by Loki Renard
His scathing words scalded her sensibilities but worse than the words was the sentiment behind them. It sounded as though he was giving up on her. She had been tested and found wanting one too many times. There was no sympathy in his demeanor or voice as he continued the lecture. “I find myself wondering what I can do to make you take your situation with a modicum of seriousness. I wonder if it is worth even trying. You seem to reject every opportunity you are given, you seem to actually want to drive me to terminal action.”
Zora had no reply. She stood there, hoping her silence wouldn't be mistaken for sullen resistance. Her eyes were becoming glassy, which she didn't like but there wasn't much she could do to stop that. Tears were a natural reaction to fear and she was definitely afraid there in Tex's office after dark. One small desk lamp lit the room, throwing dark shadows over the wall and Tex's face. He looked thoroughly ruthless, his eyes gleaming through light and shadow with an intensity she could never hope to match.
There was only one thing for it – backing down and backing down quickly. “Uhm, okay, I'll get back to it.” With a tight smile she reached for the disk she'd thrown, wishing it wasn't quite so far away from her. He watched her, his lips pressed together tightly as she attempted to get the disc back without getting closer to him. She leaned back even as her hand reached forward and gripping the edge of the disc with her fingertips she snaked it into her reach and picked it up. With slow, cautious steps she backed out of Tex's office. His eyes never left hers, his expression cold and still. She couldn't quite read it, but she knew it didn't represent anything good.
Making it to the door after what seemed like several minutes of shuffling, she turned tail and fled back to the relative security of the lab. She sat down at her workstation and loaded the disc. As she did, a solitary tear tracked down her cheek. She brushed it away quickly. What had happened to the almost playful ardor he had displayed yesterday? Was it all just a game to him? Had he grown tired of her so quickly? Why did she care? She should have been afraid of his 'terminal' threat, but for reasons best known to her stupid brain, the idea that he might not like her seemed more painful than the threat of death. In a moment of honesty she admitted to herself that maybe she hadn't really gone to his office to complain about the work, maybe she'd really gone to see if his threats of intimacy would pan out into something pleasurable. Maybe she was lucky he'd been angry rather than amorous. Maybe she really would have given herself to him if he'd lifted a finger to seduce her.
“You're going crazy,” she muttered to herself. “Completely fucking crazy.”
The next few hours passed in a blur of poor quality footage and formulas. She completely lost track of time as she worked. Whenever she was tempted to quit she remembered Tex's expression and his words and bent her head to work once more. She was so exhausted by the end of it all that she didn't even manage to make it away from her workstation before she fell asleep, drooling gently into the keyboard.
* * *
Tex sat at his desk, flicking between security camera images with a tap of a key. He paused at the feed from the lab. Zora Matthews appeared to have finally heeded his warning, though her flesh had not been quite as willing as her spirit. She was still passed out on the keyboard, her shoulder length hair messed around her face so much he could just barely make out the tip of her nose. She could be cute when she shut the heck up and did as she was told for five minutes.
The intercom clicked on, interrupting his train of thought. “Sir. There's a van at the gate. It's him.”
Ordinarily Tex might have been irritated at such a banal intrusion on his time, but he rose quickly from his seat and passed through the sliding doors with a definite spring in his step. He had not slept any more than Zora, but unlike his petulant captive he was accustomed to sleeping little and working a lot.
It was sunny outside, it warmed his head and shoulders as he made his way over to the dark van sitting at the gate. He walked with an unhurried gait, savoring the moment he'd been waiting for ever since his newest field agent had decided to take orders into his own hands.
“Ah Captain Savage. So nice of you to return after abandoning your post.” He rested his suit-clad forearm on the open passenger side window, smiling at the occupant, who did not smile back. Large vehicles often make men look small, but the occupant of this van made the vehicle look positively puny. He was wearing an olive green short sleeved top that left the slabs of his upper arms bare in a way that would have been imposing if Tex had any intention of ever physically confronting the man.
Brett Savage could reasonably have been expected to look slightly sheepish or at least pretend to be apologetic. He did neither. His face was a stony mask of rectitude and fortitude and other masculine attitudes that Tex had always found ever so slightly cliche. “I've been cleaning up the mess,” Savage explained. “And I have something for you.”
“Do you now?” Tex's smile slipped away as his tone slipped into a patronizing drawl. “Well do come in and show me.”
Savage put the vehicle in gear and Tex was forced to stand back sharply as the van crunched forward over the gravel. He sauntered after it unhurriedly as the great gates closed behind them. Before he reached the vehicle, Savage got out and opened the sliding passenger door. Tex arrived just in time to see the black panel sliding back to reveal an interesting sight.
Laying on the van's long seat was an attractive blonde woman. She appeared to have been rendered unconscious by a drug of some kind as she didn't so much as stir when Savage climbed into the van and extracted her gently. She lay in his arms, a heavy dead weight with her head lolling back in a position that couldn't have been at all comfortable.
“This is Anja,” Savage said, hefting her into a better carrying position as if she were a bag of potatoes. “This is the mess.”
Chapter Fourteen
Tex ran his gaze over Anja's insensible form, noting the curves which remained in all the right places in spite of her relative gauntness. She'd clearly missed more than a few meals in the recent past. He looked back into Savage's eyes, a mocking smile on his lips.“So you've captured someone belonging to the US government and bought her here to me. Charming. What else do you have in the vehicle? Cocaine? Heroin?”
Ignoring Tex's cutting sarcasm, Savage attempted an explanation. “Anja went rogue after my departure. She was sanctioned and dishonorably discharged.” He didn't appear to know that what he was saying wasn't precisely an advertisement for the woman in his arms.
“Even better,” Tex replied dryly. “A rogue agent. Keep it up and we'll have half the defense force here. The unstable and dangerous half.”
Savage started to sweat just a little, though Tex couldn't be sure whether it was because he was concerned about the outcome of their conversation or the heat of the sun which was already intense. “She is extremely talented in the field,” he said, leaning Tex's opinion towards the former. Curious. The blonde waif in Savage's arms was clearly important to him.
“She can't be that talented,” Tex said, feigning disinterest. “She missed Zora almost entirely.”
Savage shifted Anja's weight again, the strain showing in his voice. “She didn't mean to hit Zora. She meant to get my attention.”
The slow smirk spread over Tex's lips. “And she succeeded admirably in that aim, didn't she?”
“She did,” Savage agreed, his face going blank as he tried to pretend that he wasn't completely pinning his hopes on Tex accepting Anja into the fold.
Tex wondered idly what would happen if he ordered Anja to be shot. Savage was a strong man, but like many men before him, his weakness was women. Show the man a damsel in distress and he'd drop everything. Show him two such women and he'd tear himself apart trying to save both. Tex's smirk continued unabated as he went in for the kill, forcing Savage to admit to the favor he was asking for. “And you brought her to me, presumably in the hopes that I would take her under my wing. Does this place look like a refuge for burned out soldiers?”
“This
looks like a place that needs people who can shoot straight.” Savage was so proud, so utterly reluctant to admit how weak his position was. But Tex knew he had him ever deeper in his grasp. The man might be strong and talented and yes, even dangerous, but he was right where Tex wanted him. Like an old hound dog at the door with a bird in its mouth, begging to come in.
Tex allowed his gaze to run slowly and quite obviously over the woman once more. Anja really was quite beautiful. Some of the attractiveness would probably be lost when she opened her mouth, but for the moment she looked like sleeping beauty in Savage's arms. “I suppose a trial wouldn't hurt,” he said, pretending to relent. “Take her to one of the containment rooms.” He hid his triumphant expression until Savage lumbered past him, then allowed a broad grin to split his usually serious features. It was all coming together nicely.
* * *
“There you are.”
“Huh?” Zora came to conciousness looking at a lab that had been turned sideways. All the desks and computers were floating horizontally in a static ballet of defied gravity. Then she lifted her head and everything went right way up again, just like a magic trick. “Ugh,” she said, putting her hand to her temple. “I feel like hell.”
“You're probably dehydrated,” Johnny said. “But you can drink later. Tex wants you.”
“Tex?” A shot of panic trickled through her stomach. “Why?”
“Don't ask me, I'm just the errand boy.”
“Shit,” she tried to think. She didn't want to see Tex again. “Last time I saw him he asked me if I was tired of living.”
Johnny let out a low whistle. “Damn Zora, you have to stop pushing that man. He's capable of being real nasty when he wants to be.”
“I'm not sure he's capable of being anything but nasty,” Zora replied. “Every nice thing he does he does for his own reasons.”
“That's the benefit of being the boss,” Johnny grinned. “Maybe one day you'll be the boss of something and then you can play with your people like pawns.”
“Well now there's something to aspire to,” Zora said dryly, walking towards the door. “Watch out, maniac in training coming through.”
She approached Tex's office with deep trepidation, but she needn't have worried. Tex smiled warmly when he saw her, clearly having forgotten or at the very least, put the events of the night behind them. “Zora,” he said, clasping her hands in his own. He was in a good mood, a very, very good mood. “Did you sleep well?”
“Not really,” she said cautiously. “What did you want me for?”
“I have good news for you,” he smiled. “Your Savage has returned.”
“He's back!?” She couldn't hide the squeal of excitement. “Where is he?”
“He's in the infirmary.”
Her heart sank. “Is he hurt?”
“No, he's just attending to a mutual friend of yours and his.”
Zora frowned. She didn't know what Tex was talking about, but the man's glee was clearly rising by the moment. “Who?”
“Why don't you go see. Surprises are fun I think.”
Not paying enough heed to Tex's near perverse tone she walked, almost ran to the infirmary. When she heard Savage's voice rumbling softly she almost started crying on the spot. Barely able to contain her excitement and relief she yanked the curtain back from the cubicle he was in and saw.... Anja?
She was laying silent and still on the bed. She looked skinny and ragged, but it was definitely her. Savage was next to her, clasping her hand with an intent expression on his face. In solemnity he was handsome, the hard lines of his face making him look like some sculpted avenging angel sworn to protect the weak. Zora had seen that expression on his face before, but the last time she'd seen it he'd been looking at her. Just seeing him look at another woman that way felt like a kick in the stomach.
At the squeal of the curtain rings on the rail above his head, Savage turned towards her. His expression brightened when he saw her, then faded when he saw the hurt that had to be written all over her face. “Zora...”
“No.” Zora shook her head and backed away. “No. Why is she here?”
“She had nowhere else to go.”
Staring at Savage, she gave what was almost a full body shake. “I can't believe you bought her here. She wants to kill me.”
“Zora, let me explain.” He stood and reached for her, squeezing her shoulder in what would have been a reassuring way if he hadn't been dragging her worst nightmare around with him.
She shrugged his hand off. “What's to explain? She's basically my mortal enemy. No. She's literally a mortal enemy who wants to kill me. Who shot me. Actually shot me. And you brought her here.” Her eyes were wide with rage. “Here!”
“What did you want me to do?”
The question struck her as insane. “She shot me. What the fuck do you think I wanted you to do?”
“She didn't kill you,” he pointed out with a pragmatism that was completely lost on Zora.
“Oh okay, so you want to give her another shot at that huh?”
“Zora...” He lowered his voice, indicating she was on thin ice.
“Don't Zora me. You're supposed to protect me, instead you run off to find the woman who tried to kill me and you bring her back.” She flung her hands into the air. “Fuck Brett. What the actual fuck?”
He stepped forward, looming over her physically as his attempts to reason with her failed. “You want to modulate your tone.”
The looming didn't work on Zora one little bit. She took a step forward, meeting his challenge. “I really don't actually. What I really want is for you to not bring murderous whores back to the place I'm trying to live.”
She took another step forward, bumping into him and brushing him aside as she did her best to walk through him. Unfortunately Savage wasn't really the sort of man who could be brushed aside quite that easily so what she really did was bounce off him at an angle and have to weave around to get back on the path towards the door. It made her feel even more silly and insignificant than she already did and she wiped away angry tears as she stormed out, wishing the swinging doors could slam.
Zora was barely out of the room before Tex sauntered in. “Trouble in Paradise?” His drawl was irritatingly punctuated by the stomping of Zora's feet down the hall.
Savage gave him a dark look but did not reply.
“Ladies generally don't like it when you bring another woman home, let alone one that put a bullet in them,” Tex said condescendingly. He was clearly enjoying the conflict that had been stirred by Anja's arrival.
“Thanks for the tip,” Savage said. “I have to go deal with Zora.”
“You do that Mr Savage.” Tex's gaze went to Anja. “You do that.”
* * *
“Zora!”
Having thrown herself onto her bed and been summoned up from it almost as soon as she'd buried her head under a pillow, Zora couldn't help but notice that Savage seemed to be angry. That was rich considering what he'd been up to in recent days. Even richer considering it was the first time they'd seen one another in weeks and he had the damn nerve to damn near shout her name.
She sat up and threw the pillow down, her face screwed up in irritation as Brett Savage stepped into the doorway of her room. Stupid tall stupid handsome man.“What? You don't live here anymore. I've asked for separate quarters.”
He came towards her slowly, somehow managing to look powerful and strong in even the most casual movements. “Why?”
She pursed her lips and shrugged. “Well I figured three is a crowd. You and Anja can find a cosy little room for yourselves someone else.”
“It's not like that Zora. You know damn well it's not like that.” Again he seemed frustrated, as if she had no right to be angry. That made her more mad than ever.
“Isn't it? She's infatuated with you and you know it. Don't you?”
“Zora...”
“Tell me she doesn't love you.”
Savage shook his head wordlessly.
&nb
sp; “Exactly. So we can share quarters when she's gone. Unless you're trying to get her a job here too...” She trailed off as she saw his expression shift. “You are trying to get her a job here!”
“She would fit in here,” he said, as if that was supposed to make her relent.
Zora's biting sarcasm flared. “She would fit in at a mental hospital.”
“That's enough, Matthews,” Savage snapped back into his old military way of talking. It failed.
“You can't tell me what to do,” Zora sneered. “You're not in charge of me.”
He came closer still, his eyes dark with authority. “You better rethink that attitude quickly.”
“Or what?”
“Or I'll spank your bottom for you.”
He'd chosen the words to be as embarassing as possible, but although she blushed Zora was not cowed. She had Johnny's techniques up her sleeve if Savage actually had the nerve to try to discipline her now. “Go kiss Anja's ass some more and leave me alone,” she sat dimissively.
He didn't give her another warning. She squealed as he hauled her up, just one arm wrapped around her waist. She'd forgotten how damn strong he was. She always forgot how strong he was. But she was ready for him. Just as he tried to place her over his lap, she jabbed her fingers into sensitive regions with a viciously dark grin on her face. Let him see how it felt to be hurt.
The result was not precisely what she wanted it to be. Instead of howling and dropping her, he grunted and sent her sliding sideways onto the bed. Almost immediately his palm came striking down across her ass with the fury of a cobra. It was she who howled as he yanked her pants down and set about spanking her very, very, very hard.
