Love in Troubled Times

by Gayle Riley

  “So, um… Now that that’s done it’s official…” Trevor said as he came out of the bushes, his hands fidgeting with themselves. “You’re sure that you’d rather be with me more than any other guy, Brenda? There’s so much more for you out there and if you’re stuck with me you’ll probab—”

  Brenda cut Trevor off by pressing her lips to his briefly. “Honey… I don’t care about what you are or any of that. I want to be with you.”

  Tears welled up in Trevor’s eyes. “Brenda… I…”

  “Hush.” She tapped him on the nose lightly. “Now get the rest of your clothes on before I have to get you out of here for indecent exposure. My break’s over, so… Tonight at six?”

  Trevor nodded. “Tonight at six.”

  THE END

  Bonus 22 of 30

  Layla and Her Aliens

  Description

  Layla is a space pirate. She is a tough chick who makes a living by landing on a resource-rich planet, stealing the resources and selling it to someone who needs it the most. She has never cared about anyone but herself and doesn’t plan to change that. But when she and her current crew of misfits get captured by an alien race she has stolen from in the past, she turns on the seductive charm to get out of there. She finds herself in the arms of the second in command who she will make fall in love for her in order to protect her so she can eventually escape. But she soon butts heads over this idea with a crew member, her own second in command, who is also an alien and apparently has been in love with her for a long time. This twisted love triangle eventually ends in someone’s tragic death which teaches Layla to take nothing and no one for granted.

  Chapter 1

  Layla Riker stood before the leader of the Zulas, trying not to be disgusted by the smell they emitted. She had just began doing dealings with the Zulas, as soon as she got a glimpse of what their everyday people were up against. Other than select places back on Earth, she had never seen poverty quite so striking as that of the Zulas and they needed her help. Even the leader, Ranjay, was going bankrupt. Though, he still found ways to pay her with resources that would bring a pretty penny back on Earth. Specifically, the Zulas had clean water in abundance; water that was better than the filthy stuff left back on Earth. She knew there would be a bidding war over it, so she let her crew believe this was her only motivation for working with the Zulas. A pirate captain could never reveal her heart or she would lose her followers. She had learned that the hard way in the past.

  “What I am asking for you to get us is blood,” Ranjay explained, looking up at her with his set of desperate green eyes. The Zulas resembled very large and slimy bugs that slid around on their tails like snails. They smelled similar to that too, and it didn’t help that they were plagued with disease. It made perfect sense that they would want blood, which wasn’t the red substance that flowed from Layla’s veins. Blood was the slang term for an item that was precious to the entire universe; providing both fuel and medicine to more than half of the known galaxies. But a few unlucky planets had none of this naturally and had to either trade, or trust pirates to illegally grab the stuff for them. That was where Layla came in.

  “Blood could change our lives for the better if we could get our hands on it. We could get more things done and we could heal our diseases.” Layla nodded, knowing Ranjay was correct in that statement. But she also knew the danger she would be putting herself and her crew in to get a hold of it. The large quantities the Zulas would demand would mean traveling to a planet which was rich in blood; a planet she had already robbed from twice.

  “I understand that, Lord Ranjay, but you know the danger that lies ahead for us to steal blood. Many civilizations guard the stuff with their lives. There is only one that does not,” she spoke, keeping her head down in respect.

  “Ah, I know of what you speak, my dear friend. The Arkuns have blood in abundance, but they are a strong people. This is why in return, I will offer you water to take back to Earth, as much as you ask me for. We have so many rains here, I will not even miss it. But your people, they need it dearly, do they not?” He drove a hard bargain, one that Layla wasn’t about to turn down. Though, she couldn’t help but see the shake of Orion’s head to her left as he stood with the rest of the crew. He had been her second in command for over a year now and had always erred on the side of caution. That just wasn’t her nature and he should have known better than to give her any sign to not do it. It just served as a challenge.

  “I am happy to make this deal with you, Ranjay, and I will do everything within my power to get you what you need. I have not failed yet.”

  “I should say not,” he joked with a sickening, phlegmy chuckle. “Otherwise, you’d be in chains by now.”

  Layla laughed politely at the joke, feeling the pressure on her. But she would never let it show as she made the official deal and headed back to her ship with Orion and the others in tow. She didn’t wait to get their opinion or even to acknowledge the look on their faces. She was their captain and they would do what she said or be dropped off at the next planet to fend for themselves. Those were the rules.

  “Alright, it looks like we are headed on our next adventure,” Layla said with a smile, her British accent slipping out strong at the moment. “I’m assuming you know where to steer this ship, so let’s get within orbit, and then we’ll think of a plan. On the fly is the only way with these guys. They’re too damn organized.”

  Layla stood there in the captain’s position, plugging in the coordinates as her leather bodysuit and armor squeaked with her excited movements. A piece of her amber waves fell over one eye and she imagined with a chuckle that she had a patch there. Sometimes, being a space pirate was a great way to fulfill the little girl inside of her that never really grew up.

  “Don’t you think you’re taking things a little far this time?” Arsinia asked, limping her way over to Layla. Arsinia was the oldest in the crew and had hurt her leg during a battle in the intergalactic army. They wanted nothing to do with her after that, which left her pissed and ready to join the crew. But that streak of authority was still there sometimes.

  “Last I checked, you were not the commander here,” Layla barked, making it clear that her word was final. They were her crew and completely replaceable. All except Orion, but she doubted he would ever leave. He had no family or anything to go back to.

  Orion glared at her now and pulled Arsinia back, recognizing the rage on Layla’s face. He was always doing that; saving the others like some good cop, bad cop scenario. She secretly liked it, but she’d never let on.

  “All she was trying to say is that she was worried. She’s worried about all of us. It will be our third big heist on that planet. There will be no mercy if they catch us.” Orion’s velvety voice reached Layla’s ears and it made her feel calmer. It was one of the special things about his kind. They had this thing with diffusing fights; sometimes even war. Politicians on Earth had employed his kind many times.

  Layla looked over at him, with his dirty blonde hair and hard muscular build which attempted to contradict the fact that he was not human. The only sign of that were the black lines that looked like they had been burned into the skin across the right side of his face and down his neck and collar bone. Layla had always wondered how far down the markings went but not enough to ask him. He was always so calm, but she didn’t want to find out what made him explode.

  “Last time I checked I had never gotten caught. And even if I did, I wouldn’t take the whole crew down with me. I run a tight ship, but I am your captain,” she mused, looking around the ship at all of them. “Now, can we get this show on the road, please. I’d like to get a hold of some cold hard cash.”

  Chapter 2

  It didn’t take long for them to reach the Arkuns’ planet. Layla looked out the glass window of her spaceship; the one she had stolen when she was only 17 years old, and found herself face to face with a green and blue planet that wasn’t terribly unlike what Earth used to look like. Though, the atmosp
here was slightly different and the technology had made it much farther than Earth before its major collapse. If it weren’t for the jerks that inhabited the planet, Layla would actually consider settling down there one day, when she was older and not as useful.

  The ship came to orbit along with the two moons that belonged to the planet. She turned on the invisibility shield, knowing the Arkuns would have the technology to figure out they were there otherwise.

  “Alright, captain, what’s the plan?” Orion asked, crossing his arms over his chest like he was challenging a small child. He was only a year older than her but acted like he was the wise old man on the ship. It made her want to throw something at him sometimes.

  “The plan is this. We take it down into the jungle, close to the beach. Three of us will go out to find the closest blood tower and the rest will stay with the ship. We’ll stay in communication so that if something happens, I can tell you to get out of Dodge. Got it?”

  Layla looked into each one of her crew members’ eyes, staring them down to be sure they were going to follow her orders. It was the reason she switched crews as often as possible. There was a fine line between loyalty and fear. She knew some of the crew she had now would have to be retired soon because they were becoming too observant and too loyal to each other instead of just her. Layla didn’t usually get attached, but there was something about this group that was hard to let go.

  They nodded in unison, though she saw a hesitance in Orion she didn’t like. He would be the hardest to let go. He was the only crew member she’d ever had that had gotten to know anything about her personally and he was loyal to a fault. He would follow her and the crew into a blazing inferno if that’s what she ordered. Though, he would be yelling at her the whole time about it.

  “Alright, then I need four to stay with the ship and two to come with me,” Layla announced as she began buckling her weapons to her body suit. With all the knives and ammo, as well as, the sword she hung from her back, she would be a force to be reckoned with. Intimidation was always her first defense. As a woman in the pirating world, it had to be.

  “I’ll be going, and we can take Nella.” Layla shook her head at Orion.

  “You’re my second for a reason. I need you to stay to command this ship if something happens,” she told him sternly, ready to pick someone else. “Nella can go, but why don’t I take…”

  “Absolutely not!” Orion cut her off, making her look like a fool. She backhanded a nice, loud slap across the side of his face without markings. He knew better than to question her authority in front of everyone like that. It was the only power she had and it was critical for their survival and success.

  Orion gave her a look of desperation that she had never seen, and it was the only time Layla had ever considered letting a crew member have their way. But damn it, it would mean she would have to let Orion go after this. There was no keeping him that way. “Fine, but you better damn well follow every order I give out there.”

  Orion nodded with gritted teeth, his cheek still red from the slap. Deep down, Layla felt guilty about it. Being a hard ass all the time wasn’t always fun for her. It was lonely.

  The three of them loaded up with weapons and their communicators as the ship came down as gently as a feather. It had never failed Layla before, and it wasn’t going to fail her now.

  As they came down the ramp and looked back, they could not tell where the ship had landed beyond some disturbance in the brush. Unless someone walked directly into it, no one was going to know it was there. The hard part was going to be for the three on the ground, trying to find their way to the nearest blood tower undetected.

  Blood towers were large dark spires that pulled the blood from the ground and they were usually surrounded by refineries and workers at all times. And the Arkuns were excellent fighters; bred as a 75 percent male population for the purpose of being strong, fast and intelligent. Layla had never even met a female Arkun before. Though, the population growth suggested they existed somewhere.

  The three pressed through the jungle, coming out onto the edge of the shoreline. The sand was great for being quiet, but they had to drag their feet along as to not leave clear footprints in the white grains.

  Hearing a loud noise, the three of them ducked, but when Layla looked up, she could see the reason for the sounds. They were right below one of the main highways that went over the ocean and jungle. A road would surely lead to a blood tower.

  Nella was the smallest of the three of them, so Layla and Orion helped hoist her up the nearest tree so she could survey the area. “Be quick so you aren’t seen,” Layla warned in a stern voice.

  “There’s one straight ahead, on a tiny island just a few yards out into the water. We could easily swim it,” Nella reported, coming down from the tree like an acrobat.

  Layla didn’t like the odds of being seen if they swam out there. Someone was sure to notice three people who were not Arkun in the water. But maybe if they could get a vehicle, they could ride the road over and back a few times without being detected.

  “Oh no, I don’t like that look on your face, Layla,” Orion said. “It always means you have a crazy idea.”

  “Just shut up and listen,” she ordered, getting quite irritated with Orion’s attitude. “We’re going to steal a vehicle,” she told them, plain and simple. It was the only thing that would give them cover and she knew it.

  Chapter 3

  “Just one more load, Orion. We can easily fit one more. No one has any idea we are here,” Layla begged as Orion pushed her to get in the vehicle so they could drive off and back to Nella. Nella had waited at the edge of the beach where she could receive barrels of blood to guard. She already had three down there. And two more were waiting on the vehicle. She knew how precious this would be to the Zulas and wanted to be sure they would be stocked for a while.

  Orion nodded with a tight lip, and Layla turned around and ran back down the slope that led her to the top most storeroom in the tower. But just as she dared to look back, she saw that Orion was being pulled out of the vehicle as he struggled to put it on autopilot and send it back to Nella.

  Layla pulled out her radio. “Nella, come in Nella.”

  “Yes, Captain?” her fuzzy voice came back.

  “A vehicle is coming to you on autopilot. They are about to capture us. I need you to get the ship to come pick up as much as you can and get off this planet. Do you understand?” Nella was the youngest member of the crew. If Layla could trust anyone to follow a direct order, it was her.

  “Yes, Captain. God speed.” The line went dead, and Layla saw that she had two choices. She could dive into the water and try and escape with the rest of the crew, or she could fight and let herself possibly be captured along with Orion.

  Layla was used to choosing the selfish thing, but something held her back. It felt like Orion would be killed if she didn’t step in and find a way to get them out. So, she ran towards the action; sword in one hand and gun in the other. She would fight until they were taken away, and then she would come up with another plan to get them both out of there safely. It was the least she could do for not listening to Orion’s advice that entire day. No matter the insubordination, she couldn’t have blood on her hands.

  She shot and swung at the translucent blue creatures that were a little less than a head shorter than her in her high boots. She aimed for their ears and horns that protruded from the sides of their heads that made it look like they had two sets of ears, knowing it would be the most sensitive hit. She took down one after another, but then a larger one approached looking angry and deadly. If she had to guess, he was the commander of the royal army; only second in his kind in importance to the king. His eyes were the piercing, swirling green of the seas that covered a good portion of the planet. She knew as he began to circle in a fighting stance she had met her match.

  She fought hard anyway until it was too late. She bowed to him and he had her clasped in their version of cuffs made of a special rubber tha
t was unbreakable. Orion was taken too, and they were pushed ahead on the side of the highway in silence, forced to walk miles to where they would be held as prisoners.

  They were taken into a huge dome that sat halfway in and halfway out of the water. It was surrounded by reinforced glass so that they got the full view of the ocean and the strange creatures that swam in it. If it were under any other circumstance, Layla would have loved the view. But she doubted the dungeon would allow them to see anything as beautiful.

  She was right as they were led into the direct center of the building and put into cells. The bars were white, and either side was transparent so they could see their neighbor, though Layla found that the sound was a bit muffled. She doubted any tools she had left hidden on her person would get her out of such a contraption, but as the commander left, his eyes lingered on her, giving Layla a brilliant idea.

  “You were a formidable opponent,” she called out to him, leaning against the strange rubber bars that felt like stronger versions of the cuffs they had put on her.

  He turned around and looked at her strangely. He probably didn’t get a lot of compliments from prisoners, even female ones. Though, Layla had to admit he was pretty attractive compared to some of the others.

  “As were you,” he said back, revealing a deep tone she didn’t expect. She certainly wasn’t going to mind wrapping this one around her little finger. He was pretty damn sexy. He looked shocked that he had said anything to her, and she flashed him a smile.

  “Thanks.” He walked away, shaking his head, but she knew she had caught him off guard. It was the first nail in his coffin and their first step out of there.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Layla was taken aback by the sound of Orion’s voice coming through the invisible wall. He was screaming at the top of his lungs so she could hear him loud and clear.