by S. K. Yule
Just as she thought all hope was lost, the front of the Bug lifted up, and the vehicle started moving backward. She turned to find three hulking figures pulling them from death’s grip.
Once they were on solid ground, she flung the door open, ran around the other side of the car, and hugged Molly.
When the anxiety stopped churning her stomach and Molly calmed, she stood to face their rescuers.
Three huge men dressed in black fatigues stood in front of her. She tilted her head back, and her eyes widened. Holy hell. I’ve just met three giants. “Damn you’re big. I-I mean, thank you. If you hadn’t shown up…” The dark-haired one with the tinted glasses said something. She held her hands up. “I can’t understand what you’re saying.”
He tapped his earpiece several times. “Can you understand me now?”
“Yes!” Wait. What the hell kind of language was he speaking to begin with?
“I’m Bayden. That’s Conlan and Stryder.”
All three men were similar in size and dark-haired. However, Stryder was the one who made her uneasy. His amber-eyed gaze and pale skin reminded her of a predator hunting for prey, and she’d no desire to be the rabbit.
Where had these men come from, and what were they doing here? They could possibly help her get to her destination, but she wasn’t sure she could trust them. She glanced at Molly. What if they’re willing to help me get Molly medical attention? What if they aren’t? She took a deep breath. Time’s running out. I can’t risk not asking them for help. “Can you help me get to the shelter?”
“Where is it?” Bayden looked toward the crack that had nearly swallowed Ellie and Molly.
“That way?” Ellie pointed the same direction he stared. Please let them be willing to help us. And what if they aren’t? None of them have threatened me or Molly in any way, but what if one or all of them do? She looked from them to the car. If they do, I grab Molly and make a run for the car.
“We scanned the area for miles. There’s nothing that way,” Bayden said.
“No! It has to be there.” Bile burned up the back of her throat, and Ellie bent, resting her hands on her knees while she fought the nausea. “I can’t go back. She’ll never make it.” Bayden looked around Ellie at Molly. “The girl is sick.”
“Yes.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Bayden took a step closer.
Ellie backed up a step. She didn’t get the feeling he was trying to intimidate her. He was obviously used to being around others of similar size. She wasn’t. “She has leukemia.” Ellie whispered so Molly couldn’t hear. “She had it two years ago, and it went into remission. It came back. I found her close to a hospital after… She was there to start treatments again. She’ll die if I don’t find her medical attention.”
He tapped his earbud again. “Thad, come in… We have a sick girl… Leukemia… It doesn‘t look good… Affirmative.” Bayden looked at Ellie. “Come with us.”
Ellie slowly stood, hoping the nausea wouldn’t return. “No offense, but come with you where? And exactly who are you?”
“Explanations can be made later. If you want to save the girl, come with us. It’s your choice but make it quick. We’re leaving.”
Chapter Three
Ellie chewed on her lip and then crouched in front of Molly again. “We’re going to go with the men.”
“I don’t want to go with them,” Molly said.
“I know, but you trust me, right?” Please don’t let this decision to go with them be wrong. She sized up the three men. Their stance… Their demeanor… Everything about them reminded her of soldiers.
Molly nodded.
“We’re out of options, kiddo. Fate sent us guardian angels.” She prayed they were angels anyway. She did have a choice not to go with them. If she chose that option, Molly would die. Bayden claimed to be able to help Molly. Even if he was lying, the possibility that Molly might get help was better than no chance at all. Surely the men wouldn’t have pulled her and Molly from certain death and offer them help only to harm them later.
Molly hugged Ellie. “Okay.”
Ellie stood and turned to Bayden. “We’ll go. Let me get our things.” Ellie retrieved the bag from the backseat and began stuffing everything inside the pack. She helped Molly from the car. “I’m going to carry you, kiddo.” Ellie slung the pack over her shoulder. Carrying Molly would be awkward, but Ellie doubted the girl could make the walk on her own.
Molly nodded.
Bayden knelt beside Molly. “I’m Bayden. Would you like for me to carry you?”
Molly hesitated and looked at Ellie.
“I think you might be a little too heavy for your mom. She can walk right beside us—even hold your hand if you like.”
“She’s not my mom,” Molly whispered and then looked at the ground.
Ellie’s heart squeezed, and a pinch of pain lodged in her chest. She chose not to address the loss of Molly’s parents. “It’s okay, if you’re okay with it, Molly. But if you aren’t, I can manage.”
“I don’t want to make Ellie tired.” Molly looked at Bayden. “You can carry me.”
Bayden carefully scooped Molly up, and Molly reached for Ellie’s hand. Ellie took it, and they began walking away from the Bug and all hope of finding the shelter. She struggled to keep up with the three’s large strides.
About twenty minutes later, they reached two other men. Ellie was winded and was grateful they’d stopped.
Bayden called out to the other men, tapped his earpiece, and said something she didn’t understand.
“Thad.” Bayden motioned with his head.
When Thad approached, she was barely able to look away from his silver-eyed stare. Good God. She’d never seen such a shade. She also found his hair strange—gray with black lowlights.
“This is Molly. She needs treatment right away,” Bayden said.
“I can scan and stabilize her on the ship, but I’ll have to wait to treat her until we return to the compound.”
Ship? She stared at the oval black object. No. This isn’t possible. That can’t be a spaceship, can it? Ellie’s hands began to shake, and she shoved them in her front pockets. “What the hell is that?”
“Our transport out of here,” Bayden said. “Sarek, haul ass. It’s time to leave.”
All the men started for the ship, and she froze. “I-I—”
“We have to go. Is it all right if Molly goes with Thad? He can help her. He’s a patch. I need to talk to you, and I’d rather not have this conversation in front of the girl,” Bayden said.
“Um…” When Ellie finally looked at Molly and saw her wide-eyed stare, Ellie realized her own anxiety was affecting the girl. She smiled. “Go with Thad, Molly. I’ll be right there.”
“I’d rather go with him.” Molly pointed to the one Bayden had called Sarek. “He’s neat. He has purple skin.”
The hair at Ellie’s nape stood on end. How did I miss the dude with purple skin? Hm. Maybe because of the distractions of silver eyes and a freaking spaceship? A dull tingling behind her eyes warned of an impending headache.
“Sarek, come take Molly to the exam room,” Bayden said.
Sarek nodded and came over and stood next to Bayden. “Hi, Molly. I’m Sarek.”
“You’re purple!”
“I am?” He held his hands up in front of his face. “You’re right. I am.” He laughed. “But only a little. Will you come with me?”
Molly looked at Ellie.
Now’s the time to back out if I’m going to. She’d already made the decision to come with them. Yeah, but that was before the whole spaceship thing. Butterflies danced in her belly. I have to take the chance that they can help Molly. “It’s okay. I’ll be there in a minute, kiddo.”
“Promise?” Molly’s voice trembled.
“Scout’s honor.” Ellie said. She waited until only she and Bayden remained outside. “Where, exactly, do you plan on taking us?”
“Ryon.”
“What the hell is Ryon?
”
He pointed to the sky. “That way.”
Her jaw dropped. “Are you implying that you’re from outer space?” Is this really a surprise? There is a spaceship, remember? Spaceship. Maybe if I say it enough, it’ll actually sink in that this is real.
“I’m flat-out saying it.”
She shook her head.
“No?”
“You’ll have to forgive me if I can’t quite grasp the idea of getting on a spaceship and flying to a planet with little green men.”
“Do I look like a little green man to you?”
Far from it. If a typical alien resembled him, she wished she’d met one long before now. But what he looked like had nothing to do with the decision looming in front of her. “No, but—”
“Look. I understand that you’ve had a difficult time, and I’d seriously doubt your logic if you didn’t question our motives. I give you my word that neither you nor Molly will be harmed. We’ll protect you both.”
“You say that, but how do I know I can trust you?”
“You don’t. That’s what keeps you alive.”
“So you’re asking me to trust you but then telling me not to?” A dull throb pulsed in her head, and she rubbed at her temple.
“I guess I did.” He frowned. “Molly won’t survive here much longer. I’ll protect both of you and make sure you have everything you need—food, water, a secure place to stay, and medical attention. If you don’t want to come, I’ll understand. But you should still allow Molly to come with us. We can help her.”
“No! I can’t abandon her. I promised her that I’d take care of her.”
She hated to admit it, but he was right about Molly. She wouldn’t last here much longer. She hugged her arms around her middle. “I’m scared,” she whispered.
“I know, but it’ll be all right, nela.” He took a couple steps toward her, and when she took a hasty step back, he stopped.
“What does nela mean?”
“It’s a Ryonian word for sister or woman.”
“Is Ryon the language you were speaking when we first met?”
“Ryonian.”
“Convenient that you speak English too.”
“I don’t…didn’t. None of us did.”
“Then how—”
“It’d take a while for me to explain it. Let’s just say a tiny chip in my ear allows me to download any language.”
“Download any language. I understand that.” She tapped her bottom lip, trying to figure out exactly what he meant. “But where does it download to?”
“My brain.”
“What?”
“We can discuss things like this later,” he said with an amused grin. “Make your decision.”
She didn’t have a choice. She was going to have to put her trust in this man if she wanted Molly to have a chance to survive. She paused for a moment. “Ellie Morgan.”
“Bayden Koven.”
“I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“There’s always a choice. We may not like the options, but they’re there.”
“I guess you’re right about that.” She stared toward the horizon at a world that bore little resemblance to what she once knew. She squared her shoulders. “All right then. Let’s go.”
She followed Bayden to the ship, not missing his sexy swagger or delicious backside. Seriously? Even with all of the crazy shit happening right now, I’m still noticing his ass? A tingling sensation warmed her lower belly. I guess I’d have to be dead not to notice.
Once she stepped through the door, resignation and determination settled inside her. She’d meet head-on whatever adventure life had now decided to throw into her path. If she could survive a meteor, no power or communication, and scary-as-hell earthquakes, she could survive living on another planet. At least she hoped so.
* * * *
“What the fuck are you thinking bringing them with us?” Stryder’s gravelly voice cut through Bayden’s thoughts as Bayden launched the ship and set the course for home.
“Here we go again,” Thad muttered.
“Don’t start with me.” Bayden white-knuckled the armrest.
Sarek walked into the control room. “What’s all the bitching about?”
“We don’t have any business with a woman or a child.” Stryder said.
“Don’t you fucking think I know that? What did you want me to do? Leave them there and let the girl die?” He clenched his jaw. When he’d first laid eyes on Ellie, she’d lit a spark in his gut. A tiny flicker of longing for something he couldn’t quite grasp.
“Yes! This isn’t the time to start making decisions with your dick.”
He flared his nostrils. From the moment Ellie had stepped from the vehicle, he’d been drawn to her. She’d admitted to only meeting Molly a short time ago, yet he’d no doubt Ellie would protect the girl with her life. Her loyalty to Molly called out to the warrior in him. But Ellie’s wide blue eyes, wavy black hair, creamy skin, full lips, and lithe curves called out to the man in him and awakened needs he thought he’d long suppressed
Bayden didn’t answer, because he’d no reasonable explanation. Stryder was right. He wanted Ellie, but that wasn’t the only reason he’d brought her and Molly with them. Molly was a child, and Ellie was no soldier. Neither deserved to be left behind. “You could’ve, with no remorse, turned your back and left them? A woman and sickly child?”
“Yes. We’re in the middle of a fucking war in case you forgot.” Stryder smacked his palms on the console.
“Don’t worry about it,” Bayden said.
Thad spoke up. “Damn, Stryder. I knew you were a cold son of a bitch, but that’s icy even for you.”
“The girl would’ve died, and no telling what might’ve ended up happening to Ellie.” Sarek stared at Stryder, but Stryder didn’t utter a word. The dark expression on his face was testament enough to his thoughts on the subject.
“The woman might’ve survived for a while, but the girl is in awful shape.” Thad flipped a switch to stabilize the ship. “Molly wouldn’t have lasted much longer with her cancer. Once we get back, they could both use rest and some good meals.”
Stryder stood. “Think and say what you want, but you all know we’ve no business with them. We can’t send them anywhere else. If someone found out they were connected to Bayden and told Mykal…” Stryder shook his head. “You know what the Enforcers would do to them. Did you consider you might well be a permanent guardian to them for the rest of their lives?”
Bayden felt sick. His initial thought had been to get Ellie and Molly to safety and Molly healed, then find somewhere for them to stay. Stryder had a point. Bayden would be risking Ellie’s and Molly’s lives by sending them anywhere else until Mykal was dead.
After another scathing stare, Stryder left the control room.
Stryder was a hard son of a bitch. They all were. But it seemed Stryder was being more uncaring than usual. Bayden didn’t understand his friend’s harsh reaction. What was done was done. In time, everything would settle down, and Stryder would back off. Bayden let out a long, slow breath. “He’s right.”
Sarek sat down in Stryder’s chair. “None of us, except Stryder, could’ve left Ellie and Molly. We’ve all sworn to protect those who are vulnerable.”
“Where are they now?” Bayden leaned back in the chair.
“Asleep. I gave them a mild sedative for the ride home.” Thad wiped his fingers over his face. “They’re a pitiful sight, but Ellie has some fire in her. She provided for the kid as well as she could under the circumstances.”
“It was my decision to bring them along, and I’ll take full responsibility for their care, but I do expect all of you to look out for them. I’ll give up part of my quarters so I can keep a close eye on them.”
They’d be home in a few hours. Once there, he could take some time and think about a better long-term solution for Ellie and Molly. Although, deep inside, he knew there was no other solution. While it was true that many
hated Mykal, just as many were loyal to him. Bayden had no doubt even those who hated Mykal would be more than tempted to hand over anyone connected to Bayden for the reward money.
Relocating Ellie and Molly meant Bayden would have to trust at least one other person on whichever planet he chose to send them. And Bayden was more than aware that no matter how loyal anyone seemed, the chance to gain Mykal’s favor or to obtain reward money were tempting enticements.
Mykal’s reach went far. There weren’t many who didn’t know about the reward on Bayden’s head. One small slip of the tongue from either Ellie or Molly in front of the wrong person could cost them their lives. He refused to take the chance. I should just unload them. Let someone else worry about them. But he knew he wouldn’t. Truth was, even if there were no threat to them, he’d still find a reason for them to stay. Ellie had awakened something in him he hadn’t felt forever, and for the first time in years, he was being selfish. He wanted her to stay because he wasn’t ready for her to walk out of his life.
Chapter Four
Ellie wasn’t sure what had abruptly jarred her awake. As she lay in the small room, listening, only silence greeted her ears. She turned her focus to Molly, still out like a light, on the small bed beside Ellie.
Thad had examined Molly and agreed that she was reaching a critical point. However, Ellie’s relief had been near knee buckling after he’d assured her that he could cure Molly. Apparently, cancer had become a thing of Ryon’s past years earlier. In fact, they had a vaccination for it. That information had floored her. So many people on Earth, people she knew, had died from cancer.
Everyone had been nice to her and Molly so far. But she didn’t miss that Bayden and the rest of the men had an edge about them, and all had one thing in common; the guarded, hard suspicion that burned in their eyes. It was as if they were all waiting for something. What? She didn’t know and wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Except Bayden. She wasn’t sure what burned in his eyes. He’d been the only one wearing dark glasses. None had shown animosity toward her, with the possible exception of the amber-eyed giant. It would’ve been easy for any of them to hurt her or Molly, but they hadn’t. Bayden had been gentle with Molly, and Sarek had even joked with her. The image of Bayden carrying Molly flitted through her brain, and her heart pounded.
