by Chandra Ryan
“You think Dr. Antihway is behind this?” Harlow went pale as she said the words.
“It makes sense.” He grabbed Rowe’s hand to comfort her as he spoke. “We were working with the assumption the person wanted to use the Subservients against the government. Does that sound like something he’d do?”
Lee’s laugh was hollow. “Oh yeah. He’s got a history with the military. He rigged an entire planet with genetically enhanced hostiles to keep them from getting their hands on the Subservients. Not that the military would let something as simple as a planet keep them from their goal. But that’s another story for a different day.” He ran his fingers through his graying hair. “He’d be willing to do whatever it took to even the score.”
“Why now?” Rowe’s fingers clenched around Jack’s tightly. “He’s been hiding for over a decade.”
Lee studied them for a moment. “He’s been waiting. Something’s changed. Power’s shifted. And now he thinks he’s got a shot.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out one possibility. Not with him sitting in front of them. They all had to be thinking it. But someone would have to actually say the words. Jack figured it might as well be him. “Your retirement, maybe? You always were the biggest advocate the Subservients had. And you weren’t afraid to ruin a couple careers in order to make sure they were safe. But now that you’re no longer policing the galaxy, things are changing.”
Rowe cleared her throat. “The new Prime Minister is a good guy. Don’t misunderstand what Jack’s saying. But he’s more of a diplomat. You were a fighter.”
Lee shook his head. “So that’s my legacy? The fighter who wasn’t afraid to break a couple of eggs on his way up?”
His wife laughed. It was the first sound Jack had heard from her all night. And he found he liked it. The woman had a nice laugh. It helped that it wasn’t directed at him. “I didn’t marry an idiot. And I don’t plan on letting you become one now. Look around you, Jasper.” She held her hands out to the room around her. “These people love each other. They don’t care that some of them are Subservients and some are human. Hell, they don’t even care that two of them once fought against the military they now serve.” She nodded at Harlow and Parker. “Yeah, I read your files. You wouldn’t let your husband walk into a room of unknowns. I won’t either.”
“Damn.” Jack had a new of appreciation for the woman. She always appeared so docile and complacent in the commercials and interviews he’d seen over the years.
“Yeah. I’m more than a pretty sweater.” She winked at Jack before continuing. “My point is, you won’t be remembered for breaking eggs. I can attest to your lack of skills in the kitchen if need be. You’ll be remembered for bringing people together.” She wrapped her arm around Lee as she spoke. “If it weren’t for you, these young women would be at the military’s mercy. This soldier over here,” she said with a nod toward Parker, “wouldn’t have had a place to go after the war was over. These people have each other because you weren’t afraid to do what was necessary. Even when it got hard. That’s your legacy. And I think it’s a damn good one at that.”
He smiled. “What would I do without you?”
“Probably starve to death.”
Jack couldn’t help but laugh. But Harlow brought them all back to the serious subject at hand. “So what do we do? He wants his pets back. And he’s a very dangerous man. I’ll never forget how dark and twisted his thoughts were.”
“You’ve met him?” Parker inched closer to her as he spoke.
“Back when they first woke me up. It’s one of my first memories. But that’s—”
“A story for another day?”
Harlow rested her head on his chest. “No. That’s a nightmare I’d rather forget altogether.”
“Okay. Consider it forgotten.” Parker pulled her close as he kissed the top of her head.
“I suggest we set a trap.” Rowe’s voice startled him.
“We already tried that,” Jack pointed out. “He didn’t fall for the first time. I don’t think he’s going to fall for it the second time around.”
“He would’ve fallen for it if we hadn’t had to improvise a rescue. Besides, that time we tried to make a deal with him. This would be completely different.” She talked quickly as if the words were bumping into each other in her head. And maybe they were. He had no idea how things worked in there. “What if the government were going to transport a large number of Subservients to an undisclosed location? For their safety, of course. And what if that information were to be leaked?”
“It would trip him up. He’d have to act before he was ready. If he didn’t he’d be taking the chance that the Subservients would be out of reach.” Lee was quiet for a moment and then nodded. “I think it would work.”
“I know it will.” Rowe smiled brightly.
“That’s good enough for me,” Jack said. “How soon can we set it up?”
“A week at the most. If we want him to believe we’re relocating them for their safety, it’d be rushed.” Lee looked around the room before adding, “And I think it’d be best if Harlow and Rowe were in on it.”
He tensed and immediately started thinking of ways to get Rowe out of this without offending her. Thankfully Parker came up with something before he could. “Won’t that be suspicious? He knows them. And he knows they work for the government.”
“That’s what I’m counting on. If this were a real relocation project, we’d need them to talk to the other Subservients on our behalf. They’d be working with us. I’m afraid that leaving them out of it would seem suspicious under the circumstances.” He was quiet for a moment. Probably giving them time to come to terms with this new bit of information. “This has to appear legitimate. As a matter of fact, as soon as we leave tonight and set this into motion, it is. There will be no chatter or code words that imply we’re doing anything other than protecting the Subservients. Am I clear?”
“Crystal.” But Parker sounded every bit as overjoyed about it as he did.
“I know you aren’t happy about this.” He looked from Parker to Jack. “And you don’t have to be. You can bitch and moan to anyone who’ll listen. But when you do, this is a relocation assignment to protect the Subservients from an imminent threat.”
“How can we ensure they get the intel?” Rowe asked.
Lee focused on Jack. “How did they know you were looking into them?”
“Must be the facial recognition program I ran today. The guy wasn’t in our system but he mentioned me running the program. Somebody in the Intelligence Division must have seen the image when the request went through.”
“Okay. Run a couple of Subservients through it in the guise of finding their current location. If anybody asks, and I’m hoping they will, tell them what’s going on.”
He nodded at the order.
“Good. We’ll meet back here tomorrow night to start the evacuation plan and transportation details.” Lee obviously expected no arguments. He certainly didn’t give them time to voice any. He and his wife left after issuing his last order.
“He’s a man who’s used to getting things done and done his way, isn’t he?”
Harlow smiled. “Yep. You’re either with him or in the way. It’s what made him great.” She guided Parker to the door as she spoke. “I’m glad you’re okay, Jack. But I think it’s time we left. I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“Good night.” Rowe wrapped Harlow in an embrace. “See you tomorrow.”
Harlow smiled at them and then nodded. “See you then.”
He wasn’t sure what’d happened between them that made Harlow feel that drugging Rowe was her only option but seeing them make peace made him happy. He didn’t like it when Rowe was upset.
“Good night, Barkswell.” Rowe’s cheery voice brought him back to the present. “Thanks for coming with me tonight.”
“Anytime.”
When she closed the door they were finally alone. “Crazy night, huh?”
He was ready for any number of responses but not for her to throw herself at him again. Thankfully this time his hands were free and he could catch her before they both tumbled to the ground again. Though he wouldn’t really mind as much now that they were at her apartment.
“I was so worried. I could feel something was going to happen.”
He kissed her reassuringly. “He just wanted to warn me. That’s it. I was never in any real danger.”
“Of course you were. You still are.”
“Not really. Once they find out I didn’t drop the case, they’ll be too busy trying to get their hands on you to worry about me.” He guided her to the couch. When he was seated he pulled her onto his lap. “I missed you.”
She turned so she was facing him while straddling him. “I missed you too.”
He pulled her shirt up over her head and then leaned forward to kiss her shoulder. “You called this home. Earlier. When we were talking to the captain.” Had she meant to refer to it as his home as well or had that been an accident? He had to know. It was driving him crazy.
She shivered as he ran his tongue over the sensitive skin where her shoulder met her neck. “It is my home.” She rocked her hips and he moaned at the delicious sensation.
“Okay.” He nibbled on her shoulder and her skin broke out in goose bumps. It wasn’t a direct answer but Rowe didn’t always do direct. She tended to let the answers reveal themselves with time. He just had to be patient enough to let her get there.
“It’s a good home.”
“That it is.”
She leaned over and ran the tip of her tongue down the shell of his ear. “If you’d like to add your palm to the reader, you could come and go as you pleased.”
He tried not to smile as his heart felt suddenly light with emotion but he failed miserably. He was worse than a teenager. “I’d like that.” He unfastened her pants as he kissed her collarbone. “I’d like that a lot.”
As soon as her pants were undone she stood and stripped out of them and her panties. For one moment he was free to appreciate the beauty in front of him. She was amazing. He had no idea how she came to be in his life. He was a good guy. Always tried to do the right thing for the sake of it being the right thing. But he’d never done anything noble or grand enough to have karmically earned someone like her. And yet the universe had dropped her right in front of his desk. Maybe it expected him to spend the rest of his life making up that debt? If so he was happy to try. “Come here.”
“But we need to get you undressed.” She leaned over to take off his shoes and he was mesmerized by the sway of her breasts. “Care to help me out? Or were you just planning on taking in the sights all night?”
“The sights are tempting. But I guess I could give you a hand.” He was happy to take his shirt off as she undid his pants. Then it only took him raising his hips and his pants and boxers were stripped off him.
“There. Now we’re all even.” She reached over to one of the end tables and took a condom out of the drawer.
“Have you been stocking the house while I’ve been at work?”
“I learned from the best.” She winked at him before putting the condom down on the couch next to them. He felt a little disappointed when she didn’t put the sheath on him immediately. He wanted to be deep inside her—surrounded by her warmth. But when she knelt in front of him and wrapped her hand around his cock he decided maybe her idea was better after all.
He only had a moment to take a deep breath before she swirled her tongue around the head of his dick as she began stroking him. Damn she was good. He grabbed the couch with one hand as he buried the other in her hair.
The sensations were almost overwhelming as she caressed him with her fingertips while licking his cock. He never wanted it to end. It’d have to eventually though. And as much as he loved what she was currently doing, he did want to be buried deep inside her sex before he gave in to the climax building inside him. “Need you, sweetheart.”
She looked up and smiled. “You’ve got me.”
“I need you up here.” He leaned over and helped her stand.
She reached over and grabbed the condom. It only took a second for her to have it opened. Then she started the torturous process of sliding it over his erection. He forced himself to focus on an innocuous chair across the room just so he could survive the experience with his dignity intact.
When she finally climbed on top of his lap he breathed a sigh of relief. He positioned his cock at her entrance and then guided her down. As soon as he was fully seated in her he wrapped his arms around her back and brought her to him so he could kiss her deeply. This was where he belonged.
She broke the kiss and then began rocking her hips. The pace was slow and relaxed. The exact opposite of how he felt. But he let her take the lead. It might not have been fast and hard but it still felt amazing.
He closed his eyes and focused on the sensations. Her muscles clenched tightly around him. Every time she lifted off him slightly, the walls of her pussy would squeeze him. Then her thighs would brush against his hips as she took him all the way back inside her warmth. It was incredible. But he was starting to need more—more passion and more intensity.
Thankfully the tender rhythm didn’t last for much longer. Just as he was going to take over, her pace changed to hard and fast. He grabbed her hips as his balls started to tighten with his climax. His fingertips would probably leave bruises on her delicate skin but that didn’t make him loosen his grip. If anything he grasped her harder. The thought of her wearing his marks on those gorgeously curvy hips of hers excited him.
The idea of leaving a mark seemed to excite her as well. She bit his shoulder sharply as her body began to shake with release. It didn’t hurt though. Not badly at least. And the slight edge of pain was enough to throw him into his own climax. For one brief moment he didn’t think about the danger she was going to be in. He didn’t think about anything. He only felt.
Ecstasy swept through him in waves as his muscles shuddered under her. Then he was left floating in a moment of tranquility. For one glorious instant all was right with the galaxy. He had everything he needed wrapped in his arms. But then, as his heartbeat slowed and his breathing became regular again, reality pressed around him.
“I don’t want you involved with this case. It’s too personal.” He kissed her gently. “But I understand why you have to be.”
She smiled and ran her hand down his cheek. “It will all work out. It always does.”
“Except when it doesn’t.” He couldn’t help but tease her.
“Even when it doesn’t, it does.”
There was a time when the statement wouldn’t have made any sense to him. But now it did. He understood what she was saying perfectly. And he didn’t know if he should be happy or terrified by that. In the end he decided to just accept it.
He sighed heavily. “I know. But I’m going to be with you every step of the way. I swear I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
“I’m counting on that.”
Chapter Nine
The next week went by in a blur of meetings. Some were on the books but others were covert. And as she got further into the week it grew harder and harder for Rowe to keep them separated. And she wasn’t the only one. It appeared that subterfuge was taking a toll on all of them. But that would all end today. Sometime within the next ten hours she would meet her maker. And make sure he was dragged off to a detention center far, far away.
“Are you okay?” It was the tenth time in the last hour Jack had asked.
She zipped up her cargo pants and slipped a tank top over her head before answering. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
“Okay is never good.”
She shook her head. “To you, maybe. To me it’s okay.” She grabbed her holster and fastened it around her thigh before sliding her weapon in it. That was the best part of this whole mission. She got to be herself and she was armed. There were no roles for her to play and no parts to remember. She was a Subs
ervient agent for the government, leading a mission to protect her kind.
At its base it was the absolute truth. The details were tricky. But they usually were. She just had to focus on the big picture and trust her team to take care of the rest. “And when this is all done, I’ll be great.”
He crossed the room to take her in his arms. “Better believe it.”
Tipping her head back, she welcomed his kiss. Seeth had argued that seeing Jack before the mission would be a distraction. But he was wrong. She took strength from Jack. Yes, she would rather hang around and explore the kiss a little longer. But if she’d made him stay at his place last night there wouldn’t have been a kiss. Even though she had to walk away from him she wouldn’t give up this moment for anything.
When she couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer, she broke the kiss with a smile. “We should get to work.” She gave him another kiss but kept this one brief.
“You could call in sick.”
“The captain would have your balls.” She leaned forward to whisper, “And I’m too fond of them to let that happen.”
“You do have a point.”
“Of course I do. And on that note, I should go make the coffee.” Coffee was more of an obsession than a drink for him. One she’d learned early on to accommodate. There was no way she was getting him out the door before he’d had at least one cup.
Even when he insisted on having two that day, they still managed to make it to the station in a half an hour. Which was, thankfully, a few minutes early. It gave them time to meet up with the rest of their group.
“Today we’ll be transporting a group of Subservients to a secure location.” Seeth nodded to her as she and Jack walked into the conference room. “If you’ve been selected to serve on this case, it’s because you are the best of the best and one of the most trusted members of my team.”
She looked around at the familiar faces that made up the team as she took a seat in the back of the room. They were the men and women she’d come to think of as her family. She would hate to think any of them would’ve betrayed her.
