by Anna Hackett
Noah rounded on her. “I can hold my own, Captain Bladon. I’m not stupid. I actually have the highest IQ in the room. And I can fight.”
They stared at each other, like two Old West gunslingers.
She wanted him safe. Not flying into some raptor facility, where anything could happen.
It was Marcus who cleared his throat. “I can vouch for Kim. He’s been training with me and he can hold his own.”
No. Laura pressed her lips together.
Adam’s gaze switched between the two of them. Then he sighed. “Okay, Marcus, this mission will be Hell Squad’s. You decide who goes. When do you want to launch?”
Marcus stroked his jaw, staring at the barren desert around the alien domes. “I think it needs to be a night mission. There’s nothing around there for miles. Nowhere to hide, limited cover from the dunes.”
Roth nodded. “I agree.”
“Okay, then,” the general said. “Tonight?”
Marcus nodded. “Tonight.” His gaze landed on Laura and Noah. “Firing range will be free in two hours. I suggest you two plan to get your asses down there and brush up on using a weapon.”
Laura nodded, but Noah spun, shot her a scathing look, and stalked out.
As the others left the room, Claudia stopped beside Laura. “Word of advice. Surefire way to emasculate a guy is to say he isn’t capable of defending himself. Men are men. Doesn’t matter if they’re an alpha soldier or an alpha tech genius, they’ll still react the same way.”
Left alone in the room, Laura closed her eyes. Crap.
Chapter Six
Noah strode down the tunnel. He’d finished collecting everything he needed for the upcoming mission—armor, weapon, mini-tablet. He was as ready as he’d ever be.
He’d not been out on a mission before, but he’d helped from this side. Watched drone feed with the comms officers as the squads had moved in. He’d even filled in as Hell Squad’s comms officer a couple of times when Elle had gone into the field.
Hell, he was excited for it. For a chance to fight the aliens up close and personal.
His gaze fell on a door ahead and his jaw tightened. First, he had to have a conversation with a certain captain.
Noah thumped his fist on the door once, then quickly bypassed the electronic lock. The door opened and he stepped into Laura’s quarters.
She was standing in the middle of her living area and she spun, anger sparking in her eyes. “You broke in!”
Noah blinked. Some things he’d expected. Her armor was laid out on the bed—with neat precision. Almost everything in the room was tidy, including the hand-built bookshelves on the back wall that were loaded with books lined up like soldiers.
What wasn’t neat was Laura, and what she was doing.
She had a white sheet of paper pegged up to some sort of wooden easel. She wore a man’s business shirt that fell to mid-thigh and left her long legs deliciously bare. His gaze followed them down. Hell, she had damn good legs. Legs a man could easily imagine wrapped around his hips as he thrust inside her. He jerked his gaze back up to look at the rest of her. She was covered in paint.
In one hand she held a paintbrush, but multicolored streaks of paint decorated her arms and her white shirt—and not all of the paint looked fresh. Even her face had streaks of paint on it. To cap it off, the rich, lustrous red hair he loved was pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head.
“What are you doing here?” she said, her tone wary.
Noah closed the distance. He was looking at the painting now. It was as impressive as the woman. She was using paints in earthy tones—burnt oranges, smoky blues, vibrant green and dull yellow. He wasn’t sure if the wild, passionate strokes meant anything, but the more he looked at what he thought was an abstract, passionate splash of paint, the more he saw. The blue ruins of a city, the brilliant sunset on the horizon, the lushness of green, overgrown vegetation.
“This is really good.”
She shrugged and set down her paintbrush in a glass of water she had on the coffee table.
“I didn’t know you painted.”
She shrugged again. “I don’t just sit around studying interrogation techniques in my free time.” Her voice had a slight edge, then she huffed out a breath. “I don’t talk about it. I only started about eight months ago. I’m still learning.”
He looked again at the painting. It wasn’t a paint by numbers job. It was passionate, it sang with emotion. He saw a stack of canvases leaning against the wall. “Well, it’s amazing. Where do you get the paint?”
“I make it. Old Man Hamish from the hydroponic gardens gives me a few plant and vegetable extracts so I can mix up different colors. What paint we have in supplies is for maintenance, or for use in the school. I didn’t want to waste the supplies.”
No, Laura Bladon was far too sensible for that. And here was the passionate heart of her—a part she kept locked up and hidden—on display.
“It’s beautiful, Laura.” He reached out and tugged on a strand of red hair before tucking it behind her ear. He’d come here all angry at her, but seeing this…well, it had taken the edge off.
Faint color appeared in her cheeks. “Thanks.”
“That still doesn’t get you off for that damned stunt you pulled in Ops.”
She stiffened. “Stunt?”
His hand curled into a fist. “Not capable? Shouldn’t be on the mission?”
Her chin lifted. “You are a civilian, Noah. You haven’t been in combat.”
“We’ve all been in combat since the day the aliens attacked.”
“I’m military. I may not go on many missions, but I’m trained, I have the mindset.”
He gripped her upper arms. “Laura, I’ve been part of this fight against the aliens for eighteen months. I came straight to the base as soon as I saw the bombs start falling.” Noah had calculated the implications straight away. He’d tried to contact his parents first, hell, he’d even tried to get a message to Kalina. But the phones had been down. Instead, he’d jumped in his Porsche and broken the speed limit to get to Blue Mountain Base. He’d done a job here once, had known the base had everything humanity needed to be a safe haven.
General Holmes had welcomed him and his expertise straight away.
And after that…well, those first few months had been hell. Trying to organize things in the chaos, welcoming shell-shocked survivors, helping boost systems to do things they’d never been designed to do.
He’d been too busy to grieve for his parents and his grandmother. He’d just focused on what had to be done and piecing a tech team together from survivors who had the right skills.
“Sure, I may not have been pulling a trigger on a carbine, but I’ve been a part of the fight.” He shook her a little. “We all have to fight in this war. We don’t have the luxury of hiding and letting others fight for us.”
She was staring at his chest.
Hell, she was so damned gorgeous in just that paint-splattered shirt and messy hair. “Why?” he demanded. “Why’d you try to get me off the mission?”
Now she looked up, and there was so much emotion swimming in her eyes. “I wanted to protect you.”
His chest constricted. “Laura—”
“I lost someone once.” Her eyes squeezed closed. “I…I don’t think I can do it again.”
He yanked her to his chest. “Shit, honey.” There was a lump in his throat.
She pushed against him. “I’ll get paint on your shirt.”
“I don’t care.” He pressed his face against her hair. She smelled like Laura and paint. “Sometimes Lady Luck smiles on us…sends us someone who makes us feel good. Looks after us when we need to do something risky.” She’d clearly started being nice to Noah when she’d sent Laura to cross his path.
Laura pulled back and looked up, one brow rising. “You really believe that?”
He pulled a pair of dice from his pocket. “Let’s test the theory. Pick one.”
She eyed the lime-green one that was slightly tra
nslucent, and then the other, a fancy metal one that was intricately carved.
Not surprisingly, she picked the green one. Noah already knew she didn’t go for fancy.
“Nice choice.” He tucked the other one away. “Now, I’m going to roll. Even, I leave. Odd, you kiss me.”
She was silent for a minute. “Okay.”
Noah leaned over and rolled the cube across the coffee table. It made a small clattering noise and stopped…on five.
Laura’s eyes narrowed. “It’s rigged.”
Sure it was. Noah wasn’t shy about manipulating luck where he could. “Or I’m just lucky.”
He pulled her in close. He felt her chest rise on a ragged breath. Her gaze roamed over his face. “Why the hell do you have to be so attractive?”
“Just kiss me, Laura. Stop thinking so hard.” He pulled her in and closed the gap between them.
She made a noise. “Damn you.” She cupped his cheeks and yanked his face down to hers.
Noah felt Laura soften against him. A growl escaped his throat and he kissed her deep, cupping the back of her head. Wild, wild heat flared.
But eventually, he found some control and forced himself to pull back. She was one hell of a strong woman, but she was running scared from this. He was a smart man…he had to tread carefully here.
“I don’t want to take the risk either,” he said.
The color leached from her face, and she tried to pull away.
He held fast. “I never had what you had, I thought I did and I learned it was a lie. So I don’t want to take another risk, but I can’t stop thinking about you.” He set her away, then cupped her cheek, running his thumb down her cheekbone. “We have a mission to get ready for. See you at the landing pads.”
Noah made himself walk away. As he walked down the hall, he saw his shirt was coated in paint and smiled. There was passion burning in his captain, and he wanted to help her set it free.
Then he straightened. But for now, he had to focus on doing his bit to keep her and the base safe.
***
Laura grabbed the handhold above her head and held on tight as the Hawk quadcopter took off. The rock walls of the landing tube moved past them as they shot upward.
Around her, Hell Squad lounged like they spent all day on a Hawk just kicking back and relaxing. She guessed they did spend a lot of time on them, and more than that, were used to heading off on dangerous missions. They all sat or stood, each one of them appearing calm, relaxed, and focused.
Noah sat nearby, looking pretty comfortable in armor that fit him like a glove. He had his hair tied back, his face set. He was tapping on a small mini-tablet attached to his wrist.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the pilot called back from the cockpit. “Please settle in for a nice ride to the Simpson Desert. We’re expecting good weather and clear skies all the way.”
“Can it, Finn,” Claudia called back. “You make a crappy flight attendant. Stick to what you know best.”
“You wouldn’t know what I do best,” came the laconic reply from Finn Eriksson. “I’d be happy to show you.”
“Heard it all before, flyboy.” Claudia leaned back in her chair, a small smile on her face.
“Just fly the damn Hawk, Finn.” Shaw was frowning. “And quit jabbering.”
The Hawk cleared the base, its rotors turned and then they headed west. Laura leaned down a little to see out of the side window. The sun had not long set, and darkness wreathed the mountains. She caught the glint of moonlight on water, and the endless darkness of trees.
A small quiver of excitement went through her. She liked her job, was good at it. It wasn’t pretty work, or easy work, but it was necessary. But there was something about heading out on an active mission, a chance to truly fight back, that felt good. She thought of Jake, knew he must have felt like this on missions. She smiled. He would have been proud of her.
Then her smile slipped. But he would also have been disappointed in her. That she hadn’t let go, that she’d held onto her grief and pain so hard she’d let herself go numb. He would never have wanted that for her.
“Okay, listen up.” Marcus faced them. He looked intimidating, his armor making his broad shoulders and muscled body look even bigger and tougher. “Finn’s going to set us down a short distance from the alien domes. We’ll move in silently and access the first dome. Elle’s identified it as the research dome. Claudia, you’re on point. Gabe will be right behind you. Reed, you’ll bring up the rear.” Marcus caught Shaw’s gaze. “You’ll stay back, find a vantage point and cover our asses.”
Shaw nodded. “Prefer to be going in, but I’ve got it.”
“Yeah, heard how much you like going in,” Cruz murmured. “Heard you had a little private party with Tabby from supplies and her blonde friend.”
Shaw grinned. “My lips are sealed.”
Cruz snorted.
Claudia rolled her eyes. “Wow, two quickies at the same time. Talented.”
Shaw’s face hardened and he kicked his boot against Claudia’s armored leg. “Enough with the quickie stuff. It’s not funny anymore.”
The female soldier tossed her head back and smiled. “It is to the rest of us. Truth making you a little uncomfortable, Shaw?”
The sniper leaned down, his face an inch from Claudia’s. “You keep this up, I’ll show you just how long I take in bed with a woman.”
“Wow, my second offer since we boarded…and I’m not interested in either.” She crossed her arms.
Shaw leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Laura watched a flow of emotions cross Claudia’s face before she shoved Shaw away.
“In your dreams, Shaw. Focus on the mission or I’ll punch you in the face.”
Marcus was pinching the bridge of his nose and Laura got the impression the bickering was normal.
“Cruz, for God’s sake, don’t encourage them,” Marcus growled.
The conversation turned to confirming the movements for the rest of the mission. It was then she saw Hell Squad turn from a group of joking friends to fully-focused soldiers. She knew their deadly reputation and now she was going to see it in action.
Laura fiddled with the pins she’d stuck in her hair to keep it in place. She looked over and saw Noah was watching her. Funny how looking at him made her a whole lot more nervous than going on this mission. When he winked at her, she felt something inside her soften. It was time she decided whether she had the courage to take a risk with him.
But first, they had to survive this mission.
“Okay, domes in view,” Finn called back.
“Everyone, get prepped,” Marcus said. “Hell Squad, ready to go to hell?”
“Hell yeah,” the squad members yelled. “The devil needs an ass-kicking.”
Laura’s hand tightened on the bar. Let’s do this.
Chapter Seven
Noah stayed in line, running quickly across the sand to the nearest dome. He had his combat helmet in place and a night-vision lens over his left eye. Everything was bathed in shades of green.
Ahead of him, half of Hell Squad moved, quickly and quietly. Directly behind him was Laura, followed by the rest of the squad. He could see in an instant they all worked like a well-practiced team, moving together as one.
Ahead, the first dome rose up from the desert floor.
He’d seen images of the Genesis Facility that Hell Squad had destroyed. It had been a giant construction made of a continuous, amber-like glass, riddled with black striations. This dome was different. It was smaller and made of individual panes of orange glass fitted together, giving it a mosaic look. A second dome was just visible behind the first. From inside, they glowed with light.
“Marcus, two raptor signatures rounding the first dome.” Elle’s calm voice came through their earpieces.
“Down,” Marcus said.
Everyone dropped, bellies to the sand. Noah’s heart was a loud beat in his head. He waited and watched, and finally spotted the two huge shadows as they came int
o view. The two raptors were talking quietly to themselves.
“Gabe.” Marcus’ murmur was barely audible.
Off to Noah’s right, the big, silent Gabe pushed to his feet, then melded into the shadows like a ghost.
Noah kept watching. All he saw was a blur of movement in the shadows, and then the two raptors were gone. Damn, Gabe was good.
A moment later, Gabe returned. “I dragged them out into the desert. Won’t be found for a while, but if they have regular check-ins, then we don’t have much time.”
Marcus stood and gestured for the rest of the squad to follow. “Let’s do this. Shaw?”
“I’ll be waiting. Go interrogate some raptor ass.” The sniper slipped away.
The rest of them hurried toward the arched door in the side of the dome. As they neared, Noah noted a raptor version of an electronic lock on it.
The team stopped, their carbines up. Marcus cursed. “Noah, can you get this open?”
“I can try.” Noah held up his mini-tablet and got to work. He had their database of raptor words with him, and he’d been working enough with raptor tech to hopefully be able to get past this barrier.
A moment later, the door slid open.
“Nice work.” Claudia moved forward and slipped inside.
They all waited a tense few seconds. Then Claudia popped her head back outside. “Clear. But be warned, our comms don’t work in here.”
Marcus touched his ear. “Elle, we’ll make contact once we’re out.”
“Be safe.”
They entered the dome.
Wow. Noah looked up and around. They were in some sort of entry. It was empty, but the walls pulsed with an orange light.
Claudia moved toward the next door, Gabe right behind her. Her low curse came through their earpieces loud and clear. “Another lock.”
Noah shouldered forward. “I’m on it.”
It didn’t take him long. He stepped back with a smile. Piece of cake. He caught Laura watching him and he winked.
Claudia moved through the door and the team followed. They moved into a larger room, and everyone gasped.
This room was lined with cages, and inside them were a variety of animals. The screeching of birds and the hissing of snakes added to the cacophony inside. Noah saw larger cages farther in. The aliens had captured kangaroos, wombats, emus—hell, even some camels.