by Imogene Nix
She levered up and away, tugging the sheet with her to cover her naked body. “Look, you’re a senator and—”
“And you are the woman I love. So stop looking for outs, Gillian. If you want honesty, then by all means, let’s be clear. I wanted you from the first time I saw you. But it wasn’t right. You worked for me, so I never made a move. Now you don’t. Not by my choice, but still—”
Gillian turned away in a single sharp move. “But here? This is just an interlude. It has to be.”
The slow burn of anger rose in his chest. Can’t she see? But of course, he knew she didn’t understand. Her arrest, then dismissal, and the ignominy of her brother’s crimes, had damaged the trusting part of her nature. It left her raw and distrustful.
He snatched at and caught her hand, bringing it to his now straining groin. “Does this feel like some bloody interlude to you?” He sighed, realizing that was a mistake immediately. A slow exhale helped him let go of some of the pressure in his chest. “While we’re stuck in here we have an opportunity to talk. This? Between us? It’s too…” He searched for the words.
“Maybe, we should check the status of the area?” She spoke quietly, and he reluctantly understood she needed space. It was true, too, that their situation right now was tenuous at best.
He tapped the communications tab as Gillian caught up her discarded clothing. “Status update on Vega II.”
The light flashed green several times. “Vega II, status, controlled defense commenced. Captain Carmichael Snow in control. Base breach at sectors Alpha-Nine-Zeta and Beta-One-Zero-Gamma. Casualties, none known. Further information is classified.”
What is Carmichael doing here? What brought him? And why don’t I know? But that was easy; he’d told his staff not to contact him unless it was an emergency requiring his vote.
“Communications, this is Senator Tomi Ito, override Alpha-Foxtrot-Mike-One-One-Zero. Voice activated.” He waited as the computer checked his voiceprint against the records.
“Affirmative, Senator Tomi Ito. Request?” The tiny sound of the computer generated voice echoed in the small area.
“Current status of Vega II.”
“Current Sit-Rep. Vega II under attack. Captain Carmichael Snow has reported five sublight destroyers. Total destroyed—three. Attack on Vega II continuing with insurgents in following zones—”
Tomi interrupted the modulated tones of the address system. “Override insurgent report.”
“Recalibrating report. Unknown casualty rates. Some damage to life support systems on main level.”
“Patch me through to Snow.”
“Affirmative.”
Tomi dragged a shaking hand through his hair. Damage to life support could mean anything from ruptured oxygen tanks to a breach of the atmospheric dome. I need more information. He caught Gillian’s gaze, saw the way her eyes widened with fear. He reached out.
Gillian accepted the proffered hand and held on. The danger was so much more than he’d thought. He damned himself for not keeping her safe and tugged her into his arms. She came without demur.
“Tomi? Where the hell are you?” Carmichael, and he sounded angry.
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m in a life pod, located—”
“No, on second thought, don’t tell me where you are. I’m not sure how secure this connection is.” A crackled sound of an exhalation echoed through the link. “You’re okay though?”
Tomi frowned. “Yeah. Gillian is here with me. She says hi.” In his arms, she wiggled but remained silent.
“Good. Stay safe, wherever you are. There are insurgents on Vega II hunting you. While you’re in a secure tube, you should be fine.” The words were a punch to his belly. Gillian straightened in his hold and tried to turn, but he kept her still.
“Really? Now isn’t that interesting. Don’t suppose you care to tell me why?”
“Not yet. But I have an idea. Just be ready to move if I have to find you.” The babble of voices rose and fell in the background, and while Tomi couldn’t make out the words, the tones were agitated. “Damn. I have to go. Just…just hang tight. Both of you.”
The connection died away and there was almost silence, except for the sound of their breathing. They’re looking for me.
Chapter 5
Gillian trembled and sat up. The Indies were looking for Tomi and there wasn’t anything she could do. She held her breath and focused on not screaming as fear crashed through her system. They were stuck in a life pod while the Indies looked for him. I won’t let them take him. But what could she do? It wasn’t like she had any kind of weapon, not unless she could somehow cobble something together from within this metal coffin. Her fingers curled.
“Gillian?”
She jumped, startled. “What?” Glancing up quickly, her head almost hit the roof of the tube in her haste. She spoke carefully, knowing now that so much depended on silence and hiding.
“You’ve tensed up on me. I didn’t…I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
A bubble of laughter rose in her throat. Hysterical laughter. She brutally tamped it down though. There was no time, and it certainly wasn’t the place to give in to the rising panic. “No, Tomi. But we need to be quiet.”
“I know, but I need you to know. Damn it, I care about you.”
The ice around her heart melted a little at his words. They weren’t quite the words she needed, but it was as close as it was going to get right now.
Her hand curved around his cheek, the gesture loving. “I know.” She sucked in a long sigh. “We should rest for now.”
He nodded, eyes stormy as he obviously weighed her words and actions. “For now. Later, we talk.”
In silence, he assumed a prone position and she curled back down into his embrace, needing the reassurance of his closeness. It was only an interlude though, she reminded herself. Not long term. He had said he wanted her back, wanted everything, but he hadn’t told her he loved her. And the specter of her brother still loomed. Tomi’s hand traced lazy circles over her back and she drifted away.
* * * *
It was the bang that woke her. “Stay still,” Tomi whispered urgently in her ear, and her heart raced in fear.
Who is it? Carmichael and his people or the Indies? The red emergency button above her glowed dully and she looked at Tomi. Had he done that? Tried to alert someone to their danger? He shook his head, as if he knew her thoughts.
A creak and a groan were followed by a large clang. It reverberated through the pod, echoing all the way to her stomach where it roiled like a writhing snake. She opened her mouth, but Tomi gave a quick motion of his head. She stilled her words. The enclosure shuddered.
Another clang erupted, and this time the emergency alarm in the capsule started to wail. “Breach of Life Support Systems.”
Their hands joined, clung. Tomi squeezed tight and she accepted the modicum of reassurance.
Woosh! The door opened and before them, in old stained Indy uniforms, stood a ragtag group of soldiers.
“Get up! Get out!” The voice was loud and harsh.
Her heart thudded in her throat.
Tomi climbed out, still naked, and she followed without grace. She wobbled slightly. Tomi gripped her wrist. One of the women eyed him up and down and Gillian had to stop herself from pushing in front of him. He’s mine! Any such outburst wouldn’t help right now, she knew.
“Cover yourself!” The man nearest them reached in, found Tomi’s trousers, and thrust them at him.
Tomi released Gillian and stepped into the pants, but his broad, burnished chest shone under the dim lights. “Who are you, and where are you taking us?”
The man laughed brutally. “You’ll be our prisoner, but your pretty friend? Well, I’m sure we could find a use—”
Tomi shoved forward. “You won’t—”
A swift blunt end of a weapon in his solar plexus had him doubling over. Gillian stretched her hand toward him, but she was dragged back by her vicious captor.
“You’re
our prisoner. So shut up.” The man jerked Gillian against him as she tried to move forward again.
She twisted and turned in his grip, but couldn’t escape.
“I wouldn’t do that, pretty one. Otherwise…” He let the threat hang in the air and tears formed in her eyes.
“Let him go and I’ll give you—”
This time, the man uttered a harsh sound that was more like scratching fingernails on a slate surface. “I’ll take what I want. I don’t need you to give me anything.” He tugged her against his body and revulsion rose as she felt the thickening of an erection at her hip. She strained away. His arm circled her waist, fingers splaying over her belly.
“Let her go.” Tomi’s voice was weak, and Gillian feared it was but the first of many injuries he’d sustain.
“Now that we have what we came for, we need to get out of here.” Another voice, feminine in nature, called out.
“But the girl?” Another of his people spoke and her assailant cackled.
“He took my slave. I need another. She’ll do perfectly.” He slid his hand up and cupped Gillian’s breast, squeezing hard, and she yowled, tugging away from his loathsome touch.
“Don’t—” Tomi took another crack, this time across the back of his head. It felled him.
The thud when he hit the floor echoed and Gillian cried out again.
“Pick him up. We can’t afford to be caught.”
Then she was tugged, slipping and fighting, to the lounge where she and Tomi had been about to settle in to eat. The man had her at the door, the slider open. He was shoving her forward when a voice called them to halt. She knew the voice. It was Carmichael.
He grabbed her ruthlessly, his arm now winding around her neck. “You want us? Then think about her!” The barrel of the laser pressed painfully into her side, digging into muscles and flesh. “I’ll kill her, then it’s his turn!”
Sweat formed on her face as she caught sight of naval officers waiting for them. Some were crouched behind conduit points and others stood, laser rifle to their shoulders, as if waiting for some order to shoot.
She was expendable. But what about Tomi? Was there some way she could warn the officers? She sucked in a breath and screamed as fast and loud as possible. “Tomi Ito!”
A hand wound itself through her hair and pulled.
“Argh!”
The pain was excruciating. Her knees gave out, and she dropped as the hand around her neck tugged again. She hoped it had been enough. Because there and then, she realized her time was over. It was too late. She just hoped it was enough to save him.
“I’ll kill her!”
Behind them came a crashing sound. A whine split the air as another joined. A shock of pain ran through her. Then a gray curtain descended.
* * * *
The action took place in slow motion for Tomi. One minute he was on his knees, shaking his head groggily and fending off the ache in his brain, then he was hauled upright. “Come with us now.” He staggered through the doorway in time to see the man at the front stop. He’d been dragging Gillian to the door. Fury built inside Tomi and it was volcanic. Boiling and ready to spew out, to burn everything within his path.
His words chilled Tomi to the marrow. “You want us? Then think about her!”
Tomi tugged against the hold on him. Save Gillian! The thought was primal—the need to save his mate, rising up. He tried to pull away, but savage hands and feet stopped him. He thudded once more to the floor, winded and in a mass of radiating pain.
He splayed his hands and attempted to push up, but a foot landed on his back, holding him still with vicious pressure.
“Ugh!”
The blow was painful, and breathing was impossible without spikes of agony spreading through his chest.
“Let me up.” Get to Gillian! Don’t let him take and hurt her!
When Gillian screamed out his name, his chest nearly exploded with fear. What the hell is she doing? But he knew—his soul told him she would pay any price for his freedom. For an instant, he had to close his eyes. The pressure was too much. I can’t lose her now!
“I’ll kill her!”
The sound reverberated through his brain. The bastard will too. There was nothing left to lose. His brain spun as Tomi tried to think of some way he could stop her death. But he was supine on the floor, without a single weapon. Hope ebbed away, leaving him a cold and empty shell. Brittle.
A crash echoed and the sound of lasers deploying filled the air. The whine sharp as the condensed beam of light cut its path to whatever its target was. The man dropped to the floor, dead if the stench of burning flesh was anything to go by. Even as the pressure from the foot eased, Tomi was up and running. No one stopped him, though he dimly heard a babble of voices.
On the floor lay Gillian. Pale. Still. His heart cracked. Dear gods! Don’t let her be dead. His hands shook as he pushed her silky hair from her face. Only the slight rise and fall of her chest and the whisper of breath told him she still lived.
“Gillian.” His voice broke as tears dripped down his cheek. He wanted to gather her close, but without knowing the extent of her injuries…
She was alive, and he was thankful. Now, the muffled shouts and fighting behind him didn’t exist. His whole being was centered on the woman in front of him. The one he hadn’t ever told of his love. The cold reality was that she was much too good for him. She had an inner well of strength. And how he wished he could call upon it right now, when he needed it the most.
“Gillian, can you hear me?” Tomi raised his head as a gentle hand was laid on his shoulder.
“Is she...” Carmichael squatted beside him.
“She’s alive. But I don’t…” He couldn’t finish the words. It hurt far too much.
“I need a medic here!” Carmichael bellowed, and Tomi felt insignificant and useless.
A woman scurried over and dropped beside Gillian. “Let me in so I can check her.” She had a tiny medi-scanner in her hand. Slowly, she waved it over Gillian, and Tomi waited, the not knowing clawing at him. With a sigh, she rocked back on her knees. “She needs urgent medical attention.”
Carmichael nodded. “Arrange a team to get her to my ship.” Then he pulled his brother-in-law away whilst a group of people fashioned a board to carry her on. Tomi moved to help and Carmichael held him back. “My men are trained for this. Let them do their job.”
So Tomi did, his gaze dogging their every move. Then they hoisted her up and she was gone. Taking his heart with her. “She needs…” His hand reached out, but Carmichael gripped his shoulders, shaking him. Stopping him from following.
“Right now she needs medical help. The best place to deal with her injuries is on my ship.” Tomi wanted to argue, but Carmichael shook his head. “Tomi, we need to talk.”
He didn’t want to. Hell, he wanted to go with Gillian, but he didn’t even know where they’d taken her—what path they took—just that she was out of his sight. “I don’t…”
“This was a setup, Tomi. They were after you. My men got wind of it, which is why I’m here.”
Tomi stiffened then turned and looked at the large man who was frowning at him. “Just what do you mean by that?”
“I mean—”
“Sir! We need you over here.” A woman, slender and young, called to Carmichael, her face grave. “You’re going to want to see this.”
Tomi watched as Carmichael swung away. He’d muttered a harsh epithet as his feet moved swiftly. A knot of officers crowded around and a rapid-fire conversation ensued. At the end, the scowl etched on his friend’s face told him the news wasn’t good.
“Tomi, we have to get you out of here, now. Come on.” Carmichael grabbed him, moving at a rapid clip out the door.
* * * *
Oh gods! How I ache! Coming to wasn’t pleasant, as the throb in Gillian’s side told her something had happened. Her mouth felt like dry sandpaper and breathing was painful indeed. Opening her eyes reminded Gillian that she wasn’t in the pod w
ith Tomi. In fact, she really didn’t know where she was.
Cracking her eyes open a little was hard, as the lethargy of whatever they’d given her hadn’t totally worn off, she guessed. “Where… Where am I?”
“Yes, I thought you might be waking soon.”
She laid both hands flat as if to rise.
“No, stay right where you are. Can’t have you undoing all my hard work, now can we?”
The voice was cheerful and Gillian scowled. “Where’s Tomi? Where am I?” Panic set in. Great big, greasy waves washed through her.
“Senator Ito is just outside. Don’t stress, otherwise your blood pressure will spike and I’ll have to keep you here longer.”
She wanted to lash out, but her rational mind urged her to be cautious. After all, she still wasn’t sure as to her location, and clearly the man standing in front of her had no intention of telling her. “So how soon can I get out of here? Wherever here is?”
He grinned as she controlled an outburst of temper. “Well, my dear, since you seem so inclined to leave us, I would think in a few minutes you should be able to go.” He must have seen the confusion she felt, telegraphed on her face. “You’re on the Emancipation. In the medical wing. Now, I’ll send the senator in, but before you go, some advice. Getting too active for the next few days is inadvisable. You had a nasty laser wound, which I have spent the last two days repairing. The skin has knitted together nicely, as have the muscles and organs, but I don’t want you back here because you’ve torn anything.”
Heat crept over her skin. He thought she was going to go have sex with Tomi—Senator Ito? “Yeah, I promise to stay quiet.”
He gazed at her, his face alive with curiosity and she nearly ducked. “Fine, then. I’ll go get him.” The man trudged to the end of the bed, opened the narrow door, and dipped his head around. “You can come in now.”
Tomi appeared at the doorway, his face drawn and hair messy. “Gillian!” His rapid footsteps brought him to the side of her bed, where he caught both her hands up in his. She noted dimly that they shook.
