Domestic Duet: Domestic Alliance & Asset (35 page)

Sadie bracketed her sister’s cheeks until she calmed. “They’re not crazy…just let me handle this.”

She tugged her sister behind her as Aroc approached in his stealthy strides. She gave in to his grip tugging her close to his side.

Theresa’s warm brown skin appeared dull and pasty as if all the blood had drained from her body. Aroc relaxed his grip when she smoothed a hand over his chest patting it over his heart. “Give us a second, this is all new to her.”

Sadie closed her hands to either side of Theresa’s face, bringing her attention away from Aroc and his males. “It’s okay.”

Strung tight and ready to snap, Theresa began murmuring and praying under her breath.

"Theresa—Theresa, honey listen to me. Everything’s going to be okay. Don’t try to understand or make sense of what you're seeing. I don’t have a lot of time to explain.” She pivoted to face Aroc. “What’s wrong? You were supposed to wait at the launch site.”

“Why is your sister here?” How did he know? As if he read her mind, Aroc said, “She carries your scent,” he informed her, lifting her chin to meet his, closing in fast. Theresa made a hissing sound behind her.

“She came looking for me and walked in on all this. She wasn’t supposed to be here.”

"Bring her with us if you want her protected by my males, Sadie."

“Thank you, Aroc,” she said, loving his acceptance of Theresa on seeing she meant something to her.

"Captain Aroc," Ryner said coming up the space between the houses.

Theresa gripped her arm. “Now who is that, their trainer?”

Oliver came to Theresa’s side, easing his arm behind hers until she loosened her death grip on Sadie’s arm. That surprised Sadie. Theresa didn’t care for white people as she’d seen too many racial riot victims coming through the hospital. Right now she’d have to deal; they had a war about to break out.

"Updates. Talk to me," Aroc urged. His hard chiseled chin gestured to his men who instantly relaxed, removing their hands from their weapons. They angled out, scanning the surrounding cars and quiet homes.

"I got word that the fight could start down here. We found a second contaminated shipment delivered to my cargo bay today," Aroc said, closing in next to Sadie and stood between her and Oliver.

Sadie caught some of the male's watching her sister. She gave Oliver a look, and he slipped a hand over Theresa’s and it appeared to relax the other males.

"This is going to get messy and if we don't want to start an international incident, I say let's get down to the launch site and keep this contained. Detective Ochi, I suggest you take your sister off planet or we’ll have to erase her memories. Now that she knows about us, there's no way to keep her from sharing what she’ll learn.”

"Erase my memories…No, I won't say anything,” Theresa pleaded her eyes gone wide. “I don't even know what they are." Aroc growled along with the other males. "Sadie, what is he?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. Captain Ryner, I have to make certain Savannah and Timothy are okay."

"After Richard Edwards is dealt with, do you think Savannah will be able to keep this a secret?"

She thought about it for a minute and knew there was no way with her circle of social climbers could she return to her former existence.
And protocol is to erase her memories of what she’s seen tonight, so she’s left alone. They’d ostracize her into seclusion
.

"No, she won’t," she acknowledged, saddened at what she was certain Ryner would suggest.

"Then both will need to be taken off planet until we can decide what to do with them."

"Do with them?” she repeated as a question. “They don't know anything about the other planet. How do I explain to a little boy that his father is going to prison and he’ll never see him again? Tell him the father he adores is not moving with them?"

"Either get them off planet or I’ll have to have their memories erased.”

Would the problems never end?

“I don’t have a choice. Off planet they go. Civilian housing can find them a home or they can stay at my place tonight.”

Theresa turned those big almond-shaped eyes on Sadie. "A second house? Lawd, girl, you’re not doing nothing illegal or scandalous, right? I'm not having no weird men running through my home, now," Theresa warned. "I don't understand any of this."

“Captain is there enough room on the shuttle or can we teleport them?”

“Teleport,” Savannah cried. “What’s that?”

“It’s safe. You might feel dizzy afterward, but it’s just your body coming back together.”

“No! No! No!” Savannah screamed grabbing Timothy to her side. “You’ll kill us, suga, please don’t hurt us.”

Her hysterics were out of control. “Captain, can we get a smaller shuttle to take them up together?”

“I’ll have one waiting. But it’s faster if they teleport.”

“Please, trust me. I know these women. They won’t handle it well.”

“You have ten minutes to get them on the shuttle after you arrive or I’m teleporting.”

“Yes sir.”

They all turned as Aroc stepped before Ryner. “For my mate, tonight we fight together.”

Sadie stared up at Aroc. He let the edge of his lip lift into a quick acknowledgment. He was her bad guy. He knew what to do to make her heart squeeze. Her heart flip-flopped in her chest. She was in love with Aroc, that’s what happened. He placed a knuckle under her chin, bringing their faces together, his breath warm on her face. He didn’t kiss her, but held her close; his heartbeat strong under her cheek relaying a message of comfort throughout her body. They stepped apart. Biting her bottom lip, Sadie let the warmth of that settle around her heart. She was in love.

Chapter 20

Sadie watched the lacy handkerchief appear out of nowhere as Savannah wiped her tears and stared out the window of Oliver’s car at the passing neighborhoods. They raced through the night to the cleared area in the middle of a grove of pine trees.

Not completely deserted, the field sat below the botanical garden perched high up on the hill. The surrounding trees made it a great hiding place since no one would see them while the gardens were closed for the day.

This was a great place to set down a shuttlecraft. By the time someone called the cops, the shuttle would be out of sight and on its way to break the atmosphere.

Across the field, men pushed tanks from a white van toward a small shuttle painted in night camouflage—purple, black, blue, and gray kidney-shaped markings. Soft lights illuminated the underbelly. Sadie ushered Savannah, Timothy, and Theresa to the other shuttle deeper in the shadows.

Distracted not knowing if Aroc was okay, she darted her attention out over the darkening landscape searching for her lover and her friend.

“Sadie you can’t stay down there,” Theresa cried, dragging her by the arm. “Girl, no! What happens if you don’t make it back? We buried our parents last year…I can’t lose you too.”

A knot of emotion lodged in her throat at her words. “Theresa, you have to let go, this is my job. I’ve worked hard to see this day and I’m not leaving Aroc or Oliver. I’m coming back. I promise.”

She knew her pain, but it didn’t matter now, with everything unraveling feet away. Too much was at stake to stop now.

“Sadie—Suga, please listen to your sister and come with us. You’ll get hurt or worse staying out there.” Her southern drawl was void of all gentility. “Let them men handle this. Women don’t need to be out there.” Quivering, Savannah fumbled with Timothy’s strap, tears streaming down her face to drip from pink lips as she pleaded with her to stay.

She didn’t have time for this.

“Don’t leave those seats. We have to get you off planet.” Sadie ran for the door.

Closing her mind off to their worried voices, she held onto the handles of the bay doors to stare at the mayhem exploding over the landscape. Sadie’s attention toggled between the groups fighting. Phasers, cops with Tasers, and karuntee were a bad combination. Earnestine and Norma fought alongside Oliver behind a small grove of trees. Eyes searching, Sadie spotted Aroc restraining a man into a squad car. She wasted no time on the stairs. Bracing her hands on the handrails, she slid down to the ground where she rolled across the grass.

Aroc’s males descended on the men loading the tanks. Before Sadie could get into position, fights were breaking out in small outbursts. There were too many, and then she glimpsed her worst nightmare. They were supposed to use phasers, but she saw guns. And guns killed without second thought or weighing out the pros and cons of its actions. She couldn’t imagine living with the reality that Aroc had been captured by bullet’s aimless intentions. Running through the crowds, Sadie knew she should be with the others on the shuttle, away from all of this. It would lessen Aroc’s worry. But her heart wouldn’t allow her to walk away from the man she loved. They’d fight this battle together.

Then the fight she worried about caught her eyes and ears. She spun around and ran toward Oliver. Aroc slammed him to the ground, knocking the air from his body, his head bouncing off the hard earth. Aroc’s fist was tight around Oliver’s throat. Straining to breathe, Oliver swung his leg catching Aroc in the ribs. Sadie could feel that solid thud and knew it had to hurt like kicking a tree. Scrambling to her feet, she ran around past the landing gear and called Aroc’s name. Her eyes went wide as a fist screamed to a halt inches from her face.

“Hell, Sadie, I almost hit you,” he blurted out, visibly shaken by what he’d came close to doing. He drew in a breath clutching her to his chest, and then set her away to look at her. “I want you safe, off planet, while we handle this.” He molded his hands to her cheeks, holding her face while she looked at him wide eyed. “You don’t need to be out here. We have enough to handle this, Sadie.”

“I know that, Aroc, but I can’t leave you to fight this without me. I’m not leaving you while you and Oliver duke it out instead of working together.”

Norma and Ernestine came running across the field, both with phasers in hand. Norma held her phaser out in front of her one-handed. “Sadie… you need help? What’s happening?”

“Cover me. I have to take care of this before they kill each other.”

The women nodded in unison.

“Take care of your men. We got you,” Ernestine said after stunning a man running for the van.

Sadie led them out of the flow of the fight to a spot under a tree dappled by moonlight.

“This feud between you two ends now before you get us killed.” Pressing her hands to either man’s chest, she held them apart.

“Sadie, it’ll never change between us. There’s too much bad blood.” Oliver said between sucking in gulps of air.

“How childish!”

Aroc dipped his face to her ear, his hot breath coating her face and his unique aroma making her mouth water. His anger flared. “Go now. You’re not built for battle and my fight is with Oliver, not you or the treaty.”

There was only one thing that would make her leave, and that was if they’d fight together. To do that, she knew they needed to open up to one another.

“Aroc—end this now—tell Oliver about Norese.”

Aroc growled. “No!” His words vibrated across her skin.

Oliver shifted to stand before her. “She may be your female, Captain, but Sadie’s my partner and friend. Watch how you speak to her.”

Avoiding a second fight, Sadie wedged her way against Aroc’s chest, pushing Oliver back with her hip.

“Aroc, you know I’m right. Don’t think of the past. This is about the future; Norese’s future.”

His cold voice directed her with no hesitation. “I said no!”

“You want this to go on forever?” She’d had enough. Sadie turned to see Ernestine’s profile; her chin tilted back, her attention centered on Aroc.

“Captain, tell him something, before we’re exposed.” Sadie looked up as Norma said her piece. They were brave to confront Aroc in public, but women stood together when it counted. And this counted.

“Captain, we support Sadie on this so we’re not leaving her, and I can hear a second shuttle coming,” Norma warned, turning her head from side to side and scanning the pockets of men and karuntee fighting.

Everyone peered into the darkening sky. Fat droplets of rain plopped down through the tree onto their faces making them glisten. Sadie could feel the fight going on around them, dividing her attention. Across the field, her family and friends sat exposed to the battle, the shuttle sat idling to leave Earth, but she couldn’t leave with them on opposite teams.

Oliver got in closer to Sadie, his attention bouncing from Aroc to her. “What’s going on? Who’s Norese?”

Hurriedly grouping Aroc’s hands around her waist, she kept him from walking away, frustrated. Thanks to the uneven ground, she could look him in the eyes. "You know you have my heart, but Oliver isn’t the monster from the waiting room. He lost a friend that day. You cherish your friends, Aroc. I know. I’m one of them. Tell him…please, so Norese has someone in her life that knew her mother as a friend and not a lover.”

“No disrespect, Captain—but damn, that’s cold to treat Sadie that way. Her words are bleeding straight from her heart and soul,” Ernestine condemned him—a very unwise thing to do with Aroc. “You can’t see that she’s doing this for you. Open your eyes and look at how much she’s given up to fit into your world.”