Her Master's Collar (On the Hunt)

by Brookes, Sara

  This also meant small factions of rebels were out to see those working to make the planet hospitable didn’t have an easy job. The company was strong, however, he’d bet his last credit, and they’d recover well enough.

  A relieved smile spread on her lips. “Yes. Thank you for adjusting the departure.” She walked slowly to the wide spread of glass showcasing The Mall. Her thoughts were so conflicted, her eyes clouded as she stared off into the distance. She saw without seeing because her mind was so focused on the clusterfuck this situation had become.

  She didn’t know the half of it.

  But he didn’t intend to tell her anytime soon. The risk was too great and there’d been enough risks in his life to last him more than five lifetimes. He straightened his suit jacket before reaching down to erase the bloody images by keying the same code he’d watched her use. He didn’t need a reminder of the dangers they all faced. “If that’s all you need from me, then I have some preparations to make. I’d like to get started on them if you don’t need anything further.”

  “Yes, of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He left in a hurry, ready to be far away from the only woman he’d ever loved.

  * * * * *

  That man is still walking, talking sex. Korene watched Roland leave, shaking her head at her thoughts. She’d expected him to bolt as soon as he’d realized she’d entered the room. No doubt the fact he’d given his word kept him in his chair as long as it had. A few things obviously hadn’t changed in the time he’d been gone—honor and integrity were still everything to him.

  Those traits were why she insisted on hiring him. The hostage situation on Mars had clearly gotten under his skin, visibly unsettling him. She was certain no one else in the room had noticed. Only her. Then again, they didn’t know him as intimately as she did.

  And that was the other thing she’d noticed the moment he’d acknowledged her presence. He’d had a hard time keeping his eyes off her, even though he’d tried to downplay it. She didn’t blame him. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him for the past few days. No doubt their thoughts both ran to the illicit side.

  Roland Asher.

  Once the love of her life. Now the man she despised most in the world. And she needed to work closely with him in order to get her employees back safe and sound. Fuck it all. How did she get herself into these complicated situations?

  She sat in one of the overstuffed chairs around the command table, propping her stylish slingbacks against the edge. The voice of her secretary sounded in her ear as she crossed her ankles. The petite woman would have a coronary at the sight of the Chief Operating Officer of Braddock Industries with her feet slung over the table as though she was a beggar on Pennsylvania Avenue.

  Lila flustered too easily. Perhaps Korene found just a bit too much enjoyment doing everything she could to upset her assistant’s calm demeanor. Someone had taught her a long time ago that people should be pushed past where they felt comfortable.

  The thought of pushing limits reminded her of the man who’d just beat a very hasty exit out her door. It was her fault Roland was here in the first place. She’d been the one to insist the construction team make the run to Mars before the solar winds made the trip impossible.

  With her eyes closed and her head back against the chair, she cursed herself for being so adamant the team get there as soon as possible. Her choice caused her to go crawling back to the man she’d spent so much time trying to forget.

  What had he done in the time since he’d left her? Since he’d returned to Earth?

  She knew about the failure of his operation on Mars. Or at least of the sketchy details he’d explained to her ten years ago when he confessed he was leaving. He’d severed contact with her just days before reporting for duty, forcing her to rely on the media feeds for information about his mission.

  The early settlers on Mars had been ambushed in a surprise attack and the military had jumped into action. The feeds had mysteriously gone silent as the battle had intensified, almost as if they were pretending they’d never said a word about the event in the first place. The World Government Organization had more than likely slapped down a gag order to protect lives both on Earth and Mars.

  Then the world news broke its silence. The war was over and Gunnery Sergeant Roland Asher was back on planet and resigning from the Marine Corps effective immediately. For Marines, failure wasn’t an option.

  News of the event had been splashed everywhere for weeks, a hard thing to ignore despite the fact details were scarce. When he vanished, his disappearance made even bigger news. But with so little to go on, the media had quickly tired of speculating. They’d instead returned to the pieces about the latest celebrity to cheat on their spouse.

  She tried to tell herself there was nothing wrong with wondering about the only man she ever trusted enough to feel safe with. The only man she’d ever surrender so completely and wholly to.

  Who am I kidding?

  “Where is Roland Asher?”

  The computer system whirred and beeped twice before answering. “Asher, Roland is in a transport coded to head away from New Washington.”

  “Direction?”

  “West, according to automatic navigation controls on his transport. The destination is Falls Church, Virginia, Ms. Braddock.”

  Her heart hitched, slamming hard against her rib cage. They’d once owned a home in Falls Church. A sprawling house situated on an acre of land not far from Barcroft Knolls Park. A park she still jogged in every Sunday.

  She’d never taken him for a sentimental man. Especially when he’d seemed to be in such a rush to get started. She’d expected him to stay at a nearby hotel so he wouldn’t have far to travel in the morning after the memorial service. Possibly even head directly to his chosen location to stock up on supplies in order to sort through his list of things he would need for the trip. Roland had always been thorough to a fault. It was unlike him to deviate from his usual pattern.

  Of course, she reminded herself, she had no way of knowing what his usual pattern was anymore. She had no right to the information. No right to spy on his intended destination. “Initiate trace program and give me a visual.”

  “It is against the rules and regulations implemented by—”

  “Blah, blah.” She cut off the tinny automated voice. In her line of work, she was well aware of all the laws enacted in order to give citizens a feeling of safety. She also knew it was a complete illusion. “How about I have you dismantled and installed in a Mickey Mouse doll so you can navigate a family of four on their annual trip around Disneyworld?”

  The map vanished and was replaced with an image of the interior of Roland’s rental conveyance. He sat quietly with his hands folded together behind his neck as the automatic controls maneuvered him through the busy streets of the city. His head tilted down to show he was deep in thought.

  Even though it was only an opaque image suspended in midair in front of her, the high level of anxiety read clearly in his body. Muscles appeared to be strung tight beneath the surface of his skin as tension sat heavy in his shoulders, bleeding down to saturate his broad chest. He still kept his black hair cut short in military regulation, though the hair on the sides near his temple had started to go gray. His icy-blue eyes were unfocused as he stared at nothing in particular. The famous thousand-yard stare she’d learned about in those first days of their first meeting.

  His black suit wasn’t the uniform she was used to seeing him wear, but it appeared to have been starched to within an inch of its life. His well-put-together appearance stood as a clear indication the military was still infused in the marrow of Roland’s bones despite his retirement.

  Once a Marine, always a Marine.

  Never had she believed it more than she did staring at the image before her. She wanted to do what she could to give him an outlet for the stress reading so clearly in his body. She also missed him and the couple they made when they were together. The fire and passion they had for one ano
ther when their personalities had violently clashed. Then she remembered how he’d walked away from her. The warm fuzzy feeling spreading in her body froze.

  She turned away from the image in disgust. “Screen off.”

  The people who’d been taken hostage needed Roland and his skill set. He could get in there quickly and quietly, rescue the team and bring the group safely back home to their families. Given his agitation, he clearly knew he was their last hope. That level of stress had to be hard on anyone. The fact he was one of the strongest people she’d ever known and shaken so visibly unsettled her.

  Once again, the desire to go to him reared its head.

  Cursing, she pushed away from the table. At the door, she passed her hand over the control plate. A group of employees, their faces streaked with sadness, had gathered near an associate’s desk. Normally she would have torn them all new assholes for wasting their time, but they simply earned a perfunctory nod from her as she passed. There were more important things to deal with at the moment.

  She slid behind the wheel of her own car, the computer system acknowledging her with a soft beep. “Destination, Ms. Braddock?”

  “Falls Church, Virginia. Van Winkle Drive.” As soon as the order slipped off her tongue, she knew she’d made a mistake. “Cancel route.” The car halted, idling quietly on the exit ramp of the parking garage.

  She couldn’t see him or talk to him more than she already had. Not after he’d been the one to leave. That night still painted vivid scars on her mind. It was the night she’d asked him to stay and he’d abandoned her. For that alone, he deserved her cold shoulder in any personal matters.

  Business.

  This needed to remain straightforward, clear-cut business between them.

  “Home.” She bit out the word, angry with the overt display of weakness that could have driven her back in Roland’s arms. Considering the fact he’d removed her collar the same night he’d left ten years ago, in his arms was the last place she wanted to be.

  Chapter Two

  “Keep me posted. Data messages only until I give clearance otherwise. I’m going to have a companion for the next few hours.” Roland tapped his palm to end the call. The communication implants were something he’d insisted on years ago. Small transmitters implanted on the vocal cords, eardrum and the optic nerve allowed handheld cell phones to become a thing of the past in the right circles. Most of the technology was still being researched, but his vast resources allowed every member of his team to undergo the complex surgery.

  In contrast to the stark technology laced through parts of his body, the sky overhead was blue and unmarked by clouds. Birds chirped while nature sang a lyrical melody in celebration for the beauty of the spring day. The perfection was marred by the unrelieved black of the mourners gathered around a sleek silver coffin.

  Closer to the river’s edge, Roland stood and watched. He had no connection to the deceased. In fact, he had no right to attend. But the stricken expression on Korene’s face yesterday when she mentioned the funeral compelled him to at least be nearby.

  Funerals had never been something he liked. In fact, he usually did everything he could to avoid the ceremonies. He’d been several sheets to the wind, lying in a pool of his own vomit, during the last funeral he had a connection to. His entire platoon had been given a group service because of the sheer number of casualties. He hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of seeing all those heartbroken faces because he’d failed their loved ones.

  Seeing their faces when he’d delivered the news their husbands, fathers, and brothers were never coming home had been more than enough heartbreak to last him a lifetime. Normally handled by the military chaplains and not gunnery sergeants, he’d refused to allow them to deliver the news. They were his men, his responsibility. Ultimately, it cost him both personally and professionally, but he would rather the payment be on his soul.

  He pushed away the pain it still brought as the brief ceremony ended. Korene broke away from the rest of the group to walk toward him. Her head tilted and her hair, pulled into a low and sleek ponytail, shifted in the gentle breeze off the water. “I could have met you at the dock.”

  “I thought you could use the company.”

  She gestured to the tree he leaned against. “From afar?”

  “Since I don’t know anyone, I thought it best to stay here.”

  Her hand settled on his forearm. “It’s all right, Roland, I understand. Thank you.”

  A brief flash of an emotion he couldn’t identify flared in her eyes. As he wondered what it meant, the crowd neared. “You have company.”

  Korene turned to press a quick kiss to the cheek of what appeared to be Joshua’s mother and Roland stepped away, not wanting to intrude in the private moment. Instead, he watched her take the compact woman in her arms, holding her while a fresh onslaught of tears began to fall. They spoke in low tones, their words meant only for each other. When the woman finally broke away, Korene watched and waited for the family to say their goodbyes to their loved one.

  He studied her closely from the side, recognizing her pained expression. She was suffering with them. He wished there was something he could do to make this easier for her. There was nothing he could do, he knew that, but it didn’t make his want any different. His protective side had reared its head. The Dom’s need to protect a submissive and soothe away the pain. He shoved his own flare of emotion aside with a silent curse.

  When she turned to face him once again, he knew she needed to burn off some of the intense emotion. He stepped closer, skimming his knuckle gently against the underside of her chin. “You feel responsible, don’t you?”

  She nodded slowly, closing her eyes as she huffed out a breath. The lines of worry on her forehead made him want to do whatever possible in order to smooth her stress away. The young man’s death would obviously haunt her for years to come. “Employees know what they’re signing up for when they agree to be on one of the teams. But no matter how much you prepare…how much you think you’re ready…”

  “It paints a dark mark on your soul,” he finished quietly.

  Surprised registered in her eyes. “Exactly.”

  Yes, the feeling was something he was all too familiar with. That gut-deep dread that you were powerless to change time. He’d been responsible for an entire group and failed every single one of them. A soft chime sounded from the mini-chronograph on his wrist as a reminder they had somewhere to be. Thank goodness for small mercies. “We need to get going.”

  “I sent everything ahead so I could go directly there.”

  Good to know she was still meticulously proficient, but what she didn’t know was the fact she wasn’t going to the original rendezvous site. He’d have to make sure her bags were transferred and braced for the inevitable fight that would come once she learned of his duplicity. But now, here in the shadow of sorrow, wasn’t the time to broach the subject.

  They approached a sleek vehicle sitting alone near the front of the parking lot. “Still have your sport speeder, I see.”

  Her light laughter danced on the wind as they neared the jet black two-seater. “Of course. But I only take it out for recreational purposes now. I drove it today since we’ll be gone for a little while. Need a ride?”

  He held out his hand, gesturing for her key. Her pretty little frown made him smile. “How about I drive for once? Looks as if you could use a break.”

  She hesitated. This car was her baby and she’d let him drive it only once before—the same night he’d tied her up for the very first time. He expected to have to press harder, but she gave up the key with a heavy sigh when he continued to simply glare at her.

  They rode in silence for ten minutes before she finally spoke. “I didn’t have a chance to ask at the meeting yesterday—how have you been?”

  “Good. You certainly look as if you’re doing well. I remember when you first approached me about setting up a deep-space fabrication company such as this when plans to colonize Mars were mad
e public.”

  She turned to face him, adjusting the safety harness around her hips. “It was your idea. We were supposed to set it up together.”

  “And I got called to the front lines when the early settlers were attacked.” The atmosphere in the interior of the car snapped with tension, causing him to immediately regret the statement.

  “Really? I remember it going quite differently.” The vitriol in her voice was palpable, but there was no way to take back what he’d said.

  He still remembered the second he’d done one of the most painful things in his life. Talk about a dark mark on your soul. “It was for the best, Korene.”

  “For who, Roland? It sure as hell wasn’t—forget it.” She held up her hand as she turned in her seat to face forward again. “We’re going to have to work together in close quarters for a while. I don’t want to make things worse.”

  She had no idea how close they were about to get. He chose to say nothing about his intricate plan, instead mulling over the idea this could be more trouble than it was worth. But he’d given his word. Aside from only one incident in his life, he’d never gone back on that word.

  The car made one last turn and she gave a little grumble of displeasure. A huge, multistory cruise liner idled in wait. Hundreds of people milled around the dock, moving luggage and personal items onto transport belts. “Unless I’m mistaken, that isn’t a private vessel to Mars.”

  He smiled, perhaps to soften the blow as he looked out at the towering luxury spaceship. “No, it’s not. My usual choice is tied up over at my personal dock in National Harbor. But we’re not using her this time.” Korene’s eyes narrowed, but he continued. Too late to turn back now. Not as if he could keep a thirty-thousand-person transport vessel a secret from her. “My ship is too conspicuous, and much too tiny, to use for a job of this magnitude. Not to mention importance. Lucky for us, the timing of this trip came at a perfect opportunity as far as Earth’s and Mars’ orbits. We’ll board the Aurelia, pose as a couple on their honeymoon and take a nice, casual little trip around the sun.”