by Kelly Goode
Fearless
By Kelly Goode
Invasive Species Series - Book #2
Copyright © 2019 by Kelly Goode
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Covered Creatively
www.coveredcreatively.com
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Kelly Goode
Visit my website at www.KellyGoode.co.uk
Contents
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
1
An invasive species is a plant, fungus, or animal that is not native to a specific location (an introduced species), and that has a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment, human economy, or to human health.
The unwelcomed thud on the door caused Viktor to growl.
‘I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed,’ he shouted in reply. The moon had entered a volatile phase for his species, and an increased amount of aggression and agitation swirled inside his stomach.
His visitor didn’t heed his warning and the door to the study slammed open. Viktor got to his feet, ready to chastise the person who dared defy him, but the scent of blood stopped him short.
‘I’m sorry, my prince. You said not to interrupt unless it was an emergency, but this is an emergency.’
Erik, one of the jaktten’s councillors was flanked either side by two of Viktor’s bodyguards. Jared and Brandon were strong, but even with their combined strength they struggled under his deadweight. Erik’s eyes were closed and blood dripped freely from a large gash across his chest.
‘Why didn’t you take him to medical?’
‘He insisted on speaking with you first,’ Jared replied, as he positioned Erik on the high back chair beside the fireplace. On closer inspection, the slash resembled claw marks and Viktor felt his skin burn with a thousand pinpricks as he suppressed the urge to shift forms.
‘I failed you,’ Erik wheezed, as he grabbed his chest in pain. ‘The council failed you.’
Viktor crossed to his drink’s cabinet and poured a large measure of tequila into a glass. It was the only vice he’d acquired from his time on Earth and he was tempted to down the measure himself, but he placed the glass into Erik’s shaking hand instead.
‘Where are the others?’ Viktor asked. ‘What happened to Sebastian and Theo?’
Erik downed the tequila in one swift motion.
‘Where are Sebastian and Theo?’ Viktor repeated.
Erik stared up at Jared and Brandon, and it was clear he had something to say, but was reluctant to speak in front of the two men.
‘Jared, bring one of the healers to tend to Erik’s wounds,’ Viktor said. ‘Brandon, stand guard outside.’
The two men bowed their heads before they left the study. Some said the title “Prince of Jakttera” meant nothing on Earth, but within the colony it still counted.
‘How were you injured, Erik?’
‘Blake attacked the council.’
‘What?’
‘He didn’t give us a chance to explain our visit. The moment we stepped onto his land, he cut us down like a madman.’
The hairs on Viktor’s arms prickled, as apprehension crawled up and down his spine like fire-ants.
‘What happened to Sebastian?’
Erik’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as he swallowed deeply.
‘Sebastian was like a father to me,’ he said, his voice cracking with emotion. ‘He was always so calm. He tried to mediate our visit, but Blake wouldn’t listen. He ripped Sebastian’s throat out.’
‘No.’
‘Theo was next. Blake broke his spine with his bare hands.’
‘But you escaped.’
‘Barely.’
Viktor bit the inside of his cheek, as he tried to process the information all at once. His council had been massacred.
‘I don’t understand Blake’s sudden change in temperament. He was here yesterday. He told me the truth. He didn’t mean to kill a jaktten and I believed him. What changed?’
Erik shifted in the chair.
‘I scented the female – the human woman – it was clear they’d mated. We have long thought that inter-species sex was dangerous and that’s why the council disapproves of any relationships outside of the colony.’
‘Blake probably thought you were going to hurt her. He’s very protective when it comes to Carson.’
‘He killed two council members and injured a third. He’s out of control and needs to be punished.’
‘He will be.’
Erik held out his glass for another shot of tequila and Viktor indulged his request.
‘Where did Blake go?’ he asked.
‘To the human woman’s house.’
‘Then that is where I will go.’
‘I’ll come with you. It’s not safe for you to go alone. I’ll protect you.’
Erik downed the shot and got to his feet, but Viktor pressed against his shoulder and urged him to remain in his chair.
‘Stay where you are. The healer is on his way. Brandon will accompany me.’
‘I should be with you when you confront Blake.’
‘I want to speak to him alone.’
‘Don’t you trust me?’
Viktor inclined his head. He found Erik’s question strange under the circumstances. Sebastian had been the mediator of the group, while Theo had been the intellect. Erik was just the muscle, but he had no reason not to trust the three of them, as his father had trusted them during his reign.
‘Of course I trust you, but as Prince of Jakttera, I need to handle this my way.’
2
Doctor Helen Peters was angry – no make that furious. Chief Melman had told her to meet him at Carson’s house. Told her, not asked her, and that was the extent of his message. She wished she’d never agreed to assist the Invasive Species Control Unit, but Philip had asked her to help and she still hadn’t found a way to say no to him.
She knocked on the front door of the modest semi-detached house and Chief Melman answered.
‘Thanks for getting here
so quickly,’ he said, standing aside so she could step into the hallway. ‘Were you able to conclude Ted’s post mortem before you left?’
‘The coroner will submit his official report, but you should know that I pushed for an inquest. Most violent deaths should be investigated and this was particularly vicious, but ultimately the coroner makes the final decision.’
‘Did he suffer?’
Helen pushed back the image of the old man on the autopsy table and his empty eye sockets.
‘He was already dead when the perpetrator cut out his eyes.’
Chief Melman exhaled loudly and tugged on his thick, dark moustache.
‘That will be a small comfort to his family,’ he said. ‘Anything else you can tell me?’
‘The wound to his stomach was fatal. The cut was deep and precise, but the coroner was unable to confirm the type of knife used. At first, I thought it might have been an animal attack, but that makes no sense. What animal could coordinate an attack inside a secure building?’
‘I can assure you it was a random, senseless crime and the perpetrator is behind bars.’
‘So why am I here?’
Chief Melman nodded towards the door that led into the kitchen.
‘I need you to examine Doctor Malone.’
Helen’s eyebrows rose. ‘He’s back. Does that mean you don’t need me to cover anymore?’
‘Not exactly. Follow me.’
Helen did as requested and found Blake and Carson side-by-side at the back of the kitchen. She smiled at them, but they didn’t respond. She felt the tension in the room like an oppressing force. Something bad had happened here. Blake had patches on mud on his neck and Carson looked as if she carried a physical weight on her shoulders.
‘Where’s Doctor Malone?’ Helen asked.
Blake indicated to where she was standing and she looked down at her feet and inhaled sharply. Her hand massaged her chest as her heart thudded painfully against her ribcage.
‘Holy shit, you could’ve warned me he was dead. He is dead, right?’
Doctor Malone lay rigid beside the back door. His colouring was already grey and waxen, which made the bruises on his face starker.
‘What happened to him?’ she asked.
‘Someone broke into Carson’s house tonight,’ Chief Melman said. ‘Malone managed to fight the intruder off, but he succumbed to his injuries.’
Helen narrowed her eyes. The bruising to Doctor Malone’s face suggested the injuries had been sustained over a longer period than that.
‘What was he doing at Carson’s house?’ she asked.
Blake exchanged an uneasy glance with Carson, but the two remained silent.
‘Why do I get the feeling I’m being left out of something?’
‘You’re not,’ Chief Melman said. ‘I’ve already called for an ambulance and notified the local police, who will be here shortly, but before they arrive I need you to extract something from his body.’
‘Organ donation needs to be completed under strict circumstances and regulations.’
‘No, it’s nothing like that. We found something beneath his skin. Behind his ear.’
Helen crouched beside the body and completed a brief visual assessment.
‘You’re right, there’s some crude stitching behind his ear, but I need to get some things from my car before I take a closer look.’
Chief Melman nodded and Helen stood up. She left Carson and Blake staring at each, grateful to get away from the weird vibe.
As she exited the house and walked towards her car, which was parked across the road, she balled her hands into fists to stop them shaking. She knew the team were a tight-knit group and she was still considered an outsider, but Chief Melman should have told her that Doctor Malone was already dead.
Helen unlocked the car door and sat behind the steering wheel. She was tempted to put the key in the ignition and drive away. Something was going on behind the scenes at ISCU and she didn’t like being left out.
Helen took her mobile phone out of her handbag and called Philip.
‘Hey, Hell Bell,’ he answered, his voice as smooth and charming as always. ‘Now is not a great time. Can I call you back?’
‘No, Philip. I need to talk to you right now. And don’t call me Hell Bell.’
She’d hated the nickname when they’d been together and she hated it even more now they were apart.
‘Ok, let me step out into the corridor where it’s quieter.’
She heard him say something but it was muffled, as if he’d pressed his phone against his chest. After a few seconds, he returned to the phone.
‘Sorry, I was just making my excuses to leave.’
‘Where are you?’
‘Some boring annual charity fundraiser; the kind you used to hate me taking you to.’
Helen was about to protest that she didn’t hate the fundraisers, only being ignored by him while he schmoozed the room, but then remembered she wasn’t supposed to care what he thought anymore.
‘I need to speak to you about the Invasive Species Control Unit,’ she said instead.
‘Ok.’
‘The doctor you asked me to cover for is dead.’
‘Holy shit, Hell Bell. Are you ok?’
‘Yeah, I’m fine. Chief Melman is spinning a story about a house-invasion gone wrong, but I’m not buying it.’
‘You always did have an over-active imagination.’
‘Their security guard was slain last night and now their doctor has been beaten to death. Don’t tell me it’s my imagination,’ she snapped. ‘What if I’m next?’
‘Calm down; you’re perfectly safe.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I just do.’
‘I don’t believe you. You asked me to cover this position as a favour, so there must be something in it for you.’
She heard Philip’s breath crackling against the ear piece as he sighed.
‘Tell me what’s going on,’ she continued. ‘Why are you suddenly interested in ISCU?’
‘I’ll be honest, Hell Bell: it’s a strategical move. I’ve made it no secret that I want to move up the ranks at the ministry of defence, so when I heard they wanted to investigate this almost secret-department, I asked to be included.’
‘And what have you discovered so far?’
‘Put it this way, for a team supposed to be studying hazardous plants, animals, and fungus, they have a budget with more zeros than our counter-terrorism unit, so I offered to put someone on the inside to see what’s really going on. Someone dependable, determined, but most of all fearless.’
‘And also a complete pushover?’
‘You’re only a pushover when it comes to me, but that’s what I loved about you.’
Helen gritted her teeth, not missing how easily he spoke about her in the past tense. That was because he was currently loving his nineteen-year-old secretary instead, and no doubt a couple of her friends. That was the way he worked. He took what he needed and moved on.
‘If you see anything suspicious, I want you to report back to me.’
‘You mean more suspicious than two deaths?’
‘I’m more interested in what they’re spending their money on.’
She was seething from his lack of empathy and was glad they were only talking on the phone or else she’d be tempted to punch him in his handsome face.
‘Goodbye, Philip.’
Helen ended the call and switched her phone off so he couldn’t call her back. Not that he would try, but it made her feel better all the same. She slipped her mobile into her coat pocket and rubbed her eyes, trying to alleviate the tension mounting behind them. Another woman might question what had attracted her to a manipulative man like Philip Carmichael, but she already knew the answer.
Philip had been broken and she’d wanted to fix him.
3
Helen re-entered Carson’s house, but instead of heading back into the kitchen, she hesitated in the hallway. Chief Melman, Blake, a
nd Carson were talking and they hadn’t heard her arrive, which meant she could either walk in and see if they clammed up, or she could eavesdrop. After her conversation with Philip, she decided on the latter.
‘You were supposed to take care of her,’ Chief Melman said, his voice sounding colder than Helen had ever heard before.
‘Carson can protect herself,’ Blake replied.
‘Too right I can,’ Carson added, and her voice was just as clipped as his. ‘What happened here wasn’t Blake’s fault.’
‘But they know where you live now,’ Melman said. ‘You’ll have to come and stay with me for a while. It’s not safe.’
There were several beats of silence where Helen was convinced they would hear her heart pounding inside her chest and realise she was lurking in the hallway. Instead, Blake cleared his throat and she imagined him staring at Carson in his usual intense manner. There was definitely something going on between the two agents. She’d felt the weird energy between them earlier.
Helen inched closer and peered around the doorframe, waiting for the right moment to interrupt.
‘I don’t think that’s appropriate, sir,’ Carson finally replied and Chief Melman’s dark moustache curved downwards as he stared at her.
‘You’re not staying here,’ he said. ‘That’s an order.’
‘I’ll use the medical bunk at HQ.’
The chief looked as if he was about to say something else, something important, when Blake suddenly looked directly at Helen and she startled. He was a ruggedly handsome man, with long, dark-blond hair and clear green eyes, but something about him scared her.
‘Doctor Peters is back,’ Blake said, and Carson and Chief Melman both immediately adopted a far more relaxed posture than their conversation warranted.
‘Come in, Helen. We’re ready whenever you are,’ Chief Melman said, and then to Carson, ‘go and pack an overnight bag.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Helen flattened herself against the wall so Carson could pass and Blake immediately went to follow her.
‘Not so fast,’ Chief Melman said and Blake halted. ‘If Carson is going to stay at HQ tonight, I want you to go on ahead of us and make sure everything is as it should be.’
