by Zoey Indiana
"Yes." Pushing a few things aside, she sat the tray on the small metal stand next to the bed then sat in the grey armchair.
"You're the reason I was there in the first place." Deep down he wanted her to deny it, to say he was wrong.
"Yes." The one-word responses were pissing him off, but part of him died inside at her admission. He'd stupidly thought she was different than everyone else.
"You should've killed me, instead of handing me over to ARI. I'm tired of living as a slave, being used whenever a woman wants to have a bit of fun."
"I didn't hand you over to ARI." She was lying, she'd just admitted to it. "I am the reason ARI found you, but I didn't tell them."
Laying back on the bed, he rolled until his back faced her. Ignoring the pain from the movement, he wasn't interested in her lies.
"We were betrayed by one of our own. Nova's furious that one of our operatives sacrificed you to get me to the top." The bed dipped. "How can I prove to you that it wasn't me?"
He remained silent, unable to say anything. Too many emotions were warring inside of him. Memories of her kisses plagued him, and he couldn't take her word for it. There wasn't enough energy in the world for him to piece his shattered heart back together.
She sighed and the weight left the bed. "I brought you some broth." The door slid open the closed and the room was silent except for his ragged breathing. He wouldn't fall for her lies again.
A few weeks later, Bash sat at the table with his tools laid out. Since they'd rescued him from the ARI researched lab, he'd stayed in a small condo unit above Violet Five. Nova, Alastor, and Cay checked on him every day, but Freya hadn't returned. Looking around the small unit, the layout and design reminded him of the safe house Freya had taken him too after she saved him. He looked to the replicator behind him, then to his right the forest green armchair and grey couch.
Memories slammed into him of making love to Freya for the first time. The way she watched him when he'd licked that part of her he would die to taste again; her fingers running through his hair. His cock ached from the thought of tasting her again, her body sliding over him. Picking up a tech manual, he threw it will all the built-up rage he had. It hit the wall and slid to the ground. What the hell was he supposed to do here? He wasn't allowed to leave the condo. His entire life he wanted to live free, but he was trapped in this damn condo. After everything, he was still a kept pet. They came to pacify him or ask for his help with tech projects. At least they didn't use him for sex.
The door to the condo slid open and Alastor and Cay walked in. Alastor sat in the armchair while Cay picked up the book and returned it to the table where Bash sat.
"How are you doing?" Cay asked as he slid into the chair across from him.
"How do you think I'm doing? I'm still trapped here." Bash snarled gesturing to the condo around him. "Am I supposed to be happy living in a cage?"
Cay sighed as he set his hands on the table, tapping his fingers. "Do you think Alastor and I like living this way? We're just as trapped as you are, almost. None of us can just take a stroll outside, men don't exist."
Bash glared at him but didn't respond. Cay had a point, but he didn't have to like it.
"Look, changing a society doesn't by snapping your fingers. Nova, Freya, and the rest of the Resistance is working to change things, but it takes time."
"Don't say her name around me." The mention of her name made his blood boil until he needed to punch something. It also made his cock hard. He hated how weak he was when it came to Freya.
"You can be pissed if you want, but she risked everything the Resistance has worked for to save your surly ass. Yeah, they found you because of her, but she didn't betray you. Tas'Ki did that and nothing you think will change the truth." Cay slammed his hands on the table. "You are unreasonable."
"Me, I'm unreasonable?" Bash slammed his hands down and matched Cay's aggressive hunched posture. "You're the one telling me to get over the torture she put me through. It's not something I can just brush off. Hey Freya, I'm completely understand why you led the evil man-hating sadists to me. I know they held me prisoner and tortured me, but you know what? It's no big deal. By the way, wanna fuck?" Bash mocked.
Cay charged around the table and shoved Bash against the wall. "Don't be a dick. I know you can't forget it, but you need to get over yourself. She put everything on the line to save you. What does that tell you?"
"That she takes her job seriously."
Cay fisted his shirt and slammed him against the wall again. "She got the promotion she needed. Before she broke into the lab, she could have continued her mission and let you rot. But no, she infiltrated the lab, uploaded a virus that destroyed some of the intel we needed, and saved your sorry ass. Oh, and she captured Deja for you."
"She did what?" He wasn't sure he'd heard Cay correctly.
"Aside from everything else she did that day, she brought Deja back to us. We've haven't been able to interrogate her, because Freya wanted you to decide what we do with her."
A buzz erupted in his ears. Aside from being a valuable source of information, he couldn't understand why Freya would let him choose what happened to Deja. Unless Freya did care, his heart skipped a beat at the idea.
"But she turned you over to ARI, so you shouldn't care what she sacrificed for you." Cay slammed him against the wall one last time then let go. "Sit up here and sulk, I don't care. While you do that, I'll be helping Nova anyway I can." Cay snarled, leaving the room, but Alastor remained.
Remaining against the wall, he warred with himself. She'd saved him several times, but could he risk trusting her again. Even if they did work it out, their lives would always be at risk. If anyone found him, they would capture him, and the torture would repeat. As long as Freya worked as a spy and the Sovereign reigned supreme, both of them were living on borrowed time. His heart couldn't handle the emotional turmoil. Not again, he wouldn't go back to her.
Sitting at the table, he picked up the small round cloaking device he'd been working on. Trying to resume upgrading it, he felt an electrical shock as he slipped with the screwdriver. He cursed as he realized his hands were shaking too hard to complete the alterations right now.
Alastor approached him. "Since you're busy up here, I'd be happy to go down there and console Freya for you.
Bash slammed Alastor against the wall. "I'll kill you if you touch her."
"There's your answer. Stop sulking in your self pity and reclaim the woman you love." Alastor shoved him back, "touch me like that again, and I'll kill you." Then he stormed out of the room. He knew Cay and Alastor were right, she hadn't betrayed him. While he knew logically that the emotions were misplaced, his heart couldn't seem to agree. If he didn't try, he would lose her forever, and he couldn't handle that.
Below Freya's Condo: Freya
Freya slid her finger across the tab, scrolling to the next piece of information. Uploading the virus in the security checkpoint had initiated a download of information from the research and development building. A lot of the files were fragments that were cut off mid download, but what she read made her lightheaded. If she could get her hands on the rest of these files, it would be enough to bring the Sovereign and ARI down. Not even Crimson would survive.
The lift door opened, making her pause. Nova had several hours of work left to do at Violet Five and both Alastor and Cay had their own quarters. Her breath caught at the sight of Bash as he stepped into the room. The lift door closed, taking all the air in the room with it.
"Hello." His awkward greeting reminded her that she wasn't his favorite person at the moment.
"Do you need something?" Reminding herself to sound more compassionate, she added, "Have a seat."
"Sure." He sat on the armchair across from where she sat on the couch. The resistance had a knack for making all the safe houses and condos look alike. It brought back memories of the first time they'd sat like this, but at that time, they were in opposite seats.
A long silence passed
between them before he spoke again.
"I want to thank you for rescuing me again." The left corner of his mouth pulled up, but the grin didn't go further. "I may have said some things that weren't called for, and I apologize for that."
He paused but she didn't know what to say. A lot of things had been said when she'd rescued him, but she wanted to see where he was going with this.
"I…" He leaned forward until his elbows stood on his knees and ran a hand through his hair while looking at the floor. Several minutes later, he looked her in the eyes and spoke. "Look, I acted like a complete asshole. They lied to me, again, and I fucking believed it. I'm an idiot and never seem to learn my lesson. Alastor and Cay pointed out something I couldn't see before."
He jumped off the couch and paced while fidgeting with a piece of his hair. When that wasn't enough, he walked circles around the furniture. Unsure of what to say, she didn't want to interrupt him. Suddenly he knelt at her feet, putting his hands on the couch around her he looked up at her.
"What I'm trying to say is, I like you. No, it's not just like, come on Bash just say it." He shook his head and resumed talking to her. "I love you, and while I'm at war with myself about what happened, through all of that I want to be with you, if you'll have me."
Looking down into his eyes, she knew she cared for him. She'd looked up the word in the dictionary just to make sure she was using it correctly. She cupped his face in her hands and placed her forehead against his.
"I'm not the easiest woman to deal with, I'm aware of that. On top of that, I don't understand emotions like you do. This thing that is going on between us, I don't know what it is. Love is something I may not be capable of, but what I do know, is that I care about you. Being around me means you'll never be safe, but at the same time, I can't stay away from you. It hurts too much."
"I'm happy to stay behind the scenes until we destroy the Sovereign. Then I want to move somewhere I can actually go outside."
She chuckled at his demand. "Me too."
"I'm still coming to terms with what happened. Healing will take some time, please don't misunderstand that." She understood his words and how he felt.
"Take your time, I can stay down here until you're ready."
"I don't deserve you." He protested.
She leaned down and kissed him. "Regardless of what either of us think we're worthy of, we should see where this goes."
"I agree." He whispered as he kissed her back. "I want you to be all mine."
She started to agree, but pain shot through her brain. Fire burned in her eyes and she felt her nose bleeding again. Unable to open her eyes, she did something she'd never done before.
"Can I ask something of you?" The request for help was so foreign that it didn't sound like it came from her.
"Yes."
"I need a cloth or something to stop me from getting blood everywhere."
She heard his footsteps move away from her, then they returned, and something soft was placed in the hand she wasn't pinching her nose with. The couched dipped next to her and she felt his hand rubbing her back until the bleeding stopped.
"Do you want to talk about what just happened?"
"Not really, but if anyone can help me, it would be you." The pain was starting to ease, but light still burned her eyes. Slouching back into the couch she sighed. "Remember I told you about the experiments. Well, one of them was a small computer they put in my brain. It tracks various things like vitals and emotions. They included an anti-emotion program that sends a pain response when my emotions start to emerge. Since I've had so many emotional triggers, its threshold is lower than normal. The smallest sign of emotion and it sends out negative feedback to deter the response."
His voice was brusk. "I'm so sorry, if I can find a way to deactivate the computer, I will."
She protested, "You can't deactivate the entire computer, it would kill me. It has a built-in suicide code to deter me from trying to remove it, but if you could destroy the anti-emotion chip, I would appreciate it. If I trigger it too many times, I'll be recalled and the scientists will make a decision neither of us will like."
He pulled her to lay against his chest while he played with her short hair. "Okay, new plan. Step one: deactivate that damn chip. Step two: take down the corrupt government and save humanity. Step three: move to the middle of nowhere and get on with our lives. I think we can handle that."
She grinned at his humor. "Yes, I think we handle that. It'll be easy."
He hugged her closer. "Then let's do it."
A Note from the Author
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking your precious time to read Vengeance Unveiled. I hope the adventures were daring, expectations were defied, and all the liaisons were dazzling. I had so much fun writing this part of Freya and Bash’s story.
Want to read the next part of their journey? It will be available this fall in Vengeance Executed.
But wait! There’s more. The Trilogy isn’t the end. Remember the man of few words but plenty of growls — Alastor? His book is coming soon.
Sign up for Zoey’s Zine for first access to new releases. Plus I always give my elite readers extra content, giveaways, sneak peeks, and first look at new covers.
If you have time, would you mind leaving a review on Amazon? Goodreads or Bookbub would be amazing too! Reviews help other readers like you find books they’ll love.
I appreciate you.
~Z
Also by Zoey Indiana
Vengeance Due
Vengeance Unveiled
About the Author
Zoey Indiana is an emerging author of daring adventures, defying expectations, and dazzling liaisons. Her books follow headstrong heroines as they find the heroes and love they deserve. She loves writing stories that push the bounds of reality while finding a way to keep it down to Earth.
Connect with her on her website www.zoeyindiana.com
