Elite Force 1
Second Chances
"Make sure he is well taken care of" are words Lieutenant Ryan
Devries will live to regret. He is shocked to see Kurt Ackerman's
name among the hardened criminals he is assigned to bring in for
questioning, especially since he knows the man intimately.
Tracking Kurt down and bringing him in is the easy part.
Forgetting the look of betrayal on his former lover's face is hard as
hell, especially when Ryan’s message for Kurt to be taken care of
is used against him by a sadistic officer out to torture Kurt.
Kurt was running for his life. When the man that left him after one
night of bliss turns him in, Kurt never expects to survive, let alone
see Ryan again. When Ryan is ordered to return Kurt to his home
planet, the furthest thing on his mind is hooking up again. But
forgetting Ryan may be the hardest thing Kurt has ever tried to
do, especially when Ryan won't take no for an answer.
Chasing down the men on their most wanted list, Ryan soon
discovers that not only is winning back Kurt’s trust an almost
impossible mission, but so is the task of stopping the Onyx from
hurling past End of the Line and into the unknown.
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Futuristic, Science Fiction
Length: 48,159 words
SECOND CHANCES
Elite Force 1
Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
EROTIC ROMANCE
MANLOVE
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove
SECOND CHANCES
Copyright © 2012 by Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-731-5
First E-book Publication: October 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
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SECOND CHANCES
Elite Force 1
LYNN HAGEN AND STORMY GLENN
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Lieutenant Ryan Devries quickly walked down the corridor of the
council building, wondering why he was being summoned to General
Vedic Merrick’s office. Their business with the Lady Blue was
finished, the outcome favorable for the general and the crew. All
charges had been dropped and the Lady Blue crew, along with the
general and his mate, were going on with their lives. Ryan had been
released from his assignment and sent back to Tronos. His life in Elite
Force had gone on as well.
Ryan knocked lightly on the door, entering when he heard the
general’s deep voice call from the other side. He smiled slightly when
he saw the general’s mate, Shane, sitting at a smaller desk behind the
general, working diligently.
The man had a lot of catching up to do considering he was from
the past. But the small smile on Shane’s face as he gave Ryan a little
wave told him the man was exactly where he wanted to be.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” Ryan asked as he saluted the
general.
“At ease, Lieutenant,” the general said as he took a seat behind his
desk and waved a hand at a chair on the other side. Ryan took a seat
and waited.
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Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
“I have orders from Admiral Monroe to execute warrants for a
number of people involved in the cover-up and treason against the
Federation of United Planets. It seems the list is a little more
extensive than any of us had suspected.”
And Ryan had a feeling he was about to be handed that list. Call it
a gut feeling, call it knowing the game of handoff, but Ryan could see
that the vid-pad currently in the general’s hand was soon going to be
in his.
“I want you to take a unit and hunt down these fugitives. I want
them brought before the council to explain their part in this scandal.”
Ryan internally groaned. “And if they resist?”
“No one is to be hurt if you can help it, Lieutenant, but by all
means, defend yourselves if need be. Just try and bring them in alive
if possible. It’s kind of inconvenient to question someone with holes
in them.”
Ryan gave the general a smile he didn’t feel. He so did not want
this assignment. He was tired of running off all over the universe.
He’d like to keep his feet on Tronos for a while.
“Some of the names you will be well acquainted with.”
And here comes the pad.
Ryan stretched his arm out to take the small, thin tablet the
general was offering him. He took a moment to scan the vid-pad,
spotting a very familiar name close to the top of the list. Gregory
Tyvak. He was former Commander Brystan Pierce’s nephew. Former
meaning that Ambassador Vystal shot his ass to keep Pierce quiet and
made it look like he was saving his son, Commander Remington
Vystal, instead of his own ass.
Junior Officer Gregory Tyvak was the one responsible for setting
the Lady Blue crew up in the first place and bringing about their
dishonorable discharge. It was all a setup to get his uncle into power
as the commander over the entire Elite Force, a position that should
have gone to Commander Remington Vystal. It had all been tied up
very neatly that day in front of the full council with Pierce’s death.
Second Chances
9
As Ryan looked down the list, his jaw clenched. “Sandwan
Vyjord had a hand in this?” The Nebulan scum was a thorn in Ryan’s
side. Vyjord was the largest black market dealer in the Turok System,
but always found a way to get away with his crimes whenever
cornered.
The Elite Force could never find anything on his person or his
ship. The man always seemed to know just when to play it safe. He
was going to be a hard man to track down. Vyjord could fade into the
underworld of the black market when he didn’t want to be found.
“Yes.” The general nodded. “But he is not a top priority. The top
ten people on that list are, though. I expect this to be completed in a
timely manner. Although their warrants do not have an expiration
date, the Federation of United Planets would like this mess cleared up
quickly and quietly.”
Ryan wasn’t sure how quickly he could bring these people in,
considering the list was very long, and some of the names on the vid-
pad had criminal records longer than the Turok Belt.
“Do I have discretion picking my team?”
“Yes. Pick the best men you can and I’ll clear whoever you
choose.”
Yes!
Ryan could barely keep from pumping his fist into the air. He
much preferred working with men he respected rather than ones he
was stuck with. “I will have a unit assembled by the end of the week,
sir,” Ryan said as he stood. “Who do I report to, General?”
“Me.” With a grim look on his face, General Merrick folded his
hands together on the desk. “You report directly to me.”
“Understood, sir.” Ryan tucked the vid-pad under one arm and
saluted with the other. Once the general saluted back, Ryan spun on
his booted heel and headed for the door.
“And, Lieutenant,” the general said from behind him as Ryan
reached the door.
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Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
Ryan sighed. He had almost made it out of there. He didn’t need
any more duties added to his roster. It was already full enough. “Yes,
General?”
“The Elite Force has already suffered a smudge against their name
during this whole mess. Try to use tact and decorum when arresting
these men and women.”
Tact and decorum? Was the man serious? Some of these men
would try and shoot Ryan on sight rather than be arrested. Ryan gave
a tight nod anyway. “Yes, General.”
“Bye, Ryan,” Shane called out from his small assistant’s desk.
Ryan smiled. He liked Shane. “See ya, Shane.”
He closed the door behind him and blew out a long breath. So
much for getting back into my routine on Tronos. His vacation—as
short-lived as it was—was over. It was time to get back to work.
Ryan walked down to the cadets’ building, knowing exactly who
he was going to pull into his unit. He only needed five good men on
his team to scout the universe for the most wanted. Weapons
Specialist Reno Searsy was first on his list.
The man wasn’t going to thank him for it either.
Reno had just gotten back from a combat mission and he always
needed at least a month to decompress. Too bad for him. Reno was
the best at what he did and Ryan needed the man in his unit.
Ryan made his way into his quarters, nodding at the lower cadets
as he passed them, smirking when they hurried to salute him.
Sometimes it paid to be a higher-ranking officer. Cadets were in awe
of him, often enough to keep their lips sealed when Ryan walked by.
It made making his way to his room much easier, and a hell of a lot
quieter.
When he reached his room, Ryan dropped the vid-pad on his bunk
and sat down, wondering if he would be able to find the other four
men he wanted in his unit by the end of the week. Tracking them
down might be as hard as tracking down the people on his most
wanted list.
Second Chances
11
Flight Specialist Vane Hayden would be the hardest man to track
down. The freelance pilot lived up in his ship, literally. The man hated
to stay planet side. Ryan had a suspicion that might actually work in
his favor. They would need a ship. The Federation wanted them to use
discretion, so using one of the Elite Force’s Battle Battalions was out
of the question.
Vane contracted out to the Federation of United Planets, and was
paid well for the Federation using his ship when they didn’t want their
own used in certain missions.
And on this mission, Ryan knew they didn’t want to plug around
the galaxy with the flashy logo of the Federation of United Planets on
the side of their ship. That had target written all over it.
Once the galaxy found out that Ryan and his unit were hunting
down the bad guys on Merrick’s most wanted list—and Ryan knew
for a damn fact that word was going to get around—they weren’t
going to be welcomed with open arms on any planet where the
criminally inclined were hiding.
Combat Specialist Cheyenne Grant wouldn’t be too hard to track
down. The man could be found where the latest and greatest weapons
were being sold. Ryan would just have to make sure he didn’t sneak
up on the guy when he went to talk to him. He had made that mistake
once and still had the scar on his arm to prove it.
Ryan knew that Medic Specialist Rhys Green was still on Tronos,
but it was going to take a lot of bribery to get the man to leave his lab.
The guy lived for beakers and test tubes. He wasn’t much for leaving
his lab but he was the best medic in the Elite Force in Ryan’s
estimation.
And that left the communication specialist. Ryan knew exactly
who he was going to ask. Although the guy was a cadet, he was
positive the new commander in charge of the Elite Force would have
no problem letting the cadet get his feet wet. August Rycker was the
best Ryan had seen come through the academy in a very long time
and he wanted the man on his team.
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Great. Now all he had to do was track these men down. Piece of
fucking Orillian cake. Ryan began to pack the essentials he would
need for his long trip. As if thinking about the man conjured him up,
Rycker walked through the door into the bunk room.
Normally lieutenants didn’t share quarters with cadets, but Ryan
was away on missions so often that the commander, the previous one
of course, felt that giving Ryan more luxurious quarters was a waste
of time and space.
“Heading out?” Rycker asked as he walked over to the food
replicator and ordered a spicy Brilliam tea.
“You could say that,” Ryan said as he shoved a few clean
uniforms into a travel case along with his civilian clothing. “I have a
hit list of suspects to track down.”
Rycker turned, a frown on his face. “Doesn’t a hit list mean
you’re going to kill them?”
The greenhorn was sharp. “A most wanted list, better?”
Rycker shrugged. For a cadet, he seemed to have a lot of
experience under his belt. He was older than most newbies coming
into the program. Ryan wasn’t sure if Rycker used to be on the dark
side of the law and decided to change sides, or just walked through
the doors of the academy one day deciding he wanted to try it out for
the hell of it.
It didn’t matter to Ryan. The man was good.
“The general wants me to form a unit to go after the suspects on
my list.” Ryan stood, closing the travel case. “How would you like to
be a part of that unit?”
Rycker set his cup down, eyeing Ryan carefully. “As?”
Smart man.
“Communication specialist.”
“Clear it with Commander Tyhal and I’m all yours.” Rycker
grabbed the cup and walked out of the bunk room.
Ryan would never understand the man. Rycker was quiet, a
thinker. One never knew what was going on in the cadet’s head. He
Second Chances
13
hadn’t even thought about it before giving his agreement. The man
was odd.
With Rycker’s agreement, Ryan only had four more men to make
his unit complete. And they might be the hardest yet. Ryan knew for a
fact that none of them would want to be on this mission. They might
not like the things the people on the list did but hunting people down
still sucked.
Ryan left his bag sitting on his bunk and made his way to the
medical building. He seriously doubted that Rhys Green was out on a
mission. It took a lot of force to get the man out of his lab and even
more to get him off planet. It didn’t help that the medic hated to fly
through space—something about space sickness or some such shit.
Ryan wasn’t sure if Rhys really suffered from space sickness or
used the excuse to get out of leaving his lab. It didn’t matter to Ryan.
He was going to get Rhys on his unit one way or another.
He nodded to the sentry outside of Rhys’s lab and walked inside.
He wasn’t surprised in the least to find the medic bent over his
microscope. He leaned back against the wall and waited for Rhys to
acknowledge him. He had learned from personal experience that
interrupting Rhys while he was working tended to make mysterious
rashes show up on a person’s body.
“Say what you have to say then leave,” Rhys said without lifting
his head.
Ryan smirked. The man would never change. “Pack your beakers,
doc. We’re going on a mission.”
Rhys instantly spun away from his microscope to stare at Ryan.
“Oh, hell, no. I’ve got work to do here. I’ve almost isolated the
enzyme for—”
“Doc.” Ryan held up his hand to stop the man before he got going.
Rhys could be long-winded when he wanted to be, and he didn’t talk
in terms anyone with less than a genius IQ could understand. At least,
not that Ryan could understand. “It’s done, doc. Pack a bag.”
Rhys started sputtering.
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Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
Ryan merely arched an eyebrow at the medic. “And before you
think of putting anything in my bed again, we’re under orders from
General Merrick.”
Rhys’s shoulders slumped. “Orders?”
“Yep. General Merrick has instructed me to form a unit to track
down a list of people and bring them back to Tronos for questioning
and possibly to stand trial for treason, as well as other numerous
infractions.”
“But—”
“Rhys, Golan Drang is on that list.”
Rhys’s entire body stilled. Ryan wasn’t even sure the man was
breathing. But he could see the anger filling Rhys’s face, turning it a
deep crimson red. Rhys and Golan Drang had history, dark history.
Ryan didn’t know all of the particulars because Rhys wasn’t one to
share personal stuff. He just knew that Rhys hated Golan Drang with
every fiber of his being.
“Give me an hour to pack,” Rhys said simply as he swung back
around to his microscope, visibly dismissing Ryan. He hadn’t had to
use bribery, but hell if Ryan liked putting that long face on the medic.
Ryan waited another moment to see if Rhys would say anything
more, but when the man didn’t, he turned and walked out of the room.
Just as the door started to slide closed, he heard something smash
against the wall. Ryan paused for a moment, wondering if he should
go back inside and talk with Rhys or maybe choose another medic to
go on the mission. He’d never seen Rhys get so upset before.
When he didn’t hear anything more, Ryan started back down the
hallway he had come down. Rhys was the best medic in Elite Force as
far as Ryan was concerned. He had seen Rhys treat wounds under
fire, in the most unimaginable conditions possible, and bring men
back from the brink of death. And that was the man he wanted if he
was injured.
Once Ryan reached the outside of the medical building, he walked
toward the combat range, hoping he might be able to find Cheyenne
Second Chances
15
there. If the man was planet side, more than likely he was out
shooting something or blowing it up. Ryan was pretty sure Cheyenne
liked sleeping with his weapons more than he did people.
He was another man Ryan knew not to sneak up on, not if he
didn’t want to be suddenly ventilated. Cheyenne Grant was an expert
combat specialist but the man was into some scary-ass shit.
Ryan heard the gunfire long before he reached the combat range.
The low rumble of laughter he heard just made him smile. Cheyenne
did love his toys. Ryan rounded the edge of the combat range and
walked to the observation area. He could see several men standing
there, more than one with their mouths dropped open.
Ryan folded his hands behind his back and walked to the very
edge of the safety zone. He wasn’t surprised in the least to see
Cheyenne running the obstacle course, a phaser in each hand. He was
even less surprised to see the combat specialist hitting his target’s
center mass every damn time he pulled the trigger.
But he could see that several other people were shocked. The
further into the course Cheyenne went, the more mouths dropped
open. Cheyenne was like a machine. He had a single-minded purpose
when in combat, even if it was a simulation. Take out the bad guys.
And he very rarely missed, which was exactly why Ryan wanted the
man in his unit.
Ryan chuckled when he heard a couple of the cadets debating
whether Cheyenne was even human. Ryan knew he wasn’t fully
human. He had just never figured out what the other part was, and
Cheyenne wasn’t telling.
Ryan didn’t really care as long as the man could do his job.
Applause broke out over the gathered crowd when Cheyenne
finished the obstacle course and started walking back toward the
observation area. Several men stepped forward to pat Cheyenne on
the back.
Ryan just stood back and watched Cheyenne’s face as it grew
darker and darker, the man’s dark eyebrows forming a frown over his
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Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
glacial-blue eyes. He could see that Cheyenne was getting agitated
and he knew he needed to do something about it before someone got
hurt.
Ryan stepped forward and cleared his throat. Several men jumped.
A few took off. The rest turned and saluted. Ryan saluted them back.
“Dismissed,” he said loudly. His tone brooked no argument. Ryan
chuckled when the cadets ran like their very lives depended on it. This
was another one of those times that having a higher rank really came
in handy.
“Well, Lieutenant Ryan Devries of Admiral Jordan Monroe’s
personal guard.” Cheyenne snickered. “To what do I owe this honor?”
“I came down to see if you needed rescuing from your adoring
fans.”
“Little brats,” Cheyenne mumbled. “Why can’t they go fawn over
someone else?”
“You are a legend, Cheyenne Grant.”
Cheyenne snorted.
Ryan grinned. “So, how would you like to get away for a while,
have a little fun, shoot some guns?”
“Seriously?”
Ryan could swear Cheyenne’s eyes began to sparkle. “Seriously.”
“I’m in.”
“Don’t you want to know what the mission is before you agree?”
Cheyenne rolled his eyes. “Fine, tell me what the mission is and
then I’ll agree.”
Ryan grinned. Three down, two to go.
* * * *
Vane Hayden slammed his booted foot into the console, feeling
the vibrations swim up his leg. “Damn piece of shit!” He worked for
the Federation of United Planets, yet he couldn’t get a requisition to
Second Chances
17
go through for parts. Some days he wondered if he was working for
the right people.
He dropped down to his knees, crawling under the console and
groaning when he saw some wires hanging down. His kicking must
have jostled them lose. Just great. Not only did he not fix the
problem, he had added to it.
Turning onto his back, Vane shoved the wires back into the space
they had fallen from and prayed he wouldn’t need them. There were
more-pressing problems on his ship at the moment that needed his
attention.
Scooting from under the console, Vane pushed to his feet. Just
because he wasn’t high man on the totem pole didn’t mean the
Federation could give him the shaft. He was working with a ship that
was outdated and one big-ass pile of metal.
His eyes shot over to the panel that was lighting up, telling him he
had a communication coming in. Vane hated using visual when
talking. He felt like his privacy was being invaded. Dropping down
into his seat, Vane reached over and hit the button.
“What?” he growled as he mentally went over the list in his head
of what else needed to be repaired. Most people thought that working
as a freelance pilot for the Federation of United Planets equaled all
the luxurious toys and the best of the best.
If they only knew the fucking truth.
The Federation boasted of their outreach programs, or their stand
against human slavery. They even boasted about their zero-tolerance
policy on the black market exchanges, which was all fine and dandy.
But what they really needed to boast about was how fucking
cheap they were to their freelancers. He sighed. Since Vane didn’t
want to see the inside of a prison cell on the dark side of Beta Five, he
dealt with the Federation’s slim pay.
Maybe he should have joined the Lady Blue crew.
“Hello to you, too, Vane.”
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Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
“Ryan?” Vane asked as he pushed the stack of manuals aside.
Everyone called him archaic because he liked having actual paper in
his hand instead of one of those godforsaken vid-pads. He was a
master at running a ship, keeping it going, and outmaneuvering
anyone in the galaxies, but fuck if he could make a vid-pad work. It
seemed every time he touched one, it malfunctioned.
Vane wondered if it was him, or if the person filling his request
back on Tronos was playing some kind of twisted game by sending
him a malfunctioning vid-pad. He was damn lucky the things didn’t
explode on him.
“Yeah, it’s me. I have a proposition for you, Vane.”
Why did a chill just run down my spine?
Vane had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t going to like Ryan’s
proposition. “If you call me friend, don’t ask.”
Ryan chuckled, the rich voice filled with something close to
sunshine on a cloudy day. Vane rolled his eyes. Ryan was going to
ask. Ryan never chuckled that merrily unless he was going in for the
kill.
“I need a flight specialist,” Ryan stated, all humor suddenly gone
from his voice.
Geez, what was the mission that Ryan became so damn serious?
“And Misha Rashal wasn’t available?” he asked as he started
writing down supplies he would need that wouldn’t be delivered.
Vane was beginning to believe he would have to shoot someone to get
the parts he needed. Maybe it was someone’s diabolic plan to keep
him stranded in space so he wouldn’t leave Tronos.
“He’s good, but you’re better.”
“Appealing to my ego, nice.” Vane slammed the vid-pad onto the
floor, hoping that the jostle would make the thing work. If he sent his
requests via vid-pad, he would probably receive what he needed. But
then, if he had a vid-pad that worked…
“I’ll appeal to whatever side you want me to.”
Second Chances
19
Vane snorted. “Sexual innuendos won’t get you far, you hairy
bastard.”
Ryan laughed once more. “Fine, what will?”
“Parts,” Vane said. “I sent in five requisitions that have
mysteriously disappeared.”
“You know, if you used a vid-pad instead of paper, the men in
supplies might stop laughing long enough to fill your requests.”
Everyone was a fucking comedian.
“Get me some parts and I’m all yours.”
“You’ll have them by tomorrow.”
Now why couldn’t he get service like that from the men in
supplies?
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Chapter Two
Reno Searsy lay with his arms tucked behind his head and his
eyes closed. It felt good to finally lay his head down without having
to keep one eye open. The mission he had just gotten back from had
taken a lot out of him. He didn’t plan on moving from this spot unless
he had to use the bathroom or eat, and maybe not even then. Reno
was sure there was a bucket around here somewhere.
“Reno Searsy.”
Holding back the growl, Reno let one eye slide open and knew his
plans were about to be shot to hell. There was no way he was looking
at Lieutenant Ryan Devries. That was never a good sign when the
man came looking for someone.
Reno closed the one eye, ignoring the lieutenant.
“You’re needed on a mission.”
Both of Reno’s eyes popped open as his head turned slowly,
glaring at the man standing by his bed talking crazy. “Whose orders?”
“General Merrick’s.” Ryan leaned against the wall, his arms
resting over his chest as he looked at Reno like he should jump up and
start getting ready.
“I’m busy sleeping.” He turned over, giving the lieutenant his
back. Damn if he was leaving again. Reno had looked forward to
getting back to Tronos for two long months. No one short of the gods
was pulling him from his bed. The lieutenant and the general could
drop dead for all he cared at the moment.
He wasn’t budging.
“I have a list—”
Second Chances
21
“Save it,” Reno said as he shifted around until he was
comfortable. “You can tell me in four weeks what you need.”
“Sorry, I’m not too fond of visiting the prison planet,” the
lieutenant said from behind him with a steel edge to his voice. Heat
coursed through Reno as the anger began to build. He turned over, his
eyes locking with the smug bastard’s.
“You would have me sent to prison if I don’t play nicely with the
other kiddies?”
Ryan actually grinned as he unfolded his arms. “I need you, Reno.
Whether you like it or not, you’re the best damn weapons specialist I
know.”
Reno eyed Ryan for a long second. “Who else have you used that
line on?”
Ryan had the decency to blush. “Vane.”
Reno rolled his eyes skyward as he turned over until he was lying
on his back. “And what did Vane say?”
The lieutenant shifted his weight to his other foot uneasily, but
there was humor in his eyes. “You’re not going to make this easy on
me, are you?”
“What did he say?” Reno repeated himself, something he hated to
do.
“He has me getting parts for his ship in agreement to being my
flight specialist.”
“Bargains, I like that.” Reno sat up, wondering what kind of a
bargain he could strike with the lieutenant. There was nothing he
really needed but rest. Monetary gain wasn’t his style. His needs were
very basic. He was satisfied with a place to rest his head, food, and
weapons. Reno loved weapons, sometimes more than he loved food.
“I can get you the PS50 phaser that is still in the testing stage.”
Now Reno’s interest was piqued. Even he couldn’t get his hands
on the prototype. Ryan must have had some heavy pull if he could get
one before they hit the market. Hell, Reno couldn’t even find one on
the black market, and that was saying something.
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Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
“It’s a deal as long as you make sure I can’t be sanctioned for
having it in my possession.” Reno may be Elite Force, but his record
wasn’t clean. He never claimed to be a saint. He just knew what paid
better.
“Deal.”
“I want it before we leave,” Reno said as he lay back down.
“Wake me when you have it in your hand.” He knew he was asking
for the impossible, but General Merrick wanted Lieutenant Ryan
Devries to form a unit. He would give the lieutenant top pick of his
team. If Ryan wanted him that badly, he would get his hands on the
prototype. He might be a prick, but Reno knew how to bargain.
* * * *
“Do I feel stupid for not striking a bargain first,” Cheyenne said as
he walked alongside Ryan. Ryan grinned as they walked to the
prototype lab. The man was practically pouting. It was a strange look
on such a dark and dangerous face.
Ryan had orders in his hand for the new PS50 phaser, ready to
give them to the technician. Merrick had signed the vid-pad to give
Reno his phaser, although the man hadn’t been too happy about the
prototype being out in the public so soon.
If the general wanted Ryan to complete his mission, sacrifices had
to be made. And honestly, Ryan couldn’t wait to try the new phaser
out. He may not qualify as a weapons specialist, but he was a guy
who loved new toys just like every other man.
“I get to try it out on the range before Reno gets his damn hands
on it.” Cheyenne said it like it was his right. But Ryan also heard the
power of Cheyenne’s words like a pulse on his skin. The man was
nothing but contained excitement. Although Cheyenne led everyone
to believe he was this invincible badass that didn’t have a conscience,
Ryan knew better.
Cheyenne Grant was one of the good guys.
Second Chances
23
“I’m here to see Alvock Morso,” Ryan said. He leaned against the
counter as he waited for the man behind the desk to call back to the
lab. He wasn’t sure how happy Technician Specialist Morso was
going to be about giving away one of his prototypes, but Ryan knew
he wouldn’t get Reno unless he had the damn phaser.
Fucking politics.
The door swooshed open and a man of about five nine with
golden-blond hair walked out. He was broad shouldered, with the
largest green eyes Ryan had ever seen. He stood rigid in his trousers
and lab coat, looking at Ryan as if he could will the words from his
mouth.
Ryan sighed. This was not going to be easy. The man had an air
about him that made Ryan think Morso owned the joint.
“I have orders from General Merrick.” Ryan handed over the vid-
pad. Morso didn’t look like he was going to take it for a moment, his
eyes raking Ryan as if he were beneath him. Prick.
Morso glanced at the vid-pad and handed it right back to Ryan.
“Impossible.”
Ryan had an urge to stick the vid-pad up the man’s ass. He hated
pompous, self-inflated assholes. The guy worked in a fucking lab. His
personality was about as exciting as watching a mouse take a piss.
Nonexistent.
“I have orders from—”
“I heard you the first time, Lieutenant. I am not daft nor am I
deaf.”
No, but the man was five seconds away from being bruised. Ryan
wasn’t known for his calm temper or patience. “Give me the phaser or
face a court-martial for defying the general’s orders.”
“Court-martial me then.”
Cheyenne had to grab Ryan’s arm. He was that close to knocking
the hot air bag on his ass. “Either you give it to me or I take it. Your
choice.”
24
Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
Morso looked as though no one had ever dared talk to him that
way. He just stood there staring at Ryan like an Orillian wildebeest
caught in the line of fire. His face was inscrutable, his eyes locked on
to the vid-pad as if it held the answer.
“You would just take it?” he finally asked.
Ryan fought hard not to smile. “I don’t bluff, Morso. Give me the
phaser or I’m walking into your precious lab and taking it.” Ryan did
bluff, but the guy didn’t need to know that. He wasn’t authorized to
seize the prototype, but again, that was on a need-to-know basis.
Getting his team together was more important to Ryan than playing
pussyfoot with Morso.
Fuck the red tape.
Morso huffed, spun on his heel, and walked away. Ryan followed.
Cheyenne walked beside Ryan, his eyes scanning the lab. Ryan knew
the combat specialist was standing in the middle of his wet dream
come true. Not only was the prototype for the PS50 in the lab, but
there were some cool-looking weapons scattered everywhere. He had
an urge to touch everything like a small child would in a toy store.
“Hands to yourself,” Morso said as if reading Ryan’s thoughts.
The technician opened a shiny chrome case, about the length of
Ryan’s arm, and then turned the case around, showing Ryan the new
phaser. “Do you know how to use it?”
Hell no.
“My weapons specialist will figure it out.”
Morso made a throaty sound as he closed the lid and slid the case
across the table. “I’m not responsible if he injures himself while using
the PS50. It is a very powerful piece of equipment.”
“Gotcha,” Ryan said as he grabbed the case. His next order of
business was to go get Vane’s damn parts. As soon as they cleared the
lab, Cheyenne pulled the case from Ryan’s hands.
“You can’t test it on the range, Cheyenne. No one is supposed to
know we have it.”
Second Chances
25
Cheyenne nodded, but he wasn’t looking at Ryan. He was
studying the case like a lost lover. Geez, and Ryan thought he had
issues.
Ryan walked into the supply building, spotting someone that
looked too damn overworked. “I need the parts Vane Hayden
requisitioned.”
The man turned, a smile appearing on his face. “The paper
pusher?”
Ryan really needed to get Vane into the current century. “That’s
the one.”
This was so damn embarrassing.
“Let my find his paperwork.” The man laughed on the last word
as he shook his head and walked away. Maybe Ryan could test the
PS50 out on this jackass. He rubbed his left eye, wondering if he was
ever going to get his unit together and get off of Tronos in this
lifetime.
It took about an hour, but Ryan managed to get all of Vane’s
requested items. What the hell? Had the man gone on an ordering
spree? There had to be at least forty parts sitting on the counter.
“This is all his?” Ryan asked as he looked at the impressive pile of
parts. What? Was Vane trying to build his own space station? What
was all this shit for? Ryan hadn’t a clue what it took to keep a ship
going, but damn.
The clerk nodded. “Dating back one full year.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “You guys really are assholes.”
The man laughed again as he walked away, muttering something
about dead trees and twentieth-century cavemen. Ryan sighed as he
began to load the air transport cart.
Once everything was loaded, Ryan, along with Cheyenne, took a
shuttle to Vane’s ship, the Onyx. It was technically called the Onyx
Five Thousand. It wasn’t a bad ship, but it was sorely outdated. He
wasn’t sure why Vane didn’t invest in a more elite model. The man
could afford it with all the work he had done for the Federation.
26
Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
“Hail Vane and let him know we’re approaching his ship,” Ryan
said to Cheyenne as he glanced over the vid-pad General Merrick had
given him. He wasn’t getting a good feeling at half the names he was
seeing on the most wanted list.
Ryan frowned when he saw Kurt Ackerman’s name. There had to
be a mistake. There was no way Kurt was involved in any of this. His
name was the last on the list, but it was still on the list.
The man wasn’t an upstanding citizen by any stretch of the
imagination, but Kurt wasn’t into treason and espionage. That wasn’t
his cup of Brilliam tea. The Lakonian was known more for petty
crimes. Ryan seriously doubted Kurt had graduated on the criminal
scale. Kurt was never that ambitious. The merman was too damn lazy
to reach for higher goals.
“Vane has cleared us, Lieutenant,” Cheyenne said as he spun
around in his chair, eyeing the pad in Ryan’s hand. “How many are on
the list?”
Ryan tossed the vid-pad on the cushioned chair next to him and
ran a hand down his face, wondering if he had just been handed an
impossible mission. “Too many, Cheyenne, with very little time to
bring them in. Junior Officer Gregory Tyvak is at the top of the list.
The most wanted.”
“Is there a bounty on any of the heads on that list? Because, if
there is, it will only make our jobs harder.”
“No.” Ryan shook his head. “The Federation doesn’t want the
names on this vid-pad to go out on the bounty feeds. They want this
kept as quiet as possible. To make things even more interesting for us,
General Merrick wants them brought in”—Ryan rolled his eyes at the
very idea he was going to speak the next word—“unharmed.”
“The general doesn’t ask for much, does he?” Cheyenne spun
back around, guiding the shuttle into the shuttle bay on the Onyx.
As soon as Cheyenne shut down all power, Ryan pushed the
shuttle door open and headed for the airlock. The ship decompressed,
Second Chances
27
and the doors whooshed open. Vane was standing there with his arms
crossed over his chest, glowering at Ryan.
“Tell me you have all of my parts.”
“Every last one.” Ryan grinned, knowing Vane was about to pitch
a bitch. Who wouldn’t? Some of those parts had been ordered a year
ago. But he still wasn’t looking forward to Vane’s lengthy moaning.
“Just like that?” Vane asked. The question was almost snorted out.
“You go down there and tell them you need my parts and they just
hand them over that easily?”
Ryan nodded, tucking his lips in to keep from outright laughing at
the indignation on Vane’s face.
“Fucking pricks,” Vane growled. “I should lodge a formal
complaint with the council against their asses.”
“Just don’t hand it in on paper,” Cheyenne mumbled as he began
to unload the parts Vane needed, setting them aside with a half-
cocked smile on his face.
“Hardy har-har,” Vane snapped at Cheyenne. “You know that
techno crap doesn’t like me. I touch a vid-pad and it immediately goes
haywire. Why can’t the men in supply simply deal with that fact and
give me my shit when I need it?”
“It’s here now,” Ryan reminded the pilot, getting a massive-ass
headache already and they hadn’t even left the Turok System yet.
This was going to be one fun-filled trip with the kiddies.
Maybe he should take up drinking.
“The rest of the team should be here by the end of the week. How
many quarters do you have ready?” Ryan asked. He needed to get
back to his bunk on Tronos and grab his gear. He also needed to let
General Merrick know that he had his team assembled.
Well, he would in a few days.
“Two of the rooms need cleaning out. It’s been a while since I had
more than three people at a time on board.”
28
Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
“Then I need you to make them livable. We are going to be here
for a while, and I’m not bunking with any of their hairy asses. We
have to be gone from Tronos by week’s end.”
“Sure, just as soon as I repair everything else that needs to be
done around here. Get in line,” Vane complained as he began to grab
the parts Cheyenne was off-loading. “If I wasn’t such an upstanding
citizen, I’d go the black market route. It’s quick credits and no one to
answer to.”
Ryan chuckled. Upstanding citizen…right. “You’re too pretty to
go to prison, Vane. They would eat you alive the moment you stepped
on the dark side of Beta Five.”
Ryan only chuckled harder when Vane flipped him off and headed
down the corridor, parts tucked under each arm and a few tossed over
his shoulders.
“Are we heading back down to Tronos?” Cheyenne asked. “I need
to get packed and it’s going to take a while. I’m not leaving any of my
toys behind.”
Ryan didn’t think the guy would. “Yeah, let’s get back so I can tie
up some loose ends before we leave this place.”
* * * *
Ryan glanced around, making sure no one was near as he pulled a
com-link from his pocket, punched in a code, and then tossed the
small piece over his ear. He walked slowly away from the council
building as he waited for someone on the other end to answer.
“This is Commander Vystal.”
Ryan grinned at the familiar voice. “Long time no hear, Remy.”
“Not long enough in my opinion.” His voice was heavy with
sarcasm. “I should have known the Federation wouldn’t leave us
alone.”
Ryan could just imagine the annoyance on the commander of the
Lady Blue crew’s face right now. “Can you take me off of speaker
Second Chances
29
and take this call privately?” Ryan heard movement, and then Remy’s
voice was clear, more personal, telling Ryan that Remy had donned a
com-link.
“Now tell me why Lieutenant Ryan Devries of Admiral Jordan
Monroe’s personal guard is contacting me.”
“I need a favor,” Ryan replied as he glanced over his shoulder,
continuing to walk as far away from the council building as possible.
“It’s being hushed, but I would appreciate any help I can get from
you.”
Ryan was on a time crunch, and he knew for a fact that Remy
wouldn’t say a word. He just wondered if his silence would come
with a price.
“Is it legal?” Remy asked.
“Very.”
Remy gave a long and drawn-out sigh. “Then go ahead and ask.”
Ryan walked toward the combat range, knowing the noise from
the obstacle course would drown out anyone listening. “I was handed
a most wanted list with warrants to be executed for a number of
people involved in the cover-up and treason against the Federation of
United Planets. There are a few names on the list I think you would be
mighty interested in.”
Remy remained quiet for so long that Ryan started to think that
the commander had cut their link. The names Ryan was willing to
send the commander were men who had crossed the crew. But Ryan
knew Remy wouldn’t kill the bastards. Ryan just prayed they didn’t
come up missing.
“Send me the names.” There was an edge to his voice. “I’m
guessing you want me to contact you if I find these people.”
“I do.”
“And what is in it for me and my crew?”
Ryan should have known, although he didn’t blame the guy.
Favors didn’t feed Remy’s crew.
“If tried and convicted—”
30
Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
“No deal.”
Ryan wanted to growl in frustration. This was going to come out
of his own pocket, but it would be worth it if he could clean up the list
in the allotted time. “Fine, I’m sending you ten names. I’ll give you
one hundred credits per name if your tips lead me to them. I can’t do
any better than that.”
Remy went quiet again.
Ryan watched the cadets on the obstacle course, seeing a few that
had very high potential. He wouldn’t be surprised if he saw those
cadets on a ship of their own one day in the near future.
“Deal,” Remy finally answered. “I’ll send the coordinates where
you can upload the files.”
The line went dead.
Second Chances
31
Chapter Three
How in the hell do I get myself into these messes? Kurt Ackerman
wondered as he peeked over the edge of the stack of crates he was
hiding behind. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he kept
ending up right back in trouble.
It wasn’t like he went looking for trouble. In fact, he tried to avoid
it as best as he could. Hell, he even tried staying locked in his room. It
had worked, too, right up until someone threw a brick through his
window.
He took a job digging ditches once. That was untroubled like,
right? Kurt snorted to himself. It had worked great right up until he
found a buried cache of Lakonian glow rocks. The ensuing battle for
rights over the spot had stopped construction for months. There were
still construction workers looking for Kurt to beat the crap out of him.
There were many people who were pissed as hell that they were out of
work until the dispute was settled.
And he hadn’t gotten a damn credit from the find either.
But, that seemed to be the way his luck ran. No matter how hard
he tried to keep his nose clean, it always backfired on him. Of course,
going the other way hadn’t worked for Kurt either. He was a
miserable failure as a criminal. He couldn’t shoplift a fish.
And living on a water planet, that said a lot.
Currently, his luck was running about normal. Fucking dismal. At
this point, he couldn’t even win an award as a petty criminal. He’d
gotten a courier job. It didn’t pay much, just a lousy fifty credits, but
it would feed him for the next few days.
Maybe.
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Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
He had been instructed to carry a package to a bar called Toad
Load on the edge of the city limits. It was in a less-than-stellar part of
Serengate City. That should have been his first clue. But he hadn’t
listened to his instincts that said the slimy, dark-eyed man that he took
the job from was feeding him a line of shit. He had wanted the credits
too badly. A guy could only go hungry for so long before he began to
take less-than-desirable jobs.
And look where he was…crouched behind some crates because
the man he was supposed to deliver the package to was dead, killed
right before his eyes. And now, Kurt was on the run from the very
men that had killed his contact.
Either they wanted to kill him because he had witnessed what they
had done or they wanted to kill him for the package that he carried.
Either way, the guys chasing him still wanted to kill him. Which
meant Kurt was now running for his life.
Like usual.
Gods, how do I get into these messes? he wondered again. It
seemed like no matter what he did, he always ended up in trouble. His
mother always told him he wouldn’t amount to anything. She was
wrong. He was an expert at being a dismal failure.
Kurt sighed and slumped back down against the stack of crates.
Feeling sorry for himself wasn’t going to get him anywhere but
nothing else had either. He was fucked if he did something and fucked
if he didn’t.
But he couldn’t just lie down and give up, even if just to prove his
mother wrong.
Kurt stayed hidden behind the crates until darkness fell. He
needed to get out of the marketplace, maybe even the city. Hell, at
this point, getting off the damn planet was looking pretty good to him.
He had five credits in his pocket and a package he was supposed
to deliver to a dead man. He hadn’t even gotten the fifty credits for
this job. The dead man was supposed to pay him. Five credits weren’t
even going to feed him for a day.
Second Chances
33
If he took the package back to the dealer, Kurt doubted he would
get a reward. The cold, dangerous-looking man would probably just
kill him anyway.
But, if he sold the package…Kurt pulled the brown-wrapped
package out of his knapsack. It was a small bundle, the whole thing
fitting into the palm of his hand, and it wasn’t any thicker than his
thumb.
Kurt turned it over and over in his hand, wondering what it was. If
he opened it, whoever he gave it to next would know that he had done
it. If he didn’t open it, he would never know who to take it to if he
wanted to sell it.
Damn.
Kurt carefully unwrapped the package, trying not to rip any of the
brown paper it was wrapped in. Maybe he could seal it back up if he
needed to. He just needed to…Kurt rolled his eyes when the paper
ripped.
Fucking figures.
Oh well, now there was no reason to be so careful. Kurt finished
ripping the wrapping away and stared down at the object in his hand.
It was thin, oblong, metallic looking, and he had no idea what it was.
Oh great! Now, who was he supposed to take it to? If he didn’t
have a clue what it was, how was he supposed to find a buyer for it?
Kurt dropped the object back into his bag and balled up the wrapping
paper before tossing it away.
Okay, so he had five credits to his name, his knapsack, and some
mysterious oblong silver object. That was not going to save his ass.
He needed a plan. A big one. One guaranteed to get him out of this
mess with his head still attached to his shoulders.
Kurt banged his head back against the crate. He had nothing. He
couldn’t go home because the Big Boss man knew who he was and
was more than likely looking for him. If the Big Boss—Kurt didn’t
know the guy’s real name. Everyone just called him Big Boss—
34
Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
wasn’t looking for him then the goons that had killed his contact were
for sure.
Besides, the room he rented was in the same apartment building
his mother lived in. If she knew someone was looking for him, she’d
turn him in for a single credit. She might even give the goons credits
for taking him off her hands. The woman would never win a mother-
of-the-year award. That was for sure. So, going home wasn’t much of
an option.
No, Kurt knew his one hope lay in selling the weird little object in
his knapsack, assuming he could figure out what the damn thing was.
But first, he needed to get out of his current predicament alive.
Kurt scooted up onto his knees and peeked over the edge of the
crate again. This part of the city had gone pretty dark. The smart
people, the market vendors and the buyers, had all gone home for the
night. The people that remained on the streets would sooner slit
Kurt’s throat than help him out. They might even just do it for fun.
Gods, Kurt hated this part of Serengate City. He tried as hard as
he could to never come to this area. Only the lure of fifty credits had
made him waver in his conviction to avoid the place. He needed the
money to eat.
Kurt watched the surrounding area for several minutes. When he
saw no movement, he pulled his hood up over his head and then
squeezed out from behind his hiding spot, making his way down the
quiet street.
His steps were quick and sure as he slunk along the shadows from
building to building. If there was one thing Kurt was good at besides
getting himself into trouble, it was running for his life. Hell, he had
more experience at it than he did breathing.
Kurt made it several blocks back toward the Upper East Side of
the city before he realized that someone was following him. It was the
soft fall of footsteps that caught his attention first. He tried not to jerk
or give any outward sign that he knew he was being followed but it
wasn’t easy. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end.
Second Chances
35
His heart started beating faster, threatening to jump up into his
throat and cut off his already-taxed air supply. Terror was starting to
beat out a steady rhythm in his chest. His palms began to sweat.
Kurt saw the lights up ahead and knew he was closing in on his
own part of town. He knew the area and that was to his advantage. He
hoped. If the person following him knew the area as well as he did,
Kurt was screwed.
He increased his steps, trying to look like he was heading to the
next street and trying to get across it before the light changed. Just as
he reached the corner, Kurt cut to the left and started running for his
very life.
He could hear his pursuer racing after him. Kurt turned and ran
down an alley. He knew it connected to another alley and then a
marketplace. While the marketplace would be deserted at this time of
night, the bars on the far end wouldn’t be. They would be teeming
with life…and crowds of drunken men and women. If Kurt could get
lost in the crowds, he might have a chance.
Just as Kurt reached the end of the first alleyway and started to
turn down the next one, he felt someone grab the back of his jacket.
Kurt struggled to get away, even considering the idea of slipping out
of his jacket altogether. But before he could, he was spun around and
slammed into a wall.
A very hard brick wall.
Kurt grunted, and then winced when his cheek scraped the edge of
the crumbling brick. His arms were held behind his back and his legs
kicked apart. Hard, thick hands began patting him down, and they
were getting quite personal.
“Hey!” Kurt snapped when he felt them brush over his ass. “At
least buy me dinner before copping a feel.”
“Now, why would I want to do that, Kurt?”
Kurt gulped when he felt the full force of his captor press against
him from head to toe. Hot breath blew over his ear but he could tell
whoever pinned him to the wall was much bigger than he was.
36
Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
The guy also knew his name.
Shit!
“Fine, cop a feel and then let me go. We’ll call it even.”
Oh, he really did not like the husky chuckle he heard. Besides the
fact that it rumbled through the man’s chest so hard that Kurt could
feel it in his skin, the sound was pure satisfaction, as if the guy had
Kurt right where he wanted him.
And truthfully, he did. Kurt’s wrists were held behind his back
and the man stood between his spread legs. Kurt could even feel the
man’s hard cock press up against his ass. The guy must have liked
this position a lot.
Kurt liked it, too, but he preferred knowing who held him captive.
He also preferred being asked instead of forced. Being forced meant
that he couldn’t give in to his desire to push his ass back against the
steel pipe he could feel trying to batter its way through the man’s
pants.
Too bad.
“I have a warrant for your arrest,” the man whispered into his ear
as if those words were supposed to be seductive. Kurt shivered as the
guy’s voice slid over his body like satin over skin.
“Ryan,” he stated breathlessly.
Kurt couldn’t believe his mate was on Lakone, Kurt’s home
planet. He never thought to see Ryan again. They had slept together
one night when Ryan worked at a bar on Beta Five called A Drop in
the Bucket, and then the man had disappeared after that.
Kurt hadn’t told the guy they were mates, but then again, he
hadn’t thought Ryan would up and leave him in the middle of the
night either. He couldn’t understand why Ryan had left after a night
of the best sex Kurt had ever had.
But Ryan had left.
Now he was back.
Second Chances
37
“Do you want to tell me why you’re running around Serengate
City this time of night?” Ryan asked as he pulled Kurt away from the
wall, but didn’t back away.
Their bodies stayed molded together like a well-fit glove over a
hand. Kurt knew he should be asking Ryan about the warrant. He
knew he should answer Ryan’s question, but all he could think about
was his mate’s well-honed body pressing into his back. The hard lines
of his physique made Kurt forget that he was trying to hide from a
very insidious man. All he wanted was for Ryan to hold him once
more. To tell him that he would never leave Kurt alone again.
“Kurt.” Ryan said his name and Kurt’s knees nearly buckled. To
hear Ryan say his name so softly once more was like hearing the soft
melodies of his merpeople singing underwater. It was breathtaking
and hypnotic.
“Yes?” he asked past the growing lump in his throat.
“Why are you out here?” Ryan asked once more, one hand still
holding Kurt’s hands behind his back, the other sitting gently on
Kurt’s hip. Oh, gods, why was the man torturing him?
“I have things I need to take care of,” he replied with a steadier
voice. “I have to go.”
“You do remember me telling you that I have a warrant for your
arrest,” Ryan stated. It wasn’t a question, but more of a command.
There was another man standing off to the side of the building
Kurt was currently hiding behind. He had never seen the man before,
but assumed the guy was with Ryan. The stranger’s menacing glower
was not comforting.
“For what?” Kurt finally asked.
Ryan pulled Kurt roughly back toward his body. And here Kurt
thought they couldn’t get any closer. “For your involvement in the
cover-up and treason against the Lady Blue and the Federation of
United Planets.” Ryan growled the words into Kurt’s ear.
38
Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
Kurt caught the odd note in Ryan’s voice, as if he were hurt
beyond words that Kurt would be involved in something so
treacherous. “But I didn’t—”
“Don’t lie to me, Kurt,” Ryan snapped as his hold on Kurt’s hands
tightened to the point of slight pain. “I hate a liar worse than I hate a
thief.”
Kurt was so screwed. He wasn’t lying about his part in the cover-
up and treason. He couldn’t think of how he was involved. But he was
sure that Ryan didn’t want to hear those words, or he wouldn’t believe
them.
“I thought you were a petty criminal, but I see you’ve graduated.”
Ryan yanked Kurt into the open streets. Kurt could feel the panic
rising up inside of him. If he was spotted by the Big Boss or any of
his goons, Kurt, along with Ryan and his buddy, were fucked. The
Big Boss wasn’t someone to mess with, and Kurt currently held what
the Big Boss probably wanted—whatever the damn silver thing was.
He briefly considered asking Ryan if he knew what Kurt held in
his knapsack, but tossed that insane idea out. The man would
probably confiscate it and then Kurt would really be in trouble.
Deeper trouble than he currently found himself in.
What are you complaining about? You’re back with your mate.
That thought wasn’t helping. Not when Kurt could see the rigid
clench of Ryan’s jaw. The man wouldn’t look at him, as if laying eyes
on Kurt was too repulsive an act. Kurt wanted to ask Ryan why he
had left, why he had up and disappeared, but he had a feeling in the
pit of his stomach that the man wouldn’t give him an answer.
At this point, he wasn’t sure the man would acknowledge that
they had even slept together, and that would hurt Kurt worse than
anything the Big Boss could do to him. He was a petty criminal, but
not by choice. He just kept finding himself in the strangest and most
desperate situations. It was as if the gods themselves were tossing
kinks into Kurt’s plan of staying legit. No matter how hard he tried to
walk the straight and narrow, his road always ended up crooked.
Second Chances
39
“I’m taking you to the Onyx. If you try and run, so help me,
Kurt…” Ryan trailed off, leaving the threat hanging between them.
Kurt got the message loud and clear. Ryan had no qualms about doing
whatever necessary to take Kurt in.
It just shocked him that Ryan was a bounty hunter. He had
thought the man a bartender. Maybe he moonlighted on the side.
Whatever the reason, Kurt was crushed that Ryan would come after
him in this manner.
“I won’t run,” he promised, feeling defeated.
“Good, now let’s get moving,” Ryan said as he pulled Kurt along.
A thousand questions ran through Kurt’s mind, a need so deep
that it hurt to ask Ryan the million whys running around his head, but
he kept every single thought tucked neatly behind his lips.
The man was not in the mood for questions.
Kurt normally didn’t just give up so easily, but it was Ryan who
held his wrists, taking him to a ship that would transport him to
Tronos. Ryan, his mate, his onetime lover, the man who held his heart
captive. Kurt would follow the man to the ends of the universe.
He just preferred the trip didn’t end at Tronos.
Kurt wondered why the man hadn’t cuffed him instead of just
holding his wrists tightly. He wasn’t going to ask, though. Kurt liked
Ryan holding him, even if it was to arrest him.
They walked to the small launching pad. No ship could dock on
Lakone’s watery planet. They had to shuttle down to the surface and
land on one of the many rings of islands. It was such a beautiful
planet, but parts were so hostile that being caught out at night was
asking to have a person’s throat cut.
And Serengate City was one of those places. It rested on Kurt’s
home island, Cape Coral. An island that was just as gorgeous as the
rest, but just as deadly in the Lower West Side of the coral ring.
“I don’t get you, Kurt. Why would you help anyone go against the
Federation? I thought you stole out of desperation, but it seems I was
40
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wrong about you,” Ryan said with a clipped tone. The man was
clearly disappointed in Kurt. And that hurt.
“I wasn’t involved in anything, Ryan. I didn’t do anything to
conspire against the Federation. Just tell me why you think I had a
part in it,” Kurt replied as they grew closer to the shuttle.
Kurt didn’t want to get on that small ship. Once they were aboard,
they would fly out to the larger ship where Kurt would be locked
away until they reached Tronos. He didn’t want to be locked away
from his mate. He wanted answers.
“You can have all the answers you’d like once you are brought in
front of General Merrick.”
Oh, hell.
Kurt wanted to run and find the Big Boss. The boss was a kitten
compared to General Merrick. Kurt had heard horror stories about the
guy. He didn’t want to find out if they were true or not. It was said
that the general once hung a man in the courtyard of the academy as a
lesson not to cross the Federation.
“But I didn’t do anything!” Kurt argued, already feeling the noose
around his neck.
“Calm down, Kurt. It’s just questioning,” Ryan said in a tone so
cold that Kurt was getting frostbite.
“Oh, no. I’ve heard of General Merrick’s methods.” Kurt began to
struggle, trying his best to get free. He didn’t want to face the general.
He would rather be shot out into space than feel the wrath of the
general. He wasn’t sure how true all the stories were, but Kurt was not
about to find out.
“Stop struggling,” Ryan snapped. “You said you weren’t going to
run.”
Ryan grabbed Kurt’s wrists with both of his strong, familiar
hands. Kurt had dreamt of feeling those hands on his body once more,
but not like this.
Never like this.
Second Chances
41
Kurt had wanted to get out of the city, off the planet, but this
wasn’t quite what he had in mind.
“Why are you being so difficult?” Ryan asked.
“Maybe because you’re arresting me!” Kurt said in a panic. What
part of that was Ryan not grasping? He would have gone quietly with
his mate, but the mention of General Merrick had made all of his
baser instincts kick in. “I don’t want to be hung, Ryan.”
“What?” Ryan looked confused. “What are you talking about? No
one is going to hang you, Kurt. I said questioning, not trial.”
“I’ve heard the rumors,” Kurt said desperately, trying to get Ryan
to see that this was a big mistake. “I know what the general does to
those that piss him off.”
Ryan’s puzzled looked turned jovial. The man began to chuckle!
Hurt welled up inside of Kurt at his mate’s amusement.
“I’m glad you think it’s funny that I’m going to be hung,” Kurt
snapped at his mate. “Do I mean that little to you?”
Ryan’s laughter died instantly. His nostrils flared as his eyes
narrowed. The man looked downright pissed. “Don’t you dare use
that night against me.”
Kurt wasn’t sure what offended Ryan more. Mentioning their one
night of passion together just to get out of this, or that they had slept
together. He wasn’t using it as leverage. Kurt wanted Ryan to
acknowledge that they had shared something special together. Kurt
wanted Ryan to admit that they were mates. But for some strange-ass
reason, Ryan didn’t seem aware of the fact, or wouldn’t acknowledge
it.
Was Kurt that repulsive, that unworthy of the man?
“Get on the shuttle, Kurt.” Ryan yanked Kurt through the shuttle
doors, dropping him down into one of the seats in the back. The other
man dropped into a seat up front and began powering up the shuttle.
“You can’t take me to Tronos!” Kurt pled.
Ryan leaned forward, his lips so close to Kurt’s that all Kurt had
to do was lean an inch forward and they would be kissing. He
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desperately wanted to kiss the large, confident, and sexy man, but
knew Ryan wouldn’t welcome it. The man was livid, his deep blue
eyes scathing as he looked Kurt over with a disapproving glare.
“You’ll sit your skinny little ass in that seat and not move,” Ryan
commanded in a low and threatening tone. “I don’t want any trouble
out of you.”
“But—”
“Enough!”
Kurt cringed back in his seat, his hands pulling at the fabric of his
sweater as he tried to think of a way out of this. He came up empty. If
he told Ryan about his knapsack, the man could take it. If he told
Ryan that they were mates, the man could deny it.
Kurt wasn’t willing to have his only leverage taken from him, and
he couldn’t bear the thought of Ryan rejecting him, so he sat there
quietly, feeling the knots in his stomach tighten until he thought he
was going to puke.
“Get us out of here, Cheyenne,” Ryan said to the pilot. “He may
not be top priority, but it’s one less man on our list.”
Hearing that Kurt was not Ryan’s top priority hurt so badly that
Kurt just curled back into his seat, wishing the Big Boss had caught
him instead.
Second Chances
43
Chapter Four
Kurt was miserable. He was locked in a small room, with nothing
but a blanket to cover him. Oh sure, someone had brought him food
and something to drink. Kurt just hadn’t been able to eat it. His
stomach was in knots and had been for so long that Kurt was afraid
he’d never have an appetite again.
Being locked in a small room wasn’t Kurt’s problem. It was Ryan
ordering someone else to lock him up in the damn room. Some
stranger had tossed him in and then slammed the door shut. Ryan
hadn’t even seemed to care enough to lock Kurt up himself.
Kurt was still terrified to be taken to Tronos and face General
Merrick but he was coming to care less and less about the real danger
that lay ahead. Nothing else seemed to matter in the face of his mate’s
obvious rejection. Ryan wouldn’t acknowledge that there was
anything between the two of them, least of all their bond. In fact, he
seemed almost disgusted by Kurt’s very presence. The man had acted
as if he couldn’t get away from Kurt fast enough.
Kurt was sick to his stomach. He’d throw up, but it had been days
since he had even eaten anything substantial. That was another reason
he had taken the job as a courier, and he hadn’t even had the chance
to use the five credits in his pocket for food. Kurt was too busy
running for his life to stop and have a bite to eat.
He pushed the food tray that had been brought to him a few hours
ago away and turned his head toward the side of the bulkhead. He
didn’t understand how what he had done was so bad that it warranted
going before General Merrick. He was a courier, plain and simple. He
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carried packages from one place to another for a fee. Most of the time,
he didn’t even know what he carried. It was safer that way.
How was that wrong?
How was—
Kurt jerked and scooted closer to the wall when he heard the door
swoosh open. He didn’t lift his head to see who it was until the sweet
scent of his mate filled his senses, and then he only marginally turned
his head, peeking up at the man through the fall of his bangs.
Ryan stepped inside the room and allowed the door to shut behind
him before leaning back against the wall. He crossed his arms over his
chest and just stood there and stared at Kurt, almost as if he were
trying to work something out in his head.
Kurt just didn’t know what.
If Ryan would just explain what he wanted to know, Kurt would
tell him. He’d tell his mate anything if it would get that slight smirk of
disgust off Ryan’s face. It killed something inside of Kurt to see his
mate look at him like that. Eyes of the deepest blue met his, the frost
in them threatening to give Kurt hypothermia.
“You’re in a lot of trouble, Kurt.”
Right, like he didn’t know that. The whole locked on a ship
heading toward Tronos thing was a clear and clever clue that Kurt
wasn’t on vacation.
“It will go better for you if you just tell the general everything he
wants to know,” Ryan said in a voice so polite that it drew blood.
“But I don’t know anything,” Kurt said. If he did, he’d spill his
guts. He would do whatever it took to get Ryan to stop treating him
like the enemy. Kurt wanted to see those passion-filled eyes once
more. He wanted to feel the caress of Ryan’s hand skim down his
body as the man took him over and over again. But from the way
Ryan was looking at him with eyes so sharp they may as well have
been serrated blades, Kurt knew his chances were nil of that
happening again.
Second Chances
45
“Obviously you do or you wouldn’t be on my list of people to
hunt down.”
Kurt frowned. “You’re not a bartender, are you?”
“No.”
“What are you?”
Ryan’s strong jaw clenched. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter,
are the laws you’ve been breaking.”
“But, I haven’t—” Kurt fell silent when he saw the dark look that
came over Ryan’s face. His mate was never going to believe him. He
didn’t know why he even bothered to try. Ryan had made up his mind
about Kurt and nothing would sway him. Kurt could see it in the cold,
calculating look in Ryan’s eyes.
He turned his face away from Ryan, no longer willing to look at
his mate when he knew to continue to do so would just cause him
further pain. Ryan, or whoever he was, didn’t want him. That had to
be the end of it.
Kurt glanced back to see Ryan’s rigid stance relax a bit, but he
didn’t come any closer to Kurt.
“Kurt, I’m just trying to help you here.”
Kurt snorted. He seriously doubted Ryan was trying to help him.
More than likely, Ryan was trying to help himself, or whoever he
worked for. Kurt hadn’t missed Ryan saying there was a warrant out
for him, which meant Ryan was a bounty hunter and turning Kurt in
to the authorities for credits.
His mate was selling him for some lousy-ass credits.
Kurt didn’t know what hurt more, the fact that Ryan wouldn’t
acknowledge their bond or the fact that Ryan cared so little about him
that the man would turn Kurt in for credits. Both thoughts pulled Kurt
down into a well of despair that he had no desire to climb out of.
There was just no point.
He’d be dead soon anyway.
“I don’t understand you, Kurt,” Ryan said as his tense, hard body
walked with grace and ease further into the room. “There are a lot of
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things you could do besides breaking the law. It’s just going to get
you in trouble every damn time.”
Kurt turned away, trying his best to ignore the deep timbre in his
mate’s voice. The deep whiskey pitch was familiar to Kurt, a tone
Ryan had used when swaying Kurt to sleep with him. The memory of
that tone only furthered Kurt’s growing depression. Ryan wasn’t
using it to entice Kurt, but to get him to confess to crimes he knew
nothing about.
“Damn it, Kurt, the least you could do is look at me when I’m
talking to you.” The command slammed into Kurt’s gut like a
sledgehammer, making Kurt want to obey his mate.
Kurt rolled his eyes instead. “Say something interesting and
maybe I will.”
“You can’t keep breaking the law, Kurt. Don’t you understand?”
Did Ryan think he didn’t understand the difference? Kurt turned
to glare at the man, wondering how fate could be so cruel as to give
him a mate that was so horrible. What had he ever done in life to
deserve this? It only showed he was very good at failing. Even in his
relationship with Ryan he was a dismal failure.
Was his luck ever going to change?
“I understand a lot of things, Ryan, like the fact that you’ve been
lying to me since the day we met, like the fact that you left me
without a word.” Kurt inhaled unevenly as hurt squeezed his chest to
the point of pain. “Like the fact that you’re selling me for a credit or
two.”
“I am not selling you!” Ryan snapped.
“Then let me go.”
“I can’t, Kurt. There’s a warrant for your arrest. I have to take you
in.”
Kurt clenched his fists as he lay there facing the wall, feeling
anger and pain mounting in equal measures. “I didn’t do anything.”
How many times did he have to say that?
Second Chances
47
“That’s not for me to determine, Kurt. That’s for the general to
decide.”
Kurt turned back around once more. “But do you believe me?”
That was one thread of hope that Kurt could hang on to during all of
this. If Ryan believed him, he could suffer through anything. But as
Ryan’s face tightened and the man looked away, Kurt knew even that
was being taken from him.
Ryan believed he was guilty.
“Whatever,” Kurt muttered as he turned to face the wall again.
“Kurt.”
Kurt refused to look at Ryan. After a moment, he heard the man
sigh and the cot he sat on dipped. Kurt shivered when he smelled the
potent masculine scent of his mate and felt the heat from Ryan’s
body, which told him that Ryan sat close to him.
He couldn’t look, though. He was terrified to, even more terrified
than he was of meeting General Merrick. The general had the ability
to put him in prison for years to come, or hang him. Ryan had the
ability to destroy him.
“Kurt, seriously,” Ryan said softly. “I’m just trying to help you.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Kurt flinched when he felt Ryan’s hand land on his shoulder.
“Kurt, wha—”
“Don’t, please,” Kurt whispered as he moved away far enough
that Ryan’s hand fell away. He couldn’t stand Ryan’s touch, not right
now. He was so close to breaking and begging, pleading with his mate
to accept him. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”
Ryan sighed and moved away but he didn’t get up from the cot.
He sat on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and
letting his hands dangle between them. “When the general questions
you, you need to tell him everything you know. Maybe he’ll go easy
on you.”
And maybe he won’t.
“Okay.”
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“And find another line of work, Kurt. Being a criminal, even a
petty criminal, is no way to live your life.”
It was if he wanted to continue to eat. But who needed to eat?
Kurt glanced down at his already-thin body. Maybe there were a few
more inches he could lose. He couldn’t see the outline of his ribs yet.
“Okay.” Maybe he could dig ditches on another planet, one where
they didn’t have Lakonian glow rocks.
“I know a few people back on Beta Five,” Ryan said. “Maybe I
can put in a good word for you. You could bus tables at that bar I
worked at or something.”
Bus tables? In a bar? Kurt could just see it in his head. Someone
would trip him or something and he would end up spending his entire
paycheck on replacing the dishes he broke. Yeah, that would work.
Kurt couldn’t help but wonder how many dishes he had to break
before he got arrested. There had to be a number, a limit to the
amount of dishes destroyed before the authorities, or another bounty
hunter, came looking for him. His luck just ran that way. Maybe it
would even be Ryan who came after him.
That, at least, would be one way to see his mate. He could fly
through the universe breaking law after law so that he could see his
mate. Wouldn’t that just be peachy? He’d be able to see Ryan, and
look at his handsome mate, but only with the knowledge that his mate
was disgusted by the very air he breathed.
Fucking perfect.
“Kurt?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you heard a word I’ve said?”
“Yes, of course,” Kurt replied, wondering if he had heard
everything. “I’m to tell General Merrick everything I know.” Which
wasn’t a damn thing. “Stop breaking the law and get a real job like
real law-abiding citizens do.” And pray that he didn’t get killed in the
process.
Second Chances
49
“Good.” Ryan nodded, adding a smile as he turned and looked at
Kurt. “It’s hard to stop the easy life of breaking the law, Kurt. I
understand that. But hard work always pays off in the end.”
Yep, and it was probably going to pay off in the end with the
ending of Kurt’s life. But hey, at least his mate would be proud of
him. That would be so comforting while he lay in his cold grave all
alone.
So, either by order of the general or by the hand of his mate, he
was going to die. It was that simple. And in a way, it made Kurt’s
next decision that much easier. He turned to face Ryan, his heart
beating erratically in his chest at the mere sight of the handsome man.
“Will you stay with me?”
“Kurt, I—”
Kurt could see the denial in Ryan’s face and he just couldn’t face
it, not now. “Please, just for a little while?”
Ryan stared at him for what seemed like forever, and then he
sighed and nodded with his head. “Move over.”
Kurt swallowed hard as he rolled to his side and scooted toward
the wall. After a moment, he felt Ryan’s body press against his, the
man’s arm coming over Kurt’s waist. Kurt waited until Ryan settled
and then cuddled back against him. He sighed deeply, wondering if
this would be the last time he ever felt his mate’s arm around him, the
man’s strong body pressing against him. He almost cried because he
knew it probably was.
* * * *
Kurt glanced up when he heard the door open, hoping that it was
Ryan. The man had left in the night before Kurt woke up. Again,
there was no word, no note, no nothing. Ryan just left. Kurt was
beginning to see a pattern. It was a pattern he was coming to hate, but
sadly, growing used to. He knew he couldn’t keep Ryan. The man
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was turning him over to the general. But in his deepest fantasies, Kurt
could wish for whatever he damned well pleased.
Even if it was a pipe dream.
The tall stranger that had been with Ryan back on Lakone walked
in. “Get up. We’ve landed on Tronos. It’s time to go.”
Kurt knew that. He had felt the ship land. What he didn’t know
was where his mate was. “Where’s Ryan?”
“Busy.”
“I want to see him.”
The dark-haired man smirked. “Well, he doesn’t want to see you.”
The response was so chilling that Kurt felt as if he were in deep space.
His words had cut Kurt so deeply he was surprised he wasn’t standing
there bleeding. Ryan didn’t want to see him. Kurt felt a heavy weight
in his chest, but kept eye contact with the man standing in front of
him, refusing to show just how dejected he felt.
“Please, just for a moment.” He had to see Ryan one last time. He
knew he was headed for his death at the hands of the general. He just
wanted to see Ryan one last time. “Please, I’ll go quietly. I promise.
Just let me—”
“Look, kid, Ryan’s not even on board anymore. He went to report
in to his superiors. I couldn’t take you to him even if I wanted to.”
Kurt’s heart sank. “Oh.”
“I’m Cheyenne. Ryan sent me here to escort you to the
administration building where you’ll be questioned.”
“Okay.” Kurt stood and walked toward the man. There wasn’t any
reason not to. He wasn’t going to get to see Ryan again. What would
be the point of resisting? Besides, maybe if he did what Ryan wanted,
and told the general everything, Ryan would be proud of him.
It was just too bad that would come after he was dead.
Kurt tucked his lips in and tried not to whimper as large metallic
cuffs were placed around his wrists. They were heavy and weighed
his hands down, but they didn’t hurt. Not unless Kurt thought about
why he was wearing them.
Second Chances
51
He followed Cheyenne through the ship and then onto the loading
dock. It was a short trip from there to some building that they were
headed to. Kurt looked up at the large stone structure as they
approached it.
So, this was where he was going to die. It didn’t really look like
much, nothing but stone and glass really. Somehow, he thought it
should have looked more impressive, maybe majestic. But it just
didn’t. It was built of dull grey stone.
Not very exciting.
A man in uniform met them just inside the building. The scathing
look the man sent in Kurt’s direction made him shudder. This was not
a nice man. It showed in every hard line of his body. Kurt wondered if
it was the general.
“Lieutenant Devries is delivering this prisoner for questioning on
General Merrick’s orders,” Cheyenne said as he signed some vid-pad
and then handed it back to the soldier. “Lieutenant Devries wanted to
make sure that he is well taken care of, Captain.”
The man raked his eyes over Kurt, his arctic-blue eyes stopping
on Kurt’s face. His lip pulled back in a sneer. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Kurt didn’t know what that meant and he didn’t want to know.
The venomous look the man had given him only solidified Kurt’s
fate. Kurt was afraid to ask what was about to happen to him. He
glanced around the unfamiliar place and knew only one thing. He
wanted Ryan.
When Cheyenne turned and started to walk away, Kurt couldn’t
help but let out a small cry of protest. He didn’t know Cheyenne from
the man on the moon but he seemed like a better choice than the
soldier standing before him.
“Is Ryan going to come here?” Kurt asked.
“Sorry, kid.” Cheyenne shook his head, his eyes sympathetic. “We
have a whole slew of people on that list to go track down. I don’t
imagine we’ll be back for a while.”
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Kurt pressed his lips together and gave Cheyenne a quick nod. He
didn’t give any outward sign of how much those words had hurt. He
just turned back to the captain and waited. When the captain grabbed
him by his arm and jerked him forward, Kurt didn’t resist.
What would be the point?
Ryan had done his job and handed Kurt over. The man was
making it painfully obvious he was done with Kurt. He saw now that
his one night with Ryan had meant nothing to the bounty hunter. Kurt
was just another load of credits for the man.
How could he have been so foolish? Kurt had dreamed of
spending the rest of his life with Ryan as the man claimed him. He
had no idea that those dreams would turn into a nightmare he couldn’t
escape from. Kurt had been nothing more than a means to sate Ryan’s
lust that night.
Ryan had gotten an orgasm and Kurt had received a death
sentence.
Somehow he was even a dismal failure when it came to mating.
He was escorted up several floors and then down a long hallway.
They passed a few people in the hallways, mostly men and women
dressed in uniform. They saluted the captain and totally ignored Kurt,
which was fine for him. He didn’t want to come under anyone’s
scrutiny.
Kurt tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat when they
finally reached a large solid door. The soldier escorting him knocked
and then went in, pulling Kurt along with him. Two men sat inside.
They stood immediately when Kurt and the captain walked in.
“Sir,” one of the men said as he saluted.
“This man is to be taken to interrogation for questioning. General
Merrick wants a full report of his activities, his associates, and
anything else that he can tell us.”
“Yes, sir.”
Second Chances
53
“And make sure that Orion questions him personally. The general
wants that information and Lieutenant Devries personally asked that
this prisoner be well taken care of.”
Kurt really didn’t think it was a good sign when the soldier paled.
“Yes, sir.”
Kurt was handed over to the soldier and escorted into another
room down the hallway. The soldier didn’t say a word to him, just sat
him in the only chair in the room and then turned around and walked
out. He didn’t even take off the cuffs.
Kurt didn’t know how long he sat in the chair before the door
opened. But the moment he got a look at the large man that walked in,
not to mention the evil glint in the man’s eyes, he wished that he had
sat there unattended forever.
“So,” the man said as he held out a long, slender device and
pointed it directly at Kurt. The end of the silver rod sparked and
flashed as electricity snapped and crackled around the end piece,
making every cell in Kurt’s body tense. “I understand that the general
has some questions for you.”
Kurt swallowed hard as his throat began to dry when the man
walked closer, twirling the lightning rod in front of him.
So much for a quick death.
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Chapter Five
“Hey, Ryan, you and Cheyenne have an incoming call from the
general.”
Ryan growled in frustration as he jumped to his feet and started
toward the bridge. He heard Cheyenne’s heavy footsteps behind him.
What in the hell did the general want now? The man was constantly
checking up on him. If he wasn’t trying to find out what Ryan had
discovered, he was adding new people to his list.
It was driving Ryan crazy.
Ryan and Cheyenne walked onto the bridge and over to the com-
link, hitting the button to connect him to the general’s com. “General,
what can I do for you today?” Ryan wished he had phrased that just a
little bit differently when he got a good look at the grim expression on
the general’s face.
“Lieutenant Devries, I need you and Combat Specialist Cheyenne
Grant to return to Tronos as fast as your ship can fly you here.”
Ryan did not like that sound of this. The general was quite
adamant that Ryan find the people on his list. Having him fly back to
Tronos would steal precious time. This had to be a whopper of a
problem if the general was willing to pull Ryan away from his
assignment to return.
“Problems, General?”
“There might be, yes.” The general folded his hands together and
rested them on his desk. “What can you tell me about Kurt
Ackerman?”
Second Chances
55
Ryan frowned as his heart stuttered in his chest. Hearing Kurt’s
name on the general’s lips made a cold chill race down Ryan’s spine.
The feeling wasn’t welcoming. “Kurt?”
“Yes.”
“Uh…well, as far as I know, he’s never really broken any big
laws. He’s more of a petty criminal than anything. He’s not a bad guy.
He just tends to make the wrong choices.”
The general gave a solemn nod. “What was your reaction when
you saw his name on that list I gave you?”
That was an odd question.
“Well, General, I admit that I was a little surprised that his name
was on there. Like I said, Kurt isn’t a criminal mastermind. But I
figured maybe you knew something I didn’t.”
“I see.”
Ryan did not like the way this conversation was going. He figured
Kurt might know something or had seen something that the general
wanted to question him about. Maybe Kurt would do a couple of
weeks behind bars, and that would be the end of it.
“Has something happened, General?” God, please don’t say Kurt
escaped, Ryan prayed. That could add years to whatever sentence
Kurt may or may not have received. Ryan had kind of been hoping
that Kurt would go straight. He couldn’t bring himself to get involved
with someone that constantly broke the law. It went against
everything he believed in, no matter how much he wanted the man.
It had taken every ounce of strength Ryan possessed not to take
Kurt when the small man was aboard the shuttle, flying back to the
Onyx. He had wanted Kurt so badly that he had to slip away in the
middle of the night in order not to go against his reasoning of why he
shouldn’t pursue a relationship with the merman.
Kurt was a petty criminal.
Ryan was an Elite Force officer.
It was that simple…yet not.
“There’s been a…uh…development.”
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Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. If the general was speaking in an unsure
manner, something was definitely wrong. The man exuded power and
authority. General Merrick never hesitated when speaking.
“A development?” What in the hell did that mean? “Was Kurt
able to give you the information you needed?”
Truthfully, Ryan hadn’t believed that Kurt really knew anything,
but maybe he was wrong. Maybe Kurt knew more than Ryan thought,
and if he did, then maybe Kurt wasn’t the man Ryan had thought he
was.
Truth be told, Ryan had fallen hard for the merman the night they
slept together, but unseen circumstances had taken him away.
Besides, Ryan was a lieutenant in the Elite Force. He commanded
units and he couldn’t allow himself to get involved with a petty
criminal. No matter how much he wanted to fuck Kurt once more
until the man was singing his damn name.
“Yes, I do believe that Kurt told us everything he knows.”
Why didn’t the general look happy about that?
“How much time is he going to do?”
“None.”
“None?” Ryan shouted. “But he broke the law.” Gods, he couldn’t
stop being an Elite Force officer for one damn second, could he? This
was Kurt they were talking about. The guy Ryan had feelings for, not
some damn random stranger.
“Did that make you angry, Lieutenant?”
Ryan’s head snapped back. “What?”
“Were you angry that Kurt was just being brought in for
questioning and not facing any charges?”
“No, of course not.”
“But you did tell Captain Orion to take good care of him,
correct?”
“Who?”
“Captain Orion, one of our interrogators?”
Second Chances
57
“General, I was in the administration building meeting with you
when Kurt was escorted to interrogation. I’ve never even heard of
Captain Orion.”
“Then you didn’t ask that Kurt be taken care of?”
Ryan sighed. There was no way that he was going to get out of
this one. His personal business with Kurt was going to go public.
“Yes, I did. I know it was wrong but—”
“Combat Specialist Grant, can you confirm that Lieutenant
Devries ordered you to escort Kurt Ackerman to interrogation with
explicit instructions that he was to be taken care of?”
“Yes, General,” Cheyenne answered, shooting Ryan a questioning
look.
“General, what is this all about?” Ryan asked as a cold chill
started to creep down his back once more. “Has something happened
to Kurt?”
“Lieutenant Devries, you and Combat Specialist Cheyenne Grant
are ordered to return to Tronos with all possible haste. You will report
to my office immediately upon landing.” The general’s eyes
narrowed. “Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir, but—”
Ryan blinked in confusion when the general just suddenly logged
off. He turned to look at Cheyenne, seeing the same confused look on
the man that he imagined he had on his own face.
“What in the hell was that all about?” Ryan asked. “Did
something happen when you dropped Kurt off?”
“Nothing unusual. He asked to see you but I told him you were
already meeting with the general. He seemed to go quietly after that.
He didn’t even resist when I handed him over to the captain of the
guard.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“No, he just asked to see you.”
“Damn.” Ryan felt bad that he hadn’t been the one to escort Kurt
to interrogation but truthfully, he just couldn’t bring himself to
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personally turn the man over. Little by little, Kurt had been digging
his way into Ryan’s affections and he couldn’t watch the man he had
fallen hard for go off to prison.
He had hoped that when Kurt came out, if he went straight and
kept his nose clean, that maybe they could pick up where they had
ended things back on Beta Five. But in light of the strange
conversation he had just had with the general, Ryan was starting to
doubt that that was a possibility.
“Vane, plot a course back to Tronos as fast as you can. The
general wants us there as soon as possible.”
Vane nodded and started tapping in navigational directions into
his console. Ryan was still confused as hell but the quicker he got
back to Tronos, the faster he could find out what in the hell was going
on.
* * * *
Ryan was sweating bullets. He had thought he was going to be
directed to the general’s office and just maybe informed about what in
the hell was going on with Kurt. Instead, he and Cheyenne had been
taken to the large double doors leading into the council chamber and
told to wait until they were called. Two armed guards stood right
outside the doors to make sure that they waited.
So, there he sat, waiting. He had been sitting there for nearly two
hours, Cheyenne in the seat next to him. Several other people had
come and gone, but Ryan’s and Cheyenne’s names were not called.
He was baffled as to why he was waiting to go in front of the
council instead of waiting to go into General Merrick’s office. The
severity of the situation wasn’t lost on him, but the reason behind why
they were there was.
Ryan grunted when Cheyenne elbowed him in the side. He turned
to ask the combat specialist what in the hell he was doing until he saw
Cheyenne nod his head toward the other end of the corridor.
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59
Ryan’s breath caught in his throat when he saw Kurt being
escorted down the hallway with four guards surrounding him. He was
dressed all in white—which actually looked pretty damn good on him,
or it would have if it didn’t look like it was hanging on the frail frame
of his body.
When was the last time Kurt had eaten something? He was skin
and bones. Granted, he was always a little on the thin side, but
nothing like this. Ryan knew it had only been two weeks since he had
last seen Kurt but he just didn’t understand how he could have gone
so bone thin so quickly. He looked like he was going to crumble to
the floor at any moment. Ryan was angered and mortified in equal
measures at Kurt’s appearance.
Just what in the fuck was going on around here?
“Kurt,” Ryan said as he stood and took one step toward the man.
Kurt had heard him. Ryan could tell by the stiffening of the bone-thin
shoulders, but other than that, the man didn’t acknowledge Ryan’s
existence.
Ryan was as confused as hell at Kurt’s reaction as he watched his
onetime lover being escorted into the council chambers. He wanted to
know what in the hell had happened to Kurt and he wanted to know
now.
Ryan started toward the large double doors, with every intention
of busting right through them if he had to.
He wanted answers.
He wanted retribution.
Ryan just flat-out wanted to hold Kurt and keep him safe from
whatever had happened to him.
A strong grip on his arms stopped him. Ryan snarled and turned,
ready to rip into the man who had prevented him from going after the
man he cared deeply about.
“Let me go!”
“Lieutenant, you’re not going to find out jack shit if you go
barging in there. Just wait until they call our names.”
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Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
Ryan growled, the sound rumbling in his chest as he stared at
Cheyenne.
Cheyenne met Ryan’s vicious glare, not in the least bit
intimidated. “Dude, chill the fuck out or you’re going to land yourself
behind bars and then how are you going to find anything out?”
Ryan huffed at the truth of Cheyenne’s words as he turned to
watch the doors Kurt had disappeared behind. He could see the guards
standing at the doors eyeing him like he was a raging animal, and
maybe he was.
Something serious was going on here and Ryan felt totally
clueless. Again, he wasn’t known for his calm temper and patience.
He wanted answers, but knew Cheyenne was right. He needed to be
patient.
There was more going on here than Kurt just being a petty
criminal and having to pay for his crimes or the general needing
answers to a few questions. Something else was going on. It was the
only explanation.
No one stepped foot in front of the council unless their crimes
were severe enough and Ryan couldn’t imagine Kurt’s crime
warranting a meeting with council. He would know if Kurt had
graduated to the major leagues.
Even though he had to leave Kurt back on Beta Five, he had kept
an eye on the merman. Ryan knew people on Lakone. He had called
in a favor, had Kurt watched. He knew about Kurt finding Lakonian
glow rocks. He had also learned about Kurt becoming a courier. Ryan
may have kept his distance because of Kurt’s petty criminal
background, but that hadn’t meant he didn’t care.
Ryan went on alert when a man stepped through the council
chamber doors and glanced around.
“Lieutenant Ryan Devries and Combat Specialist Cheyenne
Grant.” Ryan stepped forward. He could feel Cheyenne step forward
at his side. The man calling their names nodded. “The council will see
you now.”
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61
Ryan wasn’t sure what to expect as he stepped into the council
chambers but it wasn’t the full council sitting behind a long table at
the head of the room, and Kurt standing between two guards off to
one side. He had thought one or two council members would be
present, not the entire panel. There was another shorter table on the
opposite side of the room from Kurt, a man in full dress uniform
sitting behind it.
“Lieutenant Devries,” one of the council members called out,
“please approach.”
Ryan solemnly walked across the room, keeping his eyes forward,
but his mind was bouncing all over the place. Why was he here? What
had happened to Kurt? Why were he and Cheyenne being brought in
front of the full council? His brain wouldn’t stop with the questions as
he came to a stop in front Admiral Monroe of all people.
Ryan was one of Admiral Monroe’s personal guards. He was on
active duty at the moment, not with the assignment the general had
given him to protect the admiral, but Ryan was a bit surprised to see
the unwavering disapproval in the admiral’s eyes.
Ryan saluted the entire council and then dropped his hands back
to his sides.
“At ease,” Admiral Monroe said as he sat forward, eyeing Ryan
for a long moment before he spoke. “You are called in front of the full
council today, Lieutenant Ryan Devries, in connection with the abuse
of prisoner Kurt Ackerman. Do you deny that you ordered Combat
Specialist Cheyenne Grant to hand Kurt Ackerman over to Captain
Orion with explicit instructions to have the prisoner well taken care
of?”
Abuse? Ryan’s head snapped around instantly as his eyes assessed
Kurt. He saw no visible proof that Kurt had been abused, but the
admiral would not make these allegations up. He turned back toward
the council.
How had his instructions to make sure Kurt was taken care of
been so misconstrued? He only wanted to make sure that Kurt was
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comfortable as he was questioned, but since he was standing before
the full council, he knew that something had gone horribly wrong.
“Yes, Admiral Monroe, I left explicit instructions for Kurt
Ackerman to be well taken care of.”
“And did you give Combat Specialist Cheyenne Grant any further
instructions on how you wanted those orders to be carried out,
Lieutenant Devries?” Admiral Monroe asked.
Damn if Ryan wasn’t confused. But he had a feeling that he was
about to sink himself. Even with that knowledge, he wasn’t going to
lie. Not only was he a lieutenant in the Elite Force, but he lived his
life by a code of honor. “No, sir, I left no further instructions with
Combat Specialist Cheyenne Grant regarding Kurt Ackerman’s
treatment.”
“Very well,” Admiral Monroe said. “You may have a seat.”
Ryan once again saluted the council members and then turned on
his heel, taking a seat next to Cheyenne. He glanced over at Kurt to
see the merman looking directly at the full council. He wouldn’t look
over at Ryan, and Ryan knew the man saw him staring.
He admitted to himself that the rejection hurt like a son of a bitch.
Now he knew how Kurt had felt back on the Onyx when Ryan had
kept his distance. He wanted to kick his own ass for treating Kurt with
such distance.
“Kurt Ackerman,” Admiral Monroe continued. Hearing the
admiral’s voice snapped Ryan out of his thoughts as he glanced over
at Kurt, listening as the admiral questioned the merman. “Can you
identify Lieutenant Ryan Devries of the Federation of United Planets
Elite Force?”
Ryan felt his balls clench as Kurt sat forward and began to shake
his head. He knew he fucked up with Kurt, but why was Kurt denying
that he knew Ryan?
“No, sir,” Kurt answered, the gills behind his ears fluttering
slightly, indicating how nervous the merman truly was. “I don’t know
a Lieutenant Ryan Devries of the Elite Force.”
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63
If the pain from Kurt’s words had hurt any more, Ryan would be
lying dead on the floor. What game was Kurt playing at? Ryan’s
career was on the line, and he wasn’t even sure why. But for Kurt to
deny him was low even for the petty criminal.
Ryan wanted to cross the room and demand that Kurt
acknowledge him. He wanted to grab Kurt from his seat and shake the
thin man, asking him why he was pretending not to know who Ryan
was.
Fuck!
Being denied was tearing at Ryan’s very soul and he wasn’t sure
why. They had slept together once. It had been amazing, and Ryan
had developed feelings for the man. But it shouldn’t feel this god
awful hearing Kurt say he didn’t know Ryan.
The sorrow of being rejected from Kurt was baffling.
“Thank you, Mr. Ackerman,” Admiral Monroe said and then
turned toward one of the guards. “Please show the interrogation
video.”
Ryan rested his arms on the table, pushing aside the hollow
feeling inside his chest as the feed began to play in a holographic
vision in the middle of the room. The halo-image showed Kurt being
seated and then an officer leaving him alone in the interrogation
room. Ryan’s heart nearly jumped out of his throat when he saw the
interrogation officer step into the room with a Taser baton in his hand.
Ryan became engrossed and sickened as he watched the halo-
scene play out in front of him. His skin became clammy as nausea
filled his throat. Even though it was a halo-image of Kurt in front of
him, Ryan had an overwhelming urge to run to it and hug halo-Kurt,
taking him away from what Ryan knew was coming.
“I understand that the general has some questions for you.”
Kurt shrank back, his thin hands shaking so badly that the
manacles around his wrists could be heard clanking together. He was
shaking his head violently back and forth, sweat glistening off of his
brows. “I don’t know anything. Just tell me why I’m here and—Ahh!”
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Kurt screamed and fell violently from the chair as the interrogating
guard plunged the head of the baton into Kurt’s shoulder. There was
a sick and twisted smile on the guard’s face as he looked down at
Kurt writhing on the floor.
Ryan felt tears prickle at his eyes.
“That’s not what I want to hear, thief.” The man reached down
and pulled Kurt up from the floor so roughly that Kurt’s head rolled
sideways. He dumped Kurt into the chair and then sat on the side of
the table. Close enough to invade Kurt’s personal space. “We can go
at this for as long as it takes you to talk. Trust me, I am known for
making prisoners sing out all of their indiscretions.”
“B–But I don’t know anything, I swear!”
Ryan growled so loudly that heads turned his way when the
interrogator backhanded Kurt across the face. The holographic image
of Kurt cried out and almost fell again until the captain grabbed him.
“What part did you play in the cover-up and treason against
Commander Remington Vystal and his crew?”
“Who?” Kurt asked, looking genuinely baffled.
Another backhand.
Ryan’s hands fisted on the table in front of him. An insane urge to
kill the holographic image of the interrogator rode him hard.
“The Lady Blue crew,” the captain snarled.
“I’ve heard of them, but I never met them,” Kurt said quickly and
then fell out of his chair, scooting back until his back hit the wall as
the interrogator came at him, the baton snapping and crackling
menacingly with the electrical currents.
“Trust me, punk. We can go at this for days. I have nothing better
to do.”
Ryan glanced away when the baton was shoved into Kurt’s chest.
It was too much for him to bear. Kurt’s screams made his very soul
cry out in pain. Everyone questioning Ryan about his instructions
finally made sense to him now. But that was not what he meant! His
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65
orders had been taken the wrong way and Kurt had paid the price for
that mistake.
Make sure he is well taken care of.
Ryan was going to be sick. He had said that to Cheyenne. He had
told the combat specialist to pass along his request. But in ensuring
that Kurt was well taken care of, Ryan had nearly sentenced the
merman to death.
Ryan couldn’t even look in Kurt’s direction now. The man must
truly hate him. If he were Kurt, he would want retribution, along with
revenge. What that interrogator had done to Kurt was so damn brutal
that Ryan was stunned the man wasn’t here in the room with them
being court-martialed.
Ryan’s fists clenched in front of him so hard that his hands turned
white as another holographic clip was played. This one even more
savage than the last. The captain seemed to be getting a thrill out of
zapping Kurt one second, and beating him the next. All the while Kurt
cringed and shouted for help, but no one answered his desperate pleas.
The blood on the merman’s face seemed to flow as Captain Orion
took care of Kurt.
Ryan was sick to his stomach and so damn angry that he wanted
to go after the captain himself and show the man what a real
interrogation was like. He was an Elite Force officer, trained by the
best, and was one with the blackest of night, blending well with the
shadows. He knew torture techniques that would put Captain Orion’s
to shame.
Ryan had been specially trained under Admiral Monroe’s
watchful eye. Not many knew that he was a certified assassin. Only
Admiral Monroe and the man who had trained him knew, and Ryan
preferred it that way.
But to bully a small, thin man was not something Ryan would
ever do. And that was exactly what the interrogating officer had done,
bullied Kurt.
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When the holographic images faded, Ryan snapped his eyes over
to the admiral, telling him without words that he had not meant his
orders to be carried out in such a manner. Admiral Monroe gave a
slight nod indicating that he understood Ryan loud and clear.
It was General Merrick who spoke this time.
“Combat Specialist Cheyenne Grant, please approach.”
Cheyenne cut his eyes over to Ryan and then stood, walking over
to the council table. He stood at attention with his legs spread
shoulder-width apart and his hands clasped behind his back. “Did
Lieutenant Ryan Devries give you any other order beside the original
one of making sure Kurt Ackerman was well taken care of?”
“No, General.”
“Do you believe Lieutenant Devries had intended for Captain
Orion to carry out his orders in the manner in which you have just
witnessed with the halo-vid?”
“No, General.”
“Did you give any additional instructions that Lieutenant Devries
is unaware of?”
“No, General.”
“You may have a seat.”
Ryan watched as Cheyenne saluted the general and then walked
back to their table. The foreboding he felt since walking into the room
was getting worse. He was pissed beyond reason that Kurt had been
hurt but he was starting to see that his need to make sure that Kurt
was okay might have actually been the worst thing he could have
done. Kurt was never going to forgive him.
“Kurt Ackerman,” General Merrick said as he turned toward Kurt.
“Did you hear any further instructions given at any time from either
Lieutenant Ryan Devries or Combat Specialist Grant aside from you
being well taken care of?”
This time Ryan did look over at Kurt. The man sat between the
two guards, his hands busy in his lap, pulling at the white shirt he was
wearing, strangling the fabric to death.
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67
Come on, Kurt. Please don’t lie.
“No, sir. I heard Cheyenne tell the man he gave me to that Ryan
had said I was to be well taken care of, but he didn’t say anything to
the man after that.”
Ryan blew a long breath out. He sat up straighter when General
Merrick turned his frosty gaze at Ryan.
“Lieutenant Devries,” the general said, “please tell the council
exactly what you meant when you gave your orders for Kurt
Ackerman to be well taken care of.”
Oh hell. His private life was about to become front and center in
front of the full council. But Ryan would gladly share the intimate
details if it cleared up this debauched mess. He cleared his throat,
looking straight ahead. “When I gave the instructions for Kurt
Ackerman to be well taken care of, I was referring to his comfort, not
his abuse.”
“Why would you want Kurt Ackerman to be comfortable?”
General Merrick asked. “He is a petty criminal who was being
brought in for questioning.”
The general was striking against Ryan’s story and he knew it.
Hearing the general’s question made Ryan’s motives seem less than
friendly, if anyone listening didn’t know the truth.
And that was exactly what they were about to hear.
“Because Kurt Ackerman and I have an intimate past,” he replied
with a steel and steady voice. “Even though I was bringing him in for
questioning, I took his comfort into consideration, General.”
Ryan could see a surprised look on a few of the council members’
faces. Yeah, Lieutenant fucking Ryan Devries had slept with a
criminal, big damn deal. If they had gotten to know Kurt the way
Ryan had working at the bar, they would see why. The man was
funny, quirky, and downright sexy. Ryan had instantly felt an
attraction toward the merman. He had fought it of course, knowing
how Kurt eked out a living, but in the end, Kurt’s beautiful
personality had won Ryan over.
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But he wasn’t about to tell the full council all of that. Some
private things needed to remain private.
“I see,” Admiral Monroe said, a tight little smirk playing at the
corners of his lips.
“Is this true?” General Merrick asked Kurt. “Do you and
Lieutenant Devries have intimate knowledge of each other?”
Ryan wanted to slap a hand over his face and shake his head. This
had to be the most embarrassing trial he had ever heard of. He was
half expecting Admiral Monroe to ask if the sex had been worth it.
And Ryan would have said yes.
“I’m sorry,” Kurt said as he glanced around the room. “But could
you tell me who Lieutenant Devries is before I answer the question?”
Huh?
General Merrick pretty much had the same expression. “He’s
sitting right there.” The general pointed at Ryan.
“Ryan?” Kurt asked.
“Yes,” Admiral Monroe answered Kurt this time. “He is
Lieutenant Ryan Devries of the Federation of United Planets Elite
Force. You didn’t know that?” The admiral sounded a bit shocked.
“I thought he was a bartender and a bounty hunter,” Kurt said.
“But yes, we had sex.” Kurt blushed so deeply that Ryan swore the
man’s face would catch fire at any moment. “He’s an Elite Force
officer?” Kurt followed up his admission with the question directed at
Admiral Monroe.
The tight little smirk was back on the admiral’s face. Ryan would
have chuckled at the admiral’s reaction if the gravity of the situation
wasn’t so bleak. “Yes, Mr. Ackerman, he is.”
“Oh.” Kurt’s eyes slid over to Ryan, and Ryan could see the
confusion in their dark blue depths. He softened his features as he
tried to give Kurt a small smile, but Kurt quickly looked away. “He
didn’t order the man to beat me, sir. I never heard him give that
order.”
“And Combat Specialist Grant?”
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69
“No, not him either.”
“Very well,” Admiral Monroe said. “Lieutenant Devries and
Combat Specialist Grant, you are excused. Mr. Ackerman, under the
circumstances, you are hereby cleared of all charges and are free to
go. Lieutenant Devries, please see to it that Mr. Ackerman is escorted
back to Lakone.”
Ryan would have been delighted to spend more time with Kurt, if
the merman hadn’t just looked at Ryan like he no longer existed.
Maybe he could rectify that during the time it took to escort Kurt back
to his home planet.
“Sir, what about Captain Orion?” Ryan asked, “What’s going to
happen to him?”
General Merrick’s lips curved down for a moment before pressing
together in a grim expression. “I’m afraid that Captain Orion has gone
AWOL, Lieutenant. He is to be added to your list of people to
apprehend and returned to Tronos to face charges for abuse of his
authority and conduct unbecoming an officer.”
“What about what he did to Kurt?”
“Mr. Ackerman has refused to press charges.”
“What?” Ryan’s head snapped in Kurt’s direction. He couldn’t
believe that Kurt was refusing to press charges after what Orion had
done to him. “Captain Orion tortured him. Whether Kurt wants to
press charges or not, this man needs to be brought to justice.”
General Merrick gave Ryan a knowing look. “I’m sure you can
make Captain Orion’s return to face charges a priority, Lieutenant.”
Ryan glanced over at Kurt’s hunched form and clenched his
hands. “You’re damn right I can.”
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Chapter Six
Kurt was shown to a more luxurious room on board the Onyx.
Well, as luxurious as the tin can could offer. But it was a far cry better
than the room he had been in when being taken to Tronos.
Kurt knew the man escorting him to his quarters was Medic
Specialist Rhys Green. The man had been ordered to care for Kurt’s
wounds until he made it home. He wasn’t sure he could survive any
more caring from the Elite Force. It was going to get him killed.
“I’ll have some food brought in for you, Kurt. I just want you to
rest.”
Kurt nodded. The medic had told Kurt to call him Rhys, and it
would make things a little friendlier on his way home. But what was
he going home to? The Big Boss was going to be after him again the
moment the shuttle touched down. He still didn’t have any credits,
and his mate had handed him over for pay.
To top that bundle of joy off, Kurt had been gone from Lakone for
over two weeks. He seriously doubted he still had an apartment to go
home to. And he knew for a fact that if he was gone for more than a
few days, his mother would steal all of his belongings, sell what she
could, and trash the rest.
His life just seemed to be getting shittier and shittier by the day.
Kurt would not be surprised if a Nine Ship—ships used by black
marketers to transport illegal goods and do all their nasty little illegal
things in—didn’t try and overtake them.
That would run about average in Kurt’s dismal existence. He
didn’t pity himself. It was just the honest truth. He was usually an
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71
optimistic man, but when one thing after another kept raining down
on him, even the most optimistic person turned sour.
“Thanks,” he replied to Rhys as he carefully walked over to the
bed and sat down. All he could think about was getting more sleep.
His body was still not fully recovered from his time on Tronos.
Captain Orion had done a very thorough job fucking him up.
Kudos to the man’s interrogation skills.
Kurt had folded like a deck of cards under Captain Orion’s abuse.
The man had gotten Kurt to confess to every single petty crime he had
ever committed, and a few he had only heard about. But that hadn’t
appeased the man. The only thing that had stopped Kurt’s abuse was
another officer accidently showing up when the captain was tasering
the shit out of Kurt.
By that point, Kurt had been tasered so many times that he could
barely speak. It had taken two days of medical care before he could
utter a single word and talk about what had happened. Luckily for
him, there had been hidden monitoring devices inside the
interrogation room set up just for this purpose. Kurt had only needed
to answer a few questions.
Kurt didn’t really care about what the Elite Force or the council
wanted to do with Captain Orion. He just hoped he never saw the man
again, not even to testify against him at a court-martial.
He kind of felt the same way about Ryan.
Or rather, Lieutenant Ryan Devries of the Federation of United
Planets Elite Force. He still couldn’t believe that Ryan was Elite
Force and not a bartender. He almost wished that Ryan was a bounty
hunter instead. He could have understood that. But knowing that Ryan
had been lying to him from the very beginning, since the moment they
had met, that hurt almost as much as knowing that Ryan had sold him
for a few credits.
Ryan hadn’t actually said he was a bounty hunter either, but to
Kurt, omission was still a lie.
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Any hope that Kurt had been harboring that Ryan and him might
get together one day was now officially dead. At this point, Kurt
couldn’t care less if Ryan fell into a wormhole. Hell, he might even
push the man in. Every ounce of feeling he had toward his mate was
dead.
Well, not every ounce. Kurt hated Ryan.
That was an emotion and pretty much the only one Kurt could
garner toward the man. Ryan had tried to speak to him when he came
on board. As hard as it was to ignore the guy, Kurt had simply walked
away without a word. Hopefully, Ryan got the picture and would
leave him alone on the trip back to Lakone. Kurt had nothing to say to
his mate.
The world was a brutal and harsh place. Kurt had firsthand
knowledge of that fact, and it’d left as many scars on him emotionally
as it had physically. Allowing Ryan back in would only deepen his
emotional wounds, and Kurt wasn’t into pain.
Kurt waited for Rhys to leave and then curled up on the bed.
When he felt his hand spasm, he curled it into a fist and pressed it
against his chest. The small jerky movements in his hands and legs
came and went almost as if his muscles had been shocked right out of
alignment.
The doctor on Tronos said the spasms in his muscles should fade
with time but Kurt didn’t know if he believed the man. His luck just
didn’t run that way. He’d probably be jerking and spasming for the
rest of his life. He worried about his ability to shift into his merman
form, but he wouldn’t know if there was any permanent damage until
he was back on Lakone and swimming in its beautiful blue depths.
…or drowning if Captain Orion had truly screwed him up.
Thanks to Lieutenant Devries, Captain Orion, and the rest of the
Elite Force, Kurt was now a freak. He could get a job in a sideshow
circus. Kurt let out a small sob and shoved his knuckles into his
mouth. At least if he did that, he wouldn’t be breaking any laws.
Wouldn’t Ryan be proud of him then?
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73
Kurt heard the door open, and for a moment, he feared that
Captain Orion was back, until he smelled Ryan’s unique scent. He’d
know that masculine fragrance anywhere. He doubted he would ever
forget it, not as long as he lived. And as much as he craved it, he also
hated it.
“Kurt, I’ve brought you something to eat.”
Kurt refused to acknowledge Ryan, not even when he heard the
man set the tray down on the table next to the bed, and then the
mattress dipped as Ryan sat down beside him. He didn’t move an inch
away from the guy who was sandpaper across his nerves, rubbing him
raw with his mere presence.
“Kurt, are you going to ignore me?”
Until my very last breath.
What part of keeping his back turned didn’t Ryan understand?
Hopefully, if he ignored Ryan long enough, the man would go away.
Kurt didn’t want Ryan in the same universe as him, let alone the same
room. The man could disappear like a ghostly whisper on a gentle
breeze and Kurt wouldn’t care.
Ryan had betrayed him, and that was something Kurt couldn’t
forgive. He could take Ryan’s disdain for the petty crimes he had
committed. Kurt could take Ryan’s disappointed gazes he seemed to
always have at the ready when Kurt was around. But what he couldn’t
take was Ryan handing him over to be brutalized. Ryan might not
have known what Captain Orion planned, but the man had turned him
over anyway. That damned him in Kurt’s eyes.
Kurt may have seemed calm on the surface, but inside, his
battered and bruised soul screamed for an explanation to Ryan’s
rejection. But he remained silent.
“I never meant for this to happen, Kurt,” Ryan said as he released
a long and sighing breath. “You weren’t supposed to be hurt.”
Kurt curled his hands further into his mouth and tilted his head
toward the bed. Tears were starting to spring up in his eyes and he
didn’t want Ryan to see them. That would be his final humiliation.
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Maybe he did have one other emotion left in him…pain.
Ryan sighed deeply as if a heavy weight sat on his chest. After a
moment, he stood. Kurt listened to his footsteps move away from him
and knew the man was walking toward the door. He hoped Ryan left
quickly.
“I’ll be back, Kurt.”
Those promised words only furthered Kurt’s emotional
unraveling. He didn’t want Ryan to come back. He never wanted to
see the man again. It was bad enough Kurt hated the guy. He didn’t
want to be reminded of the betrayal over and over again by Ryan’s
mere presence.
“And I’ll keep coming back until you talk to me.”
Yeah, like that is going to happen. Kurt had nothing to say to
Ryan, unless it was to tell the man to leave him the hell alone. He
heard the door swoosh shut a moment later. Kurt’s curiosity
overwhelmed his good sense. He turned and glanced over his shoulder
toward the door.
Damn, he knew that was a bad idea.
Ryan stood right inside the closed door with his arms crossed over
his expansive chest as he leaned against the wall with his shoulder.
One thick, black eyebrow was cocked as if he knew Kurt would look
and he was just waiting for Kurt to acknowledge his presence.
It was infuriating as all hell.
Kurt immediately rolled back over to face the wall. He might have
been curious but not enough to talk to Ryan—just laying eyes on the
man who should have brought him the moons orbiting Lakone hurt
worse than Kurt would ever acknowledge, even to himself. He hoped
his continuing silence broadcasted his need to be left the hell alone.
“Oh, come on, Kurt. Talk to me. Say something. Anything. Tell
me how angry you are, because I know you have to be. I would be if I
was in your shoes. What happened to you shouldn’t happen to
anyone.”
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Ya think? Kurt wondered silently because he wasn’t about to put
his thoughts into words. Ryan didn’t deserve them.
“Kurt—”
Kurt rolled over and stood to his feet before the man could finish
whatever it was he was going to say. He ignored Ryan and walked
right out the door. His exit wasn’t as smooth as he would have liked it
to be from the spasming jolts in his body, but he blamed that on Ryan
as well. He heard Ryan swear right before the door closed. Kurt
headed down the hallway. He wasn’t really sure where he was going
but damned if he would stay in the same room with Ryan.
He knew Ryan was following him when he heard the door open
behind him and then footsteps started trailing after him down the
corridor. Kurt headed for the infirmary. Maybe he could get Rhys to
put him into isolation until they arrived on Lakone.
“I’m not giving up, Kurt.”
Kurt rolled his eyes even though Ryan couldn’t see it. The man
was like a dog with a bone. He would growl and snarl and bite until
he got what he wanted, and currently, Kurt seemed to be that bone.
He couldn’t reach sick bay fast enough.
If only Ryan had been this persistent about their mating. The man
couldn’t get away from Kurt fast enough then. The guy wouldn’t even
acknowledge Kurt on their way to Tronos. But now the man was like
a Paktillian disease, clinging to him with every step he took.
Maybe Kurt needed to commit another petty crime to remind
Ryan why the guy thought Kurt wasn’t good enough for him in the
first place. He knew it was Ryan’s guilt that made the man pursue
him, and Kurt didn’t want Ryan’s guilt.
He had wanted the man’s love. But Kurt wasn’t foolish enough to
think he would ever be good enough for that.
Ryan could shove his guilt up his ass.
“Rhys, I’m not feeling so well,” he said the second he stepped
inside the infirmary. “I think I might even be contagious. You should
put me in isolation for the sake of the crew.”
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Rhys glanced up from whatever charts he was reading over and
turned to look at Kurt. His eyebrows slid up his forehead as Ryan
walked in right behind Kurt. “What are your symptoms?”
“What will get me put in isolation?”
* * * *
Rhys wasn’t sure what was going on, but from the look on the
lieutenant’s face, Kurt’s problem wasn’t physical, but emotional.
“Can you give us a minute, Rhys?” Ryan asked as his eyes slid
from Kurt to Rhys. He caught the meaning, but Rhys wasn’t sure
what to do about it. Kurt had already been through enough, and if the
man didn’t want to be bothered, Rhys was going to make sure the
merman wasn’t bothered.
But this was the lieutenant asking.
Shit. Why was he shoved into the middle of this mess? “Let me
give Kurt an exam, and if he isn’t contagious, we’ll talk from there,
Lieutenant.”
Ryan looked as if he wanted to argue, but gave a tight nod and
walked out of the infirmary.
“Would you mind telling me why I just kicked my lieutenant
out?” Rhys asked as he waved a hand toward one of the medic exam
tables. Kurt walked over and took a seat, glancing at the wall of
charts.
“Not really.”
Rhys saw Kurt’s hand twitch and cursed Captain Orion once
more. He walked over to Kurt, wondering what he could do to defuse
the situation between his patient and the lieutenant.
“Do you have any new symptoms?” Rhys asked as he began to
examine Kurt.
“I’m contagious, Rhys. I think we already established that.”
Cheeky little brat.
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“And what made you think you were contagious?” Rhys looked
over Kurt’s hand, knowing the only thing that was going to help the
spasms was time. The effects of the Taser would soon wear off, and it
was too soon to tell if there was going to be any lasting damage. Ryan
had briefed the crew, letting them know their new assignment was to
track Captain Orion down and bring him to justice.
He also knew that Kurt had refused to press charges. That baffled
Rhys more than anything, but he was a medic, not a head shrink. Kurt
must have his reasons, and Rhys wasn’t going to pry.
“I have a growth I can’t seem to get rid of.” Kurt’s tone was flat,
deadpan.
“And where is this growth?”
Kurt’s eyes slid to the door and Rhys had his answer. The problem
was, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about that. If Kurt’s
problem had been any other person besides Ryan, he would toss the
man into isolation and be done with it. But Rhys knew that
determined glint in Ryan’s eyes. He’d seen it before, and it didn’t
bode well for Kurt.
“Just show me to isolation, Rhys. Lakone is the next planet. I
won’t be in there long.”
“Running from the lieutenant isn’t a wise move to make,” Rhys
pointed out, playing therapist when he really didn’t want to. “Just talk
to him. I’m sure whatever he wants to talk about isn’t that bad.”
Kurt’s mouth set into thin lines as he glanced down at his hand.
“Thanks for not helping, Rhys.” The man scooted from the table and
walked out.
Rhys hadn’t a clue what was going on between Ryan and Kurt,
and he wanted no part of it. He had his own dark past to wallow in.
Ryan was a force to be reckoned with, and getting in the man’s way
when he had his sights set on something, or someone, wasn’t wise to
Rhys’s health. This wasn’t any of his business and he wasn’t going to
get involved.
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He shrugged the situation away and went back to work. Let those
two work it out themselves.
* * * *
Ryan rubbed his temples as a headache began to throb at the back
of his skull. Trying to talk to Kurt was proving almost impossible.
The man wouldn’t give him the time of day.
He honestly didn’t blame the Lakonian. What Captain Orion had
done was sadistic, but not unheard of. There were many out there that
enjoyed torturing for pleasure. But Ryan wasn’t one of them. He used
various means to extract information from a person, but he never
preyed on the weak.
And that was exactly what Orion had done.
Ryan would never understand men like Orion. He may be a
trained assassin, but he had a code of honor he lived by. Women,
children, and the weak were never on his radar.
Hearing the infirmary doors swoosh open, Ryan looked up to see
Kurt walking out. Gods, the man was so damn gorgeous. Ryan gritted
his teeth when he saw that Kurt’s movements were a bit jerky from
the abuse he had suffered. A tight grip clenched Ryan’s gut as he
watched Kurt walk past him, looking straight ahead as if he weren’t
even there.
Ryan wanted to make things up to Kurt, true, but there was just
something about the man that drew Ryan to the slim guy every time
he saw Kurt. It was strange, and Ryan didn’t understand why this kept
happening, but he knew he couldn’t let things go the way they were
between them.
“Why can’t I stop thinking about you?” Ryan asked as he watched
Kurt walk down the corridor. “It’s like some invisible string keeps
yanking on me, and you control the other end.”
Kurt stopped walking, his head turning toward Ryan. A bitter
laugh left Kurt’s lips and then his handsome features were as stoic as
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79
his rigid stance. “Go to hell, Lieutenant Ryan Devries of the Elite
Force.” Kurt’s tone was flat, blank, as if he had no emotions
whatsoever.
Ryan pushed to his feet, stalking down the corridor, stopping an
inch from Kurt. There was the slightest change in Kurt’s expression,
the tiniest fracture, before it was sealed up again, his face an
impenetrable mask.
Betrayal.
That’s what Ryan had caught in Kurt’s eyes. Kurt’s stance was
screaming back off. Ryan could see it in the way Kurt almost cringed
back from him. It was the subtlest move, but he had seen it
nonetheless. Everything about the merman said he didn’t want Ryan
anywhere near him, but the eyes…Kurt’s blue eyes rolled and crashed
like waves in the ocean on Lakone, crying out for answers, for
someone to take away the pain he kept buried deep down inside.
Ryan was an expert at reading what other people weren’t saying.
That was what made him so good at what he did. Kurt’s eyes were
broadcasting so loudly that Ryan was having a hard time sifting
through all of the emotions he was seeing.
“If that’s what you want,” Ryan said, feeling a vibration between
them that he had never felt before or maybe hadn’t paid attention to.
But he felt it like a hand running over fur—soft, familiar-like, and
very light. Ryan cocked his head, studying Kurt for a moment before
he continued. “But first you are going to talk to me, and then I’ll go
wherever you want me to go.”
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Chapter Seven
Ryan seemed to be waiting for Kurt’s reply, challenging him to go
through with it and speak with him. Kurt had a lot he wanted to say to
Ryan but he seriously doubted the man wanted to hear it. Kurt
swallowed hard, lifted his chin, and boldly met Ryan’s gaze.
“I’d ask for your promise that you’ll go away after we talk but we
both know how easily you lie,” Kurt said, with easy defiance. His
nose crinkled up in a disgusted gesture as he looked Ryan up and
down. “I certainly know better than to believe anything that comes
out of your mouth.”
“Kurt!” There was a critical tone in Ryan’s voice. He pushed his
hand through his dark hair, ruffling the ends, and then spun around to
pace. “Damn it, Kurt, I’m not lying to you.”
“Your mouth is open,” Kurt replied sharply, wanting to hurt Ryan
just as much as the man had hurt him. It was petty, but Kurt didn’t
give a shit at the moment.
Ryan stiffened as if hit. A shadow of annoyance crossed his face.
“You’re just not going to be reasonable about this, are you?”
Kurt’s eyebrows shot up. “Reasonable?” he snapped. “You lie to
me, use me, and then sell me to the highest bidder, only to let me be
tortured for something I didn’t do, and you expect me to be
reasonable?” Kurt clenched his hands, trying to keep from striking out
at Ryan. His temper flared, drawing a red haze of anger over anything
else he might have been feeling. “Fuck you, Ryan.”
“You said that before,” Ryan replied with distinct mockery. “Keep
it up, and I just might take you up on your offer.”
Kurt’s jaw dropped.
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Seriously? Ryan thought that was an offer? Was the man an idiot
as well as a liar? Kurt snapped his mouth shut and spun on his heels.
He started to storm down the corridor until he felt a hand on his arm.
He turned and looked, and then slowly raised his eyes to glare at
Ryan. “Don’t touch me,” he said with a growl as he jerked his arm out
of Ryan’s grasp. “You lost that right when you sold me.”
“I didn’t sell you!” Ryan snapped as his face darkened. “I was
doing my job.”
“And that’s supposed to make it all better?” Kurt narrowed his
eyes. “Bully for you. Maybe you’ll get another gold cluster for your
uniform.”
Kurt gasped when he was suddenly shoved against the bulkhead,
Ryan’s firm body pressed against him. Images of Captain Orion doing
the very same thing before tasering him over and over again suddenly
filled his head and Kurt started shaking uncontrollably.
“Please,” he whispered as he turned his head to one side.
Remembered agony fought with fear as he trembled. “I’ll…I’ll tell
you whatever you want. Just don’t hurt me anymore.”
“Kurt.”
Tears sprang to Kurt’s eyes when he felt a large hand grip his
chin. When his face was turned, Kurt kept his eyes downcast. Captain
Orion hated it when Kurt looked the man in the face. He said that
Kurt didn’t deserve that privilege, that he was a criminal, lower than
dirt. He hadn’t earned the right to look an Elite Force officer in the
face.
“Baby, please look at me.”
Oh, hell no. Kurt had learned his lessons from Captain Orion well.
He doubted he would ever forget. And Ryan was an Elite Force
officer.
“What in the hell did he do to you?” The words were whispered so
softly that Kurt almost didn’t hear them, even with Ryan standing
right in front of him. He seriously doubted he was supposed to hear
them. Ryan seemed to be talking to himself.
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“You were never supposed to be hurt, Kurt. I swear. I told
Cheyenne to tell the interrogator to take good care of you because I
wanted them to go easy on you, not torture you. I wanted to make
sure you were cared for.”
That fucking backfired!
Kurt peeked up at Ryan through his long eyelashes. The man
sounded sincere. He looked sincere. Still, Kurt didn’t think he could
believe a word he said. Ryan had lied to him too many times.
“I don’t believe you.”
“I know.” And he sounded so sad about that.
Kurt flinched when Ryan raised his hand. Ryan paused for a
moment, as if assessing Kurt’s reaction, and then slowly brought his
hand up to rest against Kurt’s cheek. Kurt almost whimpered when he
felt Ryan’s warm skin press against him. He had dreamed for so long
of feeling his mate’s gentle touch and here it was, but it was much too
late.
“I’d like to explain everything to you, Kurt, if you’ll let me. After
that, if you still want me to go away, I will. I’ll even instruct my crew
to take you wherever you want and you will never have to see me
again.”
Kurt blinked back the tears that the thought of never seeing Ryan
again brought him, and then focused his gaze. He had to stand strong
against the allure of his mate. He had been screaming for Ryan to
leave him alone since Tronos, but now that the man was giving him
what he wanted, Kurt felt an even deeper loss. He hated Ryan, and yet
he couldn’t deny that he cared for him deeply, maybe even loved him.
Damn, he was so screwed up in the head right now.
“Promise?”
Ryan’s lips twisted into a rueful smile. He reached over Kurt’s
head and hit the com-link. “Vane, I’m giving you a standing order.
Kurt Ackerman is to be taken wherever he wants no matter what
anyone else says, even me. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Lieutenant.”
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Ryan disconnected the com-link and then stared down at Kurt in
waiting silence. “Now, will you listen to me?”
Kurt gave Ryan a grudging nod. He couldn’t think of a damn
thing that Ryan could say that would change the situation but if the
man was willing to give his crew a standing order to take Kurt home,
then Kurt could listen for a few minutes. He’d just have to remember
that no matter how much he wanted Ryan, the man was most likely
lying.
When Ryan turned on his heel and strode down the corridor, Kurt
pushed away from the bulkhead and followed after him, at a much
slower pace. He needed to have a little room between him and his
mate.
When they reached Ryan’s quarters, which Kurt realized were
directly across the hall from his, Ryan walked right in. Kurt paused at
the entrance. Somehow, he couldn’t seem to take that last step into the
large room. Kurt knew his reaction came from his fear of being alone
with Ryan. He just didn’t know if that fear came from being alone
with Ryan, the Elite Force officer, or Ryan, his mate.
Ryan’s mouth dipped into an uneven frown as he turned to regard
Kurt. “Would it make you feel better if I stayed on the far side of the
room?”
When Kurt didn’t answer, Ryan’s face changed and became
almost somber as he walked across the room and sat in a chair as far
away from the door as he could get. He waved his hand toward the
large platform couch near the door.
“Sit down, Kurt.”
Kurt swallowed to give some moisture to his dry throat and then
stepped into the room. He almost jumped when the door swooshed
closed behind him, spinning around to stare at it. He felt his face flush
with color as he turned away from the door and heard Ryan’s deep
sigh.
Yeah, he was jumpy. So the fuck what? Ryan would be, too, if he
had spent days on end being tortured by Captain Orion.
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Kurt stepped over to the platform couch and sat down. He drew
his knees up and hugged them to his chest, moving the large couch
pillows around him until he had created a nest of sorts. It made him
feel more secure to be surrounded by things after sitting in a room
with a single chair for so long.
“My name is Lieutenant Ryan Devries. I am assigned as one of
Admiral Jordan Monroe’s personal guards. I was sent an on
undercover mission on Beta Five about six months ago. That’s where
we met.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
Kurt nodded.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this but…I was investigating a missing
shipment of parts for the PS50 phasers that were still in the testing
stages. We had received intel that the shipment was on its way to a
seller at the Drop in the Bucket bar. I was sent undercover as the
bartender to watch for the sale to go down. I was supposed to take
down both the seller and the buyer and bring them in.”
“Did you?” Kurt asked, getting drawn into the story Ryan was
telling, but not enough to let the man get any closer. It was an
interesting tale, though.
“No.” Ryan chuckled uneasily. “I was sort of kidnapped by the
crew of the Lady Blue before I could make an arrest.”
Kurt’s eyes bugged. “You were kidnapped?”
“Let’s just say it was less of a kidnapping and more of a strong
suggestion. The Lady Blue crew were trying to clear their names but
they were being hunted by the Elite Force. Someone inside our
military was using them to try and assassinate General Merrick. I got
caught in the middle of it and ended up on the Lady Blue.”
Realization dawned on Kurt and brought with it an uncertainty
that he wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with. Nervously, he
moistened his lips. “That’s why you didn’t say good-bye?” he asked
in a small voice.
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Ryan folded his hands together, dangling them between his legs,
and stared down at them. “Kurt, you were an unexpected surprise.”
Kurt’s eyebrows pulled down in an affronted frown. His curled his
fingers into the pillows around him as he gazed at the man who still
held Kurt’s heart, even if he didn’t want him to. Ryan would have
been everything Kurt would have wanted in a mate, but it turned out
the man was nothing more than a user and betrayer.
“Well, what in the hell does that mean?” Kurt snapped.
Ryan shot Kurt a twisted smile. Oddly enough, it only made him
seem more handsome than Kurt already thought he was. Kurt’s heart
ached at the sight, and he wished to the heavens that he could trust
Ryan with his fears, his pain, and his heart, but the man had proven to
be less than trustworthy when it came to Kurt.
“I never thought I’d meet someone like you,” Ryan said, “and
certainly not while I was undercover.”
“Gee, so sorry I made my presence known,” Kurt quipped,
frowning deeply.
“I’m not. You were very unexpected but not unwelcome.” Ryan’s
mouth took on an unpleasant twist. “I’m just sorry that things turned
out like they did.”
There was a spark of some indefinable emotion in Ryan’s eyes.
That combined with Ryan’s words were enough to give Kurt pause.
But he still had questions.
“Why did you sell me?” Kurt whispered, almost afraid to hear the
answer.
“I didn’t sell you, Kurt. I apprehended you and brought you in for
questioning, nothing more. What happened to you on Tronos was
never supposed to happen.”
“What did you think was going to happen to me once you turned
me in?”
Ryan’s expression grew grim. “I don’t know why you were on
that list, Kurt. Only you and General Merrick know that. I was simply
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told to apprehend the people on that list and bring them in for
questioning. You were not supposed to be tortured.”
Kurt snorted. Like he believed that.
“I’m serious, Kurt.” Kurt cringed back into the pillows when
Ryan jumped to his feet and started pacing. “I thought they would
simply question you, although what you could know, I have no idea,
but they were just supposed to question you. You’d do a little time for
the crimes you’ve committed and be released and we could—”
Kurt’s eyebrows shot up when Ryan suddenly stopped talking and
sat down again. “You thought we could what?”
Ryan slumped in his chair, tilting his head back to stare at the
ceiling. “Elite Force officers are not allowed to associate with known
criminals. I thought that if you got your name cleared we could…”
Ryan shrugged as he lowered his head and looked across the room at
Kurt. His expression was unreadable, his blue eyes dark with that
unknown emotion. “I thought we could continue to see each other.”
Kurt opened his mouth to tell Ryan that that was never going to
happen but he couldn’t seem to utter the words. What came out of his
mouth instead surprised him. “You really wanted us to continue to see
each other?”
Ryan’s eyes took on a curious deep longing. “Yeah, I did.”
“Then why did you never acknowledge that we were mates?”
* * * *
Ryan felt as if his universe had just imploded as he stared slack-
jawed at Kurt. “We’re mates? How—” He closed his mouth, his
headache amplifying as the implications of what Kurt had just told
him sunk in.
…Mates.
“Wait,” Kurt said as he sat up a little straighter. “You didn’t
know? How could you not know?”
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“I’m human, Kurt. How was I supposed to know that we are…”
The rug was being pulled from under Ryan’s feet as he looked at Kurt
in a whole new light. Mates. There was an attraction to the Lakonian
that Ryan couldn’t and wouldn’t deny, but he never thought—“Oh,
hell.”
“Thanks for looking like you’re going to be sick from finding out
that we are mates, Lieutenant Devries.”
Ryan could not only see the hurt in Kurt’s eyes, but it was coming
off of the man in waves. “I just never knew, Kurt. Why didn’t you tell
me the night we slept together?”
One small laugh slipped from Kurt’s lips, but it wasn’t humorous.
“I never thought you would up and disappear, Ryan. I thought you
would be back, that we shared something special together.”
“We did…er…do.”
“And that’s why you sold me?”
“I didn’t sell you!” Ryan was becoming extremely frustrated with
Kurt repeating that accusation over and over again. “No credits were
given to me, Kurt. I was doing my job. Why can’t you see that?”
“Let me toss you into a fucking room with Captain Orion and see
how you fare!” Kurt exploded. Ryan was glad Kurt was finally
talking to him, and hated the pain etched across Kurt’s face at the
same time. “Let me shove you into a wall and stab you with that damn
stick. I felt like I was dying for days on end. He not only physically
tortured me, but did his very best to strip away every last scrap of
humanity in me.”
Ryan quickly crossed the room when Kurt began to cry. He
couldn’t take it. Kurt cringed back, but Ryan scooped the man into his
arms nonetheless. Kurt was hurting, which meant so was Ryan. This
man was his mate, a discovery that shocked him, but still true.
“Put me down,” Kurt cried.
“Shhh,” Ryan said as he sat on the low platform couch and petted
his mate, holding him close. “I never thought you would be tortured,
Kurt. Never in a million years, or I would have never taken you in.”
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Ryan had believed he’d survived real torture in his past, but he
was wrong as he stared down into Kurt’s eyes. The pain and suffering
was evident as Kurt looked at Ryan in doubt and fear. Those two
emotions were something Ryan didn’t want to ever see in Kurt’s blue
eyes when they were trained on him.
He knew what mates were. Hell, he’d witnessed the loving
devotion between mates when he was on board the Lady Blue. It was
something Ryan had yearned for himself. He just never thought he
had already found it and had let it go.
And he wasn’t even aware of that fact.
“So, we’re mates, huh?” Ryan asked as he tucked a few pillows
under Kurt’s back, trying his best to make his mate as comfortable as
possible. Just saying that word, even in his head, was equally scary
and exhilarating.
Kurt nodded.
“What should I know about being mated to a Lakonian?” he
asked. He knew the people, but he didn’t know what happened
between mated Lakonians.
Kurt was staring at the far wall, not moving, and not saying a
word. If his mate needed time, Ryan would give it to him. That didn’t
mean he had to let the merman go. He liked feeling Kurt’s warm,
welcome weight in his arms. It felt natural, good, and like something
he wanted much more of from here on out. Kurt seemed to fit into the
curve of Ryan’s body perfectly, as if the slimmer man was made to be
there. Ryan tentatively reached up and brushed the back of his
knuckles over Kurt’s smooth cheek.
Kurt’s eyes snapped up to his, and Ryan knew that all he was
going to get from the man right now was maybe some petting. He
wanted to claim Kurt once more, to keep the man in his bed and in his
arms, safe where he belonged.
He didn’t know that much about Kurt, and that bothered Ryan. He
didn’t know where Kurt came from—besides Lakone—what his
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upbringing was like, or who raised the man. He didn’t know how Kurt
survived from day to day, or if he was in trouble at this very moment.
Ryan wanted to know it all. He wanted that close intimacy
between mates that he had witnessed on the Lady Blue. True, he was
a trained assassin, personal guard to Admiral Monroe, and an Elite
Force lieutenant. But his most important job now was being Kurt’s
mate, protecting the man from all known and unknown enemies.
And Ryan silently promised himself that this job he would excel
at.
“Are you hungry, Kurt?” Ryan asked. When he didn’t get an
answer, he glanced down to see Kurt fast asleep in his arms. Ryan
smiled. The guy was handsome awake and asleep, something Ryan
remembered from the one night they shared together. He carefully
stood, taking Kurt to his bed. He laid Kurt down on his side and
tucked the blankets in around him.
Once his mate was taken care of, Ryan made his way to the bridge
of the Onyx. He glanced around on his walk, seeing that the vessel
needed even more repairs than the Lady Blue had needed on her worst
day.
What in the hell did Vane do with the money the Federation paid
him? The Onyx should have been in top performing shape. Instead,
there were wires sticking out from the bulkhead, missing grates in the
floor, enabling a person to fall straight down into the cargo bay, and
there were so many miscellaneous pieces of metal lying about that
Ryan prayed the ship wasn’t missing any vital pieces to run
efficiently.
“Where are we headed?” Vane asked as Ryan stepped onto the
bridge.
“Right now, stay our course. Kurt is asleep.” Ryan stared out into
the galaxy, watching the stars pass them by as he thought about being
mated to Kurt. Captain Orion was going to pay for what he had done
to Kurt, and any other victim the man had tortured that the Elite Force
may not be aware of.
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“We have company,” Vane announced, bringing Ryan out of his
morose thoughts.
He glanced up at the viewing screen to see a Crunk Cargo ship
approaching.
“Hail them and let the junk dealers know that we’re not
interested.” Ryan gave the order as he took a seat in one of the chairs.
The bridge wasn’t as clean as an Elite Force Battle Battalion, but
Ryan didn’t give a shit. He had a job to do, and using the Onyx didn’t
bother him—although Vane needed a serious cleaning crew on this
ship.
“Lieutenant, they’re not answering my call,” August Rycker said.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Scan their ship for life forms.”
“I hate to tell you this,” Vane said as he turned toward Ryan, “but
that’s one of the parts you brought me. Scans are down.”
“We don’t have scans?” Ryan asked.
“No, this isn’t a battalion. I don’t get prompt service like the Elite
Force ships do. I’m on my own.”
“Why didn’t you just hire someone to do the repairs?” Ryan
asked. Not having working scanners was not only an annoyance, but
dangerous. There was no telling who or what was on board the cargo
ship. There could be one hundred men waiting to overtake the Onyx,
or everyone could be dead from some sort of disease. It was suicide to
board a ship without scanning it first.
“Because,” Vane said with a slight growl, “if the Federation paid
me what I’m worth, I’d have this baby up and running with
everything in working order. Those cheap bastards give me minimum
pay and dare me to argue.”
Ryan gaped at Vane. He had no idea that Vane wasn’t paid his
weight in gold. The Onyx had helped out more Elite Force officers
than Ryan could count. Vane was always ready to fly out on missions
and do whatever it took to get the job done.
“Then why in hell do you still contract out to them?”
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91
“Think about that question, Lieutenant. The only other work I
could find would be black market. Do you really think I want to have
you hunt me down? I may be crazy, but I’m not insane. I’ll take my
chances with you rather than against you.”
Vane had a point, but it still sucked that the man wasn’t paid what
he was worth. Maybe he could have a talk with General Merrick
about upping Vane’s pay. There had to be some way to renegotiate
the man’s contract.
“We still need to find out why the cargo ship isn’t responding to
our hails.”
“Why should we care?” August asked. “They’re just a cargo ship
hauling scrap and junk.”
Ryan turned toward the communication specialist. “Because, they
are floating dead in space, August.”
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Chapter Eight
Kurt looked around him as his eyes slowly opened. It took a
second for him to remember that he was no longer on Tronos being
tortured, but in Ryan’s sleeping quarters. But where was Ryan? Kurt
glanced around as he sat up, noticing that he was alone.
“Reverse angle on screen. I want to see if anyone is sneaking up
behind us.”
Kurt heard the disembodied voice and realized that he could hear
the men on the bridge. All channels must be open, which meant they
were in trouble. Kurt slid from the bed and hurried from Ryan’s room.
He wasn’t sure if he would be allowed on the bridge, but if he was
going to die, he wanted to know why he was dying.
“Shit!” Kurt shouted as he leaned into the bulkhead. He had
kicked a piece of metal jutting out from the wall. This place was a
damn mess. For an Elite ship, it sure as hell was messy. He wiggled
his foot until the soreness abated and then continued to make his way
to the bridge.
After losing his way a few times, Kurt finally found himself
standing outside the doors. He really didn’t know the other crew
members. Well, he had talked with Rhys, and Cheyenne was the one
that had escorted him to his torturer. But after what Ryan had told
him, Kurt had a feeling Cheyenne had been just as unaware as Ryan
about Captain Orion’s intentions.
But it still didn’t make going onto the bridge any easier.
Kurt was considering turning around and losing himself again
until he found Ryan’s sleeping quarters but the door swooshed open
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93
and Rhys stepped out. The man looked frazzled as hell as he glanced
back toward the bridge.
“Ryan is in there if you’re looking for him.” And then Rhys
walked away.
When Kurt looked back at the bridge, he saw Ryan standing there
watching him. The man gave no indication if he wanted Kurt on the
bridge or not. He decided to go back to Ryan’s room until a small
smile played at the corner of Ryan’s lips.
“You can come in.”
Ryan turned back around to face the screen, leaving Kurt to look
around on his own. There was a man sitting off to the right, staring at
Kurt with nonexpressive eyes. It was as if he were an ancient predator
lurking in a tree, watching his prey.
Kurt quickly glanced away. He’d had enough of those watchful
glares to last him a lifetime.
“Arm our phasers and put them on ready status, Vane,” Ryan said
as he looked down at the pilot. “And please don’t tell me that’s on the
fritz as well.”
“Nope,” Vane answered. “If everything else fails, I always have
firepower.”
“Now that’s what I like to hear,” the man who had been giving
Kurt the watchful eye stated with satisfaction.
“I’m not sure why the cargo ship isn’t answering, and my gut tells
me that this is more than a failed engine. Keep a look out,” Ryan said
as he glanced at another man who Kurt hadn’t even noticed on the
bridge. The man was hailing the other ship, and Kurt could only guess
the guy was some sort of communication specialist.
“Still nothing,” the man said.
“Damn it,” Ryan cursed. “Hail the closest Elite Force ship. I need
that cargo vessel scanned before anyone boards it.”
“What’s wrong?” Kurt asked and then swallowed hard when
every single man on the bridge looked in his direction. He wanted to
crawl under a console panel and hide. These were not the friendliest-
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looking men. If he didn’t know Ryan, the guy would be the scariest of
them all. The Elite Force officer looked to be in his element as he
commanded everyone on the bridge. Ryan looked like he was born to
be a leader.
“There is a Crunk Cargo ship dead in the water off our starboard
bow. No one is answering our hails.”
Kurt was shocked Ryan told him what was happening. He was
expecting the man to tell him to go back to his quarters and get some
rest. Kurt inched a little closer to Ryan, trying his best to see what
was going on. Kurt had always loved being inside of large spaceships.
They fascinated him. He just never had the body or mindset to join
the academy. He wasn’t physically strong like the Elite Force cadets,
and he didn’t have the brutality that seemed commonplace with the
men.
“What should we do, Lieutenant?”
“Leave a marker,” Ryan said. “Elite Force should pick it up and
come to the rescue. I’m not boarding any ship I can’t scan first.”
Kurt glanced over just in time to see the man hit a button on his
console.
“Marker away.”
“August, send out an alert on all frequencies that there’s a dead
ship in the water. Give the marker code. If there’s someone out there
listening, hopefully they can help.”
“Lieutenant, I think there is someone out there and they are
coming up behind us, moving very fast.”
“On screen,” Ryan barked out.
When Ryan turned to look at the screen, Kurt scooted closer. As
much animosity as he held for Ryan, Kurt felt safer with him at the
moment. He even felt better when Ryan settled his hand in the middle
of Kurt’s back.
“That’s a Nine Craft,” Kurt whispered when he saw the large
black market privateer ship that came on the screen.
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Ryan frowned down at him. “How do you know what a Nine Craft
is?”
Kurt shrugged. “I’ve seen them around.”
He wasn’t about to tell Ryan exactly where he had seen one or
how he knew about them. While he believed that Ryan didn’t mean
for him to get hurt, he didn’t want to get turned over to the Elite Force
for another interrogation. He didn’t think he’d survive it a second
time.
“Fuck, we could really use those scanners right about now.”
“They’re firing!” the man named August bellowed.
“Brace for impact!” Ryan shouted.
Kurt barely had time to register the words before he was enfolded
in Ryan’s arms and pulled down to the floor. Just about the time the
first shot blasted past the ship, Kurt’s fear hit him. He whimpered as
he grabbed at Ryan’s arms.
“I’ve got you, baby,” Ryan whispered into his ear.
Kurt held his breath, waiting for the ship to shake apart as it was
shot, but nothing happened. He heard the shot but he didn’t feel it hit.
Kurt glanced up at Ryan. “What happened?”
Ryan glanced across the room. “Cheyenne?”
“I think they’re just trying to get our attention, Lieutenant,”
Cheyenne replied. “That shot skimmed right over the top of us, close
enough to shave the hair off our balls but not damage the ship.”
“Get us the hell out of here, Vane,” Ryan shouted as he stood and
pulled Kurt up beside him. Kurt kept a hold of Ryan when he felt the
ship start to move. He was really starting to not like this whole flying-
through-space thing.
“They’re giving chase, Lieutenant,” Cheyenne said, “accelerating
fast.”
“Go to velocity nine, warp two,” Ryan ordered.
“We’ll be pushing our engines well beyond safety limits if we do
that, Lieutenant.”
“Vane, can this hunk of junk handle that?”
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Vane shrugged. “Got me.”
“Damn! If you can’t tell me if this ship isn’t in shape to fight, then
we have a problem,” Ryan said. “Hail them and see if we can find out
what’s going on.”
“Communication only goes one way, Lieutenant. We can see them
but they can’t see us.”
Ryan grinned. “Even better.”
Kurt cringed when a familiar face came on screen. It was the last
person he had expected to see, but the Big Boss’s face was
unmistakable. It was lined with the years of excessive living and
cruelty that the man enjoyed. He didn’t look happy, either, and that
was never a good thing.
“This is the Onyx,” Ryan began, his voice taking on the tone of a
true lieutenant. Kurt was fascinated and a bit frightened at the same
time. “A vessel contracted out by the Federation of United Planets.
Identify yourself and explain why you are firing at us.”
The Big Boss didn’t look the least bit detoured by the knowledge
that he was firing at Elite Force officers. If anything, he looked
angrier. Kurt was just glad that the Big Boss couldn’t see him.
“You have Kurt Ackerman aboard?”
Ryan had a ready answer, and Kurt was both relieved and
impressed, and incredibly surprised. “Who we have aboard is no
concern of yours. Tell me why you are firing at us.”
The Big Boss sat forward in his captain’s chair, glowering at
Ryan, and making Kurt almost wet himself. The Lakonian was truly
scary. The gills under his ears had come out and were flapping in
indignation, as if Ryan was the one that was offending.
“Kurt has something that belongs to me. I want it back.”
Kurt thought Ryan would turn to look at him, but he stared at the
screen, unwavering. “Then file a complaint with the Federation of
United Planets High Council. Until then, cease and desist. This will
be your only warning.”
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Kurt knew Ryan was bluffing from the conversation the man had
just had with the pilot. They weren’t capable of fighting a battle right
now, not with this hunk of metal having so many damn problems. He
prayed the Big Boss would leave, but he had a strong feeling that was
wishful thinking. He knew he was right when the Big Boss’s eyebrow
quirked up.
Damn.
“I will give you one hour to return what belongs to me, and then I
will blow your ship apart.” The Big Boss’s eyes narrowed, a hard, evil
glint in his beady eyes. Kurt swallowed hard, seeing hours of torture
before his eventual death shining in the Big Boss’s eyes.
The screen went dead.
“Should I hail an Elite Force ship?” August asked.
“No,” Ryan replied as he scratched his chin, his features a perfect
example of just how handsome a human male could be. Kurt was
starting to feel his libido rise, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it.
It wasn’t like Ryan had pledged his undying love.
And Kurt was still spasming from his little forced vacation on
Tronos.
Now that he knew the truth about Ryan, and what had happened
the night after they slept together, he didn’t hate the man as much as
he was confused by him. Even finding out that Ryan hadn’t sold him
to the enemy didn’t help in his flourishing needs.
“This is our mission. General Merrick wanted it low-key. He
doesn’t want everyone knowing that we are on the hunt for the people
on our list. Engage shields while I have a talk with Kurt.”
Oh hell.
Ryan looked even more pissed than the Big Boss. Kurt’s
flourishing erection dwindled as he glanced at the dead screen and
then Ryan. The man was towering, masculine, and intimidating as hell
when he was in his lieutenant role. Kurt much preferred Ryan in his
lover role. The man was a lot sexier when he was gazing at Kurt with
lust rather than anger.
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Kurt didn’t say a word as Ryan escorted him from the bridge. His
mate didn’t say anything until they reached Ryan’s quarters. Kurt bit
his bottom lip and shifted from foot to foot uneasily. He just knew his
mate was going to blow up at him. He hoped Ryan wasn’t one of
those guys that hit when they were angry.
“Okay,” Ryan said as the door closed behind him, sealing the two
of them in the room. “Who is he and why is he after you?”
Wow. Ryan wasn’t yelling. He was asking questions as if they
were a team trying to come up with a plan. Kurt was a little thrown
off by this.
“I just know him as the Big Boss.”
“What do you have of his and why does he want it back so
badly?”
“I’m not sure what it is. I was doing courier work before you
arrested me. I was given a knapsack and told to deliver it to some guy.
But when I showed up, the man was dead and I was running for my
life,” he hurriedly answered.
“Do you still have the knapsack?” Ryan asked.
Kurt nodded quickly and walked out of Ryan’s quarters and into
his. He opened a small cupboard and pulled the dingy bag from its
hiding place. He turned, staring at Ryan who had followed him and
trying to convey to his mate that he hadn’t been trying to do anything
illegal. It was a courier’s job. Something legit. But his luck had made
sure that even that job had gone wrong.
Ryan didn’t grab the bag from him. He didn’t even hold out his
hand. He just stood there, waiting. Kurt stepped forward and held the
bag out to Ryan. “I unwrapped the package but I don’t know what it
is. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Kurt held his breath. Ryan was looking at him really strangely as
he stood there. “What?” he asked as he felt his heart picking up its
pace. He’d never seen Ryan look at him that way before, and Kurt
wasn’t sure what was going on in the man’s mind.
“You really were trying to go legit, weren’t you?”
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Kurt shoved the bag at Ryan. “I don’t get into trouble on purpose,
Lieutenant. It just happens to find me at every turn.” The bitterness in
his tone could be heard loud and clear, even in his own ears. He didn’t
like Ryan looking at him like a big-time criminal. Kurt had only tried
to survive. He hadn’t wanted to get caught up in all of this.
Damn it, all he had been trying to do was get enough credits to
eat.
Ryan took the bag and opened it, pulling the contents out. He
examined the small metallic object, turning it over in his hand. But
Kurt could see Ryan stealing furtive glances his way.
Kurt sighed. “I didn’t mean to bite your head off.”
“I’m not your enemy, Kurt. I just want you to walk the straight
and narrow so we can have a chance together,” Ryan said softly. “I
really want this to work between us.”
Kurt inhaled sharply as Ryan cupped his face, his dark blue eyes
intensifying as he gazed at Kurt. He had never thought Ryan would
ever touch him again. And for a moment there, Kurt hadn’t wanted
Ryan to ever come near him in this lifetime.
But he knew the truth now. He knew that Ryan hadn’t abandoned
him, or turned him over to be tortured. It was unforeseen
circumstances, and Kurt’s really bad luck, that had taken Ryan away,
and had Kurt tortured.
Kurt stood frozen to the spot as Ryan dipped his head and took
Kurt’s lips in the gentlest of kisses, making Kurt swoon to feel those
soft lips on his again. Ryan’s masculine scent filled him, surrounded
him, and threatened to drown Kurt in its heady fragrance.
Ryan’s tongue probed at Kurt’s lips, demanding entrance, and
Kurt willingly opened. Ryan gave a small growl as he pulled Kurt
closer in his arms. Oh, gods, the man was so damn all-consuming.
Kurt whimpered as he grabbed Ryan’s forearms, wanting closer to the
man’s strong, masculine body, wanting so much more.
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When Ryan pulled back, Kurt wanted to scream in protest. “My
mate,” Ryan said and then the sexiest lopsided grin tugged at his kiss-
swollen lips. “I like that.”
“You do?” Kurt asked, still feeling the drugging effects of Ryan’s
kiss. His lips tingled, his body was hard, and Kurt was ready for
whatever Ryan wanted to do to him. He couldn’t help how he felt.
This was his mate holding him, smiling at Kurt like he was the only
man in the universe. He could no more deny Ryan than he could deny
breathing.
He had gone from yearning for Ryan, to being arrested by the
man, to being tortured, and then to hating the lieutenant. Kurt’s head
was spinning at the events that were taking place too damn quickly in
his life. Kurt was having a hard time dealing with his conflicting
emotions.
Ryan was his mate.
True.
But that didn’t mean instant love. Although Kurt would be a liar if
he denied his deep-rooted feelings toward Ryan.
Shit, was his life ever going to be easy? It seemed to become more
and more complicated every damn day.
“Yes, Kurt. I do.” Ryan dipped his head for another kiss, but a
blaring noise stopped the kiss from happening. Kurt wanted to blast
the intercom with a damn phaser!
“I think they lied about an hour,” Vane’s voice announced from
the communication intercom speakers overhead. “They are powering
up their phasers, Lieutenant.”
“Shit,” Ryan cursed. “I’m on my way.”
“I don’t know what that thing is,” Kurt said as he pointed to the
small device in Ryan’s hand, “but give it to Big Boss, Ryan. He isn’t
someone to play with.”
Ryan gave him a rueful smile as he released Kurt and stepped
back. “Neither am I.”
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The heated look was only going to delay Ryan getting to the
bridge, because Kurt was five seconds away from jumping the man’s
bones.
* * * *
Ryan wanted nothing more than to reacquaint himself with his
mate, but it seemed until he complied with the enemy ship, or blew it
out of space, his raging hard-on was going to have to wait.
And that downright pissed him off.
He fingered the small device in his hand, looking at it as he
walked from Kurt’s sleeping quarters to the bridge. It looked to be
some sort of memory disc. If it was, Ryan wasn’t going to hand it
over until he viewed exactly what was on it. This Big Boss character
was going through a lot of trouble to get it back, including threatening
an Elite Force crew.
That only drove Ryan’s curiosity higher.
“August, can you find out what’s on this disc?” Ryan asked as he
held up the tiny device.
“That all depends on how well it’s encrypted,” August answered
as he took the device from Ryan’s hand.
“So you may not be able to find out?”
“I didn’t say I couldn’t crack the codes.” August nearly growled.
“It just may take me a little longer.”
“How long do we have?” Ryan asked Vane.
“We were supposed to have thirty more minutes, but our guests
are growing impatient.”
“You have twenty minutes, August, to tell me what that piece of
shit is after.”
“I only need ten,” August said in a cocky tone that made Ryan
grin.
He knew he picked the right team. If anyone could find out what
was on that disc, it was August. The man was still considered a cadet,
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and kept to himself, but Ryan knew that August had scored so high on
the technological tests that he had blown the old high score out of the
water.
He had a feeling he had a genius on his hands, but knew from the
man’s sour disposition that August didn’t like to acknowledge his
intelligence, or at least how high it really ran. It was none of Ryan’s
business why the man hid behind a tough exterior, as long as he did
his job.
“Is there anything I can do?” Kurt asked as he walked onto the
bridge, looking around in fascination and with a nervous jerk to his
head. Ryan wanted to kill Orion for what he had done to the
Lakonian. Kurt was still jerky from the baton, but it seemed to be
lessening.
“Can you clear away some of this clutter from the bridge?” Ryan
asked. He knew putting Kurt to work would make the man feel useful,
and give him something to do besides worry.
And Ryan wanted Kurt to have a job aboard the Onyx because he
didn’t plan on letting his mate go. General Merrick had given Ryan an
assignment to fulfill, but he had said nothing about who was on board
the ship with him.
Ryan planned on making Kurt a permanent fixture around here.
Kurt nodded, his head flopping forward an extra couple of times
as if Kurt couldn’t control it. When he finally stopped nodding, his
lips were pressed into a thin line. “I can do that.”
“Hey,” Vane protested when Kurt started moving pieces of junk to
the corner of the bridge. “It’s organized clutter. I know where
everything is.”
“And I’ll let you know where everything is when I’m done,” Kurt
countered with a small wavering smile. Vane harrumphed, but didn’t
protest any further.
Maybe they would get this damn ship in order after all. They were
going to be on it for a while. The list was ever growing, and Ryan had
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a feeling his deadline was going to fall to the wayside. General
Merrick was just going to have to deal with it.
Ryan wasn’t a damn miracle worker, after all.
“You might want to take a look at this, Lieutenant,” August said
from across the bridge a few minutes later. As Ryan walked over to
see what the communication specialist had found, he noticed Kurt
following him. He didn’t say a word. Ryan didn’t plan on hiding a
damn thing from his mate anyway.
Ryan should have been shocked as he read over the contract on
the disc for a human sex slave the Big Boss was apparently trying to
sell. The Federation of United Planets had outlawed any kind of sex
slave trade in any part of the galaxies, but Ryan knew it hadn’t
stopped with the new laws in place. The sex slave market was as
strong as ever. It had just gone underground.
“What is it?” Kurt asked.
“A contract between the Big Boss and Vjorian Kimlack for one
human sex slave.”
“But why would he go through so much trouble over one sex
slave?” Kurt asked, his brows furrowed into a frown. “You could buy
five of them for the price of the one on this contract.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Ryan replied. There had to be something
special about this particular contract to make the scumbag come after
Kurt to get the disc back.
“Can you make a copy of that?”
“Already have,” August replied.
“Good,” Ryan said. “Give him back his disc, but we’re going after
that slave.”
“What about our hit list?” Reno asked from the other side of the
bridge. “The general will be pissed if we don’t find everyone on it and
bring them in.”
“No one said we couldn’t take side jobs,” Ryan replied. “We are
Elite Force, after all. We are sworn to uphold the law and chase down
the bad guys.”
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“That we are.” Reno chuckled. “So where do we start looking?”
Ryan glanced over the file again. “There’s a location at the bottom
of the contract. We start there.”
Ryan turned toward the men on the bridge. “I take it you can
handle the negotiation with the Lakonian scum?”
“No problem,” Reno said as he started loading weapons into
various straps on his body. “Cheyenne and I will make sure he gets
what’s coming to him.”
Ryan knew they would. He had other matters to attend to, like
reclaiming his mate. They had the information they needed to rescue
the slave, so they were done with the bastard waiting in the other ship.
“Come on, Kurt.”
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Chapter Nine
Kurt was nervous as hell as he followed Ryan off the bridge and
back down the corridor to the man’s quarters. He knew Ryan needed
to talk to him about the Big Boss, and he was ready for the coming
confrontation.
What he had done was not illegal. Well, the courier thing wasn’t.
Keeping the item he was supposed to be delivering might be a tad on
the illegal side. But Kurt was still ready to defend his position. He had
had every intention of delivering that package, and he would have if
his contact hadn’t been killed right before his eyes.
Maybe that was what Ryan wanted to talk to him about? Ryan
seemed to believe Kurt about the “going legit” thing. He even seemed
to be happy about it. But an Elite Force officer would never be happy
about a murder.
And Kurt was a witness.
Damn!
He had almost forgotten that part. He could just see his future. He
would be asked to testify about what he saw. The bad guys would find
out, and then find him, and his life wouldn’t be worth the cost of an
Orillian skewer.
“I really didn’t see much,” Kurt began the second they stepped
into Ryan’s quarters. “I saw the man go down and I just ran. He might
not even be dead.” Gods, Kurt prayed he was still alive but he knew
deep down inside that his contact was dead. No one could bleed that
much and still be alive.
“Kurt—”
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Kurt quickly interrupted Ryan before the man could continue.
“And I had no idea what was on that silver thingy, whatever it was. I
was just carrying it from one person to another, a simple courier job,
nothing more.”
“Kurt—”
Kurt twisted his hands together as his agitation grew. “It was only
worth fifty credits. I never would have taken the job with the Big
Boss if I didn’t need the money.”
“Kurt—”
“I swear, Ryan. I—” This time, it was Kurt who was interrupted
when Ryan reached over and pressed a finger over his lips.
“Baby, that’s enough.”
Kurt sucked in his lower lip and started biting it again when Ryan
reached down and grabbed his hand. He peeked at Ryan through the
fall of his hair as he followed the man over to the side of the bed.
Ryan sat and then pulled Kurt into the apex of his thighs. The
smile in Ryan’s eyes contained a sensuous flame that set Kurt’s heart
to pounding. He found himself returning Ryan’s smile.
“I know it might not have worked out quite like you had planned,”
Ryan said as he gazed into Kurt’s eyes, “but I am proud of you for
trying to go legit.”
Kurt gulped. “You are?”
“I am, baby.” Ryan’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment as if the
man was carefully choosing his words. “Sometimes, things don’t turn
out like we planned. What happened to you on Tronos is a perfect
example of that. You were just supposed to be questioned, Kurt. You
were never supposed to be hurt.” Ryan’s expression grew taut and
derisive as he glanced away. “I will never forgive myself that
something I said caused you to be tortured.”
He was really coming to understand that Ryan never meant for
Captain Orion to hurt him. He was simply trying to see that Kurt was
well taken care of. Ryan meant no harm. What happened to Kurt lay
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fully in Captain Orion’s hands and it was about time that Kurt laid the
blame where it really belonged, at the feet of the captain.
“I forgive you,” Kurt whispered, mostly because he had to say the
words when he could see the pain and self-loathing on Ryan’s face.
He hated to see Ryan’s baby blues anything but sparkling with
laughter or inflamed with lust. Ryan was a good man. Kurt could see
that. And he was starting to see that Ryan did truly want him.
“I don’t forgive myself.” Ryan’s mouth spread into a thin-lipped
smile. “I never should have left you in someone else’s care. And it
won’t happen again.”
Huh? Kurt cocked his head to one side, trying to decipher exactly
what Ryan meant. He hoped he knew what it meant but he had been
down the hope road before. It had led to heartbreak hotel and Kurt
didn’t ever want to visit that dump again.
But from what Ryan was saying, Kurt had a feeling he was going
to skip his happy ass down there once more. Hopefully, it led in a new
direction this time. But he didn’t want to read more into that statement
than he should.
“The council has freed you of all charges, Kurt. You can go
anywhere in the universe that you want to go. I even have orders to
take you wherever you want to go. But I’d like you to consider
staying here on board the Onyx with me.”
Kurt’s jaw dropped. Never, in all of his dreams, and there had
been a lot of them, did he ever think about Ryan asking him to stay
around for the long term. “Do you mean that?” he murmured, almost
afraid to speak louder in case it broke whatever fantasy bubble he was
floating in at the moment.
“I do mean it.” A secretive smile tugged at the corner of Ryan’s
lips. He lifted his hand and pushed back a stray lock of hair from
Kurt’s face. “I was fascinated by you the moment you walked into the
Drop in the Bucket, and that was even before we spent the night
together. Afterward…” Ryan’s grin grew wider, more radiant. “Well,
let’s just say I’ve never experienced something like that night with
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anyone else and I suspect I never will. I think that if I want to visit
heaven again, I’m going to need you to help me get there.”
Kurt licked his lips nervously. Ryan was saying all the right
things. He was even doing all of the right things. Kurt was just scared
to death to accept them. “I’m scared, Ryan. What if something
happens to change your mind or—”
“Oh, baby. I can’t promise you forever. No one can. The times we
live in are too dangerous and uncertain. But I can promise that as long
as I am breathing, I will do everything within my power to keep you
safe and make sure you’re happy.”
Damn, that was good enough for Kurt. Ryan was promising to
hand him the world on a silver platter. It might not last, and with the
Big Boss after him, Kurt was pretty sure it wouldn’t. But damned if
he didn’t want to take what Ryan was offering him for as long as it
lasted.
“Okay.”
“Yeah?” Ryan’s mouth curved with tenderness. “You’ll stay with
me?”
Kurt swallowed the knot of fear in his throat and nodded. “I’ll
stay.”
Ryan let out a loud whoop, jumped to his feet, grabbing Kurt up in
his arms, and swung him around in a circle. Kurt gave a shaky laugh,
a little overwhelmed by Ryan’s exuberance. He didn’t think the strong
lieutenant had it in him to be so carefree.
Ryan finally set Kurt down on his feet and grabbed his face with
both hands. “Do you know what I’m going to do now, Kurt?”
Ryan’s suggestive leer told Kurt exactly what Ryan wanted to do
but he wanted to hear the words. He needed to hear the words.
“What?”
“I’m going to claim my mate.” Something intense flared between
the two of them at Ryan’s softly spoken words. Kurt suddenly found
it hard to breathe. The anticipation of Ryan’s touch was almost
unbearable.
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109
“Ryan.” Kurt’s voice broke with huskiness. Ryan really was
saying all of the right things.
“Take off your clothes, Kurt,” Ryan said in a silky tone that made
Kurt’s toes curl. His tongue almost fell out of his mouth as Ryan
stepped back and began taking his uniform off. Damn, the man was
gorgeous.
Kurt’s fingers fumbled at the buttons of his shirt. It took him three
tries before he got the first button undone, another two before he got
the rest of them loose. By the time he dropped his shirt to the floor,
Ryan was working on his pants and boots.
“You’re falling behind, babe,” Ryan said as he pushed one of his
boots off and then the other.
Kurt quickly reached for the zipper but lost total concentration
when Ryan dropped his pants and kicked them away. Kurt took in
Ryan’s tempting, attractive male physique. Ryan was a tall, handsome
man with a beautifully proportioned body.
The man’s stance emphasized the force of his thighs, the slimness
of his hips, and the broadness of his powerful shoulders. The rippling,
tanned skin that stretched along Ryan’s entire form made Kurt want to
lick the man from head to toe.
The erect cock jutting out from the man’s body was nothing short
of a work of art. Kurt couldn’t rip his eyes away from the
remembered length of his mate and how good Ryan had felt inside of
him. His skin began to pimple at the mere thought of Ryan taking him
once more.
Ryan was his.
His mate.
No one else would have that sculpted masterpiece.
Kurt stood in awed wonder at how fate had truly smiled down on
him when choosing a mate for him. Ryan was the perfect man for
him.
Had a more perfect male specimen ever been created anywhere in
the universe?
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“You know, Kurt,” Ryan said in a voice full of mirth, “this whole
sex thing works a lot better if both of us are naked.”
“What?” Kurt frowned as he dragged his eyes away from Ryan’s
gorgeous body up to his face. The amused smirk on Ryan’s face
reminded Kurt that he was supposed to be getting undressed. He felt
his face flush as he quickly stripped the rest of his clothes off and
tossed them aside.
Ryan’s eyes raked over Kurt with such lust that Kurt shivered
where he stood. “Now, you’re talking.”
Kurt squeaked when he was suddenly grabbed and tossed on the
bed. He had barely finished bouncing on the mattress before Ryan
was on him, pinning his arms over his head as he hovered over the top
of Kurt, his mate’s hard cock tapping at Kurt’s thigh.
“You are so damn beautiful, baby.”
Kurt’s eyebrows shot up. “Me?”
“Yes, you,” Ryan said matter-of-factly. “Do you see anyone else
in this room?”
So unused to being considered beautiful, Kurt actually glanced
around the room just to make sure. Ryan chuckled and lowered
himself down until they were chest to chest, thigh to thigh, hard
aching cock to hard aching cock.
“You will believe me before this night is through, Kurt.”
Kurt didn’t think so but he was all about Ryan proving him wrong
any way that he could. The sensuous light growing in Ryan’s eyes
told Kurt that Ryan was just as excited to prove Kurt wrong as Kurt
was.
Kurt felt his heart race even faster as Ryan released his hand and
reached up to gently touch his throat. Ryan’s hands wrapped a good
ways around Kurt’s throat but the man didn’t grip him tight enough to
cut off his breathing. Just enough to tilt Kurt’s head to one side.
And then Ryan leaned in and licked a line up the side of Kurt’s
neck, right over his gills. Kurt shuddered as pure, radiant pleasure
swamped his body. He couldn’t believe that Ryan had remembered
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how much that affected him. It was a well-kept secret among the
Lakonian that their gills were a hot spot for them. Just the simplest of
touches, or licks, was enough to make Kurt’s cock begin to throb
painfully between their pressed bodies.
Ryan slowly kissed a trail down Kurt’s neck and past his shoulder.
The gentle stroke of Ryan’s tongue caused a surge of heat to rise
within Kurt. He started lifting his hips, grinding his cock into Ryan’s.
He was pretty sure that Ryan could just lick him to completion. The
man wouldn’t even have to fuck him. Kurt would just explode.
But damned if he wasn’t glad he didn’t have to test that theory.
Ryan’s hands touched him everywhere. Every touch, however subtle,
was driving Kurt insane. They stroked down the sides of Kurt’s body,
sending a current of electricity straight through Kurt to his shaft. Kurt
was so hard he was almost afraid that one strong breath would make
his cock shatter.
When Ryan moved further down, licking and kissing his way to
Kurt’s chest, Kurt arched off the bed and a breathless moan escaped
his lips. It was guttural and sensual, letting Ryan know exactly what
he was doing to Kurt. He just about lost his mind when Ryan ran the
tip of his tongue around his nipples, teasing them to hard little nubs
and latching on to them, sucking on each one.
“Ryan!” he cried breathlessly. Ryan’s wicked grin was Kurt’s
undoing. Kurt moved toward Ryan, reaching for him with his arms,
impelled almost involuntarily by his own passion. “Please.”
“Please what?”
Kurt knew exactly what Ryan was asking. It was in the darkening
glint in Ryan’s needy blue eyes. Ryan needed Kurt to say the words
that would bind them together as much as Kurt needed to say them.
“Please, mate, I need to feel you inside of me. I need you to make
me yours.”
Ryan’s eyes dilated as the man inhaled sharply. Kurt suddenly
knew he had unleashed something inside of Ryan, something primal
and a little bit feral. Ryan might not have been a shifter or an alien
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species, but his basic instinct to claim his mate had just suddenly
taken over the man and it looked like nothing was going to stop him.
Not that Kurt wanted to stop him. He was thrilled beyond reason
to see the need to stake a claim in Ryan’s eyes. Ryan knew that they
were mates now and he was going to make sure that Kurt knew it, too.
Kurt spread his legs, glorying in the feeling of Ryan’s bigger body
settling between them. He tilted his head back, baring his throat to his
mate, feeling totally and utterly exposed and at Ryan’s mercy. Kurt
wasn’t a submissive by any means but even he knew when he was
being confronted by an alpha male. Ryan needed to be in charge right
now.
Maybe Kurt could be in charge next time.
Kurt reached under the pillow, hoping Ryan still kept his lube
under the pillow like he had the last time they were together. He was
right. He grabbed the bottle and pulled it out, quickly popping the lid.
As he started to pour some out on his fingers he hoped that Ryan
would give him the time to stretch himself out. In the single-minded
fog that Ryan was in right now, he wasn’t sure the man had the
patience.
Kurt’s eyes widened when Ryan growled and grabbed the bottle
from him. Before he could protest, Ryan squirted some lube out on
his own fingers and then dropped the bottle onto the bed.
Kurt smiled and reached for Ryan’s wrist. He guided Ryan’s hand
down between his spread legs to his tight little bud, not taking his
hand away until he felt a light pressure from the tip of Ryan’s finger
against his quivering hole.
Ryan wiggled his finger in Kurt’s ass, stretching his opening. Kurt
grasped Ryan’s arm and held on as his ring of muscle squeezed down
on the invasion. Kurt almost couldn’t breathe through the pleasure
that raced through his body with the speed of light as Ryan stretched
him.
Kurt hissed as Ryan rubbed over his sweet spot. He hadn’t been a
virgin when they had fucked before but no one he had ever been with
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113
had ever zeroed in on that wonderful pleasure button as quickly as
Ryan did. It was like the man had a halo-map right to it.
“Ryan!” Gods, he needed more. “Please, mate, I need—” Oh
gods, what had he done? Ryan growled and pulled his fingers free. He
grabbed the lube and squirted some more out and then lathered his
cock with his hand.
Kurt’s eyes rounded as he was suddenly grabbed, his hips lifted
into the air. Kurt clutched the sheets on either side of his body as
Ryan’s thick cock sank into his ass. The look of pure ecstasy on
Ryan’s face was forever burned into Kurt’s memory. It was
something he didn’t think he’d ever forget as long as he lived.
Ryan’s jaw clenched as he started moving his hard length in and
out of Kurt. A spurt of hungry desire spiraled through Kurt as Ryan
pounded his cock harder and harder into him. Ryan rocked the bed
with the force of his thrusts.
“Ryan,” Kurt whispered huskily as he reached out for his mate.
He was teetering on the edge and he needed just a little more to toss
him over. Ryan seemed to understand Kurt’s need. He dropped Kurt’s
legs and leaned down over the top of him. They met in a clash of lips
and tongues.
The kiss sent the pit of Kurt’s stomach into a wild swirl and gave
him the push he needed. Kurt cried out against Ryan’s lips as he fell
into the vast pit of desire. His mind centered on nothing except the
man surrounding him as his orgasm swept through him, forcing the
hot cum from his body.
Kurt felt Ryan’s body tense. He felt the man’s cock thicken and
throb inside of his tight ass. And then he heard the sweetest sound he
had ever heard as Ryan’s roar echoed through the room and pulses of
hot seed filled him.
“Mate,” Ryan whispered.
Contentment and peace filled Kurt as Ryan collapsed down on top
of him. He wrapped his arms around Ryan’s shoulders and gently
stroked over his sweat-dampened skin. He buried his face in Ryan’s
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throat, drawing a deep lungful of air. He smiled to himself when he
smelled Ryan’s unique scent combined with his and sex. No one
would ever smell as good to him as his mate did. The combined scent
of mutual releases just added to Kurt’s contentment.
Ryan lifted his head and smiled down at Kurt. “So, this is what
being mated is like.”
Kurt chuckled nervously. He wasn’t exactly sure if Ryan thought
that was a good thing or not. “Yeah,” he said weakly.
Ryan’s grin grew wider. “I could get used to it.”
Kurt swallowed hard, fear and longing fighting for prominence in
his heart. “Okay.”
When Ryan spoke again, his voice was tender, almost a murmur.
“You won’t regret giving me a second chance, Kurt. I promise you. I
won’t let you down again.”
Kurt knew once Ryan set his mind to something, he would follow
through with it. Being turned over to the Elite Force for questioning
when Ryan really didn’t want to do it was proof of that. And if Ryan
said he wouldn’t let Kurt down, he wouldn’t.
Kurt just wished Ryan knew that.
He cupped his hand over the side of Ryan’s face, not missing the
way Ryan leaned into his hand. “I know you won’t, Ryan. I won’t let
you.”
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Chapter Ten
Vane ran the diagnostics for the scanning system. He finally was
able to install the new part, and prayed it was in working order. His
backlog was a mile long, and he would have had his ship in working
order had those jackasses down in supply given him his parts last year
when he requested them.
Who gave a shit if he used paper for his request? He had followed
the proper channels, and that was all that should have mattered. He
growled and slapped the side of the diagnostic pad when the screen
froze.
If Vane hadn’t witnessed it firsthand over and over again, he
would have thought it impossible that technology hated him so much.
But the proof was currently sitting in his hands, stuck on the loading
screen. And everyone wondered why he used archaic methods to get
the job done.
“Hey, August,” Vane shouted. “I need you to come unfreeze my
damn screen.”
August sat his vid-pad down and crossed the room, taking the pad
from Vane’s hands. Just as he suspected, the moment the diagnostic
pad was out of his hands, the screen finally loaded and his readout
was ready.
“You piloting a ship worries me,” August said in his quiet, calm
voice that he was best known for. He read through the pad, giving a
tight nod. “Everything looks good.”
“Thanks, Captain Happy,” Vane snapped as he grabbed the pad.
“My piloting a ship has nothing to do with technology hating me.”
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“But the ship is built on technology,” August pointed out as he
grabbed his pad and crossed the room, running his own set of
diagnostics. As childish as it was, Vane stuck his tongue out at
August. No one understood Vane. They all thought he was nuts. He
wasn’t. Technology was nuts, not him.
“I need you on the bridge, August.”
Vane ignored Lieutenant Devries’s voice. He was trying his best
to get his ship in order, and the last thing he wanted was to see Ryan.
The man would just harp on what wasn’t working.
Like he needed that.
August tucked the vid-pad under his arm and walked out of
engineering, leaving Vane with his pad, and a slew of curses. One of
these days Vane was going to take up residence behind a vendor’s
stand on Paktil, leaving all of this technology behind.
It would serve everyone right for calling him archaic.
* * * *
Ryan watched as August walked onto the bridge. The man wore a
sour expression. But Ryan was coming to realize that that was
August’s normal visage. The man needed to lighten the hell up.
“I have an encrypted message coming in and I need you to
decipher it.”
August gave a tight nod as he took a seat behind one of the
consoles. Ryan transferred the message over to August’s console and
then took a seat. He prayed the message was about Captain Orion.
Ryan was chomping at the bit to get a hold of that sick bastard. He
had a deep need to pay the man back for what he had done to Kurt.
Logically, Ryan knew that he needed to take Captain Orion in to
face charges but the deeper, angrier part of him hoped that the man
fought back when they apprehended him. He wouldn’t mind getting in
a few well-landed punches in the process.
“Uh, Lieutenant?”
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Ryan didn’t like the frown forming on August’s face as he leaned
forward. “What does it say?”
“This transmission is not from the general.”
Ryan scowled. “Then who in the hell is it from?”
“Remington Vystal.”
“Remy?”
“Yeah, he says something here about locating Junior Officer
Gregory Tyvak on Nebular Nine. He’s got his men watching Tyvak
but he says if we don’t hurry and come take custody of the guy, he’s
going to take the leash off his crew.” August glanced over his
shoulder, his confusion clear in his furrowed brow. “What leash?”
Ryan smirked. “Plot a course to Nebular Nine. We need to get
there and take custody of Tyvak before there is nothing left of him to
take custody of. The crew of the Lady Blue hates the man with a deep
passion. I’m just surprised they even called us.”
“Why?”
“Because if Tyvak had done to my men what he did to the crew of
the Lady Blue, he wouldn’t be breathing. Remy is showing what type
of man he is by contacting me instead of letting his men take their
frustrations out on Tyvak. I’m not sure I would be so nice.”
Ryan’s mind went to Captain Orion, and he knew he wouldn’t be
so nice if he came face-to-face with the man. He owed that captain a
beat down something fierce. When it came to Kurt, Ryan knew he
didn’t have the same restraint that Remington Vystal did. The halo-
vid played over and over in his mind, and all Ryan could see was Kurt
huddled on the floor, his soft pleas going unheard as Orion brutalized
the man.
No, Ryan knew for a fact he wouldn’t be so forgiving. There were
just some things a man had to do in order to ensure his mate was safe,
and wiping the universe of Orion’s existence was one of them.
Ryan just prayed he remembered he was an Elite Force officer
when he finally had his hands circled around Orion’s throat, choking
the very life out of the sick and twisted bastard.
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“Send an encrypted message to the general and let him know
we’re headed to Nebular Nine. Tell him that we’ve received word on
one of the men on our list and we’re going after him. Just don’t
transmit who it is.”
August looked even more confused but he turned and plotted in
the course to Nebular Nine. Ryan took pity on the man, wanting him
to understand what they were up against when trying to track down
the people on their list.
“We don’t know who in the administration might be in on all of
this. That’s why we’ve been given the task of finding these people
and bringing them in. The general needs to question them and find out
who all was in on the plot to take over the council.”
“Wait.” August held up a hand. “I thought this was about finding
the people that plotted against the Lady Blue crew.”
Ryan shook his head. “That was a side effect, a very unfortunate
one. This thing is bigger than that. Unfortunately, we don’t fully
understand what this is. What we do know at this point is that there
was a plot to get the crew of the Lady Blue out of the picture and get
some very unsavory characters into positions of power. To me, that
screams takeover.”
“Damn.”
Ryan crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “Exactly.”
It was a sucky situation but it was what it was. If they could track
down the right people, they might get lucky enough to find one that
would spill his guts and tell them everything they needed to know to
figure out what in the hell was going on.
On the up side, they would also be bringing in a lot of people that
needed to pay for their crimes, including Captain Orion. Most of the
people on the list the general had given to Ryan were wanted for one
crime or another, but not all of them. Some were just wanted for
questioning.
Personally, after seeing the list that the general had handed over,
Ryan thought that maybe the ones wanted for crimes were a smoke
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screen to bring in the ones the general really wanted to question. But,
that was okay. Even if the general didn’t question them, they still
needed to be brought in to stand trial for the things that they had done.
“I also want you to send a message back to Remy and let him
know that we’re on our way. And tell him to keep his hands off of
Tyvak unless the man tries to run. Just observe the guy. Do not attack
him, no matter how inviting it might seem.”
August chuckled and swung his chair around. He started typing
out a message. “I can think of more than one person on that list that I
wouldn’t mind spending five minutes alone with.”
“I know but that’s not our mission.”
“Yeah, well, when you figure out exactly what our mission is, let
me know, because I’m confused as all hell.”
“Yeah,” Ryan said as he turned and started for the door. He
needed to go inform the rest of the crew what they were headed into.
“I’ll let you know just as soon as I figure it out. I’m still working on
it.”
* * * *
Kurt had never been to Nebular Nine. He knew why they were
there. Ryan had told him. That still shocked him that his mate was so
forthcoming with vital information. Kurt guessed that Ryan was
trying to make up for his mistakes. The only thing Kurt wanted from
his mate was honesty.
And Ryan had promised him just that.
He stepped off of the ship, glancing around, and took in the sights
of the black market planet. It didn’t look like much to Kurt, just a
wasteland of heat and dryness that threatened to suffocate him. He
also knew that being on the surface for too long caused mutations for
certain species.
And Kurt’s species was one of those unfortunate ones. He didn’t
plan on staying topside for too long. Ryan had already informed him
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that they were headed underground where an indigenous species
lived.
“I don’t want you down here.” Ryan grabbed a metal case about
as long as his arm and set it down by the retractable ramp. Kurt was
curious, so he leaned forward.
“I’ve managed to make it on my own for this long, Ryan. You are
not keeping me cooped up.” He growled inwardly when his arm
jerked. The spasms were irritating the shit out of him. It had taken
them two days to get to Nebular Nine and Kurt was no better. He was
beginning to wonder if the effects of the Taser would ever wear off.
Things weren’t looking hopeful.
“Yeah, well. I still don’t like it.”
When Ryan opened the lid to the case, Kurt gasped.
“What in the hell is that?” he asked, itching to reach out and run
his fingers over the chrome weapon. Even for someone like Kurt who
didn’t handle weapons too often, the allure of the shiny piece of metal
was tempting.
“Mine,” Reno said as he walked toward them. Kurt had learned
the names of the crew members since joining their team. But some of
them still gave him pause—Reno and August being the two at the top
of his list. “It was promised to me, Ryan. You weren’t planning on
going back on your word, were you?”
Kurt smiled when he saw the petulant look on Ryan’s face. The
man had planned on doing just that. But Kurt knew it was only
because Ryan was dying to use the phaser-looking thing himself. Who
wouldn’t be drooling to use it? Kurt wasn’t a weapons man, but even
he wanted to play with it. The gun looked so damn cool.
“It’s a prototype PS50.”
Kurt’s jaw dropped. “You guys get the coolest toys ever.”
“The Elite Force?” Ryan asked and then clucked his tongue. “If
you only knew, mate. We had to practically strong-arm the technician
to get it out of the lab.”
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Kurt was starting to get a whole new picture of the Elite Force.
They weren’t the straight-by-the-book kind of guys reputed
throughout the universe, although he knew none of them would do
anything to break the law. But they weren’t a single-minded unit who
did whatever the Federation demanded, either. Kurt liked that. It made
them seem less daunting.
“Do I get a phaser?” he asked, crossing his fingers in hope. He
wanted the shiny one.
“No,” Ryan automatically said. “You get to go back on the ship
where it’s safe.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that coming out of your
mouth.” Kurt walked over to Ryan and pulled his mate’s phaser from
the strap on his leg. “Now get me a strap.”
“I don’t have time for this, Kurt,” Ryan argued as he tried to grab
the weapon from Kurt’s hand.
Kurt snatched it away before Ryan could take it back. “Then stop
yapping at me and go get me a phaser strap.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes. “What the hell has gotten into you?”
Kurt was tired of feeling helpless. He was going to turn being a
victim into being a survivor and take charge of the rest of his life. If
he was going to be Ryan’s mate, then he needed to start acting like it.
“If I’m going to be part of this crew, then treat me like a part of
this crew. Don’t send me in to wait for you to return. I have a cock
between my legs in case you hadn’t noticed.”
Ryan’s eyebrows shot up and then he laughed. “Oh, I noticed all
right.” His mate turned toward Reno. “Can you hand him a strap?”
“Oh, and can you teach me how to shoot this damn thing?” Kurt
asked Reno.
“What!”
Kurt hurried away from Ryan. The man looked as if he wanted to
take Kurt’s gun away again. So not happening.
Reno shrugged. “Why not,” he muttered. “I’d rather have another
shooter aboard than have to protect a body while I’m fighting.”
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“My thoughts exactly.” Kurt smirked at Ryan.
“Stop encouraging him, Reno,” Ryan warned. “We have to move
out and lessons can’t fit into our schedule right now.”
Kurt moved closer to Reno. The man may give him pause, but
Reno was on his side right now. He didn’t want his phaser taken
away. “Can you teach me how to shoot on our way? Maybe I can stun
Ryan and stop him from complaining.”
Reno laughed. “I like you.”
“Thanks.” Kurt smiled, his opinion of the quiet man beginning to
reform. “Will you really teach me how to shoot?”
Reno nodded as he looked over the PS50 in his hand. “I will. I
believe everyone should know how to defend themselves.”
“You do?” Ryan asked. “And here I thought you were just a
sourpuss with a burr up your ass.”
“I am.” Reno said it so seriously that Kurt wasn’t sure if he should
laugh or not. The man’s demeanor had gone from playful to deadly in
the blink of an eye. Never before had Kurt seen such a hard glint in
anyone’s eyes, not even Orion’s.
“You’re safe,” Reno said as he glanced at Kurt.
Kurt wasn’t sure he should believe the guy so he just nodded and
stepped off of the ship. He would have made it down the ramp if Ryan
hadn’t grabbed his arm. “First thing. Check your surroundings before
departing a ship.”
“You’re going to help me?” Kurt was stunned. He thought Ryan
would fight him on this.
Ryan released his arm and caressed the side of his face, the
softening in his eyes making Kurt feel so damn loved. “I want you
safe, Kurt. If teaching you how to survive keeps you safe, then so be
it. Reno will give you weapons training. I’ll teach you hand-to-hand
combat.”
“We need to get moving,” Cheyenne reminded them as he strode
down the ramp, looking so damn fierce that Kurt stepped to the side.
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The man was one big son of a bitch. Kurt never wanted to get into a
tussle with that man.
“Let’s move out,” Ryan called out to everyone and then turned
back toward Kurt. “Until you have had a few lessons, stay by my side.
If you have to shoot someone, just aim and pull the trigger. Try your
best not to shoot any of us.”
“I would be thankful,” Cheyenne said as he passed them. “But if
you have an itch to shoot one of us, make it Ryan.”
Kurt snickered. Maybe he did like Cheyenne after all. The man
didn’t smile much, but Kurt could see he did have a sense of humor,
even if it was morbid.
“Understood?” Ryan asked.
“Understood,” Kurt replied.
The six of them climbed into a shuttle and drove toward the edges
of town. August was checking a vid-pad in his hand, and Kurt
guessed the man was watching their coordinates.
“Remind me to find something in black,” Kurt whispered to Ryan
as he glanced around at the men in the shuttle. Every single person
was wearing black. Kurt felt out of place in his white clothes from
Tronos. He really needed to get some more clothes.
Ryan chuckled. “We can pick something up after we go after
Tyvak.”
Kurt nodded. Even though he had a phaser strapped to his thin-ass
leg, he still felt scared as hell. He wasn’t a fighter like these men. The
only combat he had seen was when he got his ass handed to him. He
prayed he could keep up with the big dogs. He sure as shit hoped he
didn’t get his ass kicked.
“Stop worrying,” Ryan whispered into his ear as his hand ran
slowly down Kurt’s back, giving him a measure of comfort. “No one
is going to let anything happen to you.” Ryan kissed his ear as he
leaned back, and then the loving face turned feral. Damn, these men
were pretty fucking good at their game faces. Kurt sat back, trying his
best to look as serious as he could when Vane pulled the shuttle over.
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He was a brute.
He was a fighter.
He was ready for this.
Kurt jumped from the shuttle, feeling pumped until he saw a man
step from the shadows. All his self-confidence deflated at the aura of
menace surrounding the stranger.
“Livewire,” Ryan said as he shook the man’s hand. “Where is
he?”
Livewire jutted his chin toward the mountain. Kurt was starting to
feel a bit dizzy. He knew he needed to get underground. The air felt
barely breathable topside. “He is in one of the underground cities.”
Kurt hurried toward Ryan as they began to move.
“Breathe nice and slow,” Ryan said as he grabbed Kurt’s wrist.
“The air here isn’t hospitable for long periods of time. Once we are
underground, you’ll feel better.”
Kurt nodded as he hurried along, trying his best to keep his
breathing slow and even. As they entered the tunnel, Kurt noticed that
the air was cooler inside, more breathable. His lungs finally felt as if
they were functioning again.
Being a Lakonian, Kurt had to watch what planet he was on. His
lungs were a bit more delicate than other species. He was used to
breathing underwater, or on land, but not in hostile environments. His
gills were even present now, trying to help Kurt with extra oxygen.
“You all right?” Ryan asked, looking a bit worried.
“I am,” he answered, embarrassed down to his toes that his gills
were fully open and practically fluttering for oxygen. “Just trying to
get fresh air into my lungs.”
Ryan frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sensitive to
atmospheric change?”
“How did you know?” Kurt asked.
“You’re sweating and your gills are flapping fiercely. I know
when someone is having trouble breathing, Kurt.”
“I promise, Ryan, I’m fine.”
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Ryan didn’t look convinced, but started walking again. Once they
were well underground, Kurt did feel a whole lot better. He was
amazed to see the underground city. It was a network of tunnels and
bridges, but looked to support life very well.
“This is impressive.”
“Not really,” Ryan answered. “It used to be quite the place to visit
until the black marketers took over. Now it is just a cesspool of crime
activity. Watch your back.”
Kurt placed his hand on his gun. He wasn’t going to huddle
behind Ryan. Proving that he could fight alongside his mate was
imperative to Kurt. He may not be the best at it, but if he wanted the
respect of not only his mate, but the rest of the crew, Kurt needed to
be ready.
“He’s in there,” Livewire said as he pointed to a tunnel across the
courtyard. “If you don’t arrest him, I’m going to feed him to the Lady
Blue. They would love to eat his ass for dinner.”
Kurt really didn’t want that image in his head.
Ryan nodded, clapping Livewire on the back. “Thanks for keeping
Tyvak here.”
Livewire moved from under Kurt’s hand. “Don’t thank me, thank
Remy.”
Kurt watched as Livewire disappeared into the darkness of the
tunnel behind them. Boy, this Tyvak guy must have pissed a lot of
people off. Every time the man’s name was mentioned, someone
growled.
When Ryan moved stealthily toward the mentioned tunnel, Kurt
pulled his phaser out and followed. Gods, he sure as shit hoped he
didn’t have to shoot anyone. Being untrained, that could prove
disastrous.
He hadn’t seen where the rest of the crew had disappeared to and
he didn’t ask. All Kurt knew was that they were closing in on their
target.
Their target.
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Kurt liked the sound of that. He was part of a team now, even if he
wasn’t Elite Force. Ryan had accepted him, and so had the crew. For
the first time in Kurt’s dismal life, he felt useful. Maybe his luck was
changing after all.
…until his hand spasmed and his phaser went off.
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Chapter Eleven
Ryan ducked, but Vane wasn’t so lucky. He took a shot to his
shoulder. Ryan heard a round of curses from the pilot as he grabbed
his shoulder and hit the floor. Fuck, what the hell had just happened?
The underground city broke out in chaos at the sound of a phaser
blast. Ryan grabbed Kurt by the wrist and began to run toward the
tunnel Tyvak was spotted in. He couldn’t lose the man. If Tyvak
knew an Elite Force Unit was close, the bastard would disappear
further into the underground network and become impossible to find.
Aside from Orion, Tyvak was at the top of Ryan’s most wanted
list. If he could capture the man, then he was pretty sure he could get
the heat off of him. Merrick was practically breathing down Ryan’s
neck to capture one of the men on the top-ten list.
Ryan ducked when another phaser went off, the charge shooting
right past his head. “Get down!” he shouted at Kurt. He was not about
to have his mate injured. Ryan had promised Kurt would never be
harmed again.
Kurt dropped to the ground, and to Ryan’s utter shock, began to
fire his phaser. “You can’t fire on civilians.”
“I can if they are firing at you,” Kurt said as his face became an
impenetrable mask. He sighted the gun and then fired. Ryan looked to
see the man who had been firing at him drop to the ground, shouting
out a slew of curses.
Fuck, that wasn’t a bad shot. Kurt had potential.
“Vane, stay with Kurt while I look for Tyvak,” Ryan shouted and
then waved for Reno and Cheyenne to follow him. Rhys had already
started working on Vane, so there wasn’t much Ryan could do. He
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sure as shit wasn’t holding Vane’s hand while he bled. They had to
capture Tyvak.
Ryan spotted August closing in on the tunnel up ahead. He wasn’t
sure where the man had gone or where he appeared from, but the
communication specialist was heading down the tunnel without Ryan.
As he approached the passageway, Ryan squatted and checked to
make sure no one was waiting there to blow his head off. Once he
found the way clear, he slid into the darkness. He reached into his
pocket, pulled out his night vision spectacles, and put them on,
tapping the arm of one side. The screen came alive. Not only could he
see clearly in the dark, but he could see heat signatures as well. The
lens on the left side of the glasses was giving him a readout of who
the signatures belonged to.
Ryan scowled. None of them were Tyvak. He pushed further into
the tunnel, determination marking each step. He wasn’t sure how far
this particular tunnel reached, or if it was endless. That was the
trouble with Nebular Nine. They didn’t have to keep records of their
underground city schematics, so no one really knew how many
tunnels there truly were, or where they led.
And that was causing a big problem for Ryan.
Ryan cursed and punched the side of the tunnel wall when he saw
August heading toward him…alone.
“How in the fuck did he get away?” Ryan thundered.
August shrugged, seeming unfazed by Ryan’s tone. “Beats me.”
The man kept walking, right past Ryan.
Ryan glanced back at the tunnel, tempted to continue his chase,
but he knew Tyvak was long gone by now. He rubbed a hand down
his face, trying his best to center himself and release the frustration
building up inside of him.
There was nothing he could do no matter how badly he wanted
Tyvak. The man was gone. A cold resolve settled in his stomach. He
had lost this round, but Ryan would find the man and soon. He wasn’t
giving up that easily.
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Admitting that there was nothing left for Ryan to do, he walked
out of the tunnel. He was going to have to tell Remy that he lost
Tyvak. Ryan was not looking forward to that conversation. Not only
would Remy chew him a new ass, the man would never let Ryan live
this down. They hadn’t become the best of buddies when Ryan was
aboard the Lady Blue, but they had a mutual respect for each other.
And now Remy would have the upper hand in their friendship.
Damn.
He was also going to have to pay Remy, even though Tyvak had
gotten away. Their deal was that Ryan pay Remy for information
leading him to the men on his list. And the commander had done just
that. Ryan prayed this didn’t end up being a costly mission for him.
Ryan walked back over to Kurt and Vane, wincing when Vane
started growling out what he was going to do when he found out who
shot him. He didn’t blame the guy. His wound looked painful as hell.
Shit, he’d help Vane teach the gunman a lesson.
“How is he?” Ryan asked Rhys.
“He’ll live.” Rhys helped Vane to his feet. “But I feel for the man
who shot him.”
Ryan glanced over at Kurt to see his mate so pale that he looked
like he was going to pass out. Maybe having the merman in the fight
wasn’t such a good idea. It didn’t look like Kurt could handle it. But
Ryan wasn’t going to say anything to his mate while the guys were
around.
“Then let’s head back to the ship.”
They made their way out of the tunnel and back to their shuttle, all
the while, Kurt looking as if he were going to throw up. Ryan put his
arm around Kurt’s shoulder, pulling his mate close to his chest. “Are
you okay, babe?”
Kurt nodded as he slowly lifted his head. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t look fine. He looked green around the gills—literally.
Ryan cursed, moving out of the way just in time as Kurt emptied his
stomach content all over the shuttle floor. The foul smell hit him hard
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as August hurriedly drove them back to their ship. Ryan barely kept
himself from throwing up right alongside of Kurt. The close quarters
didn’t allow the smell to dissipate.
“I’m sorry,” Kurt said as he rushed off of the shuttle just as soon
as they stopped. Ryan ran after him, grabbing Kurt’s wrist and folding
the man into his arms.
“It happens. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Some people just
can’t handle stressful situations. It doesn’t make you any less of a
man, Kurt.”
Kurt shook his head as he tried to pull free. Ryan kept a tight hold
on his mate. There was something wrong. He could feel it in his gut.
Somehow he knew Kurt’s distress had nothing to do with the
underground battle or the topside atmosphere. “What aren’t you
telling me?”
His mate looked over at Vane, a stricken look on his face, and
then back at Ryan.
Oh, fuck.
Ryan quickly walked Kurt away from the men before asking his
mate what he feared he already knew. “You shot Vane?”
Kurt nodded.
“Why? I know he’s a pain in the ass sometimes, but I don’t think
he deserved to be shot because of that.”
“It was an accident. My hand spasmed and a shot got off before I
could move my finger.”
Ryan sighed as he tugged Kurt closer. “You are not supposed to
keep your finger on the trigger, babe. You’re just asking for trouble if
you do that.” He pulled back, looking down into Kurt’s blue eyes.
“Don’t say a word about this. I don’t want to have to finish what you
started if Vane finds out it was you who shot him.”
“Are you sure keeping this from him is wise?” Kurt asked,
although he looked like he wanted to do just that. The greenish
complexion hadn’t eased any on Kurt’s face and he looked as if he
were still going to be sick.
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131
“You heard what he wants to do to the person who shot him.” And
Ryan had agreed with Vane.
Geez.
Kurt shivered. “Yeah, I heard him. He wouldn’t stop painting
colorful pictures while you went after Tyvak.”
“Then this stays between us.” And Ryan prayed Vane never found
out. He didn’t think he was strong enough to keep Vane from handing
Kurt his ass.
“You guys coming?” Reno called from the retractable ramp. “We
need to head out before anyone realizes it was the Elite Force in those
tunnels.”
Ryan nodded toward the weapons specialist. “Here we come.” He
turned back toward Kurt. “Reno will teach you how to—”
“You’re still going to let him teach me how to shoot?” Kurt asked
in surprise. “After what I did?”
Ryan nodded. “Now more than ever.”
“But what about my spasms?”
Ryan wasn’t sure about that, but Kurt needed to learn how to
respect a weapon before he accidently killed everyone on board.
“We’ll figure it out. Right now we need to get moving.”
* * * *
Ryan sighed deeply as he hailed the Lady Blue. He was about to
eat a huge helping of crow and he wasn’t looking forward to it. Remy
was going to chew him up and spit him out, and he deserved it for
letting Tyvak escape.
“What the hell happened?” Remy growled as soon as he came on
the vid-screen.
Like Ryan was going to tell Remy what actually happened.
“Someone got off a lucky shot and hit one of my crew. Things just
went to shit after that.”
“And Tyvak?”
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Ryan tried not to swallow past the lump in his throat as he shook
his head. “He got clean away. I never even saw him.”
“Damn it, Ryan!” Remy shouted as he slammed his fists down
onto the console top. “Is this how you run a mission?”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “Look, Commander, I’m doing the best I
can under the circumstances. There’s a lot more going on here than
you realize. I have orders to bring in some of the sickest monsters in
the universe, I’m on a ship that is glued together with spit and a
prayer, and I’m on a fucking time limit. Do not begin to question how
I run my missions.”
Ryan almost fell over backward when Remy simply grinned and
clapped his hands. “Very good, Lieutenant. I wondered if you had it
in you.”
Huh?
Ryan had the overwhelming urge to scratch his head in confusion.
Was Remington Vystal playing with a full deck of cards? Oh, wait.
He was mated to Gigi. That explained so much. Gigi was about as
batty as they came.
“I’ve heard a rumor that Tyvak was warned ahead of time that you
were coming.” Remy pointed at the screen. “You have a leak, my
friend. You need to figure out who it is and nail their balls to the wall
before you all end up dead.”
Shit. Ryan dragged his hand down his face. He so did not need
this on top of everything else going down. “Where did you hear this
rumor?”
“I had my men watching all of the exits and he wasn’t seen
leaving, but we both know he did. Once I heard about the firefight, I
sent a couple of men in undercover. Colt heard a couple of guys at a
bar talking about it. He followed them but they gave him the slip after
sneaking into some Nebular Nine brothel.”
Ryan saw Remy shiver at the same time he did. Besides the fact
that they both preferred men, which wouldn’t be a problem in almost
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133
any brothel in the system, the brothels on Nebular Nine were not
known for the cleanliness, or their sex workers.
Many of the people that were forced to live aboveground or close
to the city entrances had genetic mutations. Some people paid a lot of
money to have sex with such mutations. The very idea just gave Ryan
the shivers. He had no desire to have sex with someone with three
arms or two heads. He might be slightly kinky, but even he had his
limits.
“There is a possibility that Tyvak is still planet side.”
“There’s always a possibility, Remy, but he’s more than likely
gone to ground. The man may be scum but he’s smart scum. He’s
hiding right now. I doubt he’ll lift his head above water anytime
soon.”
A pulse ticked in Remy’s jaw. “Does that mean you’re not going
after him?”
“Oh, hell no. He’s at the top of my list.” Right under Captain
Orion. “I’m just going to let him get comfortable while I track down a
few other people. Once the dust has a chance to settle, he’ll come up
for air and I’ll be waiting for him.”
“Good.”
“However, if you hear any more of those rumors, I’d be grateful if
you could pass them along.”
“How grateful?”
Ryan sighed. He knew there would be a catch. “What do you
want, Remy?”
Remy chuckled. “Gigi needs some Sunset Red Trillian silk.”
“So buy some for him. You are on Nebular Nine.”
“I would except the little brat has decided that he wants red silk
and they don’t have any here. Sunset Red Trillian silk can only be
purchased on Trillian and you’ll most likely visit Trillian before we
do.”
Ryan opened his mouth to ask what Gigi could want with Sunset
Red Trillian silk, and then thought better of it. He’d met the guy.
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There was no telling with Gigi. “Fine, if I pass by Trillian, I will get
you some Trillian silk.”
“Sunset Red Trillian silk.”
Ryan gritted his teeth. “Sunset Red Trillian silk.”
Remy grinned. “Thanks, Ryan.”
The commander of the Lady Blue was gone before Ryan could tell
him to go fuck himself, which was a very real possibility. Ryan didn’t
have time to go shopping for silk. He had assholes to catch and bring
to justice. At least Remy hadn’t asked to be paid. But shopping for the
commander’s strange mate was probably payment in Remy’s book.
Ryan leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyeballs. They were
starting to ache. This was the downside to having rank. He got put in
charge. He liked running his own missions. He just hated the
responsibility that ran along with being in command.
Ryan smiled and opened his eyes when he felt hands start
massaging his temples. He tilted his head back to see his mate
standing behind him. “How was practice?”
Since coming back on board the Onyx, Kurt had been spending a
lot of hours on the halo-deck. A live gun wasn’t supposed to be fired
on board a ship. It could too easily breach the hull. Most practicing
was done in one of the holographic recreation rooms.
“Reno is an asshole.” Kurt’s lips spread into a wide grin. “But I
loved learning how to shoot. Reno said I had a lot of potential.”
“Yeah? That’s great, baby.” Ryan reached out and grabbed Kurt’s
arm, pulling the man around his chair and then down onto his lap. “I
always knew you had potential.”
Kurt snorted. “Learning how to shoot and learning not to be a
thief are two vastly different things, Ryan.”
“Both are skills that have to be learned, Kurt. These aren’t things
that are necessarily known the moment you are born. If they are not
taught to you, how are you supposed to know?”
Kurt hadn’t said much about how he was raised but if he was
willing to work for the Big Boss just to eat, then his upbringing
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135
couldn’t have been that good. He wanted to learn all he could about
Kurt, but Ryan was willing to let his mate tell him when he was
ready. Kurt had been through enough and Ryan wasn’t going to
subject the merman to a slew of questions. They had a lifetime to get
to know each other.
Hopefully.
In this business, one never really knew.
“If you say so,” Kurt said as he laid his head on Ryan’s shoulder.
“Well, I am commander on this mission and I do say so.”
Kurt snickered.
“Behave.” Ryan attacked Kurt’s ribs, tickling him unmercifully.
Kurt’s snicker turned into a full-belly laugh as he struggled in
Ryan’s arms. It was the most beautiful sound Ryan had ever heard. So
much so, that Ryan paused in tickling his mate to just stare down at
him in wonder.
The laughter slowly faded from the air but continued to sparkle in
Kurt’s pretty blue eyes. “What?”
“I like it when you laugh.”
Kurt cocked his head sideways, frowning. “Okay.”
Ryan felt stupid. There was a lump of emotion building in his
throat, clogging his breathing. Words hung on the tip of his tongue,
words he had never uttered to another living soul. And the wealth of
meaning behind those words scared the crap out of Ryan.
After what he had put Kurt through, even if innocently, Ryan had
no right to even think that Kurt might feel the same way about him
that he felt about Kurt. But he knew, just looking down into his
mate’s sparkling eyes, that Kurt was his reason for breathing.
“I love you, Kurt.”
Kurt stared up at Ryan for what seemed like eons, unmoving.
Ryan wasn’t even sure he was blinking. If it wasn’t for the gentle rise
and fall of Kurt’s chest, he wouldn’t even know he was breathing.
Maybe he should have kept his words to himself? Maybe Kurt wasn’t
ready to hear them?
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“You don’t have to say anything, Kurt,” Ryan said quickly,
fearing that Kurt was going to reject his declaration. “I just wanted
you to know how I felt. I know what I did to you can never be
forgiven but maybe one day you might—”
The rest of Ryan’s words were smothered by the lips that pressed
against his. He grunted as Kurt’s arms suddenly wrapped around his
neck, nearly strangling him as Kurt wiggled to get closer. Hell, Kurt
was pressed so tightly against Ryan that if he wiggled much more,
they would be sharing the same skin.
And Ryan didn’t care.
Kurt hadn’t repeated the words, and Ryan didn’t expect him to, no
matter how much he wanted to hear them. But Kurt wasn’t rejecting
them or Ryan either. In fact, he seemed downright excited about
them.
Burying one hand in Kurt’s hair, Ryan concentrated on kissing
and licking over the man’s lips as he returned Kurt’s passionate kiss
with reckless abandon. There was some unidentifiable bond between
them. Ryan knew that it could be labeled mating, but it was so much
more than that. It had the power to bring Ryan to his knees.
Ryan had to fight his overwhelming need to strip Kurt naked right
there on the middle of the bridge and claim him once again. The
bridge was not the place to reassert his claim on his mate, no matter
how much he wanted it.
Reluctantly, Ryan lifted his head and stared down at Kurt. He
rubbed his thumb gently over Kurt’s lips and then slipped it slowly
over smooth skin to cradle the side of the man’s face in the palm of
his hand.
“You are a wonder to me, Kurt Ackerman,” Ryan murmured
almost to himself. “I was the luckiest man alive the day you gave me
a second chance.” The lump in Ryan’s throat was growing. “I swear
you will never regret it.”
Kurt’s small smile was the sweetest thing that Ryan had ever seen.
It made Kurt’s face come alive. Happiness looked good on the man.
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At least, Ryan thought it might be happiness. He could hope anyway.
It would really suck if Kurt didn’t want to hear how Ryan felt.
Kurt’s eyes darted away for a moment, and then flickered back to
Ryan. “Giving you a second chance was the best decision I ever
made, and that says a lot for me. I don’t usually make the right
decision.”
A thoughtful smile curved Ryan’s lips. “You just need a little
practice, babe, and then you’ll be making all of the right decisions all
of the time without even thinking about it.”
“I hope so because you’re stuck with me.”
Ryan’s grin grew wider. “I can only hope so.”
Ryan’s heart stuttered in his chest when Kurt’s eyebrows suddenly
drew down in a deep frown. Had he said the wrong thing? “Kurt?”
“If you’re human, how did you know we were mates? I know I
told you but what made you believe me? I could have been lying, you
know?”
Oh, serious question time. Ryan exhaled softly as he thought
about the question. “I’m not sure I have a concrete answer for you,
Kurt. I know from my time on the Lady Blue that I wanted that
special closeness I had seen in the crew for myself. I also knew that
there was something special about you, something that drew me back
to you time and time again.” Ryan laughed nervously. “Hell, I
couldn’t stop thinking about you or that one night we had together. I
wanted more.”
“That’s it?” Kurt sounded so skeptical that Ryan almost laughed.
“No, that wasn’t everything but it was a big part of it. There was
just something about you, babe. I don’t know if it was the mate thing
or not. I don’t know that much about mates.” Ryan grabbed Kurt’s
chin gently in his hand and turned the man’s face up to his. “But I do
know that I decided I wanted you before I even knew about mates.”
Ryan knew he had said the right thing when Kurt suddenly let out
a breath and relaxed in his arms. “Were you worried about that,
Kurt?”
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Kurt’s lips twisted and he gave a little shrug. “Maybe.”
“All right, listen to me, Kurt Ackerman. I may not know
everything about mates but I do know that, while there is a bond or an
attraction between them, it does not mean that everyone falls in love
with their mate. That is strictly up to each couple. And I love you. Not
because you’re my mate but because you’re you. For no other reason
than that.”
Kurt’s eyes suddenly lifted and pinned right on Ryan’s. A
mischievous little arch curved up one of his eyebrows. “You do
realize that I’m a complete screwup, right? Almost everything I’ve
ever done in my life has gotten fucked up somehow. You need to
remember that because I know without a doubt, I will fuck this up,
too.”
“Nope.” Ryan shook his head vigorously. “I am in charge of this
mission, this ship, and this relationship. I refuse to let you fuck
anything up.”
Kurt tossed his head back as he laughed. “Like you have control
over me screwing up.”
“I do,” Ryan said. “Because I’ll paddle your sweet little ass if you
screw up.”
“Yeah.” Kurt grinned. “Threatening to spank me is going to keep
me on the straight and narrow for sure.”
Well, that was interesting. It seemed like Kurt was more in favor
of the idea than Ryan had thought. He wiggled his eyebrows. “Want
to find out?”
Kurt’s smile slid from his lips so quickly that Ryan almost missed
it. “Seriously?”
Ryan couldn’t get Kurt naked fast enough. He stood Kurt up,
yanked his pants down, and then pulled his mate over his thighs.
Damn the protocol on the bridge. His mate needed a spanking and
Ryan needed to feel his hand on his mate’s naked ass.
And there was that fantastic ass, all nice and pretty and rounded,
and draped over Ryan’s lap. Kurt’s intoxicating scent wafted over
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139
Ryan as he inhaled deeply, drawing the wonderful fragrance into his
lungs. Ryan’s hand trembled as he lowered it to the soft curve of
Kurt’s ass cheek.
“Gods and goddesses, Kurt,” Ryan said in a husky broken
whisper. “You have the most fantastic ass.”
Ryan peeled his eyes away from the pale slopes of Kurt’s ass
when he heard the smaller man chuckle.
“Glad you think so.” Kurt glanced over his shoulder as he wiggled
his ass. “Now, are you going to do something with it or just stare at
it?”
That was a good question. Ryan could easily just sit there and
stare at it. On the other hand, having the firm little rounded globes
under his hand was just as exhilarating. Of course, there was also the
fact that if Ryan didn’t let Kurt know who was in charge, he had no
chance of convincing his mate that he was right about their
relationship and Kurt needed to listen to him.
Ryan scooted Kurt up just a little until he could close his legs
around the hard cock pressing against his thighs. Once Kurt’s heavy
erection was trapped between his legs, Ryan lifted his hand and
brought it down on Kurt’s ass.
He moaned and bit down on his lower lip when he made a rosy
handprint appear on Kurt’s soft pale skin. Fuck, that was a gorgeous
sight. “Ten swats, baby, and that one was just for practice.” Ryan felt
Kurt shudder as he brought his hand down again.
“One,” Kurt groaned.
A wet spot pressed against Ryan’s thigh as he smacked Kurt’s ass
again. Ryan knew that this wasn’t about punishment, not when Kurt
seemed to enjoy it so much. People weren’t supposed to enjoy
punishments and Kurt was definitely enjoying this.
Ryan would have to come up with something else to keep Kurt in
line. Maybe he’d refuse to spank his mate if he was bad? Would that
do it?
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Ryan started running his fingers down the crack between Kurt’s
butt cheeks once his hand landed on Kurt’s ass. He didn’t push his
finger into the tight little fluttering bud he could feel there. He just
stroked his fingers over it.
Ryan loved the husky sound that came to Kurt’s voice as the man
counted every time Ryan smacked his ass. It grew deeper and deeper,
and more desperate with each swat. By the time Ryan hit his ninth
spanking, Kurt was practically incoherent as he humped his hips
against Ryan’s thighs.
On the last swat, Ryan brought his hand down and then pushed it
between Kurt’s ass cheeks. He pressed the tip of his finger into Kurt’s
tight little hole to the knuckle and then leaned down low over his
mate’s body.
“Come.”
One simple word and Ryan was rewarded by a long, desperate cry
and then the splash of liquid against his pants as Kurt came apart right
before his eyes. Ryan was so turned-on that he knew he was going to
come in his pants within seconds.
He quickly reached down and unzipped his pants, pulling his cock
out. He kept his eyes glued to Kurt’s glowing ass as he stroked his
hard cock. Ryan groaned in protest when Kurt slipped off his lap and
the sight of his red ass cheeks was taken from view. But then Kurt slid
to his knees and scooted up between Ryan’s thighs.
Ryan didn’t even have time to remove his hand from around his
cock. One swipe of Kurt’s tongue over the aching tip of his cock, and
Ryan was coming. He cried out, unable to breathe as he watched his
cum splatter all over Kurt’s face.
“Fuck!”
Ryan felt almost primal in that moment as he watched drops of
pearly-white seed drip down Kurt’s cheeks and off his chin. He had
marked his mate in the most primitive manner, and he was elated by
it.
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He wanted to mark Kurt again and again, inside and out. He
wanted everyone to smell his cum on his mate and know that Kurt
was spoken for.
Gods, he was a sick, possessive asshole.
Ryan tried to breathe deeply but the combined scent of his and
Kurt’s release permeated the air. “I’m sorry, Kurt, that was uncalled
for. I should have better control than that. It won’t happen again.”
Kurt grinned. “Are you kidding?” he asked. “That was fucking
fantastic. I can’t wait until we get to do it again.”
Ryan grabbed Kurt and pulled the man into his arms, hugging him
close to his body. He had the most fantastic mate in the history of
mates. He didn’t care if Kurt was covered in spunk or naked down to
his bunched-up pants.
“Love you, baby.”
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Chapter Twelve
Kurt was pretty sure that he was floating on air as he walked down
the corridor toward the mess hall. He felt like he had been flying high
since Ryan had professed his feelings a couple of days ago.
Kurt knew in his heart how he felt about Ryan. He just wasn’t
ready to tell him yet. Kurt was too afraid this would all go south when
it came time for him to make some sort of decision and he really
fucked things up.
Ryan had said he was accepting of Kurt’s failures, but he had
never really experienced them. Being really, really good at fucking up
wasn’t something to be proud of—even if it was a skill that Kurt was
spectacular at.
Kurt would wait to profess his own feelings until after he had
fucked up because it was coming. He could feel it. And once that
happened, if Ryan was still around, then Kurt knew that the man
spoke the truth.
Still, Kurt couldn’t help but feel elated when he walked through
the doors to the mess hall and saw Ryan’s welcoming smile. Even
surrounded by his men, and obviously in some sort of conversation,
Ryan still welcomed Kurt with an easy grin.
“How’s the hunt going?” Kurt asked as he joined the men sitting
around the table. Sitting down beside Ryan, Kurt immediately felt his
mate’s arm curve around his waist.
“We have a few leads,” Ryan said, “but nothing that is panning
out at the moment. We’re going to swing by Beta Five so I can talk to
a few of my contacts that refuse to communicate through vid-link and
then we’ll head back toward Tronos.”
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Kurt wasn’t sure how he felt about returning to Tronos. His
memories of that planet were not fond ones. Besides, going back to
Beta Five was like returning to the scene of the crime, only this time,
they would be returning to the place where he and Ryan had met, and
where Ryan had left him without a word. Kurt had forgiven his mate
but that didn’t mean he wanted to be reminded of what had happened.
He also didn’t like the idea of Ryan being in danger. He didn’t
want anything to happen to his mate and he was very afraid that it
would. Letting Ryan go planet side without him felt like having his
heart pulled right out of his chest. He just wasn’t going to do it.
“Are you going to tell me to stay on the ship?”
“Will it do me any good if I do?”
“No,” Kurt snorted. He had no intention of letting Ryan go
anywhere without him. He might not be the best shot in the universe
but he could still hit a target and protecting Ryan was his number-one
priority.
“Then I won’t say it,” Ryan said. “Even if I still think the safest
place for you is on board the Onyx.”
Safe, maybe, but Kurt knew he’d lose his mind waiting for Ryan
to come back and wondering if he even would. Kurt would much
rather be in the middle of a dangerous situation with Ryan by his side
than wait behind and agonize over whether his mate would ever
return.
Kurt folded his arms together and leaned them on the table as he
met the amused gaze of each of the team members. “So, when do we
land and what’s the plan?”
“Well.” August looked Kurt up and down. “The first thing we
need to do is get you some new clothes. You don’t blend in very well
in that outfit.”
Yeah, Kurt had been waiting days for a new outfit. He had washed
the one he was currently wearing so many times it was starting to
become see-through. He’d love to get his hands on something new.
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“How?” Kurt snickered. “’Cause let’s face it, I won’t fit in any of
your clothes, not even if I went through a late-stage growth spurt.”
August chuckled. “When we land, one of us will run out and grab
you something in your size.”
Kurt shrugged. “Okay, but nothing in yellow or red. I’d look
ridiculous.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “We’ll take him with us and grab something
at the market on the way. I want to be off Beta Five as fast as we can
manage it. We need to check in at home base. The general is waiting
for us. Going to the market and bringing clothes back for Kurt, and
then leaving again to go see my contacts, will take too much time.”
“Really?” Kurt glanced at Ryan. “I never got a chance to check
out the market when I was here last time. I always wanted to, though.
I’ve heard some pretty neat things about all of the stalls they have
there.”
“This isn’t a sightseeing tour, Kurt.”
“I know.” Kurt shrugged. “I just want to see it.”
“Fine,” Ryan huffed but Kurt could see the corners of the man’s
lips twitch as if he wanted to smile. “We’ll go to the market and pick
you up a change of clothes but then it’s on to see my contacts. We can
window-shop another time.”
That sounded perfect to Kurt. “When do we leave?”
Ryan blinked at him for a moment, and then tossed his head back,
laughing. “Let us get geared up and we’ll head out.”
The other men at the table laughed as they got to their feet and
walked out of the mess hall. When Ryan stood, Kurt got up as well.
He trailed after Ryan as the man walked out of the room, admiring his
ass. He liked the follow position. It gave him a perfect opportunity to
ogle Ryan.
The man had a fabulous ass.
Kurt was a little surprised when his mate handed him a phaser,
sling, and several ammunition cells. He stared at them for a moment.
“You’re arming me?”
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Ryan glanced up from where he was buckling his own sling onto
his thigh. “You’ve been practicing, haven’t you?”
“Yeah.” Every damn chance he got.
“Do you plan on shooting any more of my unit?”
“Not if I can help it.” Kurt frowned for a moment. “Well, maybe
Reno but that’s just because he has a big mouth on him.”
Ryan chuckled and went back to what he was doing. “Just ignore
him. He’s like that with everyone.”
“So, I’m not the only one gunning for him then?”
“Not by a long shot.” Ryan stood and grabbed his jacket off the
hook on the wall. Kurt couldn’t help but lick his lips as he watched
the muscles on Ryan’s arm stretch and bulge as the man pulled on his
jacket.
He was going to have a very hard time concentrating if he kept
watching his mate. He was already wondering why they couldn’t just
stay on the ship and fool around. Who needed to talk to contacts
anyway? Contacts were highly overrated.
“You gonna strap that thing on or just carry it around with you?”
“Huh…” Kurt stared down at the sling in his hands. Maybe he’d
just carry it.
* * * *
Kurt glanced around the marketplace in awe. They had nothing
like this back on Lakone. Sure, they had marketplaces but nothing on
this scale. This place was enormous. It was like a huge two-story
outside mall with booths and stalls set up every few feet.
And the colors…there were bright colors everywhere he looked.
Some were in the forms of flags while others were strips of material
draped across the tops of the pagoda-like market stalls. Still other
colors were being worn by people that scurried about buying
whatever they needed.
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Kurt knew that Beta Five was mainly a mining colony that was
known for its exportation of minerals used in the making of fuel cells,
phasers, and such, but the marketplace painted it as something else
altogether.
It was amazing.
Luckily, one of the market stalls that they had stopped at carried
exactly what Kurt needed to blend in. He had been almost as giddy as
a kid when Ryan picked out an outfit made entirely of Illuminar,
which meant that it would stretch or shrink to fit Kurt’s slim frame.
And it was in black, not yellow or red.
Kurt had eagerly carried the outfit behind the stall to a small
changing area and pulled it on. Afterward, he strapped on his phaser
and pulled on the knee-high black boots that Ryan had handed him.
He turned a little as he looked in the mirror.
Yep, he looked fantastic.
He smirked as he watched Ryan’s jaw drop when he stepped out
of the changing room. He wasn’t sure what his mate would do so he
was almost floored when Ryan picked out two more outfits, this time
in dark grey and an emerald green, and added them to the pile of
items he was buying. The arousal burning in Ryan’s eyes as the man
handed him his packages was priceless and made Kurt feel like a
sexual god.
This worked.
As they made their way through the crowd toward the bar where
Ryan was supposed to meet up with his contacts, Kurt tried to keep up
with Ryan and the others but his gaze kept getting attracted to all of
the wares being sold. Everything imaginable was available in the
marketplace.
Kurt had seen everything from Trillian silk and jewelry to ship
parts and the exotic Latrishonia fish. And Kurt knew from personal
experience that Latrishonia were illegal to transport. Apparently those
on Beta Five didn’t care.
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Kurt grunted when he suddenly slammed right into a wall of
muscle. His face flamed as he raised it to apologize for not looking
where he was going.
And then fear so overwhelming that he thought he might piss
himself hit Kurt. He was looking into the coldest, most evil eyes he
had ever seen and he remembered those eyes very well. He had
nightmares about them.
Kurt opened his mouth and just screamed as loud as he could. He
couldn’t move. Every muscle in his body had locked in place. He
wasn’t even sure he was screaming or if it was all in his living
nightmare, until he felt Ryan’s arms wrap around him.
“What is it, baby?” Ryan asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Ca–Cap–Captain Or–Orion,” Kurt stuttered, his body starting to
jerk with remembered pain.
“What?” Ryan shouted as his head whipped back and forth.
“Where?”
Kurt pointed to the crowd quickly closing around the captain.
“He–He—”
“I see him, Kurt.”
Kurt whimpered when Ryan’s arms fell away from him as the
man stepped toward the crowd of people. Ryan’s head snapped
around to look at him. Kurt could read the indecision on Ryan’s face.
His mate wanted to go after Captain Orion but he didn’t want to leave
Kurt either.
“Go!” Kurt glanced around until his eyes found August. “I’ll head
back to the ship with August.”
Indecision still warred in Ryan’s blue eyes.
“Go now before you lose sight of him. I’ll be fine back on the
ship.” Kurt knew how important it was to catch the captain, especially
for Ryan. He wasn’t about to stand in the way of the man who
tortured him being brought to justice. He wanted to see Captain Orion
pay for his crimes almost as much as Ryan did, maybe even more so.
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Besides, the idea that the man was walking around free gave Kurt
a sick, queasy feeling. His decision not to press charges was gone,
replaced by a need so deep to see the man punished that Kurt nearly
ran after Ryan to help him.
“August,” Ryan growled. “Guard him with your life.”
“It will be done, Lieutenant.”
Ryan leaned down and captured Kurt’s lips in a crushing kiss that
lasted a mere heartbeat. When he lifted his head, he stared down at
Kurt. “You be careful. Go directly back to the ship and wait for me
there. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“You be careful,” Kurt replied. “I’ll be safe on the ship. You’re the
one running into danger.”
Ryan smirked, even though Kurt could see the worry in his eyes.
It was mixed with an anxiousness that Kurt knew meant Ryan was
chomping at the bit to go after Captain Orion. “It’s what I do, baby.”
Kurt cocked his eyebrow. “As you once said to me, I don’t have to
like it.”
Ryan sighed. “Maybe…” He glanced over his shoulder.
Kurt rolled his eyes. “Go before I kick your ass.” He patted
Ryan’s chest to lessen the effect of his words and then spun on his
heels and walked over to stand next to August.
He knew Ryan had a job to do and that Ryan took that job very
seriously, maybe even more so when it came to Captain Orion. Ryan
hated the man with a deep passion, not only for what he had done to
Kurt but because of his betrayal of all the principles that Elite Force
stood for.
Ryan gazed at Kurt for another moment as if trying to gauge his
words, and then he nodded and took off through the crowd. The rest
of his unit, minus August, took off running after him.
Kurt blew out a deep breath and then turned to look at August. “I
thought he’d never leave.”
August’s chuckle was so low it was almost not there, but it was
there. So, maybe the man had a sense of humor after all. “Come on,
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Kurt, let’s get you back to the ship before Ryan has a stroke. We can
contact him once we’re on board and he’ll be able to work better
knowing you’re safe.”
Kurt was deeply in favor of both ideas. He wanted the safety of
the ship. He needed to feel the walls of the Onyx around him, to know
he was safe from Captain Orion. He also needed to know that Ryan
was concentrating fully on his job and not worrying about him. If
Ryan got injured because his mind wasn’t on what he was doing, Kurt
really would kick the man’s ass.
The trip back to the spaceport where the Onyx was docked took
less time than it did to reach the market. Kurt knew it was because the
bright colors and amazing items being sold no longer held his interest.
He was too freaked out that he might run into the captain again to
appreciate all that the marketplace held.
Once on board the Onyx again, Kurt followed after August as the
man headed straight for the bridge. He felt better now that the walls of
the ship were closed around him but he needed to hear Ryan’s voice
and make sure that his mate was safe. He wouldn’t feel truly
comfortable until Ryan was also back on board, but he knew that
would have to wait.
Gods, he hated waiting.
“Lieutenant, this is August. We’re back on board. What is your
situation?”
“Get the Onyx up and running,” Ryan replied through some slight
static coming across the airwaves. “We’re headed that way now.
Damn bastard took off in a shuttle he had hidden in a warehouse on
the edge of the market square. We think he’s heading to a ship
orbiting the planet. If he reaches that ship, we may never find him.”
“Copy, Lieutenant.”
August sat down in one of the chairs on the bridge and started
pushing buttons. After a moment, Kurt felt the floor start to hum as
the ship came to life. He quickly moved to one of the chairs near
August and sat down.
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“What can I do to help?”
“Have you ever powered up a ship before?”
“No, but I can push buttons with the best of them.”
August smirked. “I’ll just bet you can.”
Kurt rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“I do.” August chuckled lightly again like he had in the
marketplace, and then pointed to a screen on the console sitting in
front of Kurt. “Hit that red button over there. Watch the screen. When
you see it reach one hundred percent, hit the green button.”
“Okay.” Kurt hit the red button and then started watching the
screen. “What am I doing?”
“You’re powering up our weapons systems. If we’re lifting off to
track this guy, we may need them and I’d like to have them
available.”
“What happens if it reaches one hundred percent and we don’t hit
the green button?”
“We explode.”
Kurt gulped and leaned closer to watch the screen. “Okay, green
button it is.”
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Chapter Thirteen
Ryan made his way back to the ship as fast as he could, his men
following closely behind him. There was no fucking way he was
letting Orion get away. As badly as he had wanted to meet up with his
contacts, catching the bastard that hurt his mate took top priority.
Failure wasn’t an option here. The sadistic captain was going to
pay for what he did to Kurt. Ryan was going to make sure of it if he
had to strap the man to the hull of his ship and force-feed him oxygen
all of the way back to Tronos.
“August has the ship ready for takeoff,” Reno said from beside
him as they raced toward the Onyx. Good. Ryan wanted off of this
planet as soon as they stepped foot on the ship. He didn’t want to
waste any time.
“Tell him we are three minutes out.”
He heard Reno relay the message. Things were not going as
planned. Ryan still wanted to go after the sex slave the Big Boss was
trying to sell. It wasn’t high on his list of priorities, but he couldn’t
just stand by knowing someone was being sold, especially since he
knew how Kurt felt about it.
He was still curious as to why the Crunk ship had been dead in the
water. Maybe a call to Misha Rashal would clue him in on what had
happened. Although he had a feeling the Big Boss was behind
whatever was going on with the ship.
There was also Tyvak to deal with. The jackass knew he was
being hunted and would go underground but Ryan knew letting the
man get comfortable might be the only way they were going to catch
the guy.
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So much to do and so little time to get things done.
Ryan hated working off of a schedule. It left room for errors and
he wasn’t used to making errors. And so far, he hadn’t. But if this
craziness kept up, he wasn’t too sure that would last.
As soon as they reached the ship and jumped on board, August
lifted off of Beta Five. Ryan was on the bridge in seconds flat,
searching the viewing screen for any signs of Orion’s ship.
“He’s on the far side of the planet,” August said as he punched in
the coordinates. “We can catch up to him in no time.”
Ryan’s hands clenched behind his back. “Then do it.” He wasn’t
going to let the bastard get away. Not if he could help it. Arresting the
captain and bringing him to justice would help Kurt cope with what
had been done to him, and stop Orion from abusing another person.
But he also wanted the man behind bars where he was safe from
Ryan’s wrath. The images from the halo-vid of Kurt being abused
hadn’t stopped running through his head since his mate had crashed
into the captain at the marketplace. Ryan’s back molars ground when
the ship they were after came into sight.
The command to fire at it was on the tip of Ryan’s tongue,
begging to form into words. Ryan usually held his composure, going
after his target with quiet stealth, but it had been Kurt who had been
victimized. Ryan wasn’t thinking with reason right now.
“What do you want me to—shit!” August growled out the curse
word when Orion’s ship fired at them. It was a direct hit. The Onyx
shook and metal groaned as if fighting to stay together, but the ship
continued to fly through space. “The bastard is trying to kill us.”
“Shields up.” Ryan walked across the bridge and took the seat
next to Vane. “How’s the shoulder?”
“Healing.” Vane turned toward him. “Do we return fire?”
Ryan took in a deep breath, stopping himself from screaming hell
yes. Although he wanted to, badly. “We pursue him for now.”
Vane shrugged. “I’ll listen to you until the fucker starts tearing my
ship apart. The gloves are off if he does that.”
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Ryan ignored Vane’s vow. He was concentrating on the ship in
front of them. They were gaining speed, but the Onyx was sorely
outdated. Orion’s ship moved ahead of them at an alarming rate. Soon
they were going to lose sight of it.
“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Ryan asked as he watched the
captain’s ship gain speed as well, almost outrunning them.
“Not today,” Vane answered. “I haven’t made all of the repairs
yet.”
Ryan grabbed the console as the Onyx rocked again, taking
another hit.
“Shields at thirty percent,” August called out.
They were losing shields rapidly. It shouldn’t have dropped so
low so quickly. Something had to be wrong.
“Lieutenant?” Cheyenne said his name, turning to stare at him.
“We’ll be defenseless soon. Do you want to continue to stand down?”
Ryan didn’t want to be accused of killing Orion just because the
man had tortured his mate. But he wasn’t going to stand by and have
the Onyx blown into a million pieces either. He needed to make a
choice.
“Fire at will, but try to disable the ship, not blow it out of space.”
“Tall order,” Cheyenne replied as he turned back around and
started firing at the captain’s ship, hitting it, but not disabling the
damn thing. The combat specialist fired again, this time doing some
damage.
“His shield is holding, but it is losing power. It’s at seventy
percent now,” August reported.
“Can you hit the ship again without blowing it up?” Ryan asked
Cheyenne.
The man sighed deeply as if heavily put upon. “Yeah, I can play
fair.”
Ryan grinned despite the gravity of the situation. Cheyenne was
pouting once again. “Then disable it.”
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The entire bridge scrambled to get the Onyx out of direct fire.
Orion’s ship was letting a rapid burst of phasers out, taking out their
shields and leaving them virtually defenseless. Too much more and
they wouldn’t have a chance.
“The crazy bastard is trying to kill us,” Cheyenne shouted.
Ryan slammed his fist into the console. Orion was leaving him
with no choice. He engaged the monitor, recording the battle to use as
proof of Orion’s madness if he was questioned about his decision.
“Defend us.” Ryan gave the order.
Vane maneuvered them out of range, but Orion was determined,
dogging their every move, not letting them get away. One more direct
hit and the Onyx would be history. Ryan stood rigid, his eyes never
leaving the viewing screen.
He watched as Cheyenne delivered a fatal blow to Orion’s ship,
the explosion lighting up space in brilliant colors. Ryan’s gut
clenched at the loss. He wouldn’t be able to make Orion suffer as
much as the man had made Kurt suffer.
It was over.
Ryan cursed when the Onyx suddenly rocked and then everything
went dead. “What’s going on?”
“Some of the debris from the captain’s ship hit us dead-on. It
knocked out our engines,” August answered. “We are dead in the
water.”
Ryan raced from the bridge, coming to a skidding halt when he
spotted a porthole. He looked out, feeling his entire body shudder
when they passed End of the Line.
Nobody, not even the Elite Force, ventured past that planet. That
was why it was called End of the Line. It was the end of the known
universe. Ryan knew for a fact that the space beyond the planet was
uncharted. Only kamikaze pilots navigated beyond this border, and
Ryan had never heard of them returning.
He ran back to the bridge, feeling his heart beating out of control.
“How much life support do we have?”
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“I’ve shut down the sections we don’t need. The air is circulating
on the bridge, our quarters, and the mess hall. I’ve also assigned a
percentage to engineering so we can make repairs,” Vane answered as
he turned to look at Ryan, a grimace darkening his face. “But we
won’t last long if I don’t get down there and get started.”
“Go,” Ryan said as he waved the man out of the room. “August,
go with him. Get us up and running before we all die.”
They didn’t even have communications. There was no way for
Ryan to hail any nearby vessels to ask for help, assuming there was a
nearby vessel. Most intelligent people stopped at End of the Line for a
reason.
“What’s going on?” Kurt asked as he walked onto the bridge,
glancing around. “Why are we in darkness?”
Ryan grabbed Kurt, pulling his mate close. “Because we killed
Orion, blowing his ship to smithereens, but we suffered damage from
the blast.”
“Captain Orion is dead?” Kurt asked, his body going rigid in
Ryan’s arms.
“I’m sorry, baby.” Ryan stroked the back of his hand down the
side of Kurt’s face. “I know that you wanted him to stand trial for
what he did but he was attacking us with everything he had. If we
hadn’t defended ourselves, he would have killed us.”
Ryan frowned when Kurt began to shake his head. He wasn’t sure
what was going on inside of Kurt’s mind, but Ryan didn’t think that
Kurt was going to lose it. Well, he at least hoped he wasn’t. It
couldn’t be easy for Kurt to hear that his tormentor was dead.
“Kurt?”
“Does it make me a bad person to be glad he is dead?” The words
were whispered, as if Kurt were ashamed to even speak them out
loud.
Ryan hugged him tighter. “No, baby, no.”
“Good.” Kurt sniffled. “Because I’m glad that bastard can’t hurt
anyone else.”
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Ryan grabbed Kurt’s hand, pulling his mate from the bridge.
“Come on. We can celebrate in private.” He didn’t want anyone
judging his mate. Although he knew his unit wouldn’t, this was
something he and Kurt needed to discuss alone.
It wasn’t easy navigating through the dark corridors. There were
security lights every few yards, but they weren’t bright enough to
guide them when Vane had pieces and parts strewn about the entire
ship. A few times Ryan almost tripped over something.
“Careful, Lieutenant,” Kurt said as they slowly made their way
back to Ryan’s quarters. “I don’t know shit about being a medic. If
you get hurt, you’re screwed.”
Ryan chuckled. “Duly noted.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth when Ryan tripped over
something in the dark and fell flat on his ass. He cursed when he saw
what he had fallen over. It was one of the parts Vane had ordered,
probably sitting there waiting to be installed.
“Are you okay?” Kurt asked as he dropped down next to Ryan.
“Are you bleeding?”
Ryan checked his legs, but didn’t see any blood, although his shin
hurt like a bitch. “I’m fine.”
“Then I guess you don’t need mouth-to-mouth, do you?”
Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. He could hear the note of desire in
Kurt’s voice. He hadn’t expected his mate to become turned-on by his
fall. Or maybe it was the dire situation they were in. He wasn’t sure,
but there was no mistaking the heat in Kurt’s pretty blue eyes.
The man wanted him.
A groan escaped his lips when Kurt pushed Ryan’s shoulder
against the floor, taking his lips in a questioning kiss. Ryan knew that
his mate wasn’t exactly the assertive type, so he lay there allowing
Kurt to do as he pleased.
It was a nice change of pace.
“Do you think you’re going to live now?” Kurt asked when he
pulled back from the kiss.
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Ryan grinned as he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not real sure.
There is a severe pain between my legs. It might be life threatening.”
He didn’t miss Kurt rolling his eyes.
Ryan chuckled. “Hey, I was being just as cheesy as you were.”
“But my cheesy line was a hell of a lot better,” Kurt teased as his
hands slid down Ryan’s arms and then he gripped Ryan’s hips. “But if
you want me to check…” Kurt scooted back, undoing Ryan’s pants
and freeing his cock. “Wow, I’m no medic, but that looks swollen to
me.”
Ryan laughed.
God, he loved the man. Kurt had a way of making Ryan forget he
was one of the most lethal men in the universe. His mate made him
happy. That was something Ryan was not used to. He lived his life on
the edge, always ready for a battle. It was refreshing to let his guard
down and be himself with Kurt. The man made him feel alive instead
of merely existing.
“Then maybe you should take a closer look.”
Kurt nodded and then leaned in closer, grabbing the shaft of
Ryan’s cock as he examined it, flipping it one way and then the other.
“Yep, definitely swollen.”
Ryan moaned. “What is your prognosis?”
“I think sucking it may help with the swelling.”
Now who was being cheesy?
Ryan dropped to his back and then pushed his pants down to his
thighs. To hell with anyone coming up on them. He didn’t care if his
entire unit stumbled upon them in the corridor. There was no way
Ryan was passing up a chance to feel Kurt’s lips wrapped around his
cock.
“Then do it or I just might die in the next five minutes.” No
sooner were the words out of his mouth than Kurt’s mouth engulfed
his cock to the root. Ryan bit back a shout as Kurt began sucking in
earnest.
“Damn, baby,” Ryan groaned. “That’s it.”
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Kurt moved to settle himself between Ryan’s legs, allowing him
to slide his hand between Ryan’s thighs and cup his balls. His mate’s
tongue probed insistently and Ryan reached out to push his pants
down further.
He ran his hands over Kurt’s head, encouraging his mate and
relishing the contact as the merman began to bob his head. He had
forgotten that Kurt could breathe through his gills. There was no need
for him to come up for air.
“Oh, hell, Kurt. Oh, fucking hell.” He wasn’t making any sense
and Ryan didn’t care. Kurt was doing an expert job on making his
mind turn to mush. The only thing registering was his mate’s lips
sucking him until the head of his cock was sliding down Kurt’s throat.
“Take your pants off.” Ryan was so damn horny that his mouth
watered to reciprocate.
Kurt let Ryan’s erection slip from his lips as he quickly pulled off
his Illuminar suit. Ryan growled at the creamy white flesh that was
revealed. He didn’t care about anyone catching them, and in the same
breath, was ready to kill anyone who laid eyes on his naked mate.
“Turn around so I can suck your beautiful cock.”
Kurt did as Ryan commanded. He climbed over Ryan, straddling
his groin right over Ryan’s face. Ryan didn’t waste any time getting
Kurt’s cock into his mouth, and neither did his mate when he took
Ryan back down his throat.
Ryan’s head spun.
He inhaled Kurt’s scent as he wet his fingers and speared them
into Kurt’s tight hole. Kurt jumped, but didn’t release Ryan’s cock.
Ryan sucked the engorged head as he fucked his mate’s ass with his
fingers. Maneuvering his fingers, Ryan quickly found Kurt’s sweet
spot, crooking his fingers until his mate was writhing above him.
He traced the veins running alongside Kurt’s shaft, hitching his
hips at the same time when Kurt began to moan. The vibration made
Ryan fuck Kurt’s mouth in frenzy. He wanted to taste Kurt, wanted
the man to come down his throat.
Second Chances
159
With a few well-delivered strokes of his fingers in his mate’s ass,
along with taking the man down his throat, Kurt was humping Ryan’s
face, his hot seed pulsing down Ryan’s throat as Kurt loudly groaned
around Ryan’s cock.
Ryan pulled Kurt from his body, flipping the man onto his back.
Ryan kicked his pants the rest of the way off and pulled Kurt’s legs
over his shoulders. With a deep groan, he plunged deep into Kurt’s
body.
“This is mine.” He growled the words with savagery. “My ass, my
mate.”
“Yours.” Kurt echoed his words as Ryan shoved Kurt’s legs back,
thrusting into Kurt with a wildness that was beyond madness. He
watched his cock slip in and out of his mate’s ass, the sight so fucking
erotic that Ryan was soon shouting out Kurt’s name. His balls
emptied and Ryan thought for sure that he was going to pass out.
Never before had he come so damn hard.
Kurt reached up, cupping Ryan’s face. “I love you.”
Ryan was taken by surprise with Kurt’s words. He had thought
never to hear them. “I love you, too.”
“I wasn’t going to tell you until I fucked up and you didn’t walk
away from me, but I couldn’t hold them back.”
Ryan pulled free of his mate’s ass and then yanked Kurt up into
his arms. “Baby, you could accidently set this ship on fire and I would
still want you. Hell, you shot my pilot and I’m still lying in this
corridor fucking you.”
Kurt glanced up at him, skepticism in his eyes. “We’ll see if you
are still saying that when—”
“Lieutenant, we need you on the bridge,” Vane’s voice interrupted
Kurt.
“Never fails,” Ryan muttered as he helped Kurt to his feet. “We’ll
finish this discussion later.” He dressed, his mate doing the same
before they both carefully walked back to the bridge. The doors were
in an open position, no power to operate them.
160
Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn
Ryan spotted Vane and headed toward him. “What’s going on?”
“August managed to get the viewing screen up and running
without draining what power we need,” Vane said. “But I think you
should take a look at where we are headed.”
Ryan leaned closer, his breath catching in his throat as he spotted
the asteroid ahead of them. But that wasn’t what surprised him. It was
the space station hidden on the asteroid that gained his full attention.
It wasn’t in full view, but Ryan could tell what it was almost
immediately.
He pointed to the screen. “Can we land on that asteroid?”
“No,” Vane answered. “But we can crash on it because that’s
exactly what’s about to happen.”
Ryan shoved Kurt toward a seat. “Buckle yourself in.” He leaned
down, giving Kurt a blazing kiss. “I love you.”
Kurt swallowed as he quickly fastened himself in. “I love you,
too.”
Ryan dropped into the seat next to his mate, fastening the straps
and then grabbing Kurt’s hand as the ship began to violently jostle
them around.
They were crash-landing, and Ryan prayed they survived. Kurt
had given him a second chance and Ryan wanted to live through this
long enough to prove to his mate that the choice was the best decision
Kurt could have ever made.
When the ship came to a sudden stop, Ryan was both relieved and
filled with a foreboding. They may have survived the impact, but he
wasn’t sure what lay ahead. The only thing he was certain of was how
much he loved the merman sitting next to him and how grateful he
was to have Kurt in his life.
Everything else could take a backseat, including how they were
going to get off of this fucking rock.
Second Chances
161
THE END
WWW.LYNNHAGEN.COM
WWW.STORMYGLENN.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but
lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to
find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart. You can find her on any
given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the
next set of characters tell their story.
Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots
is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first
sight, soul Mates, true love, and happy endings. You can usually find
her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or
on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories.
Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website
at www.stormyglenn.com.
For all titles by Lynn Hagen and Stormy Glenn, please visit
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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