What To Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection Part Two (69 page)

D
allas threaded his way through the crowded sidewalk back to the alley. He’d learned over the past month the residents of this territory on Garalon Five were night owls. Not that they had a choice. Things wouldn’t slow down until the first two moons were well below the horizon and the third just beginning to rise. The lack of daylight had thrown him when he’d first arrived. Though the Nebulae Galaxy—a term that grated as it was technically a solar system—had a major star at its center, the weak light didn’t reach a good portion of the planets. Heat on the inhabitable planets came from deep within their crusts.

He didn’t give a shit about the specifics, just that the interminable darkness was fraying the ends of his taut nerves. Another two days, a week tops and this mission would be finished and Dallas could return to Earth for a much needed vacation with some
human
companionship.

Working for the government was a lonely business. Lonelier still when he was out in deep space away from his own species. Five years ago, when Dallas had graduated from Quantico, he’d envisioned this life—traveling the stars in search of bad guys and adventures. But working for QAL wasn’t all the pamphlets had promised. It seemed even in space, shit happened, people died and no matter how far he ran, he couldn’t outrun a broken heart.

Dallas turned the last corner to see the alley he’d left not twenty minutes ago was now empty. It worried him a little that the Ka’al wasn’t here and wondered if he’d missed something crucial in his lust-filled fog. No one knew better than him that spies were everywhere. He passed the doorway where he’d been buried in Lilly’s heat and cursed when her honeyed aroma tickled his nose. Probably nothing more than his horny imagination, but it ate at him just the same.

He’d known what Lilly was when he’d spotted her in the tavern—a two-bit space hooker with a full rack and luscious ass. Though he shouldn’t expect her to see him as anything more than the client he’d become, Dallas had thought he’d seen something in her eyes when they’d been at the bar. He’d initially wanted nothing more than to get her out of the alien’s arms, but that sultry voice and kissable mouth had been his undoing. Like a siren, she’d wrapped him in a spell and seduced him. Not that his dick needed much encouragement on that front. Dallas couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen an Earth female, let alone held one in his arms. There weren’t too many of them out this far in deep space. He’d lost himself in her body, forgetting what she was. Still, it had been a major hit to his ego to pay her the twenty-five hundred credits he’d negotiated her down to and put her in the luna cab.

Dallas should be grateful. That slap of reality set him back on track and refocused him on the mission at hand. He couldn’t afford to screw this one up. Not when so much was at stake. Skirting around the Dumpster, he shot another quick glance over his shoulder before laying his palm on the key pad disguised as one of the stones on the side of the building. Experiencing the cold wash of energy flowing over him as the solid stones became gas and surrounded him never became easier to experience. He was still a little disoriented when he materialized into the bright room of the temporary QAL headquarters.

“Sawyer, where the hell you been?”

Darren Bastower stared at him through a hologram of the tavern illuminated over a control table. Abandoning the plans, his boss strode angrily toward Dallas, his bare feet slapping the concrete floor. This night the hulking Braugtot was in the form of a Ka’al. The QAL lieutenant in charge only took that form when he was really pissed.
Lucky him.

“We’ve been looking for you. We’ve got less than one Earth hour to have everyone in place. It might only be logistics to you, but we’re treating this as the real thing.” Anger throbbed in the veins at his temples and neck, turning his mahogany cheeks a bruised shade of purple. His telltale facial tattoo that marked him as a male Braugtot pulsed angrily around his left eye.

“Yes Sir. I’m aware. It’s not like I’m late. I—”

“Thaegan’s been here nearly thirty minutes. He told me you were at the tavern together and would be right behind him.”

He shot a look over the lieutenant’s shoulder. The large Ka’al, who’d been monitoring the alley as a drunkard, acknowledged his impudent behavior with a one-fingered salute and a shit-eating grin. That bastard of a partner was supposed to cover his ass, not deliver it in a sling to his boss.

“Yeah, well, I had some business to attend to before I could get back here.” Dallas headed for his desk. “Since Thaegan’s been here that long, I assume he’s briefed the team on their positions.” He bent and pulled the Treljon laser from his boot. Though it was little, the damn thing radiated heat and sent electrical sparks tingling down his toes. Everyone told him the sensation was a figment of his imagination. Since his skin still jumped with the memory of Lilly’s hands on his body, he just didn’t need anything real or imaginary to be adding to the twitchy sensation. Dallas would like to rip the cochlear translator from his ear as well, but knew his boss wouldn’t like speaking English. “If he’s got everyone ready, then I guess we can roll.”

For such a large alien, Thaegan moved around the desks with incredible grace. “You’re lead on this, Dallas. Wouldn’t want to step on any toes. We’ve been waiting on you.” He stepped next to him, lowering his voice. “And you know us Ka’als, more brawn than brain.” He crossed massive arms over his muscular chest, lifting an eyebrow with the corner of his mouth.

“Oh. You heard that?”

“I wasn’t close enough to catch a whiff of the female. Other than that…there wasn’t much of your interlude I missed, my friend.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Who said I was complaining?”

Thaegan and Dallas had been partners for nearly five years. A good portion of it spent chasing
Hij’Rozhod
across the galaxy. They’d covered each other’s asses in the most dangerous of situations. Adrenaline highs had even had them sharing a female alien on more than one occasion. Dallas had brought Lilly to the protected alley because he’d known he could let down his defenses and live in the moment. Allowing Thaegan to enjoy the experience as well, just seemed as natural as breathing.

“Gamma team, front and center.” Though he hadn’t needed to, Bastower hollered across the room.

Dallas’s ragtag team of five mismatched aliens—one Xerick, a Drikspa, a Braugtot in Ickbata form, his distinctive facial tattoo swirling along his snout, Thaegan and the newest addition of a second Drikspa, returning to QAL after being wounded in the line of duty—had started to ready themselves when he’d stepped into headquarters. The six of them plus Bastower circled the table displaying a hologram of the tavern.

“Tonight’s just a dry run,” Bastower continued. “If our intel is right,
Hij’Rozhod
won’t show until tomorrow night. But I want Sawyer to walk everyone through this one more time. I don’t want another FUBAR like Canus Delta.”

Dallas knew Bastower wasn’t laying the blame of the failed mission at his feet. Otherwise he wouldn’t have given him the lead in this assignment. But as he moved his fingers over the panel in front of him, Dallas couldn’t shake the heavy cloak of guilt weighing on his shoulders.

One of his team had died on Canus Delta along with President Orch. Never mind the fact he’d nearly lost his life as well. The undeniable reality was that someone had double-crossed QAL and fed their plans to the enemy, leaving Dallas to doubt his ability as team leader. This would be his chance to prove he had the
cojones
to continue in that role, not to QAL, not to his team, not to Bastower—but to himself.

The holographic image of the tavern faded and a three-dimensional map of Garalon Five appeared. “We have credible intel the Znedu alien,
Hij’Rozhod’s
right-hand man, landed on Garalon Five about six hours ago.” It was understood that time and primary language would be in terms of the home planet of the team leader. “Intercepted transmissions have him going by the name of Venair Grebetz. We suspect this is an alias, but haven’t been able to determine his true identity.” Another push of the button by Dallas and a hologram of a small craft landing on a lighted patch of dirt in the desert appeared. “Last position had him in the Plaintar Quadrant when the first moon rose.” A gangly, humanoid alien disembarked from the craft, his thin body covered by a full-length satin robe, giving him the appearance of a scholarly monk rather than a cold-blooded killer.

“As you all know, when we got wind the Znedu was looking for more men for his team, we managed a meet-n-greet with Jones here,” Dallas pointed to the Xerick on his left. “He’s scheduled to meet Grebetz’s boss tomorrow night at the tavern. We’re betting the farm it’s
Hij’Rozhod
. We’ll be in position to take him down at the tavern when he shows for the interview. But we need to be sure we’re ready for anything.”

Dallas worked the panel. “We have confirmation the guy’s scoping out the meeting place tonight, which is why we’re going to be there. But it’s a dry run.” The desert disappeared and a schematic of the tavern, the surrounding shops and the street front popped up again. “Every piece of equipment will be checked and every possible scenario covered in preparation for tomorrow night. But we’re staying well back from the action. We don’t want to spook the Znedu tonight.”

“We’ll have eyes on everything from here,” said Bastower. “But the interplanetary council is counting on you six to bring this bastard down. Enough people have died at
Hij’Rozhod’s
hands and we don’t want Antonio Tervoss to be next.”

Dallas walked his team through every miniscule detail of the tavern for the hundredth time and every possible problem that had come to him in his nightmares night after night over the past week. He had studied this mission from every angle. After tonight, he had no doubt they’d be prepared to take down the asshole and keep him from killing any more planetary presidents.

When he finished, Dallas met the eyes of the six men gathered around the table. “There will be no screw ups this mission. We’re going in as a team and we’re coming out as a team. Our attention to detail tonight will guarantee our success tomorrow night.”

But as they donned their gear and headed through the portal to the street, Dallas’ gut was screaming loud and clear that he hadn’t quite planned for
every
contingency.

Lilly stood on the sidewalk, leaning through the passenger window of the luna cab. She flashed the Drikspa behind the controls a nice view of her cleavage and overpaid the fare by one hundred credits. It’s not as if she needed to, she’d touched the alien’s shoulder while giving him directions and pushed her energy output up a couple of notches while they were traveling. She had no doubt, the driver’s squirming had nothing to do with his satisfaction over her generous tip and everything to do with his raging hard-on. Lilly wanted to be sure if anyone asked the driver about her that he’d remember every detail of where he’d dropped her off. She almost felt bad for him as he readjusted himself again.

Strutting her way toward the stylish restaurant, Lilly watched the reflection of the vehicle in the large window as it pulled from the sidewalk. When it was completely out of sight, she turned back the way she’d come and walked the three blocks back to the tavern. She hadn’t expected to get waylaid from her job. Or was it more like just
laid
?

Her body warmed at the thought of Dallas. She could still smell him on her. Still feel the heat of his body pressed to hers. Still taste the sweetness of his mouth. But she shook off the memory. It wasn’t as if it were real. Nothing about her sexual relationships had been real for a very long time.

Lilly had been only sixteen the first time it had happened. The horny tingling of lust she’d felt when her first boyfriend had kissed her had warmed her from the heart out. She figured that’s how everyone felt with their first love. But the more passionate his kisses became, the hotter she’d burned. The boy’s tender touches evolved into a painful mauling as he’d lost control. Her protests had been loud enough to alert her mother, who’d managed to gracefully step in and send the boy home with his dignity still intact.

It had been another year before her mother had explained the gift her genetics had produced and another four years before Lilly had figured out how to control it. And up until six months ago, it had been a secret she’d kept close to her heart.

The heels of her boots clicked a staccato cadence along the brick sidewalk. With her emotions so high, the energy pulsed around her, attracting the attention of every male she passed. Lilly worked to get it under control, but it was difficult with the emotional memories swirling around her. The encounter with Dallas had unleashed the loneliness she fought so hard to control.

She’d spent her college years living the celibate life of a nun, allowing no man to touch her. But the isolation had been too much. When she’d entered the state police academy in Illinois, she’d allowed herself to date, but there had been nothing more than friendly banter. Her classmates believed she was a lesbian and that had allowed her to become one of the guys. It turned out to be a wonderful compromise.