Roth(Hell Squad 5) (3 page)

“How did they communicate?”

“They had someone translating.” She rubbed her temple.

“Okay. Where did you meet them?”

“The meeting was arranged in the central Australian desert. We didn’t want to alarm anyone, so they flew down in a smaller ship to the meet.”

“And then what happened?”

“Their ship…it was larger than the ptero ships they use down here, but not as large as that monstrosity they invaded Sydney in.”

Roth nodded. It made sense they’d have something in between. “Go on.”

“It looked like some giant kind of insect.” She rubbed her temple again, her frown deepening. “After it landed, a group of raptors emerged. All large humanoids, with thick skin, reptilian-like features.”

“And the translator?”

“He—I think it was a he—was a raptor. He had a very heavy accent, but he spoke English.” She stared off at the wall. “He seemed smaller than the others.”

Roth grunted. His tablet lay on the table, lights blinking as it recorded their conversation. “What did they ask for?”

Now she was rubbing her temple vigorously. “They told us they came from the…some system. What we call the Alphard system. They…they said they had an armada of ships waiting on the other side of the moon. They could wipe us out.” She winced now. “Uh…I think they…damn headache.”

“What did they want, Stillman?”

“I…” Hazel eyes, an intriguing blend of green and gold, looked up at him. “I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

Dammit.
“You
need
to remember. The survival of the human race could depend on it.”

She shoved to her feet. “Don’t you think I know that?”

He couldn’t tear his gaze off her face. She always looked defiant to him, but right now he saw a flash of something else—pain? Vulnerability?

“You might be the perfect soldier and never make a mistake. But the rest of us mortals can’t say the same.”

Roth felt a muscle tick in his jaw. He was far from perfect. “I’m just a soldier.”

“I know you were part of the Special Operations Command.” There was a slight sneer on her face. “An elite group, the best of the best. Even though everyone knew SOC was just the military’s assassins.”

Roth released a breath. “This isn’t about me. It’s about what you know about the aliens.”

Avery pressed her hands to her head. “You think I’m not trying to remember? I go to bed every night knowing I did something wrong and billions died. Something I can’t damn well remember. I toss and turn every night trying to get my head—” she thumped it with her palm “—to release something, anything that might help.”

Sympathy charged through him. Jesus, maybe he’d pushed her too hard. “Stillman—”

“You know what, screw you, Masters.” She wrapped her arms around herself.

There was a hard knock at the door, then it opened. Captain Laura Bladon stepped inside. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her face was set in hard lines. “Enough.” She jerked her head at the door.

Roth watched Avery round the table and drop into the chair. With a sigh, he followed Laura out.

“You’re pushing her a bit hard, aren’t you?” the former Navy Intelligence Officer said.

Roth pressed his hands to the edge of the one-way mirror and watched Avery. Hell, who was he kidding, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. A part of him wanted to go in there and pull her into his arms. Comfort her.

Frowning, he wondered who she’d been spending time with. She’d come out of the alien lab uninjured, unlike so many others who were still recovering from terrible experimentation, but she was obviously suffering some aftereffects. Dammit, maybe she really didn’t remember.

“She’s the key, Laura. She knows something that can help us beat these aliens, I know it.”

“This is the third time you’ve had her in here this week. Push too hard and she might break. Then you’ll get nothing.”

So far, all he thought Avery wanted to do was knee him in the balls, or gut him with something dull and rusty. But Laura was in charge of the base’s prison and interrogation team because she was good. She knew what she was talking about.

He raked a hand through his hair and looked again at Avery. He was pushing her too hard, and he knew, deep down, it wasn’t just about her. It was about his own dark secrets, his own guilt.

She lifted her head, staring at the mirror like she knew he was there. Stubborn fire burned in her eyes. He didn’t think she’d break. She was too damn tough for that.

“Let her go,” he told Laura. Then he turned and walked away.

***

Avery tucked the small scraps of leftovers from the night’s meal into her pocket. Out in the base’s dining room, she could still hear the murmur of voices and the tinkle of cutlery on plates.

“I’m out of here, Chef,” she called.

“Righty-o, Av. Have a good one.”

She waved and slipped into the tunnel. The corridor was empty and she hurried in the direction of the western exit. It was the perfect time, with everyone still busy with dinner.

She passed close to the Hawk hangers and heard people talking. Probably the quadcopter mechanics carrying out maintenance. The small fleet of Hawks were vital for getting the squads in and out on their missions. They’d apparently lost one, just before Avery had come to the base—and they’d almost lost Hell Squad in the crash, too. So they were extra careful with the remaining ones. She itched to be in there, her hand running over smooth metal, preparing for a mission.

Hunching her shoulders, she turned a corner and headed for the ladder to the surface. She climbed up quickly, bypassed the security on the hatch at the top and climbed out.

Avery stood for a second and simply breathed in the brisk night air. It wasn’t cold. Summer was coming, and she could smell it in the spring-laden breeze and the promise of warmth. Still, up here in the mountains, the nights stayed cooler.

She hurried into the trees, and wondered if he’d be waiting for her.

She reached a fallen log and sat down. Gum trees towered above her and through the leaves, she could see the stars. They made her stomach tighten. Before the Gizzida, she’d looked at the stars in wonder, now she looked in dread. It made her wonder how many other warlike, advanced species were out there with their gazes turned toward Earth.

Chafing her arms with her hands, she forced her thoughts away from aliens. Masters had peppered her with questions on them enough for today. She chewed her lip. Not that she really blamed him. He was a man dedicated to protecting others. He wanted to help. Hell, she’d been exactly like that in her job. Before.

“Dino?” she called out quietly. “You there?”

All she heard was the buzzing of insects and something rustling high in the trees. Probably a possum. She tapped her fingers against her thigh. It wasn’t like him to be late.

“Special Agent Stillman, you know civilians aren’t permitted out of the base at night, or alone.”

With an internal groan, Avery turned. “Every damn time I turn around…”

Roth crossed his arms. He was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt that was stretched dangerously tight over all his muscles. Couldn’t the guy find a bigger size? She knew the clothing store at the base was a bit limited for choice, but still.

“I’m not planning anything devious. I just needed some air.”

“How did you get out without setting off the alarms?”

“Special agent, remember?” She could hack a military-grade encryption if she had to. She hadn’t forgotten everything.

He glanced around. “I heard you calling for someone.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right. I’m planning a secret military coup with the aliens. My contact should be here any second.”

His blue eyes narrowed. She felt so incredibly irritated that the ‘annoyed and suspicious’ look made his face look sexy.

Suddenly, there was the patter of footsteps and a small dog leapt out of the trees and landed on the log beside her.

Roth relaxed. “A dog.”

“Yep. Masters, meet Dino. Dino, this is Mr. Stubborn Masters.”

The dog shoved his wet nose into her shirt, searching for the food scraps. She laughed and patted his matted brown fur.

Masters stepped closer. “He looks like a mutt.”

“Definitely. I think he has a bit of everything in him.” She gave Dino the scraps and he scarfed them down. She smiled. “No manners.”

“Dino?”

She shrugged. “Seemed appropriate, considering.”

Masters moved until he could stroke the dog. “Needs a bath.”

“I tried to brush him once. He wasn’t a fan.”

Masters leaned against a nearby tree. She felt his gaze on her like a physical thing. “Did you have a dog as a kid?”

“Hell, no.” When he raised an eyebrow, she shrugged. “I was in the system. Unless a foster home had a dog, I couldn’t have a pet.” She couldn’t have anything. She felt him scrutinizing her and shifted on the log. “Did you just follow me out here to catch me doing something I shouldn’t be doing? Or did you want to interrogate me some more?”

“I spotted you sneaking out—”

She jumped to her feet and faced him. “I wasn’t sneaking!” Okay, maybe she’d been sneaking a little. “Well, not much. I just needed some time alone.”

“Do you…have any friends at base?”

She blinked. What the hell did that have to do with anything? “None of your goddamned business, Masters. I am not some alien spy, I am not withholding information—”

The dog’s gaze settled on Roth and he growled. They both ignored him.

Avery stepped closer, her boots bumping Masters’. “How the hell do I convince you I’m not holding back?”

“Dammit.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “I’m just trying to do what’s right.”

“I get that, but can you stop riding me so hard? You keep it up, and I’ll have carpet burn.”

As soon as the words came out, the air between them changed. Took on a charged quality. Avery felt her eyes widen, and her heart start thumping hard in her chest. She hadn’t meant it to sound so…sexual.

They stared at each other. She could smell him—soap and man—and felt the warmth pouring off him. To her horror, she felt her nipples pucker.

She took a step back, snapping the spell. Roth Masters was a pain in her butt—and dammit, even that sounded wrong. He was an annoyance, nothing else.

“Just stay out of my way, Masters, and I’ll stay out of yours.” She patted the dog one last time, then turned and tried to tell herself she wasn’t beating a retreat.

Chapter Three

The base’s regular Friday night gathering was in full swing. Roth sipped his homebrewed beer and leaned back in his chair. He was waiting for the annoying tension in his shoulders to ease. So far, neither the homebrew, nor the conversation with his squad was helping.

A few people were playing instruments off to the side. No one had quite the magical touch of Hell Squad’s second-in-command, Cruz Ramos, but his partner Santha was pregnant and apparently suffering morning sickness…and not just in the morning. So Roth didn’t expect to see the man out partying.

“Ugh, I would kill for a nice, crisp chardonnay.” Taylor plopped down beside him.

With the face of a beauty queen and dark hair that glinted red in the light, people often made the mistake of thinking she wasn’t a hell of a soldier. Big mistake.

She wrinkled her nose. “This homebrew sucks.”

“It’s not that bad,” he said. “But it’s not chardonnay.”

Taylor took a long swig from her bottle. “No. It’s not.”

Mac leaned forward from Roth’s other side. “Looks like the aliens are getting pretty busy again out on the streets. I’d really hoped you and Hell Squad damaging their energy source would have put them down for longer.”

Roth had hoped so too. “With the energy cubes we destroyed, it’ll take time for them to replace them, at least. It’ll also take time for them to make more of those genesis tanks.”

“Thank God for small favors.” A tall woman sauntered up. Camryn McNab had gorgeous dark skin she’d inherited from her African mother, and a Scottish burr she’d picked up from her Highlander father. She leaned against the table. Unless she was in the field, Cam didn’t stand if she could sit. Hell, she’d lie down, if she could.

He watched two nearby men with their gazes glued to Cam. The rest of the squad called her the glamazon. She liked to dress up when she wasn’t in fatigues or armor. Right now, she had on some tight, black pants and a tiny halter top that showed off her toned shoulders. Roth always pictured her as an ancient queen lounging on cushions while being carried around on a litter. But put a carbine in her hands and she turned into a warrior.

The final two members of his squad arrived. Sienna Rossi—all long, dark curls and a curvy body—was talking a mile a minute to the tall, silent Theron. Roth nodded to them both. Theron didn’t say much, but he didn’t seem to mind being surrounded by tough, deadly females. He was a quiet man by nature, but a bull in a firefight.

Roth sipped his beer and fell back into brooding. These gatherings helped everyone blow off steam, which was vitally important when the world had gone to hell. Even more important when people had lost their loved ones, and needed a sense of closeness. For many, the night ended up in someone’s bed. Casual sex wasn’t frowned upon here. Since the invasion, it was embraced as a way to feel close to someone else. He’d taken up the odd offer, but for the most part, he spent the majority of his time with the squads, and the rest of the time planning future missions.

“What’s up with the boss?” Cam drawled. “All this broody silence isn’t his style.”

Roth ignored Cam’s comment. He’d gotten used to ignoring them when they started poking at him.

“Not sure,” Mac answered, talking over him like he wasn’t even there. “He was questioning that CCIA agent again. After that, he was cranky as hell. So I guess he didn’t get what he wanted.”

“Hmm.” Cam dragged the sound out in a way that set Roth on edge. “And just what did he want, I wonder?”

Roth took another deliberate sip of his beer and kept ignoring them.

Across the room, he caught Marcus Steele’s green gaze, and the head of Hell Squad nodded. The man had his arm around Elle Milton. Talk about beauty and the beast. The battle-hardened soldier and the former socialite, but strangely, the two of them fit. When Elle looked up and said something to Marcus, the big man smiled.