5
Astrid
—
As much as Astrid wanted to stay mad at Liam for teasing her, she couldn’t hold on to the anger. Despite herself, she felt a laugh rising up but she suppressed it by biting her lips together.
He had a grin on his face too like if he knew his charm was working. Damn the man. It was so unfair he’d shaved and now he was more attractive than ever. Her fingers itched to feel the skin around his strong jaw. It didn’t help matters that the undeletable image of his wet, naked, muscular upper half was forever burned onto her brain.
She knew the true source of her irritation with Liam: she wanted him. Which was insane because she barely knew him. She preferred to know a guy a little first before the clothes came off.
Yet her brain was set on one horny track since he came out of the shower… glistening. Her tongue wanted to taste him, her hands wanted to feel every single firm muscle he possessed. And whatever other parts of him that were… um… hard.
When he’d offered to show her what he had underneath that towel, she didn’t leave out of disgust with him. It was with herself that she actually contemplated telling him, ‘Go ahead and show me what you got, big boy.’
Well, thank god for small mercies those ridiculous words didn’t come out of her mouth. She chalked her sexual frustration up to the fact that she hadn’t sex since Vonn. And in the presence of this extremely attractive guy who a dating agency had said was her ‘perfect match’, she was reminded of her lack of cocklessness.
Especially when there was a bed oh so close…
Astrid hastened to continue their conversation in an effort to move her thoughts away from sex and Liam and sex with Liam. She no longer cared about the stupid silent treatment game. She’d lost horribly, anyway.
“How long until we arrive to…” Astrid trailed off and glanced at Liam. “Wait. Where are we going?”
“An island called Mazar,” Liam said. “ETA is around fourteen hundred hours.”
“What’s the job you’re supposed to do there?”
“Delivering something.”
“What are you delivering?”
Liam smiled. “A delivery man never gives out his client’s secrets.”
Her gaze narrowed suspiciously. “Is it illegal?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He shrugged. “I get paid to take a package from Point A to Point B without asking questions that don’t concern me.”
“I’m sure the Air Patrol will accept that explanation after they raid you and find you’re transporting illegal weapons or drugs.”
“The Air Patrol don’t have the power to conduct raids,” he said. “That’s within the jurisdiction of the Earth Law Enforcement Agencies. The most the AP can do is alert the appropriate branch of the ELEA of suspicious activity or pursue targets they suspect engaging in unlawful acts.”
Astrid gave him a strange look.
“How do you know all of that?” Astrid asked.
He didn’t respond right away. The smile playing on his lips vanished and his features became guarded.
“I watch a lot of crime shows,” he said, his voice cool.
She suspected he wasn’t telling the truth. She was about to voice aloud her suspicion he was lying when a ringing came from the carrier’s control panel.
Liam answered the call, and a man’s face bloomed into view on the panel’s screen.
“Liam Cross,” he said, a sneer on his thin face. “I have come to collect your package. Bring your carrier to a stop and give it to me.”
“Sorry, you’re not my type,” said Liam. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Cross.”
“It’s unfair you know my name and I don’t know yours.”
“I am Teva,” said the man in self-important tones, a sinister curve to his lips. “But who I am shouldn’t concern you. What I want is of more importance. After much… convincing, your business partner admitted you were the one he gave the box to deliver to Tandra. The box is mine. Return it to me.”
Astrid’s heart raced at the threat. She gripped the edges of her seat, her fingernails digging into the soft material. Liam didn’t seem as terrified as she. As a matter of fact, he looked bored.
“Or else?” Liam asked.
“I blow you up. I have missiles on board—”
“But... uh... if you blow us up, then you’ll be blowing up the box too,” Astrid piped up despite the terror. “Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?”
A moment of silence elapsed.
Liam glanced at her, mirth in his gaze.
The man was not as amused. Levelling a glare at Astrid, his features became uglier.
“Fine! I won’t blow you up, but I will have what’s mine!” Then his face abruptly disappeared from the screen as he ended the call.
“Liam!” Astrid jabbed a finger at the radar on the control panel where a dot rapidly approached their position. “He’s catching up to—”
Her words turned into a squeal of horror when Liam twisted the carrier’s steering violently, and the carrier followed suit veering off to a hard left. A flurry of bright shots zoomed passed them, illuminating the sky. The idiot was actually shooting at them!
Panic seized Astrid as they flew through the sky at a speed that pressed back into her seat. Her heart threatened to catapult out of her mouth with every abrupt dip and swerve Liam made to avoid the shots.
A cold sweat formed on her skin. Although she was impressed by Liam’s evasion skills, they were going to die.
Oh god.
And to think her primary worry just a few moments ago was whether she still owned an ARC glasses. Right about now, she wished she had the surety that she owned her life!
Something hard rammed the back of the carrier, sending them hurtling forward in a tailspin. A shrill alarm sounded from the violent contact. Astrid couldn’t help the scream that escaped her and the sound of Liam swearing didn’t inspire much confidence either.
Another knock hit them just as Liam righted the carrier. But instead of flying forward again, their movement came to a hard stop, juddering the carrier. The alarm continued, louder than ever increasing Astrid’s anxiety by the second.
“Why aren’t we moving?” Astrid asked, her wild gaze darting about to fall on Liam.
Releasing the controls, Liam shot to his feet.
“They’re in a carrier. They latched on to us and they’re going to reel us in,” he said, his voice tight, his eyebrows drawn together. Anger swirled in his hazel eyes. “Come on. We have to leave.”