Liberating Lacey

by N. J. Walters

  He’d ask Lacey about that later.

  He licked his lips, still able to taste her. His cock was already semi-erect. Not what he wanted with two armed guards walking with him. Garth willed his body back into submission, but it was impossible to keep his thoughts away from Lacey.

  He wondered what she was doing. Was she still in the field? Where was her home?

  It took an act of monumental will to force his attention back to the here and now. And the only reason he could manage it was he knew he’d see her later.

  He started to go down a smaller path, but Frank stopped him. “Nothing down that way but more houses. We have an athletic facility this way.”

  Garth glimpsed a fair-sized shed mostly concealed by trees. He made a mental note to check it out later if he could manage it. He turned with what he hoped was an expression of enthusiasm on his face. “An athletic facility?” Yeah, show the big guy with the gun a sports arena so he won’t notice the possible munitions building.

  Frank quickly hid a smirk of disdain, but not before Garth saw it. Yeah, you keep on thinking I’m stupid.

  Clayton smiled with genuine enthusiasm. “It’s great,” the younger guard told him. “Capable of being converted and used for pretty much any sport.”

  Garth stood back and let them take the lead this time, following closely behind. It allowed him to scan and mentally mark several other places to check out if time permitted. It also allowed him to see what they’d hoped to keep hidden.

  The homes were poorly constructed. And when he glanced inside windows and open doors, he saw little furnishings or comforts that made a house a home. Hell, growing up on Quaros, dirt poor as they’d been, they’d managed a homier environment.

  And where were the children?

  “What about hospitals? A school?” Garth asked. When Frank frowned at him, he shrugged. “Ms. Astoferus will ask me about these things. They’re important to her.” He shrugged again. “Women. You know how they are.”

  Angelina would have his head if she could hear him. No, she’d understand and let him say anything he wanted about her if it were for the greater good. That’s the kind of woman she was.

  Lacey was like that, he realized. She’d allowed these men to think her simple in order to protect him. And to protect herself.

  “We have a clinic,” Frank told him. He gave a vague wave off to the right. “I’m sure Mr. Reader will include it in Ms. Astoferus’s tour.”

  When Garth nodded, they continued walking. Made sense they’d have a clinic. They might not use a lot of modern medicine, but accidents happened, and people would need cuts stitched and bandaged. The clinic hadn’t been advanced enough to stop Lacey’s parents from dying, though.

  He noticed they didn’t mention a school, and he didn’t bring it up again. Once was understandable. Twice meant he was questioning them. That meant they didn’t have one. The children were probably already working with their parents.

  His stomach clenched at the thought of his young sister toiling in the fields. Life had been hard on Quaros, but they’d all gotten a basic education. And while their mother had lived, Abigail had stayed at home with her, learning to sew and cook. They hadn’t allowed their sister near the mines.

  Who had protected her here? Who had protected Lacey? If her parents had come here of their own free will, they certainly hadn’t. They would have done whatever Jasper Freeman had ordered them to do.

  Knowing he’d been quiet for too long, Garth pointed to a large building up ahead. “That the athletic facility?”

  Frank nodded. “Right this way.”

  Chapter Four

  It was a couple hours before Garth got back to the shuttle. Frank and Clayton had taken their task quite seriously, sticking to Garth like a tick on a wild beast. He hadn’t been able to shake them and hadn’t really tried, not wanting to arouse their suspicion any more than he already had.

  The communicator beeped as soon as he stepped into the control room. He set his blaster carefully within reach before slouching in one of the seats. Leaning forward, he hit the button. “Yeah?”

  “What do you know?” Flynn demanded. He wasn’t surprised it was his oldest brother and not Kal. Flynn would be out of his mind by now, knowing they might be close to finding Abigail.

  “She was here.” He rubbed his chest, trying to ease the ache in his heart.

  “Was?” Flynn’s voice was flat.

  “Yeah. I got interrupted by local security before I could find out more, but my source said she was here. I’ll find out more later. We have to stay for a dinner in Angelina’s honor before we can head back. It will give me time to question my source and find out everything she knows.”

  “She?” Flynn was a man of few words, but he managed to infuse a lot into the ones he did speak. Garth heard the unspoken warning not to get sidetracked by a pretty face.

  “Yeah. Master gardener. She tracked me through the woods when I went exploring.”

  “Fuck.” Flynn added a few more inventive curse words before settling down. “Can she be trusted?”

  He knew Flynn was picturing an older woman, assuming she’d have to be in order to hold such an important position. “Yes. She could have turned me in when security got close to us, but she covered for me.”

  “What does she want?” Flynn was cynical, but in this case, he was also right.

  “To get off of Eden.”

  Flynn swore again. This time it took him a while to wind down. “No fucking way. We already have two women on board. We don’t need some old woman stumbling around telling us what to do. Find out what she knows, and then get the hell out of there.”

  Garth didn’t agree or disagree. He simply changed the subject. “Have you scanned the settlement? The main building with Freeman’s home in it looks fortified. I think they have several munitions sheds, too. But I’m not sure how much is in there. I haven’t seen any long-range lasers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have them.” Protection was usually his job, but he was down there and couldn’t access his equipment onboard the Abigail, the ship they’d named after their sister.

  “Kal is on it. Yes, the main building is fortified. He says there are two suspicious buildings that could house munitions on opposite sides of the settlement.”

  Made sense to spread them out in case of attack. “Send me the coordinates.”

  “Done.”

  Garth’s communicator beeped. “Shit, I gotta go. That fancy dinner is starting soon, and I have to be there.”

  “Be careful,” Flynn warned.

  “I will.” He surged out of the chair, grabbed his blaster, and headed to the shuttle door. When it was locked behind him and the security engaged, he headed to the central building. Excitement built inside him. He’d soon see Lacey again.

  ****

  The afternoon had dragged on forever. Usually Lacey enjoyed tending the vast and varied gardens she was in charge of. It took a lot of work to keep them all producing at maximum capacity without destroying the mineral content in the soil.

  Still, as much as she loved having her hands in the dirt, she wanted off Eden. She could garden anywhere, having amassed all kinds of knowledge and skills for any environment. Jasper hadn’t hesitated to get her any information she’d said she needed. An electronic tablet would have been easiest to store it on, but that would have gone against his message of simplicity, which was what he’d built the Simplistics group around. Instead, he’d gotten books and built a library. It was there she spent most of her time when she wasn’t working. She’d committed much to memory.

  She wondered what Garth had been doing. Had he gone back to his shuttle and stayed there? Had security questioned him?

  Fear had kept her on edge for hours. At any moment, she’d expected to be hauled away and taken to Ian to be questioned about her meeting with Garth. But the afternoon had passed uneventfully.

  That is until Frank had shown up just as she was leaving the fields with a message. She was to show up for the banquet tonigh
t and answer any questions Ms. Astoferus might have. It was stressed that this was important to the community and to Jasper. The underlying message was clear—say what was expected or suffer the consequences.

  She’d nodded and played dumb. Promising to do all she could to aid the community. She’d rushed home to wash up and change her clothing. Not that she was primping or anything because she was going to see Garth. He’d made his stance quite clear. He wanted her for information. And maybe sex. Neither of which would get her off this planet.

  A part of her was resentful and wanted to stay home and say the hell with him, with all of them. The one thing that made her swallow her anger and hurt was the memory of a young girl from years ago and the expression on Garth’s face as he talked about her.

  She couldn’t stay away.

  Now, she paused in the entryway of the banquet room and studied the group that had gathered. Ian looked to be in his element, bossing people around all while escorting a very beautiful woman. A big man stood behind the woman, glaring at Ian, who didn’t seem to notice. The man was dressed well, like an assistant, but there was something about him that reminded her of Garth.

  And not just because he also had a white patch in his otherwise black hair. It was in the way he moved, the way he studied his surroundings. He might be Ms. Astoferus’s assistant, but he was a bodyguard, too.

  Where was Garth?

  As though she’d conjured him with her thought, he stepped out of the shadows. It should have been impossible for a man of his size to remain hidden in a well-lit room, but he’d easily concealed himself. A shiver ran down her spine. This was not a man to have as an enemy. He’d be relentless.

  She wondered if he would stick around long enough to kill Jasper before he was done. That might actually aid her plans for escape in the long run.

  “There she is.” Ian’s voice snapped her back to the present. Giving him her most vacant smile, she strode forward.

  Angelina Astoferus was wearing a long-sleeved gown made of the finest silk. The pink tone of the fabric complemented her unusual coloring—white hair and violet eyes—and the garment flowed around her like water. Lacey had never seen anything so fine. It was a far cry from her homespun trousers and tunic.

  What must Garth think, seeing them side by side? And why did she even care?

  Hating herself for giving it even a brief second of thought, she smiled at the woman. Lacey had no idea if she knew about Garth’s hunt for his sister or if that was a private thing.

  “Ms. Astoferus, this is our master gardener, Lacey Freshlan. Lacey has lived on Eden her entire life. She was one of the first children born here.” Ian stood there looking proud as a peacock. Lacey was tempted to punch him in the nose.

  She swallowed back her anger and smiled at their guest. “Ms. Astoferus, it’s a pleasure.”

  “Call me Angelina.” She linked her arm with Lacey’s and began to walk away. “Come and tell me all about the gardens here. I’m fascinated by the bounty you produce using no mechanical machinery. How is that even possible?”

  Angelina chatted easily, seemingly at ease, but as someone who’d spent her entire life hiding her true self, she sensed a kindred spirit in this woman. There was something in the other woman’s eyes, a worry that didn’t match her lighthearted conversation.

  “It’s all in the soil preparation,” Lacey began, “and of course, the wonderful climate here.” Able to converse for hours about her gardens, she didn’t have to concentrate on what she was saying and kept an eye on the other players in the room.

  Ian was none too pleased at being ignored. There were also more security guards than necessary for a simple dinner, most of them posing as guests. And Angelina’s assistant was watching her like a hawk.

  She glanced from Angelina to the man and back again. Okay, he was a lot more than her assistant. There was too much heat there for it to be otherwise. And he was definitely related to Garth, either brother or cousin.

  And where was Garth? He’d disappeared again.

  When the back of her neck prickled, she knew he was somewhere behind her. Watching and waiting for an opportunity to speak with her.

  ****

  Garth wanted this evening to be over. He hated having to watch Lacey mingle with the crowd. More than one man here eyed her with sexual interest. She seemed oblivious to it, but he knew she was too aware of her surroundings not to know.

  Not his business, he reminded himself. He was here to get information and return his brother and Angelina back to the ship safely. An intriguing master gardener had no place in his plans other than what she could do to help him.

  Squashing the rising guilt, he eased around the room, keeping to the shadows. He didn’t like this set-up, not at all. There were too many people, most of them male and armed. They might think they were being clever dressing them in civilian clothing, but he knew guards when he saw them.

  Why the added security presence? This was supposed to be a simple dinner in honor of Angelina’s visit, a way to impress her so she’d give her financial and political backing to Jasper Freeman and the Simplistics movement.

  He eased behind a pillar, one of many that were more for show than for the structural integrity of the building. They were useless for much of anything except skulking behind, which made them very useful to him at the present. He silently thanked Freeman’s vanity in adding them to make the room appear more impressive.

  Like any patient hunter, he waited, knowing Lacey would eventually come to him. She wouldn’t be able to help herself. He knew she’d probably make another effort to get him to take her with him. That wasn’t happening, couldn’t happen.

  The last thing they needed was to do anything to make Reader suspect their real reason for being there. And liberating Lacey would definitely bring them unwanted heat and attention they didn’t want or need. Abigail might not be on Eden any longer, but that didn’t necessarily mean Jasper Freeman didn’t know where she was. Maybe he’d moved her.

  Until he spoke with Lacey and found out everything she knew, he had to proceed with the utmost caution.

  It seemed to take forever before Angelina’s attention was snagged by Ian Reader once again. Lacey wandered off by herself, heading toward a hallway. Seeing his chance, Garth slipped away after her, making sure no one was following either of them.

  He briefly lost sight of her and hurried his pace. She’d paused in a small alcove, filled with the largest ferns he’d ever seen.

  Before he could announce himself, she turned. The vacant expression she wore so easily around others disappeared. In its place was a genuine look of pleasure. It swiftly disappeared, replaced by worry. She grabbed him by the arm and yanked him behind the large plant.

  “What happened this afternoon? Did security find you after?”

  He was stunned by her genuine distress. No one, other than his brothers, had ever shown the tiniest bit of concern over his well-being. Because of his physical size and level-headedness, even his parents had stopped worrying about him by the time he was twelve, assuming he could take care of himself.

  Letting his blaster hang by its shoulder strap, he cupped her face in his hands. “I’m fine.” He kept his voice low, barely a whisper. The last thing he wanted was to be discovered with Lacey. “You?” She’d taken the bigger risk.

  She shrugged. “They’re used to me being odd, so there was no problem.” There was an underlying thread of acceptance, as well as an echo of old hurt in her words.

  He forced himself to ignore it. It was time to get down to business.

  But he, the man who never lost focus during a mission, got distracted by a pair of seeking green eyes, a pert nose, and a set of lush lips.

  Silently cursing himself a fool, he leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers. After this afternoon, he expected her to push him away, maybe even slap him. Hell, she could call for security if she wanted.

  That cooled his ardor. But before he could pull back, Lacey went up on her toes and kissed him back.
She was a space siren, an apparition brought on by too many months in deep space. If he weren’t careful, she’d lure him to his death.

  But what a way to go.

  What she lacked in skill, she more than made up with sheer enthusiasm. She licked at his bottom lip before slipping her tongue into his mouth. Every muscle in his body flexed. Before he knew what he intended, he had her in his arms. She was almost a foot shorter than he was, but somehow, she fit perfectly into the curve of his body.

  His balls were heavy and his cock hard. He hadn’t had a woman in a long time, but that wasn’t the reason he was aroused.

  It should have been impossible to sidetrack him from his mission. He had iron focus. Like a heat-seeking missile, he stayed on target until he hit his target. He’d never wavered in his goal to find his sister and protect his brothers, never faltered.

  Until now.

  No other woman could have done such a thing. Only Lacey.

  And he was going to leave her behind.

  Anger and unrequited lust surged through him. He turned until her back was against the wall. Pinning her there with his body, he ran one of his hands over her slight form. She gasped and then groaned when he cupped one of her small breasts. It was perfectly formed, just like the rest of her. He wanted to peel away her serviceable tunic and see it for himself. Was her nipple large or tiny, was it pink or mauve? The tip was puckered. He could feel that himself through the rough material.

  He ground his lower body against hers, rubbing his shaft against her mound. All the while he kissed her, tasting her mouth, mapping the depths of her passion.

  Her fingers tangled in his hair, gripping it hard. For such a slender woman, she was strong. She was such a contradiction, and he knew he could spend years uncovering all her layers, learning the depths to her.

  Reminding himself she wasn’t experienced, wasn’t some paid freelance courtesan he’d bought and paid for, or some woman in a bar looking for a night of fast, hot sex, he tried to pull back. But she wouldn’t let him. She twined her legs around him and kissed him with a startling ferocity of need that fired his own.