by S. E. Smith
Saving Runt
Cosmos' Gateway Book 7
S.E. Smith
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my husband Steve for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. I would also like to give a special thank you to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write, but who also read the manuscript. Also to my other friends who believe in me: Julie, Jackie, Christel, Sally, Jolanda, Lisa, Laurelle, Debbie, and Narelle. The girls that keep me going!
* * *
And a special thanks to Paul Heitsch, David Brenin, Samantha Cook, Suzanne Elise Freeman, and PJ Ochlan—the awesome voices behind my audiobooks!
—S.E. Smith
Montana Publishing
Science Fiction Romance
SAVING RUNT: COSMOS’ GATEWAY BOOK 7
Copyright © 2019 by Susan E. Smith
First E-Book Published July 2019
Cover Design by Melody Simmons
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission from the author.
* * *
All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations are strictly coincidental.
* * *
Summary: Living in the shadows of the hackers’ world, Amelia ‘Runt’ Thomas plays a cat-and-mouse game with the most ruthless criminals in the world, until a new player enters the game and changes everything - Derik ‘Tag Krell Manok, an alien warrior from another world who sees in Runt the bond mate he’s been looking for all his life.
* * *
ISBN: 9781076118233 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9781944125301 (eBook)
* * *
{1. Science Fiction Romance—Aliens. 2. Paranormal Romance. 3. Urban Fantasy. 4. Action/Adventure Romance. 5. Contemporary Fantasy}
* * *
Published by Montana Publishing.
www.montanapublishinghouse.com
Contents
Synopsis
Cast of Characters
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
Experience The Stories
About the Author
Synopsis
Amelia ‘Runt’ Thomas’ life revolves around a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the most ruthless criminals in the world. She follows two codes: the code of hackers and her personal code of honor to bring down anyone who thinks they’re untouchable. She was on target until one fateful night when the touch of a strange man sends an unexpected shock wave through her. Now, the faint whispers in her head are growing louder and more annoying, distracting her from her mission.
* * *
Derik ‘Tag Krell Manok’s search for the mysterious woman who changed his life nearly two years before is finally over. As a Prime warrior from another world, he knew the moment he touched Amelia that she was his bond mate—but she disappeared before he could whisk her away to safety. He is determined not to let that happen again, but he also knows that he needs to proceed with caution because Amelia is unlike any woman he has ever known before.
* * *
As their connection grows, so does Derik’s fear that he will be unable to keep Amelia safe from a man who is just as determined to find her and use her amazing talents for his own devious purposes. Find out what happens when an alien warrior, a determined AI named RITA, and a few other surprising twists come together to save a special woman named Runt!
* * *
Internationally acclaimed S.E. Smith has been awarded USA Today Bestseller 14 times! Now she's returning with another science fiction world that will come alive in your hands. This story's a slow burn romance for the ages with the perfect ratio of humor and drama. There's never been a thriller like it!
Cast of Characters
Characters’ Relationships:
Teriff ‘Tag Krell Manok, Leader of Baade - mated to Tresa: four sons, J’kar, Borj, Mak, and Derik and one daughter, Terra
Angus and Tilly Bell, humans—married: three daughters, Hannah, Tansy, and Tink
* * *
Ruling family of Baade:
J’kar ‘Tag Krell Manok mated to Jasmine ‘Tinker’ Bell: twin daughters, Wendy and Tessa
Borj ‘Tag Krell Manok mated to Hannah Bell: twin boy & girl, Sky and Ocean
Mak ‘Tag Krell Manok mated to Tansy Bell: twin daughters, Sonya and Mackenzie
Terra ‘Tag Krell Manok mated to Cosmos Raines
Derik ‘Tag Krell Manok mated to Amelia Thomas aka Runt
* * *
Mentioned Members of Cosmos’ Security Team:
Avery Lennox
Trudy Wilson
Rose Caine
Maria Garcia
Amelia ‘Runt’ Thomas
* * *
Prime Warriors of Baade:
Core Ta’Duran mated to Avery Lennox
Merrick Ta’Duran, Eastern Clan Leader, mated to Addie Banks
Hendrik, Northern Clan Leader, mated to Trudy Wilson
Brawn, Leader of the Desert Clan
Rav, Leader of the Southern Clan
Brock, J’kar’s Chief of Security mated to Helene Baskov
Lan, J’kar’s Chief Engineer mated to Natasha Baskov
RITA (Earth) zapped by FRED
RITA2 (Baade) zapped by DAR: two children: Darian and Rena.
* * *
Juangans:
General Tusk: Juangan Commander/father of Colonel Tusk
Colonel Tusk: son of General Tusk
* * *
Humans:
Karl Markham: Assassin/Mercenary/older half-brother to Weston Wright—deceased
Weston Wright: Assassin/Mercenary/half-brother to Karl Markham—deceased
Afon Dolinski aka Aaron Dolan: Former right-hand man to Boris Avilov
Boris Avilov: Russian Mafia boss—deceased
Richmond Albertson: US Secretary of State
Askew Thomas: President of the United States
Rex: CRI’s pilot
Howard Swarovsky: DiMaggio’s Hacker
Robert: Avery’s driver
Karl Biggie: Thug for Ramon DiMaggio
Ramon DiMaggio: Small-time crime boss in Washington, D.C.
Marcelo Moretti: Chief of Security to Afon Dolinski aka Aaron Dolan
Bert: Undercover CRI agent
Lou ‘Left-hand’ Thomas: Amelia ‘Runt’ Thomas’ father
Anne Davis-Thomas: Amelia ‘Runt’ Thomas’ mother
Prologue
Two years ago:
Washington, D.C. area near the old Navy yard:
* * *
Amelia ‘Runt’ Thomas felt her black knit cap snag on a jagged piece of wire as she slipped through the opening someone had cut in the tall chain link fence. She paused on the other side and pulled her cap bac
k down over her ears, then tucked her gloved hands into her pockets in an effort to keep them warm.
A black backpack with all her worldly possessions was strapped firmly to her back. She took a moment to appreciate the dark silhouette of the buildings against the backdrop of the Capitol and its famous river. These abandoned warehouses along the Potomac River had been her home on and off for the last few months. It seemed a safe enough spot to stay for long periods of time, but eventually she always left for a while. The few people that she’d talked to on the streets had warned her that it was unwise to remain in one place for too long, and she’d taken that lesson to heart. It was dangerous to get too comfortable.
She wasn’t the only one who lived in the forgotten part of the Capital. Sections of the former Navy yard were being revitalized, but this one still remained on the city’s ‘What-to-do-with-it’ list. Personally, Runt didn’t mind if it stayed on the list for a bit longer.
A lot of the perpetually homeless stayed in the buildings on occasion, especially during the winter. They each had claimed their own sections—at least until someone bigger and meaner moved in. Overall, most of them were pretty harmless and preferred to live their lives with only the occasional interaction with the rest of the world.
She liked the fact that they were all different. Some lived on the streets because they couldn’t stand being confined in small places. Others were there because they were too broke to afford a place to live. Those reasons came from the few who had volunteered why they didn’t have anywhere else to go. She never asked because it was none of her business. Besides, if she started asking, someone might decide to question her, and she wouldn’t answer.
At sixteen, she’d been on the streets for almost two years. It didn’t bother her like most people would think it should. She was her own boss and she liked it that way.
She reached up and adjusted the strap on her shoulder while she waited for a car to drive past her. She remained still so that she wouldn’t be noticeable. Her hand tightened on the strap when the car slowed. She breathed a sigh of relief when it turned and headed away from her.
Life could be hard on the streets, but only if you needed a lot to live on. She didn’t—need material stuff, that is.
Well, except for my laptop. I can’t live without that, she thought with wry amusement.
She’d started life poor, so she had never known what it was like to have a lot of stuff anyway. Thanks to her father, even that life had been taken away from her. Money and greed created monsters, and she had met her fair share of them at an early age.
She didn’t like to think about how easy it was to lose everything she cared about because of someone else. She hated to brood about the things she couldn’t change, so she tried not to. It was a waste of time and energy. Besides, she was doing just fine on her own.
Scanning the area one more time to make sure she was alone; Runt began walking at an unhurried pace until she was engulfed in the shadows cast by the buildings. She had learned a lot in the years since her father was murdered. She had no regrets about that either. Sometimes she wondered if the counselors had been right—that there was something wrong with her.
Asses, she thought dispassionately.
The only thing wrong with her was that she was smart—too smart for her father, and too dangerous for her mother. One school psychologist suggested that she was a savant—one of those strange and unusual people who had an ability that was out of this world. All her father saw in her was a way to make money, and he didn’t care how he did it.
Her mother had been different. Her mom understood and accepted her for who she was—a little girl who could see zeros and ones and understand what they were saying as if it was her native language. Her mom had tried to protect her from her father’s exploitation, but between playing the numbers, creating illegal software, and hacking into accounts, the crimes had grown more quickly than Runt did.
She had always been petite. Her mother was barely in her third trimester when she gave birth. Her father had drunkenly bragged one night about how he had beaten the baby out of her in record time—and that it was hard to believe that fiasco had turned out to be a good thing because Amelia was so smart.
Runt paused and leaned back against the cold corrugated steel of the warehouse. She remained still as another lone car drove down the road. It turned at the corner. Whoever was inside was probably looking for drugs or a hooker.
She watched the lights disappear, but didn’t move. There was no need to hurry to the small, secluded section of Warehouse B11. The night was hers, just like it was every night. Instead, she let the vivid memories come. There was no use fighting them, she’d discovered that during her first year on the streets. If she tried, they would only turn into nightmares when she fell asleep.
“Let the memories come, then store them back in their box,” she whispered to herself.
He didn’t pull the trigger, but he was responsible, she thought angrily for the thousandth time.
She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to move on. Her worst moments were like a mental tattoo by now. Every time the memories came out of nowhere and she thought about it all again, they branded her more deeply.
Her father was murdered by the same type of criminals who had killed her mom. Her mother’s death was meant to be a warning. They thought they could terrify Runt into being controllable. Unfortunately for them, the bastards had killed the wrong parent.
They actually thought she gave a damn about what happened to the brutal man who had made Runt and her mother’s life hell. If they had killed him and kept her mother alive, well, things would have been different—at least until she made enough money to live in a place where no one could touch them, where no one could use them ever again.
Amelia looked up when a procession of headlights flashed by her and the cars stopped at the gate. She stealthily moved closer, hiding behind a dumpster that lay on its side.
She crouched and peered through a hole in the rusted-out container. A line of luxury SUVs and a limousine pulled through the gate. The doors of a nearby warehouse opened to reveal several heavily armed men who must have been waiting for the motorcade.
The limo pulled straight into the warehouse, while the SUVs stopped at the entrance. Three men jumped out of the first SUV. She pursed her lips with disdain when she saw their expensive suits and their weapons. They didn’t look like government men, so they had to be the AHWs—the Assholes of the World.
Her mom had once told her that maybe the reason she was given her gift was to fight against those that hurt other people but were untouchable themselves. Amelia had found a way to touch them. Money meant everything to these people. Even family was never truly sacred, each member merely a pawn for the one in charge—and when they were no longer useful, dependable, or loyal, they were discarded like refuse. Friends were a myth. People like this had no friends. She had learned that lesson the hard way.
What was sad was money was relative to the individual. She’d seen people with less than a dollar in their pocket treat people better than those that had millions.
She actually couldn’t remember how long she’d been stealing from people like this. In time, Amelia Thomas had disappeared, replaced by the hack known as Runt. Her mom had been right. Her purpose in life was to bring down the AHWs, and she did it with a skill that matched the most sophisticated members of the technological world.
Only better, she thought with satisfaction.
She silently rose to her feet and began working her way toward the group of cars. In order to discover who they were, she needed to be closer.
She heard angry voices as she crept closer to the warehouse. Looking along the wall of the building, she found a broken window where she could peek through the opening. Several old steel drums and a few wooden pallets were under the window. She worked her way to them and climbed up as silently as she could. Fortunately, whoever was talking now was pissed off enough to conceal the small amount of noise that she made.
<
br /> Gripping the side of the window frame, she watched as a large group of men spread out around the limo that had pulled inside. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a man, then a beautiful woman in an evening gown exit the vehicle followed by a second man, whose nose was dripping blood. The smug expression on the woman’s face told Runt who had caused it.
She tightened her grip on the window frame and pulled herself up a little so she could see better. She was just about to open the window more when someone grabbed her roughly from behind and yanked her backwards. A startled cry slipped from her before she could smother it. She twisted as she fell, landing heavily on her side in an effort to protect her laptop.
“Looks like we have a wharf rat sneaking around in the dark, Manny,” the man who grabbed her chuckled.
“Shoot him, Rick. We don’t have time for this,” Manny instructed.
“Fuck off,” Runt growled.