by Anna Hackett
They were on top of the dam wall. It was littered with Gizzida light sets and gear.
“Over there.” Dak pointed to a stack of crates.
They dashed out and slid in behind the boxes.
“Fuck,” Dak said.
She saw exactly what had him worried. There was massive alien activity on the Nevada side of the dam.
Which cut off their escape route.
“We’ll have to go to the Arizona side,” he said.
She turned to look at the Arizona side of the dam, and her heart thumped against her ribs. “Dak, we can’t. Look.”
He swiveled. More alien vehicles were heading down toward the road across the top of the dam.
They were trapped between them.
“We can’t let them know that we’re here,” he said.
He was right. If they knew that they’d seen the bomb, they’d move it.
She swiveled to look straight ahead, to the dark waters of Lake Mead. The water level was higher on the Lake Mead side. She saw Dak rise, moving toward the edge. There was a considering look on his face.
“No,” she breathed.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. There was a yawning blackness ahead, and far, far below was the water.
“It’s our only chance,” he said.
She just stared at him.
“Where’s that courage of yours, Silver?”
She looked to the side and saw the aliens coming closer. She looked to the other side and saw them advancing from that side as well. “My courage is currently whimpering in fear.”
“There’s nothing you can’t do.” He took her hand. “Ready?”
“No.”
“On three.”
Naomi pulled in a deep breath and gave a single nod. She could do this.
“One,” he said. “Two—”
Before Dak finished the countdown, he leaped into the air, pulling Naomi off the top of the dam.
Oh, fuck.
With powerful kicks, Dak and Naomi came up out of the water. He spat out a mouthful and then found his arms full of a spitting mad woman.
She slapped at him. “Asshole.”
He grabbed her and kissed her. They’d made the terrifying drop into the water. They were both alive, they’d found the bomb, and from what he could tell, the aliens hadn’t spotted them.
Dak treaded water, sliding his tongue into her mouth and she moaned. She wrapped her arms around him and threaded her hands into his hair.
“I’m going to make you pay for that.” She bit his lip. Hard.
“I hope so.” Damn, he was glad they were alive. He touched his earpiece. “Groom Lake, are you receiving?”
No response. Turning in the water, he stared at the dark shadow of the Nevada side of the lake. They needed to put some more distance between them and the aliens, and clear the jamming area.
“Time for a swim, Silver.”
She let out a sigh. “Guess that’s better than dodging aliens.”
They started through the water.
“This is almost nice,” Naomi said. “Jumping off the Hoover Dam, aside. A midnight swim under the stars with a sexy guy isn’t too bad.”
“You think I’m sexy?”
“Oh yes, Captain Tight Buns.”
Dak winced at the name. They kept swimming and he tried the comm line again. Still no response.
A second later, a large splash of water hit them.
Naomi cursed and Dak spun. The surface was rippling. There was something in the water. Something big.
“Dak.” Fear edged Naomi’s voice.
“Keep swimming.” His pulse pounded, and another splash of water hit them. The moonlight gave him just enough light to catch a glimpse of a scaled body rising out of the water, then diving back into the dark water again.
“Oh, God.” Naomi started swimming faster.
Dak followed her, but a moment later he sensed something, and turned.
The creature was swimming around them in a circle. He got a better look at it now. It looked like some sort of alien shark. As it rose up out of the water, arrowing toward them, Dak saw its teeth. Fuck. It looked like a buzz saw was attached to the front of it. It had a weird, circular jaw filled with overlapping rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. The rocky edge of the lake was still too far away, and they were too close to the dam to contact Groom Lake for a pickup.
If he used his carbine, the aliens might hear the gunfire. Instead, he drew his combat knife.
He touched his ear. “Groom Lake, we need a pickup.”
Still no response.
The shark cruised closer, then did a sharp turn and powered at them.
“Oh, shit.” Naomi lunged to the side.
Dak dodged and stabbed at the creature. His blade cut into scaly flesh, but with a powerful thrust of its tail, the beast disappeared into the water.
“Keep going, Naomi,” he bit out. “Get to the shore and call for help.”
“Fuck that.” She appeared at his side, her own knife in hand.
He gritted his teeth. This woman made him want to shake her and kiss her at the same time.
The shark rose out of the water again, that horrifying buzz-saw mouth aimed right at them.
“Ugly guy.” Naomi lifted her knife. As the shark came closer both she and Dak separated, darting away.
The shark moved between them and they both attacked. Dak rammed his knife in, saw Naomi do the same.
The creature thrashed, and Dak caught a glimpse of blood in the water.
“Keep stabbing,” he yelled.
Together, they kept attacking—stabbing and stabbing. He cut a large slash down the shark’s side. It thrashed again, the splash of water almost sending them under. Then the shark flopped over on its side and started to sink.
Naomi laughed. “You’re a fun date, Captain Vaughn.”
Just then, there was a huge splash behind them.
Dread filling his gut like concrete, Dak turned.
A larger buzz-saw shark—the size of an SUV—rose out of the water.
“Uh-oh,” Naomi said. “I think we just killed her baby.”
“Swim!”
They both started slicing through the water. He glanced back and saw the shark coming through the water like a missile.
He gripped the back of Naomi’s armor and tried to propel her forward. He knew they’d never make it to the side in time.
“Dak.” Her tone was quiet, shaky. She knew it as well.
Shit. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, curling his body around her.
A massive splash of water suddenly poured over them. They both turned their heads.
“Oh, my God,” she breathed.
He stared in disbelief. Another huge, aquatic alien reared up out of the water. It had a long neck and a sinuous body.
It snapped up the huge shark in its jaws, rearing up high out of the dark water, before it splashed back down, taking the shark with it.
The water rocked all around Dak and Naomi, then slowly settled.
They just stayed there, treading water, their hearts thundering. He could feel her heart hammering against his chest.
Then everything was silent around them.
“I suggest we get out of the water ASAP,” he said.
“Good idea.”
Chapter Eight
Naomi could finally see the other side of the lake.
She kept kicking hard. Every now and then, she heard splashes in the water behind them, where it sounded like the enormous, aquatic alien was happily devouring the shark. Her stomach was a mass of knots. She tried to block the sounds out, but she’d been driving herself crazy thinking of what other beasties might be beneath them in the dark water.
Don’t think, just swim.
Dak was right beside her, swimming strongly. He never tired or faltered.
He was a good man—strong and noble to the core. Someone she could trust, someone she could lean on.
Her heart thumped.
He was also a man who needed someone to hold him, in the dark of night, behind closed doors. Someone to force him to rest, and remind him that he was alive and not alone.
“Groom Lake, this is Vaughn, come in?”
He’d been trying to contact Groom Lake steadily every minute or so.
“Receiving, Dak.” Ramirez’s voice. “Incoming on your signal.”
“Thank God.” She had never heard anything sweeter.
They finally reached the edge of the lake. Dak grabbed her and lifted her into his arms. He strode up onto the rocky shore and they collapsed on the rocks.
Naomi buried her face in his neck. After a few minutes, they both looked toward Hoover Dam.
“We found the bomb,” she said. “We still have a chance to beat them.”
“But there’s one more bomb out there,” he replied.
She touched his jaw. “We’ll find it. We humans, we’re scrappy as hell and we don’t give up.”
His gaze traced over her face, then he lowered his head. She licked her lips ready for the kiss—
Then there was a rush of air as the Viper appeared out of nowhere, dropping its illusion. It hovered above them.
They both looked up and watched two soldiers rappel down to them.
The man in the lead hit the ground and stepped forward. Naomi recognized the tough, battle-hardened leader of Alpha Team.
“Someone order a ride?” the dark-skinned man asked.
Dak raised a hand. “Nice to see you, Sutton.”
The soldiers helped them up, and soon they were attached to lines, zooming up into the Viper.
“We found the bomb,” Dak said to the other soldiers sitting in the Viper.
“Fuck, yeah,” one of Alpha Team said.
There were satisfied smiles all around.
“So, when do we go in and blow the bomb to pieces?” a female soldier asked.
The Viper turned and, with a burst of speed, headed back in the direction of Groom Lake.
Naomi gripped the back of a chair and Dak grabbed an overhead handhold. “The Aussies found the first bomb, but there’s still one more out there. From what intel we have, all three bombs need to be destroyed together.”
“What if we don’t find the third?” another soldier asked.
“We’ll find it,” Naomi said fiercely.
When all eyes turned in her direction, she stilled. Shit.
Dak smiled. “You heard the lady. We’ll find it. We all have reasons to fight, to live, to not give up.” He let go of the handhold and swept Naomi into his arms. “We just have to hold on to hope, and keep fighting for what’s ours.”
He pulled her closer and pressed his mouth to her smiling lips.
Whoops and hollers filled the Viper.
“Guess we know what’s yours, Vaughn,” someone called out.
Naomi wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back.
He pressed his forehead to hers. “You mine, Silver?”
Her belly tingled. “Yes, if you’ll be mine.”
“Guess we both have a lot to live for, then.”
“Well done, Captain.”
Dak nodded at the major general.
Michaela turned to look at Naomi. “And you too, Ms. Silver.”
Naomi nodded. They stood in the middle of the Ops Center, both still damp and bedraggled. Dak had wanted to drag her back to his quarters and get inside her as soon as he could, but the major general had wanted an immediate debrief.
Soon.
“The images Captain Vaughn took are uploaded,” a comms officer called out.
Dak turned and saw the images he’d taken at Hoover Dam appear on one of the freestanding screens. The octagonal bomb dominated them all.
“That’s it,” a deep voice said.
On another screen was the image of General Adam Holmes, calling in from the Enclave. The man was studying the images, his brow creased.
“The brown fluid inside contains alien genetic material,” Holmes said. “It goes off, it spreads it everywhere, and turns us all into Gizzida.”
Dak’s gut twisted.
“And from what we can gather,” Holmes continued, “if all three bombs are detonated simultaneously, from specific locations, they will generate some sort of resonance that will spread the genetic material across the entire planet.”
Naomi made a small sound from beside Dak and he reached for her hand. He noted a few of the Ops Center staff eyeing him incredulously. Okay, so he hadn’t held anyone’s hand before.
“Any information on the third bomb?” Michaela asked.
“We’re spreading the word to all the other survivor bases we’re in contact with,” Holmes said. “Our intel suggests it’s in Europe, but we don’t have anything more than that yet.”
“We have to find it.” Dak just hoped the damn thing wasn’t buried in the middle of nowhere.
“You have our full support, Adam,” Michaela said. “And our teams are on standby to destroy the Hoover Dam bomb.”
Holmes nodded. “Thank you. Together, we can beat the aliens, once and for all.” Holmes’ screen went dark.
Dak slid his arm across Naomi’s shoulders. He saw Michaela raise a brow, and Naomi’s cheeks went pink.
“I see you finally got around to finding something you like as much as your job,” Michaela said.
He looked down at Naomi. “Something I like more than my job.”
Naomi’s face softened.
Michaela smiled. “Rest up, you two. Good work out there. Now, dismissed.”
Dak saw people trying to hide their grins as he ushered Naomi out the door. He wondered how quickly they could make it back to his quarters.
When he saw several recruits waving at Naomi, he knew it was going to take far longer than he wanted.
Ryan spotted them and his eyes widened. “Now, I know why you couldn’t make our drink.”
Dak shot the younger man a hard look. “There will be no drinks.”
Ryan lifted his hands. “Hey, at least we both have good taste, Captain.”
As some of the other grinning recruits moved closer, Dak decided to take a shortcut to getting his woman to himself. He gripped her waist, dipped, and threw her over his shoulder.
“Hey!” she cried.
He heard the recruits start laughing as he swiveled and strode down the corridor.
“Vaughn.” She slapped his back.
They passed a few groups of people in the hall, all grinning at them. He realized that the survivors didn’t just need to see their leaders working hard to protect them, it also helped to see them happy.
“People are staring,” she said.
“Good.”
“What do you mean ‘good?’”
“Because within the next hour, it’ll be all around the base that you’re mine.”
“Neanderthal.” She slapped his back again, but there wasn’t much effort to it.
Dak got to his quarters and he marched straight into the bathroom. He started to strip her armor off. They took their time, taking off the carbon fiber and their clothes beneath.
She raked her hands down his abs. “I love your body, Captain.”
Both naked now, he spun her and stood behind her. He looked at their reflection in the mirror, wrapping his arm just under her full, gorgeous breasts. They teased him with their aroused peaks, and he promised he’d take his time with them very soon.
“You’re beautiful.” He leaned down to kiss her neck and her eyes fluttered closed. “I’m very glad I couldn’t resist you.”
“Me too,” she murmured.
He kissed her, then shuffled her toward the shower. He flicked on the water, then nudged her inside the small stall.
Then he lifted her and pinned her to the wall. Their bodies pressed together as water cascaded over them.
“Dak.”
When he thrust inside her, it felt like coming home. As he continued his thrusts, they both groaned.
“I love the wa
y you fill me up,” she said.
He kept thrusting until pleasure swept them both away.
Afterward, Dak took his time drying her off, rubbing the towel over her golden skin. He was usually always in a rush—to check reports, to check in with the security team, to plan a mission.
Now, he just wanted time with his woman.
He nudged her wet curls out of the way and dropped a kiss to her shoulder. When he looked at her face, he saw shadows in her eyes.
He stroked his fingers across her cheekbones. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just worried about the bomb.”
“A smart woman told me that we’d find it. That we wouldn’t give up.”
She blew out a breath. “Well, I’m not always an optimist.”
“You don’t have to put on a brave face with me, Naomi. It’s okay to be scared. Just be yourself.”
Her hands rested on his shoulders. “Same goes, Dak.”
“Right now, let’s not worry about the Gizzida bomb.” He kissed the stubborn line of her jaw. “For now, it’s just you and me. Let’s make our own explosion.”
She smiled. “I thought we already did in the shower.”
“Then let’s make another one.”
His cock was already stirring, even though he’d just had her. He ran his fingers down her belly, then dipped them between her thighs. She moaned.
Then he spun her and bent her over the vanity, running his hand between her legs. She was already wet for him.
“You need me again, Silver?”
She pushed back against him. “Yes.”
He ran his hands up her sides and tipped her head back. “You’re going to make me fall in love with you, aren’t you?”
Her lips parted. “Yes.”
“Good.” Then Dak pressed his body against hers and felt nothing but pleasure.
I hope you enjoyed Naomi and Dak’s story!
* * *
For more Hell Squad survivor adventures, read on for Alexander Erickson’s story (Hawk pilot Finn’s brother) set in snowy Norway.
Alexander
Chapter One
She dragged in a deep breath of fresh, cold air.
