by Anna Hackett
One after another, the men leaped out of the Hawk with powerful, athletic moves. Marin easily picked out Ash’s tall, lean form.
This was a bad idea. She shouldn’t be in here, watching the man who’d lied to her. Who’d played the worst kind of deception with her. It wasn’t the first time. She’d had all kinds of idiots play practical jokes on her at school. She’d been smart, late to develop, and preferred reading to socializing. She’d been an easy target. At least she’d had some good friends, and mostly hadn’t let any of the teasing worry her.
Marin blew out a breath. She wasn’t an awkward teen anymore. She was a woman, and while she might not have Indy’s swagger or Claudia’s toughness, she was smart, and good at what she did. She’d even had an okay sex life prior to the invasion. Nothing to compose sonnets over, but decent.
“Approaching tunnel entrance.” Tane’s cool voice. “Heading in.”
The screen displayed a four-lane road, heading down into a tunnel. The pavement was cracked in places, and several smashed and overturned cars were piled up, off to one side.
The berserkers were quiet, moving as a tight group, as they approached the tunnel.
A guttural grunting sounded, and the squad froze. A raptor patrol sauntered out of the tunnel, ugly scaled weapons clasped in their clawed hands. Their heavy boots thumped on the pavement.
Marin’s short nails dug into her palms. She watched the berserkers crouch by the cars. God, one wrong move, and the raptors would trip over them.
After what felt like an eternity, the raptor patrol moved on and out of range.
“Squad Three, you are clear to move,” Indy said. “I don’t have any drone coverage once you enter the tunnel, so you’ll be on your own. I should continue to have comms, unless you go too deep underground.”
“Night vision on,” Tane murmured. The berserkers all flipped night vision devices over their left eyes, and moved forward.
Marin watched intently. This was a side of the berserkers people rarely saw. Everyone usually saw them drinking and having fun, or heard about their wild fights. No one talked about the skill or focus that was on display right now.
Squad Three passed through the arch of the tunnel, under some speed limit signs hanging drunkenly off the stone from rusted bolts.
Marin’s nerves were so tight she could barely breathe, but she couldn’t look away. The squad moved through the wide tunnel in close formation. For all their wildness, she could see they were a good squad, and she knew they always got the job done.
They descended down a ramp, and ahead, the road was littered with more destroyed cars. Everything was still and quiet. It was spooky.
Ahead, the tunnel split, and the grunting, guttural language of the raptors echoed through the stillness.
“Keep quiet, and keep moving,” Indy murmured. “Follow the power signature and look for those ugly-ass cables.”
They took the left-hand tunnel, and then paused when they came to a door. The lettering was faded, but Marin could still make out the word Maintenance. Dom stepped forward and did something to the lock. The door popped open and the berserkers slipped through it.
Inside, the tunnel was small, only wide enough for single file. The walls were lined with electrical panels. They moved down it, and then Tane carefully opened another door at the end. As he looked out into another vehicle tunnel, Marin hissed.
A large, alien cable glowed red in the darkness. It stretched out in front of them, disappearing into the blackness in both directions.
“That looks like a good place to let the spider bot go,” Marin said.
Indy relayed the message, and Ash pulled the bot from his pocket.
Marin looked at her creation on the screen, and crossed her fingers. “Do your thing, little guy.” She held her breath. She was excited to see what her bot could do.
Ash stepped forward, and set the bot down near the cable. It turned in a circle, then carefully lifted two legs. She knew it was sensing the environment around it.
Then it leaped up on the cable, illuminated by the red light, before it leaped off the other side and scuttled off into the darkness.
Go, little guy.
The berserkers reversed course, moving back through the maintenance tunnel.
“Any idea what the raptors are doing in there?” Holmes said.
Indy shook her head. “Lots of patrols.” She leaned forward. “Look over there.”
There was a line of huge shadows against one side of the tunnel the squad was moving through. Marin sucked in a breath. They were all the squat, black vehicles the aliens used. Big and rugged, with spikes mounted on the front.
“Looks like they’re using the place for storage,” Indy said.
“Heading out now,” Tane whispered.
“Think the hub’s in there?” Noah asked.
Marin wondered what her spider bot was doing. “It’s likely.” She really hoped so.
“Fuck.”
She stiffened, her eyes flashing to the screen. That was Ash’s voice.
The view on the screen switched to the camera on Ash’s helmet. He was to the far left of his group, near the entrance to a side tunnel. Marin watched as a huge raptor appeared out of the darkness. It was headed right toward Ash.
“Move slowly,” Tane whispered.
Ash backed up, but the raptor was striding at a fast pace. It stepped inside the illusion from Ash’s armor.
The ugly beast looked shocked, his red eyes wide in his reptilian face. To him, it would have looked like Ash had appeared out of thin air. Ash shot forward, a large knife in his hand. He slammed into the alien. The two scuffled.
The view changed back to Tane’s camera. Marin watched Ash and the raptor swing around, straining against each other. Ash’s arm moved fast, thrusting with his blade. Come on, Ash. She knew how close they were to getting out of there.
If the raptor called for help or they made too much noise, the berserkers would be discovered.
Finally, the raptor fell backward, slamming to the floor. Ash rose, chest heaving, and wiped his combat knife clean.
Marin let out a shaky breath. Her hands were trembling.
“Hide the body,” Tane said quietly. “Back in the maintenance tunnel.”
Ash nodded. Levi moved with him, and they each grabbed one of the raptor’s arms. The men dragged the huge alien toward the small doorway.
Levi wedged the door open, and with a few grunts and heaves, they shoved the raptor’s body into the space and closed the door.
The berserkers moved fast, sticking close to the wall. Soon, they were jogging back up the ramp to the upper tunnel. A moment later, they stepped outside into the sunshine.
Marin’s shoulders sagged. Indy looked calm as she swiped the screen. Marin knew she’d never be able to be on a squad, or even be a comms officer.
“Hawk incoming,” Indy said.
The berserkers moved fast now, less concerned about noise. They ran through a street, across an overgrown park, and into a parking lot attached to the hulking shadow of a former shopping mall. When Marin saw the Hawk descending to pick them up, she finally managed to take her first full, deep breath.
Tane waved his team aboard. “Coming home.”
Marin watched as they all settled in, retracting their helmets, and stowing their carbines.
“I need a beer,” Hemi said.
“I want tequila,” Levi called out. “A lot of it. Fuck, Ash. When that raptor just about stepped on you…” Levi shook his head. “I’ll buy the first round.”
Ash looked up at the camera in the Hawk. “I have something I need to do.”
Marin shivered, her fingernails digging into her thighs.
“You planning to play that pansy-assed game with the geeks?” Levi laughed. “Your cock’s going to fall off.”
Marin stiffened. They were ribbing him for playing the game. A bad taste filled her mouth. His friends were already giving him hell, and before long, he’d start playing less, and not want anythi
ng to do with it. Or the people who played it. Marin knew this story very well.
She had no right to be doing anything with Ash Connors. The two of them together made no sense, and Marin liked it when the world made sense. When she was in her own comfortable little place.
She stood. “I need to get back to the tech lab, and check what the spider bot is doing.” She escaped the Command Center, with one final glance at the screen. Ash was in profile, smiling, one tattooed arm on display.
Better yet, she’d take her portable comp and find a quiet place to spend the next few hours. Alone.
Ash stepped out of the shower, swiping his towel over his wet hair. He felt edgy as hell.
He knew what he wanted. Or, rather, who he wanted.
As soon as he’d returned from the mission, he’d looked for Marin. She was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t been in the tech lab, her room, the Command Center, or the dining room.
Dammit. Naked, he sat down in front of his computer. He knew a Pre-Emptive Strike game was starting. She never missed a game. He logged in and waited for PrincessBadass to appear.
And waited. And waited.
Fuck. Ash kicked the leg of the desk, and then stabbed the key to log off.
He’d fucked up. She’d told him about growing up and not feeling like she fit in. He knew Marin was skittish, even a touch innocent. And he was a ham-fisted biker and about as subtle as a freight train.
He pulled on some jeans and a T-shirt, and shoved his feet into his boots, then slammed out of his room. Moments later, he strode into a smaller hangar bay just off the main Hawk hangar. This was where the Z6-Hunters were stored. He took in the row of Hunters gleaming under the lights.
The armor-plated personnel carriers were black and sleek, and had rugged tires and deadly autocannons mounted on top.
There was a clang of metal on metal, followed by a curse. Ash rounded the Hunters and spotted Levi in one corner, working on one of the modified bikes that the berserkers had built. Levi had grease smeared on his white T-shirt, and his long hair was out, brushing his shoulders.
“Thought you had a date with a bottle of tequila?”
“Hey.” Levi nodded his head at some nearby crates. An open bottle of tequila rested on top. “I wanted to do some work on my bike.”
Ash knew his friend well. Working on bikes or cars was Levi’s escape. In the Iron Kings, Levi had been known as Gears, and made the club a hell of a lot of money with his rebuilds of classic cars. Ash had been called Doc. Neither of them used those names anymore. Gears and Doc had been left behind in the ashes of their bombed-out clubhouse and their dead brothers.
The berserker bikes were big and rugged, and covered in modifications. They’d been made to ride out on missions, and had armor-plating and missile launchers added, as well as a few other surprises.
“Thought you had a war game tonight.” Levi waggled his eyebrows.
At the mention of Pre-Emptive Strike, Ash grabbed the tequila and took a huge swig. The alcohol was a pleasant burn down his throat. “Nope.”
Levi snatched up a rag and wiped his hands, eyeing Ash. “Only one thing puts that look on a man’s face.”
“I’m fine.”
“A woman,” Levi continued.
“Don’t want to talk about it.” And he didn’t want to wonder where the hell Marin was.
Levi leaned back over the black bike. “Sure?”
“She’s too good for me anyway. Smart and sweet. She took one look at me and freaked.”
Levi’s head jerked up. “Fuck off, Connors. You’re a good guy. And you’re smart as hell, even though you hide it.”
“Thanks, bro.” Ash snatched up some tools and moved over to his bike. He set to work taking the side panel off. He may as well do something to keep his mind off things.
They worked in silence for a while. This was how it had always been between the two of them, easy. Knowing they each had the other’s backs. That didn’t mean they hadn’t traded a few punches or called each other out sometimes. But that was part of friendship, too, knowing they could fight and speak the truth to each other, but still be friends.
Ash was lying on his side, tightening some lines in his bike’s engine, when he noticed Levi eyeing the Hunters. One of the vehicles had its hood up. Clearly, someone was working on it.
“Heard they were doing some upgrades.” Levi shoved his rag in the back pocket of his jeans and strode over to the Hunter. “I want to take a little look.” He leaned over, poking around under the hood.
Ash snorted. “Remember, you get testy if someone pokes around in your engines.”
“No one here to see.”
But a few minutes later, a female voice echoed through the hangar. “Hey! Hands off, biker man.”
Levi jerked upright and Ash sat up. A redhead—with killer curves packed into jeans and a form-fitting green T-shirt that showed off her assets—was striding across the space. She was also holding a wrench in her hand and had a grease stain on one cheek. Her brow was creased and she was glaring at Levi.
Chrissy was a recent survivor who’d joined the Enclave. The auburn-haired woman had been held in alien captivity, and been rescued by Devlin Gray from the intel team, and kickass Taylor Cates from Squad Nine.
“Just looking, sweet thing,” Levi said with a grin.
“Don’t ‘sweet thing’ me.” She got close and pointed the wrench at him. “I’ve been working my butt off on this Hunter. I don’t need you messing it up.”
“I know a few things about engines,” Levi said.
She glared daggers at him. “I’m a qualified mechanic. I don’t need any help.” She bumped the wrench into Levi’s chest. “Hands off.”
Levi lifted his palms up in surrender.
Chrissy sniffed and turned back to the Hunter. A second later, Levi moved in close behind and murmured something.
Ash was too far away to hear what Levi whispered, but suddenly Chrissy turned and swung the wrench at his head. Luckily, Levi had fast reflexes.
He ducked and laughed. “I like a woman with attitude. Suspected you had some hidden under that red hair, Spitfire.”
“Out of my way, biker man.” She shot him a fake-sweet smile. “Or I’ll show you attitude and I guarantee you won’t like it.”
As Chrissy stormed out of the hangar, Levi watched her with a smile on his face.
Ash knew that look. When Levi wanted something, he let nothing get in his way.
“Don’t think she’s receptive, brother,” Ash said.
Levi’s smile sharpened. “She will be.” He moved back to his bike, but his gaze was on Ash. “I’ve always believed that when you see something you want, you go in guns blazing after it.” He glanced back in the direction where Chrissy disappeared. “Or her.”
Ash considered his friend’s words, and thought of Marin.
“She worth it?” Levi asked quietly.
Ash knew Levi wasn’t talking about Chrissy. Ash’s head filled with an image of sunny curls and glasses perched on a cute nose. “Yeah.”
Levi picked up another tool and went back to work on his bike. “World’s a fucked-up place these days, Ash. There’s not too much good left in it, so when you find some, you grab the fuck on and don’t let go. Don’t let anything get in the way of you taking a little piece of it and protecting it.”
“You’re pretty smart for a rough-as-guts biker,” Ash said.
Levi smiled. “Get out of here.”
Ash stood and wiped his hands. He decided to follow his best friend’s advice.
Chapter Six
Marin sat alone in the tech lab. It was late, so the main lights were off, and she just had a lamp on to illuminate her desk.
She’d hung out in the pool, of all places, with her portable comp until she was sure Ash would have given up looking for her. Coward, thy name is Marin. She sighed. She’d missed playing Pre-Emptive Strike, and because of the humidity in the pool room, her hair had turned all kinds of crazy.
She pushed the
unruly mass off her face and forced herself to focus on the code on the screen. She wanted the sweet oblivion of work, so she could studiously ignore the fact that the sexiest man in base had been tricking her into touching herself while they played a computer game together.
Ugh. Marin let her head fall forward and clunk her desk. She was so embarrassed. The more she thought about it, the more she knew that Ash must be laughing at her behind her back. Tease the geek girl, then laugh about it with your friends. She sat up and shook her head. It isn’t high school anymore, Marin. He was probably in bed with some nameless, faceless, gorgeous woman, and not even thinking about Marin Mitchell. God, Marin hated that woman, whoever she was.
She tapped the screen to check on the spider bot. She frowned. No contact. She was sure it should have found somewhere to spike into the alien system by now. She tapped her fingers on her desk. What if it had been found by the raptors? Or damaged? Or flat out didn’t work?
A notification pinged up on her screen. Hmm, one of the servers needed a visual check in the comp system server room. She touched the screen, tucked her portable comp under her arm, and then pushed out of the lab.
The server room wasn’t far. She often snuck in there to work, when she needed to get away from the chaos of the tech lab.
“Marin.”
Uh-oh. She spun and saw Ash storming down the corridor toward her.
Her heart jumped at the savage look on his face. God, she wasn’t sure she was ready to deal with him yet. She spun and walked down the hall at a fast clip.
Without thinking, she ducked down a side corridor. He’d never find her server room. When she took the next corridor, she was half running.
“Marin!”
He was gaining on her. Chest heaving, she turned another corner, and saw the secure door for the server room.
She slapped her palm to the electronic lock. It beeped, and she wrenched the door open.
But before she could close it, a tattooed arm shoved past her and slammed the door wide again.
Ash’s big body pressed up against her. He nudged her inside and banged the door closed behind them, locking them in the server room. Her portable comp dropped to the floor with a slap.
