by Dena Christy
She walked down to the common room. Perhaps Collette and Miranda were there. If Cynric found a way to get everyone off the planet, she wouldn't have much time left with them. They’d already lost more than enough time together when she’d pretended to her two friends that she was dead. It would be weird to go back to her normal life after they left. She’d gotten used to having them and their men around. She was surprised to realize that she’d been growing lonely before they came. Rebecca was here most of the time, unless she went off to be alone somewhere, which she did sometimes. She only did it when they didn’t have any women here, which meant when she left Evie was here by herself. At first it hadn’t bothered her, but more and more lately, she could feel a hole growing inside her that no amount of rescued women could fill.
She walked in the common room, and both Collette and Miranda were sitting and quietly talking on the sofa. Evie hesitated for a moment. Collette and Miranda were so close, and now they shared even more in common. They were both in love and happily mated to the same species of alien. They had so much more in common with each other now than they did with her.
Evie wasn’t jealous of their bond, but there was a sad feeling inside her as she felt her friends drifting away from her. They were moving on with their lives while Evie felt like hers was stagnating. She went through everyday as if it was the same day, following the same pattern. When she’d first lost Adam, that routine had offered consolation to her, but now it didn’t. She shook her head. What was she thinking? She helped a lot of women and what she did was important.
“Evie.” Collette looked toward the door and smiled. “Are you going to tear yourself away from work and join us?”
“Of course.” Evie came into the room and sat down on the chair that was facing the sofa. “I don’t know if you know, but your men have gone off to look for Ryce’s pod.”
“We know.” Miranda said. “They told us their idea before they went to ask you for a vehicle. Did Cynric go with them?”
Evie nodded. “He seems to be doing much better than when he first got here, and I think he was getting restless confined to his room.”
Evie remembered the way he prowled around the hallway, and her stomach gave a small flutter. If nothing else, she could appreciate what a wonderful specimen of masculinity he was.
“And what do you think of him?” Collette asked as she glanced at Miranda and gave her a sly smile. A look passed between them that Evie didn’t want to interpret. She didn’t think what Cynric made her feel was obvious. It wasn’t like she was in love with him, and any woman in her right mind would find a man like him attractive. She hadn’t been with a man for a very long time, so a man as big and strong as Cynric would stir something primal inside her.
“I hardly know him so I don’t have an opinion of him at all.” Evie remembered the kiss he’d pressed in the center of her palm, and how she’d wished it had been on her lips, and a flush burned in her cheeks. Perhaps she wasn’t being entirely honest with her herself or her friends.
“Are you sure about that? You look like you’re blushing to me.” Collette had a teasing tone in her voice, which only deepened the flush on Evie’s cheeks. “You don’t think that he’s a little attractive?”
“He’s attractive, if you like men who are tall and muscular,” Evie said and although she’d always thought that wasn’t the type of man she was into, being around Cynric was changing her mind about that. “What are you trying to get at? Like I said, I hardly know him, and I’m not looking for a man in my life.”
“We aren’t trying to get at anything.” Miranda reached out and placed a soothing hand on Evie’s arm. Was her agitation that obvious that Miranda felt she needed to calm her down? All they had done was ask her what she thought of him, and now she was making it even more obvious that she wasn’t being honest. “Collette is just so happy at being mated that she wants to play matchmaker.”
“And you don’t?” Collette asked as she looked at Miranda.
“I want Evie to be happy, just like you do. Only Evie knows what will make her happy.”
“I thought I was happy once, when I was with Adam, and he died. I can’t go through that again.” Adam’s death had shattered her, and it took a long time for her to stop wanting to die with him. She couldn’t handle that a second time.
“Who's to say you have to go through that? None of us know what the future will hold, but you can’t spend your life hiding away because you are afraid of getting hurt.” Miranda looked over at her, and Evie could read the understanding in her eyes. Miranda had risked everything to be with Synn, and while Evie admired her for it, she didn’t have the same courage her friend had. She had her chance at love and it was cruelly ripped from her. She wouldn’t take the risk again.
“I do important work here, and others depend on me and I can’t let them down. I can’t give all that up.” The work she did was important, and it had taken a long rime to get to where she was. And if lately she was feeling like there should be more, it only meant that she needed to do more. She was doing more. She was helping her friends and their lovers get home. Once they were gone, her life would get back to normal and the mixed up feelings inside her would go away.
“Well no one is telling you to give up what you’re doing. I’m only suggesting that you live a little and get out of your office more. Besides once we get off the planet, you will still be involved with the Latrothians since I'm going to assume you will send women to them if it gets approved by their government,” Collette said.
“That won’t be happening,” Evie said, and that was one thing she really regretted about her phone conversation with Serena. They could help so many more women if they had a way for them to get off this planet. “Serena has said that it’s a bad idea, and that it would be better if I focused on what I need to do here. She’s right.”
“She sounds like a bitch,” Collette said and Miranda made a noise and looked over at her, shaking her head. Collette drew herself up. “Well she does.”
“She’s just very passionate about what she does,” Evie said. That was a diplomatic way of agreeing with Collette. Before their conversation she would not have thought Serena could be as cold as she had been, but now she could see that there was a part of her that was a bitch as Collette had said.
“How much did you tell her?” Miranda asked.
“I told her that we are helping Synn, Ryce and Cynric, and that you would leave with them. It wasn’t until I mentioned the possibility of arranging for women to move off the planet that she got upset. I think it’s because she sensed—” Evie broke off what she was about to say. If she was going to deny her attraction to Cynric, she’d better not tell them that Serena had seen the attraction.
“Sensed what?” Miranda asked, and Evie debated on what she should say. She didn’t think she was fooling anyone, so she was honest with her friends.
“I mentioned Cynric’s name, and she read something into it. It’s a good thing, since she reminded me of why I can’t become involved with him.”
“So she’s the one who planted the notion that you could get hurt. Like I said, she’s a bitch.”
“Collette,” Evie said sharply. “How can you say that? She’s just concerned about me.”
“Sure she is,” Collette said. “But you have to admit that your hiding away in your office works to her advantage. That way she can use you for her pet cause.”
“It’s not like that. I’d be dead now if it wasn’t for Serena,” Evie said, and she could feel defensiveness rising inside her. Collette’s words stung, because she could see the grain of truth in them.
“Don’t get upset, Evie,” Collette said. “I’m sorry I said anything. She’s only concerned for you.”
Evie nodded her head, but she couldn’t completely forget what Collette had said. Were Serena’s motives truly not as altruistic as she made them appear?
Before Evie could respond, Rebecca came racing into the room.
“Are the guys here?” she asked,
breathless as she skidded to a halt inside the door.
“No, they went out. What is it? Is something wrong?” Evie asked as she and the other women stood up.
“Remember how I said I was going to play with Synn’s tracking device to see what made it tick? Well I found something, but I’m not sure what it means. I was hoping to show it to one of them and see what it meant.”
“Show us,” Miranda said as she walked toward Rebecca. Evie and Collette followed behind, and they made their way down the hall to the communication room.
Rebecca sat back down in her seat and brought up what she was seeing on her small terminal up the big display screen at the front of the room. It looked like a map, but the place was unfamiliar to Evie. It looked like a small city or town, but it was definitely not Leemore Station. Off to the side, in an area of the map that didn’t have very many streets was a large red, pulsing dot.
“What’s that?” Evie asked as she stared at the dot. It didn’t move, it sat in the corner of the map, gently throbbing.
“I have no idea. At first I thought it was another one of them, but this dot is bigger than the one that we used to find Cynric.”
“Well whatever it is, it will have to wait for them to come back for us to find out,” Evie said.
“Maybe not. I wonder,” Miranda said as she stared at the dot. “We know there aren’t any more of them on the planet, and perhaps the dot is bigger because it’s not meant to represent a person.”
“What are you thinking it is?” Rebecca asked as she turned in her chair.
“Maybe it’s the ship they flew here on,” Miranda said as she stepped closer to the screen. “It is the only thing that makes sense, since there were only three of them who landed on the planet. We must wait for them to return to know for sure.”
Chapter Four
Cynric’s senses were on high alert as he, Ryce and Synn edged closer to where Ryce’s pod lay abandoned in a field at the edge of a wooded area on the outskirts of Leemore Station. Despite his doubts, it was there, untouched, exactly where Ryce said he had crashed it.
“I knew it.” Ryce took a step toward the pod, and Cynric reached out and grabbed his arm, halting him.
“Don’t you think it’s a little strange that they haven’t discovered it?” The hairs on the back of Cynric’s neck stood on end. This seemed just too easy. If he’d learned anything about this planet, it was that the military was diligent, and they needed to be cautious before they attempted to retrieve the homing device. If he was in command, the surrounding woods would be a perfect place to launch an ambush. They had to assume that this was a trap until it proved otherwise.
“There’s no one here. Do you think they are lying in wait to ambush us?” Ryce stopped his forward movement to turn toward Cynric.
Synn held his hand up as he put his finger to his lips. “Do you hear anything?”
Cynric strained to listen, but no sounds carried to his ears. The area they were standing in was eerily quiet. It was as if the world around them was collectively holding its breath, waiting for them to do something.
“I hear nothing.” Ryce kept his voice a low whisper, but Cynric could hear the note of impatience in his voice. After all that had happened to them since crashing on this planet, it was apparent that Ryce had yet to learn patience.
“Exactly. Don't you think that’s strange? We are in a wooded area, and yet there is not a bird singing, no sounds of insects, nothing. I find it hard to believe that they would not have discovered your pod.” Cynric scanned the area and he could see no signs of life, but that didn’t mean there was nothing here.
“It’s too quiet, Ryce.” Synn looked as alert as Cynric, and Ryce’s mouth tightened as a look of comprehension dawned on his face.
“So we should give up the plan all together in case someone might be watching?” He folded his arms across his chest, and Cynric knew him well enough to know that he was willing to take his chances.
“I’m not suggesting that, but we need to look around the area to make certain. I’m not going back to their prison when it can be avoided by being smart about this.”
Ryce blew out his breath and nodded. As a group, they edged back further into the trees, and walked the perimeter. They kept their footsteps silent, with Cynric taking the lead, Synn in the middle and Ryce bringing up the rear. Cynric wished they’d thought to bring a weapon with them, but it hadn’t occurred to any of them that they might need one. He’d thought they would find nothing here.
A sound came to him, and he drew to a halt and held his hand up. The other’s stopped behind him, and on the wind the sound of murmuring voices drifted to them.
There was someone up ahead, at least two people and Cynric signaled the other two to be cautious. They crept along, until through the trees they could see two soldiers, standing at the edge of the clearing with an unobstructed view of the pod.
So he was right, they had discovered the pod and had laid a trap for them in case they came back for it. He glanced over at Ryce, who had the grace to look shamefaced for a moment. Hopefully he would learn caution from now on. Cynric made a signal with his hands, telling them that they were going to fan out and sneak up on the two. They took a step forward when the snapping of a twig sounded behind them.
Cynric turned his head sharply in unison with Ryce and Synn, and his belly sank.
Stepping up behind them was a soldier, his weaponed trained on them and his finger resting on the trigger. Cynric did a quick calculation in his head, and he knew they didn’t have a chance of overpowering him before he could fire.
“Hands up.” The soldier stepped forward, and Cynric raised his hands. Synn did the same, but Ryce looked like he was going to charge. Cynric kicked him in the leg and Ryce looked at him in disbelief.
“Are we going to let him capture us?” Ryce spoke in Latrothian so the soldier wouldn’t understand what he said, and Cynric shook his head.
“Put your hands up. We will act like we are cooperating and when he takes us to the others we will get out of this. Look at him. He’s ready to shoot and I don’t want you to give him an excuse.”
Ryce made a sound of disgust and put his hands in the air. The soldier stepped closer.
“Turn around and walk straight ahead.”
They turned as a group, with Cynric in the center. Cynric deliberately kept his pace going forward slow, hoping to lure the soldier closer. He was rewarded when the muzzle of the soldier’s rifle dug into the small of his back.
“Get going.” The soldiers voice came out in a frustrated growl, and Cynric seized his opportunity. He spun around fast, his hand going to the barrel of the rifle before the soldier could react. He pulled it out of his hand, and in one smooth motion swung it back around so it smashed into the side of the soldier's head.
The blow sent the soldier sprawling, and Cynric shouldered the weapon, aiming it at the prone man. He walked toward him, weapon and eyes trained on him. Blood poured out of the wound on the side of the soldier’s head. Cynric could see he was breathing, but lay unmoving. After a few more moments, Cynric lowered the weapon.
“Nice one.” There was a note of admiration in Ryce’s voice.
“We aren’t in the clear yet.” Cynric pointed the weapon at the ground as he turned to face them. “We must incapacitate the other two.”
Synn moved over to the prone soldier and removed the pistol the soldier had in a holster at his side. He straightened fully.
“This will come in handy.” Synn pointed the pistol at the ground as he turned to face the direction of the two soldiers standing guard.
“I’ll cause a distraction.” Ryce tensed his body and edged closer to the clearing.
Cynric and Synn walked closer to the two soldiers, who still hadn’t realized that they were being watched. It was apparent that they expected no one to come upon them. Their weapons were propped against a tree not too far from them, but not close enough for them to get to it before they were set upon.
Cynric nodd
ed to Ryce, who charged out of the woods, yelling at the top of his voice. Cynric and Synn sprinted up behind the startled soldiers, and before they could react, Cynric slammed the butt of his rifle against the back of one soldier’s head while Synn hit the other in the head with the pistol.
Both soldiers dropped to the ground. They lay unmoving and didn’t react as Cynric probed each one with the barrel of the rifle.
“Let’s get the homing device and get out of here.” There didn’t appear to be anyone else here, but he was not about to linger.
“I agree. I don’t like leaving the car out in the open either.” Synn tucked the pistol in the back of his pants and walked forward. Cynric took one last look around. Nothing stirred, and no one came charging out, so they were safe for the moment. He walked over where the soldiers had discarded their weapons and picked them up.
He and Synn made their way to the pod where Ryce was removing the homing device. For the first time since his friends had freed him from prison, Cynric felt a ray of hope. Finally something was going their way, and if their luck continued to hold, they would find a way off this planet.
“Do you have it?” Cynric asked as Ryce got out of the pod. Ryce held up the homing device before spiriting it away in his pocket. Cynric handed a weapon to both men, and he felt a little less vulnerable now that they were all armed.
There was no need to linger any further at the pod, and every reason to hurry. The trip back to the car passed in record time, and when they got to the side of the road where it was parked, a quick look around told them they were still alone.
