3013: Renegade

by Susan Hayes

  “How do you find someone that isn’t there?” Nik gave her a puzzled look.

  “If I’m right, you’ll see in a moment. Computer! Call up security logs and identify the time and dates of all authorized entries into storage bay two for the past two months. Cross reference against security footage of storage bay two for those times. Use facial recognition to eliminate all cases where the person entering the building matches the access code given. Display all other cases.”

  “Processing request.”

  The silence dragged on as the computer combed through the data. Alayna didn’t know what the others were thinking, but she had her own theories about what the computer would find. Either someone was using an access code that wasn’t theirs, or their thief was an Alliance officer, likely someone with the security clearance to get in and out without anyone ever batting an eye. She was betting on the latter scenario. The air in the center of the room shimmered and all three of them stared at the images that were starting to appear.

  “Now we’ve got you, you sticky-fingered bastard,” Nik said.

  “Or not.” Colin sighed as the footage revealed nothing but an empty warehouse.

  “Fuck! That’s not possible. There are recorders everywhere! Why is it we can never get an image of the bastard?” Nikolai started pacing as he spoke, every word accompanied by a violent gesture of pure frustration.

  Alayna ignored his outburst. “Computer, display the security logs for all cases where no facial recognition is possible.”

  “Affirmative.”

  Several log entries appeared, all with the same name. “Do you see what I’m seeing?” she asked, pointing to the rightmost display.

  Nik and Colin both stared at the data and then they both cursed as they saw the pattern. Every time there was an entry recorded without surveillance picking up anyone entering, the same code was used. Whoever Lieutenant B. Bolger was, he was clearly altering the recordings to delete any trace of himself. Unfortunately for him, the entry logs were recorded in a different database.

  They had their man. Now, they just had to prove it.

  “That sly bastard, he’s the head of Logistics. He’s the one who’s been reporting the thefts. I’m going to go arrest him, right now,” Nikolai said, still staring at the display, his expression grim.

  “For what, Griz? If we pick him up now he’ll only claim that someone faked his access code. We’re going to need more evidence. Enough to make sure he can never wriggle out from beneath the pile of charges we are going to bury him under.”

  Logic. Nikolai didn’t want to hear it. He wanted to haul the thieving, lying, dishonorable, shit up by the scruff of his neck and shake him until he confessed or his neck broke. At this moment, Nikolai wasn’t particular which one came first. He turned on his heel and headed for the door. “If I beat a confession out of him, we won’t need evidence.”

  A hand landed on his arm and he spun around, ready to tell Colin to back off, but that wasn’t who had reached for him. It was Alayna. “Why are you so angry?” she asked, her query spoken so softly he barely heard her over the blood pounding in his ears.

  “Because he dishonored everything the Alliance is supposed to stand for. We’re supposed to be better! Be stronger! It’s our job to protect the people, not steal from them.” Nikolai could feel the heat of his rage searing him from the inside out and he clenched his hands into fists, determined not to give in to the darkness that had been part of him for as long as he could remember. This was never something he wanted Alayna to see, and now she had witnessed his temper not once today, but twice. Shame curdled his stomach and he waited, expecting her to turn away from him. She didn’t. Instead she came closer and laid her smaller hands on his fists.

  “So, all this is because the lieutenant is a lousy poster boy for the Alliance? Lover, I have bad news for you. He’s not alone. If he was, then I would have been out of a job years ago. And while this whole angry Neanderthal thing is sort of cute, I need you to calm down and help us figure out how we’re going to catch this bastard in the act.”

  Colin groaned from somewhere off to one side. “You did not just call him cute. I have known Krytos in their battle form who were closer to that description than he is when he’s in a raging snit.”

  “Raging snit? Really? Keep up the smart talk, Ghost, and you’ll have to do the rest of this investigation from medical. And as for you, minx, you’re only allowed to call me cute when we’re alone, and preferably naked. I have a reputation to keep up, you know.” Nikolai tugged Alayna into his arms and kissed her hard, marveling yet again that this beautiful, glorious woman was theirs.

  She kissed him back, laughing and fearless. As her arms went around his shoulders the rage inside him began to cool. She was his salvation, the only one who could quiet his demons with a touch. The only woman in all the worlds who was not afraid of him. He softened their kiss and she sighed into his mouth, kindling the flames of a very different type of fire than the rage he’d been feeling only minutes before.

  “Uh, guys? Much as I hate to forgo any opportunity to get our chosen naked again, we still need to come up with a plan to catch Bolger. So, how about you put her down, Griz, and we get back to work.”

  Nikolai broke their kiss grudgingly and then turned to glower at Colin. “We have got to do something about your priorities, Ghost. They are seriously fucked up.”

  Colin shrugged. “I want to catch this pain in the ass. It occurs to me that if we handle this right, he could be blamed for all the thefts around here.”

  “There you go again, being all logical.”

  “One of us has to be. It’s a shame I got the brains and the good looks,” Colin said with a smirk.

  “You’re mistaken there,” Alayna said and for one brief, moment Nikolai thought she was going to come down on his side. “If anyone got the looks in this relationship, it was me. And since I’m the one who figured out who was robbing your base, I think I’m claiming the brains, too.”

  Nik swatted her ass before letting her go. “That’s fine with me, you can be the brains and the looks, I’ll be the brawn.”

  “What does that leave poor Colin?” she asked.

  “In charge of dinner, I’m starving, he’s cooking.”

  Colin flipped him off. “Smart ass. The only reason I’m going to agree to that is because I’m hungry too, and I have no desire to eat your sorry cooking.”

  “I’ll cook,” Alayna offered and they both turned to stare at her in surprise. That had been something both men had noticed, but never commented on in front of their chosen. She had never offered to cook, or take part in any of the day to day chores. Not that they expected her to, exactly. It had simply become another way that she had held herself apart from them, until now at least.

  “You don’t have to do that, princess.”

  “I know, but I want to. I think it’s time, you know?” Alayna had never cooked for anyone but herself or Sam. Preparing a meal for someone was a personal thing. It fostered a sense of connection, and connections had never been something she’d allowed herself. As she looked at her two bonded, she saw the appreciation in their eyes and knew they understood what this meant. This wasn’t just a meal. This was another step in her taking her place in their home, and their lives.

  She really should start spacing out these milestones. Otherwise, all this emotional crap was going to make her soft.

  It wasn’t until Alayna walked past a small, jumbled pile of wiring and other junk that she remembered that she had never finished installing the new security system. It was more or less done, but it still needed to be tested and activated. She’d have to see to that after dinner, because there was no way she’d be able to sleep until it was up and running. With her luck, Nikolai’s rude, crazy parents would reappear if she didn’t secure the place.

  She walked into the kitchen and immediately felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Her hand went for her knife out of instinct, but there was nothing there. She silently cursed th
e fact that the guys had banned her from carrying it inside the house.

  “You walked into the room without even looking, little girl. No wonder those big Alliance lugs caught you.” A voice came from behind her and she spun around, her every muscle tensed and her body dropped into slight crouch that lowered her center of balance.

  “Sam?” The moment she said anything she felt silly, because she could clearly see that it was her foster father standing in front of her. Alayna tried to quell the surge of adrenaline pumping through her body and idly wondered if there was a recommended limit to the number of times someone went into “fight or flight” mode in a single day. “What is this? National drop by uninvited day? What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Nice to see you, too.”

  “Alayna, everything all right in there?” Colin called out, she could hear footsteps thundering down the hall and seconds later her men appeared, Colin only a step or two ahead of Nik. Both men looked ready to go to war, and she was equal parts flattered at their response and horrified that yet another meet the parents moment was about to implode.

  “It’s fine. I was startled, that’s all. It seems my foster father decided to check in on me and didn’t bother to knock.” She gave him a pointed look as she spoke the last words, but Sam simply shrugged one lean shoulder and remained silent. He looked older than his seventy years, a result of meager meals and long days spent out in the sand and sun of the badlands. His skin was creased with lines, though Alayna thought there were a few new ones since last time she’d seen him. His white hair was cut military short, and his blue eyes were clouded with the beginnings of cataracts that no one in the badlands had the means to repair.

  Alayna was about to make introductions when a strong arm locked around her waist and lifted her out of the way. She landed behind Nikolai and tried to move past him, only to have him wrap his arm around her again, pinning her to his side. Colin had moved forward, putting himself between Sam and Alayna.

  “You’re not taking her away from us,” Colin snarled.

  “You can quit growling like a dog over his favorite bone. I’m only here to make sure my little girl is doing okay.” Sam looked up at the much bigger man with something that wasn’t quite a grin.

  “What are you laughing at, old man?” Nik demanded, still restraining Alayna, who was doing her best to break free and not getting very far.

  “Never seen anybody manhandle Alayna before, like she was a fluffy bit of nothing needing protection.” Sam chuckled and shook his head. “Sorry, little girl, but if you could see the look on your face right now.”

  “I don’t need anyone’s protection! Damn it, Nik, let me go! Sam’s no threat to me.” She stomped on his foot, but Nikolai merely grunted and squeezed her tighter.

  “Stop it, minx. You are not getting near him until we know what’s going on. The more you fight, the longer that’s going to take.” She huffed in frustration and stopped trying to break free. She wasn’t strong enough anyway.

  “Care to explain why you’re sneaking around our house instead of walking up to the front door?” Colin asked, not moving from his place in front of Sam.

  Sam snorted and crossed his arms over his narrow chest. “I wanted to be sure my girl wasn’t being abused. Not much chance of watching you two'leets with her if I let you know I was here. Now, I’ve seen enough to know that she’s not gonna be hurt.”

  “How long have you been here?” Nikolai asked, his voice still raw with barely leashed anger.

  “Long enough. You two are going to have to do a better job watching over my girl in future.”

  “I didn’t get a chance to activate the new alarm system because Nik’s rude, obnoxious parents arrived and messed up my plans for the day! And now you’re here, screwing up what was looking to be a pleasant evening. Colin, I swear to the stars above, if your family shows up without any warning I’ll go nova! Nik, let the fuck go of me and let me go see my foster father before I start getting pissed.”

  “And there’s my girl.” Sam chuckled.

  “And you! Sneaking in here and eavesdropping! Don’t think you’re sitting pretty, Sam Dixon. I’m not happy with you either.”

  Nik let go of her and Alayna marched straight past him, around Colin and up to her foster father. For a moment she simply stood there, and then she did something that surprised her, and shocked Sam. She hugged him. Alayna couldn’t recall the last time she’d done that, but she knew it had been years. It had to have been, because the last time they’d hugged, Sam had been taller than her, but now she had a few inches on him.

  He smelled the same as always, a familiar blend of soap and the butterscotch candies that were his only vice. Alayna hugged him tight, trying to ignore the lump in her throat and the way her eyes burned. Just when she was about to let go, Sam lifted his arms and hugged her back. When she glanced at his face, she could swear there were tears glittering in his eyes, but then he blinked and they were gone.

  “You have gone soft,” he muttered as he slowly released her.

  The comment stung, but she knew he was only covering for the fact he’d actually hugged her back. “Maybe I have, but I’m not the only one. Why are you here, Sam?”

  “I got a half-assed note saying you’d been claimed and wouldn’t be coming back. Did you really think I was going to do nothing but sit back and mourn your loss?”

  “Honestly? Yes.”

  Colin cleared his throat and Alayna glanced back to find her two bonded standing side by side, arms crossed over their chests and nearly identical expressions on their faces. They were not happy, and had no problem letting Sam know it. It would have been funny, if it wasn’t so damned annoying.

  “What now?” she snapped.

  “We’ve got something to say to your foster father,” Colin said and Nikolai nodded.

  “Stars save me. Fine. Say what you need to.” She threw her hands up in the air and stepped away from Sam, who was looking at her men with a trace of a grin on his chapped lips.

  Colin spoke first. “We have chosen your daughter. She’s ours now. Ours to love, to cherish and to protect.”

  “And we will protect her from any threat, including you,” Nik added, his voice rolling like thunder across the kitchen. Alayna was tempted to roll her eyes, but she knew that this was important to them, so she stayed quiet.

  Sam eyed both men for a minute, then nodded. “You’ll do.”

  Alayna blinked. She couldn’t have possible heard that correctly. There was no way it could be that easy. “That’s it? They charge in here, threaten you and you just shrug and tell them they’ll do?”

  Her foster father looked over at her and grinned. “What did you want me to say? That they’re not worthy? They damned well caught you, didn’t they? I’d say that’s a pretty good indication of their ability. I’ve been watching you since this morning. You didn’t look like you were unhappy. Looked to me like you were making yourself right at home in fact. You had the place to yourself for a few hours and you didn’t bolt for the fence. Seemed pretty clear to me you’ve decided to stay.”

  “They said they’d hunt me down if I left,” she pointed out, feeling the need to defend herself.

  “Bullshit. If you didn’t want to be found, they’d of never found you. Same as if you didn’t want to stay, they wouldn’t have been able to keep you here, pretty new tattoo or not.” Sam touched the side of his face in the spot where she now wore Nik and Colin’s mark.

  “We would have found her,” Colin growled.

  “No, boy, you wouldn’t have. Not if she didn’t want to be found. I taught her better than that. She’s here because she wants to be. That’s all I needed to know.”

  Nikolai felt some of the tension leave her body at Sam’s words. The bastard wasn’t exactly one for soft words or tender moments, but at least he’d come to check up on Alayna. Nikolai had the feeling he would never like the man much, but if Sam didn’t try to interfere with Alayna’s happiness, then maybe they could put up with him.


  “So, you staying for dinner, old man?” Alayna asked.

  “You haven’t been around to cook me a meal in months. What do you think?”

  “I think that since I’m cooking, you can make yourself useful and finish the security installation. And don’t bother trying to put in a personal access code. Next time you visit you can come to the front door and knock like a normal person would do.”

  Sam glanced over at Nikolai, then Colin. “You two are in for a lifetime of attitude. You know that, right?”

  Nikolai dropped a kiss to the top of her head before replying.” We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  ***

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “Have I mentioned how much I hate this plan?” Nikolai’s voice sounded in Alayna’s ear, perfectly transmitted through the earpiece they’d fitted her with only a few minutes before.

  “Yes, several times,” she murmured in the barest of whispers, trusting her throat mic to pick up the near-silent response. Alayna didn’t blame Nik for being unhappy. If she were in his shoes, she would be, too. He was stuck monitoring the situation from his desk, while Colin and Alayna got to have all the fun.

  After two more days of investigation, they had identified dozens of incidents where the lieutenant had accessed one of the warehouses, but never appeared on any security footage. Once they had a starting point, the patterns appeared like magic. In the past three years, the man had stolen an impressive list of inventory, all of it highly valued on the black market.

  Bolger had started off slowly, but as he got bolder he’d started stealing more and more often, getting sloppier with every theft. He had become a man of habit, always making his run in the late afternoon and then reporting the theft two to three days later.

  On the second day, they determined that their thief wasn’t working alone. He had an accomplice, the base’s newly retired chief surgeon, Dr. Simms. The same doctor that Dane had arrived early to replace. According to their findings, Simms had ordered expensive pharmaceuticals and other items with an impressive value on the black market that seemed to disappear each time the thefts occurred. As the chief surgeon, no one had checked his requisition orders, so no one noticed when the requests for rare and high-end items had tripled in a matter of months. The pattern was undeniable, and their friend Dane was able to confirm that those high priced items should never have been ordered in the first place, as they had enough on hand.