Alien Rescue (Latrothian Warrior Series Book 2)

by Dena Christy

  She stepped into the elevator and concentrated on her breathing. She could do this. Interacting as a chippy with a prospective client was something she’d been trained to do, and she needed to think of her mission tonight as a meeting in that light. As soon as she thought of it that way, she could feel her pulse rate slow down and she walked out of the elevator more confident than she had been when she stepped in.

  She stepped in front of Dawson’s door and knocked on it. After a few moments, the door opened and Dawson was there.

  He stood in the doorway, looking like a wolf who was inviting in a lamb, and her stomach tightened inside as she stepped over the threshold. He guided her through, and she stopped the shudder of revulsion from coursing through her as his palm burned on the small of her back. The tips of his fingers crept down on the flesh on the upper part of her bottom, and she stepped away from him, hoping he’d get the message to keep his hands to himself.

  “Let’s get down to business.” He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him.

  She let out a startled gasp as her body was pressed flush against him. She could feel his arousal as he leaned toward her. At the last moment she turned her head aside, and his lips landed on the side of her neck. They were slightly moist and crept down her flesh. She insinuated her hands between them and pushed him away. She didn’t think he’d jump her as soon as she stepped over the threshold, so much for her thought that Dawson had more class than that.

  “Easy tiger,” she said as she did her best to interject a light tone to her voice. She hadn’t counted on him being so sexually aggressive so soon in the evening, and she needed to keep her wits about her if she was going to slip him the drug and get out of her with her virtue intact. “What’s the rush? We have all evening.”

  “Why wait,” he countered as he stepped toward her again. She avoided his hands as she sidestepped him.

  “I find that anticipation helps build the pleasure.” She took hold of his hands to keep them off her body. “Why don’t I make you a drink, and we’ll discuss what’s expected.”

  “You know what I expect,” he said as he reluctantly stepped away and let her hands fall away from his.

  “Yes I do.” She scanned the room, hoping he had liquor somewhere visible. She tightened the muscles in her stomach to keep from trembling. Things were not proceeding as she had expected, and he was unlike any other man she’d had encounters with. She was used to men of Reggie’s caliber who kept a respectful distance until the contract was agreed upon. Nothing in her life prepared her for a man like Dawson. Ryce had tried to warn her, but she really hadn’t believed Dawson could be as bad as he said. “But you don’t know what I expect.”

  “You expect to be paid,” he said as he threw himself down on the sofa and flung his arms along the back. “I have more than enough money to keep you happy. What I want to know is if you have the skills to keep me happy. But make us a drink if that’s what it takes to loosen your knees.”

  She didn’t comment on his crude remark and spotted a liquor decanter and two glasses standing on a table off to the side of the room. The location was perfect because she could prepare his drink with her back to him. With any luck she could get him to drink it and pass out so she could get the hell out of here. The sooner that happened the better because she didn’t think she could put him off for long. His eyes glittered with suppressed desire, and she suppressed the shudder that the look caused. Jesus this man was utterly repellant, and it took all her acting skills to keep her distaste from showing on her face.

  With a calming breath she stepped toward the table that held the liquor.

  “How do you like it,” she asked as she looked over her shoulder toward him. He’d tugged off his tie and loosened the top few buttons on his shirt. His eyes were glued firmly on her ass, and she was surprised he hadn’t stripped naked with his cock out. Dawson may try to pretend he could swim in Reggie’s circles, but the man base and classless.

  “Neat,” he said as he ran his tongue over his lower lip as he looked at her.

  She waited until she turned back before she rolled her eyes. One good thing about making his whiskey neat was she could put ice in the glass intended for her and her handing him a specific drink wouldn’t arouse his suspicions. She opened the ice bucket and used the silver tongs inside to drop ice into the glass she intended to use. She had no intention of drinking with him, but she could pretend and hopefully forestall him long enough for the sedative to take affect.

  “What’s taking so long,” he asked impatiently from behind her.

  “I’ll be done in a minute,” she said as she surreptitiously slipped the vial out of her bodice, and emptied the contents in the glass that held no ice. She disposed of it in the ice bucket and put the lid back on. She didn’t want to take the time to the empty vial back in her top. She’d be long gone by the time he found it.

  She picked up the decanter and almost dropped it when she felt his hands come down on her hips, pulling her back toward him.

  “I was getting lonely over there without you,” he said as he buried his face in the side of her neck.

  She gritted her teeth as she pulled the stopper out of the decanter and poured whiskey into his glass. She poured about half the amount in the glass she intended to use, and she was glad she hadn’t hidden the vial back in her bodice when his hands came up to grope her breasts.

  She picked up both glasses and tried to turn, but he had her pinned against the table with his pelvis, rubbing his erection against the her ass. Her heart pounded and she focused on keeping calm and breathing. She had to get that sedative into him and get the hell out of here.

  “Your drink is ready,” she said. She didn’t want to push against him since she figured that would only encourage him. He seemed to get the hint because he took a fraction of a step back, enough to enable her to turn. She was still trapped between him and the table, but hopefully once he took the glass she handed to him she would have room to maneuver away from him.

  “I don’t know why you’re so insistent on drinking,” he said as he took the glass but made no move to take a drink. “I don’t need liquor to be able to get it up for you.”

  As if to underline the crudeness of his words, he pressed his hips forward, as if she’d missed that he had an erection the first time he’d pressed it against her. She kept the wince off her face, and did her best to put on a frosty demeanor, despite the fear blooming inside her.

  She may have bitten off more than she could chew with him. She realized just how big and strong he was now that he was standing so close to her. Thank God Evie had given her the sedative as she would have been at his mercy otherwise.

  “There is a certain protocol that needs to be observed,” she said, hoping that would be enough to cool his jets.

  “Are you implying that I’m too ignorant to understand what you’re doing? You're a fucking cock tease and are trying to raise your price. We’ll play it your way but I intend to have you before the night is over,” he growled as he raised the glass to his lips and tossed back the contents. She prayed that sedative acted fast because she knew that she couldn’t put him off any longer. “Satisfied?”

  She stared at him, not knowing what to say to placate him. He tossed the glass aside and knocked the glass she was holding from her hand. She gasped as he put he grasped her face, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her lower jaw. He held her fast as he welded his lips to hers. She could taste the liquor he’d just consumed as he jammed his tongue in her mouth. She shoved at him as hard as she could and it was enough to get him to stumble back a step.

  “This rendezvous is over,” she said, and she skirted around him, taking advantage of the startled look on his face. She wished she had something heavy to hit him with, but had stupidly let go of the liquor bottle when she’d handed him his drink. It didn’t matter, she was out of here.

  She got two steps away, but his hand came down on the back of her top and she heard the fabric ripping as he yanked her ba
ck.

  “It’s over when I say it’s over,” he said, his voice slurring out of his mouth. His grip went slack for a moment, and in her efforts to get away from him she pitched forward and fell to the floor.

  She rolled over on her back and scooted back away from him. He raised his hand to his face as he blinked at her.

  “What the fuck did you do,” he asked, and the words came out in a mushy slur. She could see the sedative taking effect as he staggered toward her.

  She moved back further to avoid him falling on her as his body fell to the floor with a thud. Her breath came out in ragged sobs as she stared at him for a moment. He lay still, and she could hear the heaviness of his breath. She closed her eyes for a moment as relief poured through her. Her body trembled all over and she got shakily to her feet. Using one hand to keep the tattered remains of her blouse closed, she grabbed her purse and ran from the apartment.

  Her hand shook as she frantically pushed the call button for the elevator. The rational part of her mind knew that he was out, but until she was out of this building and back at Evie’s there was no way she would feel safe.

  The elevator opened smoothly, and she stepped inside. There was an older couple standing in the elevator, and she could only imagine the sight she presented. They gave her a strange look, and she did her best to ignore them as she rode down in the elevator.

  As soon as the doors opened on the ground floor she dashed out the front door, the frantic clicking of her heels matching the pace of her heart beat. Evie was waiting for her in the car, right where she’d left her. She yanked the door open and collapsed inside.

  “Are you okay?” Evie asked, the concern evident in her voice as she took in the situation with one swift assessing glance.

  “No. Take me to Ryce.” She swallowed hard back past the lump in her throat. She closed her eyes and her head fell against the passenger side window as the car pulled away from the building.

  She focused everything on her breathing as she tried to block out the thoughts of what could have happened to her. She focused all her thoughts and energy on Ryce, and it calmed her enough to keep her from going out of her mind. Ryce was waiting for her, and once she was in his arms, she could fall apart. She only had to hold herself together until then.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “So let me get this straight,” Cynric said as the van pulled into the parking lot of Evie’s base of operations. “You have a woman now?”

  Although his question was directed at Synn, Ryce couldn’t help but think of Collette. They hadn’t discussed having a future together, and up until Cynric's rescue, Ryce had held out little hope that there would be a future for them. Now that Cynric was out of their enemy’s clutches, a small ray of hope blossomed inside Ryce, that maybe he would be as lucky as Synn. The mated mark hadn’t appeared, but Ryce wasn’t concerned. He was falling in love with Collette, and that was more important to him then some mark appearing on his skin. Last night he’d bared his soul to her, let her see the real him and she’d been so passionate in her acceptance of him.

  “Yes, her name is Miranda, and you’ll get to meet her in a few minutes.”

  “And what about you?” Cynric asked as he turned to Ryce. “Do you have a woman too?”

  Ryce wasn’t sure how to answer him since he didn’t want to discuss Collette being his woman when he hadn’t even talked to her about it.

  “He’s working on it,” Synn answered with a grin as they got out of the vehicle.

  “Well, it’s good to know that the trip to this godforsaken planet wasn’t a complete waste. All we need to do now is figure out a way to get the hell off it before any of us land in prison cells again.” Cynric got out of the van and slammed the sliding door shut.

  “We’ll find a way,” Ryce said as he scanned the parking lot.

  There was no sign of the other vehicle, and he bit his lip. Collette should be here by now. He heard a vehicle coming down the road toward the compound, and relief went through him when he saw it was the car they’d stolen from Dr. Avery, and that both Collette and Evie were inside.

  He’d done his best while rescuing Cynric to keep his focus on the task at hand, but once they’d gotten him out his mind had automatically gone to Collette. She had assured him that she could handle Dawson, and now that he saw she was safely back at Evie’s he didn’t need to worry.

  He took a step toward the car, and his stomach dropped to his toes when he took in the sight of Collette when she got out of the car. She was pale, shaking and he could see her blouse hanging open, it’s ragged edges parted and leaving her bra covered breasts exposed. His heart pounded as he rushed toward her.

  He stepped toward her, and she recoiled from him, staring at his face and he realized that he still looked like Dawson. He quickly focused on taking on his own form, and once he looked like himself she looked up at him, her lower lip trembling.

  “It’s okay, baby, it’s me,” he said as he stepped in front of her.

  “Ryce,” she said and he couldn’t hold himself back from her any longer.

  He gathered her to him and scooped her up in his arms. Her arms snaked around his neck, and she trembled against him. “What the hell happened.”

  He looked over at Evie, but she made no move to answer him. She stared at Cynric, her face white and she swayed on her feet as if she was seeing a ghost.

  “Evie,” he said and the sharpness of his tone jolted her eyes away from Cynric and toward him. Cynric was still in his guise as Clancy, and he figured that was what was disturbing her. He didn’t have time to coddle Evie since he needed to know what happened to Collette. “That’s Cynric. What happened to her?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, her voice shaky as her eyes strayed again to Cynric.

  Cynric must have seen that his current form disturbed her because he closed his eyes and in a matter of moments he morphed back to his own from. A look of relief came over her face, and she seemed to collect herself, although Ryce noticed that she had yet to take her eyes away from Cynric.

  He looked over at Cynric, and he could see his commander’s attention had been caught by Evie, as if he’d never seen a woman before. Fuck, was he the only one who could see the urgency of their situation. He didn’t have the patience for Evie and Cynric making moon eyes at each other while Collette fell apart in his arms.

  “We can’t stand around here exposed,” he said in a sharp tone that he hoped would jolt them into action. It seemed to do the trick as both Evie and Cynric tore their eyes away from each other.

  “Yes, let’s get inside,” Evie said, and she had a flushed and flustered look on her face as she spun away. She led the way into the building and rushed up to the entrance. Her eyes darted to Collette as she held the door open and Ryce walked by her with a trembling Collette clinging to him. “She wouldn’t tell me what happened to her. She wanted to get back here to you.”

  They walked as a group down the hall, and Miranda met them, her eyes darting to Collette right away.

  “What happened?” she gasped as she rushed over to look a Collette. Synn came to her side, put his arm around her and drew her back slightly. He seemed to understand that perhaps Collette needed space. She raised worried eyes up to her lover and pressed herself against him.

  “We don’t know,” Synn said as he pulled her close. “Ryce, why don’t you take her somewhere quiet, where she can have space to breathe. We’ll get Cynric settled and get that thing off his back.”

  Ryce nodded as he strode down the hall toward his room. He was relieved that Cynric’s time in prison had left him relatively unscathed, because his mind wasn’t on his friend. All his focus was on the vulnerable woman who clung to him as he walked to his room.

  He walked inside and kicked the door shut. He sat on the edge of the bed, holding her on his lap.

  “Collette,” he said softly. She didn’t answer right away, and the longer her silence lasted the more frightened he became that something terrible had happened to her. “Baby
, please talk to me. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”

  He’d read in Dawson’s what he was capable of and it frightened him to think of what that bastard might have subjected her to.

  “He was all over me the second I walked in the door,” she whispered against his neck. “I was so scared Ryce. You were right, he was almost more than I could handle.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment as he clung to her use of the word “almost”. He prayed silently for a moment that he hadn’t violated Collette. There was only one way to find out, and although he was loathed to do it, he had to ask her.

  “Did he rape you,” he asked, his voice grim as he stared straight ahead. He clenched his jaw as he waited for her answer.

  “No,” she said, her voice small and quiet. There was no relief for him, because although she said that Dawson hadn’t violated her, he’d terrified her. “If the sedative hadn’t kicked in when it did he would have. He groped me, forced his kiss on me and ripped my top…”

  Her voice had trailed off to a whisper, and he wouldn’t push her to tell him anymore. What she had already said, and how frightened she was acting was more than enough to paint a picture of what Dawson had put her through.

  He tightened his arms around her and held her. He didn’t know what to say to her to help her. There was nothing he could say to undo what Dawson had done. His instincts were screaming at him to go to Dawson and beat the life from him for what he’d put her through. He forced himself to stay put. Collette needed him more than his thirst for vengeance needed to be sated.

  “Look at me,” he said, and she pulled back to look up at him. His mouth tightened for a moment when he saw the fingertip bruises marring the pale skin of her jaw. He reached up to stroke her tender skin, and she flinched. His had fell away as he pushed down the rage that was clamoring inside him. “You’re safe. I will never let anything like this happen to you again. You won’t have to see him or deal with him again.”