Bri leaned back and studied her sister. “Bet Nate’s jaw dropped when you said all that. He’s not used to you being so sassy. A man has to respect a sassy woman. There’s no other choice.”
“I wasn’t sassy,” Sheena denied. “I was flat out a bitch and didn’t care. I still don’t.”
She drank until she drained the second glass and set it beside the other empty one.
“Okay. This too shall pass. I’m heading to take a shower—a really long one that hopefully will involve some productive groaning and maybe even some weeping. I advise you to turn on a action vid and create some background noise.”
Unable to look at her now giggling and nearly hysterical sister, Sheena walked to the bathroom. At least this trip wasn’t turning out to be a total loss, she and Bri were finally getting to act like a normal family.
Well, normal for MacNamaras that is.
“Admiral, I’m terribly sorry about interrupting your…”
“Save it for our discussion tomorrow,” Nate ordered, striding ahead of his captain to the docking bay. “They offered you the Guardian access code. What more did you need from them?”
“But we…”
“We what? Never get visitors? No, we typically don’t, but that’s changed a lot these last few months, now hasn’t it?”
He was halfway to the shuttle when the pilot opened the door, but all he noticed was Sheena’s four droids turning their heads toward those debarking. It was uncanny how sophisticated they were… and how more freaking smart his former wife had become over the last century. Programming wasn’t even Sheena’s real job. It was just her damn hobby.
Keeping his back to his men, Nate rubbed his forehead and then lowered his hand to rub his chest as well. Tonight was the first time in his entire life that he remembered regret owning him. Watching Sheena leave, especially knowing she so upset and mad at him, had nearly reduced him to not being able to function.
His narrowed-eyed gaze roamed backwards until he spied his ship’s captain staying a healthy distance away from him.
“Captain Cock-Blocker does fit him perfectly,” Nate said under his breath, convinced now that his mother was right. Sheena was definitely a MacNamara, no matter who had supplied the DNA that made her.
By the time his gaze returned to the shuttle, he was stunned to see the official keepers of Dargoona Castle walk down the debarking ramp. They were his age and Sheena’s age and had served the MacNamaras all their life.
“Carleton? What are you and Elsa doing here?” Nate asked in surprise, walking briskly to the older man. They were actually close in age. The ageless miracle of Sheena’s serum hit him once more. Carleton’s head nodded in reply to his greeting. Elsa’s shy smile warmed him.
“Hello, Nathaniel. Two days ago Provost Tiberius came to visit. She had not been expecting the droids Sheena left to guard us. We put what was left of them in the armory for safe-keeping. I know sometimes Sheena’s efforts are… experimental.”
Nate’s mouth twisted in a half smile. “Good call. Sheena will not be pleased Mother broke her toys. I don’t look forward to dealing with the inevitable explosion.”
“Yes. The droids did the job they were programmed to do,” Carleton replied, looking around. “However, once the droids were gone, Provost Tiberius insisted we accompany the kilt makers here until she could determine our safety. She personally left a battalion of guards at the castle. I think she was concerned about the reasons Sheena had felt the need to leave droids.”
“Whatever the reasons, I’m glad you’re here. I only wished the Provost had warned me so I could have greeted you properly,” Nate said, actually meaning it. “Let’s put you two in quarters next to Angus and Erin. Sheena and Bri are already installed on one side. Having all of you there together will allow me to assign you the same guards.”
“Whatever you think is best. You’ll have to pardon our shock. Elsa and I aren’t used to flying more than just to the next island over for supplies… and most times we take the water shuttle.”
“You may see a few aliens while you’re here.” Nate saw Elsa’s eyes widen. He put a hand on her arm. “It’s alright. They’re not going to try and hurt you, but seeing them can jolt a person at first. Just try not to stare too long. Some consider that a challenge. Most are decent beings.”
Elsa nodded and stepped closer to Carleton who put an arm around her. “I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Carleton said for them both.
It was then that Nate heard a group of men arguing at the top of the shuttle ramp. His chin lifted. “Who are they?”
Carleton didn’t even turn. “They’re the kilt makers. Your Director John sent them with us. He wanted to make sure Angus got exactly what he wanted.”
“Kilt makers?” Nate repeated, staring at the two men now descending the ramp. What in hell was he supposed to do with them here? Had John lost his mind?
“Half the shuttle is full of their kilt making supplies,” Carleton told him. “They’re going to need a work area as well as a sleeping room. Fortunately, they’re life partners. If needed, we can share a suite with them.”
“No. That won’t be necessary. I’ll find them a place,” Nate said, shaking his head. His life had been so simple before the Universe 6 version of Angus had arrived.
“Hello, Handsome. Where are all the aliens? Everyone here looks so normal and boring,” one of them said to him in complaint as they got close.
Carleton cleared his throat, let go of Elsa, and turned to stare hard at the man. “This is Admiral Nathaniel Tiberius and he runs the Alien Abduction Services airship. If you don’t mind your manners, you’ll soon find yourselves doing your tasks from a cell below deck. If you don’t believe me, ask Brianna MacNamara. The daughter of the Matchmakers just got out of the Admiral’s holding cell.”
Nate wanted to laugh when the two men swung startled gazes his way. He glanced at Carleton who turned to him and winked as he cleared his throat again.
“Admiral, this is Evan and Matthew Troy—your kilt makers.”
Nate nodded at the intro. “Gentleman, for your safety and the safety of this airship, you will not be seeing any aliens outside of your guards. I suggest you conduct yourself with decorum. Our interplanetary visitors do not react well to humans gawking and staring at them. Don’t make me have to explain your deaths to the Provost.”
“Sir… yes, sir,” they both said, before grinning at each other.
Nate had to work not to roll his eyes. More irreverent visitors meant more trouble. Great. Just what he needed.
“Captain…” he called out. A quick scurrying later brought his wimpy second to his side. “See to it the kilt makers are put in a suite on deck two with a room next door that can be used for their work. Have their supplies from the shuttle unloaded there.”
“Yes, of course, Admiral.”
“I’ll take care of our other guests personally. They’ll be staying until I talk to the Provost.”
“As you wish, Admiral.”
As he wished? What he wished was that Sheena was going to be waiting in his quarters when he returned. That was definitely not going to happen. Nate let a frustrated breath ease out when the quietly chatting cloth wielders followed the man who’d ruined his evening.
“How are the rejuvenated Angus and Erin adjusting?” Carleton asked as they started to leave the shuttle area. “They seem very different from the previous versions.”
Nate snorted and chuckled. “Turns out that level of rejuvenation is a very tricky thing,” he said, lying as best he could. He wasn’t sure how much the AAS director had told the castle keepers. “They’re certainly a lot more trouble now to deal with, that’s for sure.”
“I see. So not really adjusting at all then.”
Nate’s laughter over Carleton’s dry summary echoed through the halls.
Chapter Seven
Sheena couldn’t believe Carleton and Elsa were here too. Bri’s suite was even smaller with the six of them in it. Outside of her glaring openly a
t him, she and Nate hadn’t even exchanged hellos when he’d delivered the castle keepers. Finding out Nate’s meddling mother had zapped her guard droids only made her madder.
She paced the width of the room. “Bringing Carleton and Elsa here wasn’t an accident. Nate’s mother got involved because of Bri.”
“Hey now. I did not instigate this MacNamara reunion,” Bri denied.
Sheena snorted. “I didn’t say it was your fault, Bri. I said you were the reason. The Provost doesn’t want me recruiting you.”
“I’m not letting you recruit me, so that’s a moot point.”
“Except my former mother-in-law doesn’t know that part of our discussion, now does she? What the hell did you see that’s got the Provost concerned, Brianna?”
Bri looked around the room and then shook her head. The truth would help none of them. It especially wouldn’t help her. “The only person I could possibly tell is Nate, and then only if he showed me a specific set of orders.”
“Nate, of course. It always comes back to fucking Nate,” Sheena spat.
“If that’s true, then why didn’t you stay with him when you had the chance?”
“Shut up, smartass. You know that’s not what I meant.”
Bri laughed at her own joke, but sobered at the concerned looks she and Sheena were getting from the others.
“Before you go tearing my head off… I’m not being disloyal to the family. Until I can understand what I saw, I couldn’t answer you honestly anyway. My situation is no different than Nate not being able to tell you the truth about Angus and Erin. Until he decides it’s time to talk, we’re sort of stuck playing the game by his rules. That’s how I am too.”
“Except the Guardians are trying to push you off-planet faster than any other female in the program, Brianna. Why would they do that just to keep you quiet?” Sheena asked.
Bri shrugged. “Someone wants me gone—one way or another. Everyone else who saw what I did is dead already. I never got officially debriefed, but I managed to get a coded message back to my handler. If I hadn’t, the Provost would have sent someone here to find out what I knew. So it’s safe to say the Provost now knows what I know, which is probably why she forced Carleton and Elsa to come here. She wants me to believe she’s protecting them from the people who’re after me.”
Sheena pointed to Carleton and Elsa. “I took care of that before I came after you. Now they’re really involved when they didn’t have to be because of her. Carleton and Elsa were supposed to be safe from this shit. If this damn secrecy continues, I won’t hesitate to call for help myself.”
“You do realize Mom and Dad worked indirectly for the Provost all the time they served as AAS Matchmakers. She valued them, Sheena. I know she did. And they liked her too. More importantly, they trusted her. In the beginning, that was why I went to work for her.”
“She destroyed my droids on purpose.” Sheena huffed and crossed her arms. “Do you think she believes Angus and Erin are actually Mom and Dad.”
Their gazes shifted when Carleton cleared his throat.
“From what the Provost said to me, I understood that to be exactly what she believes. Or at the very least, the Provost is choosing to believe the new MacNamaras are clones of the originals. Since none of us know exactly what they are,” he glanced at Angus and Erin exchanging guilty looks with each other, “we can only make our own surmises about her actions.”
Sheena ran a hand over her face. “Why would Nate lie to his precious mother as much as he is to us? That shocks me more than anything I’ve heard so far. He adores the woman and thinks she can do no wrong. He was livid when I refused to work with her. What the hell is he hiding from us?”
“Deceitful buggers—one and all,” Erin muttered.
“This political intrigue is quite fascinating though. Are we all Nate’s prisoners then?” Angus asked.
Sheena and Bri both shrugged.
“No more than you were already,” Sheena said softly. “But don’t worry. Bri and I are not going to let this bullshit go unchallenged. We both have significant leverage within our organizations… and the Guardians owe me personally. Neither Bri nor I will hesitate to use our leverage if that’s what it’s going to take to normalize the situation.”
Carleton stood and held out a hand to his life partner who’d said nothing all evening. Elsa was as overwhelmed as he was. “If you’ll excuse us, Elsa and I need to retire for the evening. It’s been a rather long day.”
Angus rose and walked to the door behind them. Reaching around Carleton, he opened it and motioned to someone outside. Carleton and Elsa moved back against him once they got a good look at the guard, but Angus put a hand behind each and propelled them forward again.
“This is Darcone. I know he looks a fright, but he’s really a pussycat on the inside. Don’t let his growling put ya off either. He gets his jollies from scaring people shitless. But despite all that, he’ll see ya get next door safe enough.”
Snickering at Darcone’s glare as he pushed them out, Angus smiled and closed the door behind them. He turned back to his new family. “Alright then, I think it’s time our good Admiral learns a lesson about fecking with the MacNamaras.”
“Yeah. Feck him. Don’t you agree, Sheena?” Bri said, smirking.
Sheena shook her head at her sister’s irreverence, but she agreed with Angus. In fact, her brilliant mind had already come up with the best way to accomplish that goal.
Erin wasn’t keen on the plan because she felt the risks were too high, but Angus was downright gleeful. The two of them left Bri’s suite drawing the ever watchful Berg away to escort them to medical on a trumped up headache excuse.
Sheena waited until she heard nothing outside the door. She went to her bedroom, grabbed one of her wrist coms, and then returned. She held it out, pressed a few buttons on it, and then waited.
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I am working for the wrong side. You have way cooler shit than anything I ever got from work,” Bri said, looming over her brainac sibling.
“This is part of my hobby. I’ve never give it away to anyone I worked for. They’d find a way to defeat it faster than I could blink,” Sheena said, seeing the com finally land on the channel. “Plus, I hate being a prisoner. I got captured once. Luckily all they wanted was money for me. I got myself out eventually before my organization had to pay the ransom. After that, I made my boys. I’ve never been captured again.”
Bri chuckled. “How’s it feel to be so freaking smart?”
Sheena raised her head. “Lonely and misunderstood most of the time. Righteous in moments like this.”
Snorting, Bri leaned down and kissed the top of her sister’s head. “I understand you. I just think you need to get laid more often. Or at least drunk. Life is hard enough on this planet. Being miserable is too much to ask of anyone… even someone as brilliant as you.”
Their gazes both turned to the door when they heard it click open.
“Bingo,” Sheena said, quite pleased. She tapped a few buttons to record the settings. Now she could unlock the door anytime she wanted.
“Next time you feel inclined to give me a present, I really, really want one of those wrist coms,” Bri said, opening the door.
Grinning, Sheena held the watch out and wrapped it around her sister’s wrist. “I have other ones. Luckily for you, I made the band adjustable on them. You’re an Amazon compared to me.”
Bri admired the device on her wrist. “You’re the best sister ever.”
“Remind me later and we’ll program it to shut down your restraint collar too.” Sheena opened the door and stuck her head out. Two of her SDD’s were already waiting silently in the hall for her. She turned back to her sister. “Right now, I’m going to go have a private conversation with Admiral Tiberius.”
Bri grinned and stuck her head out. “Okay, but you’ll never get laid with those two walking vibrators trailing after you. Nate won’t be able to get it up with them around.”
Even thou
gh keeping her anger in place might have served her better, Sheena giggled over her sister’s teasing as she walked out the door.
Chapter Eight
Nate sat on his sofa with his head in his hands. He’d been that way pretty much since he’d gotten back here. Dinner was still on the table, but he hadn’t been able to make himself eat.
He needed to contact his mother, or rather, he needed to speak to the Provost, about what she’d done and why. Yet he just didn’t have it in him to have that discussion. All he could think about was how angry Sheena had gotten when his crew had walked in on them.
His men had gotten a little too used to him being alone, and after his last wife had left, he’d gotten used to it as well. He’d always told them to bypass his security in case of a genuine emergency, but… damn it. His body hardened again just at the thought of Sheena’s hand gripping him and stroking. Knowing she wanted him had met some long ignored need.
When the entry warning light flashed over his door, Nate swore viciously but rose reluctantly. His captain was going to get a stern boot to his ass first chance he got. Nothing could have surprised him more than Sheena walking inside alone. Nate looked over her shoulder, but saw no one in the hall. How in hell had she bypassed his security?
“Did Berg let you in here?”
Sheena crossed her arms and glared. “No. I’m sure he’d never do such a thing. Berg is in medical with Angus and Erin. Your mother upset Erin by sending Carleton and Elsa here. I have to say that woman’s a damn accurate clone of my mother. She got all of Mom’s sensibilities and her temper when it comes to protecting the people she loves. You’re lucky Erin didn’t come kick your ass.”
“Damn it, Sheena. Erin’s not a clone. You know that now.”
Sheena lifted a hand. “Do I? Her DNA doesn’t look like anyone else’s in recorded New Earth history. What exactly is she Nate?”
“Human. Female. A pain in my damn ass.”
Shaking her head, Sheena paced with arms crossed. “Still keeping your secrets, I see. All these years have gone by and you never figured out how to be loyal to the right people.”
Nate's Fated Mate: Aliens In Kilts, Abduction 2 Page 8
