Up in Flames

by Trista Ann Michaels

  “Let me guess. Chris is losing, and he’s giving up.”

  Sharna sighed. “He’s tired. He’s overwhelmed and overworked. I’ve tried twice now to get him to take a vacation. Leave for a while and come back fresh, but…” She shrugged.

  “Jonah said something about Chris looking into the BDSM resort on Palivan. The one Ambassador Dorn is part owner of. Purgatory, right?”

  Sharna winced. “Purgatory. Talk about your extremes. Senator one day, Master of Purgatory the next. If Chris seriously decides to venture down that road, wonder how long he’ll continue to need me.”

  Hayden snorted. “Chris can’t wipe his ass without you.”

  Sharna grinned. “Chris couldn’t find his ass without me.”

  “I heard that,” Chris said as he strolled tiredly into his apartment.

  “Good,” Hayden replied. “Then you know how invaluable Sharna is.”

  Chris scowled as he walked past the kitchen toward his bedroom. “I know exactly how invaluable she is, and I pay her accordingly.”

  Hayden glanced over at Sharna, who rolled her eyes.

  “And tell her I saw that too,” Chris called from the bedroom.

  Hayden chuckled. “He knows you well, doesn’t he?”

  “Too well,” she murmured.

  She poured a cup of coffee and held it out for Chris as he walked back into the kitchen. It was as though she knew exactly when he’d be back.

  Hayden really looked at his brother. Chris seemed tired and run-down. His thick collarbone-length platinum-blond hair appeared in need of a good grooming. His clothes were wrinkled and his eyes dull. Sharna was right. Chris definitely needed a vacation. Unfortunately, Chris never listened to any of them. He’d work himself into a grave first.

  Chris took the cup. “Thank you, Shar.”

  “Uh-huh,” she mumbled. “And thank you for not leaving me with the trash this morning.”

  Hayden choked on his sip of coffee at Sharna’s dig toward the woman Chris had been with last night. He watched Sharna leave the kitchen and head toward Chris’s home office.

  “What’s with the sarcasm this morning?” Chris called, but Sharna ignored him. Chris turned a frown toward Hayden. “What did you do to put Shar in such a mood?”

  Hayden’s brows went up as he turned to stare at his brother. Was his brother seriously that dense? “Me? Man, if you really don’t know, Dad needs to sit you down and have a serious talk with your ass.”

  Chris sighed. “I know what I did,” he said softly.

  Hayden glanced toward Chris’s office door before turning back to his brother. “The real question is why the hell did you do it, then?”

  “I didn’t.” Chris pursed his lips and stared into his cup of coffee before mumbling just barely loud enough for Hayden to hear. “I called her Sharna, and she threw me out.”

  Hayden’s eyes widened. He tried to fight the smile. He really did. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and the second he relaxed his mouth, his smile turned into full-blown laughter.

  Chris rolled his eyes and waved his hand in dismissal. “I don’t have time for this. Why are you here?”

  Hayden settled his laughter and drew in a slow breath before answering, but the smile was still plastered to his face. Sooner or later, his brother would finally get his shit together and make a move on Sharna if for no other reason than he could no longer keep his hands off her.

  “I was going to have you handle something for me while I headed home, but you have your hands full enough. I’ll get Miya to do it.”

  Chris nodded. “That would probably be best. I’m not the most…” His gaze wandered over Sharna’s curvy figure as she walked across the room to the terrace. He glanced back at Hayden and frowned. “What was I saying?”

  “That it’s finally time for you to throw Sharna over your shoulder, carry her to your room, and do to her what you’ve wanted to do to her for months now.”

  Chris curled his lips at Hayden’s amusement. “Very funny, and no.”

  Hayden snorted softly as he lifted his cup to take a sip. “And here I always thought you were the sadist of the family. Turns out you’re the masochist.”

  “I need her, Hayden. Here. Keeping me on schedule and focused. Hell, my office has never been more organized. My life has never been more organized. I don’t know what the hell I would do without her. I can’t screw this up by screwing her. Period.”

  Hayden sighed and walked his cup to the sink. “I’ve got to get going. Trying to talk sense into you is like talking to a brick wall. I’ll see you when I get back.” Hayden left, shutting the door softly on his way out. His brother was such a damn idiot sometimes. As he turned to head down the hall, he spotted Miya walking toward him.

  He stopped and waited for his little sister to catch up. She looked so much like their mother with her dark brown hair and deep green eyes. Compared to his and Chris’s six-feet-five-inch height, Miya was tiny. She barely reached his collarbone, so they’d given her the nickname Little Bit, which of course she hated.

  “Hey, I thought you would already be headed to Daego by now,” Miya said.

  “Not yet.”

  Hayden opened his arms and allowed Miya to step into them. She wrapped hers around his neck and gave him a hug. He sighed and held tight to his baby sister.

  One of the patients he’d lost was a young woman who’d reminded him a lot of her. Miya was so sweet, so soft-spoken. He couldn’t imagine her hurting anyone or anything. He couldn’t think of a life without her and that sweet smile.

  “Are you okay?” she whispered.

  “I’m okay.” He pulled away and smiled down at her. “It’s just been a long night.”

  “I heard. I’m so sorry. Was the accident as bad as they said?”

  “Worse.” Hayden shook his head. “But that’s not important.”

  “Can you come in for a few more minutes?”

  “No. I need to go. The ship’s waiting for me.”

  “Are you staying at the lake house?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Mom and Dad are on Earth for a few weeks, so I’ll finally get some much-needed alone time.”

  Miya snorted. “Right. There’s always somebody at the lake house.”

  Hayden chuckled softly. “True enough, but I think this time it’s actually empty, so I plan to take full advantage of it. I do need you to take care of my apartment while I’m gone, though.”

  “Of course.”

  “And while you’re here go inside and check on Sharna. Chris was with some blonde last night.”

  Miya’s smile faded. “Here?”

  “No, but Sharna knew where he was.”

  “What is wrong with him? Why doesn’t he see what he could have with her?”

  “Because he’s an idiot.” Hayden started toward the elevator at the far end of the hall. “Do something.”

  “Like he listens to me,” Miya called.

  Hayden smiled at her over his shoulder. If Chris listened to anyone, it was usually Miya if for no other reason than he didn’t want to disappoint her. Chris would usually do whatever Miya wanted because she had Chris wrapped around her little finger tighter than anyone else.

  He made his way to the roof and the ship waiting for him there. The smaller ship would take him to the cruiser in orbit around Rhinari.

  The cruiser had the ability to open the transport gate and allow him to reach home faster than if he took one of the larger passenger ships. Besides, the cruiser would give him privacy and time to rest before arriving on Daego.

  * * * *

  Hayden awoke to an insistent beeping noise. He sat up and looked at the small clock by his bed. He’d been asleep less than two hours. He scowled toward the door, the source of the persistent noise.

  After arriving on the cruiser, he’d told the captain not to bother him unless it was life or death. After only two hours sleep, if it wasn’t life or death, it soon would be.

  Hayden sat up with a sigh and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
He set his feet on the floor and called out, “It’s open.”

  The first officer stuck his head in the door. “Sorry to bother you, Doc, but Captain Shaw needs you in the cargo bay.”

  Hayden frowned. “What the hell for?”

  “He said to tell you you’ll see when you get there, but that it’s important.”

  Hayden pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He hoped it wasn’t life or death. He was too tired to think straight, much less save someone’s life. “I’ll be right there.”

  The first officer nodded and left the room. Hayden quickly dressed and headed to the turbo chute that would take him three levels down to the cargo bay and engineering area of the ship.

  He walked into the cargo bay and spotted the captain by a long metal structure that reminded Hayden of an oversize cigar tube.

  “You called me in here to show me a giant vibrator?” Hayden drawled as he moved to stand by Captain Shaw.

  “Funny,” Shaw said as he continued to stare at the tube. “This thing crossed our path emitting a distress beacon accessible only by ships of the militia. Whatever it is, they only wanted military ships to find it.”

  “Why?” Hayden asked. “And what does this have to do with me?”

  Shaw handed Hayden a med scanner.

  Hayden took it as he stared at Shaw in confusion. “Why are you handing me this?”

  “Take a look.”

  He glanced down at the screen but wasn’t sure he believed what he saw. “This can’t be right.”

  “I’ve checked it twice.”

  Hayden studied the tube that was barely big enough for a small person to fit into. There couldn’t possibly be anyone in there, yet the med scanner indicated faint life signs. Someone was in that damn thing?

  “Get it open,” Hayden said.

  “I’ve tried. I can’t figure out how.”

  Hayden set the scanner down and ran his fingers along the sides of the tube. There had to be a switch somewhere to open it or a panel that hid controls. The pad of his finger brushed over a small bulge. He pushed it, changing the pressure and angle until a panel on the opposite side of the tube popped open.

  Shaw squatted down to get a closer look. “I think this is it,” he said as he pressed a button.

  The lid hissed and popped open slowly, emitting a white gas that filled the bay. Hayden stepped back quickly and scanned the gas. “Turn on the filters,” Hayden ordered.

  Shaw put his hand over his mouth. “Computer, filter cargo bay.”

  A beep sounded, and Hayden watched as the filter system pulled the gas through the vents in the ceiling and flushed it out into space. Once the area surrounding what basically amounted to a metal coffin cleared, Hayden stepped closer to examine the lifeless body inside.

  “What the hell was that?” Shaw asked.

  “Vorshune gas. It’s what kept her unconscious and her life signs low and stabilized. I wonder how long she’s been in there.”

  Hayden studied the female figure lying in the tube. Her arms were crossed over her chest, a small electronic device clutched in her fingers. He examined her body with the medical scanner, watching the screen carefully as he ran it from the tip of her head to her toes.

  “Well, she’s alive, but barely. My God.” Hayden sighed. “She’s been in this thing over forty-five days.”

  Shaw took the device from her fingers. “Do you suppose this will tell us who she is?”

  “Maybe.”

  Hayden took a good look at the young woman. It was difficult to tell her height lying down, but her toned body was hard to miss. She had long light blue hair and eyelashes. Her complexion was fair and lips pink. Down her arms was a line of intricately entwined tattoos unlike anything he’d seen before.

  “Son of a bitch,” Shaw murmured as he reached out and touched one of her tattoos. “She’s a Mundi.”

  Hayden’s eyebrow rose. “A what?”

  “A Mundi.” Shaw’s concerned gaze met his. “She’s an assassin.” He pointed to the designs that ran down her arms. “These tattoos indicate her rank. Her years of service. You cannot wake this up on my ship.”

  Hayden narrowed his eyes in anger. “This? She’s a woman, Shaw. A woman in trouble, from the looks of it.”

  “I mean it, Marcone. You can help her, but you will not wake her up on my ship. I will not have a Mundi assassin walking around free among my crew.”

  Hayden held out his hand. “Give me the damn device.” Shaw placed the device in Hayden’s palm. “I’m taking her to medical. I’ll keep her sedated until I get home.”

  Shaw nodded, then turned to glare at the young woman before leaving the cargo bay. As he left, Hayden heard him say, “I want two guards stationed outside medical immediately.”

  Hayden shook his head in disgust. What the hell was he so afraid of? She was just a woman. He looked at the device in his hand, then back to the stunningly attractive and basically frozen woman. Perhaps he should look into just what a Mundi assassin was exactly.

  Chapter Three

  Hayden stared at the computer screen with a mixture of shock and concern. He hit the Rewind button to hear it again.

  An older man stared frantically into the screen. “This is Cara Nubel. Daughter to Chancellor Nubel of Bellara. Our planet is on the brink of civil war. Cara is the only Nubel left. The only rightful heir to her father’s chancellorship. She must be protected. Notify Ambassador Dorn of her survival but let no one else know. If they find her, they will kill her just like they did her father. She’s the only one who can stop this war. The only one who can finalize the treaty with the galactic senate. Please see her safely to her destiny.”

  Hayden shut the recording off and turned to study the young woman lying on the table. She had been under the influence of that gas a long time. As a doctor, Hayden was concerned about memory loss. Her body temperature slowly rose to normal. Her breathing and oxygen saturation levels were also rising.

  After forty-five days, it was likely her muscles had atrophied. He would need to begin exercising her limbs even before she woke up. Cryosleep hadn’t been in use for centuries. With the invention of the transport gates and warp drive, it was no longer needed, which in his opinion was a good thing. There were too many side effects from cryo.

  Hayden rubbed his hand over the day’s growth of whiskers covering his jaw. Who in their right mind would have willingly crawled into something so damn dangerous?

  A red mark on the side of her neck caught his attention, and he walked over to study it more closely. He moved her chin to the side, allowing more light to the area he wanted to examine. A small prick mark with bruising marred her neck just below her ear. Was it possible she didn’t get in that tube willingly?

  He rubbed his finger over the bruise that cryo had preserved. Whoever did it had been rough, pushing the syringe farther into the skin than necessary. The base of the syringe had pressed against the flesh, which was what probably caused the bruising.

  “Looks like you were smart enough to apparently say no…at least initially,” Hayden murmured as he turned her face back to center.

  He straightened and sighed. What the hell was he going to do with her?

  Chapter Four

  Cara shivered with cold. Why couldn’t she get warm? Every inch of her flesh burned and ached. Her head felt like it would explode any second. What was wrong with her?

  Disjointed and random images flashed through her mind. Someone shoved her, forced her into a box. Cara whimpered and tried hard to fight her way out, but her limbs were so weak she could hardly lift them.

  Her father lay dead on the floor, blood surrounding his body. Who would do this to him? He was all she had.

  She sobbed, her body shaking uncontrollably as tears of heartache and regret slid down her cheeks.

  “Daddy, no,” she cried.

  “Cara,” a man called from somewhere far away.

  “Daddy? Daddy, no.”

  Was this his voice? He sounded so different. Had she been wron
g? Had she dreamed everything? Why was she so emotional? Why couldn’t she get control?

  “Cara.”

  This time it was louder, closer.

  “Don’t leave me,” she whispered and reached out her hand, trying to touch the soothing sound.

  “Cara. Open your eyes and look at me,” the man commanded.

  She wanted to. His voice sounded so soothing, so deep. It made her feel safe. She tried to open her eyes past the tears, but the light burned. She squinted them closed against it.

  “Ow,” she sobbed.

  The light faded, and the man whispered, “It’s out. Try again, sweetheart.”

  Images faded, memories vanished. Confusion took root and wouldn’t let go. Why did she hurt so much? Why couldn’t she move? Who was this person talking to her?

  A hand touched the side of her face, and she weakly shoved it away. “Don’t… I just want to sleep.”

  “Cara,” he said firmly, then gave her a shake. “Wake up. Now.”

  “Who’s Cara?” she mumbled.

  “You are, sweetheart,” he replied.

  “What?”

  Cara very slowly opened her eyes. A shadow leaned over her. The image at first startled her. She never let anyone that close. She slowly raised her hand and pushed at his chest, but she was too weak to move him.

  “Who are you?” she whispered as his image began to clear but not enough to make any sense of it.

  “My name is Hayden. I’m a doctor. Do you know what happened to you?”

  She shut her eyes and sighed. “No. I…” Her lips began to tremble as a wave of sadness washed through her. Uncontrollable emotion made her shake from head to toe. “I…” Another image of her father lying on the floor swam through her mind, and she began to sob. “My dad. He’s dead. What’s wrong with me?”

  “You were under the influence of vorshune gas. Basically you were in a crude form of cryosleep.”

  She frowned and sniffed back more tears. “No. I was on…” Another round of uncontrollable crying shook her. “I can’t remember what happened or how I got here. Why was I in cryosleep?” She opened her eyes and stared at the man hovering over her. Fear gripped her chest. “What’s wrong with me? Why is everything so messed up in my head?”