They turned around and headed the other way. They were getting closer to the office. If they were in some movie it would be time for the dramatic music to start playing, but they managed to get around it with no issues. So far so good.
There was a light coming from the right and he nudged Frank that way. It was hopefully an exit to the outside. Angel wondered how many people populated the planet and how far stretched out they were. He needed to contact his father. Someone had to know there were people here and gauge their risk to the Alliance. They already had too much in-house back-stabbing going on. Hopefully Alphonse had a handle on that and would have the house cleaned before Angel got back. No matter, they had to deal with this situation. To talk to these people and find out how they’d slipped under the Alliance radar.
Did the corruption go that far? How had things got so bad? It had to be because of how fast things expanded. How could you watch over a whole galaxy without some issues? They needed a stronger base of people they could trust.
That was the hard part—trusting people not to become corrupt.
The creak of the door pulled him out of his musings. He glanced around and there was no one in sight. He wasn’t really sure what to expect when they got outside. From the books he’d read the place was crumbling, but not here. Buildings lined the streets. What they were for he didn’t know, but they weren’t dilapidated. It looked as if it was right out of a history book, but smaller than he’d imagined. Angel wondered how long they’d been on Earth to make it appear…whole and lived-in. Maybe the rest of the planet was worse off than this little town.
“This way.” Frank tugged him along.
He had better stop daydreaming and get them someplace safe. He nodded and they ducked into an alley to avoid being spotted. He peered around to get his bearings and was still amazed with how good it seemed and how fresh the air was. It appeared like a town out of the Old West that his dad had made him watch a vid about and there were mountains in the distance. Maybe there was a cave they could get to. It would be better if he could find the ship, but it still required a lot of work. They had to buy some time.
“We have to get to the high ground before they put out a call that we’ve escaped. You think you can make it?”
“If you can, I can. Let’s go.” Frank gave him a firm nod.
“All right then, let’s get to it.”
“We should to find water and food somehow or we might as well stay here.”
He needed to get his head out of his ass. He knew they wouldn’t be able to hide out for long without supplies. Who knew how cold it would get? He didn’t want to break out of the cell only to die from exposure.
“Okay, let’s find shelter and when night falls I’ll come back down and see what I can swipe.”
They were going to have to go through some open territory, but if they hustled it they should be fine. Hopefully the commander would think they would hide out in town, but he didn’t want to underestimate him. He had to look at this from all sides.
Frank was pale but seemed better than he had in days. Angel’d have to check the wound when they stopped for the night. Frank was still holding on to his side.
“Let me know if you have to stop, Frank.”
“You know we’re delaying the inevitable, right? We should get off this planet.”
“No, not yet. We have to find out who these people are,” Angel insisted.
“How do you propose we do that? We have no weapons and we’re on the run. We don’t even have anything to barter with.” Frank turned and glared at him. His hands were on his hips and he had a mulish expression on his face.
Angel just wanted to kiss him, but they had more important things to talk about right then. He wasn’t used to working with a partner and having to stop and explain himself. He just did what had to be done and managed to wiggle out of tight spots.
“We have information. I’ll find out where the good commander sleeps and pay him a little visit.” It really was as simple as that. He was good with threats and being ominous.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“Nope.” He grinned.
“Do you ever have any ‘good’ ideas?”
“Nope.” This time Angel winked at Frank.
“You’re so frustrating.” Frank threw his hands up in the air.
“You’re not the first one to say that and probably won’t be the last.”
“Why don’t we stay in town if you’re going to hunt him out?”
“It would be too easy for them to find us.”
“You think? If I was trying to find someone who was escaping my first order would be to go into the hills. It’s too easy.”
“Too easy? To climb all the way up there?” Angel pointed.
“Yes. And there is no guarantee we’ll even find shelter there.”
“You’re a real buzz kill, you know.”
“Yep.” Frank laughed.
And damned if Frank wasn’t right. Angel turned back towards town.
Chapter Four
Voit’s door swung open and a young soldier stood there with a wild look in his eyes. “Sir, they’ve escaped.”
Why wasn’t Voit surprised? He knew there was more to that Angel character than met the eye. He shouldn’t have underestimated him.
“Sir. Should we send out a search party?” He wasn’t twitching, but Voit knew he wanted to. He had that effect on some of the younger men.
Voit had to think about that. Should they waste their energy searching or find out just who this Angel and his partner were? It wasn’t like they could really go anywhere right now and Voit wasn’t going to fix their ship so they could get off the planet. Their fleet was under lock and key. No way could they leave.
“No. Not yet. I’m going to go find out what is going on with their ship. It’s not like they can go far and it’ll get cold soon. My guess is they headed up into the mountains. They’ll have to come back eventually for supplies. Just let the town know to be on the lookout.” Voit left his office and went to the ship. There had to be some clue on the damn thing. He’d left earlier because there was nothing he could do. He really should just leave his people to it but he was concerned. Usually he didn’t like to micromanage, but they had to know something by now. The ship wasn’t that big.
Tok was overseeing the crew set up on the ship. Two men were going through it looking for clues and their computer man was searching the coms.
“Anything yet?” Voit glanced around.
There really wasn’t much to see on the ship itself. The odd thing was it appeared like it was only set up for one person—he’d noticed that the first time he’d come to the engineer’s bay.
Tok was the one to answer, “Not yet. The system was locked.”
“What about damage to the hull?” Voit waved behind him towards the door.
“The engineers have gone over it. It appears as if it was shot at one point. Part of the engine caught fire and caused it to crash,” Tok explained patiently. “Won’t be too hard to fix with the right equipment. It’s a nice little ship.”
“So you don’t think they were sent here to spy?” Voit tapped on his lip and continued to poking around.
“Not from what you told me. I think most of what Angel said to you was the truth. I’m not sure why he picked here when he thought it to be uninhabitable. But it would be a good hideout spot.” Tok shrugged. “You know that is why our ancestors came here to begin with. The Alliance wasn’t looking here. It just had a big no-fly zone attached to the space.”
“They’re going to send someone here soon. You know it. It’s a viable planet now and they think of it as theirs.”
“That’s why we need to petition them, Voit. If we go to them first and show them what we’ve done, I think they’ll leave us alone.” Tok threw down whatever he’d been messing with and got into Voit’s personal space—almost touching his shirt.
There were others around and Tok should’ve known better. Voit had to be the one in c
harge and they both knew it. If they thought Voit was getting weak who knew what would happen. Voit’s family had been the backbone of Earth from the beginning when they’d been getting things up and running again. Voit had an image to protect and it wouldn’t look good if people thought he was fooling around with his second-in-command.
“What about what our parents and grandparents wanted? Does family and loyalty mean nothing to you?” Voit poked Tok in the chest. His dark purple skin flushed.
He’d gone too far and he knew it. Tok and his species had settled with them on Earth when they’d been pushed out because the rest of the Consortium had wanted to merge with the Alliance and not have to worry about it anymore. They’d said they were tired and it was time for someone else to take over. The Delphini race hadn’t thought it had been the right thing to do—that one power shouldn’t control the whole galaxy. They had been for merging and adding consortium members to a council with the Alliance. The Delphini were a peaceful people for the most part.
They were also a beautiful people—humanoid in every way except for their purple skin and the fact that they had no body hair at all. And Voit had explored every inch of Tok’s body, but that had been when he had called him Archer and they’d been kids with nothing to lose.
Tok was one of the most loyal men he knew and he hated to see him all stiff and looking pissed off. Voit was being a jackass. Another reason they shouldn’t ever be more then friends. Tok needed someone who could just be his—their ship had sailed a long time ago and they were both very different individuals now.
“Commander Reno, I am your advisor. That is what I am doing. I will follow what you wish, but I want you to think about everything. We both know the history of Earth. Do we want a repeat? The Alliance to come here and bomb us until the planet is unliveable again? Where will we go then? And if that is all—sir—I have work to do.”
He didn’t wait for Voit to dismiss him. He stormed off to the other side of the bay.
Damn it. He needed Tok, if for nothing more than to set him straight. He had a lot of thinking to do. Voit did know what Earth had been through before his people had settled there. It was the reason the Alliance was in existence to begin with. And they’d been forced off the planet because of war. Now they controlled the galaxy. Voit had no idea if they were any good at it either. Their ancestors had cut off all communications. He had been lucky to find contacts among the Alliance to begin with. Maybe it was time to talk to them now. They could have some insight to the whole thing.
Should they really team up with them? Where would that leave Earth? Would a force come and invade and take over when they knew it was habitable? The last time he’d spoken to his inside man, Patric, he and his brother, Bill, had been visiting. That had been over five years ago. They’d needed a break and had come to Earth to get away from the grind of whatever it was they did within the Alliance. Tok and his crew had met up with them on the outer ring of the solar system while they had been foraging for electronics to bring back to Earth. Patric had been very entertaining in and out of bed and he had been happy with the Alliance. Had even told Voit to give him a call sometime. Voit had checked in a couple of times, but nothing much had changed. Patric was still happy enough.
Maybe his family had it all wrong. He hated having to be in charge and figure all this shit out. Damn it. For once he wished things would be taken out of his hands and someone else would fix the problem. He stared at Tok’s back for a few more minutes before turning and leaving the ship. They would report to him when they were finished and he had a call to make.
The room was dark and Angel had to let his eyes adjust. He’d left Frank on the far side of town in a house that had looked abandoned. It was starting to get cold and he had to get back before Frank froze to death. Damn this fucking planet.
Next time, idiot, think with your big head.
God he was so stupid. He should have trusted his brother to make sure Frank stayed safe, but damn it, Angel needed to think of himself sometimes and he wanted Frank more than anyone he’d ever wanted before and he was going to have him. Not the Alliance and not Vincent. No—Frank was Angel’s and Angel wasn’t sharing.
He’d spent so many years undercover and he was taking a fucking break. Of course, his brother probably knew that by now. He’d basically gone rogue and hadn’t checked in with the Alliance in a while. He just hoped his family wasn’t too worried.
Fuck, he’d screwed up big this time. Angel tiptoed through the offices, pulling out his ninja-like skills Frank had joked about. It wasn’t far from the truth. Angel was good at blending in, which was why they used him in covert ops.
The building that housed the jail was the first place Angel stopped. If it was him and he was in charge of the town, he’d live in the spot where he worked—if he was a bachelor. He was taking a guess that the commander would be holed up there. He hoped he was right, because he wanted to get back to Frank. And soon.
His hunch paid off. He entered the office where he’d been questioned. He remembered a door, and when he opened it, the good commander was right there, sleeping on a smallish cot.
Angel moved to the head of the bed and got into position. He needed answers and he was worried that the commander would fight him over it. Not that he blamed the man.
He crouched down and got his hands ready to cover Voit Reno’s mouth. Like a good soldier, Voit sensed his presence even in sleep. His eyes shot open and Angel slapped his hands over Voit’s mouth so he wouldn’t scream out.
“I need you to be very quiet and listen to what I have to say. You and I are going to help each other out. Nod if you understand.”
Voit nodded.
“Good. Now—I’m going to remove my hands, but only if you promise not to call out. Do I have your word?”
Again, Voit nodded.
Angel eased his hands away.
“I should have expected you to show up.” Voit sat up and turned so his back was to the wall.
“Why is that?” Angel really was curious, but he needed to get down to business.
“It’s what I would have done.” Voit shrugged.
He was making it hard to dislike him.
“Okay, then. Now that we have that settled let’s get to business. I know you aren’t Alliance and I know this—” Was he really going to tell this guy who he was? Yes, he was now the idiot who told everyone his secret identity. He was going to undercover hell. That’s all there was to it. He cleared his throat. “Because I’m Commandant Angel Carter.”
Voit just gave him a blank stare. Did he not know who Angel was? Or what the hierarchy of the Alliance was?
“This is supposed to mean something to me?” Voit crossed his arms over his chest and glared.
“Well, I guess not. Let me explain. I am one of the top leaders in the Alliance. I’m in charge of the undercover operations to weed out the bad seeds. My brother, my father and my father’s boss are the only people over me at this time.”
“Shit. You’ve come to take over, haven’t you?” Voit stood up.
The blanket that had been covering him slipped to the floor, showing every inch of the good commander, and he was very nice to look at with dark hair covering his chest. Angel let his gaze travel lower and Voit started to get hard. He must have noticed because he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around himself.
Angel shook his head. He was really losing it. The ogling wasn’t necessary and while the commander was nice, he wasn’t Frank. That got him back on track.
“Take over what? I had no idea anyone was here. As far as I knew, the planet might still be toxic. I don’t have the scientific researchers on speed dial and I’ve been a bit busy with other things.” Angel moved so he could lean against the far wall and kept his eyes on Voit. He knew he looked relaxed—he was anything but and could spring to action if needed.
“Why here then? You could have gone anywhere. Now will you tell me who you’re running from?”
“I don’t know.”
And he di
dn’t. When he’d taken off with Frank it had been just to get him out of the situation. He knew his brother could handle things and they wouldn’t need Frank for a while. Angel had figured he’d have had him back before stuff started happening.
He’d planned on taking Frank to one of the pleasure planets to relax for a bit and heal while they got to know each other. So he could see how he could really help Frank and maybe scratch the itch he’d had for the past few months while he had been working with Frank. They’d got off the planet just fine, but then someone had shot at them.
Angel had managed to get away, but he still had no idea who could be after them. Then they’d crashed and he had had other things to think of.
“How is that possible?”
“I’m undercover. I have people after me. It could be anyone.”
“Will they follow you here?”
“I don’t think so. But on to bigger things—why are you here and why aren’t you a part of the Alliance?”
Chapter Five
Voit wondered how far he could trust Angel. He’d really underestimated the guy. He’d thought for sure he’d have to go searching for him, and after his talk with Patric he was willing to entertain a few ideas, and now—how convenient that an Alliance official was there. Voit ran a hand down his face. It was a coincidence, he knew it, but he hated it. It made everything feel…off, and Angel was a cocky bastard as it was.
He had to trust Tok’s instincts and get things started so his people didn’t die in something senseless he could prevent.
“When the Alliance took over the galaxy, they pushed out some of the Consortium who didn’t fully agree with them being the only power. Those were my ancestors. They left and ended up here. We’ve been on Earth ever since and we’ve rebuilt it to what you see today. I—” He was going to do it—he just had to get the words out.
Avenger Page 3
