by Lolita Lopez
Keen let loose a grumbling noise that might have meant terrible or maybe not so terrible. “You up to speed on the situation?”
“I know what was in the updates. Anything else I should know?”
Keen grimaced. “Something about this place isn’t right.”
“The base or the city?”
“Both,” Keen replied, his jaw tightening. “Everything about this bombing feels wrong.”
“How?” Raze asked, his gaze drifting to his team as they interacted with the investigation squad that worked for Keen. Were they in immediate danger?
“The bomb was amateur hour. They picked a soft target connected to us, but they would have had more casualties and a bigger impact politically if they’d hit one of the bars in the trade district.” Keen grimaced and shook his head. “Something just isn’t right.”
Agreeing with him, Raze felt a ripple of fear right down to his gut. “You think they’re trying to draw more of us in? Bring our reaction force teams in and hit us again?”
“Maybe.” Keen gripped the shoulder straps of his armored vest and breathed out heavily. “Or maybe they’re trying to distract us.”
“From?”
“That’s what bothers me. I don’t know.”
“What do you need from my team?” Raze was ready to get outside the outpost’s gates and find some answers.
“Provide security while we rundown some leads? I’d like to take two of my men—Brawn and Malice—back out there to interview more witnesses in the businesses around the embassy.”
Already worried that an ambush could be waiting for them, Raze called his team together and gave orders before they were transported to the scene of the bombing. The heavy stink of ash and smoke burned his nose as he surveyed the gaping hole in the building. What had once been a bustling diplomatic mission was now a bombed-out crater. The bodies had all been cleared away, but the bloodstains remained.
“Bomb was denotated here.” Keen gestured to the origin of the explosion. “We recovered some footage from the security cameras inside the lobby. The bomb was in a messenger bag that was dropped off by a male. Late twenties. Thin. He kept his face down so we didn’t get a good look. Our tech guy is back at the outpost trying to clean up all the images.”
“If this bomber isn’t attached to a Splinter cell, he could be a homegrown terrorist. Someone who hates us and wants us out of this sector.” Raze frowned as he stepped over a chunk of singed insulation. “We’re within walking distance of the outpost. No gates. No walls. No guardhouse for security checks. We may as well have just given this asshole the key to the front door.”
Keen crouched down and examined a piece of debris. “Thorn has already sent out updated security protocols for the sector.”
“A bit late for that,” Raze remarked, his alert gaze scanning their surroundings. The sound of agitated voices drew his attention. Raze noticed a group of teens, mostly boys, massing on the far end of the street. Threat and one of Keen’s investigators were already trying to disperse the growing crowd. He caught Harm’s attention and gestured for him to join them, just in case.
Keen shook his head. “Those kids have too much free time.”
“There isn’t anything to keep them busy.” He eyed the situation, prepared to send more of his men to reinforce if necessary. “There aren’t any real consequences if they skip school. No military. Unemployment is high. They’ve got nothing better to do than roam the streets looking for trouble.”
“They’re going to find it.” Keen turned a wary eye toward the loudmouths shouting abuse at Threat. “That whole pack would have been tossed into the Pit if we were back on Prime.”
The Pit was a labyrinth of abandoned tunnels under the Sky Corps Academy. Any act of disobedience could send a cadet there. There was a single hatch—barely wide enough for a grown man—and a straight drop to the murky, muddy bottom of the main tunnel. If a cadet was lucky, he’d be thrown a flashlight. There was only one way out of the Pit, and myriad dead ends and loops. There were rumors that boys had died down there.
“We called ours the Hole,” Raze said. “Same thing basically, but the one at the Land Corps academy was more of a cave than a manmade tunnel. Never had the pleasure of exploring it,” Raze admitted. “You?”
Keen laughed harshly. “Twice. Once with Orion after we—”
Angry shouts erupted from the crowd of teens. A large rock slammed into the wall just behind Raze. He flinched and raised his weapon, the move automatic. Whirling back toward the crowd, he quickly assessed the situation. The group of teenagers seemed ready to riot.
“Boss! We need some help here.” Threat raised his voice to be heard across the comms.
Raze tapped his throat mic, leaving it open so he could communicate with the team and the outpost. “Flare, what do you see?”
The sniper had taken a high position when they had arrived on the scene. Presumably, he had the best view of what was happening down below. “Large crowd moving toward Threat’s position. Looks to be mostly teenagers. I’m seeing a lot of rocks and some bats.”
“SRU Alpha to Jesco Outpost,” Raze called, already moving toward Threat and the angry mob forming there. “We have a crowd massing on the perimeter of the bombing site. We need backup.”
“Jesco Outpost to SRU Alpha understood. Are you taking fire?”
“Negative. Hand thrown projectiles only. Rocks,” he added, making it clear that this was not a situation that required a fatal response. “Will attempt to disperse crowd using non-lethal methods.”
“Understood.”
“Flare, you’re my eyes.” Raze glanced at Keen who was shadowing him toward the rowdy crowd. “Fierce, Cipher, maintain the perimeter until backup arrives. I’m moving toward Threat’s position. Switch to nonlethal ammo.”
Dodging rocks and bottles and whatever else the teens could find on the streets, Raze and Keen managed to reach Threat and Harm. Brawn and Malice, the two investigators, had also joined up with them. Shoulder to shoulder, they managed to walk the crowd back, pushing the group together and forcing them into a smaller area. Corralled against a building, the crowd’s anger began to abate.
A set of drones from the Outpost arrived before the backup crew. The drones swooped into the street, giving orders to the second crowd that had been marching toward them. As if realizing they were walking into certain trouble, most of the crowd turned and fled. Those who didn’t would be caught up by the arrival of the backup crew who were less than a minute from the scene.
Just when Raze thought they were getting a handle on the situation, someone flung a rock from the back of the crowd. Distracted by the young man spewing vitriol in his face, Raze didn’t duck fast enough. The rock cracked him upside the head with a thwack.
Swearing under his breath, Raze swayed on his feet for a second. Harm was at his side in an instant, supporting him and keeping him from falling. Blinking rapidly, Raze realized there was blood dripping into his eyes. He wiped at his face, smearing the blood and feeling for the wound. It wasn’t very deep or long.
“Raze!” Keen pulled him back, stepping in front of and shielding him. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” he answered gruffly, his head throbbing and his patience waning. “We need to clear this street before all hell breaks loose.”
“I think that rock did it,” Harm remarked. “They’re all tucking tail and running home to their mamas.”
“Boss, let me see that.” Cipher gestured for him to take a seat on the nearby sidewalk. Reluctantly, Raze sat down while the rest of the team cleared and secured the street. Cipher pulled some first aid supplies from a pocket on his tactical pants and got to work, cleaning and probing the wound. “You should have this scanned when we get back.”
Raze grunted and grudgingly agreed. “Yeah.”
“Hold still.” Cipher frowned at him, and Raze hissed at the sting of the antiseptic. Pinching the wound together, Cipher applied the suture strips to hold the skin in place so it would heal. “There.
”
“Thanks.” Raze took Cipher’s offered hand and stood. His head pounded, and he wasn’t looking forward to telling Ella that he had been hurt on the job.
“Raze.” Keen seemed uncomfortable. “Listen, uh, don’t turn around, but I think we may have a small problem on our hands.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The kid who threw the rock that hit you?”
“What about him?”
“His mother brought him back to apologize.”
“Okay.” He wasn’t seeing the problem with any of that.
“Thing is…” Keen made a face. “The kid’s mom?”
“Yeah? What about her?”
“Well…”
Annoyed, Raze turned around—and went slack jawed when he saw the blonde woman standing next to the shame-faced teen.
“That’s her isn’t it?” Keen asked carefully. “Your wife?”
“Ex,” Raze corrected, his voice low. “She’s my ex-wife.”
“Well, she wants to speak with you. Alone,” Keen added, eyeing him carefully. “I wasn’t sure what to tell her.”
Raze wasn’t sure what to say either. He hadn’t ever expected to see Sosie again. Now, here she was with the child who had—if his guess about the boy’s age was correct—been conceived while they were still mated.
No, this wasn’t a small problem at all. It was a huge fucking problem.
Chapter Eighteen
“What if it doesn’t work?” Sitting in a hospital bed behind a blue curtain, Ella picked at the blanket covering her lap. “What if Risk gets in there and I’m broken beyond repair?”
“It will work,” Dizzy insisted from her perch on the side of the bed. “Risk was very confident when he talked to you earlier. He wouldn’t have worked you into his schedule if he didn’t think he could help.”
“I know.” She tried to slow her panicked thoughts, but it wasn’t working. “I wish Raze was here.”
“He would be here if he could be, but our men have their duty. Unfortunately, it comes first most of the time. Usually at the worst time,” she added with an annoyed frown.
“Does it get easier? To be separated from them?”
Dizzy shook her head. “Not really. I mean, yes, it becomes more routine, but it’s not easier. I still worry about Venom when he’s not on the ship. I try not to dwell on it, but I worry nonetheless. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
Ella rubbed her face. “Sometimes, it feels like I’ve been here in this world of Raze’s forever, but then I remember that it’s only been a couple of weeks. It’s all starting to feel normal and familiar.”
“That’s a good thing, right? You still want to stay with him?”
“Yes.” She didn’t hesitate. “I want to be here with Raze. Absolutely. I’m happy, and I’m hopeful. We have something special.”
“But?”
“It’s just…it’s happening so fast, you know? I went from my life in The City with my career and my shelter to being here in the span of a night. I’m someone’s mate now. I’m about to have surgery so I can get pregnant and be a mom again.” She blew out a heavy breath. “It’s just…it’s a lot.”
Before Dizzy could answer, Risk drew back the curtain and peeked into their small cubicle. “You ready, Ella?”
“I’m not sure,” Ella admitted as she gripped the thin paper gown covering her naked body. It wasn’t just the surgery giving her cold feet. It was everything at once, all the what-ifs crashing down on her in that moment. Feeling suddenly anxious about the surgery, she asked, “What if I don’t wake up?”
He squeezed her hand in a reassuring way. “You will wake up from the anesthesia. This isn’t Calyx. Our medications and technology are absolutely safe.”
“Naya and I both woke up,” Dizzy interjected, coming closer to the bed. “You may have some nausea and a little headache when it’s done, but you’ll be fine.”
Ella snatched Dizzy’s hand. “You’ll stay here, right? You’ll wait?”
“The whole time,” Dizzy promised. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Gathering her courage, Ella nodded. “Okay. I’m ready.”
After a final hug from Dizzy, Ella leaned back in the bed. A medic clicked off the brakes on the bed and wheeled her out of the room and down a long hall to an operating suite. Risk wasn’t far behind. He broke away when they reached the double doors of the operating room.
She moved from the comfier hospital bed to the cold metal slab of the operating table. More medics surrounded her, each of them introducing themselves and explaining what they would be doing during the procedure. She knew there was no way she was going to remember their names. Everything was happening so fast, and she was too nervous to concentrate.
Not even an hour after Raze had left for the colonies, Risk had visited their quarters and offered her his final operating slot of the day. She hadn’t been keen on the idea of going through the surgery without Raze, but free slots for non-emergent operations weren’t easy to get. Once she had been assured that Dizzy would come with her, Ella had agreed to take the slot.
And now here she was, flat on her back, counting back from ten as a medic pressed a mask to her face. Ten, night, eight, seven…
Ella woke to the sudden and frightening sensation of falling. Arms flailing, she grasped nothing but air until a familiar, small hand gripped her own.
“Easy,” Dizzy’s gentle voice urged. “You’re okay.”
Confused and sleepy, Ella tried to focus on her best friend’s face. She felt as if she had just closed her eyes on the operating table, but it was becoming clear that hours had passed. Her throat felt strange as she croaked, “I woke up.”
Dizzy smiled. “You did.”
Ella breathed out with relief. Tears she hadn’t expected started to sting her eyes. “Did it work?”
“Risk said there was a lot of scarring and some adhesions. He thinks it’s the reason your periods have been so painful and erratic. The tubes that carry the egg to your womb were severed, but he was able to reconnect them. He said everything else looked healthy, and he thinks you’ll have a cycle soon. He wants to monitor you for a few months to make sure,” Dizzy rattled off the information as if she had memorized it. “Risk wanted to be here when you woke up, but he had another emergency come into the infirmary.”
“You’re here. That’s all I need.”
“Do you want something to drink? Are you comfortable?” Dizzy glanced toward the open door. “The medic should be in to see you again soon, but if you’re in pain or need something, you can call them with this.” She held up a small rectangular device that had been on the bedside rolling tray. “You touch this green square for help.”
“I feel okay right now.” Yawning, she asked, “Were you able to reach Raze?”
“Risk sent him a message after your surgery was finished. I’m not sure if he acknowledged it yet.” Dizzy hesitated before adding, “There was a tiny bit of trouble on Jesco.”
“What kind of trouble?” Ella’s heartbeat kicked up, and the monitor on the wall chimed.
“Nothing bad,” Dizzy hurriedly assured her. “Just a group of kids yelling and throwing rocks.”
Ella suspected there was more to it than that, but she understood that Dizzy was trying to calm her down. “Raze is okay?”
“He’s fine,” Dizzy answered quickly. “Venom said Raze got hit with a rock and has a small cut, but he’s okay.”
“Hit? Where?”
“His head,” Dizzy explained, readjusting her position in the chair. A brief grimace crossed her face. “It was a really small cut. Cipher patched him up in the field apparently.”
Certain that Raze would be fine, she turned her attention to Dizzy’s obvious discomfort. “I think you should go home and get some rest.”
“No, I’m fine,” Dizzy insisted, smiling brightly.
“You’re pregnant,” she countered. “You should be resting, not sitting in these hard chairs for hours.” Reaching ou
t for her friend’s hand, she grasped it. “You were here with me for all the important parts, and you waited for me to wake up. Honestly, I’m drowsy so I’m going to fall asleep anyway. There’s no reason for you to be miserable all night.”
Dizzy wavered. “Are you sure? I don’t mind staying.”
“I know you don’t, but I’m good.” As if on cue, Ella felt a yawn tickling the back of her throat. The anesthesia still lingering in her veins left her drowsy and cold. “Go. Cuddle up with Venom. Come see me tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Dizzy brushed a friendly kiss on her temple before leaving.
Ella wasn’t alone very long. A medic visited to assess and adjust her medications. He brought juice and water and made sure she had easy access to the things she had brought for her overnight stay. After drinking some of the juice, she reached for the handheld tablet Raze had given her. She had hoped to find a message from him, but the inbox was empty.
Setting aside her disappointment, she swiped across the tablet screen until she found the news section. Certain the official Harcos news feed wouldn’t give her the details she wanted, Ella navigated to one of the colony news sites. It didn’t take her long to find a large write-up on the bombing.
The crumbling and singed building brought back memories of The City bombing that had nearly killed Dizzy. From the photos, it seemed as if this bombing was smaller and less destructive, but it had still claimed many lives. At this rate, there wouldn’t be anywhere safe from those Splinter psychos. The Calyx colony planets had long been bastions of freedom but now? Well, her retirement plan no longer seemed so appealing.
That thought spurred another. What was Raze’s long term plan? Where did he see himself in twenty or thirty years? Would he ever retire from serving and settle on Calyx or one of the colonies? For all the dreaming of their future she had done, she hadn’t actually considered what that future looked like outside of next month or year.
Scrolling down the screen, she read the rest of the article about the bombing. Her mind began to wander along a trail of possibilities her future with Raze might hold, but as she skipped to the next article about a person of interest in the bombing, she stiffened with shock. Staring at the slightly blurry photos of a man dropping a messenger bag and walking away from the embassy, Ella tried to convince herself that she was wrong.
