IGO: Sudden Snow (7 page)

“No!” Cricket cried, shooting off her bed as if it were suddenly on fire.
Doctors Savage and Bajou? Dead? Missing? No, oh, no. What the hell is going on
? It all dawned on her. There wasn’t any IGO slashed comm. Wang had lied.

Heart thundering in fear, Cricket remembered how she had hastily tried to message the other doctors and research assistants on Europa’s Outpost and other locales. She couldn’t reach any of them.

She looked to Darryl and found concern spoiling his handsome face. Even the gruesome scar couldn’t derail his attractiveness, and those eyes offered sympathy but no answers. She slumped forward to the bed, sitting down once more. Grief crashed onto her shoulders like a sack of stones, each hypothetical boulder carrying the name of one of her fellow research scientists.

“How?” she managed to croak around the thick wad of emotion in her throat. She faltered, unable to form the horrible thought into words.

Commander Taylor’s sternness receded a bit. Looking straight through her, he continued. “We strongly believe these are the direct actions of Kem Core Industries, a commercial outfit operating primarily from the moon’s outpost. They also have a sister company which outsources the outties to the IGO. That jewel’s head office is located on Io’s Outpost.” The commander went to the plasma screen and touched a series of boxes, calling up the pictures.

“Recognize him?” Darryl asked, nodding toward the screen.

“Wang,” she said, her voice barely audible in the hum of the quarters’ equipment. “Wang!”

Commander Taylor nodded. “Right now the Alpha Team has been deployed, along with Beta from
Destiny
to investigate.”

He touched a few more arrows, leap-frogging over flashes of command windows. At last, he stood back, looking at an image of an Ioian volcano plume.

“There are the answers, the key to the investigation. Only you can locate and unlock its secrets. You’re all that’s left.” Commander Taylor pointed at the screen, face in profile. “The vessel left right away.”

“What vessel?” Cricket asked, hugging herself, staving off the tears with rising fury. How dare they take the lives of these innocent people! For what?

“
The Discovery
,” Commander Taylor replied matter-of-factly, turning to face her. “None better.
Destiny
’s Beta Team is nearly as good.”

Cricket nodded in numb agreement. She’d only heard about
The Discovery’s
Alpha Team’s extraordinary abilities. At the time, she’d chalked it all up to gossip and grandstanding. Now she hoped she had been wrong.

The commander turned to Darryl. “Your job is to keep her safe until we reach Mars 1.” And then to her, the commander said, “You’re not alone, Dr. Moore. But, I’ll be frank.
The Inquiry
isn’t equipped for something of this magnitude. Darryl’s the only one with real experience in live combat. Plus, he’s my security chief and third in command. You’ll be safe with him. Keep your eyes and ears open. Remain alert.”

Cricket gave Darryl a weak smile and hugged herself tighter.
What have I done to be chosen to live when the others are gone? What is going on
?

All of these questions she wanted to ask, but Commander Taylor was already at the doorway. His lips twitched as he stared at the sergeant who met his gaze unwaveringly. Then his gaze swept over her. “For now, you’re our case against Kem Core, and the nucleus of Ganor project. Once we get you to Mars, Alpha Team’s going to want to talk to you,” he said and then to Darryl. “Sergeant Snow. A word.”

Darryl snapped to attention and followed him out to the quiet corridor.

Cricket watched him go and, once he cleared the doorway, fell back to her bed, hugged her pillow and cried. Searing, angry tears stung her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Someone wanted her dead, but why? The research? Her group wasn’t anywhere close to any conclusive data they could use for commercial reasons. So, Wang wanted it for what? Weapons? Why did Kem Core want it so badly? Surely, they wouldn’t snatch the lives of these scientists -- some only civilian, not even IGO trained -- on a hypothesis.

And was Darryl really good enough to protect her from the corporation’s long reach?

* * *

Darryl followed Commander Taylor out into the dimly lit hallway, his thoughts echoing loudly through his head. The visitor quarters were reserved for research assistants, human test subjects and extra machinery. Cricket was the only human on this level.

“Darryl,” Commander Taylor began.

Watching his face intensely, Darryl struggled to hold his gaze.

After a few moments, the commander clasped his huge weathered hand to Darryl’s shoulder. “I know you’re taken with her. It’s lonely out here. Dr. Moore is an extremely beautiful woman, but…” He sighed. He added a second hand onto Darryl’s other shoulder and shook him gently. Weariness seeped from him, and the minute wrinkles tightened around his eyes and mouth.

“Sir? Are you all right?” Darryl asked. In the last few hours, Commander Taylor’s hair seemed to have sprouted scores of new grays and his leader’s usually easygoing manner appeared strained.
This is riding hard on him, and he won’t tell any of us how to help him manage it
.

“I’m fine, Darryl,” he said, though he sounded anything but. “These murders and disappearances are not my forte. I was a scientist long before I became a soldier for the IGO. Now that Alpha Team is involved, I’ll be able to withdraw from the forefront. There are still a few loose ends I need to inspect.” He gave Darryl a fatigued grin. “But back to you, son. The doctor is very, very lovely, but I warn you not to neglect the danger around her. None of which is her fault -- as it stands now. Once Commander Ashe gets a hold of her, Ashe will come out of this with her hands filled with information. Make sure you continue using the head on your shoulders and not the other one.”

“Yes, sir,” Darryl said, his stomach turned over those coarse, but true words. “I…” …
won’t let any harm befall her. I’m, I’m afraid I’m in love with her
. He closed his mouth, shutting the words inside him.

Commander Taylor laughed, temporarily transforming back to the leader of old. “On that note, I’m heading down for coffee. You?”

“No, thank you, sir,” Darryl said evenly.

Darryl waited until the commander vanished into the lift before returning to Cricket. Balled up, she shook with grief. Immediately he crawled onto the bed, pulling her into his embrace, his logic and his warnings all thrown to the wind. He had to siphon off her anguish. They’d both have to be alert from here on out. Someone wanted her dead like the other scientists. Darryl wouldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let it go down like that. Cricket was his assignment and he was going to cover her -- completely.

He sighed as she relaxed into him, quietly sobbing. “This isn’t your fault. Some private company got a case of greed. They want your research for profit, no matter the lives. The cost will be written up as collateral damage.”

He squeezed her closer, and she shifted over to face him. She buried her face into his chest. “This is horrid,” she said, pressing her ear to his heart. “I’ve got to find out what Wang thinks we discovered and how he wants to use it.”

“Alpha Team will handle the investigation. Commander Ashe is the best in the fleet,” he said soothingly, rubbing her back. “They’ll unearth Wang’s motives and issue arrest decrees for those responsible.”

She was shaking her head as she pushed herself to a sitting position. With quick swipes of the back of her hand, she erased the tears from her cheeks. He could hear her sniffling and then she looked down at him at last. Slightly swollen eyes met his, and he kissed her hand.

“Listen,” she said, voice growing hard. “No offense, but none of your Alpha Team are scientists. A bunch of soldiers, yes, and I’m thankful for that. I don’t doubt your Commander Ashe is as good as you say, but she won’t be able to figure out Ganor’s breakthrough. It took a team of specialists, Darryl, to handle this project. A small team, sure, but experts in their respective fields. No, I have to look at all the pieces and put this thing together.”

Darryl watched her inner fire rage. He couldn’t argue with her logic. He hadn’t thought of it that way, but Cricket was right. Ganor was her project, and she knew it best.

Already, she was out of the bed and standing at the plasma screen, fingers skipping across the surface, hardly standing still long enough for him to see what she had selected. Text and images zipped by and her brow furrowed in concentration. Darryl put his booted feet on the floor. As he stood, his eyes drifted down her curvaceous silhouette. Desire drew him closer to her, but caution gave him pause. She seemed to have forgotten he was there, and part of him didn’t want her to forget him.

That part of him urged him to scoop her up, drop her to the bed and slowly devour her, one succulent minute after another.

Witnessing her transformation from distraught woman to IGO soldier only made her more alluring. She stood out against the screen’s illumination and Darryl decided he could get used to coming into his quarters and finding her there. He even envisioned himself slipping up behind her, dropping kisses across her neck and having her reach for him, welcoming him home.

A groan slipped between his lips before he could stop himself and she froze at the sound.

“Did you say something?” she asked, arm hovering in its bent V
,
fingers locked over the illuminated buttons.

“I -- I said, uh,” he said, nerves rattling in his belly. “I’m glad you feel better.”

She whirled around then, hands on her hips. “Feel better? I feel horrible, but I can’t let Wang get away with this. Kem Core won’t generate more money with the blood of my colleagues and friends. No.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it then,” he said, giving her a smile he hoped hid his thoughts from her.
I knew it! Yesterday was the overwrought emotions of a desperate woman playing out in flirtation. Her kiss meant nothing to her. It shouldn’t to me. Not anymore. In time I’ll be able to push this out of my life
.

He blew out his frustration. Yeah, if only it had been a bout of hot horniness. But as he reached the door, he felt an arm on him.

“Going someplace so soon?” she asked, spinning him around to face her.

“You’ve got work to do.”

She reached up to him, arms locking around his neck. She smiled. He didn’t pull away. “About yesterday, I came across wrong,” she confided, her breath hot against his neck. “I’m sorry.”

His desire was easily manipulated by her body, by her voice, hell, by
her
. With a long look, he leaned down but stopped short of kissing her. Inches from those full pillow plush lips, he held himself back. The pressure mounted as he waited. This had to be
her
choice. “Understandable,” he said, reduced to answering one word at a time. His thoughts were clouded over by the roaring of his passion. He had to be sure.

“I want to thank you for being a stand-up guy,” she said, pulling him closer to her juicy, moist lips. Her eyes were brimming with want, and Darryl wrestled with his craving to touch her, to snatch her against him, throw her to the ground and have her until they could stand it no more.

She kissed him so strongly, Darryl fell into her. His hands moved down to those gorgeous plump cheeks, clutching her to him. It was heaven to feel their weight in his hands at last. Her soft moans met his ears and he caressed her butt, stoking the growing heat coiled inside him. Darryl broke the kiss and whispered to her, “Are you sure this --
I’m
what you want?”

“Yes,” she breathed, and yanked him back down to her delicious mouth.

He halted her progress, staring at her as her eyes opened and locked onto his. He ran his thumb across her bottom lip and stared into her eyes.

“Yes, of course,” she replied impatiently. “Kiss me. Touch me, Darryl.”

He so wanted to obey that order, but he had to be sure. “Cricket, this isn’t some ill-placed payment, or something you feel you owe me,” he explained, diligently searching her face for the truth. He had to be convinced she wanted him because she
did
, and for no other reason.

“It isn’t,” she purred. Her hands glided over his torso, across his corded muscles. “I want you, right now. Right here. I wanted you yesterday, hell, the very moment you came into the Collection Unit.”

Darryl’s pulse leapt at those words and he relaxed. All the hunger he’d previously held back he released. Running a finger up and down the seam of her pants that parted her beautiful cheeks into lovely halves, he quivered. She moaned. Her ample ass fit his hands so right, and the softness of her skin made his cock spring to life.

“Ah, you like that,” he whispered against her ear, allowing his finger to draw slow circles around her pants where he envisioned her sexual warmth to be. Watching her squirm against him, he added, “Yeah, you do.”

Cricket tossed her head back and pushed her pelvis forward, gyrating into him. He hoisted her up by her ass, and she wrapped her legs around his waist at once. He carried her over to the bed and laid her gently down onto the foam mattress. He stood up, drinking her in.

Damn, she’s so, so fantastic, and she doesn’t even know it
.

Her lovely curves, flawless chocolate skin, and sexy sensuality wrenched his cock up to new rigidness. It’d been years since he’d loved a woman -- a real live one. He crashed into her, and the two of them became a tangle of arms and legs, lips and licks. Never had he ever been so impulsive. His logical and reasonable self shot out reprimands, but his body gleefully ignored them.

She rubbed her breasts through her sweater, eyes at half mast. She leveled a straight look at him and moaned, low and luscious. Beneath the sweater’s thick weaving, the tight peaks pointed at him as if saying they wanted him to come on over and nibble them.

“I know you want me,” Cricket whispered, tweaking her nipples between her forefingers and thumbs. “I can see your desire.”

“And I can see yours,” he retorted.