by Anna Hackett
Dr. Regan Forrest was a botanist and a few years younger than Harper. The young woman was so open and friendly, and had befriended Harper from her first day on the station. Harper had never had a lot of friends—mainly because she’d been too busy raising her younger sister and working. She’d never had time for girly nights out or gossip.
But Regan was friendly, smart, and had the heart of a steamroller under her pretty exterior. Harper always had trouble saying no to her. Maybe the woman reminded her a little of Brianna. At the thought of her sister, something twisted painfully in Harper’s chest.
Regan floated over to the window and held up a small tablet. She’d typed in some words.
Cards tonight?
Harper had been teaching Regan how to play poker. The woman was terrible at it, and Harper beat her all the time. But Regan never gave up.
Harper nodded and held up two fingers to indicate a couple of hours. She was off-shift shortly, and then she had a sparring match with Regan’s cousin, Rory—one of the station engineers—in the gym. Aurora “Call me Rory or I’ll hit you” Fraser had been trained in mixed martial arts, and Harper found the female engineer a hell of a sparring partner. Rory was teaching Harper some martial arts moves and Harper was showing the woman some basic sword moves. Since she was little, Harper had been a keen fencer.
Regan grinned back and nodded. Then the woman’s wide smile disappeared. She spun around, and through the glass Harper could see the other scientists all looking around, concerned. One scientist was spinning around, green plants floating in the air around him, along with fat droplets of water and some other green fluid. He’d clearly screwed up and let his experiment get free.
“Lieutenant Adams?” The captain’s voice came through her helmet again. “Harper?”
There was a sense of urgency that made Harper’s belly tighten. “Go ahead, Captain.”
“We have an alarm sounding in the botany module. The computer says there is a risk of decompression.”
Dammit. “I just checked the security panels. The locking mechanism on the exterior door is showing red. I did a visual inspection and it’s closed up tight.”
“Okay, we talked with the scientist in charge. Looks like one of her team let something loose in there. It isn’t dangerous, but it must be messing with the alarm sensors. System’s locked them all in there.” She made an annoyed sound. “Idiots will have to stay there until engineering can get down there and free them.”
Harper studied the room through the glass again. Some of the green liquid had floated over to another bench that contained various frothing cylinders on it. A second later, the cylinders shattered, their contents bubbling upward.
The scientists all moved to the back exit of the module, banging on the locked door. Damn. They were trapped.
Harper met Regan’s gaze. Her friend’s face was pale, and wisps of her blonde hair had escaped her ponytail, floating around her face.
“Captain,” Harper said. “Something’s wrong. The experiments have overflowed their containment.” She could see the scientists were all coughing.
“Engineering is on the way,” the captain said.
Harper pushed herself off, flying over the surface of the module. She reached the control panel and saw that several other lights had turned red. They needed to get this under control and they needed to do it now.
“Harper!” The captain’s panicked voice. “Decompression in progress!”
What the hell? The module jerked beneath Harper. She looked up and saw the exterior door blow off, flying away from the station.
Her heart stopped. That meant all the scientists were exposed to the vacuum of space.
Fuck. Harper pushed off again, sending herself flying toward the end of the module. She put her arms by her sides to help increase her speed. Through the window, she saw that most of the scientists had grabbed on to whatever they could hold on to. A few were pulling emergency breathers over their heads.
She reached the end of the pod and saw the damage. There was torn metal where the door had been ripped off. Inside the door, she knew there would be a temporary repair kit containing a sheet of high-tech nano fabric that could be stretched across the opening to reestablish pressure. But it needed to be put in place manually. Harper reached for the latch to release the repair kit.
Suddenly, a slim body shot out of the pod, her arms and legs kicking. Her mouth was wide open in a silent scream.
Regan. Harper didn’t let herself think. She turned, pushed off and fired her propulsion system, arrowing after her friend.
“Security Team to the botany module,” she yelled through her comm system. “Security Team to botany module. We have decompression. One scientist has been expelled. I’m going after her. I need someone that can help calm the others and get the module sealed again.”
“Acknowledged, Lieutenant,” Captain Santos answered. “I’m on my way.”
Harper focused on reaching Regan. She was gaining on her. She saw that the woman had lost consciousness. She also knew that Regan had only a couple of minutes to survive out here. Harper let her training take over. She tapped the propulsion system controls, trying for more speed, as she maneuvered her way toward Regan.
As she got close, Harper reached out and wrapped her arm around the scientist. “I’ve got you.”
Harper turned, at the same time clipping a safety line to the loops on Regan’s jumpsuit. Then, she touched the controls and propelled them straight back towards the module. She kept her friend pulled tightly toward her chest. Hold on, Regan.
She was so still. It reminded Harper of holding Brianna’s dead body in her arms. Harper’s jaw tightened. She wouldn’t let Regan die out here. The woman had dreamed of working in space, and worked her entire career to get here, even defying her family. Harper wasn’t going to fail her.
As the module got closer, she saw that the security team had arrived. She saw the captain’s long, muscled body as she and another man put up the nano fabric.
“Incoming. Keep the door open.”
“Can’t keep it open much longer, Adams,” the captain replied. “Make it snappy.”
Harper adjusted her course, and, a second later, she shot through the door with Regan in her arms. Behind her, the captain and another huge security marine, Lieutenant Blaine Strong, pulled the stretchy fabric across the opening.
“Decompression contained,” the computer intoned.
Harper released a breath. On the panel beside the door, she saw the lights turning green. The nano fabric wouldn’t hold forever, but it would do until they got everyone out of here, and then got a maintenance team in here to fix the door.
“Oxygen levels at required levels,” the computer said again.
“Good work, Lieutenant.” Captain Sam Santos floated over. She was a tall woman with a strong face and brown hair she kept pulled back in a tight ponytail. She had curves she kept ruthlessly toned, and golden skin she always said was thanks to her Puerto Rican heritage.
“Thanks, Captain.” Harper ripped her helmet off and looked down at Regan.
Her blonde hair was a wild tangle, her face was pale and marked by what everyone who worked in space called space hickeys—bruises caused by the skin’s small blood vessels bursting when exposed to the vacuum of space. Please be okay.
“Here.” Blaine appeared, holding a portable breather. The big man was an excellent marine. He was about six foot five with broad shoulders that stretched his spacesuit to the limit. She knew he was a few inches over the height limit for space operations, but he was a damn good marine, which must have gone in his favor. He had dark skin thanks to his African-American father and his handsome face made him popular with the station’s single ladies, but mostly he worked and hung out with the other marines.
“Thanks.” Harper slipped the clear mask over Regan’s mouth.
“Nice work out there.” Blaine patted her shoulder. “She’s alive because of you.”
Suddenly, Regan jerked, pulling in a hard
breath.
“You’re okay.” Harper gripped Regan’s shoulder. “Take it easy.”
Regan looked around the module, dazed and panicky. Harper watched as Regan caught sight of the fabric stretched across the end of the module, and all the plants floating around inside.
“God,” Regan said with a raspy gasp, her breath fogging up the dome of the breather. She shook her head, her gaze moving to Harper. “Thanks, Harper.”
“Any time.” Harper squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “It’s what I’m here for.”
Regan managed a wan smile. “No, it’s just you. You didn’t have to fly out into space to rescue me. I’m grateful.”
“Come on. We need to get you to the infirmary so they can check you out. Maybe put some cream on your hickeys.”
“Hickeys?” Regan touched her face and groaned. “Oh, no. I’m going to get a ribbing.”
“And you didn’t even get them the pleasurable way.”
A faint blush touched Regan’s cheeks. “That’s right. If I had, at least the ribbing would have been worth it.”
With a relieved laugh, Harper looked over at her captain. “I’m going to get Regan to the infirmary.”
The other woman nodded. “Good. We’ll meet you back at the Security Center.”
With a nod, Harper pushed off, keeping one arm around Regan, and they floated into the main part of the science facility. Soon, they moved through the entrance into the central hub of the space station. As the artificial gravity hit, Harper’s boots thudded onto the floor. Beside her, Regan almost collapsed.
Harper took most of the woman’s weight and helped her down the corridor. They pushed into the infirmary.
A gray-haired, barrel-chested man rushed over. “Decided to take an unscheduled spacewalk, Dr. Forrest?”
Regan smiled weakly. “Yes. Without a spacesuit.”
The doctor made a tsking sound and then took her from Harper. “We’ll get her all patched up.”
Harper nodded. “I’ll come and check on you later.”
Regan grabbed her hand. “We have a blackjack game scheduled. I’m planning to win back all those chocolates you won off me.”
Harper snorted. “You can try.” It was good to see some life back in Regan’s blue eyes.
As Harper strode out into the corridor, she ran a hand through her dark hair, tension slowly melting out of her shoulders. She really needed a beer. She tilted her neck one way and then the other, hearing the bones pop.
Just another day at the office. The image of Regan drifting away from the space station burst in her head. Harper released a breath. She was okay. Regan was safe and alive. That was all that mattered.
With a shake of her head, Harper headed toward the Security Center. She needed to debrief with the captain and clock off. Then she could get out of her spacesuit and take the one-minute shower that they were all allotted.
That was the one thing she missed about Earth. Long, hot showers.
And swimming. She’d been a swimmer all her life and there were days she missed slicing through the water.
She walked along a long corridor, meeting a few people—mainly scientists. She reached a spot where there was a long bank of windows that afforded a lovely view of Jupiter, and space beyond it.
Stingy showers and unscheduled spacewalks aside, Harper had zero regrets about coming out into space. There’d been nothing left for her on Earth, and to her surprise, she’d made friends here on Fortuna.
As she stared out into the black, mesmerized by the twinkle of stars, she caught a small flash of light in the distance. She paused, frowning. What the hell was that?
She stared hard at the spot where she’d seen the flash. Nothing there but the pretty sprinkle of stars. Harper shook her head. Fatigue was playing tricks on her. It had to have just been a weird trick of the lights reflecting off the glass.
Pushing the strange sighting away, she continued on to the Security Center.
Galactic Gladiators
Gladiator
Warrior
Hero
Protector
Champion
Barbarian
Beast
Rogue
Guardian
Cyborg
Imperator
Hunter
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Also by Anna Hackett
Norcross Security
The Investigator
The Troubleshooter
Team 52
Mission: Her Protection
Mission: Her Rescue
Mission: Her Security
Mission: Her Defense
Mission: Her Safety
Mission: Her Freedom
Mission: Her Shield
Mission: Her Justice
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Treasure Hunter Security
Undiscovered
Uncharted
Unexplored
Unfathomed
Untraveled
Unmapped
Unidentified
Undetected
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Eon Warriors
Edge of Eon
Touch of Eon
Heart of Eon
Kiss of Eon
Mark of Eon
Claim of Eon
Storm of Eon
Soul of Eon
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone
Sentinel
Defender
Centurion
Paladin
Guard
Weapons Master
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Galactic Gladiators
Gladiator
Warrior
Hero
Protector
Champion
Barbarian
Beast
Rogue
Guardian
Cyborg
Imperator
Hunter
Also Available as Audiobooks!
Hell Squad
Marcus
Cruz
Gabe
Reed
Roth
Noah
Shaw
Holmes
Niko
Finn
Theron
Hemi
Ash
Levi
Manu
Griff
Dom
Survivors
Tane
Also Available as Audiobooks!
The Anomaly Series
Time Thief
Mind Raider
Soul Stealer
Salvation
Anomaly Series Box Set
The Phoenix Adventures
Among Galactic Ruins
At Star’s End
In the Devil’s Nebula
On a Rogue Planet
Beneath a Trojan Moon
Beyond Galaxy’s Edge
On a Cyborg Planet
Return to Dark Earth
On a Barbarian World
Lost in Barbarian Space
Through Uncharted Space
Crashed on an Ice World
Perma Series
Winter Fusion
A Galactic Holiday
Warriors of the Wind
Tempest
Storm & Seduction
Fury & Darkness
Standalone Titles
Savage Dragon
Hunter’s Surrender
One Night with the Wolf
For more information visit www.annahackett.com
About the Author
I’m a USA Today bestselling romance author who’s passionate about fast-paced, emotion-filled contemporary and science fiction romance. I love writing about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. I like to believe it’s possible for all of us to do the same.
I live in Australia with my own personal hero and two very busy, always-on-the-move sons.
For release dates, behind-the-sce
nes info, free books, and other fun stuff, sign up for the latest news here:
Website: www.annahackett.com
