He grinned and started to speak but they were interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Venom removed his hand from her panties just as the door swung open. Raze appeared with such fury burning in his eyes that Dizzy was taken aback. As she tried to figure out what had made him so mad she finally realized that men were running down the hall behind him.
“You’d better get her untied and taken back to your quarters.” The foreboding edge to Raze’s voice filled her with dread. “The Splinters hit one of our cargo ships—and it’s bad.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Venom didn’t miss a beat. “How many dead?”
“Dozens,” Raze growled. “There will be more, of course. We’ve only just received preliminary reports. They’re not good.”
His instincts as a soldier immediately overwhelmed him. Jerking the knife out of the sheath at his waist, Venom started slitting the ropes decorating Dizzy’s beautiful body. He hated to end things so abruptly but an attack on a cargo ship was serious business. With a mole still running loose on the Valiant and that mess with Axis, Venom feared the Splinters might try to attack this battleship as well. A one-two punch if there ever was one.
“Which ship was it, Raze?”
“The Night Bird,” he answered solemnly.
Venom’s eyes closed briefly. The escort team with that ship had been the second SRU team off the Arctis. Even worse? The Night Bird had been scheduled to carry the extremely powerful fuel rods used to power the fleet. “Our guys?”
Raze shook his head. “It doesn’t look promising.”
Dizzy placed a comforting hand against his neck. She surprised him by suppressing her curious nature and asking no questions. The second she was freed from the corset, she grabbed her clothing. The haunted look in her pretty brown eyes caused him such pain. He had promised that he would keep her safe and protect her from the horror and terror she had known back in The City. Now those same terrorists were threatening her life here.
Venom brushed his thumb across her mouth before kissing her forehead. He refused to make empty promises about how safe the Valiant was. Despite being a massive warship and a floating fortress surrounded by dozens of guard ships, the Valiant was just as vulnerable as every other vessel.
He didn’t bother cleaning up his mess. Grabbing his bag, he put his hand against her back and guided her forward. She carried her high-heeled shoes so she could keep up with his long strides. At the elevator bank he broke away from Raze, who hurried to join the men cramming into the cars that serviced the operations decks instead of the housing wings.
Once inside the elevator Venom tapped the communication screen mounted on the wall to read the up-to-the-minute briefings provided. His gut lurched as he scanned the reports coming in from the Redemption, the ship tasked with picking up the rescue pods.
“What does neutralize the ship mean?”
Venom hesitated before answering her because he was certain it would upset her. “It means the Night Bird has lost control and is drifting into your planet’s gravitational field. It’s going to fall and it’s going to fall hard. To protect life on Calyx, the ships in the vicinity are ordered to fire at will. The goal is to reduce the ship to the smallest pieces possible so the bulk will burn up during reentry.”
“But…what about the rescue pods? What about the men who might still be trapped on the ship?”
“Collateral damage,” he said gruffly.
“That’s so awful.” She sounded as though she might start crying.
“That’s war, Dizzy.” He hated to be so cold with her but he didn’t have time to coddle her right now.
When they reached their floor, he rushed her out of the elevator and into their quarters. Dropping his bag, he pulled her into his arms and tried to decide what to tell her. The truth was he didn’t know what to expect once they deployed. The mop-up could take days or weeks.
Terror’s warning from their fitting room meetup chilled him. He refused to believe this was the last time he would see her. He’d survived too much to lose it all now. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
“I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry about me. Just focus on your work. I’m a big girl, remember? I’ve done this winging-it-on-my-own thing before and made a success of it.”
His stomach clenched painfully. Her urge to protect him by setting his mind at ease made him love her even more.
And he did love her. It wasn’t simple infatuation and lust that made him feel as if his heart were being ripped out of his chest right now. They had been given nearly two weeks of impossibly perfect bliss—he refused to even acknowledge the bumps along the way—and he wanted so much more with her.
But duty called. His brothers-in-arms needed him.
For the first time in his life, he resented his unwavering loyalty to the men who bled with him on the battlefield. He had never before been tempted to say fuck it to an official order…until faced with leaving Dizzy behind.
“You should go.” She must have sensed his warring emotions. Smiling so bravely, she rubbed his chest and lifted up to kiss him. “I’ll be here, waiting for you.”
He met her seeking mouth with much tenderness. Though he wanted nothing more than to lift her up against the nearest wall and make love to her one last time, Venom wrenched free from Dizzy and stalked to the door. He didn’t dare look back after separating from her. Raze and the rest of his team were waiting. He couldn’t let them down—even if every step away from Dizzy tore at him.
Stepping into the elevator, he tapped at the screen. The doors had nearly closed when her smaller hand gripped the metal and prevented it from closing. The door slid back on its track. “Obstruction detected. Please clear.”
Grinning mischievously, Dizzy appeared before him as the authoritative male voice boomed from the speakers. “I’ve been called worse things than an obstruction, I guess.”
“What are you doing?”
“I decided that I had to tell you something.” She gripped the front of his shirt and hauled him down until their noses were nearly touching. “I love you.”
The words he had dreamed of one day hearing washed over him like sunshine, blazing away the gut-wrenching pain of leaving her behind. His own love for her left him trembling and feeling nearly giddy. “I love you so much, Dizzy.”
“Good. I hear it works better when two people in a marriage share that love thing.”
He laughed while his heart felt as if it were doing wild flips in his chest. “Yeah. I’ve heard that too.”
She pressed her lips to his in a lingering kiss. “I love you. I’ll see you soon. Be safe, okay?”
“I will.” He brushed his knuckles down her cheek. “I love you.”
Dizzy stepped back and the elevator door slid slowly closed. He tried to burn the image of her happy, blushing face right into his brain. It was a vision that would sustain him through whatever awaited him on this mission.
When he hit the SRU floor, Venom discovered Raze had already set out his weapon and gear. He swapped his play clothes for his uniform and strapped on his vest and holsters. He entered the briefing room just as Cipher was starting their mic and radio checks.
Taking his place next to Raze, Venom looked over the information flooding the intelligence screens mounted on the wall. He saw that fighter pilots including Zephyr and Blaze had been in hot pursuit of the three Splinter ships that had attacked the Night Bird.
“Shit.” Venom watched the radar blips as one of the smaller Splinter craft spiraled toward Calyx after being hit hard by Zephyr. “That’s going to be a hell of an impact.”
“Thankfully most of that backward little planet is uninhabited,” Raze grumbled. “Not that there aren’t a couple of villages down there that wouldn’t be better of being obliterated.”
Venom’s mouth settled into a frown at Raze’s callous remarks. “What are our orders?”
“To aid the Shadow Force in recovering the fuel rods,” Raze answered. “A fighter contingent has boxed in the ship suspecte
d of holding the stolen cargo. They’ve disabled their engines and left them adrift. We’ll breach and board and run a quadrant search.” Raze lifted his voice. “Boys, let’s move out!”
As they filed toward the door, Raze put a hand on his shoulder. Venom met his best friend’s intense stare. “What?”
“Ven, you’re technically still on honeymoon leave. It’s well within your rights to call off on this one and stay behind. None of us would consider you dishonorable for choosing to stay with Dizzy.”
“I know you wouldn’t—but I would.” Venom clapped Raze on the back. “This is my job. She understands that.” He inclined his head toward the door. “Let’s go. We have fuel rods to recover and Splinters to kill.”
On the deployment deck, Risk waited with one of his injection guns. They all groaned but dutifully rolled up their sleeves and bared their necks. The pressurized guns injected anti-radiation pellets under their skin. Venom winced as the painful little bastards were thrust into him.
“You’ve got about seventy-two hours of protection under low-dose exposure,” Risk reminded them. “Make sure your meters are calibrated, Cipher.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Cipher muttered. “It’s my balls on the line.”
Venom snorted at Cipher’s colorful response. Risk clapped him on the back. “Good luck, Ven.”
Certain that Risk would remain onboard the Valiant even if further units were deployed, Venom asked, “Will you look in on Dizzy for me? She trusts you and enjoys your company.”
“Yes. Of course. I’ll look after her exactly as you would.”
Venom’s mouth slanted. “Well—maybe not exactly as I would.”
Risk chuckled. “Obviously.”
Moments later, as Venom buckled into his seat aboard the waiting strike ship, he touched his mouth. His gloved fingers grazed the still-buzzing spot where Dizzy had kissed him after declaring her love. For the first time in his life, he had a reason greater than the bonds he shared with his teammates to keep him alive.
Come hell or high water, he was going home to Dizzy.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Refusing to dwell on everything that could go wrong with Venom’s mission, Dizzy stripped out of the sexy outfit, removed her makeup and stepped into a warm shower. Keeping an eye on the digital display that logged their daily water ration, she made sure it was a short one. Wrapped in a towel, she brushed her teeth and rubbed on some lotion to guard against the dryness of the air onboard the Valiant.
Rather than her usual nightgown, Dizzy opted to pull on one of Venom’s undershirts. With her short stature, it fit her like a nightdress anyway. Certain sleep would evade her without his heavy arms wrapped around her, Dizzy decided to read on the living room couch until exhaustion gripped her.
But as she stepped out of their bedroom into the main living area of their home, Dizzy spotted a strange figure out of the corner of her eye—and freaked the fuck out.
Her shrill shriek of terror startled the man hovering near the entryway. She realized he was going through her purse. He snapped upright and ate up the floor between them with powerful strides. When he stepped out of the shadows, Dizzy recognized him as Torment, the Shadow Force interrogator.
“Stay back!” She jumped out of the way and put a chair between them. “If you touch me—”
“You’ll do what?” Smugly amused, Torment crossed his arms. “You realize I’m about twice as tall as you and three times as heavy, right?”
She swallowed hard. Oh she realized her limitations, all right. “What do you want?”
“Not what you’re thinking,” he said with clear annoyance. “I’ve never forced myself on a woman in my life. Don’t insult me by questioning my honor.”
“Honor, huh? How honorable is it for a man to break into someone’s home?”
“I didn’t break in. I have the codes to every door on this ship.”
“That’s your comeback?”
“It’s the defense I’ll use when Venom files a complaint against me when he returns.” Torment’s harsh expression softened a bit. “He will return, in a little bit. Venom is among the most tenacious soldiers I’ve ever met.”
His reassurance eased her fear some. “Why are you here?”
“A few days ago, Terror gave you a letter from the man you think is your father.”
“He is my father.”
“I’m not here to argue about your DNA. I need to know what was in that letter.”
She suspiciously narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
Torment studied her for an unnervingly long moment. “Would you like to meet your real father?”
“What?” she asked, taken aback. “What do you mean? How?”
“His flagship was rerouted here for his safety after the Splinter attack on the Night Bird. He’s currently in the war room. I’ll take you to him and let him tell you the truth.” Torment took a step toward her. His cold, unfeeling eyes made chills race along her spine. “It’s time someone finally told you who you really are—and what your mother was.”
A shuddery, trembling sensation gripped her belly. What my mother really was? Who I really am?
Dizzy recognized that this was one of those moments in her life where everything was going to change. Torment’s intriguing but potentially dangerous offer promised answers that she desperately wanted.
“I need to change.”
He nodded. “Hurry.”
Dizzy rushed into the bedroom and quickly got dressed. She picked up the corner of the mattress and retrieved the still-sealed envelope she had stuffed under there for safekeeping. She hadn’t yet worked up the courage to read what her dad had written to her out of fear that it might be a final goodbye—a goodbye she wasn’t willing to concede.
Out in the living room, Torment zeroed in on the envelope. She gripped it tightly against her chest. “You take me to my biological father first. Then you get the envelope.”
Even as she spoke, Dizzy recognized that Torment could take the envelope from her without much of a fight. Proving that he was an honorable man, he nodded. “Fair enough.”
They left the apartment and stepped into the elevator. She noticed that certain sections of ship on the navigational screen were blinking orange. He must have seen her curious gaze as he scanned his wrist and gained access to an unblocked screen. “We’re in lockdown. Only authorized personnel are allowed to move about the ship until the admiral lifts the orders.”
The serious, no-nonsense set to his jaw discouraged her from asking the myriad questions burning the tip of her tongue. Where Venom would have been only too happy to tell her everything she needed to know about lockdown procedures, Dizzy sensed that Torment wasn’t about to indulge her curiosity.
After switching elevators and bypassing four different security checkpoints, they reached a heavily guarded entrance. One of the soldiers guarding the door stepped forward to frisk her but Torment blocked him. He shot the man a withering look. “Don’t touch Venom’s bride.”
The soldier paled and cleared the path to the double doors. “You can go into the war room, sir.”
The doors hissed and separated. Despite his intimidating presence, Dizzy stayed close to Torment. This was clearly an area where a woman like her had no business intruding and she didn’t want anyone to think she was snooping.
They progressed down a dark hall to a massive dimly lit room filled with computer equipment. The three-story-high walls were covered in screens that projected all sorts of data—radar images, troop and aircraft movement, radio traffic and more. Her gaze drifted to the live feeds from the rescue mission currently being mounted for the crew of the Night Bird who were floating in pods.
“What the hell is that woman doing in here?”
It was a voice she had only heard once before—at the wives’ meeting—that drew Dizzy’s stunned attention. Orion, the harried admiral and commander of the Valiant, glared from his perch atop a raised balcony overlooking the war room. A moment later, General Vicious
approached the railing, glanced down at her and frowned.
But it was the third face that appeared between the two men that almost sent Dizzy into a full swoon. Torment steadied her with a hand pressed between her shoulder blades. Her knees knocked as she stared into the eyes of the man she had last seen arguing with her mother on that fateful morning of the embassy explosion. He had aged since that day but those brilliantly blue eyes looked exactly the same.
The man who Dizzy was now certain was her biological father finally spoke. “Bring her to me, Torment.”
Both the admiral and the general glanced at the man between them with confusion but neither questioned his order. It occurred to her then that this man—her father—outranked both of them.
Up on the raised platform, Torment stood behind her, preventing her from fleeing down the short flight of stairs. Orion flicked his fingers and sent the lingering support staff back down to the main floor. Dizzy engaged in a staring match with her father. She counted the five stars on his uniform and realized he was one of the highest-ranking generals in the entire Harcos military.
“Thorn?” Vicious carefully questioned his superior. “How do you know Venom’s bride?”
Thorn? Of course, she thought sadly. Briarlina. Thorn and Lina. It had been right there in front of her the entire time.
Her father closed the distance between them. His eyes reflected the strangest mix of sadness and happiness. When he reached out to stroke her cheek, Dizzy held still and allowed him the small intimacy. “She is my daughter.”
Orion’s face slackened with shock. “Your daughter?”
“Yes.” Thorn’s hand fell from her face. “She is mine.”
Dizzy supposed she should find comfort in his public acknowledgment of her. He could have easily refuted her lineage.
Vicious looked downright angry. “You abandoned a female child on a planet where most women don’t even see their fortieth birthdays? Where childbirth deaths are nearly forty percent?”
Saved by Venom: 3 (Grabbed) Page 29
