by Susan Hayes
Kit chuckled and looked down at his wife. “Another pilot in the family. What a shock.”
“Yep. It’s in our blood. My future nephews are going to be awesome pilots, just like their uncle,” Royan declared, then caught his sister’s frown and added, “I mean, like their uncle, and their mom.”
“You just volunteered yourself for the next run to the Traffa system, little brother.”
“Fraxx. C’mon, Zura. I just got back from my last run six hours ago.”
“Which means you have all night to rest up before you take the Sun Sprite out again. And before anyone asks, I have no idea if the twins are boys are girls. We’ve decided we want to be surprised.”
Lieksa laughed. “I bet Alyson knows, though. Don’t you, Doc?”
Alyson smiled for the first time since speaking with Phaedra. “No comment.”
“Which means you do know. When the baby pool starts, you’re not allowed to bet on gender,” Royan said.
Dirk groaned. “You’ve done it now. You had to bring up betting pools.”
Alyson scowled at Royan. “I heard you were betting on my love life, you scoundrel.” She held out a hand. “I’ll be taking half your profits on that little enterprise. Just don’t tell me what the odds are, or who bet on what. I don’t want to know.”
Everyone laughed, and some of the tension that had gripped the room during Alyson’s update receded.
After that, the conversation ebbed and flowed as they discussed what they had learned, and what it might mean. The IAF was in charge of defending all of humanity, their territories, and the governments that ruled them. Their role included keeping the corporations in check. If the IAF was compromised, then it was possible that the balance of power had shifted in the corporations’ favor.
Zale stood up, and everyone turned to look at him. “Now we know where the corporations got the DNA that created the cyborgs, but we don’t know how they got it, or what it all means. If the IAF had gone over to the corporations completely, the whole fraxxing galaxy would know about it by now. We’re missing too many pieces of the puzzle to make any assumptions yet.”
Lance chimed in. “We know one thing for certain. If anyone involved with this Vault of the Fallen finds out we know what it was used for, they’ll come for us. All of us. This is the kind of secret people kill to protect, so everyone needs to be damned careful from now on.”
“I’m not afraid of the corporations,” Royan declared.
“Which is another reason why you’re headed to the Traffa system first thing tomorrow morning, little brother. If things go badly here, we’re going to need you to tell the galaxy what’s going on.”
Royan opened his mouth to argue and shut it again when his sister skewered him with a look that would make a stampede of Nantari rhinos stop in their tracks.
Zale cleared his throat. “I’ve got a friend I can contact and make some inquiries. He’s an IAF officer. A colonel, actually. I believe we can trust him, but considering what’s at stake, I want a consensus from the group before I reach out to him.”
“If the IAF brass doesn’t know what’s going on, this news isn’t going to sit well. Can we trust him to keep it to himself, or will he report this up the chain like a dutiful soldier?” Dirk asked.
“Scott Archer knows how to be discreet, and he also owes me a big favor. I think it’s worth the risk. If anyone doesn’t want me to do it, say so. This affects us all.”
No one spoke.
“Alright. I’ll get in touch with Scott.”
The gathering broke off into smaller groups to continue talking, and Lance managed to work his way over to where Lieksa was standing with her boyfriends, Mack and Dash. He’d gotten to know her a little when she had dropped by to fix Huey. He already knew Mack and Dash, as they were his commanding officers at Corp-Sec.
“Hi, Lance.” Unlike most people, Lieksa always knew which one of his siblings she was talking to. The only other person he had ever met who could do it was Alyson. It was one of the many things he liked about the doctor. She saw so much that other people missed.
“Hello, Lieksa. I wanted to thank you again for fixing up Alyson’s droid. We were feeling really badly about breaking him.”
Dash chuckled. “Yeah, we heard Blade took out the poor thing before it could even finish greeting you.”
Lance lowered his voice. “Don’t let Alyson hear you calling Huey an ‘it.’ She has decided it’s a he, and she gets annoyed if you use the wrong pronoun.”
Mack blinked. “But it’s a machine.”
Lieksa poked her massive boyfriend in the ribs. “Some people said the same thing about cyborgs, and you are most definitely not an it.”
“Damn right I’m not. And if you’re ever in doubt, I’ll be happy to demonstrate all the ways I’m a man.”
Lance managed not to laugh, but it wasn’t easy. Mack was a hardass to work for, but apparently, he was a lot mellower when Lieksa was around. He could understand that. He and his brothers were the same way when it came to Alyson.
Lieksa blushed and shook her head. “Behave yourself.”
Dash snickered. “And where’s the fun in that?”
She deliberately turned away from her boyfriends and smiled up at Lance. “So, how’s the protection gig going? Is Alyson coping okay with everything?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Between the work she’s doing and the need to keep her safe and secure, I think she’s going a little stir crazy. In fact, I know she is. We’ve invaded her home and her workspace, and she can’t escape. I was wondering if you or Zura might have a suggestion. We can’t go to the Nova Club, or anywhere else she’d normally go.”
Lieksa brightened. “I think I have the perfect solution.”
By the time she finished explaining her idea, Lance thought it was perfect, too. It was exactly what they all needed, a chance to have a little fun.
“You’re brilliant. Thank you.” He gave Lieksa a brief hug, very aware that both Mack and Dash were glowering at him the entire time.
“Hands off. Your woman is over there. You want hugs, get them from her,” Mack grumbled.
“Yeah. You three have already cost me my bet in the pool because you’re moving slower than molasses in zero-g,” Dash added.
“Well, now you have inside info. Use it wisely. I’m going to let my brothers know the plan. Thanks again, Lieksa. You really are brilliant.”
He left the trio and went in search of his brothers. They had a lot of planning to do before tomorrow night.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Alyson knew the guys were planning something, but she had no idea what it was. They’d been acting like kids with a secret since the meeting last night, but they refused to give up any details other than the fact they were taking care of dinner.
She had spent the morning in the med center, looking in on her patients and staff. The highlight of her day had been when Nya had come in. The cyborg’s badly mangled hand and arm were completely healed, with nothing left but a few scars that were already fading. Lieksa had done a remarkable job of repairing her cybernetic components, and Nya’s medi-bots had taken care of the rest. After losing the overdose victim, Alyson had needed the win.
The afternoon had been dedicated to working on the cure to cyborg infertility. True to her word, Zura had tracked down everything Alyson needed. The last of the materials had been included in her brother Royan’s last run, and he had delivered them himself before returning to his ship for the trip to the Traffa System. Before he left, Alyson had slipped a data stick with a copy of all the information they had loaded onto it, into his hand. If something happened, he would make sure that the information was passed on.
“It’s done?” Lance asked.
“I think so. I’ve got a bunch of tests to run before I can be sure, but I believe this will work.”
“How long until you know for sure?”
“If everything goes right, we’ll know by mid-afternoon tomorrow.” She gestured around the
lab, indicating all the machines and computers hard at work.
Lance held out his hand to her. “Then it’s time to celebrate. Come with me.”
She took his hand and let him draw her in close. “We shouldn’t celebrate yet. I don’t know if it worked. What if I jinx it?”
“You won’t jinx anything. You’ve earned some downtime, and we’re going to see that you get it.” He leaned down and brushed a feather-light kiss to her lips.
She leaned in, expecting him to kiss her again, but he withdrew instead.
“When I kiss you next, I don’t plan on stopping. So, I think we should head upstairs, grab my brothers, and head out before I decide to lock the door and keep you all to myself tonight.”
“If you tried to do that, I suspect they’d kick the door down.”
He cupped her cheek with one hand. “You’re probably right. We’re going to have to figure that part out eventually. We all want to spend time with you, together and individually. Once the threat is gone, and we’re not camped out at your bedroom door every night, we’ll talk about that.”
A few days ago, she was looking forward to having her home to herself again. Things had changed, though. When they left, she would miss them.
“The way things are going, you might be staying with me for quite some time. We’re no closer to figuring out who left the warning in my office, and the number of potential enemies we’re making keeps going up.”
“Worried?” he asked, his hand still on her cheek.
“Of course, but not as much as I should be, all things considered. It helps to know that I’ve got the three of you watching over me. To be honest, I worry more about you and your brothers. You’re the ones determined to put your lives at risk to protect mine.”
“Don’t worry about us, sunshine. We’re exceptionally hard to kill.”
“Why do I get the feeling that’s a confirmed fact and not a cocky theory? I thought the three of you were never in combat?”
“You don’t spend three years roaming the galaxy—especially the places we wound up—without running into trouble now and then.” Lance winked, then reached down to take her hand. “If you come with me without any more questions, I promise we’ll spend dinner telling you about all the times we got into trouble. And for the record, it was almost always Blade’s fault.”
She laughed and interlaced her fingers with his. “I bet he’ll claim it was yours and Dirk’s.”
“Of course he will. And he’ll be lying through his teeth.”
They left the lab, and she took care to activate the entire spectrum of security measures, ensuring that no one else could enter the lab. It was sealed up tight and would stay that way until she came back to find out the results of her tests.
There was nothing else she could do tonight. Lance was right, it was time to relax and celebrate a little.
* * * *
When they arrived upstairs, Dirk and Blade were waiting for them. They had changed out of their red Corp-Sec uniforms, and both of them were decked out in pure black outfits. They were also wearing long, black leather coats, which seemed odd considering the entire station was climate controlled. “Are we going somewhere cold?”
“No, but we are going out, and that means we’re carrying a few more weapons than the average citizen might feel comfortable with.” Dirk opened his coat to reveal he was a veritable arsenal, including a knife, a blaster in a thigh holster and another one at his hip.
“Holy fraxx. Unless dinner is in the middle of a battlefield, I think you guys might be doing the overkill thing again. Are we going on a date or to a war?”
“This isn’t overkill, this is being prepared. If we had packed the plasma grenades, that might have been over the line,” Blade said.
“Oh, no. You do not have grenades in my house, do you?” They better not have brought explosives anywhere near her med center or she’d toss the grenades, and possibly them, right out an airlock and watch them float away.
All three of them laughed. “Just ignore him, Aly. We don’t have anything like that. We’re not suicidal. Explosives are fun, but they’re not exactly a smart thing to have on a space station. One mistake and kaboom, no more Astek Station.”
“I’m glad to hear even you have limits.” She eyed their heavily armed forms and forced herself to remember that this was for her safety. “Do I get to know where we’re going yet? I need to change, and it would be nice to know what I should wear.”
The three of them looked at each other without saying a word, and she quickly realized they were talking to each other via their private comm channel.
“I swear, the next thing I’m going to work on is a way for us normal humans to hear your private conversations. I’m adding this to the list of things I think are rude.”
“Sorry. Some habits are hard to break.” Lance squeezed her hand, reminding her that she hadn’t let go of it, yet.
“With everything going on, there aren’t many places we could go that would be secure, so we came up with an alternative plan,” Dirk explained.
“He means that I came up with a plan, and they recognized my brilliance and agreed to it,” Lance interjected.
“Which still doesn’t tell me where we’re going.”
“Think picnic. Nothing fancy. You look gorgeous in everything, so pick something comfortable and meet us out here when you’re ready.” Lance leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’m going to get ready, too. Tonight is about relaxing and enjoying ourselves. I promise you’re going to enjoy what we have planned. Leave the details to us, okay? You’ve earned this.”
Dirk and Blade swooped in and kissed her, too, Dirk claiming one cheek while Blade pressed his lips to her brow before they both moved away again.
The kisses were all sweet and gentle, but her head was still reeling as she made her way to her room. This was it. She was going on a date with all three of them. Veth, if a few simple kiss made her giddy, what would happen when the four of them came together, and the sparks between them finally ignited?
She showered and changed in record time, picking out an outfit that she hoped would work. It was a bright yellow summer dress that she purchased the last time she was back home on Cassien Alpha to visit her grandparents, and it had been hanging in her closet ever since. It was the only thing she owned that fit with a picnic theme, though she still had no idea where they were taking her. The only spots she knew that might work were all far too open and insecure for the guys to have chosen.
The butterflies in her stomach were in full flight when she stepped out of her room. Dirk was waiting for her in the hall, and his eyes widened in male approval as he raked his gaze over her.
“You look stunning.”
“And you look dangerous. And maybe a little sexy.”
“Only a little? I thought women liked the dangerous, bad boy type?”
“You’re a lot of things, Dirk Trello, but I don’t think anyone would ever call you a boy.” The three of them were pure male, a fact Alyson was acutely aware of every moment they were together. They were sinfully sexy, heartstoppingly handsome, and wrapped in an air of danger that made her brain turn to mush. Not that she was admitting that to them.
Dirk snorted. “I have never been, and never will be, a boy. And no one better call me that if they wanted to keep breathing.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
When her hand touched his arm, she felt a sizzle of heat that wound its way down her spine and pooled between her legs. Desires she’d done her best to deny awakened and added their flames to the fire kindling inside her. She drew a slow breath in an attempt to clear her mind, but it didn’t work. “Let’s get this date going…wherever you’re taking me.”
“It’s somewhere all of us can relax for a while.”
“That would be nice. You three have been on duty non-stop since I told you about the warning. You need this break even more than I do.”
“It’s not the break I’m looking forward to. It’s spending time with you.”
Dirk kept Alyson tucked between himself and Lance as they made their way to their destination. Blade walked a few steps in front, choosing their path carefully as they wove through the crowded causeway. It wasn’t likely they’d be attacked this soon after emerging from hiding, but they weren’t taking anything for granted. They couldn’t.
It wasn’t until they stepped off the mag-lift that Alyson figured out where they were taking her. There was only one place on the station where the ceiling arched in a dome overhead, the metal hull plating painted to mimic the blue skies of a world most of the residents had never seen.
“This is the residential level Mack, Dash, and Lieksa live on. I’ve been here before. Is that where we’re going, to have dinner with them?”
“We’re not having dinner with them, no. But we are going to their home,” Lance clarified.
“Please tell me that they know we’re coming.”
“Give us some credit. We may not have perfect manners, but we’re not barbarians.” Lance glanced at Blade. “Well, not all of us.”
“You’re going to pay for that at some point. Don’t think I’m not keeping score.”
“No fighting.” Alyson’s voice dropped to a soft murmur. “At least not unless I get to watch.”
“You’d watch us fight?” Blade asked.
“So long as you weren’t trying to kill each other, of course I would. I’ve got a standing invitation to attend every cage fight match at the Nova Club. They like having a doctor around in case something goes wrong. Not that it goes wrong very often. The Nova’s fighters are well trained and know what they’re doing.”
“Now you’ve done it,” Dirk muttered.
“We could take her to Corp-Sec headquarters. That’s a safe enough place. Show her around, do some sparring in the gym,” Blade suggested.
“I seem to remember someone blew up your HQ last month,” she reminded him, shaking her head at the same time.
