by Christy,Dena
“The woman is not to be harmed,” Dr. Avery snapped. It hadn’t occurred to him that they would kill anyone since they had no weapons, but perhaps there were weapons on them that weren’t visible. “She is to be taken into your custody, and you are to treat her as if she was your mother or sister. She must remain unmolested.”
“And the man, sir?”
Dr. Avery considered that question for a moment. While he would like to continue to study the alien while he was alive, he’d already proven to be a slippery one.
“If the opportunity presents itself, dead is just fine. I want his body brought back to my lab as proof that he’s been dealt with.”
It would be better this way. Once the alien was dead, his influence over Miranda would end. And John’s hands would be clean, since he wouldn’t be the one to do the killing.
The one in the middle ducked his head and pressed his hand to his ear. He spoke quietly, and Dr. Avery couldn’t make out what he was saying.
His communication tablet vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out. He looked at the display screen and saw it was Commander Clancy. He turned away from the soldiers and pressed the tablet up to his ear once he’d opened the comm channel.
“I’ll be brief Avery. The men are at the building, and ready to retrieve the targets.”
“I know, sir.” Why was he calling to tell him this? He was standing right here and could see for himself.
“What do you mean you know?” Commander Clancy’s voice was a sharp bark and John winced as it pierced his ear drum.
“I’m at the building with them sir.”
“Do you want to compromise this mission? You are not trained for this sort of thing, and you will only be in the way. Go back to your lab and wait for them to do their job.”
“But sir…”
“But nothing. Go back to your lab and let them do their job. They are not trained babysitters.”
The communication line when dead, and John slowly tucked his communication tablet into his pocket. When he heard the squeak of his teeth grinding together in his head, he attempted to unlock his jaw. His teeth would be ground down to nubs by the time the alien was recaptured if he couldn’t get control of himself. He turned back to the soldiers.
“I’m needed back at my lab, so I will leave this mission in your capable hands.” He turned to go to his car when he saw out of the corner of their eyes the looks they exchanged.
He was sure they knew who had called him and why. He straightened his shoulders, and walked to his car, refusing to look back at them to confirm what he already knew. They were laughing at him and he didn’t need to look at them to know that. As he got into his car, he comforted himself with the thought that once he had Miranda back, and his social status elevated with his marriage to her, he would be the one laughing.
Chapter Thirteen
Miranda left the bedroom and pushed a cheerful smile on her face when she walked into the living room. He was right, the longer he stayed with her the more danger she was in, but after last night it was going to be hard to let him go.
“Where’s your friend?” Collette handed her a steaming mug. Miranda almost refused since she didn’t like the government sanctioned coffee substitute. It was free of all the caffeine and flavour of regular coffee, and she didn’t know anyone who enjoyed it. The government decided that excess caffeine was harmful to people’s health, and all caffeinated beverages had become illegal. Possessing a bag of coffee carried as high a penalty as having a small bag of heroine.
“He’s in the bedroom getting dressed.” The aroma of what was in the mug drifted up to her nostrils. She lowered her head and inhaled. If she didn’t know better, she would swear it smelled like real coffee. She took a tentative sip, and as the hot liquid flooded her mouth, she shut her eyes as her taste buds sang with delight. It was the real thing. “You have real coffee.”
“I know. Reggie brings it to me.” Collette went over to the sofa and sat down, curling her legs under her as she held her own mug. “Don’t worry, we won’t be raided. Reggie gets his coffee from someone very close to the President, and I heard that it’s the same brand the President himself drinks.”
The high government officials would indulge in contraband while the rest of the people on Nova Earth risked jail time for indulging in theirs.
“Anyway, enough about the coffee.” Collette took a sip of her drink. “Who’s your naked friend? I didn’t know you were such a wild woman, bringing home a strange man and fucking him. Why you felt it necessary to do it in my bed, I have no idea, but who am I to stand in the way of unbridled lust. And I’m assuming you fucked him?”
A hot flush crept up Miranda’s cheeks. She could not be as casual about this as Collette was. Sex was part of Collette’s profession, so she’d dealt with the reality of sleeping with someone new a lot more than Miranda had. Jumping into bed with someone she hardly knew was not how she usually operated, but her situation with Synn was out of the ordinary.
“I had sex with him,” Miranda said. “I hadn’t intended for it to happen when we got here, but it did. As for why here, it’s because of who he is?”
“And who is he? You haven’t gotten to that part and I’m dying to know. He is very yummy, and while I could see myself picking him up at a bar and bringing him home, I didn’t think that was your thing.”
Should she tell Collette the truth? It would be better for her if she didn’t know who Synn was. It would be safer for her if she could truthfully deny any knowledge of Synn’s true nature. But Collette was her best friend, and in all the years she’d known her she’d kept no secrets from her.
The silence stretched on and Collette knew her better than anyone. She was correct that picking up a man in a bar was not her thing, and Collette’s agile mind would naturally leap to the most logical conclusion. As soon as Collette’s eyes widened, Miranda held up her hand to keep her friend from freaking out.
“I know what your thinking, and yes it is him. They were going to kill him and I couldn’t let that happen, so I helped him escape.” Miranda sat down on the sofa with Collette.
“Holy shit, Randa. When you rebel, you rebel hard. What are you going to do with him?”
“He’s not a pet for me to do something with.” Miranda frowned at Collette, and she took a deep breath. Her friend may not like what she was going to stay next. “I’m going to help him find his friends.”
“No you aren’t. It’s not safe for you. I will leave you here in your friend’s care.” Synn walked in the living room and stood looking at both of them. “The longer I stay with her the more danger she will be in.”
“So you’re a hit it and quit it kind of guy,” Collette said with a hint of aggression in her voice. “Nice.”
“What is this hit and quit thing you’re talking about? I would never strike Miranda.” He looked confused. He hadn’t learned slang when he’d picked up their language.
“It means you have sex with her and leave her. I suppose it would be a nice way to say thank you for saving your life if you’re any good at it. Hopefully you haven’t left her with any parting gifts.” Collette uncurled her legs and stood up to face him.
Miranda stood. This was going to go downhill fast if she didn’t speak up.
“Collette, I know you think you are sticking up for me, but please do me the courtesy of treating me like a functioning adult. What happened between Synn and I is between Synn and I. We have already discussed his leaving and I’m good with it.” Miranda smiled at her friend, putting on her best everything is find phoney face. Collette looked at her, taking in the smile and rolled her eyes.
“Bullshit.” Her friend’s ability to see through her phoniness did not stop her from keep the smile on her face.
“He is wrong about one thing though. He’s not leaving me here in your care. He needs chips and I have jewelry that I’m going to sell to give it to him. Do you know where I could go to discreetly turn jewels into cash?”
“I told you I don’t w
ant you to sell your belongings for me. I will find another way to get funds,” Synn said.
“You don’t get to say what I do with my things, and if I want to sell them and help you, that’s what I’m doing,” Miranda crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at him. She wanted to do this, and he would take the money if she had to force it on him. She was willing to walk away from him after that, but she didn’t do everything she’d done for him so far only to see him get captured again because he didn’t have the money to outrun his pursuers.
“You may as well not argue with her when she gets that look on her face. She’s disgustingly stubborn.” Collette turned away to go to her desk. She opened the drawer and pulled out a small piece of paper. “This is the guy I use. He’s discreet. He fences jewelry, and can arrange for fake ID if you need it.”
As Collette handed the card over to Miranda, her gaze shifted to the small monitor that sat in the corner. Miranda looked at it to see what had drawn her attention, and her stomach plummeted straight down to her toes. The monitor showed the front of the building where Dr. Avery stood addressing three men who could only be soldiers, despite their lack of weapons.
“Oh shit.” Miranda swayed on her feet for a moment before she forced steel into her spine. Dr. Avery had caught up with them sooner then she’d thought he would, and they needed to get away before his goons found them in Collette’s apartment. “We have to go.”
“What is it?” Synn his body stiffened, and he reached out to take a step toward her.
“Dr. Avery is outside with three men.” Miranda sprinted to the bedroom to get her duffle bag that still held her jewelry. If they were going on the run, she’d need the chips now more than ever. She raced back to the living room and pulled the jewelry box out of the bag and dumped the contents in her purse. “Ok, let’s get out of here.”
“Wait,” Collette said. “I’ll be right back.”
“Collette we don’t have time to wait, we have to get out of here now. It’s bad enough that he knows I’m in the building, if we’re caught here you won’t be able to deny any involvement in this,” Miranda’s eyes strayed to the monitor. She watched as Dr. Avery pulled his communicator out of his pocket and spoke to someone.
“It will take them a few minutes to get in here. They will have to get past the security desk first.” Collette walked back into the living room. She held a small black tablet in her hand and she handed it over to Miranda. “Take this and call me if you need anything.”
“I’m not calling you. All comms are monitored, and I’m not getting you in deeper in this than I already have.”
“Take it. It’s a burner, it’s calls can’t be traced.” Collette pressed the tablet into Miranda’s hand. She didn’t even want to ask why her friend had it so she dropped it in her purse and Collette pulled her to her. Miranda hugged her friend, hoping that this wouldn’t be the last time she would see her. “Be safe.”
Miranda nodded, and she glanced back at the monitor to see that Dr. Avery was leaving in his car, and the goon squad was walking into the building.
“Miranda, we need to go,” Synn said.
Miranda nodded, took one last look at Collette and followed him out the door. They stood in the hall for a second, and no one rushed them. Miranda wiped her hands down the sides of her pants, and she had a hot burning sensation in her stomach. She took several deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. She won the battle with the nausea churning in her gut and stiffened her spine. They would get out of this, she hadn’t gone through all that she had at the lab only to see him captured again.
* * *
Miranda automatically turned to go to the elevator, but Synn pulled her to a halt and shook his head.
“We’ll take the stairs.” He took her hand, and they rushed toward the stairwell. They would have to go down seven floors worth of stairs, but at least they wouldn’t be trapped in a box like they would have if they’d taken the elevator. She could navigate the stairs in the flats she was wearing. She looked down at Synn’s feet and saw they were bare.
“Synn, your feet.” She drew him to a halt in the middle of the hall. Why hadn’t she thought about shoes when she was getting clothes for him. He couldn’t walk around the planet barefoot.
He waved her concerns away with a flick of his hand and pulled her into the stairwell.
“It’s fine. Your life is not worth any discomfort I might feel. Don’t worry about it. Once we get out of this, I’ll find shoes.” The door banged behind them and they began the long trek down the stairs.
How had Dr. Avery found them so quickly? She had expected him to go to her apartment, which was why she hadn’t stayed there. Was her connection to Collette that obvious? Had she unknowingly endangered her friend by foolishly running to her apartment? If something happened to Collette because of this, she would never forgive herself.
They had gone down four floors when Synn drew her to a halt. Miranda blew out a tired breath and wiped a hand across her brow, which was moist with sweat. When she got her life back together, she would definitely go to the gym more. She didn’t think they were stopping because she needed a rest though.
“What is it?” she whispered, and he looked at her and raised his finger to his lips.
Miranda’s heart pounded so loud in her ears that she didn’t think she could hear anything over it. The sound of booted footfalls came to her, closer than she’d expected. One soldier was in the stairwell, and she froze in panic for a second, her body going cold. This was it, they were going to be caught and Synn would be killed. As for what would happen to her, she had no idea, since she’d never thought she’d be in this position.
“I haven’t seen them yet, but the woman should be easy enough to identify.” A deep male voice carried up the stairwell, and any hope that Miranda had that they could escape under the radar was dashed. Synn squeezed her hand, and he turned her around.
He pointed his finger up and she looked down to see the soldier’s head appear several floors below them in the open space between the spiralling stairs. Their pursuer chose that moment to look up, and he made eye contact with Miranda.
“Got you.” He smiled like a shark at her.
Miranda froze for a moment, like prey caught in a predator’s sights. Her heart thundered in her ears and she swayed for a split second. This was it. It was over. She’d failed before he’d even got away.
Synn’s hand wrapped around her arm and she jumped in her skin.
“Go now!” Synn towed her up the stairs, and she scrambled to keep up. He wasn’t ready to give up and she shouldn’t either. The soldier hadn’t caught them yet.
Renewed strength settled into her legs and she followed up the stairs. The heavy footfalls of the man below them spurred Miranda into moving as fast as she could. She ignored how far it was to the top as she focused on one stair at a time.
“I have a visual on the targets.” The soldier’s voice edged closer to them.
He sounds so close. She risked a quick glance back, and she saw him moving steadily up the stairs a few floors below. He was so much closer now then he had been when he’d first spotted her. We won't make it.
Her breath came in harsh pants as she trusted Synn to lead her to safety. The only place up took them was to the roof. Maybe Synn had a plan, to get them to another floor and outrun the soldier that way.
Miranda’s legs burned, and she struggled to get enough air in her lungs as they reached the top of the building. Synn hadn’t even broken a sweat, and she was ready to collapse. The only thing holding her up was the adrenaline that her rapidly pounding heart pounded through her system and Synn’s firm hand still wrapped around her arm.
They came to the door that led to the roof, and Synn pushed it open. They walked outside, and Miranda squinted for a moment at the harsh glare of the sun. There was nothing on the roof to hide behind, and they were out in the open and vulnerable.
“Synn?” Miranda’s heart plummeted down to her toes. The soldier was going to co
me through that door any second and it would be all over. Why had she thought she could save him? She should have known that she spent too many years as the obedient citizen to be good at anything else. “I’m so sorry. I tried to save you.”
“It’s not over yet.” He turned her to face him, his hands on each of her arms. She could feel the strengthen him and she wanted to believe that they could get out of this. A quick glance around told her that they still had no where to go. “I have a plan, and we aren’t giving up yet. There is no way I’m going to let him get you. Put your purse strap over your body.”
Miranda’s brows pulled together, but she did as she was told. There was an urgent command in his voice that didn’t leave room for disagreement. Not that she wanted to disagree, since whatever he was planning had to be better than what she wanted to do, which was curl up in to a ball and rock with her hands over her ears until this whole thing was over.
As soon as her purse was secure, her eyes were on the door behind them, which she expected to burst open any second.
“Miranda.” Synn’s voice was sharp, and she focused her attention back on him. He looked into her eyes, and she could feel a calm settling over her. He had a plan, and everything would be all right. “I need you to trust me. No matter what happens, trust me to keep you safe. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation inside her. He’d proven that he would not intentionally cause her harm, and he seemed confident that they soldier would not get them.
She didn't know what he was thinking of doing, but he better do it soon she thought as her eyes shifted back to the door again.
Synn put his hands on her waist and lifted her up. She let out a startled squeak. What is he doing? He’d asked her to trust him, but what could he possibly want to do that involved him lifting her in the air.
“Put your legs around my waist and your arms around my neck and hold on tight.”
She held on to him and as she looked over his shoulder, she saw the door behind them slowly easing open.
