“Fine,” Ethan said. “Tell me you have a plan.”
Evie leaned forward in her seat, elbows planted on the table and hands folded beneath her chin. “Kaiden recorded a meeting between Admiral Scarot and several high-powered technology CEOs. They openly discussed plotting against the queen and plan to issue a seek and destroy order for the Jemison tonight. Chancellor DuValle will be on the air at any moment.”
“What the fuck for?” he barked out. “There were no casualties during our escape or the rescue of the queen. We made certain of that.”
“They’re going to accuse you of collaborating with the ASR,” Kaiden clarified. “High treason. They’ve decided that the public would prefer to discover the queen is dead than in the hands of our enemy.”
The air left Ethan’s lungs, a sound of despair. “We can’t hide forever out here. Once again, I need to hear something good right now. Tell me that you lot have a plan, and that it’s a damned good one.”
“We need to broadcast the meeting across the galaxy all at once, to every home, radio, and rig.”
“Only place for that is Breteyne,” Ethan said. “It’s the galactic center of the UNE.”
“The Galactic Emergency Alert System. Of course.” Morna whooped from her side of the table.
The hairs on the back of Nisrine’s neck stood on end. Breteyne. Their only chance at proving their innocence and stopping the malicious plot, and it was going to take them directly into the path of X91.
“Understood. So we need to get Kaiden on the surface of Breteyne to their main broadcasting tower. No sweat. We can do this.”
“No sweat? Evie, Breteyne has a heavily fortified military presence.” Nisrine stared across the table at her friend.
“They do, yes. And I so happen to be in good standing with their bounty office. I know, shocking.” She winked. “I can land us within the security perimeter. My business usually takes about an hour, two tops, so you’d have to get to the tower and do your thing in that timeframe.”
“You have balls of steel,” Nisrine muttered under her breath.
“Part of my charm.”
“Will that be enough time?” Ethan asked.
“More than enough if Nisrine and I can reach the actual transmitter array. Sending the message will take seconds, and once it’s rolling, there’ll be no stopping it. I can’t do it from here, though. It’s different from this, because I’ve linked with Jem before and know her mind. I’d need to be in actual physical contact with the tower.”
Evangeline glanced at her second-in-command and made a shooing gesture with her hand. “Then we have our plan. I can get us to Breteyne in two days at my top speed. A day and a half if we really haul ass. Get those orders to our pilot, Ranulf.”
“Sir, can you all hold out until then?” Kaiden asked.
“Your brother unshackled Jem. Now that we have an early heads up on their seek and destroy order, we’ll do what we can to stay undetected.”
“Keep in touch.”
“Will do, Chief.”
After the communication ended, the group went their own ways—Evangeline to the cockpit to speak with the pilot and Ranulf, Morna to her station, Jinx to his terminal, and the two Jemison agents to rest after their harrowing experience.
As Nisrine kicked off her uncomfortable shoes, Kaiden took a seat on the bed. His face went slack, void of expression, and the absolute loss of him startled her.
“Kaiden?” she murmured, waving her hand in front of his face.
He said nothing. His glassy eyes reminded her of marbles until she touched his shoulder and he jerked out of his trance, wide eyed and as startled as her. He’d been pushing himself to his limits for the past few days. Now she worried that he was on the brink of another collapse.
“Are you okay? You should get some sleep. You’re barely here.”
“Huh? Sorry, love. Was chatting with Gareth while I’ve got the chance, now that I know I can contact him. He’s worried about us.”
“Conversations in your head, huh? That’s gotta be a great way to tune out dull conversations.”
“Takes a little more effort,” he said, spacing his fingers apart an inch, “but Jem encouraged us to have a word. Not that you’re dull.” He tilted his head to aim a fragile smile at her. “I promise that much. Gonna get a shower first, I think.”
Nisrine smiled too, smitten. “I’ll wait in line.”
Perched on the edge of the bed, she listened as the shower spray kicked on in the modest bathroom. It didn’t have a tub, only a metal sink built into the top of the commode, and a plain, tiled shower box. Steam curled out through the cracked door.
Her mind drifted, imagination and memory painting a picture of his bare chest. And more than she wanted a shower, she wanted his strong arms around her, holding her, because everything that could go wrong with her life had fallen apart. Except for him.
Making up her mind, Nisrine unfastened the buttons of her blouse and tossed it aside. After stripping off the rest of her clothes, she drifted to the bathroom and touched the door. She could feel Kaiden’s mind but not hear his thoughts, though she knew the very moment he became aware of her presence.
He stood beneath the showerhead with his back to her, faded symmetrical scars visible from the nape of his neck to the back of his heels. Yet they didn’t detract from his appearance.
Without speaking a word, she stepped into the shower behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, body pressed close and her cheek against his shoulder. The hot spray streamed over her as she closed her eyes and held him. His chest rose and fell with each breath, his powerful heartbeat thundering beneath her palm. She swept the other hand lower, tracing chiseled ab muscles until she found the stiff root of him.
Kaiden turned first.
In the next moment, he swept Nisrine from her feet and pinned her back to the slick, tiled wall in a move that startled and thrilled her in equal measure. She wrapped her legs around his waist, trusting he wouldn’t let her fall.
“I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“It’s only been a few weeks.”
“No, I mean, back before. Before I was taken.”
The admission stunned her. “I had no idea. We never really spoke much.”
“Aye. Whenever I went on a mission, I thought it’d be another chance to impress you. To make a name for myself and have your interest. I loved watching the graceful way you moved in training, but you were an officer and I was just an enlisted. You were out of my league.”
And she’d barely known he existed, aside from his playful, mischievous manner. Yet there was no time for regret, not when his lips trailed over her throat then nibbled the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder.
He left a trail of descending kisses over her upper body, beginning with her shoulder, collarbone, and finally the firm curve of one breast and its pebbled tip. There he lingered, trapping the stiff peak between his lips. The whispered sound of his name drew him upward until he was reintroduced to her mouth.
Nisrine’s fingers smoothed over every scar within her reach and when their lips parted, she pressed hers to the ridged seam where his cybernetic arm met his shoulder. Then she raised her hips, encouraging with a firm nudge.
Kaiden gave her every inch, their bodies fitting together as if they were two halves of the same whole, a soul fragmented and pieced back together with affection. And lust. So much smoldering, uncontainable lust. Before she could catch her breath, he withdrew then drove home again, bumping her ass against the slick wall.
Their lovemaking became quick and shallow thrusts with an edge of desperation, his movements an extreme contrast to their first night in bed. Faster, harder, caution thrown to the wind, and still he didn’t hurt her, always possessing the restraint that no matter how hard he squeezed her, she never bruised.
The wall wasn’t so kind, but she relished each bump.
Her orgasm pounded through her without the usual slow-building tension, relentless in its assault on he
r senses. She dug her nails into Kaiden’s shoulders and surrendered to the sweet ecstasy thrumming from her clit to every nerve ending.
Kaiden slammed in one final time then stilled. Nisrine flattened her palms over his trembling back, coasting the delightful aftershocks quivering in her core. Neither moved. She clung to him as tightly as he held her.
No words were needed.
Afterward, when they lay drowsing together on the bed, Nisrine sprawled across his chest with her cheek resting on one shoulder. There wasn’t a stitch of clothing between them, the blankets cast aside and kicked to the floor. Having a lover who put out warmth like a heater had its advantages.
In sleep, he was peaceful. Contrary to his worries, Kaiden hadn’t hurt her with his enhanced strength—nor had he been timid, treating her like glass. She smiled and gave a languid stretch, her body achy and satisfied all at once.
Kaiden stirred beneath her and squeezed a handful of her ass. “Stop thinking so hard.”
“I’m thinking I’m happy.”
The room spun, Kaiden rolling and tucking her neatly beneath him. “Me too. I only wish I’d spoken up before this. Maybe… Maybe we could have had time before this. Maybe I wouldn’t have gone on that mission.”
Nisrine pressed her finger to his lips. “What matters is the now, and where we go from here.”
All she could hope for was that they made it through to the end together.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kaiden glanced out the window during their descent. They flew over the thick forests covering most of the planetary surface, the rest of it water and mountains. Although Breteyne served as the military capital of the UNE, the planet’s leaders had pledged to maintain a low environmental impact, and they’d kept their word instead of growing out of control. Smaller cities littered the natural terrain, built in towering ecology habitats, with floors devoted to business, residences, and entertainment venues.
Aldcroft Garrison occupied a rocky expanse between the Wyvern River and the Greatwood Preserve. A dozen high-powered radio telescopes occupied the far northern edge of the secured grounds.
Years had passed since Kaiden’s training as an undercover operative, but the nervous jitters overtook him anyway. He’d never faced an objective as critical to his survival as this one. While he faced arrest and an uncertain future as the government’s plaything, darker possibilities lurked for Nisrine and others on their side. She’d be tried for treason and executed, if the shady bastards didn’t find a scientific use for her, too.
He felt sick to his stomach. He had her and his brother to protect. Their friends on the Jemison counted on them. Can’t let them down, he thought.
Nisrine joined him at the window. “This is it, huh?”
“Don’t do anything risky.”
“The same goes for you.”
She leaned against his side and gazed up at him. The tight-fitting hood of her black infiltration suit revealed only her face, the goggles raised above her temples, and the cowl drooped beneath her chin.
He kissed her lips chastely but with feeling. “We’ll get through this. It’s only another mission. No big deal, aye?”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Her head tilted up again to study his face.
He should have known. Keeping anything from a psychic of her caliber was like trying to plug a seive. Emotions bled out to her whether she wanted them or not, and once upon a time, he’d had a similar gift. Now he felt it from technology rather than people.
“I got a hit on Chen Xiang. He’s here, in Aldcroft. Doesn’t mean anything except that he’s here in the city, though.”
Nisrine sucked in a sharp breath. “Well, we knew there was a chance. Maybe it’s a good thing. We can get the signal out then try and find X91 on our terms.”
“Yeah, maybe so.”
“Are you two ready?” Evangeline called over. “We’re past the alarm barrier.”
The simple plan only required Kaiden and Nisrine to fly their stealth craft from the hangar before the Gryphon landed on the base, get to the transmitter array, and broadcast the footage to the galactic public.
If they could make their getaway without conflict and bloodshed, all the better.
“I’ll try and stretch our dealings out as long as I can,” Evangeline told them. She passed up a pack of weapons once Nisrine was settled in the rear seat. “Two hours tops, and that’s pushing it.”
“We’ll get in and out as fast as we can,” he promised.
Kaiden strapped in, waited for Nisrine to do the same, then closed the hatch and powered the engine. The hangar door opened to reveal the thick cloud cover partially concealing their destination. Sparse, thinner areas of white haze revealed a constellation of military buildings sprawled against the green land.
“Ready?”
“Let’s finish this,” she replied.
They dropped from the Silver Gryphon and traveled in the shadow of the ship, activating the stealth systems to render their vehicle as little more than a shimmer.
Nisrine gazed thoughtfully out the window during the descent. “What I’d like to know is how they plan for X91 to find us. We were only found by their hitmen on Boreas due to Joaquin revealing our location.”
“There’s no telling what they’ve done to this X91, or who it once was prior to their experimentation. Could be someone like me or a bloody Frankenstein of genetic bits like that poor girl in Jacksonville. We’ll have to assume the worst.”
“What should we do when we encounter her?”
Kaiden shook his head. “I don’t know. And I’m hoping we won’t have to make that choice. I know what it’s like, no longer having control of your body, trapped in the rear seat while you’re piloted by someone else. I never want to endure that again.”
“You won’t.”
They took the small craft as close to their destination as possible, then Kaiden flew a low circuit meant for surveillance. An electrified fence surrounded the three dishes, but otherwise the security presence was minimal. A light staff occupied the two guard shacks, one at each end.
“Looks like one rover. Not much cover,” Nisrine noted. “If we land the ship on the eastern fence line, we can take out the sentries and get inside.”
“I’ll activate my thermal sight to keep tabs on you.”
Bringing the stealth craft in for a gentle landing, he barely disturbed the grass beside the communications field. Kaiden wished he’d been fitted with a cloaking suit, too. The old one no longer fit, the breadth of his shoulders and size proportions changed since his early days as an operative.
After powering down the ship, they slipped from the vessel and traveled along the fence line to the guard tower where two men shared a smoke outside. Kaiden darted each with a tranquilizer then glanced at Nisrine to see her ascending the ladder to the catwalk above. Damn, his girl was quick.
A startled male voice spoke from the upper level. “The fuck—!” He swayed, a hand flew to the side of his neck, then Nisrine gently lowered him to the floor. She dragged him out of sight and signaled Kaiden with a thumbs-up to proceed.
“Something the matter, Jenkins?” another sentry asked through the soldier’s radio. “Heard you call out.”
Kaiden cleared his throat and mimicked the sample of voice he’d heard, “Startled by one of the pteropterans. It landed on the damned rail beside me.” The reptilian-faced birds tended to hunt everywhere for food.
The soldier from the other shack chuckled. “Yeah, they’ll do that. Try not to scream like a child next time.”
Kaiden breathed a sigh of relief. “Will do, mate.”
“Nice cover,” Nisrine muttered.
“Thanks. You good on fast-acting tranqs?” he whispered.
“Got plenty. As long as this goes to plan, no one should have to be hurt.”
“How long until someone notices this post has gone silent?”
She shook her head. “No idea. The quicker we finish, the better.”
They waited for the rove
r to pass before moving from the guard shack. Nisrine took him down in silence and dragged his limp body into the shack with the rest. Side by side, they kept low and made their way toward the central dish. The white structures gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, towering constructs of metal and plasteel.
Kaiden crouched down beside a ladder leading up to the maintenance platform beneath the expansive, curving dish. “This is the one.”
“How long do you think?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve got to put all my concentration into it,” he answered. “It isn’t like routing a message through a ship or skimming the surface of a database. I’ve got to go in there and layer my thoughts, and what I saw, with the broadcast signal. I won’t be here.”
“I understand. Go. I’ll cover you here. Tuck yourself somewhere safe and out of sight, I’ll do the rest.”
“Will do.”
Before Kaiden could turn away, Nisrine threw herself into his arms, treating him to a brief moment of her soft body and those luscious curves aligned against his harder muscles, both cybernetic and organic. He cherished the moment and held it close to his heart.
“Come back to me, Kai.”
“Stay safe and give me something to return to.”
With all the soldiers bound and gagged in the guard shack, Nisrine waited anxiously on the grass while Kaiden initiated the transfer. Uploading his memories to the radio satellite required physical touch, and he had climbed up onto the catwalk and made his way to the higher level beneath the immense satellite dish.
He stood with both palms on the device and his eyes closed, his posture almost reverent as he attuned his mind with the machine.
“Hey! You shouldn’t be there.”
A young guard, barely out of his teens, gaped at Nisrine from around the antenna base. His eyes fell to the weapons fastened to her waist then he scrambled back, tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away.
“Crap,” she spit out. They must have missed one while cleaning house, or a shift change was coming soon.
“Intruder alert at the telecommunications fi—”
Kaiden Page 24
