by Imogene Nix
A chemical attack? On a base like Aenna, that could mean certain death for a large proportion of those living here. The Admiralty had discarded the idea of building more defenses at the heart of the Empire. Now Gustav knew the Admiralty had become complacent. Rage surfaced, white-hot inside his chest. He wanted to find the perpetrators and knew Kera would ensure just that. He hoped it would be soon enough to save everyone.
Once this incident was dealt with, he would arrange a full overhaul of the security systems. The other admirals wouldn’t like it, but too many lives were jeopardized. He glowered at the desk screen ahead of him, not liking the conclusions he drew.
* * * *
How many more distractions were they planning to throw at them? Kera made her way to the office with slow footsteps. Weariness washing over her, a tide pulling at her senses. Her head pounded and muscles ached. She reached the entry and swiped her hand over the palm reader.
The two guards stood ready, pistols in hand until assured of her identity, and she nearly laughed as a bubble of hysteria bloomed in her chest. She controlled herself, knowing it was a byproduct of the adrenaline which kept her going. The panic she’d experienced earlier knowing he was under attack had nearly swamped her. Even now, her stomach roiled and her heart thudded wildly at the memory of racing to his office. She had barely contained her anger that someone—a person on the base—had dared to threaten him. The thoughts were distractions she couldn’t afford.
She dismissed the guards with a nod and then a jerk of her head to indicate the door. They left without a sound, making sure the door closed behind them.
“Well, Gustav, I think the problem is deeper than we imagined. The canisters contained a cyanide-based compound. Thankfully, the ones we’ve located were faulty and didn’t explode. If they had, the projected loss would have included the hangars and all the staff contained within, and to be clear, we are talking hundreds, not to mention the catastrophic media nightmare that would have ensued. Officers are being deployed, combing the entire base right now, for other canisters.” She sat down, letting her body slowly relax, and placed her feet on the chair opposite. Closing her eyes, she listened to him rise and move around the desk toward her.
“You could have been killed in there tonight.” His words were gruff, but she let them flow away as she worked to release the tension in her body. Focusing inward and with slow breaths she worked on relaxing tense muscles. The techs’ work on teaching her relaxation techniques had paid off.
“Yeah, but so could you. Let’s be clear, this was totally opportunistic. What does concern me though is the lack of planning. This means they’re likely scared and we’re running them into the ground. A scared operative can be among the most dangerous when cornered.” She kept her eyes closed. The headache she fought without success grew more aggressive behind her eyelids as she worked at soothing her body. Hoping for an extended period of quiet. “Can you pass me a couple of the pain-tabs in my top drawer?”
She listened to the rasp of the drawer opening then closing again. He dropped the small tablets into her palm. “Drink this. The water will help wash them down.” Gustav pressed the flask into her hands, and she gratefully swallowed the pills.
“Thanks. Now, where was your security detail, and why, after our discussion, were you on your own? Again?” She knew she really didn’t want to hear the answer, but it had to be asked.
Her stomach roiled, and the throb of blood pulsing in her veins beat loud. She was sure he would detect the sound in the small office. Kera never wanted to experience such fear again; of not being sure of his safety. But she’d be damned before she told him that.
“Marina isn’t happy with me at the moment.”
She cracked open one eye. “Marina? She isn’t happy with you?” The words dripped with sarcasm. Because of Marina she’d had to drop everything and rush to his office? Because of Marina, he’d been on his own? She didn’t like his receptionist, not one bit. Her petty jealousy put the entire base at risk. But why, in all heaven, had this issue been allowed to arise? “And what does Marina being unhappy have to do with the situation?” Kera waited for an answer while her ire rose.
“Marina has issues with understanding we don’t have a relationship. Since you turned up here again, she’s barely speaking to me and certainly isn’t attending to the details of her role...effectively.” He sounded almost defeated, and Kera sat up straight in the chair.
“So she left you without your security detail? Didn’t contact them to inform my people that you were alone? Stupid woman. From now on, they will be stationed in your office, full time. We are running a sweep-through now, and then I’ll arrange a team whose sole role is to ensure the safety of your office. Another team will remain with you around the clock. Until this issue is resolved, you need a personal protection unit at all times. I placed a requisition to headquarters on Earth for more sweeps and officers to reinforce our current deployment. Once aware of the situation, they put up no argument.”
She dropped her feet down as her communicator squawked again.
Her sigh betrayed her lethargy, but she answered the hail. “Aarens.”
Kera kept her answer short, but she didn’t have the energy to waste on diplomacy. She yearned for the end of the day—not that it would end for some considerable number of hours, she realized. She still had to ensure every area was safe from the poison-filled canisters and get her crew back for debriefing. Then she’d need to make sure the admiral had full-time protection.
“Commander, we have information you’re going to want to view. Immediately, I’m thinking.”
She knew exactly what the hail from El Jarad meant. Elation swept through her. “You cracked it?”
“Yes. Can you meet us in the conference room?”
“The admiral and I are on our way.” Kera turned toward Gustav. He might be disheveled, his uniform slightly askew and his hair mussed, but he still looked delectable. She focused carefully on her work. No time for sexual thoughts, she told herself. “Come on. They’ve cracked the communiqué.”
Kera didn’t look back to check whether he followed, although she remained aware of how near to her he was. She always found his nearness energizing. In fact, right now the zing of his proximity was immensely welcomed. She wanted to inhale the scent of him; the way it made her pulse leap and her senses to move into overdrive was more than welcome. Now that he was safe again, she yearned to stop and throw herself at him, but there wasn’t time. And she certainly wouldn’t do that in front of her team. So she continued marching down the hallway and into the small conference room. The team she had working on the data was present but subdued.
“So, we’re here. Tell me what you found in the communiqué.”
Lieutenant Daviston, a small, wiry woman in her late fifties, shut the door. “I don’t think you’re going to want anyone outside this room to have access to this information.” Daviston’s blue eyes, shaded by heavy black brows, scowled at Kera. Disquiet rose together with mushrooming panic.
“Why?”
“Because it’s about you and the admiral.” Her voice was both gruff and apologetic.
Kera stepped forward, pulling a seat out, and sat down alongside Gustav. Her head pounded harder, and she lifted a shaking hand to rub over her sore, dry eyes. “Go on then.”
“Okay, so we’re aware they used a hybrid form of their regular encoding. What we did is work backward to find the actual code devices used so we could then apply that to the communication.”
Kera nodded, understanding the concept. “Yeah, I got that part.” She just wanted them to spit the information out.
“Well, we’re all aware that you were held prisoner, and we gathered Crick Sur Banden is more than a little upset that you were...retrieved by the crew of the Elector. The information shows he is looking for a way to get you back and to get even with the admiral here by doing so.”
Her stomach threatened to heave up its contents at the information, and she pressed an unsteady hand to h
er belly.
“Commander Aarens—”
Kera cut off Daviston as she turned to Gustav. “He isn’t going to succeed this time. I won’t be taken again.” She turned away from him but accepted the reassurance of his touch on her hand, which she gripped. Hard.
“They have been instructed to arrange a distraction, at which time their operative would make an attempt to take control of either one of you. They named the operative in the communiqué as Pamilla Trillo.”
Kera reached for her palm screen. “Who is Pamilla Trillo, and what position does she hold?”
“Pamilla Trillo, Lieutenant. Currently the most senior officer attached to the reception unit.” The information rolled across the screen on the wall, and Kera looked at the image.
“I’ve met the bitch before. I want this operation to be watertight. I don’t want to see so much as a bead of sweat escape on this mission. Now, someone get me a list of known associates, her hours of duty, and known haunts. Let’s make this quick. I want this one, and I want it soon and clean.”
Chapter 9
Silence surrounded Kera as she lay on the bed. Gustav had put up a hell of an argument that they should pool the already stretched resources by sharing the security detail and she should stay with him. After all, his suite did have two bedrooms. Damn him. His argument had been well considered, and she hadn’t found the energy to dispute his words. So here she lay in the spare bedroom of his suite. Not where she wanted to be, not at all.
She turned onto her side, punching her pillow, unable to sleep. He was only in the next room. It would be so easy to go in there and climb into his bed. Kera knew he still wanted her. In all honesty, she wanted him too.
Her side cramped, and she rolled back, thoughts spinning inside her head as a knot of need gnawed at her belly. Her body responded to the thoughts, her nipples tightening and warmth spreading within her. She groaned. “This is such a bad time to be feeling these things.”
Rolling again, she grabbed the spare pillow, shoved it in front of her, and tried to rest against the downy softness. Her hip protested, and she rolled back once more, more than a little aggravated at her body, herself, and most of all her thoughts. She flung her arm over her face and prayed for respite from the feelings churning within her. How long could she keep up the stoic attitude if her own body kept betraying her?
“I need a drink.” Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she padded to the door and headed to the small kitchen. She had stationed the guards outside the suite, so she was startled to see the light shining.
Kera slid her hand to her hip, and she realized she wasn’t wearing her pistol. She damned herself a thousand types of fool while scanning the room for a weapon. A large paperweight caught her eye. Hmm, that should be enough to act as a cosh. She plucked it up, testing its heft.
Kera snuck through the doorway and cast a quick glance around, only to drop the paperweight. It hit the floor, clattering before smashing into shards.
“Gustav! What in Eshra’s name are you doing?” She kicked herself mentally as she took in the glass of milk and plated sandwich he held—or had held until he jumped. The dish fell to the floor, smashing on the tiles and mixing with the shards of the paperweight.
“Barsha! Kera! What are you doing up?” He reached down to pick up the mess scattered across the floor. The door burst open, and the security guards entered, laser pistols ready to fire.
“It’s all right, men. The admiral wanted a midnight snack and then dropped the plate.” She smiled as she hunkered down onto the floor, helping him collect the broken shards and bits of food, noting when the door closed again.
As they tidied up, she let her gaze scan him. In his nightclothes, he looked better than ever. The shirt pulled tight over his defined chest, and the drawstring pants meant his heated flesh was only a single tug away. The urge to pull him closer and investigate those lean lines raced like quicksilver thrumming in her veins. Kera clenched her fingers against the need curling in her belly.
“So Gustav, you hungry?”
His eyes flashed before roaming over her body, and for one second she saw the desire in them as his nostrils flared. “Something like that. What about you?” His blue eyes captured her attention.
“I couldn’t sleep. Thought I might grab a drink.” She was aware she only wore light clothing and no underwear. The thin shirt shifted over her nipples, causing them to constrict and the nubs to become more sensitive. She knew he watched them through the shirt. Her pants itched with the soft material sliding over her aroused flesh.
“I’ll make you a drink. What do you want?” His voice was gravelly, and the muscles at the side of his face ticked.
“Actually, I think a glass of wine wouldn’t go astray right now.”
He smiled, and her heart tripped in her chest. “Sounds like a plan. Why don’t you go through to the living area and I’ll bring them in.”
Padding away, she went into the living room and sank into one of the seats. Gustav followed her quickly, carrying two glasses of blood-red wine.
“Here.” He handed her one, and she gratefully accepted the cool crystal then took a small sip. The smooth liquid slid over her tongue with an explosion of flavors.
“You always knew how to pick a good wine or three. This one is nice. Peppery.” She smiled at him and set her glass down. “Look, we need to sort this mess out between us.”
He nodded. “You’re right, of course. I want you, and you want me. So, where’s the problem, apart from some very poor choices on my part in the past? Which, I might add, I most sincerely regret.”
Kera closed her eyes. A rustling sound came from nearby as she inhaled deeply. “I don’t think we should—”
His lips touched hers, cutting off her words. When she opened her eyes he leaned away from her. How did he move so fast?
“That one is just the teaser. I want the whole dessert.” Gustav leaned in again, sweeping his arms around her, and Kera arched into his touch. His mouth opened over hers and—heavens preserve her—she opened to his searching tongue. Sparks of electricity raced between them. It felt like coming home and ecstasy all at once as every nerve quivered with hunger.
She moaned as the kiss deepened. Slid her hands up his shoulders, fingertips gliding over his skin, and she felt the muscles ripple beneath her questing touch. His fingers burrowed under the back of her shirt, skating over bare skin, causing her to quiver with sensation.
Gustav pulled away slightly, raining tiny kisses over her face and neck. A haze of desire settled over her, filling her body with warmth. Her breasts ached and moisture pooled between her legs, making her squirm.
“I’ve wanted you for so long, Kera. Let me touch you,” he groaned. The words stopped her cold, and sanity rose.
“No.” She pushed him away, although her body continued to betray her with the heave of her chest and her nipples budded under her shirt. “We can’t. No.” Her voice was husky, and she took in his heavy lids over somnolent eyes. The rapid rise and fall of his chest filled her sight.
He opened his mouth, but she cut him off, laying a finger on his lips. He sucked it into his mouth, causing a frisson of sensual excitement to thrum through her system.
“Neither of us is thinking clearly at the moment,” she said. “To be fair, after last time, I want to be sure I’ve considered all the aspects fully before I agree to anything.”
He growled low in his throat, letting go of her finger. “I need you to forgive and accept me, Kera.”
“Gustav, this isn’t about forgiveness or acceptance. This thing between us is bigger than that. It’s about being prepared and honest—with ourselves and each other. We both made mistakes last time.” The words tumbled forth, and she felt the lightening of her spirit as she spoke. “I should have stayed. Should have told you what happened and not run away when I realized you didn’t remember. And you should have told me or asked me what happened.” She shook her head as he gazed at her. Judging by the arrested expression on his fa
ce, he was stunned by her short speech. She waited, hoping he would understand what she was trying to say.
“Then, what do you want from me?”
“I want us both on the same page, and I need you to commit fully this time. Until you can do that, we can’t be together. There’s too much history, doubt, and hurt for either of us to do anything else.”
He nodded silently, and she hoped he understood.
“I’m going to retire. I suggest you do the same so we’ll be ready for whatever arises in the morning.” She murmured the words and reached for her glass as he moved back, allowing her to stand. Kera softly smiled at him before she turned and headed to the bedroom. It was certainly going to be a long night.
Chapter 10
Jerrold waited as the two women entered, looking around to ensure no one saw them. Anger emanated from the blonde bitch. He understood anger and hate. The young girl, dark-haired and in her mid-twenties, followed the other in like a puppy. Her perfect figure, pert breasts, and firm ass made him salivate.
They sat down, avoiding the bed, and he grinned inwardly. What he wouldn’t give to get both of them—no, perhaps not the blonde—in his favorite position.
The bitch in charge opened her mouth to speak, and the other girl, Pamilla, shook. He followed her movements, watching the motion of her breasts. A mighty fine body indeed. His own stirred once again as she exhibited a weakness that so aroused him.
