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Avenger
ISBN # 978-1-78184-141-9
©Copyright Jambrea Jo Jones 2012
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright October 2012
Edited by Sue Meadows
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.
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The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2012 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 2.
This story contains 90 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 6 pages.
Alliance
AVENGER
Jambrea Jo Jones
Book Six in the Alliance Series
Sometimes going back is all you can do…
Angel Carter doesn’t know why he kidnapped a criminal and fled the planet. He just knows that he’s confused and the man responsible is one Frank Morgan. His ship crashes, leaving them both stranded on Earth—a planet that is supposed to be free of people. A perfect hideout—or it was until he’s greeted by the natives.
Frank wanted to be free of a life of crime and made a deal to turn in his boss when things went crazy. He was injured in the process and woke up when the ship he was on crashed. He didn’t remember much—only now he’s in a jail cell with the very man he was supposed to be working with.
Will the past bring them their future?
Dedication
To family and loving them no matter what—yes, this includes Joy and Ive um…and all my online family. Just goes to show you that not all family has to have blood ties.
Chapter One
Angel Carter couldn’t believe his bad luck. It was supposed to be an easy undercover job. But he should have known by now that nothing in his life was ever easy.
“Buckle up, we’re about to crash.” Angel glanced at Frank Morgan—his inside man on the deep undercover job had gone all to hell. Frank looked rough. His stubble had stubble and there were circles under his eyes. His short dark hair sticking up every which way and the white of the bandage on his side stood out against his skin. Angel hadn’t put a shirt on Frank. Angel licked his lips and he should’ve been ashamed of himself for being turned on when it appeared as if Frank was passed out from lack of blood.
He wasn’t sure if Frank had even heard him, the man had been loopy from the drugs. Getting shot would fuck anyone up. Angel didn’t know how he felt about Frank getting injured or why he felt the need to run when he should have stayed and helped his brother, Alphonse, but every instinct had screamed at him to get Frank and get off the planet. Now they were about to both go down in a hail of metal and fire. If the crash didn’t kill them, the re-entry into Earth just might.
But he was out of options. He was going to the one place he should be safe. Earth had been abandoned for decades after it had almost been destroyed. Reports showed it was liveable again, but the Alliance was keeping it under wraps for now. They wanted to get hard data before letting people re-inhabit the place.
He hoped to hell the reports were right because in T-Minus twenty minutes he was going to find out, first-hand, just how good the air quality was. Angel leaned over and strapped Frank in, taking a moment to caress his cheek. Damn this attraction he had to Frank. It was going to get them both killed—if the ship didn’t kill them first.
“Erik…where…what…?” Frank winced.
Angel wanted to apologise, but really…what could he say? It wasn’t his fault Frank had been involved in a lot of bad shit that had come back to bite him on the ass.
“Frank, you shouldn’t call me that.”
And he shouldn’t have said that. Frank knew Angel was undercover, but not his real name, and now there would be questions. He should have just left it alone. But no—they might die and he didn’t want to lie. Damn it. His timing sucked, but he had a strong pull towards the criminal and he wanted him something fierce.
“Why? It’s your name.” Frank blinked at him—he still seemed a bit out of it.
“Not really.”
Shit, shit, shit. Shut up, man!
“Huh?” Now Frank looked confused on top of being hurt.
“I’ll explain later.” Angel tried to wave it off, but he’d got to know Frank somewhat during the investigation and the man wasn’t going to give up.
“Just explain now.” Frank bit down on his lip as the ship hit a bad run of turbulence.
They were going down fast. The outer shields were burning as they entered the atmosphere. Out of his peripheral vision he could see a blue glow—flames coming from somewhere. It didn’t look good. He had to switch to manual. The computer shut down—he wasn’t sure if that was from the heat inside or if it’d been hit.
“My full name is Angel Erik Carter. You knew I was undercover. I try to stick as close to my name as possible. I used Erik Angel so people still call me Angel—well, except you. Makes it easier. Of course, now you know my last name and you can’t say anything. Not yet. There are too many—”
Shit, Frank had passed out. His head listed to the side. Frank needed help and Angel wasn’t sure he’d be able to do much good with only basic medical skills. Fuck. Frank should be in a base hospital. Angel’s head was all screwed up. He needed to call Alphonse or his dad. Someone had to be able to help him.
The ship began to beep at him. Angel needed to get his head back into the game before the ship was completely wrecked. If the trajectory was just right the craft would be salvageable. A landing in a body of water might work if his maps on board were up to date. Angel always fell behind in getting his ship upgraded and not much of Earth’s terrain was known anymore, at least not by him. Their scientists hadn’t been out there for a really long time as far as Angel was aware. Of course, science wasn’t his forte.
Angel took a quick glance at his passenger. Was Frank getting pale, and was that blood seeping out of the bandage? Landing on an unpopulated planet with a man who could be dying, he’d been in worse situations, right? He could do this. Double damn.
The ship shook so badly Angel feared it would fall apart. Land was in view and there wasn’t a body of water in sight. Of course not. That would’ve made things easier for him. Angel pushed a couple of buttons and reversed thrusters, engaging his emergency landing gear. The Avenger made a god-awful screeching sound. Angel put up a quick prayer as the ship slammed into the ground. He jerked forward, his safety harness biting into his neck. His head hit the console and bounced back against his seat. He blinked as something warm and sticky slid down his face.
He used a hand to wipe it off. Blood. Just what he needed. What else could go wrong? Angel took a moment to collect his thoughts and catalogue any injuries he might have. He wasn’t feeling so hot and his head was spinning from the blow, but that seemed to be the extent of the damage t
o his person. Angel fumbled with his buckle but couldn’t seem to undo it—his hands kept slipping. He wiped them on his jeans.
An alarm buzzed through the ship. That should have happened sooner—like, on impact. His ship was fucked. Damn it. Smoke was starting to fill the bay. He needed to get up and see how Frank was.
“Come out with your hands up.”
Well, fuck.
Angel shouldn’t have said anything about shit getting worse, because when you put that out there—things went tits up. Earth shouldn’t be populated. Who were these people? Everyone was supposed to have been evacuated and there had been no reports of inhabitants. Frank wasn’t budging and there was no getting out of whatever was going to happen. Angel sighed and took off his harness. He rubbed his shoulder and moved closer to Frank.
“I need you to wake up, Frank.”
Frank just grunted.
“Damn it, Frank, we’ve got a situation here. I need you to wake up.”
He had no idea how long the people outside would give him before they stormed the ship. He needed Frank up and about. Angel hoped they had some sort of medical facility nearby.
Angel ran his hands over Frank’s chest and down his side, stopping at the bandage. It looked like the blood was flowing again but Angel knew it shouldn’t have been. Not if a normal laser had been used. It wasn’t a graze.
Frank moaned and something started banging against the hull of the ship. Angel shifted away from Frank and had to do something he usually didn’t do—hope for the best. He strode to the door, took a deep breath, pushed the button to open it, then held his hands up.
“Hey there, neighbour, got a cup of sugar I can borrow?”
* * * *
What the fuck?
Frank groaned. He hurt all over. What was the last thing he remembered? He’d been at his boss’ place and things went to shit. He had been helping a hot undercover Alliance agent stop a coup. That’s when things got fuzzy. He’d—shit, he’d been shot. He jack-knifed up and clutched at his side. He almost fell back down again but managed to stay sitting and not throw up. It was a close call.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Frank managed not to yell the words, but not by much.
“Shh. It’s okay.”
Who was—oh, Erik, but not Erik. He remembered a bit of the crash. Where were they?
“Er—Angel?” Frank glanced towards where the voice was coming from.
Angel sat on a cot against a wall with his head in his hands.
“Yep. Welcome back.” Angel looked up and winked at him.
There was a gash on his head. He didn’t remember Angel getting hurt, not that he had much of a memory of events. Had Angel…carried him out of the building? Had they run? He had so many questions.
“Where are we?” Frank pressed at his side. It fuckin’ hurt.
“Would you believe, Earth?” Angel shrugged.
“No, fuckin’ way.” Frank peered at Angel in disbelief.
“Yes fucking way.” Angel laughed.
“It was deserted—forever ago.”
Frank had heard the stories growing up. How the people had been forced from the planet because of a war. It was uninhabitable. They shouldn’t be here. It was dangerous.
“Not so much anymore.”
“Huh?” Frank had a hard time wrapping his head around everything.
Frank looked around. They were in some kind of structure. Were those—bars?
“It seems someone took over Earth while the Alliance wasn’t paying attention.”
“How is that possible?”
“Well—we’d heard some rumblings of someone trying to take over. We’ve been a bit preoccupied. How are you doing?”
“I was shot. How do you think I’m doing? So, we’re on Earth, but—where exactly?”
“My maps aren’t up to date so I’m unsure. But right now—we’re in a jail cell.”
“Fuck, I was trying to avoid that.” Frank had to chuckle at the irony of the situation.
“Yeah, well, they patched you up a bit, so that’s something.”
“Have you talked to them yet?”
“Nope. They…ah…might not have enjoyed my greeting.”
Frank just shook his head. He didn’t know a lot about Angel, but he did know he was a smart ass. Usually he was more mysterious, which had his old boss, Vincent, in an uproar. It was also something that had always drawn him to the man. Now was not the time to think about his attraction.
“I don’t even want to know. How are we getting out of here?”
“I have a plan.” Angel stood and walked to the bars blocking the exit.
Frank saw a toilet in the corner. It really was an old-fashioned cell, but it wasn’t as dirty or smelly as he would have imagined a cell on Earth to be. These people had to have been there for a while. It seemed…newish with grey walls. No cracks or leaks, but the damn water in the toilet was constantly running. The cot he was on was surprisingly soft. He wondered what else was around to explore and if it was as nice as the cell. He hoped it would be nicer.
“Of course you do.” Frank winced when he tried to stand and decided against it.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Angel turned back around to look at Frank.
“I don’t know—but your last plan got me shot.”
“So, not my fault.” Angel grasped the bars and shook them.
It didn’t appear as if they’d moved.
“And so not the point.”
“This is true. Okay, we need to—shit, someone’s coming.”
Angel returned to his cot and stretched out like he had nothing better to do.
“What are you—?”
“Lay back down and close your eyes.”
“Why—?”
“Just fucking do it!” Angel glared at him.
Sure, just a stroll in the park. Frank, I need your help. Frank, if you turn evidence you’ll be safe. Trust me, Frank. He closed his eyes. His mamma had told him a life of crime would lead to trouble. All he had wanted was a quick buck, not the takeover of the Alliance. And Vincent, his boss, had gone a little nuts. He was done with the whole thing. Maybe he’d stay here and disappear. Obviously the Alliance was looking the other way.
A creak alerted him to the door opening. He wanted to open his eyes but feared what he’d see. Was the planet even stable? What kind of effects would long-term exposure have on the people if it wasn’t stable? The air didn’t seem bad in the cell, but that was inside. They could have purified air in the buildings. What did he know?
Maybe if he’d asked more questions before this, he wouldn’t be in this mess. He was always following his dick. Only reason he’d been with Vincent to begin with was because his boyfriend at the time had talked him into it. Frank was a loyal guy and couldn’t just leave after his boyfriend had dumped him. At the time Vincent had been a solid character then he had gone all crazy.
“The commander would like to see you.” Frank assumed that was their guard talking.
“Are you asking or telling?”
Angel sounded calm, but Frank couldn’t believe he was playing with these people. They had no idea what they’d dropped into. He was either fearless or stupid. Frank was going with stupid.
“Get your ass up and come with me.”
Frank opened his eyes just a tad to see who had been speaking. The guy was huge—and was he…purple? What the hell? Maybe he was hallucinating. Had they drugged him?
Angel didn’t rush to the door, nor did he glance Frank’s way. What was he supposed to do? Not like he could rush the big guy. There was no fucking way in the state he was in. They’d both end up dead. He’d like to get out of this whole fucking shit storm alive and maybe, not purple. He didn’t know shit about science. All he knew was how to be an enforcer and right-hand man to a crime syndicate boss.
Frank watched helplessly as Angel was shoved out of the door.
Chapter Two
Voit Reno sat in his office and awaited the arrival of the crash victim. They’d had
his ship towed to the mechanic bay. It was in bad shape and he didn’t know if it was salvageable. Not that it mattered. He was too close to having his plans fall into place for something out of the blue like this to happen. He wondered if the Alliance was on to him.
The ship didn’t look to be governmental. It was too small, but what did he know. They’d been off the grid for too long. He had a few inside men, but he didn’t tap them too often. He didn’t want them caught. It was time the Alliance went back to where it came from and what better way to accomplish this than to explore what they used to be? Earth had been good to them over the centuries. The Consortium should have done away with the Alliance when they’d asked for admittance and had slowly taken over. Not that he could fully blame the Alliance, the Consortium had suffered from infighting as any big organisation would, but they’d taken advantage of the political struggles.
Most wanted to give up and were happy to be on Earth. His right-hand man, Archer Tok, wanted to petition to join the Alliance. Voit wasn’t sure and needed more convincing. For him—he felt it was time to hook up with the Consortium of old and show the Alliance what a true powerhouse was.
There was a knock on his door.
“Enter.”
“Commander.” Archer pushed the man into Voit’s office.
“That’ll be all, Tok.”
His friend looked hesitant but left the room. He could tell that his friend and advisor wanted to say more, but he knew better then to undermine him in front of others. They’d been working together for too many years. He’d probably hear about it after the meeting, but so be it. He was hoping to make the guy comfortable so he’d talk.
“Please have a seat. I’m Commander Voit Reno. And you are?”
“Bored.”
“Excuse me?” He couldn’t have heard right. What kind of prisoner responded with that? Of course, he had heard about the greeting the man had given Voit’s soldiers.
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