by Lolita Lopez
With an irritating limp, Terror left the Departures deck where he had just seen Cipher and Brook off on their well-deserved vacation. He had used his clearance to fast track her mate paperwork and nullify the travel waiting period.
It hadn’t taken nearly as much arm-twisting as he had been expecting to get their stay in Blue Shores comped by the war council. A mate saving an entire ship by blowing herself into space with a nerve gas canister rigged to explode had a way of getting people to move their asses.
Seeing Brook smile and practically vibrate with excitement as she waited to board their ship had been worth the discomfort of moving his aching, bruised body from one side of the ship to the other. He didn’t even try to hide his enjoyment of her. There was something incredibly pure about Cipher’s mate. His approval was hard to earn, but Brook had managed to do it easier than anyone else, even Hallie.
Even D.D.
The memory of her beautiful face and innocent smile made his chest hurt. Not D.D. Her real name was Maisie. It had taken him a few visits to get that out of her. She had finally given it to him the last time he had seen her.
It had been her regular visit to clean his cell, but she had been sporting a black eye and a busted lip. There had maroon fingerprints on her neck. He had been enraged at the realization that someone had beaten and strangled her. She was like him, a captive under the care of her sadistic stepfamily, and never seemed to do anything except what she was told.
She had refused to tell him who hurt her. She had only told him two things, tapping out the messages in code on his back. Firstly, Devious had been exposed and was in trouble. Secondly, her mother had named her Maisie. The cruel nickname was just another way for people to abuse and humiliate her.
She had left him another orange that morning—and then she had vanished.
Deep down in the dark parts of him where he still allowed a sliver of hope to reside, he pleaded for her to be alive somewhere safe. He wanted to believe that she had escaped, maybe with the help of the Red Feather or with a contact Devious had left her. She deserved to be free and happy.
Of all the regrets Terror had—and there were many—one of the worst was that he hadn’t been able to thank Maisie for all she had done for him. Her kindness and decency had saved him. She had given him the strength to endure. She had given him a bright spot to anticipate. He had counted down the days until her next visit, forcing himself to suffer through whatever horror the Splinters had in store for him so he could see her incredibly blue eyes and feel her shy hands on his body.
If she was still alive, he would find her. If he had to travel to the ends of the galaxy, he would find her. If she was happy and safe, he would leave her be. If she was in trouble, he would save her and set her free.
He just needed the right piece of intel. One little bit of information that would give him an idea of where to start looking.
And he planned to get it from Reckless.
Secure in the Shadow Force unit, he traversed a long hallway and a series of doors to a thick, black slab. It was the entrance to the cell they called The Hole. The disgraced doctor had been brought to The Hole after Stinger stabilized him. While Terror had been forced to recover in the hospital for two days, Torment had taken custody of Reckless. No doubt, the doctor had learned exactly why his friend had been given that name.
He scanned his good eye on the retina screen and waited for the door to unlock. With a hiss, it unsealed itself and opened outward, the hinges squealing under its weight. He stepped inside the dank, dark room and let his eyes adjust.
In the center of the room, Reckless had been forced into a stress position. He was squatting low, shackled to a bolt on the floor with his arms restrained behind his back and shackled to a bolt in the floor. Judging by the antiseptic smell in the room, Grim had given their prisoner a hasty spray down to clean him up before Terror’s arrival.
Unable to crouch with his broken leg in a brace, Terror motioned for Grim to get their prisoner on his feet. Reckless howled and whined as Grim roughly dragged him upright and moved his arm shackles overhead, securing him from a ceiling ring. The older man’s legs shook as his abused muscles tried to accept the flow of blood they had been denied so long.
Standing in front of Reckless, Terror simply stared at him. He had learned in his earliest interrogations that silence and a steady look were the most unnerving things to a prisoner. He let his gaze rake over the eye patch covering the doctor’s empty socket and the bandage that had been slapped over gash in the side of his head from his missing ear. There hadn’t been much point in Stinger fixing the man’s wounds. He wouldn’t be alive long enough to heal.
“Apologies for making you wait,” Terror finally said. “I trust my friends treated you to a level of hospitality you’ve yet to experience.”
Reckless gulped. He wasn’t stupid enough to say anything.
“You know, my friends tell me that they discovered your little handbook of nightmares in the files they took from the mine.” When Reckless flinched, he smiled. “I had no idea you liked to freelance as an enhanced interrogation expert. Perhaps you’d like to give me an honest opinion on our techniques?”
Reckless started to shake. “Please, I’ll tell you anything.”
“Of course, you will,” Terror agreed. “After.”
“Please,” Reckless cried. “Please! I’ll tell you about the mole! I’ll tell you about Devious. What do you want to know?”
“Grim, how many times did the good doctor here stab Pierce?”
“Six.” Grim stepped forward with a wickedly sharp scalpel in his hand.
Reckless panicked as his gaze fell on the gleaming scalpel. “No! NO!”
“Yes.” Grim closed the distance between them.
“I know the locations of all the safe houses on the planet. I know the sympathizers on the colonies,” Reckless babbled. “I know about the skin traders they use to fund their operations.”
“I haven’t heard anything new,” Grim said, shifting the blade to the other hand. “What do you think, boss?”
“I think our guest needs a little encouragement to dig deep into that brain of his and give us the really good intel we deserve.”
“Encouragement?” Grim grinned almost evilly. “That just so happens to be my biggest talent.”
“No!” Reckless screamed as Grim began to demonstrate those talents.
A long time later, Terror rinsed the blood from his hands at the sink in the corner of the room. It hadn’t taken nearly as much knife work to get what they needed from Reckless. Many of the things he babbled in a desperate bid to make it stop had already been uncovered by Savage and Torment while going through the doctor’s extensive notes and files. Like so many assholes, his arrogance in his own abilities had left his notes poorly encrypted and easily deciphered. Safe houses, ships, names of skin traders, names of friendly politicians, names of other Splinters serving in the Harcos land and sky forces...
Much of that had been confirmed during their session today. Much more would be confirmed in the coming days and weeks as they worked to untangle the mess left behind by Reckless and the untimely death of Devious. There were still assets lost in the wind. There were still critical missions that had to be completed.
But he had other places to be.
“What do I do with him?” Grim asked, wiping his face with a cloth. He coldly eyed the blood on the towel before tossing it in the trash.
Terror glanced at Reckless who had slumped over against the wall, crying and bleeding everywhere. “Clean him up. Get him dressed. Let Orion know the good doctor is ready for the noose.”
“Got it.” Grim studied him for a moment. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
Grim’s mouth settled into an annoyed line. “You heard what he said about the girl. About your girl,” he clarified. “You going after her?”
“Yes.”
“You need help?”
Terror considered Grim. He was the best assassin t
he Shadow Force had ever produced. He would be an asset on a job like this. “Sure.”
“Lethal is bored as fuck. He’s useful in a tight spot.”
“Bring him.”
“What about a pilot?”
“I’ve got that handled.” Down at the Departures deck, Zephyr, the same pilot who had shot him out of the sky all those months ago, waited to repay his debt. “One hour. Docking Station 12.”
Grim nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Terror left The Hole and returned to the main offices of the Shadow Force HQ. He was surprised to find Vicious waiting for him. His oldest and dearest friend wasn’t wearing his usual general’s uniform. He was in tactical clothing and strapped for battle. Frowning, he asked, “What the fuck are you doing, Vee?”
“The fuck does it look like I'm doing?”
“Getting us both in trouble with your pregnant wife,” Terror stated matter-of-factly. “I just got out of the hospital. I’d like to not end up there again when Hallie kicks my ass for getting you hurt.”
“I’m not going to get hurt.” Vicious rose from his chair. “And Hallie knows I’m here.”
Terror wavered. “Vee, I’ve got other men willing to go.”
“Great. The more the merrier.”
“That’s not my point.”
“I know what your point is,” Vicious replied. “I’m here because I want to be here.” He stepped closer and placed his meaty paw on Terror’s neck. “I’m here because you’re my best friend, and I almost lost you again. I’m done almost losing you.”
“Impending fatherhood has made you soft,” Terror gruffly said.
Vicious laughed and then said, more seriously, “I hope someday very soon you have the same experience.”
A vision of a small child with bright blue eyes and freckles taunted him. Was that even a possibility for someone as fucked up as he was?
She might not even want you. She might hate you now.
There was only way to find out.
“Come on, Papa Bear.” Terror slapped Vicious on the back. “Let’s go piss off Orion by stealing one of his ships.”
The End.
About the Author
The alter ego of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Roxie Rivera, I like to write super sexy romances and scorching hot erotica. I live in Texas on five acres with my husband, our two mischievous girls, a pair of Great Danes, a couple of cats and various fish.
You can find me online at www.lolitalopez.com.
Also by Lolita Lopez
GRABBED
Grabbed by Vicious
Caught by Menace
Saved by Venom
Stolen by Raze
Claimed By Cipher
Dragon Heat
Dead Sexy Dragon
Red Hot Dragon
Wicked Dark Dragon
Renegade Dragon