Enemy One (Epic Book 5) (67 page)

For not putting her in a position where he’d have had to kill her. That was what she meant. And she was right. There was something that happened during their escape, in
Cairo
’s hangar, that Natalie didn’t know about. Scott decided right then and there to tell her. “I issued the order to kill you in the hangar.” Her eyes squinted curiously. “You had Boris as a hostage right outside the transport. The rest of us were coming in with EDEN hot on our heels. We had to get out or die.” She needed to know this. Before she heard it from someone else, she needed to hear it from him. “I gave Jayden the order to hang back, just out of your view, so he could put you in his sights. When you wouldn’t relent…I told him to pull the trigger.” It was the worst order he’d ever given. “You’re alive because he hesitated. When he finally said he was taking the shot, that’s when Ju`bajai attacked your mind. Had Jayden not hesitated, and had Ju`bajai not acted, you’d be dead now.”

Turning her head in the Ithini’s direction in the cell beside her, Natalie allowed her eyes to settle on the being. Ju`bajai was looking right back at her. Looking back to Scott with curiously narrowed eyes, Natalie asked, “Why would you tell me this?”

“Because you deserve to know. How important this mission is, to what extent we’d take it. Full disclosure, unlike what you got in
Cairo
.” There was another reason. “And because if you join this fight, you yourself might have to make a hard decision. Start readying yourself now for that.”

“I’m…insulted?”

Scott shook his head. “Don’t be. You’re as good a captain as they come. In a lot of ways, you remind me of how I was when I came into EDEN.” Things were so much simpler back then. “You’re above my lecturing you on anything, so don’t take this as that. I’m just saying, be ready. Things have a way of going badly.”

Nodding her head intently, Natalie said, “I know.”

Yes, she did. Sighing heavily, Scott pushed up from against the wall. Limping across the cell toward her, he extended his hand. “I’m Scott Remington, leader of the ‘Outlaw’ Fourteenth. It’s nice to meet you.”

Natalie hesitated. Looking him over in the same manner in which she had when he’d first entered—almost seeming to be sizing him up—she finally reached out to shake his hand. “Natalie Rockwell. I don’t know who the hell I am, and to be perfectly frank, things haven’t been too nice so far.” Ever so faintly, almost too faint to even see, the corner of her mouth snuck a smirk.

He’d take it. In a heartbeat.

“Yay!”
Scott and Natalie flinched, looking behind them to see Tiffany clapping her hands and jumping. A split second later, the Valley Girl stopped, placing her hand over her mouth and wide-eyed as she stared at the sleeping injured around her. “Sorry,” Tiffany whispered, looking back at Scott and Natalie.

At least Natalie knows that Tiffany is on her side.
Giving a brief look to Inna, he nodded in the direction of the cell door. With reluctance, the nurse opened it. “Let’s get you set up somewhere other than in a quarantine cell,” Scott said to Natalie.

“I’ll stay here,” she answered. “I get the impression that you and the ‘keeper’ aren’t exactly best friends.”

“You’ll come with me,” Scott said, giving Natalie a sharp eye, “and if the keeper gives flack over it, I’ll knock his teeth out the back of his head.” Antipov gave
Scott
control—the mere fact of that would be more than enough to make Valentin hold his tongue, even if he didn’t fancy doing so. In many ways, Valentin was to Scott as Esther was to Natalie. They all mixed like oil and water. Pausing as a thought came to him, Scott looked back at Natalie, who was tepidly stepping from the cell. “By the way, try ‘Polyester.’”

Raising an eyebrow, Natalie said, “Pardon?”

“If Esther calls you Venus again, try calling her Polyester. Just trust me.” Yes, revealing that little nugget was somewhat treasonous. But if it ended the rivalry without fists flying, it was worth it. “Now, come on. Let’s get you a room.”

“She can stay with me and Cat,” Tiffany said.

Canting his head in Tiffany’s direction, Scott considered the suggestion. It wasn’t bad. With two operatives in the room with her, that was two sets of eyes to make sure Natalie didn’t try anything funny—not that Scott believed she would. “You only have a bunk in there, right?”

“I could sleep on the floor. Captain Rockwell can have my spot.”

Scott looked back at Natalie. “You all right with that?”

“Are you kidding?” Natalie asked. “I’ve been sleeping on the floor of a quarantine cell.”

Good point. “All right, Feathers,” Scott said, stepping aside to allow the pilot to take the lead. “Lead the way.”

There was no doubt in Scott’s mind that he would have to address this with Valentin before the keeper found out on his own accord. Despite Scott’s bravado in talking about knocking Valentin’s teeth out, he knew that just as he’d given away Esther’s much-maligned nickname to Natalie in an effort to prevent physical confrontation, Scott needed to make an attempt to defuse the situation between him and Valentin through dialogue rather than a fight. Despite he and Valentin’s misgivings, it was in everyone’s best interest if the two of them got along, particularly with tensions already high from their situation. Scott already intended to have a unit meeting tomorrow to get the team back on track. It was also going to serve, now, as Natalie’s introduction as a working member of the group. He needed to talk to Valentin
before
all that happened.

Moving ahead of Scott and Natalie to crack open the door to her room, Tiffany poked her head into the darkness within. “Okay,” she whispered as she withdrew her head out, “Cat is sleeping, but you oughta be able to slip into the top bunk without waking her up. That girl sleeps like a corpse.” Natalie nodded her head.

“Thank you,” Scott said to Tiffany. “For everything. You’ve been more helpful than you ever needed to be.” More than the Fourteenth deserved.

“No problem!” she whispered with enthusiasm. Stepping aside, she allowed Natalie to enter the room ahead of her.

As soon as Natalie was out of view, Scott made a
psst
sound. Tiffany raised an eyebrow, leaning close to him. “Sleep in front of the door,” Scott said. “Just in case.”

Making a face, Tiffany said, “She’s not gonna try and leave. She’s totally cool.”

“She’s still technically a captive.” At least, until Valentin heard about this. “Just do it for me.”

The pilot gave Scott a brief look of disappointment before offering a thumbs up.

“Thank you.”

Without further words, Tiffany snuck inside the room and eased the door shut. Scott was left alone standing in the hall.

Well, this certainly wasn’t what I expected tonight.
Nonetheless, it was very, very good. The Fourteenth’s numbers had dwindled. With so many of its members in the medical bay, they were at the point where they simply needed warm bodies. Natalie certainly counted as one of those.

Glancing both directions, he saw no one else present in the hall. He looked at his watch. It was well past the turn-in time for the occupants of the forge. That meant it was turn-in time for him, too. Again.

Scott made his way back to his quarters and bed and once again slipped under the covers. Tomorrow would be a day of refocus—of righting this ship that seemed perpetually off course. If everything went well, their next destination would be their last. There was a train in Japan with their name on it.

It was time for the outlaws’ last ride.

Tuesday, March 20
^th
, 0012 NE

2310 hours

Norilsk, Russia

THE V2’s INTERIOR lights were off, its rear door locked from within as Jayden and Esther stood alone in the center of the troop bay. The scout’s mocha shoulders were covered in small chill bumps. Even as she exhaled, thin vapors of frost escaped her parted lips. Closing her eyes lazily, she rolled her head to the side as Jayden pressed against her back.

Simply put, they needed this. It was more than an act of affection. It was stress relief. The events of
Hami Station
had hit both of them, as they’d hit everyone. For Jayden, it meant the loss of a friend to a sniper. To someone like him. For Esther, it meant not being there to prevent it. And so, as night fell on
Northern Forge
, the young, budding couple snuck away to a place they knew wouldn’t have cameras on them: the troop bay of the V2 that’d delivered Max.

Under normal circumstances, the pair might have slipped into the
Pariah
. But after all that ship had been through—and with the thought of dead friends in the cursed transport’s troop bay—there was just no way they could have found any semblance of intimacy there. The newer model transport would have to do.

With his arms wrapped around her waist, the Texan’s lips touched Esther’s neck. Jayden inhaled the fragrance of her skin’s perfume through his nostrils. The scout softly moaned.

There was tension in both of them, both in their bodies and minds. Even as Jayden worked his way down her neck and behind her ears, the tightness in her shoulders remained. Nonetheless, she leaned her head back, allowing the bangs of her bob to slide over her still-closed eyes. Turning around, she lifted her hand and reached back to trace his hairline with her fingers.

Whatever fears had existed between Jayden and Esther that their relationship would be derailed by circumstance were dashed every time the two looked at one another. There was more want in the Texan’s one eye than in anyone who’d looked upon Esther with two. As for Esther’s deep brown irises, they met that want with need, willfully exposing her vulnerabilities each time their gazes met. Even through the cold vapors that penetrated the transport’s hull from the hangar, his body made her feel warm.

Prior to their sealing themselves in the V2, a set of ground rules had to be established to satisfy both Esther’s desire to be physically intimate and Jayden’s desire to go slow. Clothing had to stay on—though the level to which that had to be the case was left intentionally vague. Touching was restricted to the upper body, though sensuality was encouraged. Lines couldn’t be crossed, but teetering was allowed provided everything stopped when someone said the word. It was a system Esther could live with—for now—and one Jayden felt comfortable skirting the edge of.

As Jayden brushed her bangs from her eyes, she looked up at his face. The look he gave her—that look—made her weak. For as headstrong as Esther Brooking made herself out to be, there was cradled deep within a desire to surrender. Standing on her toes and reaching her mouth for his, she closed her eyes as their lips tightly locked. She met him harder as his hands pulled the small of her back.

Laying Esther down atop the transport’s side bench, Jayden came upon her, the Texan’s outstretched arms keeping the weight of his body off her as he kissed her neck and chest. His scent—one of the earth—filtered through her nostrils. As her fingers dug into his back, she arched her neck and lifted her chest, exposing the skin above her bosom. When his lips found it, she cried out in rapture. Her white flag arose.

It was everything that in that moment, she desired—to have her dominance suppressed by the hold of a man. To lose to his will. Jayden Timmons was in control. On the prelude to a release, Esther called out his name.

The Texan’s hold on her remained a moment longer—then it stopped. With her face flushed and her eyes still closed, Esther revealed more of her body for him to take. Lips parted, she waited for his warmth to grab hold of her again. But no warmth came.

Esther opened her eyes, reaching up to brush her tussled hair from her face. Peering up at the Texan, still poised above her, she beheld the expression on his face. He was glaring in disbelief. As Esther’s ecstasy receded back into the ocean, she blinked at him with sudden concern. “Wha—?”

“Seriously?” he asked, his drawl thick with disgust.

Confusion struck her. “Seriously, what? What did I do?”

“You just called me Scott.”

The bottom of Esther’s arousal fell out. She stared at him wide-eyed. “Wait,
what
? No I didn’t!”

Stepping crisply off her, Jayden said again, “You just called me
Scott
.”

The scout quickly sat upright, a look of loss and confusion washing over her. “Jay! I swear, I didn’t. You must’ve heard something wrong!”

“I’m out.”

“Jayden, wait!” Panic struck her as she remembered calling out Jayden’s name.
Wasn’t
it Jayden’s name? How could she have thought one name but said another? “Don’t leave,
please
! I can…” Before the word
explain
could leave her mouth, the thought came to her—as did the memory of a distinct threat. A bargaining chip for a certain captive’s release. “Ju`bajai,” she said under her breath. Esther’s hands shook. She looked up as Jayden punched the bay door button.
“Jay!”
Running behind him, she winced in pain as a blast of cold air hit her. Her eyes moistened. “I can explain this!”

Jayden faced her, rage in his good eye. “I can explain it, too, Esther. You wish I was him.” As her tears of coldness transitioned to tears of desperation, the Texan pointed in her face. “You want him? Go get him. Have fun dealin’ with Sveta when she comes back.” Without another word, Jayden turned around, strode down the ramp, and disappeared from view. Esther was left alone in the middle of the troop bay, hair mussed about her face as she stood slack-jawed and shaken. Pushing her fingers through her bob, she pushed it back in disbelief.

Jayden was gone.

Five minutes later, Esther was marching down the hallway of Level-4, her brown eyes burning holes through the door to the medical bay as she drew near to it. No care was given to the disheveled way that she looked, or the fact that she
looked
like she’d just gone a few rounds with a man. She stormed forward with reckless abandonment. Slamming her palm against the medical bay door panel, she waited for the metal door to slide open. When it did, she marched right through the doors and inside.