Blurb:
Mark
Noland can’t figure out how he got into such a fix. How does an ex-mercenary
(okay, an almost-reformed mercenary) get himself caught, stuck in a holding
cell, on a hostile alien planet? Held captive by strange bug-like creatures
who’d just as soon eat him as look at him. How can a simple mission go so awry?
To make matters worse, Noland’s not alone. His fellow prisoner, a certain
high-ranking, elite Stella officer holds him responsible for their failed plan.
Yeah, it was supposed to be a quick in and quick out sort of mission. But no…
Officer Gavnson just can’t let it go.
It’s not
so easy trying to plan an escape when Noland keeps getting distracted by how
his mission partner so very nicely fills out his uniform. And he suspects
Gavnson is hiding something, too. As tensions run high, secrets are revealed
that will change the both of them. There’s nothing like gunfights and running
for your life to make that special bond.
Excerpt:
I sat
against a wall, watching as my companion paced the length of the cell.
Groaning, I leaned my head against the concrete, bored now that we had been
caught and taken out of the main action.
At least
I had an excellent view to keep me occupied. I could finally appreciate what
everyone liked about a man in uniform. My cellmate’s pants were very
complimentary to certain areas of his anatomy. With his hands clasped at his
lower back as he paced the room, I had the pleasure of an alternating view of
his broad back and the strong frame of his chest.
The stern
look almost marred his handsome face as he stared at the locked door, set into
a row of bars. But his strong jaw, highlighted by a twitching muscle, somehow
added to his appeal. Men usually didn’t interest me as much, but having a
galaxy of choice opened one’s view of preferences, and to be honest, I had
admired worse.
I
wondered what his thoughts on a tall, broad-chested, human man were. Would
there be any interest on his part, or did he only prefer his own kind? Maybe he
had someone back home. A slim-waisted Resconian woman who cooked him warm
dinners. Would that be more to his taste? Then again, maybe being an elite
Everian-ranked officer in the Stella Corps galactic military didn’t leave much
time for romance. I pushed the thoughts away before I could get too involved in
them.
“So,
Gavnson. Found our way out of here yet?” I asked, watching him make another
pass in front of me as he headed for the left side of the jail cell. He ignored
that question, like he’d ignored all the others I’d asked.
Our part
of the mission had been a distraction tactic that hadn’t worked as well as I
had hoped. In any case, it should have given enough time for the rest of our
team to break into the other side of the compound where the data center was
located so we could take back the information the Awoknains had stolen. Lists
of undercover agents and stealth plans weren’t something you wanted up for
grabs among enemies. I knew it would be a matter of time until Ken, my master
mechanic and sometimes arsonist, broke us out. Though it seemed Gavnson wasn’t
content to be patient.
He
reached for one of the hinges at the top of the door. Bolting forward, I
wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled Gavnson back before he could touch
the knot of metal. We slipped off balance, and I tried to take a step back to
regain my footing, but it was useless; we tumbled to the floor in a heap. The
wind was knocked out of me, and I gasped for air. Gavnson was heavier than he
looked.
“What the
hell do you think you’re doing, Noland?” Gavnson yelled. He rolled off me
effortlessly and sat up, directing a harsh look at me.
“Saving
your ass. Don’t touch those; they’re electrified. Not enough to kill you, but
it’s a hell of a shock that’ll give you nasty burns,” I said, wheezing as I sat
up. I didn’t miss his flinch, though he tried to hide it. I was instantly curious,
but ignored the itch to question. Starting a fight with Gavnson wouldn’t help
us break out.
He was
silent after his near miss with the electrified hinge. I was glad he was
finally sitting still. The constant nervous motion wore on my nerves. No matter
how fine an ass he had.
The
silence that followed made my skin crawl; it was the quiet before the storm
hit. I was tempted to ask Gavnson any random question, but if the tension in
his body was anything to go by, he obviously wasn’t much in the mood for
conversation.
I stared
at the far wall through the bars on the door, hoping Ken would hurry his blue
ass up and break us out so we could be done with the job. He had been part of
the retrieval team. Footsteps echoed down the hall, headed in our direction,
but I didn’t recognize them. There were more corpsmen as part of Gavnson’s
team; hopefully, that would be some of them. Luck was not on our side, though.
Our insect-like captors now stood in front of our cell, their green skin and
horns gleaming.
“You. Up
now. Come.” The raspy demands issued from mouths that didn’t move. That would
never not be creepy. I didn’t have time to think on that, though; the guards
motioned at Gavnson to get up.
“No, you
can’t,” I said. I grabbed Gavnson’s shoulder to stop him from moving.
“Why?”
The attention of the two guards flicked to me. A simple question with complex
implications. Think fast, Noland.
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Meet the Author:
Alli has
always had a love for just about any story she can get her hands on. Be it from
books, TV, or even video games—if there’s a good story, she will love it. Given
that, it’s easy to see how Alli moved on to making stories of her own.
Raised in
a small Colorado town, Alli also has a love of the outdoors and enjoys hiking.
Nowadays she lives in a bigger city and fits in fine there too, liking how
close and comfy everything is. Often at home with her two cats, Alli is never
far from her computer, whether for work or for play. She believes the truth is
a multifaceted thing and always works to write the world, and subsequently the
truth of the world, as she sees it.
The narrator filled in more information. “It wasn’t until this land became my land that the government decided to create an organization to protect women at risk. The Davina Doctrine went against everything that the Willas stood for. Even though they ran the risk of persecution, the Davinas chose to work with law enforcement to expose the evil deeds of the rival sisterhood. President George Washington established secret legislation under Title VI of the Control Act of 1792. The law was enacted to protect the good witches that exposed the evil deeds of their sisterhood.”
