Kaiden Read online

  “He’s tranquilized and secured in a sleeper pod. We’ll keep him in stasis until we meet on Asteroid L-21,” she reported. “That should take us 48 hours.”

  “Excellent. I’ll see you then, Nisrine.”

  Heat flushed to her cheeks. “Lieutenant will suffice. Thank you.”

  “You’ll always be Nisrine to me.”

  Agent Estrada ended the call, leaving her fuming.

  Asteroid L-21 had once maintained a small, relatively unknown mining operation, but had been abandoned after its resources were depleted. Intelligence agents had been using the abandoned facility as a rendezvous point for years.

  Kaiden brought them in to the landing pad and initiated docking procedures near the small craft already present. Nisrine made her way to the hangar and waited, arms crossed over her chest. The moment the doors blinked green, she drew in a deep breath and dropped her arms to her sides.

  Joaquin Estrada stepped through, handsome as ever, with the same cocksure grin on his face she always associated with him. Years ago, she would have felt butterflies in her stomach, now she only felt annoyance and a powerful desire to thrust her fist into his face.

  “It’s unprofessional to use real names during a report,” she snapped.

  “Our line was secured. Who would have heard it but us?” The swarthy man grinned down at her.

  “That is beside the point, Joaquin.” What had she ever seen in him? Besides good looks and a cocky attitude, he was also one of the queen’s prime intelligence agents. He took whatever methods necessary to obtain his mission goals, even if it meant seducing his mark—male or female. Nisrine had called an end to their relationship when her own moral code put them at odds, because for some damned reason, she’d thought his job should end where his cock began. He’d had the nerve to call her demands unreasonable.

  Eight years ago, Nisrine’s relationship with Joaquin had been her first experience with love. Their budding emotional attachment had even convinced her he was the one, until she overheard a recording from a suspect describing her liaison with a sexy Spaniard who’d talked the critical details of an arms deal with the ASR out of her while in bed. He’d sworn to her he never took his missions so far, but the proof was damning.

  “Ah, and now you choose to use my first name. Moments ago, I was only Agent Estrada.” He chuckled. “Regardless, it is good to see you again, and I’m fortunate our queen assigned me to this case. When I recognized your voice, I knew it was providence bringing us together again.”

  Nisrine sighed. “Providence?”

  “Could you honestly pretend that you don’t miss what we had? We were good together. And now that the queen has elevated you to a position of working as her special agent, it means you’re in her trusted circle. We can operate as a team again.”

  Nisrine shook her head. “I don’t have time for this. We’re here for a drop off and an exchange. Give me what I need so we can be on our way.” When she turned to reach for her datapad, Joaquin stepped behind her. One arm curved around her middle.

  “I know what you need, Nis—”

  A single, fluid motion of her body brought him over her shoulder and down to the hard metal floor. She followed him down, one knee on his solar plexus and her arm pressed against his throat. Kaiden burst through the door a second later.

  “What’s happening?”

  “Touch me again, Agent Estrada,” she hissed, “and I will crush your balls like Eloran squid jelly.” She stood and moved away.

  “Everything here is fine.” Joaquin glowered as he stood. His gaze followed Nisrine until she brushed past Kaiden. Behind her, the big cyborg hesitated in the doorway.

  “We’re ready to sign the prisoner over to you, Agent. Let’s get that sorted.”

  Nisrine remained in her makeshift intel bay while Kaiden and Joaquin conducted the exchange. For her ex’s safety, she kept a distance.

  Kaiden popped into her office once they were en route to their next destination. “Ex? Must have been an awful split.”

  “Doesn’t matter. We were done years ago.” Her curt tone produced a prompt change in Kaiden’s curious expression.

  “Ah. Right. My apologies for prying, Lieutenant.” He turned his attention to the holographic display by his head.

  Nisrine sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I lost my temper in there with him and I’m mad at myself for it.”

  “So I’m guessing you did the dumping.”

  “A correct assumption. I cannot abide liars, and Agent Estrada happens to be one of the best.”

  “He sounds like a real charmer.”

  “He was. Still is, I suppose. There’s nothing wrong with a charming personality. Many people have said the same thing about you.”

  “What?”

  Nisrine glanced over and smiled. “Your reputation as a ladies’ man precedes you. When I first joined the Jemison, I was warned about you and told to steer clear. Avoid the heartbreaker.”

  After a laugh, Kaiden leaned against the console to her left and crossed his arms. “Me?”

  Nisrine looked away to focus on her screen. Gossip was an awful, malicious, and immature thing. “Don’t worry. Others had worse reputations than being a flirt who dates around without making attachments.”

  “That what they were saying, eh? I dated maybe a couple girls on the Jemison, but it was about fun and mutual enjoyment the rest of the time. That’s it. I learned my lesson about long-term relationships a few years before you had even come aboard.”

  “Oh? Sounds like a story.”

  “I don’t know where you completed basic training, but on Tallulah there’s barely more than fifty miles between us and their British Army base. Sometimes, when we were given a night off, the lot of us would get together and meet in the middle in Jasper. It was this tiny town with a single bar. I met a pretty girl there. Thought the world of her. Even after I was reassigned to Albion, we continued dating.”

  “Long distance relationships are hard. How long were you together?”

  “About three years,” Kaiden replied. “Until she sent me a photo of her baby and asked if I could forgive her. Some bloke got her pregnant during my first ship deployment. Didn’t hang around.”

  It was a story heard all too often, but it never ceased to amaze her. “I guess things ended then.”

  “Yeah. I think about her sometimes and wonder if things would be different if I’d accepted her and the wee one. Would she have waited for me all this time?” He shook his head. “Doubtful. So, things happened for the best, and after that, relationships kind of lost their appeal. It’s a good thing I didn’t have a girl on the Jemison. Think of what it would have done to her when I went missing.”

  Despite his bravado, she sensed the pain underlying his words.

  “So there you have it. I used to regret the choice I made, but I don’t now. And you shouldn’t regret setting him on his ass either.”

  “Oh, I don’t regret that bit.” She looked over with a faint smile. “Actually, it was oddly satisfying to have gained the upper hand on him for once. Still, I lost my temper, and there wasn’t an excuse for that.”

  “He grabbed you. There’s your excuse.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “Security footage. I, uh, tapped into it afterward. You have great form by the way.” Kaiden rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away. “Mum raised me and Gareth to know it’s never proper to grab a woman, especially when she’s made it abundantly clear advances are unappreciated.”

  “She sounds like a good woman, your mom.”

  “The best. Go ahead and get some shuteye. I’ve got Jem in my head to keep me company, and I figure I’d pop in and check that virtual drop.”

  “Would you like me to login with you? I packed a headset just in case.”

  He shook his head. “No, probably better I go alone, since I’m using that merc’s credentials. Won’t raise any suspicion then.”

  “Point,” she conceded.

  “
Besides, I didn’t know you played.”

  “I don’t. Not really. I made a character at Thandie’s insistence last year but it’s not my preferred pastime.”

  “That’s because you’ve been rolling with Thandie and Xander. Bet I can change your mind once we’re back on the Jemison. If you want.”

  His subtle pause, and the uncertainty in the offer touched her, and for reasons Nisrine didn’t understand, she smiled. “When this is all over, that sounds like a fun challenge.”

  She watched him through the open door as he crossed to the ship’s personal bar on his way to the cockpit. Since they were on a pleasure vessel designed for a fun-loving young couple, it came equipped with a voice-automated Robo-Bartender who mixed drinks on command.

  “Greetings, sir. Difficult day?”

  “Incredibly.”

  “Might I interest you in a Doodle Tini?”

  “The fuck is that?”

  “A martini infused with the flavor of a snickerdoodle cookie, my friend. I am told it is quite delicious.”

  Kaiden grimaced. “Yeah, no. I’ll take a Gloucester stout with me. Thanks.”

  Nisrine chuckled at the exchange and considered everything she had learned. Even though they were twins, she hadn’t expected Gareth and Kaiden Lockhart to be quite so similar.

  Both were strong men with checkered pasts, and with each revelation he shared, she only wanted to know more.

  Chapter Eight

  Of all the planets in the United Nations of Earth, Tallulah resembled their former planet the most. Blue oceans and vibrant green landmasses free from the dirty pollution of their prior homeworld stood out in the blackness of space. Population, 124 million and growing, because the locals loved birthing large families.

  From his comfy pilot’s seat, Kaiden watched space traffic moving back and forth from the planet and one of its two moons, while Nisrine worked from her office to get them landing authorization.

  The information he’d retrieved from the virtual reality game had been a puzzling packet of numbers and popular coordinates across the galaxy without any recognizable pattern. Resorts, restaurants, shopping markets.

  Conveniently, one date on the list coincided with the current galactic day, but with no further information, they had no idea what it meant.

  “Reservations have been made. We have authorization to dock at the Montgomery County Spaceport,” Nisrine notified him through the intercom. They’d been mostly apart for the five days of travel, his partner using any excuse to avoid remaining in the same room with him, which was fine, since he’d drifted in and out of virtual space the entire time and also put in a few hours researching ways to squeeze greater efficiency out of their vessel’s sluggish FTL engine.

  Sooner or later, though, they’d have to address the attraction between them, and Kaiden was not looking forward to that.

  “Great.”

  The recreational craft entered atmosphere, and within an hour Kaiden reached their destination. Montgomery’s chief spaceport sprawled across the capital city, providing safe landing space for all vehicles, from commercial spaceships to the smallest family vessel.

  Kaiden stood up and smoothed his shirt. Nisrine had moved into the alcove between the cockpit and living space. “I changed the registration of our ship, but we have to assume by now that our identities have been compromised. Doctor Watson may know we’re on our way to interrogate him,” Kaiden said.

  “Agreed. Which is why I took the liberty of making these before I left the Jemison.” She held out her hand and revealed two individually sealed chips resting in her palm. “For an emergency.”

  “Good plan.”

  Nisrine took the seat beside him and removed her own chip first. “The cover itself isn’t too different. Married. Traveling on vacation.”

  “And our appearances?” He offered his arm and watched her extract the old chip, replacing it afterward with a fresh identity.

  She sighed. “Something drastic. Different.”

  His partner disappeared for an hour and emerged in a curly blonde wig. She’d also lightened her complexion with a spray on enhancement, while he went the opposite direction and darkened his skin tone to a rich, warm brown. She helped him with a few temporary implants and prosthetic applications to conceal his most distinguishing features, altering his face to provide a broader nose, flatter brow, and fuller lips. He took inspiration from Nisrine and borrowed her particular shade of brown eyes.

  Skin color had ceased to be a problem on Tallulah—the issue of discrimination these days was all about lineage and wealth.

  “Do you have a suit?” she asked.

  “Aye.” He cleared his throat, and the new voice deepened to a startling baritone, mimicking a jazz singer he’d once heard in Xander’s office. “Yes.”

  “That really is a useful trick. I have to use a vocal strip to do that.”

  “I mostly use it for screwing with Gareth and Obi, so it’s nice that it’s handy for a legitimate purpose.” Kaiden hauled out his luggage and unfastened his jeans, aware of Nisrine’s abrupt turn to put her back to him. He laughed. “Sorry.”

  “Would you like me to check your wounds before you finish?”

  “Nah, they’re fine now.”

  “What?” Modesty forgotten, she twisted around again and closed the short distance between them, gaze focused on his shoulders. “You were hit multiple times, I’d hardly call that fine whether you have augmentation or not…” Nisrine’s voice trailed off and her lips pursed.

  Kaiden raised a brow as she circled him. “Should I pose?”

  “The punctures are healed over.” Her fingers smoothed over his shoulder in a gentle sweep. “If I didn’t see this a week ago, I’d think they were a month old.”

  “Reconstructive nanites. They repair everything.”

  She touched his back, circling the scarred tissue above the area where the inorganic material laced with his muscle had been damaged previously. The deformity had already diminished, barely an indent beneath the skin. Kaiden sucked in his breath. About a dozen indecent thoughts about his companion surged to the surface, each of them naughtier than the next. Thanks to his enhancements, he knew she’d been as aroused as him during their little face-off, and it had come as a surprise.

  Her heart rate spiked again, tempting him to move in close like before. Seeming to sense his intent, she quickly pulled her hand away and stepped back.

  “I’ll let you get dressed and get myself ready.”

  “See you in a few.”

  Once she emerged with the rest of her costume in place, they disembarked from their ship and made their way to the next city in a rented vehicle with a sleek, pearl white finish. They drove with the windows down and Kaiden behind the driver’s console to blend with the old-fashioned society.

  “This isn’t a bad car,” he muttered. “It’s growing on me, even if it is out of my price range. So, what do you know about Op-Opal Opah—”

  “Opelousas,” Nisrine corrected him gently. “It’s one of the original designer cities made during the planet’s founding.”

  “After the screw up with Jacksonville?”

  Nisrine nodded. “They made cities like this because of what happened there, you know?”

  “To be honest, Jacksonville sounds more like my sorta place. Not all this finery and stuffiness.” The city on the eastern continent had fewer rules and restrictions, a rowdier sort of place that stood at odds with Tallulah’s pristine reputation. “Commander Viljoen is from this planet but he doesn’t make me think refined gentleman.”

  “Viljoen grew up in the St. Croix region, so he wasn’t exposed to this kind of lifestyle, but the history books say the original founders laid down strict laws of civil obedience and behavior.”

  “Dresses for women, suits for men.”

  “Along with curfews and arranged marriages. It’s why Thandie enlisted. She caught a shuttle to Jacksonville and ran into the first recruiting office she saw.”

  “Can’t say I bla
me her,” he muttered.

  As far as the cities of Tallulah went, Opelousas was a place made of old money and older families, where citizens eagerly traced their surnames back to the original founders of the planet. Everything screamed wealth, from the extravagant shops to the residential district itself. The Magnolia Quarters were named for the flowers perfuming the air with a heady, intoxicating scent, the tree in plentiful population on almost every expansive lawn.

  Picket fences surrounded every house in the neighborhood, each plot of land occupied by a majestic house styled to resemble old Earth architecture. Women in long, pastel hued dresses walked down the streets with their dainty parasols, arm in arm with men clad in linen suits and top hats. Even the children running through the formal gardens wore frilled frocks and ribboned bonnets.

  “There, that blue house on the corner. Let’s park farther down the block and walk back to it.” Nisrine pointed to their destination and Kaiden slid the hovercar into an empty parking slot on the curb a couple hundred yards down the street.

  “Do you really think walking up and knocking on the door is the best course of action?”

  Nisrine shrugged. “Sometimes direct is better.”

  Kaiden resisted the urge to adjust his top hat as they stepped from the car, tugging at his coat sleeve instead. The restrictive materials stretched tight across his shoulders and without the cool air from the car, the material clung against his skin.

  “Where’d you get your dress, anyway? Tallulah women’s fashion is, uh, unique.”

  Ruffled white lace edged the skirt hem and sleeve cuffs of Nisrine’s periwinkle outfit. The fitted top had a modest, squared neckline before flaring out at her hips and falling in a graceful sweep to her ankles.

  “I borrowed it from Thandie,” she replied. She fluttered a handheld lace fan in front of her face, stirring the warm air.

  “It’s…” He had a lapse in speech, considering his words before muttering an awkward, “attractive.”

  “You look good in a suit yourself,” she responded in kind.