Cover Fire (Valiant Knox)

by Anastasi, Jess

  “Even two drinks might be enough to start making things fuzzy. Just watch yourself, okay? You’re not the one who’s going to end up dead if one wrong word gets spilled.”

  She focused on the inset screen displaying their route through the ship. A knuckle of guilt dug into him, uncomfortable and aching. Yep, he could be a total ass. Sometimes he got so good at pretending not to take things seriously, that he actually forgot to take things seriously.

  “I’m sorry, Jenna. I’ll be careful, okay? I’ll sit next to a potted plant and make sure it gets very drunk instead of me.”

  Some of the tightness left her rigid posture. “What if there’s no plant?”

  “I’ll sit next to someone who orders the same drink and top them up when they’re not looking. Probably Alpha. He’s about to have a very good night.”

  A small lift edged her lips up, as though she was fighting a genuine smile. Good. It wouldn’t make a positive start to their night with obvious tension between them. If he could get her to smile, then things between them weren’t that bad.

  The transit arrived on commerce level, and he led Jenna out, making his way through the shops, restaurants, and other entertainment venues to the small corner bar where the fighter pilot squadron had made Harley’s into a second home.

  Most of the squad who weren’t currently on-shift were already there, including Bren, Alpha and his girlfriend Mia, and Kayla, Mia’s friend.

  Kayla was one of the newer recruits, and though she seemed to be a fairly good fighter pilot, he didn’t know all that much about her. But she’d been hanging out with them a bit since Alpha and Mia had come out about their forbidden relationship—getting together secretly while Mia had been a new recruit and Alpha the CO overseeing her training. It had led to Alpha getting demoted from CAFF, and Bren taking his place. But considering how many rules and regs Alpha had broken to be with Mia, getting demoted was the least of what could have happened to him.

  Still, whenever he saw the two of them together, he could understand why. Despite the slight age difference, Alpha and Mia were quite obviously meant for one another. Plus Alpha definitely hadn’t been as much of a hard-ass lately, Mia mellowing him out a little.

  Bren saw them first—no doubt keeping an eye out because she was eager to hear all about his fake childhood exploits with Jenna. People shuffled, making room for the two of them to sit next to each other, and beers were plonked in front of them, the usual ruckus well and truly underway whenever squad got downtime.

  Seb did some quick introductions, and Jenna smiled, appearing at ease as she took a sip of beer and shook multiple hands.

  “Seb did a good job of keeping you secret.” Bren leaned across the table so they could hear her over the noise. Obviously that whole thing about not grilling Jenna had been a total bust.

  Jenna didn’t miss a beat, didn’t even glance in his direction. “There was no secret to keep. We haven’t seen each other since he left for pre-mil school. I was only thirteen, and I’m pretty sure we were more enemies with a shaky peace treaty because our parents were friends. I totally hated his guts for most of my childhood.”

  A cute girl-next-door smile took the edge off her words, leaving Bren laughing.

  “I can’t imagine Seb having that effect on anyone of the female persuasion. He’s always so charming, and if he realizes half the women on board the Knox are in love with him, then he’s really good at acting oblivious.”

  A singe of heat erupted on his cheeks and he took a fast gulp of beer. He hadn’t realized there was going to be an embarrass-the-hell-out-of-him part to this ruse. The glass in his hand was empty before he knew it, and he hadn’t even put it down before someone was sliding a second into its place.

  Now it was Jenna’s turn to laugh, but before she could say anything to add to the oh-so-manly blush he was rocking, Alpha slung an arm over his shoulder.

  “Come on now, leave Seb alone. He didn’t ask to be cursed with this beautiful face.” Alpha slapped him lightly on the cheek. “I mean, I can’t imagine the torture of looking in the mirror every day and seeing this monstrosity of perfection staring back at me.”

  He shoved off Alpha’s arm as the others laughed. “Thanks, buddy. You’re such a considerate friend.”

  “Just calling it like I see it.”

  “Yeah, well I’m not the one the UEF uses to recruit the newbies, poster boy.”

  The good-natured teasing turned on Alpha, who ended up deflecting his share of well-meaning taunts. Meanwhile, he drained the second glass of beer.

  “Who needs another round?” Seb pushed to his feet, needing a break, even though he and Jenna had just arrived and they had the entire night ahead of them.

  He took a few orders and then made his way over to the bar, where the owner, Harley, always made sure there were actual people serving the drinks, not droids or service bots. And failing that, it wasn’t unusual for Harley himself to pour a brew or two. Tonight, however, Harley was nowhere to be seen. Instead, one of the usual girls, Lila, had the floor.

  He kept his expression neutral as he slotted into a space at the bar, but on the inside, he was wincing. Out of all Harley’s staff, it had to be Lila, after that taunting he’d gotten from Bren and Alpha. Hopefully neither of them would remember he and Lila had a thing a year ago. She was a great girl, but she’d wanted a relationship, and he was a one-commitment kind of guy. That current commitment was FP squadron, and it took up all the devotion he had.

  She’d taken the end of their short association well, but he didn’t know how she felt about it, since he’d done a really good job of avoiding her. But when she stopped in front of him, her smile was friendly, and she asked him how he was going before taking his order. As she turned to fix his drinks, he wanted to drop his head on the counter, maybe knock some sense into himself, and find a way out of the mashed potato of his life.

  “Hey, Lila, add another two beers to Seb’s order.” Alpha slipped in next to him, shoulder tight against his in the crush around the bar.

  “So, Jenna seems great,” Alpha commented as Lila stacked drinks in front of them.

  “I don’t know her that well—”

  “Maybe not, but I’m sure she’s not that same annoying neighbor kid any longer.”

  “What are you getting at?” He pressed his thumb into the scanner Lila held up to pay for the drinks.

  “Nothing, just making conversation.”

  Despite the crush and lack of room, he turned to face his buddy and former CO. “Just making conversation,” he repeated, a heavy dose of skepticism in his voice.

  “Fine.” Alpha reached over and grabbed one of the beers, taking a long swallow. “I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. Since Lawler, you haven’t been yourself—”

  A shaft of ice lodged in his guts, leaving him aching. “I don’t want to talk about Lawler.”

  He started to turn away, nothing but escape on his mind, but Alpha grabbed his arm and pulled him back again.

  “And that was fine. At first. I told Bren you needed space to process and come to grips. But he was your best friend and he betrayed you. That’s gonna need talking about eventually.”

  “He didn’t just betray me, he betrayed the whole squad and the entire UEF.”

  It was easier to focus on the bigger picture, that way he didn’t walk around feeling like someone had burned a hole in his chest.

  “The UEF and the squad don’t come first in this instance. I just want to know that you’re dealing.”

  “You want to hear that I cried myself to sleep? That I went twenty rounds on a punching bag in the squad gym until my knuckles bled? That I sat alone in my apartment and drank until I couldn’t remember my own name, let alone what that bastard had done? Well, sorry, I didn’t do any of those things. I can’t put myself before the squad like you did with Mia.”

  As soon as the words burst out of him, he wanted to take them back, but the anger had boiled and overflowed from the pit he’d been keeping it and wouldn’
t let his jaw loosen to form an apology.

  Alpha’s expression darkened. “I’m going to believe that was beer and fury talking, and pretend like you didn’t say that.”

  He shoved off from the bar, the anger that Alpha wouldn’t even defend himself from the low blow adding fuel to the unexpected rage festering within him. “Whatever, Leigh. I didn’t drink anywhere near enough to have this conversation, no matter if you think otherwise.”

  “Pushing me away isn’t going to change what happened. It’s only going to leave you alone and bitter. If you don’t want to talk to me, okay. Try talking to Jenna. Talk to someone. Bren and I are starting to worry—” Alpha grabbed for him again, but he shrugged off the grip, jerking out of range and bumping into someone behind him.

  “I said I’m fine. Lawler is rotting wherever CI sent him, and what did I really lose? Our entire friendship was based on a lie, so in actual fact, I didn’t have anything to begin with. Just took me awhile to realize it. All I need is for Stanton to get his head out of his ass and let me do my job. You want to help, then find a way to make that happen.”

  He abandoned the drinks he’d ordered and shouldered his way through the crowd, heading toward the restrooms, wanting to escape the pounding noise and get his head on straight. Of all the nights Alpha could have decided to go psychotherapist on him, it had to be tonight when he was already up in his own head about this thing with Jenna. But it seemed Alpha wasn’t done with him, as the guy slammed through the exit behind him. The brighter lights in the hallway made his eyes ache for a moment, and as the door shut behind Alpha, the noise dulled to a dim roar.

  “Maybe you should put this downtime to good use,” Alpha continued as if Seb hadn’t just tried to walk out on the convo.

  “By doing what?” He dragged a hand over his face, wishing he could wipe the anger away just as easily. “Getting the Knox’s psych to shrink-wrap my brain? A touch of cognitive reconditioning? Maybe I’ll get a facial while I’m at it. By then, I’m sure I’ll have forgotten all about that two-faced asshole, Lawler.”

  “For once, cut the crap and listen to me.”

  It was too close to what Jenna had said about him not taking anything seriously. The bubbling anger exploded outward, and his fist was swinging before his mind could catch up with the action. He caught Alpha in the jaw and sent him stumbling into the wall.

  But the former CAFF simply straightened and touched a finger to the dark-red welt on his face. “Feel better now?”

  “Not in the least.” He flexed his aching knuckles, guilt and acrid remorse rising like steam from the ebbing anger. “Sorry. You didn’t deserve that. Or what I said about Mia. I didn’t mean it. I’m just— It’s like I’m in this tailspin and I can’t pull out of it.”

  “Sometimes you can’t pull out of it. Sometimes you have to hit the eject button.” Alpha shifted to lean against the wall.

  “What’s that supposed to mean? It’s not like I can eject on my life. Well, I guess I could, but who’s going to clean up the splatter I leave behind?”

  “It means there’s always a way out, it just might not be the one you want to take.”

  “Uh-huh,” he drawled in reply, even though Leigh’s words had struck a chord. “You and Bren have got this really great good-shrink bad-shrink thing going. Was that planned, or just a coincidence?”

  Alpha’s lips lifted in a cryptic half smile. “That’s CAFF secret business. Got to keep the stick jockeys in line one way or another.”

  “Consider me in line and forewarned,” he muttered.

  “Seriously, though, one day you’ll need to talk about this Lawler thing. And when you do, I’ll be here with a beer or two. In the meantime, try not to get yourself killed, cowboy. And no more crazy assignments for CI.”

  “You don’t need to tell me that.” Except what the hell would Alpha say if his buddy knew he’d agreed to help Jenna infiltrate CI’s shady organization to discover who ordered her execution? That wasn’t just some pony-up, ball-clenching, death-defying jet stunt. It was a downright disaster waiting to happen.

  “Don’t spend too long out here avoiding us, or Bren will have Jenna spilling her guts about you quicker than a drop out barrel roll.”

  He groaned as Alpha clapped him on the shoulder and left. God knew what Jenna would say to keep their cover. No matter how much he did not want to be here doing this tonight, he didn’t have much choice in the matter and would be filing it in the fat folder of doing things to keep Jenna alive.

  With a heavy sigh, he went into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face to cool the last of his nasty temper and wake up. The few hours’ sleep he’d caught hadn’t been anywhere near enough to be dealing with this crap.

  After toweling himself dry, he couldn’t put it off any longer, and headed back into the passageway. As the bathroom door swung shut behind him, a door father down the corridor cracked open. He glanced over his shoulder, not thinking much of it. Until the business end of an electromagnetic pulse gun poked out from the darkness of the room. Seb dove for cover before the first blast had even fired. The second blast compensated for his leap and caught him high in the shoulder.

  He grunted as the force of the shot propelled him into the wall and sent him off balance. As he stumbled to his knees, he clamped a hand over the raging pain radiating from his shoulder and through his chest, stealing his air and weakening his muscles on an expanding wave. He hit the floor.

  Half rolling, he propped himself up against the wall, breath slicing against the pain as the shooter emerged from what appeared to be Harley’s office, carrying a bag, wearing black pants and a dark-gray hoodie, face covered. What the hell? Was the dude robbing the place and he’d lucked into stumbling through the middle of his escape?

  The shooter advanced toward him, leveling the gun on him.

  “Look, man. I can’t see your face. I can’t tell them who you are.” Clenching his jaw, he used the wall to help get on his feet. Because damned if he was going to be killed sitting on his ass like a pussy.

  Maybe he could overpower the shooter and get that gun, but the guy wasn’t close enough, and running toward someone who’d already shot him didn’t seem like the smartest thing he could do this week.

  Despite the blood trickling down his biceps and upper chest, he released the grip he’d been keeping on the injury and held both hands out.

  “I’m not armed. Just turn around and walk away, I’m no threat to you.”

  But the shooter either didn’t hear him over the pounding noise of conversation and music in the background or just didn’t care. The guy seemed set on getting close enough to make sure the next shot put him down for good.

  The door slapped open behind him, and Mia stepped through. Her eyes widened.

  “No!” Even though he was out of reach, he started to leap forward, desperate not to watch Mia get killed. Alpha would never come back from that.

  A blast echoed loudly in the enclosed space, ricocheting through his ears and thumping into his skull. The shooter jerked, sending his shot wide to skim a blackened burn mark across the wall. The guy went down to one knee for a second, but as Mia advanced, gun in her hand, the shooter pushed up and ran for it, slamming through a door in the opposite end of the passageway that led to the utility corridors.

  Seb released a long breath, bracing one hand against his knee and clamping the other hand over the injury again, head going on a long, lazy spin.

  “Sir, are you all right?” Slipping the gun away, Mia stopped beside him.

  “Only a select few senior officers are permitted to carry off-shift, Cadet Wolfe.”

  She wrapped a hand around his uninjured arm and helped him straighten.

  “Sorry, sir, but since they discovered the Knox had been infiltrated by the CSS, and Leigh and I nearly got killed, that’s one rule I wasn’t able to follow.”

  And his respect for her had just shot up about a dozen notches. “Considering you probably just saved my life, I won’t tell them if you don�
��t.”

  A smile touched her mouth, but didn’t reach her eyes. “You got a deal. Now, if you don’t mind me saying, sir, I think you need medical attention.”

  “Really? And here I thought it was just a minor scrape.” Yeah, it was more than a minor scrape—his entire arm was numb, his fingers tingling. If the injury was serious, he’d end up benched for longer than even Stanton had planned. Of all the goddamned luck.

  “If this is what you call a scrape, I’d hate to see what you call a serious injury.” Mia let him go long enough to pull out her personal comm.

  “My guts aren’t hanging out. That’s always a bonus. What are you doing?”

  “Calling the EMT,” she replied.

  “Christ, no.” He brushed by her, grimacing at the attention he’d get if the emergency medical team came rushing up here. “I’ll walk myself to med level. I might be leaking, but I’m not crippled.”

  “Are you sure, sir? We need to report this.” She trailed after him as he pushed through the door and stepped into the dim light and head pounding noise of the main bar. His shoulder throbbed in time with the beat, while his brain kept up that damned long, lazy spin.

  As he made it to the table where everyone else was seated, he started to list sideways, but Mia caught him before he knocked into Bren. Okay, maybe he wasn’t getting to med level under his own steam.

  “Damn, Seb, you didn’t drink that much already, did you?” Alpha hurried toward him and braced a hand against his uninjured shoulder.

  He unwrapped his fingers from the wound, wincing at the sting, and held his hand up in the low, flashing lights. “I accidentally walked into a pulse blast.”

  Alpha cursed, grabbing his shirt at the neck and jerking it open, exposing the wound. Typical of a pulse blast, the outer edges were charred and burned, while the center was a ragged hole, oozing more blood than he wanted to see.

  Jenna shot up from her chair, alarm tightening her features. As Alpha took his weight, she came up to support him on the other side.

  “You’ll get blood all over you,” he managed to get out, the dizziness getting tighter and faster in his head.