by Dena Christy
“It’s only a few bruises, nothing that won’t go away with some rest.” He would not go to the doctor.
“What are you afraid of?” She put her hand on his forearm, and his heart rate jumped for a second at the soft touch of her hand on his skin. This was first time she’d touched him in any way other than to offer him aid, and he liked. He wanted more of it, but he couldn’t let her distract him. He wasn't going.
“I’m not afraid.” He eased her hand away and stood up. With his face away from her she could not see the pain that moving from the sofa caused.
“You’re in pain and you need to get checked out.” The springs of the sofa creaked as she got up and stood in front of him.
“I’m fine.” He crossed his arms over his chest and kept the grimace the move caused off his face. Why couldn’t she leave it? There was no way he was going to see the doctor and the sooner she realized it the better.
“So it doesn’t hurt if I do this?” Without giving him more warning than that, she pressed her hand against his ribs on his left side, and pain shot through him as he hissed in through his teeth. Her touch had been firm, but it would not have hurt if he was at his normal level of fitness. She slowly slid her hand away. “You need to see the doctor Cynric.”
If she’d yelled, he might have resisted, but she’d spoken to him in a soft, gentle voice. Her saying his name in that voice made him want to do whatever she wanted. That coupled with the concern he could see in her eyes made it difficult for him to say no to her.
“What if the doctor finds out what I am?” That was the crux of his worry, and he voiced it in a tone so low that it was almost as if he was speaking to himself. Evie and her friends were the only ones on this planet who had treated them with kindness. The other people they’d met had tried to use them as objects of study, or in his case, as a being who could be abused if it would provide information.
“It will be fine. He’s been coming here for years and I would trust him with my life. Please, I want to make sure you’re healthy.” She reached down and took his hand. “If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for Ryce and Synn. For Miranda, Collette and me. We’ve gone through a lot to get you out of prison, and we all want to make sure no lasting damage has been done to you.”
She may not have known him for very long, but she knew exactly the right thing to say to get him to cooperate. The doctor was here looking after Collette because her kidnapping was a repercussion of freeing him. He owed it to all of them to make sure his confinement at the hands of this planet’s military had done no permanent damage. He gave her hand a squeeze, and she jumped and looked down at where her hand was still clasped in his. She looked startled as if she’d forgotten that she still held it.
“I’ll go see him. Where is he?” Now that he’d agreed to do it, he wanted to get it over with. He was sure there had been no permanent damage done to him, but it would make her happy for him to go and he was startled to realize that more than any other reason, he was agreeing because he wanted to make her happy.
“I asked him to wait for you in the exam room after he’s seen Collette. I’ll take you to it.” She dropped his hand and turned toward the door.
“You already told him to wait for me?” He followed her out the door and down the hall. “What if I’d refused to go?”
“Then I would have brought him here to you. You were going to see him regardless of how you felt about it but I’m glad you saw reason.” She threw a smile at him over her shoulder, and his breath caught at how it lit up her face. He didn’t think he’d seen her smile since he’d gotten here and it was a shame. She was beautiful when she smiled.
They continued the walk down the hall, and he could see that he’d been no match for her, at least as far as the visit to the doctor was concerned. He could have argued with her all night, and it would not have done him any good. She would have made him see the doctor anyway. Admiration for her swelled inside him. She was not a big woman, and seemed small and delicate with him towering beside her, but she made up for her small stature through the sheer force of her will. He understood now how she'd built a place like this.
They arrived at the exam room, and the door stood open. A gray haired man turned toward them and a cool, professional smile pulled at his mouth.
“Are you my next patient?” His eyes assessed Cynric, and Cynric could see no threat in them. He glanced at Evie, and she nodded. She trusted the doctor, and she would not knowingly put him at further risk, considering all that had been done to rescue him.
“Yes.” He stepped through the door. He glanced back at Evie and she gave him an encouraging smile. He smiled back, and she turned and walked down the hall. He wasn’t strong enough to keep his eyes away from the sway of her hips as she walked away, and the doctor cleared his throat beside him.
“If you’re ready.” The doctor shut the door and cut off his view of Evie. It was for the best. He needed to focus on more than the swing of a very nice ass. Admiring Evie’s body wouldn’t get them off the planet and the sooner he wrapped his head around that the better.
Chapter Two
Commander Roland Clancy held a respirator mask to his mouth and nose as he stood among the smoldering wreck that was once an abandoned laboratory. What the hell had he done in a past life to deserve the calamities that had befallen his career since those cursed aliens arrived on this planet? Until a few weeks ago his life had been going fine, better than fine actually. His career was on the fast track, and his ascension to the top of the military brass on this planet had been all but assured. It had taken years of ruthless action on his part to get to where he was, and it now seemed poised to unravel before his eyes.
The charred ruins surrounding him was the scene of a murder he’d committed only a short time ago. Now he was back. But at least he wouldn’t have to kill the man responsible for this mess since Roland was certain the charred corpse they had dragged out of the ruins belonged to Dawson.
The car parked beside the building was Colonel Jace Dawson's, and Roland was certain it was his remains they’d found. Dawson had done something stupid, which had gotten him killed. Reginald Carstairs had called him at home, saying he may have made a big mistake.
He’d let Dawson into his former chippy’s apartment, where a trap had been laid for her because she’d helped steal Dawson’s prize prisoner. Now he was here to clean up after Dawson, just as he’d had to clean up after Dr. Avery only a few weeks ago. He had a feeling Reginald Carstairs wouldn’t be allowed to live with the knowledge Dawson had foolishly given him, but that was not up to him. The order to kill a man of Reginald’s stature had to come from someone above his pay grade.
“What would you like me to do sir?” Lieutenant Sinclair walked up to him. So far they were the only two remaining military personnel on the scene. A deployment had been sent out to handle the fire, but there was little they could do except make certain it didn’t spread to any of the surrounding buildings. They’d left a short time ago, and now Clancy waited for the arson investigators to arrive. He was sure it wouldn’t take long for the investigator to determine this had all been a tragic accident, and then there would be no need to alert anyone in the government about what had happened. General Rogers wanted this kept quiet, which was why Clancy was waiting for the investigator personally.
He took Sinclair by the arm and dragged him into the parking lot near where his car was parked. He pulled the respirator off his face. The air tasted burnt, but he ignored it. The respirator made his face sweat and muffled the authority in his voice, and he hated it.
“Get rid of Dawson’s car.” The car in question sat in front of the building. The less evidence of this fiasco that was left behind the better. The arson investigator was part of the military, and he would come to whatever conclusion his commanders told him to, but Roland trusted very few people. He wasn’t even sure he trusted the man beside him. He’d been Dawson’s right-hand man, or at least Dawson had thought so. The colonel hadn’t known Sinclair had been Roland’s man first.<
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“How am I supposed to do that?”
Roland sighed. One problem with having men who obey without question was that they made poor independent thinkers.
“Figure it out.” He looked hard at Sinclair, whose Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me that Dawson was involved with Reginald Carstairs’ chippy? I use you to find out secrets for me, but you are of no use to me if you don't share what you’ve learned.”
“I didn’t think she was important. He was always chasing after some woman, I’m surprised he found the time to come to work. He was alway sticking his cock in someone. I thought she was like the rest.” Sinclair ran his finger around the inside of his collar. He was right to be nervous. Roland didn’t tolerate screw ups. Ever. Especially not ones that cost him a prize prisoner.
Dawson’s involvement with Collette Beauleau would have raised a flag with him, since she’d only just been kidnapped by Dr. John Avery and rescued by the same alien that Clancy was sure had been involved in liberating Dawson’s prisoner. It was all connected, and he needed to find the thread that held them together and he would have a chance at recapturing the aliens.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s important or not. Any detail you encounter, no matter how small, you must tell me from now on.” The unsaid warning was clear. Any more mistakes on Sinclair’s part would be his last. The pale set of the other man’s face told Roland that he’d gotten the message. “Once you’ve disposed of the car, I want you to get me the security footage from the cameras around here.”
He didn't wait for Sinclair to respond as he walked around to the driver’s side of his car. There was still a lot of soot in the air, and if he was going to have to wait for the investigator, he would do it in his car where he could get work done.
Once he was in the car, he pulled his tablet onto his lap. The call he didn’t want to make needed to happen, the sooner the better. He scrolled through his contact list and put a call through to his superior officer. It didn’t take long for General Rogers to come on the line.
“Do you have answers for me Commander?” The general’s face filled the screen, and he didn't mince words.
Roland had alerted him to the fire at the old lab, telling him it might interest them. It had struck Roland as too coincidental that a fire would break out at the same abandoned laboratory that had seen Dr. Avery’s downfall. His suspicions were heightened when Reginald Carstairs had confessed to setting up Collette Beauleau with Colonel Dawson. The aliens that had eluded them were involved somehow, but until he saw the video feeds he wouldn’t know who was helping them. The only remains they’d found had been those of Colonel Dawson, so he could only assume that the alien who’d rescued the chippy from Dr. Avery had done the same this time too.
“Colonel Dawson is dead.” He hadn’t been a fan of Dawson’s so he wasn’t particularly sad to impart the new to his general. Colonel Dawson’s ambition combined with his lust for Collette Beauleau had outstripped his common sense. His bungling of this whole alien affair was proof of that. He deserved to die for the humiliation that Roland had been subjected to when he’d been found stripped of his uniform in the alien’s cell. He was only sad that he hadn’t been the one to deal the killing blow.
“Are you certain?”
“His car was abandoned here, and we found a body, sir. It will take time to identify him, but I’m certain that it’s Dawson.”
“That’s a shame. He was a good soldier.” Clancy kept his face neutral and made a noise that sounded like he agreed with the general. “How much do you think Reginald Carstairs knows?”
“I got the impression that Dawson told him too much.” It would be interesting to see how much of a good soldier the General thought Dawson was after that slip. “I tried to convince him that Dawson was coming unhinged and spouting nonsense, but I don't think he believed me. He knows about the aliens, and I’m not assured of his discretion. He’s a petty man who would set his former chippy up for a rendezvous with Dawson, who has a reputation for being rather forceful in his dealings with women.”
That was a polite way of saying that Dawson had a predilection for rape, but there was nothing concrete to prove it. It was an open secret, but there was little chance that Dawson would ever have been prosecuted for it. The military went to great lengths to protect its own. None of that mattered now since fate had found a way of dealing with Dawson. He wouldn’t be raping anyone else now.
“I see. A man with that kind of knowledge could be very dangerous to us. No one must know about the aliens. Reginald is an old man, and old men die every day.” The general gave Roland a pointed look that needed no translation. Fortunately Roland knew someone who could arrange for Reginald’s demise in such a way that any autopsy would show natural causes.
“Yes, it’s a shame, but perhaps it’s a blessing for someone with his ill health. And his son is a great friend to the military. I’m sure he’ll carry on once his father passes.”
“Very good. I want those aliens found, Clancy.” The general didn’t wait for Roland to respond and his face winked out as he ended the call. Roland shut off his tablet and there was a knock on his window. He eased it down so he could hear what Sinclair had to say.
“I’ve had the car towed away sir.” Sinclair stooped as he spoke through the open window. “I can arrange for it to be disposed of. Would that be acceptable?”
“Yes. You can go.” Roland settled back in his seat to wait for the investigator.
“I’ll get to work on getting the video footage right away.” Sinclair scurried away, and Roland put the window back up.
He was eager to see the footage. He was certain the aliens had been involved in the fire that had killed Dawson. Someone, a native to this planet, must be helping them. There had been no trace of the freed prisoner, or the one who’d escaped Dr. Avery’s lab. Nova Earth was a difficult planet to hide on, so someone had to have helped them. Miranda Reynaud and Collette Beauleau were involved, but neither of them would have the resources to hide the aliens by themselves. There had to be someone else involved, and the video footage was the key to finding out who.
Several days had passed since both Cynric and Collette were rescued, and Evie was finally getting a moment to do her work. She’d been neglecting her duties since Miranda had arrived, but she needed to devote time to it now. She was due to get an influx of new women in a few days, and she needed to call Serena to tell her that the women couldn’t come. It was too risky to have them here in light of who was here right now. She didn’t anticipate that the women would report the aliens to the authorities, but it would be better not to take the risk at all.
Evie hesitated with her finger posed on Serena’s contact info on her comm monitor. What would she say? Serena was one of the sharpest women she knew, and it would be difficult to lie to her. Should she tell her the truth about what was really going on?
Serena had given her a chance at a new life when Evie had nothing. She’d provided a haven for her and Adam when they’d decided that their love for each other was worth the risk of going into hiding. And when Adam was murdered, Serena had been there to pick up the pieces. Evie couldn’t repay all she’d done for her by lying to her now.
She touched the contact button and held her breath as the call went through. This wasn’t the first time she had to take her facility off-line, and once Cynric and the others were safely on their way back to their planet, she would resume her normal life. It was what she wanted, despite the hollow feeling in her gut at the thought of all of them leaving.
Serena’s face filled the comm, and she offered Evie a bright smile.
“Evangeline, this is unexpected? How are you?” Serena was much older than Evie, had piercing blue eyes and silver hair. She looked younger than Evie knew her to be as her face was relatively unlined. She carried herself with a serenity that was soothing, but her calmness did little to smooth out the nerves dancing under Evie’s skin. The best way forward was to say what she had to say a
nd get it over with.
“I need to discuss something with you. I’m going to have to take my facility off-line, and you will need to send the women due to come here somewhere else.” Hopefully Serena would take what she said at face value, and not question her further. Nerves churned in Evie’s stomach as she waited for Serena to answer. She didn't want to lie, but she also didn’t want to involve her mentor in this either. There was no need to give her knowledge that would put her at risk.
“That’s fine. How long do you anticipate you will be off-line?”
That was a question that Evie had no easy answer for. She bit her lip for a moment. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? Why are you going off-line? I can divert this group of women, but you are an important part of this organization, and I’m sure you’re aware that our resources aren’t unlimited. It will be difficult to replace you on a more permanent bases.”
She was going to have to say something. She rapidly searched her brain for what to say and opted for the truth.
“I am offering sanctuary to two friends, and three men. I cannot have any other women here.”
Serena’s brows drew together in a sharp frown. “You know the rules, Evangeline. We are not in the business of helping men.”
Serena had always been clear on that, and it had surprised Evie that she’d helped Adam so many years ago. As far as Evie knew he was the only man Serena had ever helped. Evie knew little about her mentor’s past, but there was a man in it who’d hurt her so much that she now hated all men.
“I know, but the circumstances in this case are outside the norm. The men are from another planet and are being hunted. To make a long story short, my friends fallen in love with two of them, and they will go home with them. They won’t be here that long.”
“Are you sure this is wise? I know you want to help your friends, but you are risking a lot for them. What if these aliens turn out to be dangerous?”
