by Susan Hayes
“End of next week, princess. Not long now.”
“I still think it’s stupid that you’re making me wait so we can have a party. I didn’t get a party when you slapped this on my face.”
“We can talk about it later. You’re about to have company. Ghost, don’t let her do anything stupid.”
“You have my word.”
“Then I’ll see you both out front shortly. Going to grab the others and get ready to nab our man.”
Colin rolled onto his stomach and then went still, quieting his mind and slowing his breathing. If everything went according to plan, all they had to do was stay hidden and observe so they could testify they saw Bolger taking the goods.
He just couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t going to be that easy.
***
CHAPTER TWENTY
This was by far the most enjoyable job Alayna had ever worked. Sam had taught her to be a thief, showing her the skills and taking her with him when she got good enough not to be a liability, but it had been ten years or more since she had actually had anyone accompany her on a run. It felt surprisingly good to know she wasn’t alone. Her bonded had watched over her every step of the way. They could be annoyingly protective and possessive enough to make her want to smack them, but she knew that they did it all because they cared about her.
She glanced over at Colin, who was stretched out alongside her, peering down at the soon to be stolen medical supplies, and smiled to herself. They did it because they loved her, just like she loved them.
“Can you hear that?” Colin’s whispered query was transmitted to her ear piece and she cocked her head, trying to detect what he was hearing. There. Footsteps were coming this way, but accompanying the sound was another one, a low hum that she didn’t recognize.
“What’s making that noise?”
“I’m not—fuck. Nikolai, he’s using a lev-sled, and there’s something loaded on it already.” Alayna spotted Bolger at the same time Colin did. He was pushing a levitation sled, which wasn’t much more than a flat deck fitted with a handle at both ends and a simple console to control the levitation system. They were versatile tools that could carry hundreds of pounds of inventory yet still be maneuverable enough for a single person to use. She didn’t have a clue about the mechanics involved, but there had been plenty of times she had wished for one during her former career.
Their thief was oblivious to his audience, so relaxed that he even started to whistle tunelessly as he made his way down the aisle. The lev-sled was gliding ahead of him, elevated about two feet off the floor despite its load. It wasn’t until he got a lot closer that Colin stiffened and tapped a finger to the back of her hand before pointing urgently down at the contents of the sled. Alayna couldn’t make out the lettering, but there was no mistaking the set of symbols emblazoned on the side of the crate. The son of a bitch wasn’t just taking the drugs. He was stealing weapons. Specifically, the kind that exploded.
Fucking wonderful.
“Griz, we’re going to have to go to the backup plan.”
Nikolai cursed softly. “What’s going on?”
“He’s got a crate full of explosive ordinance already loaded and ready to go. Have your men look for a transpo somewhere nearby, and make sure they stay out of sight or whoever it is might tip off Bolger. There’s no way he’s going to drive this off the base himself, it would look too suspicious.”
Alayna heard Nikolai snap off new orders to someone on his end while she watched Bolger come to a stop right below them. He kept up the tuneless whistling as he wrangled the sled into position.
“I need to take him down before he gets outside, Griz. You can’t risk firing on him when he’s got a sled loaded with ordinance.”
“Do what you have to. We’ll be ready.” Nik paused and then added. “Try not to kill him.”
“That’s supposed to be my line. Get your own fucking material.”
Alayna felt a sickening twist in her stomach as Colin touched her hand and then rolled to the edge of their perch.
“Don’t you dare move,” he whispered. Then he winked at her and dropped over the side, landing so quietly she didn’t hear him, though she felt the vibrations of it travel through the crates and into her body. She could still hear his breathing being transmitted over their comm-link, but he was focused on what he was doing and didn’t speak again. Alayna kept her eyes on Bolger, watching for any sign that he’d noticed Colin’s approach. Thankfully he was too busy struggling with the bulky crate to pay much attention to his surroundings. It was obvious from the way he was acting that the lieutenant was not worried about being caught. Alayna couldn’t believe how nonchalant he was acting. This guy was the one committing the thefts that Wraith was being blamed for? She was downright insulted.
By the time Bolger had the goods settled on the sled, Colin had made it to the ground. She couldn’t help but think again that he’d of made a damned fine thief. He had managed the descent quickly and silently, and now he was prowling up behind Bolger, looking more like a predator than she had ever seen him. Colin had only a few feet to go when the lieutenant belatedly decided to check his surroundings and spotted Colin.
Alayna gripped the edge of the crate beneath her so tightly that her fingers hurt, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from calling out to Colin as Bolger went on the attack. The Lieutenant was an elite, just like Colin, but her lover sidestepped Bolger’s first attack so neatly it made the man look like a bumbling klutz.
Enraged, Bolger came at him again, and this time the two men exchanged blows. They started hammering on each other, the bruising sounds of combat echoing in the huge space. Alayna’s every instinct screamed at her to join the fray, and she learned that it was actually physically painful to have to sit and watch someone she loved step into the line of fire. She wanted to be down there, fighting at Colin’s side, doing what she could to keep him safe.
“This sucks,” she muttered, forgetting the mic that was attached to her throat.
“What sucks? What the fuck is going on in there!” Nicolai roared loud enough that her ear rang and Colin’s head snapped up in surprise. That was all the opening Bolger needed, and he managed to land a powerful blow to the side of Colin’s head, stunning him. Alayna acted on instinct, snatching her knife from its sheath and throwing it before she could even think about what she was doing. The blade sank into Bolger’s thigh, his thin wail of pain reverberating through the air as he sank to the ground, cradling his injury.
“Report! Now! Or so help me, I’m coming in there!”
“It’s all right, Nik. I owe Colin an apology, that’s all.”
Colin had Bolger face down on the floor, one foot squarely planted between the man’s shoulder blades.
“Fucking hell, woman! I thought I told you to stay put.” Colin’s voice slammed through their comm-link so loudly she winced.
“I did stay put. I’m still right where you left me. I just figured I owed you a little help since I was the reason Nik bellowed and distracted you. Nice job there, Nik. First you nearly make me fall off the roof, and then you start yelling and get Colin punched in the head. You really suck at this stuff. Next time, we’re leaving you at home.”
“I had it handled,” Colin ground out the words as he glared up at her position. Even from that distance, she could see the darkening bruise on the side of his face where Bolger had struck him.
“Sure you did,” Alayna drawled sitting up and waving at him.
“I’m going to beat you both half to death if I don’t get an answer to this question in the next three seconds. What the fuck is going on?”
“Bad guy is in custody. Bring in the cavalry, and call for a medic.”
“Who needs a medic? Damn it, Ghost, I told you not to kill him.”
“He’ll live, and it wasn’t me. Our sweet little chosen got him in the leg with a knife.”
“She stabbed him? What the hell were you doing that close to him, Alayna?” Nik asked and then uttered a string of nearly inco
mprehensible curse words.
“I didn’t stab him. I threw a knife at him as a distraction and uh…accidently got him with the pointy end.”
Colin burst out laughing, which almost drowned out the fresh torrent of curses coming from Nikolai.
“I’m going to come down now. I’ll see you inside, Nik.” Alayna detached the mic from her neck and then pulled the earpiece out of her ear, but not before she heard both men muttering about what they were going to do to her when this was over. Some of the suggestions sounded downright intriguing.
If they were lucky, she might even let them try one or two.
* * * *
Nikolai had appeared with an armed detail that had taken Bolger into custody and whisked him away in restraints, completely ignoring his alternating declarations of innocence and demands for medical attention. Before Alayna and her bonded could even get clear of the warehouse, reports came in confirming that another security detail had arrested Bolger’s accomplice, a transpo driver with a reputation for bad judgment and a gambling habit. He’d been found sitting behind the wheel of a transpo, already in possession of falsified shipping documents. The moment he’d been placed under arrest, the driver had started talking, implicating Bolger, Simms and several other officers.
Alayna had never really had a chance to see her men at work before today, and it was an eye opening experience. They had not been in charge of the base for long, but the people under their command obeyed them without question. She had seen all sorts of leaders in her time, from petty tyrants to charismatic politicians, and it was clear that Nikolai and Colin were obeyed not only because of their rank, but because they had the trust and respect of the ones they led. It made her proud.
By the time they reached headquarters, Alayna’s head was spinning from all the shorthand terms and rapid fire orders. People jogged up, gave their reports on the move and then peeled off again as if they were part of an elaborately choreographed dance number. Despite the chaos, both men never once relinquished their hold on her. Colin’s hand rested in the small of her back, while Nik kept a possessive grip on her shoulder. She felt as though she were in the eye of a hurricane, protected from the storm by the comforting bulk of her bonded. It was a feeling she was really starting to enjoy.
Sam’s right. I’m going soft.
The last officer saluted and left just as three of them made it to their adjoining offices, finally giving them a moment of peace. The door had barely closed before Alayna found herself pinned up against it by a solid wall of muscle and man. A hot mouth sealed off her gasp of surprise and his tongue swept in to dance with hers. A subtle musk tickled the back of her nose and she knew it was Nikolai who held her. The hard length of his cock pressed into her stomach as he ground his hips into hers, forcing her up against the door. Strong fingers found the tab of her zipper of her uniform and tugged, opening it as far as it would go before tearing it the rest of the way off. His hands found her breasts, palming them roughly before he shifted his grip and half tore her bra off her body.
Desire slammed through her, heating her body and slickening her pussy. She loved it when they got rough with her, when the need to have her made them wild enough to break their control and take what they wanted. Craving the touch of bare flesh, Alayna tugged at Nikolai’s shirt, freeing it from his pants and gliding her hands up his flanks. When he nipped at her lips she curved her fingers into claws and scratched him lightly, dragging a low groan from the depths of his chest.
“I’d say he missed you, princess,” Colin drawled from somewhere nearby.
Nik raised his head and stared into her eyes. “I need to see you, all of you. Now. I have to see for myself that you’re not hurt.”
The heat in his dark eyes was enough to sear her soul, but what made her heart race was the adoration that showed behind the lust. She withdrew her hands and started removing the remains of her clothing, her gaze still locked on his. “Then you better lock this door.”
Nik moved back a step, then another, freeing her so that she could move away from the door. She heard the chirp of the lock engaging, and then another chirp from across the room. She looked up to find Colin had locked the door that connected his office to Nikolai’s.
“I know you’re not hurt, but I still want to see you naked,” Colin quipped and leaned back against the door with his arms folded across his chest, tightening the fabric so that it outlined the muscular curve of his shoulders and upper arms.
“Get the rest off, or I’ll happily tear it off of you.” Nikolai took up a stance nearly identical to Colin’s, and a thrill of desire course through her as both men focused all of their attention on her. She finished removing the ruins of her bra, letting it fall to the floor.
Very slowly, she stretched, sliding her fingers down one arm and noting the way their eyes followed her every move. She walked over to Nikolai’s desk, keeping her steps small and putting an extra sway in her hips. Once there, she undid her wrist unit and set it on the corner of the desk, then bent over from the waist to undo the fastenings on the heavy-duty boots that were part of the Alliance uniform.
“Teasing us isn’t a good idea, princess,” Colin said, his voice roughened with lust.
“I think she knows exactly what she’s doing. Don’t you, minx? Just like you and Colin were teasing me earlier. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about that.”
Alayna hummed softly to herself, straightening up and lifting both hands over her head as she arched her back and stretched again. The chilled air of the office sent a flurry of goose bumps chasing down her arms and her nipples tightened in response to the change in temperature as well as the heat of both their gazes. They were holding themselves still, but she could see the way their jaws had tightened and it was impossible to ignore the telltale bulge of their cocks straining against the their fabric prisons. Aware that she was pushing her luck, Alayna lowered her hands to her breasts and pinched her nipples, making them even harder.
“See? Not so much as a bruise. I’m fine. Colin’s the one who got hurt.”
“You’re more than fine. You’re fucking perfect,” Nik growled, taking half a step forward and then coming to sudden halt. “Show us the rest.”
She let her hands skim down her stomach to the fastening of her pants, opening them with a twist of her fingers and then sliding them down over her hips. There didn’t seem to be a sultry way of getting them off the rest of the way, and so she abandoned her sexy dance to wriggle out of them. She managed to partially free one foot, but then her sock tangled in the fabric and she lost her balance as she tried to kick herself loose.
So much for sexy.
Nikolai saw what was going to happen a split-second before it did and sprinted the handful of steps to Alayna. He came up behind her, arms wrapping around her waist as he planted his feet and braced himself, stopping her fall. “I’ve got you.”
“Yes, you do.” Her body shook and at first he thought it was a reaction to nearly falling, but then he heard her muffled giggles and realized she was laughing.
“How is it you can climb a wall, crawl through a vent and throw knives at a suspect without getting a scratch on you, but once we get you safe and alone, you nearly take yourself out with a pair of pants?” Colin asked her.
“Easy. I have a lot more experience doing those other things than I do performing a striptease.”
The thought of Alayna taking off her clothes for any other man had Nikolai seeing red. She was theirs, and only theirs. As far as he was concerned, no one else was allowed to even look at her for long. When he’d seen the make-up back on her face, obliterating her tattoos, he’d had to restrain himself from scrubbing the stuff off right then and there. Knowing that she had walked across the compound without anyone knowing she was claimed still got him rankled. Colin may have removed the make-up, but Nikolai was still driven by the need to re-stake his claim. He kept one arm around her waist, sliding his other hand down between her legs to cup her sex.
Her laughter morphed into a s
oft, needy moan as his fingers pressed between her labia, stroking her slick folds and teasing at her clit. She shuddered and widened her stance, opening herself to his questing fingers. Her silent submission sent Nikolai over the edge. He lowered his mouth to her neck, nipping and sucking at her tender skin while he worked her clitoris with his fingertips.
Her hot flesh was already wet with desire, and with every touch she was getting slicker. Her honey coated his fingers as he moved his hand deeper, penetrating her just enough to elicit another soft moan as she bucked her hips, trying to get him to go deeper.
“Who do you belong to, Alayna?” he asked.
“You. I belong to you and Colin. Now, fuck me already.”
Colin moved to join them and Nikolai waved him off. “You, no touching. You were fucking with me earlier, over the comm-link. Consider this my revenge. You can look, but that’s it.”
“You’re a bastard, you know that, right?” Colin smirked and lifted his hands as he backed off again. “Sorry, princess. You’re on your own.”
Alayna huffed in frustration and started wriggling in Nikolai’s arms. “And what have you got planned for me, then? Leaving me sexually frustrated while you talk to Colin?”
Nikolai grinned and plunged two fingers deep into her channel, scissoring them slightly as he worked them in and out of her body until she stopped squirming and started riding his hand instead.
“Do you like what he’s doing to you, princess? Come on, tell us how good that feels.” Nikolai glanced up and saw Colin leaning back, his cock in his hand as he watched Nikolai pleasure their chosen.
When the two men met gazes Colin gave him a lopsided grin and shrugged. “What? You said no touching her.”
Alayna laughed at that, and even Nikolai chuckled. This was how it would be for them, just how he’d always imagined it. The three of them loving and laughing and making a life together. He wanted to bury himself in her body and stay there forever. Nothing would ever come between them, because he wouldn’t let it. Being with her made Nikolai want to be a better man, and for the first time in his life, he truly wanted to be a father. A father to a little girl with jade green eyes.