3013: Targeted (8 page)

“No more lies?”

“No more lies,” he vowed and his lips touched her cheek. It was a brief, gentle kiss, but it was like a spark tossed into a pool of jet fuel, triggering a firestorm of needs and desires the likes of which she’d never felt before. Stars, she wanted him to kiss her again.

A rueful chuckle rose from her throat, and she lifted her hands to cover his where they rested on her shoulders. “It might be argued the last thing I should be considering is getting involved with anyone, given someone has drawn a target on my back.”

Brandt hadn’t intended for the conversation to go this way, not so soon, but when she’d asked him why they wanted to protect her, he’d known only the truth would do. “When have you ever known the universe to provide the things we want at the perfect moment? Usually, opportunities appear when you already have too much shit to cope with, which is why we let chances slip by. I’ve had my share of missed opportunities and regrets. I don’t intend for you to be one of them.”

She was still for a moment, though he could feel her pulse beating beneath his fingers, a faint flutter that raced fast enough he knew she’d been affected by his words. Then she turned her head so their mouths were only a few inches apart. “I—”

Whatever she was going to say was cut off by the electronic hum of the door opening and then Hawke walked into the office, drawing both their attention. “I didn’t get much out of our suspect but …” He trailed off as he took in what was happening. He stopped just inside the door, which closed behind him, sealing the three of them off from the rest of the world. “Just so I’m clear what I’m looking at, are you about to choke her, or kiss her?”

“Neither. Brandt was helping to ease my stiff neck, that’s all,” T’karra muttered, her skin darkening beneath Brandt’s fingers where they still lingered at her throat.

Hawke cocked a brow and smirked. “Uh huh. He’s given me a few of his patented neck massages of his over the years, and not once did it look like what you two are doing.”

“You should have knocked,” Brandt ground out each word from between his teeth.

“Believe me, next time, I’ll call ahead,” Hawke muttered, not moving from where he stood.

Brandt saw the doubt in his friend’s eyes, and it stunned him. Hawke was always sure of himself. Hell, the man was cocky, even when he had no right to be, but at this moment, he looked lost. T’karra had done the impossible. She’d made Hawke Summers doubt himself for a second. If she could do that, then Hawke had been right. She was the woman they’d been looking for.

Now, they just had to keep her alive long enough for her to forgive them.

T’karra saw a flash of vulnerability in Hawke’s eyes as he stood at the door. It was gone a heartbeat later, but seeing his doubt helped her make up her mind. If he didn’t truly care about her, then he’d have no reason to be uncertain. Whatever was going on between the three of them, it was real, even if the timing couldn’t be worse. She lifted her head and met Hawke’s gaze. “You don’t need to call ahead, Hawke. But if we’re going to be living together for the next while, knocking might be a good idea.”

There was no mistaking the flare of interest in Hawke’s eyes at her words. “We’re going to be living together?”

Brandt’s fingers tightened on her shoulder for a brief second, a silent acknowledgment of the olive branch she had just offered up. “T’karra’s reconsidered our offer and has agreed to it, for now.”

She couldn’t help but laugh a little. “For now. I will not permit anymore violence in my sanctuary. If that means I have to put up with an armed escort and a strange bed for a few days, so be it. Though, I will repeat my earlier protest, I do not need those guards.”

Hawke crossed the room so quickly she barely saw him move, and the next thing she knew his hands were on her desk, and he was leaning in so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. “I know you can take care of yourself, T’karra, but we’re not going to take any chances. This isn’t about your abilities, this about securing the station from any and all threats.”

There was nothing but truth behind his words, she could hear it. Sense it. There was nothing of the cocksure flirt who had sat at her bar and made her laugh with his stories. This was another man completely, and T’karra believed every word he’d said. “This doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you, Hawke. If you try anything, I swear I will make good on my promise to decorate my office with your head. You, too, Brandt.”

Brandt gave a low sigh before speaking. “You finally use my first name, and it’s tacked onto a threat. Still, I suppose that’s progress…of a sort.”

“She’s talking to me again. That’s definitely progress,” Hawke chimed in, smiling broadly at her. It really wasn’t fair how good-looking he was when he smiled. Not fucking fair at all. Still, she wasn’t ready to just give in and let him off the hook.

“I am talking to you again, for now. You spilled your blood in the defense of my family and my home, Hawke. That is the only reason we’re having this conversation.”

“Then I guess us sharing a bedroom for the next few days is out of the question, huh?”

T’karra bared her fangs, uttering a low growl. “Don’t push your luck, ’leet. Your head would look very nice bronzed and displayed on my shelf.”

Brandt groaned. “Please don’t kill him. I’m too old to start breaking in another partner.”

***

CHAPTER SEVEN

T’karra wasn’t happy Brandt and Hawke had teamed up against her and insisted they all needed food and rest before continuing their investigation, despite the fact she was bone weary. As they stood in the elevator that would take them to their quarters, she had to dig deep to find the energy to stay standing and not give in to the temptation to lean against the wall behind her. When this was all over, she was going to lay claim to one of the bar’s holo-rooms for a week and take a holographic vacation.

The elevator opened and the three of them stepped out, only to be greeted by a pair of grim-faced, heavily armed security officers. They both thumped their fists over their hearts in salute when they recognized their commanders, and took a few steps back so there was room in the corridor for everyone.

“Everything quiet?” Brandt asked.

“Yes, sir. No one’s been in or out since we got here.” 

“We’re retiring for a few hours at least. No visitors expected,” Hawke said, and both men nodded. One moved into position only a few feet from the elevator doors, while the other turned smartly, walking the short length of the corridor to take up a guard position at the far end. The two soldiers were like bookends, staring at each other down twenty feet of gray hallway. That was when T’karra realized there was only one door on this floor.

“You guys have a level all to you yourselves?”  The idea was shocking, considering liveable space was at a premium on a station like this one.

Hawke winked at her. “Being a commander has some serious perks. Follow me, and we’ll give you the tour.”

He’d headed for the single doorway, and she followed, with Brandt walking a few steps behind her. They had made it clear they intended to act as her personal guards, putting themselves between her and anyone who came after her. It was a noble act, despite the fact her species were feared throughout the systems. She didn’t need a pair of humans to protect her…she could do that on her own.

The door opened with a near silent hiss, and a few steps later T’karra found herself in another world. “Holy fuck. No wonder no one ever got an invite to have dinner in the commander’s quarters. We’d have all been overcome with envy.”

“Welcome to your new home, T’karra. Whatever we have is yours,” Brandt said with a proud smile.

When Hawke had said there were perks, it had been a serious understatement. Compared to the rest of the station, this place was paradise. Though the space was still used with great efficiency, the two men had the largest private residence on the entire station. The living area included comfortable couches and vid-screens that could project images of art, mimic outside vistas, or show an extensive library of entertainment vids. The walls were painted in soft shades of cream and blue that were restful and comforting, a far cry from the battered metal floors and flat gray walls that made up the bulk of the station’s interior.

Her amazement continued as they showed her the eating area, which had room for at least eight people. Hawke was grinning like a child with a secret as he demonstrated that the dining table doubled as a multi-person workspace, complete with interfaces and three-dimensional image displays. There was a brand new food console, as well as a small but complete kitchen for the men to use, and everywhere she looked, there wasn’t a single item out of place or a speck of dirt to be found.

It was a far cry from the mess her brothers preferred to live in. The floors were covered in blue marbled tiles, and the entire space was lit with a warm, buttery light that reminded her of the sunshine she’d seen in holo-programs. Having never been to a real planet, the holo-rooms were the closest she had ever come to experiencing true daylight. When they’d taken her upstairs to show her the personal areas, T’karra’s found herself grinning. There were three bedrooms in all, each with floor to ceiling windows that looked out on the starscape outside.

Her room had an adjoining bathroom that was bigger than her main living area at the sanctuary, with both a shower and a luxuriously deep bathtub set into the polished marble walls. When she looked out her window she could see the docking arms and their ships reaching out overhead. Her room was comfortably appointed, if a little plain. There was a small desk built into the side of a three-drawer bureau and a single chair that fit with the desk. The walls were painted cream, and the floor was a simple off-white tile. The only real color in the room was the deep red bedspread that covered a massive bed.

She gave in to her exhaustion for a moment and sank down on the edge of the bed, looking around her as she did so. “You have so much space here for just the two of you. Even this bed is big enough for at least three people.”

Brandt cleared his throat. “There’s a reason for that, starshine. Men of our rank usually have a chosen accompanying them.”

Both men looked at her with fire in their eyes, and T’karra realized what Brandt was telling her. “So, I’m not in the guest bedroom?”

“Nope,” Hawke drawled and gave her a slow, sexy grin. “The guest bedrooms are more like guest closets, and they’re on the bottom floor with the gym, holo-room, and secondary command bunker. We didn’t want you that far away from us, not when the whole point was to be close by so we could protect you. So for the next while, you’re going to be sleeping in the quarters that would belong to our chosen…if we had one.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and did her best to ignore the flare of heat that coursed down her spine and pooled between her legs. She wasn’t their chosen. Hell, she hadn’t exactly forgiven them yet…though she had to admit, that excuse was starting to wear a little thin considering she was currently sitting on a bed in their home. She stood up and stepped away from the bed, ignoring the heated way both of them were looking at her. Yep, it was time to move to a new topic. Fast. “Wait a second, this place has
another
floor?  And did I hear you say you have your own holo-room?”

Brandt’s amused chuckle rumbled like thunder across the room. “I said the same thing when we moved in. I even suggested we move to smaller quarters. This is a bit much for just two people.”

Hawke rolled his eyes and swung his hands in front of him in a negating gesture. “And I vetoed that idea faster than you can say supernova. There is no way in hell I’m giving this place up. Personally, I’m all for telling the Alliance we’re staying here until they transfer us back to Earth, or we retire. This is the first time in months I’ve actually been able to go to sleep at night without having to block out the sound of Brandt’s snoring.”

“I don’t snore.”

“Yes, you do, loud enough to drown out a fucking jump-drive engine.”

T’karra listened as the two of them bickered at each other. It reminded her of the way her brothers fought, and that was when the reality of the situation truly struck home. She’d nearly lost Danor today, and by now, Verak was light years away from here. The three of them had never been separated before. They’d never been more than the distance of the station apart in all their lives, and now she was away from them both. She hadn’t felt this alone since her fathers had given the task of managing the Black Hole to her and left for D’Aire homeworld to grieve. T’karra understood why they had left, she felt the same pain they did, but unlike them, there was no place in the galaxy she could go to escape reminders of the woman who had raised and loved her. How could she when every time she looked into a mirror, she saw her mother’s face?

“T’karra, you okay?” Hawke asked, and she realized that while she had been lost in thought, the two of them had ceased nattering at each other and were both looking at her with real concern.

“I’m fine. It’s just been a trying day,” she replied, shoving her emotions aside and summoning the last of her energy.

Hawke decided to risk bodily harm and walked over to where T’karra was fighting to stay on her feet. They were all weary and frustrated, but it was something else that had drained the light from T’karra’s dark eyes and made him want to hold her, to offer her comfort despite the fact she might tear his head off for daring to touch her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her to his side, expecting her to fight him. She didn’t. Instead, she did the last thing he’d ever imagined, she leaned into him and let her head fall against his shoulder.

“I know you’re not fine. No one in your shoes could possibly be fine after the day you’ve had. No one is going to think less of you if you admit it,” he said.

She blew out a frustrated breath and nudged him with her shoulder. “You know, it’s really hard to stay mad at you when you keep acting so damned noble and decent.”

“Contrary to what you think about me, decadence, I’m actually a pretty decent guy.” The nickname he’d started calling her before she’d known who he really was slipped out before he could stop it, and Hawke cringed as she lifted her head to glare up at him.

“Stop calling me that. No, on second thought, don’t. That was a
great
reminder of why I’m still mad at you.”

“I don’t know what you did, but I’m going to guess you just crammed your foot into your mouth again, hotshot. How do you manage to walk around with your boot forever wedged between your teeth?” Brandt asked.

“He called me that stupid nickname,” T’karra growled, but Hawke noticed she hadn’t moved away from his side, despite the fact she was annoyed with him…again.

“I did, but I am not going to apologize for it. Damn it, woman, I’m trying my best here. I know you’re angry. Fuck, I knew you were going to be pissed the second I stayed to talk to you that night, but I won’t regret what I did, I can’t. Spending time with you was the highlight of my week, maybe even the highlight of my whole damned year.”

“Decadence?” Brandt asked, his eyebrows rising toward his hairline as his lips twitched into a smirk. “What in the hell kind of nickname is that? Seriously, how the hell do you ever get laid?”

“What? Like starshine is any better, and don’t think I didn’t hear you call her that not five minutes ago.”

“I did not.”

“Did, too.”

T’karra couldn’t help herself, she had to laugh at the two of them as they bantered, and once she started she couldn’t stop. It was as if all the stress and worries of the day were pouring out of her with every gale and giggle, and it felt like forever before she could finally get herself back under control. By then, her ribs ached and her cheeks were wet with tears. She wiped her eyes and looked up, feeling foolish at what she’d done, only to see two pairs of eyes watching her with identical expressions of concern.

Brandt smiled when she looked up at him, then he reached up to gently wipe the tears from her cheek with a feather-light touch of his fingertips. “That’s the first time a woman has laughed herself to tears over something I’ve said or done. I’ve got to say, I’m not sure I liked it. How do you live with it, Hawke?”

“You’re an asshole. Why am I your partner again?” Hawke rumbled before tightening his arm around her shoulders and giving her an inquiring look. “I know we’re not nearly that funny, so…what was that about?”

“Just blowing off a bit of stress, I think,” she confessed, still feeling foolish for letting her emotions overwhelm her like that.

Brandt watched as T’karra retreated back behind the walls she’d built for herself. It was fascinating to witness the transformation, her eyes narrowed, her jaw set, and her entire bearing squared up until she looked every inch a warrior. Strong, guarded, and determined.

But still damned beautiful.

She moved away from Hawke, who released her without protest, though it was clear her best friend didn’t want to let her go. The truth was, neither of them did. Having her there with them felt right, and Brandt felt a strange, new emotion settle in the center of his chest. A need to protect what was his. He wanted to keep T’karra safe. More than that, he needed her to stay in their lives. It didn’t make any sense, but there was no denying what he felt, even if he’d never known that feeling before. Yeah, life just got a whole lot more complicated.

“Laughter as stress relief, huh?”  Hawke gave T’karra a look of disbelief that Brandt knew he was intentionally over-selling. “I’m more a fan of the “beat things until I feel better” approach. If you feel like joining me sometimes, I’ve got a couple of great sparring programs for the holo-room.”

There was no missing the flare of interest in her eyes at Hawke’s invitation, and Brandt was happy to see the spark back in her eyes as she answered. “I might take you up on that offer, but only if I get to take my frustrations out on you and not on a hologram.”

“You want to beat up Hawke? You just tell me when to be there and I’ll bring the popcorn,” he quipped.

“Who says she’s going to beat me up? I’m a badass, thank you very much, or have you forgotten what happened the last time you sparred with me?”

T’karra’s snort of amusement cut them off before they could continue. “Have you ever fought one of my species before, Mister Badass?”

“Accurately programmed holograms, yes, an actual, full-blooded Krytos? Not yet.”

T’karra threw her hair back over her shoulder and squared her shoulders. “Then I look forward to showing you the difference between a hologram and reality.”

Fuck, Hawke was right. She is hot when she gets riled.

For a moment, Brandt was afraid Hawke was going to say something they’d both regret, but after a half second pause, he merely winked at T’karra. “Bring it on, buttercup.”