by Frost Kay
Sloven turned his back to her and the doors slid open. He glanced over his shoulder and winked playfully. “This will happen. If I were you, I’d think about how powerful of a woman you’ll become. I’ll let you do what you want with that power, even if it happens to be a strike against me.” His eyes darkened. “I love a good fight. So please, fight me or, better yet, run. I haven’t been led on a merry chase in ages.”
The door closed softly behind him, leaving Allie alone in the bleak cell. She gazed around blankly, not knowing how to sort through her emotions.
“What have I gotten myself into?” she said woodenly to the empty room.
Allie Sai was so out of her depth.
24
It’s all about presentation
Jer
“He’s taken the bait,” Jer said, her voice slightly hoarse. There was a lengthy pause on the other side of the line accompanied by static. She brushed a hunk of smoky hair from her eye and tried to ignore the dusty texture.
God, she hated the smell of smoke.
A crisp, deep male voice cut through her thoughts. “Repeat, soldier.”
Jer gritted her teeth. She wasn’t anyone’s soldier, let alone the pompous windbag’s on the other end of the line.
“He’s taken the bait,” she said again, her voice icy.
Another pause, then three clicks.
“Roger.” Another pause. “Good work. Next time, maybe you’ll fulfill your task quicker.”
The line disconnected.
What. A. Jerk.
Jer glared at her wrist comm. She’d hated her old commander, but the new one was even worse. He was young, that much she could tell. After being raised in the military, she could always tell when a young upstart was trying to make a name for himself as a hard-ass.
She snorted.
If Jer was a betting woman, she’d wager he was a pasty, sad excuse of a man with a short-man’s complex. And as for her next task… Well, there wouldn’t be another task. This was her last assignment. She would wash her hands of all Earth military endeavors from this point forward. Her former government had used her skills in every way possible. When she’d arrived on Sars and begun her new life, Jer had decided that she was done. There was another year on her contract, but it wasn’t like they could reach her. They’d surely brand her as a traitor, but she didn’t have any family left to shame or disappoint. Anyone she’d loved was long gone from the world, and if she continued down this soul-sucking path, there wouldn’t be much of her own self left. This assignment had cost her too much as it was.
Guilt once again wormed into her belly. Jer stared at her grimy appearance in the mirror, her bright blue eyes seeming to glow from her soot-smeared face. Her lips pinched. It was unfair that a person could look so innocent and be a traitor. How many people had she betrayed over the years? Too many.
Jer’s eyes closed, her fingers clenching the sink in front of her as she thought about Allie Sai within Sloven’s depraved grip.
“You’re such a bad friend,” she muttered to herself.
Allie had been nothing but a great friend to her, and what had Jer done? Thrown her to the wolves. At first, Jer hadn’t been thrilled about her new assignment, especially after she’d met Allie. The girl oozed southern charm and sweetness, well… some spice, too. But despite Jer’s doubts, the girl had grown on her. Now, Jer couldn’t imagine her life without her best friend in it. She brought a bit of sunshine into Jer’s somewhat dark existence.
And she’d betrayed her.
Blowing out a breath, she straightened and wedged her middle finger under the wrist comm and waited for ten seconds, disengaging the disruptor. A sardonic smile pulled up half of her mouth. Human tech paled in comparison to Av, but Humans still had a few tricks up their sleeves. They hated to have their misdeeds aired to the world. It suited their purposes to commit terrible crimes and yet appear to be angels.
But at least in this instance, it helped her.
The Av sector tech was insane. Jer was damn lucky they hadn’t found her out yet, and hopefully they still wouldn’t understand the full measure of her hand in everything that had occurred.
She eyed the door to the exit and rolled her left shoulder, a twinge of pain moving through her muscles. Elijah had thrown her to the ground and covered her body with his before she realized what had happened. He hadn’t hurt her, but the floor she’d slammed into had. No doubt it would be an ugly bruise in the morning.
That’s if she was still alive by morning.
Jer grimaced at the thought of greeting what awaited her in the lab. When she’d excused herself earlier under the guise of cleaning up, Blade was in the process of losing his mind. A little part of her wanted to skulk away and rescue Allie herself without revealing her part in everything, but she wasn’t dumb.
There was less risk to her friend if she had the help of the Lock team.
And she’d never backed down from doing what was right. She wouldn’t start today.
Her father had practically beaten a sense of honor into her, growing up. At the time, she’d resented it, but as an adult she was thankful that he’d given her something to remember him by.
“Well, dad,” she muttered. “Here’s to telling the truth.” And living to tell the tale.
Her lips pursed. She’d wished she’d told Allie the truth, that she hadn’t volunteered for the journey to Sars to start a new life, that Allie had been her assignment.
Jer wasn’t stupid and her best friend was a poor liar. She’d known Allie was up to something the moment her team had left their apartment a few days ago. It was a stroke of luck that Allie needed some jewelry for her farce of a day with Blade. Jer had happily handed over her favorite pearl earrings with a special surprise hidden inside.
She pressed her thumb against her wrist comm and a homing beacon appeared on the small screen. The tightness in her chest loosened. Allie was okay. She wasn’t moving much, but at least the trackers hadn’t been discovered and discarded.
Was it a breach in privacy? Yes, but her best friend hadn’t seen the horrors of the darker part of the world. It was better to be safe than to be dead. And her precaution was going to save Allie’s life.
Jer threw back her shoulders and faced the door. She’d done her duty to Earth, but now she had to fix everything else. It was up to the team and herself to get Allie Sai out of this alive and away from the monster. There wasn’t any more time to lose.
“Get a move on,” she whispered.
It was harder than she expected to leave the safe haven of the bathroom.
A thrill of fear ran up her spine as Blade’s wrathful voice raised above the others.
“We don’t have time for this!” the male bellowed.
“Calm down,” Lev responded softly.
Her feet paused for one second before she gritted her teeth and forced herself to move casually toward the group. She made sure to give the dark Av a wide berth. Blade released pulses of ferocious energy that caused the hair on her arms to raise. Danger poured from his pores as he leaned menacingly into Lev’s face.
Since she was a child, Jer had always been attracted to danger. After all the training her father forced upon her, she’d become an adrenaline junkie, but even so, she didn’t want to get into a ten-foot radius of Blade. That man screamed death.
She hid a snort.
Go figure her sweet, prudish friend would be the one to do it for the alien assassin.
Of course, she had no actual proof Blade was an assassin, but… she’d known enough agents that Jer was fairly certain of his primary occupation.
She pressed into place next to Zune, his bare arm brushing hers as she joined the discussion. Coal eyed her and arched a brow in question.
Nosy bastard.
She stared back coldly, before tuning into the heated argument again. He’d not be getting anything from her at the moment.
“Don’t tell me to calm down! My mate is gone!” Blade growled.
Bizarre as it was, it wa
s his rage that touched her heart. The man loved Allie Sai more than his own life. She frowned slightly. If only her friend would open her own damn eyes and see the treasure in front of her.
An echo of past pain rippled through her chest.
What she wouldn’t give for complete devotion like that.
Her lip curled.
She’d spent most of her life observing others and had come to one conclusion: it wasn’t in a male’s nature to be faithful and show devotion to anybody. Jer had experienced that first hand. A mate among the Av people seemed like an unreachable treasure not meant for the likes of her.
Disappointment and betrayal had taken their toll. Bitterness and sarcasm had become her constant companions over the years, and a mate didn’t deserve all her issues.
“Virgil is already contacting his informants—”
“It’s not enough,” Blade interrupted his brother.
Lev huffed and inhaled slowly. “We’re putting every available resource into finding Allie. You need—"
Blade sliced his hand through the air, cutting off Lev again. “We don’t have time. You know what he’ll do to her. Every moment we stand here is more harm he is doing to my mate. You’re with me or you’re not. Either way, Sloven will end up dead.”
Jer inhaled sharply at the deadly look Lev directed Blade’s way.
“You know I’m on your side. I know what you’re capable of, but do you really think Allie Sai will forgive you if you go on a killing spree? Get yourself under control or I will lock you up,” Lev said calmly, like he was speaking about the weather.
A snarl broke free from Blade’s chest that caused Jer to flinch and step closer to Zune’s quiet presence. The Kitterran was as gentle as a lamb but as big as a house. If things went sideways, Jer was using him as a shield.
“I dare you,” Blade hissed.
Those were fighting words if ever she’d heard them.
Lev’s gaze narrowed on his brother for a few seconds before he tilted his head back as if he was trying to grab the frayed edges of his patience. The tension and silence thickened and swelled as he ignored his desperate brother.
Now, is the time, Jer. Say something.
“I’ll make a phone call.” Lev paused when she took a step toward him. He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. “You have something to add, Jer?”
She ignored the laser focus of Blade as he stared her down, and she concentrated on Lev. “I would wait to call. I have information that you need.”
The tension in the group tripled and all three brothers stepped closer, surrounding her. Sweat broke out on the back of her neck, but Jer didn’t shrink back from the intimidating picture they made.
Projecting a calm she didn’t feel, Jer double-tapped the screen on her wrist comm and held her thumb to the screen for five seconds. Here goes nothing.
A hologram flashed up from her comm, a red dot blinking brightly in the middle of the grid map.
“What is that?” Coal asked flatly.
“This is Allie’s beacon point.” She pointed to the dot. “With an airship, we can arrive at her destination within twelve hours.”
The hair at the nape of her neck prickled and that was all the warning she received before Blade jerked forward, his huge hands curling around her neck. Fear exploded in her chest, but Jer forced herself to stay calm and not to struggle. Her pulse hammered as he leaned menacingly into her face, his endless black eyes drilling into hers.
“Where is she?” he said between clenched teeth. “And how do you have that information? Answer me or I’ll kill you.”
Jer swallowed delicately and whispered through dry lips, “You’re not the only one who cares for Allie.” She let that sink in for several seconds. “Sars is a dangerous planet and Allie is oblivious to much of the darkness.” Jer leveled a knowing look at Blade. “We had special trackers inserted into our comms the first month we arrived on this planet.”
Blade still didn’t move. If anything, his grip tightened.
They so didn’t have time for his shenanigans.
Swiftly, she lifted her elbows up and slammed them down onto his forearms, loosening his grip. Jer twisted to the side, stomped on his foot, and jabbed her elbow into his stomach. She jerked from his grasp and darted a step away when a terror-inspiring growl ripped from Blade’s chest.
He didn’t like that much.
Jer backed away another step as he recovered and launched toward her. Breathlessness assaulted her as two large arms wrapped around her waist and hauled her backward into a hard chest, knocking the air from her lungs.
Lev grabbed Blade by the back of his jacket and jerked his brother away from her. Jer tried to catch her breath and wiggled to loosen her arms that were currently pinned to her sides.
They didn’t budge.
Her lip curled. Stars, she hated it when a male used his brute strength.
Jer tipped her head back and glared up into Coal’s silvery eyes. “Would you be so kind as to let me go?”
He stared at her solemnly, for once no smirk in sight. “Not a chance, sweetheart. I’m not buying your story for one second and neither are my brothers. You have some explaining to do.”
She huffed. “We’re wasting time!”
Blade shook his brother off and straightened his jacket. He shot Lev a nasty look and then pinned his crazy eyes on her. He magically pulled a knife from his cargo pants and held it out toward her. “Explain. Now.”
A male of few words. How original.
But she kept those thoughts to herself. They wouldn’t help the situation. She needed to diffuse the anger and suspicion.
“My family on Earth has military connections as you know.” She hid her smile at Blade and Lev’s blank looks. They could play all they wanted but they had a file on her just as she did on them. “They didn’t let me come unprepared. Life on this planet is dangerous for Humans, no matter how your government likes to sell it as a utopia. Allie and I had our comms modified so that we could keep each other in the loop. We couldn’t go everywhere together, but at least this way we had peace of mind that someone was watching our backs.”
“She was safe with us,” Lev reasoned.
Jer rolled her eyes. “Right. The aliens that lied and manipulated her into working for them. The ones who tagged us without our consent. Do you really think I would let my best friend walk into the Lock Av Sector without having a backup?”
“The first thing Sloven would’ve done was dispose of her wrist comm. Our chips aren’t responding. Try again,” Blade said softly, his tone deadly.
He was a smart one.
“Like I said,” she said carefully. “My family didn’t let me come unprepared. I have many such devices. I didn’t have a good feeling about that charade so I made sure she had a second tracking device. A pair of earrings.”
“Earrings,” Coal muttered above her. “Why don’t you believe Sloven has disposed of them?”
“I’m guessing your tech was disabled immediately?”
“Yes.”
“He’s arrogant,” Jer stated. “He removed Av tech, and yet he’s been ignorant to the Human tech still attached to Allie.” She paused. “Even if, by some miracle, he did discover them, he has no reason to give us her location. If he wanted you guys dead, he could have easily done it at the Scarlet Kiss. We know where she is. Let’s go.” Her eyes narrowed when Blade growled again at her. “That’s enough of that. It’s thanks to me we even know where your mate is. Stop throwing a temper tantrum and freaking out. Calm yourself down so you’ll actually do some good for Allie.”
Blade’s eyes narrowed into slits. “If you’re messing with us, I will kill you.”
“Naturally,” she said, blasé. Jer didn’t doubt he meant it, but it didn’t scare her. Death was part of life. And after the life she’d lived, death had been her constant companion for years. It wasn’t something new.
“Then we understand each other.” Some of Blade’s stiffness melted away.
That was a goo
d sign. Although she could do without his scary tone of voice.
She tipped her head back, addressing Coal. “And, as for you, get your dirty mitts off of me.”
He grinned and dipped his head down to nuzzle her cheek. “And here I thought we were getting all nice and cozy.”
Jer shrugged his hands off and tossed her head. “You’re dreaming if you think we’ll ever be friends.”
He placed a hand over his heart and groaned like he was hurt.
Crazy loon.
She dismissed him and his antics, turning back to Lev. “Can you have a ship ready in ten minutes?”
“You’re in over your head,” the Av leader said quietly. “And how can we really trust your tech? It’s outdated.”
Jer snorted. “Outdated it is. Unuseful? Not in the least. Allie and I have had this tech the entire time and yet your superior Av tech never identified it. Now stop questioning me and get to the damn ship. My friend is in danger.” She glanced at Zune who’d stayed silent the entire time. “You have anything to say, big guy?”
He shrugged. “If it was up to me, I’d be gone already.”
She smiled. “Get on board, or I’ll leave you behind.”
Jer spun on her heel and stalked toward the hover bay. Relief almost knocked her to the ground as Lev began barking commands for their journey. Soon, the king would get what was coming to him.
Her hand slipped into her jacket pocket, and her fingers closed around a smooth vial.
A vial of Allie’s moonshine that she’d hidden in her closet.
A smile crept up on her face.
It was the perfect ingredient for the next part of her plan. It would be explosive.
She hid her snicker at her dumb pun and sobered up quickly.
Somehow, she needed to figure out how to sneak a bomb onto Sloven’s ship.
One impossible task at a time.
25