Page 34 of Her Alien Mercenaries
“Come in. There’s one more thing I want to tell you about.”
It felt good to lead them upstairs and show them the comm unit she’d hidden beneath the towels. “This was how I communicated with Shadow. I’ll give it back to her once everything is dealt with.”
Torren inspected it carefully. “That’s military-grade gear. Even the princess would have trouble cracking the encryption cipher this thing uses.”
“Then it’s a good thing she’s on our side,” Jenna said.
“What about the other guys? How do you communicate with them?” Zanyr asked with a scowl. “You’ve never given them a name, but I am assuming they’re part of the Shadow Men?”
“I think of them as the enemy. They told me they were a collection of concerned galactic citizens, but I never believed them. I’m certain they’re with the Shadow Men, but it’s possible they’re not. Other groups have a grudge against the colony. Torex, for example.”
“True,” Torren agreed. “I try not to think too much about how many beings out there want this colony to fail.”
“Not long after I arrived here, a package appeared at the door of my habi-pod. My name was printed on the label, along with a three-digit code I’d been given when I agreed to work for the enemy. Inside was a comm unit not much different from this one, and instructions about basic functions, where to hide it, and how often to check in. One of the first rules is that I must always be alone when I go near its hiding place.”
“And where is that?” Zanyr asked.
“It’s under a rock in my backyard.”
“Why outside?” Torren asked.
“Because I have nightmares about getting them mixed up and sending the wrong information to the wrong side.” She’d even put a spot of bright pink paint on the one from Shadow to make sure that didn’t happen.
Zanyr winced. “Yeah. That is a damned good reason.”
“I want to tell them I’m quitting. But I don’t want to break any rules when I do. I want to give them every reason to let me walk away.” She sighed. “Though I know that isn’t likely. They’re not going to take this well. Are they?”
“Probably not.” Torren set a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she leaned into his touch. The embers of desire flickered to life again, but she did her best to ignore them for now. She had to keep her head clear for a little while longer.
“But you’ll be safe with us. We’ll protect you, Jenna. Torren will keep an eye on you while you’re working, and one of us can go with you until we’re certain there won’t be any fallout. The colony is alert for trouble these days, and all new arrivals are carefully vetted. Hells, most of visitors have to remain on the platform and can’t come to the surface at all.” Zanyr’s words sounded good, but she heard the concern laced beneath the confident delivery.
“Nothing has changed. Not really. I knew the risks when I agreed to this. I have to admit, I’m glad it’s over. I can’t stand lying, and I’ve done far too much of that since this all started.” Guilt and regret made her lapse into silence. Then she realized what she was doing. Hiding her feelings never helped. It was time to try something different. “I feel guilty, though. Like I’m being selfish. If I stop this, am I letting everyone down?”
“No.” Zanyr shook his head hard. “There is nothing selfish about you. Don’t feel guilty for doing what you need to do to protect yourself. That makes you a lot smarter than me and Torren. When we first thought about leaving, we didn’t. We stayed for the wrong reasons.”
Torren took over, and she quietly marveled at how easily they managed to continue each other’s thoughts. “You’re leaving for the right reasons. And, yeah, I’ll admit I’m biased when it comes to you, but even if you weren’t ourmahaya, I wouldn’t blame you for stepping back. I wish we’d made a different choice back then. I have a lot of regrets, but none of them are about leaving. If that’s what you want to do, listen to your heart, and do it. You’ve done enough for everyone else already.”
“More than enough,” Zanyr agreed.
It was exactly what she needed to hear. Their poignant logic and belief in her drowned out her doubts. “Then that’s what I’ll do. But for that to happen, I need to be alone.”
“Are you asking us to go?” Torren asked.
His question made her heart ache. “Not exactly. You just can’t be with me while I do this.” She bit her lip. She didn’t want them to leave, but she needed to do this alone. If the enemy had some way of knowing she had company… it wouldn’t end well. “Why don’t you go home and come back in an hour or so?”
“We’re not leaving without you.” Torren folded his arms across his chest and glared at her. It made him look even bigger, but that’s all. She knew he’d never hurt her.
Zanyr was the one who suggested the oblivious compromise. “Why don’t we go outside. It’s a nice day, and I saw a fruit stand down the road. We can pick up something and come back a little later.”
Jenna brightened. “Oh, that’s Sanjin’s stand. He grows some of the most amazing fruit. He paid to ship saplings here. Can you believe it? It must have cost the moon and stars, but they’re already producing fruit.”
Zanyr brightened. “Is that so? Interesting. Come on, Vex. Let’s go take a look. I never thought about a fruit orchard, but it might be a viable market option.”
“Oh fun. We’re going to talk farming stuff.” Torren turned and pointed at her. “You keep your comm close at all times and tell us if anything happens. We won’t be far away.”
“Of course I will. But what are the odds of something happening to me in my own house? Shoo, both of you. And if you see Sanjin, be sure to ask about the fruit he gave me earlier. It was amazing, and I have no idea what it’s called.”
With them out of the house, the place felt weirdly empty. Even though they’d only been there a single night, their absence was a tangible thing. She’d blame thesharhalfor that. The mating fever was messing with her head.
