“If I wanted you dead, I’d have let you open the hatch and watch you be blown into space.”
“We’re not on Oasis?” How long had she been out?
“Nope. Left once I’d dealt with the port authorities. They were a little curious about the explosion.”
She could only imagine. Crossing her arms to mimic his stance, she faced him down. “Why am I here and not in jail?”
One corner of his mouth turned up in a smile that sent a shiver down her spine. His good eye radiated a coldness she’d never seen in him before. This was the real Flynn Marks, the space mercenary that she’d heard so many stories about. He was known for being brutal but fair.
She’d crossed him. Leniency couldn’t be expected.
“I want answers, and you’re the only one who can give them to me.”
“And after you get them?”
He pushed away from the door, and every muscle in her body tensed, sending rivers of pain down her legs and arms. She forced herself to relax as he moved so close she had to tilt her head back to see him. She could have taken a step back, but that smacked of cowardice. She was many things, but a coward wasn’t one of them.
He ran one finger down her cheek. It was metal instead of warm flesh and blood, a vivid reminder that he was a survivor. “That depends on the answers, doesn’t it?”
He was playing with her.
“What makes you think I’ll tell you anything?” It wasn’t smart to antagonize him, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. In spite of everything, she was still drawn to him. His sheer presence was magnetic. It was all too easy to remember being naked with him stroking and licking and kissing her.
He coasted his finger over her bottom lip. She tasted the metallic tang. “Because you want to live.” His breath was warm against her face.
She swallowed heavily. “You going to kill me if I don’t talk?” Stupid question, of course he would.
He shook his head. “No. I’ll drop you on some remote planet and let word get out that you failed in your task. That should bring your master running either to end you or to discover what you know. People who hire assassins don’t leave loose ends. Either way, I’ll find out who is behind the attack.”
Flynn was not only strong and determined, but he was also highly intelligent. She’d known that from the beginning. No wonder Ian was afraid of him. Flynn would make a relentless enemy.
Her lips were dry, so she licked them. It was impossible to miss the way his eyes followed the path of her tongue. Maybe she could use that to her advantage.
“Don’t even try it,” he warned.
“Try what?” she replied, pretending to have no idea what he was talking about.
He moved swiftly, shoving her up against a wall. His big body pressed hers against the hull, not hurting but definitely reminding her how much stronger he was than her.
“I’ll fuck you if you want,” he told her as he leaned down to nuzzle her neck. “But this time I’ll tie you up first so you don’t try to kill me after. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t like a woman taking a knife to me after we’ve had sex.”
She laughed. It had to be nervous energy because the situation wasn’t the least bit funny. He held her life in his hands and had every reason to want to see her harmed or imprisoned. There was no way out for her, but there was still a chance for her son.
“I’ll talk on one condition.”
Flynn leaned in, pressing his erection against her stomach. She sucked in a breath, shocked that he was aroused at a time like this. They were enemies. But somehow that didn’t seem to matter to either of them. Sexual attraction was a bitch. And it didn’t help that she respected him as a person. He was a hard man but a good one. She’d seen enough men in her lifetime to know the difference.
“You’re in no position to ask for concessions,” he reminded her.
“One condition,” she repeated. She could be as stubborn as he was. This was too important. She knew Flynn needed answers, and she was the only one who could give them to him.
“Even if I agreed, how do you know I’d keep my word?”
“You will.” Flynn had a reputation. “Your word is your bond, isn’t that what they say about you?”
He brushed his lips over her ear, sending shivers of desire down her spine. She was crazy to be aroused at a time like this, but her body had a mind of its own and wasn’t listening to her brain. “You tried to kill me, so that doesn’t apply to you.”
Fair enough, but she had to trust he’d do as she asked once he learned the truth. “One condition.”
His mouth twitched, this time with a real smile. “Stubborn.”
“You have no idea.” She couldn’t budge on this. It was the only thing she had to bargain with.
“What’s the condition?”
Releasing a breath of pure relief, she allowed her shoulders to slump. Her life might be over, but there was still hope for Nix. She stared into Flynn’s one good eye. “I’ll tell you everything if you’ll try to rescue my son.”
****
Of all the things she might have said to him, this was the last thing Flynn would have expected. “You have a son?”
“Yes?” The muscles in her jaw worked. He could tell she was trying not to let her emotions show.
Don’t be stupid, he reminded himself. This could all be a ploy. Likely was. She was an assassin, after all.
He let his hand slide down to her neck and wrapped the metallic fingers from his robotic hand around it. He could snap it like a twig. She went totally still.
“Tell me everything.”
“Here?”
He shrugged. “It’s as good a place as any.” And he wasn’t in the mood to wait. The computer was monitoring the ship and navigation was on auto cruise. It would apprise him of any potential problems. When the computer had alerted him that his bedroom door had opened, he’d wondered if she’d try to find him. He wasn’t surprised she’d decided to try to retreat. Too bad for her that they were far away from any planet.
She hadn’t slept long, but the Abigail was outfitted with boosters that had catapulted them into deep space. He’d wanted to make a fast getaway. He’d also taken the time to secure her weapons. Not that he thought she was defenseless. Far from it. She’d already proven herself to be clever.
When she licked her lips again, his hand automatically tightened around her neck. He had to force himself to ease up so he didn’t hurt her. She closed her eyes briefly but quickly opened them again.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything. But you can start with your real name.”
“My real name is Cerena Phelps. I’m a bouncer in a bar on the satellite planet of Noir.”
“Noir? You’re far from home.” This wasn’t making any sense. “I don’t know you.”
She shook her head, or tried to. Wasn’t possible with his hand locked around her neck. “No, you don’t, but one of your enemies knows me.” He felt the ripple of her throat as she swallowed.
“Why you?” That was the puzzler. “You’re a bouncer, not a professional. Sending any less is suicide.”
Her laugh was bitter. “Likely that’s what he was hoping. We have a history, and apparently, he’s kept an eye on me these past years, even though I haven’t seen the bastard in years. Assassins cost money and can sometimes be bribed, so he couldn’t trust them. And he’s cheap. Why spend a lot of credits on a professional when he could use me? He knew I’d do as he asked. There’s too much at stake for me. And if I failed, you’d kill me and likely never be able to trace me back to him. He’s safe no matter what happens.”
“Who? Who the hell wants me dead?”
“Ian Reader.”
“That fucker.” Flynn couldn’t believe it. “His boss or leader, or whatever the hell Jasper Freeman was, is dead. I thought the Eden colony had been disbanded.”
“I’m really not sure about all that.”
He shook his head. “I’m not buying it.”
“
I hadn’t seen Ian in sixteen years. I’d hoped never to lay eyes on the son of bitch again. But we don’t always get what we want, do we?”
“He took your son, you said?” He was beginning to believe that wasn’t a lie after all.
“Yes.”
A sick feeling of dread began to form in his gut. “Fuck me. Reader’s the father, isn’t he? You have a sixteen-year-old son?” She didn’t look old enough for that.
“Fifteen,” she corrected. She was pale and sweating and didn’t look all that good. Flynn was beginning to worry she might pass out on him. “I was young and naive and sixteen when I met him. He was a bit older and handsome and paid attention to me. No man ever had before.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m not exactly the type to attract male attention.”
He thought she was joking but quickly realized from the expression on her face that she was dead serious. “What’s wrong with you?” he demanded.
“Are you blind or just being cruel? I’m too tall, too big, and too strong. Men like feminine women. I grew up knowing I’d have to make my living on my back or with my hands. Since I was likely to starve to death if I depended on selling my body, I developed my fighting skills.”
He could see it all too clearly. While he hadn’t dealt with Reader personally, he’d gotten a full report from his brothers about the incident that had occurred on Eden. He’d seen images of the guy, communicated with him ship to ship, and he had the slick good looks that a lot of women went for. It was all too easy to imagine a younger Cerena falling prey to his charms.
“You got pregnant?”
“Yes. I wasn’t on birth control because it had never been a concern. Stupidly, I thought he’d be happy. That we’d get married and raise our child together.”
“I take it he had other ideas?”
“Oh yeah.” She rested her head against the wall and started up at the ceiling. Flynn released his hold on her, not wanting to do her additional harm. “He told me he wasn’t about to be trapped by some stupid bitch he’d fucked on a dare. That’s all I was to him, a dare. I’d always kept my distance from the men around me. I knew what they all said about me, but Ian seemed different. Turned out he was worse.”
“He left?” It was the obvious next step in the story.
“Yes. I gave birth alone at seventeen.” She levelled her gaze at Flynn. “I don’t care what you do with me, but Nix deserves a chance. He didn’t choose his father. He didn’t even know who he was until Ian took him away. Once he had Nix, he contacted me.”
It was all believable, but Flynn was suspicious by nature. He grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?” She stumbled, bumping against one of the walls.
Flynn reached out and caught her before she fell. “You’re hurt?” It came out like an accusation.
“Dizzy and my head aches. I’ll be fine.”
“Fuck me,” he muttered. He scooped her up and carried her down the hall toward the control room.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Damned if I know.” And he didn’t. His entire life had been turned upside down. “I need more information. Luckily for both of us I know just where to get it.”
“You can’t tell anyone?” She grabbed his shoulders and tried to shake him. Not that she managed. “That cult or whatever it was that Ian has been involved with all these years. He’s siphoned off money. He has a lot of it. He told me if I told anyone he’d kill Nix.”
“You think he’d kill his own son?” Flynn wasn’t shocked. He’d seen the worst the universe had to offer.
“I know he would. Unless he could find some other use for him.”
“The people I’m contacting know how to be discreet.” And when had he gone from threatening to reassuring her?
“You can’t risk it.” Desperation rolled off her, too real to be faked.
She had a kid. No, not a kid, a teenager. With another man. An enemy of his family. He should hate her, but she’d been hurt by Reader as much as he had. Worse. It was a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Or something like that. It had nothing at all to do with how he liked having her in his arms.
He wasn’t that stupid.
Except it seemed that he was. His brothers were going to roast his balls for this.
“Trust me.” He deposited her on his chair and stood before her with his hands wrapped around the arms. Leaning down, he allowed her to see just how deadly serious he was.
“I want to.”
Even bruised and battered, with dirt steaks on her face and dried blood on her arms, he wanted her. When it came to protecting her family, she was as relentless as he was.
That was the problem. He could imagine himself doing the same damn thing if someone had taken one of his siblings. Hell, he had killed men over the years during the search for his missing sister.
They were the same in many ways.
“Are you familiar with Gravas?”
She rubbed her forehead. A lock of hair was plastered there, and she shoved it aside. “Warrior culture, very secretive, thought to be advanced. What do they have to do with anything?”
“That’s who I’m contacting.”
Her eyes widened, and he saw the beginnings of hope stir. “You know someone on Gravas?”
Flynn turned and manually accessed the communications console. There were several beeps before Abigail answered her link and appeared on the big viewing screen. “Flynn.” Her greeting of surprise quickly turned to worry. “What’s wrong? Why do you have a bruise on your face? Why is there a woman in your chair? What’s going on?”
“Where’s Vaden?” The Gravasian bastard was usually glued to her side.
“I’m here.” He stepped into view and took in the scene at a glance. “What do you need?”
That was one of the things Flynn did like about his new brother-in-law. He was quick to action. “I need information. Seems I have an enemy. One that’s willing to take a woman’s child to blackmail her into trying to kill me.”
Chapter Six
Cerena had a front row seat to both the shock and condemnation of the people staring back at her from the viewing screen. The woman was definitely related to Flynn. The hair color and eyes were identical. The man beside the woman, the one Flynn had called Vaden, was big and obviously a warrior. This must be his Gravasian contact.
“She tried to kill you?” The woman’s eyes hardened. “What did she do?”
“Abby, calm down.” Flynn held his hands out by his sides. “As you can see, I’m fine.”
Cerena was surprised by Flynn’s deflection of what had happened between them. She had tried to kill him. Her stomach turned at the thought. Or maybe that was only the aftereffects of the explosion. It was likely she had at least a minor concussion. It could have been far worse. Should have been worse. Only quick action by Flynn had kept both of them from being killed.
“I don’t like this,” Abby muttered.
“Who am I looking into?” Vaden interjected.
“Ian Reader.” They all looked at her when she spoke. It was time for her to take responsibility for the situation.
Abby, who was likely Flynn’s sister, turned pale. “I thought he was dead or in prison.” She looked to the big man beside her. “You told me he wasn’t a problem.”
Vaden scowled at Cerena, his expression promising retribution for upsetting Abby. He’d have to get in line. She already had two men who had reason to want her dead—Flynn and Ian.
When had her life become so complicated?
What she wouldn’t give for one regular night of breaking up bar fights and arguing with Nix over doing his schoolwork. Those days were over. No matter what happened, they could never go back to the way things had been.
But the lessons she’d learned over the course of her life held her in good stead. First rule of facing down an opponent—never let them see fear.
Cerena push out of the chair, pleased when her legs held her. “I hadn’t seen Ian in sixteen ye
ars when he contacted me.”
Flynn edged in front of her, practically pushing her back into the chair. She simply shifted to the side, unwilling to hide from anyone.
“Why you?” Vaden demanded. Abby had stepped slightly behind him and was on a communicator.
“You can’t tell anyone else,” Cerena insisted. Who was Abby contacting? “My son’s life is at risk.”
Flynn’s robotic hand landed heavily on her shoulder. “It’s fine. She’s likely contacting our brothers.”
“How many of them do you have?” She wasn’t sure she could handle more like Flynn.
“Three, all younger. Abby is the only girl in the family.”
Flynn had four siblings, and they had to be close if Abby was contacting them. What must that be like, having someone to depend on, to be there for you? It had only been her and her father, and he’d been neglectful, at best. He’d kept a roof over her head and food on the table until she’d been old enough to manage on her own. He’d been dead a year by the time Ian had come around, likely another reason she’d fallen prey to him.
“They’re on their way,” Abby informed them.
Cerena was getting worried. Too many people were getting involved.
“Tell me everything you know about Reader and where he might have your son,” Vaden demanded. This was a man definitely used to having his own way. Not that she had a choice.
“I knew Ian when I was a teenager. When he left, I was pregnant.”
“Did he know?” Vaden demanded. Cerena remembered hearing something about Gravasians placing family above all.
“He knew. It was why he left.” She ignored Abby’s gasp, and the pity in Vaden’s eyes. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen or heard a thousand times. At least there wasn’t scorn.
“Where was your family?” Vaden demanded.
She shrugged. “I have no memory of my mother. My father died of a fever some time before I met Ian.”
“You were alone and pregnant?” Abby leaned against Vaden. “I’m sorry for that, but you tried to kill my brother.”
Flynn's Assassin (Marks Mercenaries Book 5) Page 5
