by Lolita Lopez
He smiled apologetically. “Sorry.”
Sitting up in the tube, she held the mask to her face and finished the breathing treatment. She desperately wanted Cipher with her. He would have rubbed her back, told her sweet and encouraging things and then offered her a box of juice when she was finished. Chance stayed nearby, but he didn’t offer the comfort only her mate could.
When the treatment was complete, Chance helped her back to the changing room. She slumped against the wall as the jitteriness started. Uncertain whether she could manage on her own, she opened the door just a crack. “Chance?”
“Yes, ma’am?” He avoided looking at the door but moved closer.
“Can you get Cipher, please? I need his help.”
“Of course, ma’am.”
She made her way to the cold metal chair and settled onto it. Her legs and arms trembled wildly as she waited for Cipher to make his way to her. In a shorter time than she expected, he jerked open the door, stepped inside and shut it behind him. Obviously worried, he knelt in front of her and cupped her face in his big, warm hands. “Are you okay, little one?”
“I am now.” She leaned into his reassuring touch as fatigue overwhelmed her. “I don’t think I can get dressed by myself.”
“You don’t have to,” he said, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. He was so gentle as he helped her out of the hospital gown and back into her clothes. “Next time, I’m coming back here with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said sleepily. “You’ll end up punching that mean doctor in the face.”
He pulled back and searched her face. “Mean doctor? Who? Reckless?” When she nodded, he scowled. “What did he say to you?”
“Nothing worth repeating,” she murmured, resting her cheek against his chest. “You’re so warm.”
“And you’re sleepy as a kitten,” he replied, gently rubbing her back. “Let’s get you home.”
The trip back to the Valiant was a blur. She could barely keep her eyes open as Cipher led her through the Mercy to the transport ship. Once he had her buckled into her seat, he lifted the armrest between them and hauled her right up against him. She rested her tired head on his chest and drifted off to sleep.
She woke to the sensation of Cipher unbuckling her seatbelt. He caressed her sleepy face and helped her stand. She clung to his hand and arm as they navigated the Arrivals deck and waited for an elevator. As soon as they stepped onto their floor, he swept her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to their quarters and then into their bedroom. She didn’t protest as he placed her on the bed, stripped off her shoes and tucked her under the covers. He took off his boots and belt and slid into bed beside her.
Gathering her close, he rubbed her back. “I’m sorry the treatment took so much out of you.”
“It’s not your fault,” she murmured, still so tired. “I hope it works.”
“It will,” he assured her. The soothing strokes of his hand made her eyelids droop. “Later, I want you to tell me what Reckless said, Brook.”
“Yes, sir.” She yawned and snuggled in closer. “But you have to promise me you won’t storm over there and kick his ass. I’m not cut out to be a prison wife.”
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Physical violence isn’t my thing. There are much better ways to get revenge on someone.”
Certain he had all sorts of scary ways to hurt someone, she tucked her leg between his. As she drifted off to sleep, there was a brief flash of a memory that she couldn’t quite place. The Drowned Door? Why in the world was that coming to mind?
Too tired to think about it, she promised herself she would try to figure it out later. For now, she was content to nap in the warm cocoon of Cipher’s arms.
Chapter Fifteen
While Cipher watched Brook sleep, he couldn’t stop thinking about all the horrible things Reckless might have said to her. The doctor had a terrible reputation when it came to mates who weren’t from their home world. It was the main reason Orion kept him on the Mercy and off the Valiant and why Reckless was rarely sent down with the Grab teams.
Brook let out a soft whine in her sleep, and he nuzzled his face against her cheek before drawing her in a little tighter. The thought of Reckless talking shit to her and disrespecting her infuriated him. She was so good and kind, such a giving, sweet soul. His hands started to clench, and he had to consciously will them to relax. Even though he had promised her he wouldn’t hit Reckless, he had a feeling that might be a promise he broke.
Wanting to keep her safe and protected from all the ugliness in the world, he closed his eyes and inhaled the sugary sweet scent of her soap and shampoo. He had been surprised when she had chosen to keep using that particular bath set. He had been sure she would gravitate toward the woodsy scented one. Not that he minded either way. Whatever she liked was just fine with him.
His watch started to vibrate, and he groaned, knowing it was surely bad news. He glanced at the screen, saw the red alert and disentangled himself from Brook. The communication console in the living area started to blare, and she sat up, groggily wiping at her eyes. “What’s wrong? Another drill?”
“No, I’m being called in to SRU.” He moved quickly to the cabinet where he stowed his gear and began strapping it on over his uniform. “You’ll be safe here.”
“I’m not worried about me,” she insisted, getting out of bed to join him at the cabinet. “I’m worried about you.”
“Baby, I’ve been doing this forever.” He snatched his helmet up and then his gear bag. “I’ll be fine.”
If she wanted to make him promise he would come back, she fought the urge. Instead, she rose on tiptoes and sought his mouth. “Be careful.”
“I will.” He gave her bottom a little pat. “Get back in bed. Rest. I’ll be back later.”
“Should I cook dinner?”
“Absolutely not,” he said, brushing his mouth against hers. “You are to stay in that bed or on the couch until I get home.”
“I will.” She followed his instructions and got back into bed as he rushed from the bedroom to the living area to silence the comm unit.
Hating to leave her, he left their quarters and ran into Raze at the elevator. The boss was still pulling on his boots and looked as if the call had interrupted a session of afternoon delight. Confirming Cipher’s suspicion was the unmistakable smudge of deep red lipstick on Raze’s neck. “Boss?”
“Yeah?” Raze hopped into the elevator on one foot while zipping up the boot on the other.
“You got a little something...” Cipher gestured to his own neck.
“Shit.” Raze laughed and wiped at his skin. “I’m such a sucker for Ella in lipstick.” The boss gave him a once-over as the elevator started to descend. “You look entirely too well put together for a man who is supposed to be on his honeymoon.”
“Brook had her first tube session today,” he explained while strapping his wrist tablet into place. “We were napping when the call came.”
“Is she okay alone? You can go back to her, Ci. I’ll pull someone from another backup team.”
Cipher shook his head. “She’s resting—and you don’t have anyone else to pull. Venom’s team is on the Dauntless and Gamma is supporting a mission in The City.” He flashed his wrist tablet to show the location of their other teams. “It’s me or you’re a man short.”
“We have our recruits. Some of them are ready for live action.” He jammed his earpiece in place and tapped his throat mic. “Threat, what’s the situation?”
Cipher slipped his earpiece in place in time to hear Threat say, “…an attack on the Mercy. Three men down. Suspect at large. They’re on lockdown.”
“Do we have a dart available?”
“Blaze is holding at missions departure. Ship is fully loaded. It’s the backup prepared by G team before they left.”
“Alpha, SRU Leader,” Raze addressed their entire team. “Meet at missions departure deck. Will brief en route.” Cl
icking off the main channel, Raze glanced at him and asked, “Did you notice anything when you were over there?”
Cipher shook his head and tapped at the elevator control board to change their destination and override any stops. “It was quiet and as busy as it normally is.”
“They’ve got that psych unit over there, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe one of those patients got loose and…?” He made a stabbing gesture. “Happened before when I was fresh out of the academy. A couple of seriously unwell guys broke out of their locked unit and killed eleven people before they were apprehended.”
Tapping his radio, Cipher asked, “Threat, what’s the info on the victims? Any suspects?”
“Attack happened in the pulmonary unit,” Threat answered, breathing hard as if he were running. “Two medics went down.”
“Was Chance one of them?”
“Yeah, actually, he was.”
“What is it?” Raze asked as the elevator opened.
“Chance was Brook’s medic during her visit.” He fell into step beside Raze as they hurried toward the waiting ship. “He was her day medic while she was in the hospital, too. She’s friendly with him. This is going to upset her.”
“Going to upset his bride even more,” Raze muttered as they boarded the ship. “He’s got a girl coming from back home in a few weeks.”
Cipher winced. “Let’s hope his injury isn’t serious.”
Raze nodded and ducked into the cockpit to talk to Blaze. Cipher took his seat at the logistics station next to Threat and logged in to access the security feeds from the Mercy. When he reappeared, Raze did a head count on the team and then the ship was moving. Cipher braced himself on the console as the ship rocketed out of the launch bay, picking up incredible speed as it raced toward the Mercy. The darts were the fastest ships in the fleet and would get them to the Mercy in less than fifteen minutes.
“Report?” Raze asked, standing between the two benches where the team sat and holding onto an overhead cargo loop to steady himself.
“Security guard reported he was making his final rounds before the end of his shift. He found two medics and a doc down.”
“Which doc?” Raze asked, gripping a second loop as the ship veered to the left.
“Reckless,” Threat answered.
Cipher shared a look with Raze before turning his attention to Threat. “Are they alive?”
“Chance and Reckless are. Chance is in surgery with head trauma. Reckless is unconscious but stable. The other medic died on scene.”
“That’s a lot of damage for one suspect,” Flare commented as he checked his weapon.
“Unless it’s an operative,” Harm suggested. “Someone may have infiltrated the unit, took them out one at a time.”
“Yeah, but why the pulmonary unit?” Fierce adjusted his shoulder mic. “Was it specifically those men? Or were they just in the way?”
“The gas?” Cipher offered uncertainly. “Reckless is the expert, right? He runs the pulmonary unit. Maybe this is an attack on our readiness?”
That became their working theory as they set up their plan for assisting the security team with clearing each floor. When they docked, the head of security and the captain of the vessel liaised with Raze while Cipher set up at the security station. While his teammates fanned out with the security team and a support group that had come in from the Arctis, he took control of the elevators, doors and cargo loading areas and started scanning the security footage for any glimpses of the perpetrator.
As he listened to his team clear the hospital ship room by room and floor by floor, he guided their movements and controlled the flow of patients and staff sheltering in place. He called in the Mercy’s head tech for the security system and had him run the doors and elevators so he could take a better look at the footage.
“Anything?” Raze asked as he returned to the security station almost an hour later. “Our guys have nearly cleared the whole ship.”
“There’s nothing here.” Cipher blew out an irritated breath. “Whoever attacked those three men is a ghost. There’s no one going in or out of the unit after us.”
“Us?”
“Brook and I,” he clarified, rolling back the footage to the two of them leaving. “There’s nothing after us until the security guard does his round.”
“What about before?”
“Before what?”
“Before you left,” Raze explained. “Maybe someone snuck in when the unit was unlocked to let Brook inside?”
Cipher wound the footage all the way back to five minutes before they arrived in the waiting area. He moved it forward slowly until Brook entered the unit. Again, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Do we have any eyes on the treatment areas?”
Cipher shook his head. “Only the hallways.”
“Uh, sir, that’s not exactly true,” the security tech interjected. “Reckless had us put in a set of cameras near the tube. He likes to watch the footage of his treatments.”
“That’s against the security regulations,” Cipher reminded the tech. “Patients are supposed to have privacy unless they specifically sign a waiver allowing their procedures to be recorded.” Scowling, he added, “I know I didn’t give permission for my mate to be recorded.”
The tech shrunk back in his chair. “I’m sorry, sir, but Reckless can be...” He made a face. “Well, he knows how to make things painful if you disobey him.”
“Painful?” Raze repeated. “How?”
“He has a lot of pull on this ship. He’s one of the highest ranked officers. If you cross him, you’ll regret it.”
“Show me the recordings,” Cipher ordered.
The tech leaned over and tapped in a code that opened a hidden file of recordings. Cipher selected the one for that day and let it play. He ran through most of the footage, scrolling quickly with his finger until he saw Brook and Chance. A volume mixer in the lower corner caught his eye. In disbelief, he asked, “This has audio?”
The tech nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Cipher couldn’t believe how many rules they were breaking on this ship. Nevertheless, he turned up the volume so they could hear what was happening in the chamber with his mate. When she went into the changing room, he narrowed his eyes at the tech. “If there’s a camera in there, I swear I—"
“No, sir! There are no cameras in there!”
Relieved that at least Brook hadn’t been recorded naked, he watched as she reappeared in the too big gown and surgical cap. His hackles raised the moment Reckless opened his mouth. The shit he said to Brook enraged him. How fucking dare he?
“Easy,” Raze urged, putting a hand on his shoulder. “He’s a superior officer. You can’t go kick his ass.”
“He’s no superior,” Cipher growled. “He’s a piece of shit.”
“Agreed,” Raze said, his voice low, “but there are other ways of handling this.” The boss arched his brows in silent communication. “Right?”
Cipher nodded, understanding exactly what Raze meant. “Right.”
The thought of getting Reckless alone somewhere and planting his fist in the other man’s face stilled his rage. As he watched Brook climb into the tube, his heart broke a little bit. She looked impossibly small inside the chamber and so scared.
I should have been there with her.
Speeding up the footage until after he had taken her home, he slowed it down when Reckless started to lay into Chance about something. He rolled it back a few seconds and let it play.
“Don’t you ever question me in front of a patient!” Reckless pointed his finger at Chance. “And you sure as hell better never question me in front of a gash!”
Cipher’s rage flared back to life at hearing Brook referred to so crudely.
“Sir, she’s an officer’s mate. She risked her life to—”
“She’s nothing,” Reckless interrupted nastily. “She’s just some backwoods piece of trash who doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air
as us. None of these women that have joined our men are worthy of our seed. They’re worse than the poppies.” He made a disgusted face. “The only good thing on that skinny tunnel rat was her mouth. It’s the only place I’d allow my seed to land.”
“Sir!” Chance recoiled. “You cannot—”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want. This is my unit. I’m the one who makes the rules here. If you don’t like it, go back to the Valiant where you soft pussies belong.”
“Fucking gladly, sir,” Chance snarled and turned on his heel. As he reached the doorway, he stopped. “You can take your other offer and shove it up your ass, sir.”
“Chance! Soldier! Get back here!” Reckless shouted after Chance, but the medic kept walking until he was out of frame.
“What other offer?” Cipher glanced at Raze who seemed just as taken aback by what they had just witnessed.
“No idea.” Jaw hardening, Raze said, “Make copies of that. Send one to me. Send another to Orion and one to Vicious.”
“On it, boss.” Cipher minimized the feed, grabbed the file, copied it and sent it to the admiral and general. He suspected Reckless would be on his way back to Prime as soon as he was discharged from the hospital.
“Wait. Where are they going?” Raze gestured to the screen where Chance had walked into frame along with another man. “Is that the dead medic?”
“Yes,” the tech answered. “Talon. He is—was—the senior medical tech on that unit.”
Cipher maximized the feed. Chance and the senior medic looked ready to confront Reckless. The audio cut out before Reckless appeared, robbing them of the chance to hear the heated conversation. The angle was too poor for Cipher to attempt to use one of the programs that read lips. The discussion grew more belligerent as all three men were pointing and shouting.
“Look at Chance’s face,” Raze said, his finger pointing at the younger man as Talon stormed after Reckless off screen. “He looks surprised.”