Mercenary Abduction (Alien Abduction) (17 page)

monitored the situation – so what if the odds were majorly stacked against them? She knew nothing was ever as it seemed. In some cases, it got worse.

“I guess I should be flattered you chose to visit me next. Imagine my glee when I realized who you

were. There is a bounty on your heads,” the rodent cackled with a show of rotted teeth. “They’re paying a bloody fortune for your capture, dead or alive.”

“Really? How much? You know my cousin Tren once had one on his head that was considered

priceless. It was said they were offering the ownership and title of emperor for a planet in the seventeenth discovered star quadrant,” he confided to Olivia, taking his eyes off their host to speak to her.

She looked for a hidden meaning in his words, but it was real subtle if there because she couldn’t

figure it out.

“It doesn’t matter how much the prize is. It’s mine. As is the female. I’ve seen the videos.” Stumpy

licked his lips. “I bet I’d make a fortune making a video of my own. Especially if she’s a screamer.”

“You will not touch my female,” Makl said in a light tone, a knife suddenly twirling in his palm.

Olivia wanted to say something in her defense, but honestly, it seemed in her best interest to let the expert in violence do the talking. That and she liked the dark, possessive way he said it.

The stupid rat didn’t heed the warning, or the fact a second knife joined the first in spinning in

Makl’s palm. Small or not, she’d seen them in action. Uncanny how Makl never missed when he tossed

the sharp daggers.

“Oh, I will touch her. And bite. And do all kinds of things to her, in color, all recorded. I’ll even let you watch if you like while I do it. Then, I’ll show the universe.”

What, no evil laugh? Olivia knew Makl would lament the lack when he watched the replay of this

moment later. He did so like the drama.

A heavy sigh left Makl. “See, my luscious barbarian. They make me do it. I tell him one simple

thing. Just one. Don’t touch my female, and he argues. Actually, he doesn’t just argue, he threatens. Do you know how many mercenary mantras he’s crossed? You can’t tell me he doesn’t beg to die.”

Makl still liked to make fun of the fact she flinched over death. Despite their missions, she still

didn’t quite have his cool attitude toward it. Yet. But neither did she argue with his methods when she thought it justified. Like now. She found her voice. “Oh, he’s asking for it alright. I guess this one time, it’s okay.”

“It is?” Makl’s expression brightened and even under the layers of disguise, she could see his

glee. It was ridiculously charming.

“Excuse me, Galactic Lovebirds, time to break you up. Guards, grab the mercenary while I take

care of the girl.”

“Do you want the one on the left?” Makl asked as he stood, setting her to his side while

concealing the fact he slid her a gun.

“Which one is that?” she asked, peering around, gnawing her lower lip.

Makl cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck. “On second thought, I’ll handle him too. I’m out of

practice when it comes to a single focus melee.”

Out of practice? The reality of what he implied made her feel faint. “Makl, you can’t hope to take

them all on. There’s like eight of them, nine if you count our two-timing friend, the rat.”

“I know, unfair odds. Do you think I should tie an arm behind my back? I don’t want it said I’m not

making an effort.”

The faintness returned, but adrenaline quickly overcame it as some rude henchman interrupted

their tête a tête. Makl spun and met the charge; the little knives he drew earlier flashed through the air and hit a lizard –
thunk, thunk
. Down he went and Olivia winced. Damn, he was fast. So fast, Makl already had a new pair of knives suddenly gripped in his hands. The dark blades, without a shine to give them away, spun and slashed. And just like that, two more guards went down.

“Hey, did you know we’re on camera? Behind you and to your left. Our host taped the whole

meeting. I hope it captured my good side,” Makl mused.

Only her purple lover would take the time to contemplate something so trivial. She really had to

wonder at how his mind processed things seeing as how he worried more about looking his best as the

rest of the guards now charged while ratman screamed, “Kill them!”

He just never changed. Olivia shook her head. “Behind you, purple.”

Makl didn’t even turn around. He reached back, yanked forward. Slit. Twist. And another body hit

the ground. “I wish I’d worn something different. This is not my best look.”

Later, she was going to kill him for his nonchalant attitude in the face of death. If they survived.

Wait. If they survived…she’d fuck him until he turned from purple to pink. Yeah, because he’d deserve it if he got them out of here alive – and with all her body parts intact.

Just when she thought she might have a heart attack if he didn’t pay attention, Makl finally turned

to face the bulk of the attack, and Olivia belatedly remembered to peek behind her. It seemed Stumpy’s henchmen didn’t see her as much of a threat because the pair at her rear seemed more intent on circling around to catch Makl off guard.

Ah, fuck. Despite her aversion to deadly violence, even she knew this wasn’t the time for

hesitation. Makl was good, but as his partner, she should help. Pretending she was part of a realistic video game, she took a deep breath and raised the pistol Makl gave her. She shot a lizard man in the leg joint. He collapsed with a scream that wouldn’t stop and she stared at the writhing creature, horrified.

With a spin and a leap, Makl took care of the strident noise, and then took the time to chide her.

“I’m trying to work here, barbarian. We don’t play with our prey during battle. We save that for when we have time for torture.”

Play? Torture? Was he fucking serious?

Yes, he was. He winked before he dove to the side to avoid the lunge of the remaining guards.

Watching him pop up and down – weave, bob, slice, and dice – all the while smiling and running a

commentary, Olivia couldn’t help summarizing to herself the enigma known as Makl. One, Makl knew his

shit. Damn, the man could fight and make it look effortless. He moved like a dancer, his body flexible and fluid, always in motion. Just like his mouth. He never shut up. She’d never heard such taunting in her life.

If it weren’t for the gravity of the moment, she might have giggled at some of his wilder claims. But the most fucked up thing was her realization he was having fun. Not just fun, but an absolute blast. Odds stacked against him, covered in blood and faced with possible death, Makl was in his glory. She didn’t know whether to run while he kept them distracted, help him, or applaud. He clearly didn’t need her help.

Not with just one guard and the rat left to overcome.

Instinct made her duck, and in the nick of time too. A saber whistled over her head. While she’d

wool gathered, reinforcements had arrived. She dove to the ground as she spun. Bodies crowded the door, shorter forms brandishing laser pistols. Crap.

Olivia took quick aim and fired, aiming for their wrists in the hope of knocking out their weapons.

However, these new arrivals wore body armor and it absorbed the shots. Uh-oh.

They lunged and she scrambled, but slid in the blood of a dead lizard on the floor. She barely

managed a squeak before one thug grabbed her hair and yanked. “Ow!” The newcomer halted her flight

and brought her to her knees.

Makl turned in that moment, the tilt of his body revealing Stumpy’s visage, glassy-eyed, and very

dead, his plot to ambush gone horribly awry. Kind of like their plan. The new arrivals weren’t factored into any equation they’d thought of or encountered before. Fuck. They’d not counted on fame bringing them down. Just how high was the darned bounty?

“Step away from the girl.” Makl asked nicely as he wiped his blade on a corpse.

“Give yourself up or we hurt the female,” a gravelly voice demanded.

Olivia couldn’t help a wince as the fist in her hair twisted. Makl’s icy gaze narrowed. Big

mistake. Someone had challenged her mercenary. He’d never back down now.

“I have a different plan.” Makl dropped his hands to lie loosely at his side, the blades pointing

down.

Used to his methods, Olivia knew better than to allow his relaxed stance to fool her. He was ready

to fight. For her. How hot. “Let my female go and I will let you leave. Alive. It’s a good deal. I’d take it.”

Unlike the moment before when he uttered words very similar, there was none of the mirth. A

serious mien turned Makl’s eyes into ice chips. He’d never looked more attractive.

The alien holding her tightened his grip and shook her. She couldn’t help a cry of pain from

bursting loose. “Do not toy with us, mercenary.” Olivia bit her lip, but tears of pain sprang to her eyes when they yanked her head back, exposing her neck to the tip of a sword.

“You really shouldn’t have done that.”

Icy calm. Deadly serious. Ominous. So very ominous. Olivia shivered at Makl’s tone. Someone

was about to die.
I just hope it’s not me.

The lights in the place flickered. The hands holding her relaxed a fraction, but only for a moment.

They tensed back up quicker and more painfully than before.

“Who’s afraid of the dark?” Makl taunted.

And then the lights went out, but didn’t come back on.

Rage, a wild, violent storm of wrath took over when Makl saw Olivia threatened. He could see

the fear in her wide eyes and the tremble of her lips and he didn’t like it one bit.

He blamed himself for her predicament. Focused on showing off and enjoying himself with the

rodent’s minions, he failed to pay close enough attention to what happened behind him. Olivia currently paid for his lapse.

But most unacceptable of all, he couldn’t handle the lines of pain bracketing her mouth and eyes as

the ones holding her hostage hurt his delicate barbarian.
How dare they touch her!

When the lights flickered, Makl took note of everyone’s position in the room, so when the room

went completely and utterly dark, just another rolling blackout on a planet famous for them, he was ready.

In he darted before anyone could react. He used his speed and hopefully the element of surprise to reach his goal.

Having trained in the dark – numerous times as his cousins thought it funny to drop him in the

arachnid-infested mines bordering his father’s property – Makl relied on his keen senses to guide him.

Blades swinging, he didn’t allow himself to hesitate or worry about Olivia. He couldn’t, not when the slightest pause might spell her doom.

Inhalation to his left. Out shot his fist and he connected with the sharp end of his dagger. Scuff to his right and he swept his foot, the loud thump giving him a position to plunge his knife. A rustle of fabric and he started to swing only to pause mid-arc as his nose twitched at a familiar scent. His incomplete swing reversed and a gush of warm liquid ran over his hand.

On it went for an eternity. For less than a heartbeat.

When the lights came back on, he stood with his weapons dripping wetly while bodies littered the

space around him. For a moment, panic fluttered in his breast as he didn’t see the one person he wanted most of all. Probably because he straddled her. Makl peeked down and grinned. Olivia, however, didn’t grin back. It might have had to do with the layer of grime and guts coating her, though. “I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t tie that hand behind my back after all,” he jested, hoping to snap her out of it.

It worked. Up she sprang. “You crazy, stupid fucking alien. That was insane.”

Usually when she yelled at him, she stalked off or called him a few more choice words. He would

follow. They’d yell. Fight. Kiss and couple furiously. This time, she broke the pattern. She threw herself at him and hugged him tight before mashing her lips to his. What a shame the blood coating them both had them quickly separating. She gagged and wiped her mouth.

“Oh fuck, that’s gross.”

“And not too healthy for you either. What do you say we get out of here and grab a shower?”

“What about leaving a calling card? You didn’t exactly leave anyone alive to talk to the press or

authorities.”

“Who gives a frukx if anyone knows? Come.” Makl almost slapped himself as he said it. Of

course he cared if he got credit, but looking at Olivia coated in blood, a visual reminder of his lapse of attention, he could only think of one thing…well, maybe a few. They all, however, featured her naked in a hot shower and him examining every inch of her for injury before slamming into her, thanking his goddess that she emerged mostly unscathed.

For a moment, when he’d seen her so close to death, a chill unlike anything he’d ever experienced

gripped his heart tight enough to stall it. It rattled him still and he needed something to dispel the odd spasm.

First, though, they needed to escape. Exiting the tenement hovel, Makl cursed as he saw a gang of

bullies pile out of an aircar. More? Seriously? Had they been under surveillance since their arrival? He’d have to work on that before their next mission. He’d gotten lazy with fame. No more. He shoved Olivia in the direction of his ship and safety, then, he braced for battle. “Run along and find Ifruum while I take care of these ruffians.”

“Come
with
me.” She tugged at him, the concern in her tone genuine.

He turned his head and leaned. She saw his intent and closed the gap. He kissed her hard. “Warm

up the shower for me. I’ll be along in a few minutes and I’ll be in need of a good
cleansing
.” Right after he killed a few aliens.

*

Makl spun Olivia to face away from him and gave her a small push. She staggered a foot, but