by Karen Kelley
Silence.
“And you?”
“I’ll still train you, except now it’ll be with the group. There’ll probably be other instructors as well. Joe wants to…step up your training.”
“Why?”
He stood, tossing his napkin on the table. “Because there’s been some activity. Because he may need your skills to quell an uprising.” He closed the distance that separated them. “Go home, Lyraka. Go back where it was boring and safe. You’re not ready for this.”
“I’ve been ready all my life. This is what I was meant to do. I’ve studied all the books. I faced the obstacle course, and I bet I’m as good at it as any other agent.”
“There’s more to it than that.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You mean the trust thing?”
“That’s part of it.”
“Or were you trying to run me off and using trust as an issue?” When he didn’t say anything, her eyes widened. “That’s it, isn’t it? You haven’t wanted me here from the start.”
“Of course that’s not it.” But he knew that was part of it. He sighed. “People get killed.”
“Death is a part of living. Sometimes you have to take chances just to feel alive.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “But I don’t want you to take that chance.”
“It’s not your choice to make.” Her words were soft, but carried a lot of weight.
He got lost in her eyes. “I’m sorry about today.”
“I know.”
There was a wealth of sadness in her eyes and he knew that he was the one who’d put it there. She had every right to hate him.
“I guess there’s nothing left to be said.” He dropped his hands from her shoulders and walked past her. “Be ready to leave at the usual time in the morning.”
She reached her hand toward him, but he’d already left the room. Her steps were heavy as she walked from the dining room. She started past the front door, but stopped at the last minute and walked toward it. She eased it open and slipped outside.
The air was chilly. A shiver swept over her, but she didn’t stop, continuing toward the trees. She didn’t breathe easier until she was deep inside the cover of branches and bark.
But she didn’t feel the kind of peace that usually came. What was happening to her? She felt as though Roan had ripped her heart out, then squeezed the very life from it. If only her mother was here so that she could ask her what was happening.
Maybe her life would return to normal once she was with others who pursued this career. Maybe then she would feel more in sync with herself. Maybe then she would stop feeling this incredible pain.
Maybe.
Chapter 15
Lyraka had never been this nervous in her life. Not even the first time she’d had to go to the dentist and heard the drill in the background, not when Rick had first kissed her nor when Roan…
Okay, she was pretty nervous from the time she’d first laid eyes on Roan.
But she held her head high as she walked into the room. She counted eight people. Everyone was standing except one man who had his nose buried inside a book in a back corner of the room. She recognized Roan, and Gavin, the guy from the firing range. He smiled and she relaxed a little.
Roan cleared his throat. “Lyraka will be joining the team,” he told everyone.
Besides Gavin and Roan, there were four men and two women. One of the women was a Nerakian, probably a warrior, she looked a lot like Kia—who was technically Lyraka’s niece, except Kia was older.
The warrior glanced her way, then seemed to dismiss Lyraka. She faced front, but then slowly brought her gaze back to Lyraka. The woman’s eyes widened slightly. Their gazes locked. Lyraka raised her head and squared her shoulders. The woman nodded.
Okay, so the warrior suspected there was something different about Lyraka. No biggie. The Nerakian didn’t know Lyraka’s blood was mixed. Let the warrior wonder what made Lyraka different.
Lyraka turned her attention to the other female. Definitely earthling. She was petite and blond. Everything about her looked soft. Blond hair, baby blue eyes. But when she met Lyraka’s gaze, Lyraka noted the intelligence lurking in that one look. Lyraka had a feeling there wasn’t anything soft about her.
The men stared openly at Lyraka, as if they’d never seen a woman. She met the gaze of one of them. He blushed before shoving his thick glasses higher up the bridge of his nose, but she noticed he didn’t look away. The only man who didn’t stare was the one who had his nose stuck inside the book.
She tried not to let her nervousness show. Roan had already said they would introduce her skills when the time was right, but for now, she would just be one of the group. She didn’t feel like one of the group. She felt like a bug under a microscope.
The team she was joining had been training for months, though not together. Roan said it might not be a good idea to mention she’d only been there for a short time. She could understand his reasoning, sort of. After all, they were there to keep Earth safe. They shouldn’t mind doing whatever it took to make that happen. But she would keep silent.
“Everyone take a seat,” Roan said.
There were no desks here. Only one long table. She moved to the seat closest to the door and pulled the chair out. Nothing like a quick getaway. Gavin and Roan stood as everyone else took a seat.
Gavin looked at each of them. “You’ve each been handpicked to work as a team. Some of you have already been working together and some of you have been training longer than others.”
“But now you’re going to be taking it a step further,” Roan said. “Everything you do, you’ll do as a unit. There’s no room for mistakes.”
“Introductions first,” Gavin said. He nodded toward the blonde. “Alesha Talbot. Graduated top in her class from Stanford. She’s your numbers person. If you need to know how long you’ll have to get in and get out before you’re blown to hell, she’s the person to go to.”
Lyraka would not have expected that Alesha could add one plus one. She looked like a piece of fluff. Lyraka had a feeling this was one lady who better not be crossed. There was certainly more to her than she’d first thought.
“Reeka, as some of you already know, is Nerakian. She’s an expert on alien species…
“Johnny, you have a problem with being on a team with a Nerakian?” Gavin asked. “If you have something against working with any person on the team, then I’m sure we can fix that.”
His implication was clear. They worked together or that person would be dropped.
Johnny shook his head. “No, sir, of course not.”
“That’s what I thought.” He looked at everyone else again. “Like I said, you’re a team. Each of you will hold the others’ fate in your hands. If you can’t work together, then we don’t need you.”
Gavin looked at Roan, he nodded.
“Reeka is also a warrior and an expert in tactical maneuvers. Next is Warren.”
The man with his nose still stuck in a book looked up.
“Warren is one of the best demolition experts I’ve ever run across.”
Warren shrugged. “I like to blow things up, what can I say?”
Everyone laughed and the mood was lightened.
“Link is fondly known as the interrogator.”
Link blushed. “I have a way with people.”
“Johnny and Ray are the muscle of the group. If all else fails, they’ll bulldoze their way through a brick wall with brute strength.”
All brawn and no brains?
No, they wouldn’t be here if that’s all they were. Lyraka had a feeling that even though they were built like muscle men, they were smart, too.
“And Lyraka,” Roan said.
She met his gaze.
“Lyraka is an expert in counter maneuvers.”
Link pushed his thick glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. “What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said.” Roan quickly changed the subject, but she knew by
the way Link continued to watch her, that he was even more curious.
Since when had she become an expert in counter maneuvers? She wasn’t even sure she knew what that meant. But at least he hadn’t said she had no experience whatsoever.
She glanced at the others. Each one of them brought something to the team. What right did she have to be here? Because she could run fast? Because she could blend in, literally? Suddenly she felt as though she were a complete fake. Roan and Joe had been right to begin training her one-on-one. If not for that, she wouldn’t have a clue what was going on.
Was that why Roan’s tactics had been over the top? So that she would learn faster? She had caught on pretty quickly. Except she hadn’t given him her complete trust. She’d failed that test.
“We’re going to be doing some mock escape and rescue procedures,” Roan said. “Most of you have already been through this on paper, but nothing in the real world works exactly like it does in a textbook and you have to be able to think and act fast without any hesitation. And you have to be able to trust each man on your team. If that trust is broken, it could cost the whole team their lives.”
She refused to look at Roan. She knew exactly who he was talking about.
“Relax and get to know each other today. Tomorrow, you’ll have your first mock mission.”
Roan and Gavin left the room. Reeka came to her feet. “I’m a warrior as the instructors said, and Nerakian.”
“Yeah,” Johnny said as he came to his feet and sauntered over to stand near her. “The perfect planet, except there aren’t any men. All I want to know,” he sneered, “is why the Nerakians killed off all the men, but everyone likes sex so much it’s almost like a frenzy when you come to Earth.”
Link stood. “I…uh…don’t think this is what the instructors meant when they said they wanted us to get to know each other.” He looked around the room at each person. “I’ve probably been around longer than anyone here because they’ve used me mainly on Earth, but I know whole teams haven’t gotten any further than right where we are now because they couldn’t work together.” He looked pointedly at Johnny.
Johnny looked as though he might say something, then changed his mind and shrugged. “I wasn’t being serious.”
“I’m hungry,” Ray said. He hadn’t said much up until now, but he effectively diffused a tense moment.
Warren came to his feet, finally closing the book he’d been reading. “Ray, you’re always hungry. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a time when you weren’t.”
Ray grinned and socked Warren on the arm which almost sent the smaller man halfway across the room. “If you’d eat more, then you might be able to put some muscle on that skinny frame.”
Actually, from what Lyraka could see, Warren wasn’t skinny and had his share of muscle. It was just that Ray looked as if he probably spent a lot of time in the gym working out.
Ray and Warren seemed nice enough. She was pretty sure Johnny would never be a favorite with her. She wasn’t as sure about the women and Link. She’d reserve her judgment until after she’d been around them a little longer.
“There’s a snack bar down the hall,” Ray said. “Since we were ordered to get to know each other, we might as well do it over a soda and a candy bar.”
“Sure, why not.”
“Chocolate?” Reeka said.
Johnny cast a disparaging look at Reeka. “Why do I get the feeling that you would sell your soul to the devil for a bar of chocolate?” He sauntered past her and out the door.
Reeka glared at him.
“Hey, don’t worry about him,” Ray said. “Hell, I might sell my soul to the devil if it was Godiva.” Everyone laughed and another tense moment passed.
Roan had talked about trust, and how a team couldn’t survive without it, but she had no idea how she was ever going to be able to put her trust in Johnny. She didn’t like him. He might be good at what he did, but he was in need of an attitude adjustment.
As she followed everyone out the door, she couldn’t help wondering if being with other people was going to be all she’d imagined.
The lounge was filled with overstuffed furniture and a table with snack cakes, fruit, and candy bars. Lyraka could already see Ray was in heaven. She opted for a granola bar and bottled water. That looked like the safest choice. She’d love to try the chocolate, but was still leery about its addiction. Her mother had already warned her about it.
The brown loveseat was the kind you could sink into. She made herself comfortable, then wished she’d chosen a chair when Johnny sat next to her. She scooted farther over, but their legs still touched. Wearing sweats had been a good idea.
“So, why does a pretty lady like you want to be an agent?”
She set her water on the side table and bit into her granola bar, making him wait until she swallowed and giving her time to think about her answer.
“My reasons are probably the same as anyone here. Adventure, fighting the bad guys.” She shrugged.
“Or species.” He looked pointedly at Reeka.
“You have something against Nerakians?”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“Yeah, that’s what a lot of people say, but that’s not how they feel when it gets right down to it.”
“That’s your opinion, but don’t presume to know how I feel.” He was an obnoxious ass. She started to stand, but he grabbed her arm.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends,” he said. He ran his finger up her arm. “We’re team members. You can’t tell me you don’t feel something for me.”
She started laughing. She couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the stress of the last few days finally breaking through, but she couldn’t stop.
“If someone tells a joke, then you have to share,” Ray said as he sat in the chair across from them.
Johnny’s disgruntled look only made it harder for her to stop laughing. Some of the others began to gravitate over to where they were.
“Lady, you’re certifiable!” Johnny said as he jumped to his feet and stormed from the room.
Lyraka wiped the tears from her eyes. She really hadn’t meant to laugh so much. Oh, Lord, now she was the center of attention and now everyone was looking at her.
Alesha sat on the arm of the loveseat. “Since we’re going to be a team—” she began in a soft southern drawl—“you can’t keep secrets. What did Johnny say that threw you into a fit of giggles?”
No one said anything as they waited for her to speak. Great, she’d already created a disturbance. Well, there was no getting around it.
“It wasn’t that important.”
They continued to stare, waiting patiently.
She hoped she was never interrogated because she’d cave in the blink of an eye. “He suggested that I felt something for him.”
They just sat there.
“I told you it wasn’t anything. I just couldn’t stop laughing.” Where was a hole when she needed one? She’d love to just drop down into it and pull the dirt back over her head.
Alesha chuckled.
Ray grinned. “His ego needed busting.”
“I know we’re supposed to be a team, but I just don’t like him. He needed someone to bring him down a notch,” Alesha said.
Warren and Link nodded their agreement.
Lyraka relaxed. This was what being a part of a team was going to be like, and it felt good.
They all started talking at once. She learned that Warren was from Ohio and came from a big family. He was somewhere in the middle of a brood of kids. Since he couldn’t get a word in edgewise, he’d started reading everywhere he went. He still did.
Link was from Red River, New Mexico. He was tall and his hair was sandy blond. He said they had the best fly-fishing for miles around. She liked his smile. It seemed to envelop her like a gentle hug. He was a person she felt she could trust. Maybe that was why he made a good interrogator.
“Well, I’m from Atlanta,” Alesha drawled. “I’m
truly a southern belle.”
Ray chuckled.
Her eyebrows shot up. “You don’t think I’m a southern belle?”
“I saw you training last week. You were kicking some guy’s ass and he was twice your size.”
Alesha studied her perfectly manicured pink fingernails. “Just because I know how to defend myself doesn’t mean I don’t remember how my momma brought me up. I just happen to hold a black belt in karate.” She smiled sweetly at Ray. He seemed to melt in the chair when she batted her long lashes at him.
“I’m glad you’re on our side,” Warren said. “I might demolish buildings, but I bet you could bring a guy to his knees with one look.”
“Thank you, darlin’.” She grinned, then winked at Lyraka.
Why couldn’t she be that easy around people? Maybe if she’d been raised differently she wouldn’t feel quite so awkward. A rush of guilt ran through her. Her mother had done what was best to protect her daughter.
“Where are you from, Lyraka?” Ray asked.
Startled, she jumped. “Me?”
He smiled. “Yeah. Where are you from?”
She cleared her throat. “Texas.”
“Yum, land of the cowboys.” Alesha leaned forward. “Tell us more.”
“There’s not a lot to tell. I was home schooled. I grew up at my mother’s artist colony.”
“You have the most unusual shade of eyes,” Warren said, staring at her.
She picked off an imaginary piece of lint on the leg of her sweatpants. “They’re just blue.”
“Reeka, how long have you been on Earth?” Link asked.
Lyraka cast a look of gratitude in his direction. He smiled and she knew he’d taken the spotlight off her on purpose. They would have to know sooner or later. Would they be just as friendly then? She really doubted Johnny would.
“I’ve been here three years,” Reeka told him. She took a bite of chocolate, closing her eyes. There was just a hint of color swirling above her.
“Ever want to return?” Ray asked. “I mean, and live there again.”
Sadness crossed her face, but was gone in a second. “Sometimes, yes, but there is much to offer here on Earth that Nerak doesn’t have. Nerak will never open up to civilization like Earth has.”