia. “That’s General Obvious, thank you very much.” He activated his wrist unit and barked out a request for an update and an explanation for the river that had suddenly appeared. By the time he got an answer, the water level had risen several inches and Colin had to back them away from the edge. Nikolai snapped a series of curt instructions over his wrist unit and then switched it off with a disgruntled growl.
“Apparently flash flooding is a thing here. No one thought to inform us that storms like this one flood the roads from time to time. No one has ever considered actually building a bridge or anything fucking useful. This place was run by morons, Ghost. What if there was an emergency off-base? Like, oh, a fucking flood!”
Colin turned the car around and headed back home. “So, tomorrow we figure out how to get a bridge built, or a culvert, or something.”
“It can wait until the weekend is over. At least this means we can get an early start into town. That road isn’t flooded. And if it is, we’re fucking swimming. We are going out tonight, and not even this goddamned storm is going to stop that from happening.”
***
CHAPTER TWO
By the time he made the short jog from the transpo to the house, Nikolai was soaked to the skin. The unpleasant sensation of cold water trickling down the back of his neck had done nothing to improve his mood. When he went to key in the code to open the door and discovered that it was already unlocked, it was the last straw. He threw open the door just in time to catch sight of someone flying down the stairs, and then racing away.
Son of a bitch!
There was a fucking thief in their house. Nikolai got a brief look at the skinny little bastard before he turned and sprinted toward the back door. The little shit was fast, too. Nikolai felt all his anger and frustration from the last few weeks ignite into a storm of rage, and he welcomed the chance to vent it all on the stupid son of a bitch.
“Try not to kill him, Griz!” Colin’s words barely registered through his rage, but it was enough to remind Nikolai to keep a leash on his infamous temper. Where Colin’s elite enhancements had gifted him with a knack for sensing strong emotions and the agility of an alley cat, Nikolai’s gifts were more basic. He was a warrior to the core, bigger and stronger than most other elites, with a fierce sense of loyalty, honor, and a temper that had gotten him into trouble more than once. Colin was the one person who could ground him and remind him to stay in control.
He bore down on his target, who had somehow managed to get the back door open without slowing down. Their thief hightailed it outside, no doubt hoping the rain and darkness would help him get away.
Like that was going to happen.
Nikolai lengthened his stride and plunged into the storm, hot on the heels of the little shit that had picked the wrong fucking house to rob. Either this kid was as ballsy as hell, or he was very stupid. Probably both. The figure ahead of him took a flying leap at the back wall and somehow managed to latch on. Part of Nikolai’s brain actually paused to be impressed by that feat, while the rest of him kicked it up another notch. He had his hand on the bastard’s ankle before the thief could clear the wall and gave a solid yank. He took a wet, muddy foot to the face for his trouble.
Son of a bitch!
That did it. He reached up and grabbed a handful of whatever was within reach and hauled his assailant down off the wall. He didn’t come easy. Feet and fists flew, though most of the blows bounced off without doing any real damage. Then the heel of a hand slammed into his nose, and Nikolai saw stars.
“Enough!” he bellowed, shaking the kid like a terrier would a rat. There was a muffled squawk of fear, and then the thief finally gave up.
“That’s better,” Nikolai growled and gave the kid another light shake to make his point. “Now, I’m going to put you down, and you’re going to stay the fuck still. You got it?”
Alayna was screwed and she knew it. Even if she somehow managed to get away at this point, her gloves were torn and she knew she’d left her DNA all over the man who currently had her in a death grip. He was strong enough to hold her entire weight without any apparent effort, and tall enough that her feet were dangling above the ground even with her toes pointed. Given that she was five-foot seven, that was no small feat. There wasn’t a chance in hell she was going to get out of this using her muscles, so it was time to use her head.
She gave a nod and the big brute lowered her to the ground, setting her down hard enough her teeth clicked together. Lights flooded the small yard, and she found herself spun around so that a beam of light caught her squarely in the face. A new voice chimed in, and Alayna knew that the other one had joined them out in the rain.
“He drew blood? Shit, I’m surprised he’s still breathing. Need a bandage there, Nikolai? Maybe some remedial fight training? I can’t believe he actually landed a punch!”
“Fuck off. He got lucky, that’s all.” Nikolai’s voice was the same deep rumble as the thunder rolling through the sky. She could almost feel the vibrations passing through her as he spoke. She blinked into the light, trying to see anything but the spots dancing in her vision.
“I think your he’s a she.” The second one spoke again, and he was a lot closer this time. She caught a flicker of movement and started to duck, but someone tore back her hood before she could move away.
“Son of a bitch!” Nikolai growled.
“Daughter of a bitch, actually.” She managed to spit the words out past the tightness in her throat.
“Clearly a graduate of the local charm school, too,” said the one she knew as Ghost.
“What the fuck were you doing in our house, vorovka? What did you steal?”
“Nothing. I didn’t take anything. And what the hell does vorovka mean?”
“It’s Russian, means a woman thief. Which is exactly what you are. How the hell did you get past our security system?”<
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The wind blasted another wash of water over them all, and Alayna crossed her arms over her chest, hunching against the cold. “If you’re going to interrogate me, can we at least do it inside?”
Ghost snorted with something that almost sounded like amusement. “Of course, princess. Right this way. Would you like a cup of tea while we’re at it?”
“Got any beer? If I’m going to jail, then it would be nice to have a drink before I go.”
Both men looked at her with identical expressions of surprise and then turned to head toward the door, in that split-second, she spun on her heel and ran. It was her last chance. If she could make it to the gate, she might be able to get away. If she was lucky, she could get someone to hide her for a few days while she figured out a plan to disappear…
She didn’t even make it three steps.
Colin turned and tackled her, both of them going down in a sodden tangle. He managed to twist his body so that he hit the ground first, cushioning her landing at least a little. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he was done playing games. It had been a long day and an even longer evening. What the hell had she been thinking, trying to steal from the two of them? If she’d bothered to look in a window she’d of known they didn’t own much worth taking and moved on to a richer target.
“Can we be done with the cardio workout now, princess?” he asked as he rolled them both over so she was pinned beneath him. It was the first time he’d gotten a good look at her face, and he was surprised to see how pretty their would-be thief was. Tanned skin, wide eyes that glimmered with hints of green, and dark hair tied back in a braid that disappeared beneath her. God, he loved long hair on a woman. For a moment he was sorry that they’d met under such lousy circumstances.
The list of things Alayna was currently unhappy about was long, and getting longer by the minute. She was soaked to the skin, covered in mud, and was spending her last precious minutes of freedom lying sprawled in the dirt underneath a man who actually had the gall to her call her a fluffy, fucking nickname. “Stop calling me that!”
The smug bastard actually winked at her. “Why? It sort of suits you. And as it happens, you haven’t actually given us your name.”
“Alayna. My name is Alayna. Now, are you going to let me up? Or are you going to tackle me again if I stand?”
Nikolai answered this time. “That depends. Are you done running away from us?”
Her shoulders slumped and she started to shiver as the adrenaline that had been sustaining her wore off. The bitter taste of failure curdled on her tongue as she hung her head and answered. “Yes.”
“Good answer,” Nikolai rumbled approvingly and offered her his hand. Alayna took it and he pulled her up, onto her feet. She probably shouldn’t have accepted his help, but fuck it. She was tired, bruised and nauseous at the thought that the life she had worked so hard to build for herself was very likely over.
“I’m Nikolai, and that’s Colin. Now, come inside. I’m not enjoying being cold, wet and miserable, and I imagine neither are you.”
They walked her back inside, both men keeping a hand on her shoulder as they bracketed her like a pair of perfectly carved bookends. As they crossed the threshold, Alayna glanced down at her boots, still sitting by the backdoor. If she had been wearing her fucking shoes, she’d of had her boot knife. Maybe she could have fought her way free. She glanced up at Colin and laughed at herself. Who was she kidding? She may have spent her life in the badlands, but these two had been trained as living weapons since they were boys. If she’d pulled a knife on them, they’d have probably killed her. It might have been a better option than what she had to look forward to if she didn’t figure out a way to get out before they had her arrested.
Colin led their captive into the kitchen, flipping on lights as he went. He wanted to get a good look at their thief. He had no illusions about what would happen to her if they gave her up to the authorities. Unlike Nikolai, Colin hadn’t been born into privilege or wealth. He knew firsthand what life was like in the less civilized parts of the planet, and despite his grumblings to Nikolai, he was committed to helping the people of Fort Saken. He’d spent the first years of his young life in a place not much different than this one. Before he and his mother had been chosen. His mother had been raised outside the Alliance, never tested for fertility because she lived in a camp the Alliance didn’t know existed. She simply assumed she couldn’t have children. Colin had been a surprise that had changed his mother’s life.
Looking at their thief as she draped a small bag over the back of a chair and then sat down at the kitchen table, Colin figured he had a pretty good idea of what her life must be like. The thought of making it worse by sending her to prison wasn’t appealing. Maybe there was another way. One that would let him sleep at night.
Nikolai followed them in, pausing to grab something from outside the door. When he arrived in the kitchen he was holding a pair of boots in one hand, and a boot knife in the other. He didn’t look happy.
“What other weapons are you carrying?” he snapped at her. Grown men had a tendency to babble when Griz got surly, but Alayna just gave the big man a cool look and shrugged as she tugged off her gloves and let them fall to the table.
“If I’d been armed, you’d of lost a lot more blood.”
Great. She’s beautiful, sassy, and possibly suicidal…or homicidal.
Before Colin could intervene, Nikolai had dropped the boots to the floor and flung the knife down so it had sunk point first into the table in front of Alayna, pinning her gloves in place. “I doubt that. You might be a thief, but you’re no killer. If you were, you would never have left your only weapon in your shoes.”
She yanked the knife out of the table before it had even stopped quivering, wrapping her fingers around the flat hilt as she glowered up at Nikolai. “Maybe I’m not. But I don’t want to go to prison, either. Giving me back my knife probably wasn’t the brightest thing you’ve done today. Griz.”
Both men blinked as she so casually dropped Nikolai’s nickname into the conversation. As she spoke she twirled the blade between her fingers, making it wink and twist in the bright light that illuminated her pretty face. “That’s right, isn’t it? You’re Griz, and he’s Ghost. What is it with you military types and your goofy names anyway?”
Well, so much for her accidently picking the wrong house to rob. She knew who they were. Stars, that proved it. She had to be suicidal. “If you know who we are, then why the fuck did you break in here? Surely there are easier places to hit? You know, places where the owners aren’t the ranking officers for the area? And those names aren’t goofy, thank you. We earned them.”
“How do you earn a name like Ghost?” she asked and then jerked a thumb at Nikolai. “Him, I can see. Griz. Grizzly bear. Obvious. You? What…haunt people and ask them dumb questions?”
Nikolai snickered, not bothering to hide the smirk on his face, and Colin vowed to pay him back for that later.
Alayna prepared to lie through her teeth. She didn’t have any other choice. She made an expansive gesture with her hands, encompassing the spacious, well lit kitchen and all its appliances, some of which she didn’t even recognize. “I hit this place because I heard you two were new in town and I figured I might get lucky. I was hoping being Alliance bigwigs you had more credits to spend on stuff I could swipe and re-sell. You might have noticed there’s not a whole lot of wealthy folk who chose to live this far from civilization. Unfortunately for me, you two don’t have much worth stealing. And then you came home early.”
Needing a moment to think, she unzipped her light-weight jacket and shrugged it off. It was heavy with rainwater and mud, and she let it drop to the gleaming white tile floor to mix with the water already pooling there as it dripped off of her. It was hard to think when she had the stars of all her recent fantasies standing so damned close, but she had to come up with a plan. The trouble was she could still remember the strength in Nikolai’s arms when he had caught her, and she swore she co
uld still feel the hard warmth of Colin’s body pressing down on hers when he had her pinned out there on the lawn. It didn’t make any sense. She was in the worst trouble of her life. Now was not the time for her normally quiet sex drive to make an appearance.
She caught a glimmer of interest in Colin’s steel-grey eyes as his gaze drifted over the deep V of her tank-top. The rain had soaked through enough to make the thin material cling to every curve she owned. She drew in a deep breath and noted that both men’s eyes stayed locked on her breasts.
Or maybe it was time to start using the other gifts she’d been born with…
***
CHAPTER THREE
Alayna set the knife down and then looked up at Colin. She softened her voice slightly and said, “If you give me to the authorities, you know what will happen, don’t you?”
“You’ll go to prison,” Nikolai said, his expression unreadable.
“Eventually. Maybe. Or I might end up raped. I’ve got no status.” She carefully tapped a finger just below the star by her right eye. “I could end up sold to a badlands brothel, or get used and tossed onto a transport for prison after they get bored of me. Who would believe me if I tried to report it?” That part wasn’t a lie. She knew what could happen to an unprotected woman out here, so far from the civilized parts of the planet. She had to hope that these two knew it as well.
“No one is going to rape you.” She caught the note of concern in Colin’s voice and knew she’d struck a chord.
“If you turn me over to the local law, then there’s a good chance that something will happen to me. Please, just let me go. I’ll even show you how I got in so you can improve your security. That’s got to be worth something, right?”