by Paige Tyler
Holding the blanket to her naked breasts with one hand, Laken reached out to cup his cheek with the other so she could turn his face to hers. “To the people of Marlon Prime and every other planet rebelling against the Federation, you are.”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a wry smile. “I’m just the captain of a cargo ship who takes on the jobs no one else will because they’re too dangerous. That makes me a damn fool in most people’s eyes.”
“Well, I think you’re a hero,” Laken said softly, leaning in to kiss him gently on the mouth.
Rade groaned and slid his hand into her hair. As his tongue swept into her mouth to claim hers, Laken melted against him, offering herself to him completely. Beneath the blanket, his hand slid over her hip and up her waist to gently cup her breast. From the urgency in his touch, it was obvious where this was going, and while she couldn’t be more eager to make love to him again, she needed to tell him how she felt about him first.
Laken moaned and pulled her mouth from his, her breathing ragged. “Rade, I...”
But the words she so desperately longed to tell him were never uttered because at that moment a gruff male voice cut across hers.
“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in this barn?”
Startled, Laken turned her head in the direction of the voice, and was stunned to see a big, broad-shouldered man standing directly outside the stall, a gun trained on her and Rade. Three other armed men were with him. All four were all wearing what looked like some type of uniform, but they weren’t Federation. Or at least she didn’t think they were.
Beside her, Rade tensed, the hand cupping her breast sliding out from beneath the blanket to make sure her nakedness was covered with it. Laken pressed closer to him, her eyes locked on the weapons pointed at them.
The man’s gaze darted to the clothes they’d so hastily discarded the night before, his eyes narrowing when he saw the Federation insignia on the uniform Rade had borrowed. Laken held her breath.
He turned cold eyes on them. “I should shoot you right now, you Federation bastard. You and that traitor you’re with. Now, get dressed. You’re both coming with us.”
“We’re not...” Rade began, but the soldier cut him off.
“Save it,” he snarled. “Get your clothes on. Now!”
Rade’s jaw tightened and for a moment, Laken thought he might argue, but instead he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze beneath the blanket. Careful not to disturb the covers, he got to his feet. Grabbing her shirt and beeches, he handed them to her before reaching for his own.
Keenly aware of the soldiers standing there watching them, Laken tried not to blush as she clutched the blanket to her nakedness with one hand and dressed herself with the other. Finally getting her breeches on, she fumbled with her shirt, but her hands were trembling so badly that it took her two tries to get the buttons done up right.
What were the men going to do with them? While the soldiers might not be Federation, they were just as dangerous, especially since they thought she and Rade were the enemy.
As she pulled on her boots, Rade tried to again explain to the men they weren’t Federation, but the soldiers didn’t seem to care. Instead, the men cuffed their hands behind their backs and dragged them out of the barn and over to a waiting hover-vehicle.
When the soldier shoved her down on the bench beside Rade, Laken scooted as close to him as she could. “Where are they taking us?”
His jaw clenched. “I don’t know. But it’ll be okay. I promise.”
Despite the fact that she was terrified, his words made Laken feel better. If anyone could get them out of this, it would be Rade.
As it turned out, the soldiers took them to a nearby town. Once there, they led her and Rade to a nondescript building and shoved them into a small room where they were questioned by another soldier. Rade tried yet again to tell the man they weren’t Federation, but the man from Marlon Prime had a difficult time believing the story, especially since the uniform Rade wore was Federation issue.
After what seemed like hours, the soldier left, only to return several minutes later with more men, and she and Rade were led out of the room and put back in the hover-vehicle. Though Laken thought she did a good job of hiding her fear from the soldiers, she couldn’t conceal it from Rade, and he gave her a reassuring nod as they sped out of the city. She wished they weren’t cuffed because she would have liked to feel his arms around her. Since they were, though, she had to settle for the warmth of his body beside hers.
The sun was nearly overhead by the time the hover-vehicle stopped again, this time in front of a bigger building in a much bigger city. From the soldiers standing guard outside the tall double doors, it was clearly some kind of government building, and Laken swallowed nervously as the med took her and Rade inside.
Once in the building, they were taken to a small room similar to the other holding cell. The soldier who questioned them this time was higher in rank than the first, and as she listened to Rade again explain who they were, Laken fervently prayed the man would believe them this time.
“What if they don’t believe us?” she whispered to Rade after the soldier had finally left.
Rade said nothing for a moment, but then he gave her a small smile. “They will.”
Laken hoped so. She shifted in the seat, trying to find a comfortable position, something which was difficult to do with her hands cuffed behind her back. It was hard to believe she and Rade had made love in the hay just that morning. It seemed like ages ago.
Abruptly, she remembered the confession she’d been on the verge of making when the soldiers from Marlon Prime had interrupted them. Her gaze slid to Rade. As much as she wanted to profess her love, she knew that now was not the time. Not only were there two armed soldiers in the room with them, but Rade needed to focus on other things right now. She could tell him when they got back to his ship. If they ever got back.
The door opened then, interrupting her thoughts, and Laken jumped. Her heart racing, she watched as the soldier who had been questioning them earlier entered the room. He said something to one of the guards, but his words were too soft for Laken to hear what he said, and she tensed as the guard came over to her and Rade. But instead of dragging them out of the room, the man took out a key and bent down to unlock Rade’s handcuffs.
“My apologies, Captain Karsten, but it took us some time to corroborate your story,” the soldier said. “If you and your companion would come with me, my commander would like to speak with you.”
Relief coursed through Laken as the guard bent down behind her to unlock the cuffs. Massaging her wrists, she jumped to her feet and probably would have thrown herself into Rade’s arms if the soldier from Marlon Prime hadn’t been waiting impatiently by the open door for them.
The man led them down a long corridor and into a huge room. From the way the tables and chairs were set up and the holo-maps on the walls, Laken realized it looked like some kind of briefing room. As they entered, a tall man with graying hair came forward to greet them.
“Captain Karsten, it’s an honor,” the man said, holding out his hand. “I’m Commander Vargas.”
Rade clasped the man’s hand and returned the greeting, then introduced Laken.
“If I could get a message to my ship, I’d be most grateful,” Rade said.
Commander Vargas nodded. “Of course. Right this way.”
To say Rade’s crew was ecstatic when they discovered he and Laken had escaped from the Federation was putting it mildly. Laken couldn’t help but smile as each member of the crew came on to tell them how relieved they were. God, it was good to hear their voices.
Behind them, the door opened and Laken turned to see a petite blonde woman coming into the room, a tray in her hands.
“Thank you, Monni” Commander Vargas said to the woman, then glanced at Rade and Laken. “I thought you might be hungry.”
Laken had been too frightened before to think about, but as the aroma of freshly baked pastries
reached her nose, her stomach growled in appreciation. She gave Rade a questioning look.
“You go ahead,” he told her.
Her brow furrowed. Surely Rade must be as hungry as she was. But knowing better than to press him on it, she gave both men a nod and walked over to where the woman was setting the tray down on one of the tables. Though Laken tried to concentrate on what Monni was saying as she ate, every so often her gaze drifted over to Rade and Commander Vargas. They were speaking too softly for her to hear much of what they were saying, but she thought she heard the words, “Federation,” “attack,” and “New Ashanti.” That, along with the tight set of Rade’s jaw, made her frown deepen. They were planning something big, she could tell.
When Rade finally came over with Vargas, it was on the tip of Laken’s tongue to ask him what the men had been talking about, but she resisted the urge. Telling herself she would ask him about it when they got back to his ship, Laken helped herself to another sweet cake.
Finn and Keir arrived to pick them up about an hour and a half later. It had taken them a while to slip through the Federation blockade. Apparently, the Federation was doing everything they could to prevent any more ships getting through like the shuttle had done the night before. If it weren’t for Laken’s cloaking codes, Finn and Keir would never have gotten back down to Marlon Prime.
Both men were all smiles as they greeted their captain with handshakes and back-slaps. While Finn gave Laken a grin and told her it was good to see her, Keir was more demonstrative, wrapping her in a warm hug. Though Keir didn’t see it, that earned him a dark look from Rade, and Laken couldn’t help but feel a little thrill at the show of possessiveness.
They left Marlon Prime a little while later, with Rade telling Commander Vargas he’d be in touch. Laken frowned, but made no comment as they made their way to the shuttle. An hour later, she and Rade were back on his ship, where they were both greeted warmly by the rest of the crew.
As Laken and Rade filled everyone in on what had happened since they’d been taken prisoner by the Federation, Kellen and the rest of them could only shake their heads in wonder, amazed she and Rade had managed to escape. Eager to talk to Rade in private, Laken told Dev and Pammay she would see them later, but turned to find him heading for the steps, Kellen at his side.
Laken chewed on her lip for a moment, wondering if she should intercept the two men, but then decided against it. She could really use a shower, even if it was of the sonic variety. She would talk to Rade later.
Back in her cabin, Laken stripped out of her shirt and breeches, then took a quick shower. Since there was no need to dry off afterward, she put on the dress she’d borrowed from Dev, brushed her hair, then slipped her feet into her sandals before hurrying out the door.
Laken tried Rade’s cabin first, but when there wasn’t any answer in reply to her knock, she headed for his ready room instead. The door was open and as she drew nearer, she could hear voices coming from the room.
“...attacking the Federation like this is damn risky,” Kellen was saying.
“Everything we do is risky, Kellen,” Rade replied.
Her brow furrowing at the words, Laken slowed her steps until she was standing just off to the side of the door. If Rade found her eavesdropping like this, he would be furious. But she had to know what they were talking about and if she walked in and demanded to know, Rade would just sidestep her questions.
“True,” the older man agreed. “But taking on the Federation head to head like this isn’t your style, Rade. We’ve always worked behind the scenes. Now, you want to move to the front lines. What’s changed?”
Silence. Then, “Nothing. I just think it’s time we took a more active role in the rebellion, that’s all. And now is a good chance to strike a decisive blow.”
Kellen let out a heavy sigh. “If that commander on Marlon Prime is wrong and New Ashanti isn’t fully on board with this plan, then we’ll all be left hanging in the breeze. We’ll all be wiped out. You know that, don’t you?”
More silence followed the first officer’s words. This time, Laken didn’t wait for Rade to reply. She had heard enough. Lifting her chin, she walked into the room. Both men looked at her in surprise.
“You can’t seriously mean to go up against the Federation like this,” she said to Rade.
His eyes narrowed at her words and he gave her an accusing look. “How long were you standing out there listening?”
She folded her arms to regard him defiantly. He had changed out of the Federation uniform into tight, leather breeches and a shirt. Laken didn’t think she’d ever seen him look more handsome. “Long enough to know that what you’re planning is crazy.”
Rade’s jaw tightened at her words, but before he could say anything, Kellen spoke.
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Giving her and Rade a nod, he left the room.
Laken advanced on Rade. “This is what you were talking about with Commander Vargas back on Marlon Prime, wasn’t it?”
He scowled. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you that eavesdropping is rude?”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping. Rade, I’m not sure exactly what you’re planning, but whatever it is, it not only sounds dangerous, but downright suicidal.”
He lifted a brow. “I would have thought you’d find it heroic.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Heroic?” Abruptly, the conversation they’d had that morning in the farmer’s barn came back to her. “Is that what this is about, you being a hero? Rade, one more small cargo ship out there fighting the Federation won’t make a difference. What you do, smuggling weapons and medical supplies to the rebels, is much more important. Please say you won’t do this.”
Rade regarded her for a long moment, his dark eyes unreadable. “You needn’t worry. This won’t interfere with your plans to reunite with your fiancé.”
She blinked. Her plans to reunite with Mallin? She had no intention of going to Mallin now. Or ever, for that matter. Surely Rade must know that. Before she could say anything, however, Keir appeared in the doorway.
“You wanted to see me, Captain?” he said, hands on either side of the door as he leaned casually into the room.
Rade glanced at the other man. “I need you to ready the shuttle for departure. Laken is leaving.”
Laken blinked. She didn’t know which of them was more surprised by that announcement, Keir or her.
“Leaving?” Keir said, a frown creasing his brow. “But I thought...”
“You thought what?” Rade demanded.
The other man flushed beneath his tan. “Nothing, Captain.” He glanced at Laken. “I’ll wait for you down by the shuttle.”
A heavy silence descended on the room after Keir had left. Laken just stood there, too shocked to do anything else. How could Rade honestly expect her to leave after all they had shared? Then again, Rade really wasn’t giving her a choice, was he? He wanted her off his ship and out of his life. That should tell her everything she needed to know about how he felt.
She’d been so stupid. She had actually let herself believe he cared for her as much as she did for him. But she had been nothing more than an amusement. He didn’t care about her at all. He never had.
Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back. She wouldn’t cry in front of him.
As if oblivious to her pain, Rade turned his back on her to study the holo-map on the table. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t keep Keir waiting. We have a lot to do and I need him back on the ship.”
Laken swallowed hard as she stared at Rade’s broad back. That was it? He wasn’t even going to say goodbye? Her heart ached so much right then that she thought it might actually break in two. Tears blurring her vision, she turned and ran from the room.
She didn’t know how she made it back to her cabin without completely falling apart. Once inside, she leaned back against the door, tears streaming down her cheeks. How could she leave Rade when she loved him so much?
Suddenly, there was a knock on the doo
r that made her jump.
“Laken? It’s Dev. Are you in there?”
Laken closed her eyes, not trusting herself to speak. She didn’t want to see the other girl right now. She didn’t want to see anyone. But how could she leave without saying goodbye to her friends?
She wiped the tears from her cheeks and stepped away from the door. “Come in.”
At her words, the door slid open and a worried looking Dev walked into the cabin, Pammay right behind her.
“Keir said you’re leaving,” Dev said. “That’s not true, is it?”
Laken could only nod miserably.
The dark-haired woman looked at her in disbelief. “But I thought you and the captain...”