“I remember. I’d never ask them to do that. My parents want me happy, and that doesn’t mean I have to live on Earth to help run the company. I can do it from anywhere. As for Drak being a Veslor, honestly, they’ll be ecstatic as long as he really loves me, and I love him. Which isn’t an issue. They might be a little shocked, but I have faith they’ll accept him. He’s a good man.”
The screen began to static over.
“It looks like our time is up, unless you want to wait for the satellites to realign.” Vivian spoke quickly. “I’m so happy for you about Drak, Abby!”
“Me too. Thank you.” Abby glanced at Vassi. “Thanks for the alternative option on shifted sex and mating.” She locked gazes with Vivian again. “Tell Brassi congrats about your pregnancy. I bet this baby is going to be as cute as Klad. And he’s going to love having―”
More static obscured the screen and the connection was lost. Abby sighed, frustrated. Long-distance calls could be a nightmare in deep space. She stood from the desk and stretched. There was a lot she had to think about. One thing was certain, though. She didn’t want to lose Drak, and her heart was set on staying with him.
The information she’d learned from Vassi kept circling in her thoughts. She was willing to allow Drak to scent her to appease his urge to make them mates. It was a reasonable loophole. She loved those.
Drak would eventually get exactly what he wanted. She was willing to commit to him.
“I can loophole mate him but hold off on having a cub,” she mused, pacing the room. “I’d given up on ever finding someone to spend my life with. I don’t want to lose Drak.” She paused, spun, and paced again “I love the big guy. He’s under my skin already.” She halted in place, raising a hand to push her hair back as she continued to reason with herself. “Is it scary to jump into this so fast? Sure. But I’m Abby fucking Thomas. I’ve got lady balls of steel, and my sexy Veslor is worth it.”
She smiled as she made up her mind. “I’m going to tell Drak when he gets back in the morning.” But nervousness hit immediately. “What if he won’t go for the scenting thing? What if it’s not enough? Shit!” She started to pace again.
Then she paused as another thought occurred. Roth was concerned about them having a cub, and her asking Drak to leave their grouping or demanding they live on a planet. The grouping thing could help. She could use his leader’s reasonable arguments to sell Drak on the loophole idea.
“I’m a Thomas. Selling shit is our thing. And we’re good at it. I can totally convince Drak.”
* * * * *
A beeping sound woke Abby, and she sat up quickly, grabbing at her communications device. The clock next to it on the nightstand told her it was the middle of the night. She tapped it on, expecting it to be Clark. She felt sick at the hour of the call, praying it wasn’t bad news.
“Abby here. Are they okay, Clark?”
“This is Doctor Jordon Havers. Commander Bills has suffered a medical emergency. You need to come immediately.”
Abby gasped, shoving off the covers and climbing out of bed. “What happened? Come where? Is he in his cabin?”
“He was able to send an alert. The guard who responded got a team to him, and he’s been transferred to Medical Bay. My team is still running tests but it appears he suffered a stroke. He’s asking for you, Miss Thomas.”
Tears blinded her enough that she almost slammed into the wall, instead of entering the closet. Her shoulder did bump it hard. “I’m on my way.”
“Please hurry,” the doctor grimly stated, before cutting the call.
“No, no, no!” She flipped on the light and grabbed the closest hanging outfit, stripping out of her nightgown and dressed. Then she picked up her communications device, connecting it to Clark Yenna. He didn’t answer. She had to leave a message.
“This is Abby. I just got a call from Medical Bay. It’s Howard. They think he’s had a stroke.” She choked up. “I’m going there now. Please let Drak know, and I’ll keep you updated on Howard’s condition once I know more.” She cut the call, shoving her device in her pocket.
One quick trip to the bathroom, where she used the toilet and brushed her teeth. She just pulled her hair into a messy ponytail, not even bothering to brush it first. She ran out of the suite, only realizing on her way to the lift that she’d forgotten to put on shoes and her ID badge.
It didn’t matter. Reaching Howard did.
That late at night, she didn’t run into any other crew. She pushed the button to take her to the level where Medical Bay was located and tapped her bare foot on the metal floor, wishing the elevators moved faster. When the doors finally opened, she sprinted down the corridor. Medical was at the far end.
She hated how the corridors curved to make people feel as if the ship was cozier, not quite as big. A straight shot would have been faster. On the second turn, she slammed into a solid body and grunted. “Sorry.”
She looked up, expecting to see a security guard. Only it wasn’t.
Bradley Rogers moved fast, grabbed her by the arm and spinning her around. One of his hands covering her mouth.
The moment of stunned shock passed, and she started to fight, trying to free her mouth to scream.
Then someone else was there, grabbing hold of her, too. She twisted just enough to see her second assailant’s face. It was Darren Milts. He circled them and, together, the men lifted her, carrying her bucking body inside a nearby room, the doors closing behind them. They both released her, blocking her escape.
She backed up, glancing at where they were. It wasn’t a cabin, but instead, some kind of large storage area with huge crates stacked in separated rows, space creating aisles between each one.
She glared at Rogers. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing? Get out of my way. Medical Bay is expecting me. Aren’t you in enough shit?”
Bradley Rogers crossed his arms over his chest, glaring right back at her. “You mean that call you got? No such doctor, bitch.”
Fear swamped her.
“The Commander is probably asleep in his bed, like most of the crew is at this hour.” Darren Milts ran his gaze down her body, anger making his face uglier than usual. “We have a bone to pick with you, bitch. You got us transferred! Do you know what that’s gonna do to our service records?”
She was scared, angry at what they’d done—and worse, pissed at herself for falling for it. Then again, who would imagine they’d plan something so evil? “There’s cameras everywhere. Security will quickly figure out you both grabbed me. You can’t get away with this. Move out of my way right now.”
“Cameras that experience difficulties on this level,” a voice behind her taunted.
She looked over her shoulder, watching as Morgan Peters stepped out from behind one of the stacks of crates.
He smiled coldly at her. “We have friends in security.”
She remembered the one who’d harassed her with her suitcase. Abby moved slightly to keep them all in view and switched her focused back to Rogers. He was the one in charge of his men. “It won’t work. You couldn’t have taken down all the cameras. Trust me, I know. Most fleet vessels have D Corp technology. There are hidden cameras on every level. Even if you somehow managed to take all the cameras offline on this level, the lifts cameras are on a separate system. And no one in security has clearance to erase the backups. I saw to that myself.
“There will be proof that you were here with me. That you weren’t in your cabins. Think about that before you do something you’ll regret. You and your team with be the first ones they look at if something happens to me. Let me go, and I’ll forget about this.”
Rogers’s jaw clenched.
“She’s lying,” Milts ground out.
Abby ignored him. “Did you order Milts to shove me in that hole, Rogers? I’m betting you didn’t. It was too stupid to be anyone’s idea but his. Don’t take advice from him. I’m not lying. There is no way you can get away with this. Just let me go, and I give my word no one will eve
r hear of it.”
“No fucking way is she going to do that,” Peters hissed.
Abby kept her focus on Rogers, knowing appealing to him was her only hope. “Think about it. Do you know what’s way worse than being reassigned? Being charged with murder. I’ll assume that’s what you’ve planned for me. Your life would be over. No more assignments. No more cushy military ships. Hell, getting fired from the fleet is the least of your worries. You’ll be sentenced to death. You and I don’t get along, but I still don’t believe you asked Milts to kill me. He’s a hothead. Tellis told me so himself while we were trapped underground. You’re always having to clean up his messes, right? Like all those bar fights he starts?”
“You fucking bitch!” Milts yelled, stepping toward her with his fists clenched.
Rogers grabbed his arm, halting him, his voice low. “Don’t.”
That gave Abby hope. “Let’s just call this a bad decision. I’m glad Commander Bills is healthy. I understand that you’re angry with me, but honestly…” She glanced at Milts. “He’s the one who tried to kill me. Being reassigned to another ship is way better than being brought up on murder charges.” She held Rogers’s gaze. “I give you my word, as a Thomas, I’ll forget this. Just let me walk out of here.”
Rogers shook his head, releasing Milts. “I don’t believe you.”
Her heart rate spiked with fear. “Think about it, Rogers! I don’t want to die. I’m pretty damn motivated. You haven’t done anything to warrant a death sentence.” She glanced around briefly, not seeing any cameras in the storage area. “You could just say you wanted to talk to me, to clear the air. I don’t have a mark on me.” She met his gaze again. “It’s your word against mine if I were to try to press charges. Milts got away with trying to kill me because it was my word against his. The same thing will happen here. Three versions of how this was simply a friendly chat. Just let me walk. No harm, no foul. Why would I bother to even mention this? It got me nothing before.”
“We’re being reassigned,” Milts hissed.
“But not charged with attempted murder,” Abby reminded him. “You aren’t in a holding cell, are you?”
“I don’t like this.” Peters stepped closer.
Abby turned a little more, determined not to give Peters her back.
That’s when she noticed he wore a weapon strapped to his waist.
“We had a plan, damn it! The bitch needs to die!”
“Shut up, Milts! I’m thinking.” Rogers reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Abby watched him closely. He looked unsure about what to do. “Just let me leave, Rogers, and I’ll forget everything.”
“She’s a fucking rich bitch, and she’s fucking the commander! He’s going to toss our asses out of the fleet completely if she tells him about this. We’re already supposed to stay in our cabins unless we’re going to the damn dining hall,” Milts spat. “That fucking cunt is going to ruin us! No one’s gonna go to the trouble of pulling footage from other levels. She’s full of shit!”
“I’m not fucking Howard. He’s best friends with my parents and was their best man at their wedding. I grew up calling him Uncle Howard. And yes,” Abby said firmly, “they will check those camera feeds and run a full investigation if anything happens to me. Do you get that? I’m like a daughter to Howard Bills.”
“Fuck!” Rogers backed up a step, bumping into the door. “That’s a goddamn lie!”
Abby shook her head. “It’s not. I was getting harassed by the press on Earth after what happened with the Gorison Traveler trial. Howard let me come here to get away from them.” She paused. “Uncle Howard.”
Rogers threw back his head and let out a string of curses, ending with, “We’re so fucked!”
“You can just let me―”
“Shut up!” Rogers advanced and shoved her hard. “You’ve ruined our goddamn lives! We’re screwed either way! Milts is right. We’re fucked once the commander realizes we went after you, regardless of whether we kill you or not.”
Abby stumbled and went down on her ass. Rogers stood over her, looking ready to kill her with his bare hands. That’s when she knew.
He wasn’t going to let her out of that storage room alive.
“I won’t tell anyone!”
“I don’t believe you.” He spun away, stomping the floor as he paced between her and the door. “Change of plans. We need to make it look like an accident. Not intentional violence because she pisses everyone off. Let me think.”
Abby wasn’t going to die without a fight. She didn’t have shoes or protection spray. Just her brain…but that would have to be enough.
Peters stepped closer, watching their leader and waiting for orders. Milts glared at her, a gleam in his eye that told her whatever plan Rogers came up with, he would enjoy watching her die.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she warned, her voice loud as she made gagging sounds. She rolled, getting to her hands and knees—then she used that position to launch herself at Peters.
One hand curled into a fist, she slammed into him, nailing him in the junk. Her other hand grabbed for his weapon.
It came free just as he let out a girly scream.
Abby shoved his already off-balance body as hard as she could and stumbled past him, turning and raising the weapon. Peters hit the floor, curling into a ball from the pain she’d caused. Milts and Rogers stared at them, frozen.
That lasted for a split-second. Then both of them reached for their backs.
Abby fired as she ran behind one of the large crates.
She wasn’t sure if she hit one of them, but they returned fire, hitting the wall near her and one of the crates.
Screeching alarms blared. Weapons fire triggered them inside all fleet vessels. The deafening sound drown out what the men were doing as she ran around another crate, desperately trying to find a place to hide.
She just needed to stay alive until security responded to those alarms. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be friends with Team One. Even if they were, they might not risk going down with their buddies for murder.
That, or they’d help the trio kill her.
She made it behind a stack of crates near the back of the room, panting, and fired without looking when she heard noise nearby. No way was she sticking her head out from behind the crates to get shot in the face.
Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. She’d never get the chance to tell Drak that she wanted to be his mate. They wouldn’t have a future to plan for those cubs they wanted if she didn’t survive.
Laser fire hit the wall near her, making her scream. She shoved her weapon around the crate and blindly fired, hoping she hit something.
Then she remembered her communications device in her pocket.
Abby fired again and used her free hand to withdraw it.
Her first thought was to call Howard. He’d send help. She opened the device, verbally demanding it connect the call. She just wasn’t sure if it did or not; the alarms were too loud to hear.
“Howard? I hope you can hear me! I’m in a storage room by Medical Bay. A room full of crates. It’s Rogers, Milts, and Peters! Howard?! Please send help!”
Chapter Fifteen
Drak unstrapped from the shuttle seat and stood. It had been a good evening. The Cadia seemed to have learned their lesson. Only a few had attacked the settlement right after dark. Then it had been quiet for so long, it was decided they didn’t have to remain on the surface until the sun rose. Clark had picked them up and flown them back to Defcon Red.
“I thought there would be more fighting with this job,” Gnaw complained. “Blowing things up isn’t a workout. It’s too easy.”
“Silence,” Roth ordered. “We’re helping the humans. That’s why our king sent us.”
“It is boring,” Maith sighed. “But we’re getting free land. That’s what I think about.”
Clark Yenna came out of the pilot section and smiled at them. “Hungry, boys? Want to eat before you head t
o your bunks?”
“I want to go to Abby. You didn’t wake her, did you?” Drak didn’t want her to ask other humans to bring them food, the way she had before. She’d been exhausted when they’d gone to bed, falling asleep quickly once he had her snuggled in his arms. She needed to rest, not to stay awake worrying about him or his grouping.
Clark shook his head. “You said you wanted to surprise her. I did what you asked. Mums the word.”
“Mums?” Maith opened the shuttle door, stepping onto the lowered ramp into the docking bay. “Is that a human joke?”
“It’s Earth speak for keeping quiet about something.” Clark followed them off the shuttle. “How about the rest of you? Up for eating? I am. Drak there may have a woman but we’re single. Food is a decent replacement for sex.”
Gnaw snorted. “I don’t agree. Copulating is more pleasurable than eating.”
“It depends on what is cooked,” Roth argued.
Maith shot their leader a glare. “It has been too long since a female challenged you.”
A beeping sound came from Clark, and he pulled out his communications device. He opened it…then he stopped walking and frowned. “I got a message from your woman, Drak.” He pressed a button, and Abby’s message played aloud.
Drak was concerned. He knew Abby cared deeply for Commander Bills. “I’ll go to Medical Bay. Please call Abby to let her know I’m on my way to be with her.” He rushed to remove his suit, taking it off quickly.
Clark’s communications device beeped again. He looked surprised by the caller. “Commander?”
“Where are you?” The male’s voice was almost guttural, the words shouted.
“Docking bay. We just landed. What—”
“Are the Veslors still with you?”
“Yes.” Howard paled. “What’s wrong?”
“Abby is under attack! Level six, in storage three, I think. I’m scrambling my personal security.”
Drak lost his mind at hearing those words. He ran toward the exit, not even glancing back to see if his grouping followed. He knew they would.
A few humans were in the corridor outside. Drak shoved them aside and reached the lift. He entered, his grouping crowding in with him. Clark Yenna was running toward them but he was too far away. Humans were much slower. Drak hit the button for level six.
Mission: Guardian Angel (Veslor Mates Book 2) Page 16