Eve Vaughn (5 page)

Slowly poisoning everyone? And using their hapless victims as food?

Her stomach rolled at the thought. She’d tried one of their products once. It had made her sick. Thank goodness she’d never sampled the meats or else she would have spent the day vomiting the contents from her belly.

Despite Sydney’s advice, there was no way she could destroy this valuable evidence. She needed to somehow get it to the masses. But how could she without finding herself wanted as well? And would people label her as crazy for speaking out against their benefactors?

She knew for a fact that the Cyrellians could do no wrong in most people’s opinions. What if she left the city to find the outlaws? But then what? Holly never felt more helpless in her life.

First Bella, and now Sydney.

She slammed her fist against the wall in her frustration. “I’ll make those aliens pay. I swear it,” she vowed.

The compound wasn’t what she’d expected. Sydney wasn’t sure exactly what she had imagined it would look like, maybe some old abandoned military base, but this mansion wasn’t it. The estate was ancient and the exterior was crumbling around them from neglect, but surprisingly the structure seemed sturdy. This reminded her of the antebellum houses in the south part of the United States she’d read about in her history books.

There was a man-made fence made of mortared rock and barbed wire around it, stealing the natural beauty of the place.

“Come on,” Jack growled.

Sydney didn’t know what his problem was, but after their encounter a mile or so back, he had been acting like she’d done him wrong for some reason. What was his deal? Weren’t most men only interested in a quick fuck with no strings attached? The sex with Jack was hot. No. It was mind-blowing, more so than with any other guy. For the first time in her thirty years of life, she’d experienced an orgasm with a partner, of the likes her girlfriends used to speak.

Yet she wasn’t ready to throw declarations of love at him. Surely he hadn’t expected that. She could probably grow to care for him a little more than she should, but a man like Jack was definitely the love-’em and leave-’em type. She wasn’t willing to give her heart to any man she couldn’t trust to give his back. And she had no faith in Jack as far as his capabilities to commit. What other man would go around randomly kissing women he barely knew?

Sure she’d let him, but that was beside the point. She needed release from the tension building within, from having her life shattered, and Jack had provided it.

“I’m coming. You don’t have to snap at me, you know,” she muttered.

- 50 -

He turned on Sydney then, glaring at her with his obsidian eye. “Let’s get one thing straight before we go inside. I set the rules, not you. Got it?” Sydney’s defensive mode kicked in. Leader or not, she refused to allow anyone, man or woman, to speak to her in that manner. “I got it, but if you want respect, you have to give it. I won’t have you talk to me any way you feel like it, so it’s time you get over yourself right now.” She refused to back down from this confrontation.

Moving so swiftly she barely saw him advance, he grasped Sydney by the forearms. “If I wanted to, I could leave you out here. We don’t have to let you in.” She clenched and unclenched her jaw. “I didn’t ask for your sorry protection anyway,” Sydney retorted, hoping to call his bluff. Would he really leave her out here alone, with no food, shelter or anywhere to go? Though the thought was terrifying, her pride fueled her ire.

“Try me, sweetheart.”

“Jack! What the hell is going on? Why are you just standing out there? Come in,” a man with wavy blond hair called out to him on the other side of the gate.

The next thing Sydney knew, Jack released her so abruptly she nearly fell on her ass. Damn, he was infuriating.

She followed Jack inside, daring him to say anything. He didn’t.

The blond offered her a friendly smile. “So this must be the mysterious Sydney.

Welcome to our home. Heard you got into a bit of trouble.” Sydney liked this man instantly. There was something about him that put one at ease. Could this be the man Holly had met, the one who’d blown up the clinic?

She laughed a little more casually than she felt. “Yes, you can say I’m in some trouble right now.”

“There’s no time to chitchat. Let’s go in,” Jack rudely interrupted the banter.

Killjoy.

One of these days, Sydney was going to strangle him, but she’d reserve that for a later date.

- 51 -

The blond shot her a questioning look as though to ask what was going on between the two of them. She had to admit the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Sydney simply shrugged, not bothering to offer comment. She had enough to deal with without starting an argument.

The blond closed the gate and locked it. Once that task was complete the two men led the way along a path through the grass made by treading feet, and up some rickety stairs.

The inside wasn’t as bad as the exterior. In fact, it contained all the amenities one would have found in any house in the city. “Wow, who decorated this place?”

“We all had a bit of a hand in it, but I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be here.

Unfortunately we’re scouting out another location.” Grinning at her with a twinkle in his warm brown eyes, he held his hand out to Sydney. “Chase Hudson. It’s nice to meet you, Sydney.”

“Likewise.”

“Ahem. If you two are finished exchanging pleasantries, I need you in the strategy room, Chase.”

“Sure. I’ll have Anna show Sydney to her room.”

Sydney didn’t realize there was a fourth person in the room until she turned to see a petite blonde woman standing in the far corner. Her steady blue gaze was focused on Jack. Was that a look of longing Sydney had spotted?

Was this another one of Jack’s conquests? Goodness gracious, the man seemed to get around. She was correct in her original assessment of him, and though it should have been gratifying to be right, Sydney didn’t feel that way. In fact she was slightly annoyed, even though she knew she had no right to be. Who needed him anyway? She certainly didn’t.

The woman finally walked over to where Sydney stood. She didn’t offer a hand like Chase had. In fact, her only form of greeting was a curt nod.

“Sydney, you can follow Anna. She’ll show you where you’ll be for your time with us,” Jack spoke gruffly, not bothering to make eye contact.

- 52 -

“You make it sound like I could be leaving at any moment,” she challenged.

Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you?”

She took a couple steps forward and halted. The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene on her first day here. What must Chase and Anna be thinking of this exchange? Finally Sydney raised her chin defiantly. “I don’t plan on going anywhere, actually.” So there. How was it possible that he’d reduced her to a two-year-old’s level?

Boy, this man was toxic.

“Of course you aren’t, Sydney. You can stay with us as long as you’d like. No one is going to force you to go. Right, Jack?” Chase raised a brow.

“That’s up to her. We can’t keep her prisoner if she doesn’t want to be here,” Jack muttered.

“Come on, Sydney,” Anna finally intervened. “I’m sure you’re exhausted after your journey and probably want to freshen up.”

Grateful for any excuse to get away from that insufferable man, she nodded eagerly. “Yes. I’d love to.” Shooting one last glare at Jack, Sydney allowed the smaller woman to lead her out of the room.

“Here it is.” Anna opened the door to a cozy looking room, though plain in its décor. “It’s a bit smaller than the other sleeping quarters in the house, but the larger ones are shared. I thought you’d rather have some privacy.”

“Thank you. I’d like that a lot.” Sydney flopped on the bed, wincing at how hard it was, but thankful to have someplace to lay her head for the night, free of worry.

“Unfortunately there are only a few functioning toilets and showers in the entire place, so you won’t have private accommodations for that. I believe the closest bathroom is unoccupied. I’ll give you a chance to unpack your things and return in about an hour?”

“What things?” Sydney looked down pointedly at her empty hands.

Anna grimaced. “I see your point.” The blonde’s gaze raked over Sydney briefly.

“I’m not sure if there’s another female your size.” Anna said the words as if Sydney were some kind of gigantic freak, but she wasn’t going to let anyone make her feel

- 53 -

inferior because of her height. It was what made her who she was and she was comfortable in her skin.

“Yes, I am tall aren’t I? It’s fabulous,” she purred, stretching her arms above her head.

“There might be something I can find for you. You may have to wear men’s clothing for a while, though.”

“That’s fine. This business suit is hardly appropriate if I’m now an outlaw.” Blue eyes narrowed to slits. “Freedom Fighter. The only lawbreakers are the Cyrellians for their crimes against humanity. Try to remember that, will you, sweetheart?”

What the hell was her problem? First Jack and now this bitch? At least she had one person here who seemed to like her. Pasting a grin on her face, she eyed Anna as insolently as the other woman had done to her. “It’s Sydney, not sweetheart. I trust you’ll get it right next time.”

If looks could kill, Sydney knew she’d be dead on the spot. “Look, I don’t know who you think you are --”

“Sydney.”

“Or what you did while you were in the city,” Anna continued on as if she hadn’t spoken, “but the minute you start causing trouble, you’re out of here.”

“On whose authority?”

“Mine.”

Sydney lifted a brow. “Oh? I thought Jack was in charge.”

“He is, but he’ll listen to me if I say you have to go.” If this woman was so confident, why did she need to resort to threats? Sydney hadn’t missed the tension between Anna and Jack downstairs. If she were a betting woman, she’d say Anna was more interested in her fearless leader than he was in her.

“You really think so?”

“I know it. Don’t press your luck.”

- 54 -

Sydney threw her head back and released a throaty laugh to show she wasn’t affected by the other woman’s words. “What kind of trouble could I possibly get into in the middle of nowhere? I think if you try to get rid of me, all it will do is make you look like a jealous shrew. You wouldn’t want Jack to think that, would you?” Anna looked as if she wanted to hit her, but thought better of it. Without another word, the blonde turned on her heels and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Sydney hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she released it. Things weren’t starting off well. Already two people hated her. Everything she’d grown to love and held dear was gone because she’d gotten too nosey.

No. It wasn’t because of that. Judging from that file she’d read, the Cyrellians probably would have found a way to get rid of everyone on Earth eventually whether she’d found out about them or not. Knowing, however, didn’t make her feel better.

Sitting on the bed, she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.

Then she did something for the second time that day she hadn’t done since she was a small child.

Sydney cried.

* * *

“Okay. Tell me what the hell that was all about?” Chase demanded once they were in the strategy room.

“What was what about? The only thing I have to report is that the mission has been accomplished. We may not have the file, but we have the person who’s read it, and knows enough about it to tell us what those bastards are up to.” Jack knew exactly what Chase was getting at, but he wasn’t in the mood to discuss it. What had happened between him and Sydney was his business.

“You were barely cordial to her. It’s not like you to treat new recruits or anyone for that matter the way you did her. You practically bit the poor woman’s head off.”

“That poor woman has a heart of steel. I wouldn’t worry about her if I were you.

I’m sure she can take care of herself.”

- 55 -

Chase threw his hands in the air. “Now what the hell is that supposed to mean?

What happened between the two of you from the time you rescued her from the city to your arrival here? You couldn’t have possibly fucked her in that short period of time.” He laughed at his obvious attempt at a joke, but when he saw Jack’s face, the smile fell.

“What the hell? Are you kidding me? Already? What’s wrong with you?”

“I ask myself that on a regular basis. Do you think I’m proud of my actions?” Chase shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you?”

“No, dammit! And if you were any kind of friend, you wouldn’t be rubbing it in right now.”

“Whoa! You know I was only teasing you. How was I supposed to know that you’d pull another stupid move like you did with Anna? What I’m trying to figure out though is where is this hostility coming from?”

Jack clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. “I wish I could tell you.

Honestly, I don’t even know how it happened. One minute we’re running for our lives, the next minute, I’m so deep inside her tight cunt, I didn’t know which way was up.”

“You have to stop getting yourself into these situations.”

“Don’t you think I know that? I didn’t intend to make my life more complicated than it already is.”

“So where do you go from here?”

Jack sighed. “For now, I’ll play it by ear. For Sydney, I was only a convenience. I think anyone would have done for her.”

“I’m not so sure. She doesn’t strike me as the type to randomly sleep with just anyone.”

“How in the world would you know that? You spoke to her for all of two minutes. Don’t let the angel face fool you.”

A wide grin appeared on Chase’s face. “Now I’m starting to get a better picture of what’s going on.”

“What exactly do you see and why are you looking at me like that?”

- 56 -

“Because I think you like her. And you’re upset because she gave you a taste of your own medicine.”

“I don’t casually discard women.”

Chase raised a brow. “Okay, so you’re nice when you get rid of them, but is the end result any different? I don’t know what’s so special about you, but --”

“Gee, thanks. With friends like you, who needs enemies?”

“Stop being such an ass, and let me finish.”

Jack shrugged. “By all means, finish what you were going to say.”

“There’s something within you that makes women flock to you. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s that damn eye patch of yours. Whatever it is, you have that certain something. I think the main problem is that you take your charm for granted. It seems to me you’ve met your match in Sydney.”