Chapter Six
Seb clasped his hands behind his back, his knuckles aching with tension as the doors to the command center slid open and a stationed soldier waved him through.
And now the real game begins.
Landing his boosted shuttle and making his way up to the central control of the Valiant Knox had been easy. Facing the CAFF, Commander Yang, and Jenna’s CI handler so he could lie to their faces was a whole other story.
At least he didn’t have to fake his shell-shocked demeanor. Ever since Bren had informed him that Jenna had been killed, the punches just kept coming. When he’d gone into the old bank vault and found the body, something hadn’t seemed right, but he hadn’t quite been able to work out why. Then a slight figure had appeared out of the gloom, her presence shocking him even more than the news of Jenna’s apparent death.
The woman who’d stood in front of him hadn’t been anything like the fake CI agent he’d flown behind enemy lines and hidden in a tree house with a few hours before. The general shape of her face had been the same, yet also somehow softer and definitely younger looking.
Her skin had a more natural glow to it, and in the direct beam of his flashlight, he’d spotted a smattering of freckles across her nose. Goddamn freckles. What kind of CI agent had freckles? Her hair had even darkened to a lush honey color, and he hadn’t been able to connect any of that to the superficial bimbo-looking chick he’d met in the commander’s wardroom earlier. Until he’d looked into her eyes and recognized the too-honest jade green. And he hadn’t been able to ignore the truth of the desperate shadows in her gaze.
All the pieces had come together with the force of a vacuum. That striking gaze made more sense in the new face he saw. Hell, the ruse of childhood family friends would almost be too easy to pull off when people looked at her, because she had that gorgeous, wholesome, girl-next-door thing in spades. Except as he’d quite recently learned, looks could definitely be deceiving.
After Lawler, his trust wasn’t just in short supply, it’d up and left the building. No matter how innocent Jenna appeared, he couldn’t forget she was a highly trained, very deadly CI agent. One who apparently could mind-screw him hard and dirty without batting an eye. Christ, he couldn’t decide if he was relieved or downright dumbfounded that she hadn’t killed that young CS Soldier in the woods, but had wanted him to think that because he’d—what had she said—gotten under her skin? Yeah, he had a whole lot of that going on himself.
Seb paused outside Commander Yang’s wardroom, not sure whether he should go in or wait until someone came out to find him. His debate was cut short when the door slid open to reveal Bren. She sent him a small guarded smile and indicated he should come in.
At first glance, Bren probably wasn’t what anyone would picture at the term “fighter pilot.” She was tall and lean, but had a mop of not-quite shoulder-length thick blond curls and clear blue eyes. Yet it didn’t take more than a few minutes in her presence to work out she didn’t take crap from anyone.
He grabbed in a quick fortifying breath and braced himself. He’d never been good at this subterfuge stuff, couldn’t lie to save his own mother. Yet Jenna was relying on him, and for her sake, he was about to give the performance of his life.
Commander Yang greeted him from behind his desk, while the CI handler stood in a far corner, out of direct light…kind of like some vampire or lurky bad guy. Bren came to attention beside him, and he focused on Commander Yang. Not that it would be easier to lie to the guy in charge of the whole damned battleship, but something about the CI handler unsettled him in a way he didn’t want to examine.
“What have you got to report, Sub-Lieutenant Rayne?” Commander Yang leaned back in his chair, one finger tapping against the armrest.
Seb reached into his pocket and pulled out the storage device Jenna had given him.
“I hope this is what you were after. It was too hard to get the body out. I got pinned down by a group of local law enforcement who were out stirring up the squatters.” That bit was almost true, at least. He set the device on the desk and then slid it forward. “I searched her body and came up with this. If it’s not what you were after, then CI will have to send one of their own agents in.”
The handler strode forward and picked up the small drive. “This is what we needed. Good work, soldier.”
I’m not a soldier, douche. Refraining from pointing out the guy’s mistake, Seb clenched his jaw and inclined his head. Although, he wouldn’t have been surprised to find the CI handler had known it was mildly insulting to refer to a pilot in one of the universe’s most elite fighter squadrons as a soldier.
“You got what you needed, Stanton, so if you’ll excuse me, I need to debrief with my people.” Commander Yang straightened in his chair, the hard look he sent the CI handler pronounced get lost loud and clear.
The CI douche nodded and left the wardroom.
“What, no thanks for risking my hide twice in less than a day so he could get his precious information?” Seb muttered, watching the door slide closed.
“CI think they’re above general human politeness, and that includes saying thank you to the grunt who may or may not have died for their ultimate means.” Commander Yang stood and moved around his desk.
“Then, with all due respect, sir, you won’t mind if next time you request me for a CI-related assignment, my answer will be something along the lines of screw that.”
Bren elbowed him with a stern look, because people just didn’t talk to Commander Yang like that if they wanted to keep their limbs attached. The man had a fearsome reputation, but Seb had always found the Valiant Knox’s commander to be fair and respectful.
Commander Yang’s lips twitched, though his expression remained neutral. “Of course I’ll understand if you feel that way, Sub-Lieutenant, and I’d be happy to pass those terms on to CI on your behalf.”
Seb shot a half grin at the man. It seemed they were on the same page. “Thank you, sir.”
“As for this mission, you’ll be expected for a full debrief with Lieutenant Brenner and Captain Alphin before we can clear you for any further duties.” Commander Yang glanced at Bren. “Lieutenant, have you set up a time for that?”
Bren nodded. “I knew Sub-Lieutenant Rayne would want it taken care of as soon as possible, so we’ve scheduled it for fourteen hundred this afternoon.”
“Good.” Commander Yang leaned against the front of his desk. “As soon as I’ve seen Lieutenant Brenner’s report, you’ll be back on active duty for the following shift, probably tomorrow. In the interim, enjoy your downtime, get some sleep, catch up with your buddies, watch some bad TV, whatever it takes to decompress. This assignment didn’t pan out like any of us expected, and I want to make sure you’re dealing. Okay?”
Seb gave a single nod. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had any kind of time off that hadn’t been the usual off-rotation break. And when those happened, any number of the guys he flew with were usually off-rotation with him. It would be weird hanging around doing nothing while the rest of his buddies were still on duty.
And then he remembered Jenna’s plans, and the fact he was meant to be pretending he had an old friend coming to visit. He glanced at the multifunction device on his wrist, noting the shuttle was about due.
“Excuse me, sir, Lieutenant Brenner, but I’ve got a friend to meet, coming in on the shuttle that’s due about now.”
Bren glanced at him curiously, but he kept his gaze trained on Commander Yang.
“Of course, Sub-Lieutenant, you’re dismissed.”
Seb stepped back from being at attention and then turned, walking out of the wardroom. He thought he’d gotten away clean, but then Bren caught up with him.
“What’s this about meeting someone coming off the shuttle? You never mentioned that.”
He sent Bren a self-deprecating grin. “Actually, in all the commotion, I nearly forgot.”
“Who is it?”
“An old family friend. I haven’t seen her since I was a kid. She’s got a posting on Ilari, starting in a couple of weeks. She came out early so we could catch up.”
“She?” Bren flashed him a teasing smile.
“It’s not like that. Really, I’m just doing a favor for my parents. She was like the bratty kid next door who wouldn’t stop following me around.”
Wow, he’d taken to this lying stuff like a duck to water. Sure, he and Jenna had worked out the details beforehand, but the story spilling out of him sounded so natural.
“Mind if I come? I’d love to meet someone who knew you before you were an egotistical stick jockey.”
He plastered a grin on his face, though his insides had stalled. Telling Bren about it was one thing, having her observe their interactions was a whole other matter.
“You don’t have anything better to do than tag after me and poke your nose into my personal life?”
Bren’s returning smile had no shame to it whatsoever. “Nothing half as interesting as meeting the annoying next-door neighbor kid. I bet she’s got some great stories about what a little rascal you were.”
His slapped-on-cover-up grin started making his jaw ache. “Oh, I bet she does.”
“Come on, then, we don’t want to be late.”
No doubt Bren could tell exactly how much he didn’t want her there. Unfortunately, she was too good a friend for him to flat-out refuse. If he did, she’d end up more determined to meet Jenna and wouldn’t leave him in peace until she’d gotten the juice on his supposed childhood friend.
They made their way up to port level bravo where the general population shuttles docked. Stepping off the transit, they plunged into the crowd of people either meeting incoming travelers or waiting to depart on the outward-bound shuttle.
Seb picked a spot by a thick, square column holding up one side of a giant information screen, flickering alternatively with the flight schedule, advertisements, and information about the Valiant Knox.
One detail he hadn’t firmed up with Jenna was exactly where they were going to meet, so he was hoping they wouldn’t have too much trouble spotting each other in the crowd. Part of him almost expected to see yet another different-looking, disguised Jenna turning up to greet him.
Bren leaned against the column and crossed her arms. “So, how many years has it been since you’ve seen…what’s her name?”
“Jenna,” he answered distractedly, scanning the crowd. “And I’m not sure exactly. A lot.”
Bren made an uh-huh kind of noise in return, but he didn’t pay her any attention. A stream of people came out from the passageway leading to the shuttles, and the crowd shifted as people went forward to meet them.
“Don’t you want to get closer? Will she be able to find you back here?”
He cut Bren an exasperated glare. “Stop fussing. You wanted to tag along, so we’re doing things my way. Once the crowd thins a bit, we’ll find her no problem.”
“Sheesh, did you put on your cranky pants this morning or what?” Bren muttered.
“Since my morning was yesterday, because I spent all last night awake behind enemy lines, I wouldn’t be so quick to be making fun of me right now.”
“Noted and disregarded.” Bren sent him a too-cheerful smile.
Before he gave into the urge to not-so-politely ask his CO to get lost, he turned his attention back to the crowd. He still found it weird to remember she’d recently been promoted to CAFF. For ages they’d been equals, close friends since military academy, though she’d gotten her last promotion to lieutenant before him. Not that he begrudged her. She worked hard and deserved it, whereas he spent more time goofing off and generally not taking things seriously.
The crowd thinned, and he caught a glimpse of dark honey-blond hair. Seb straightened, searching as a few people shifted, blocking his view. The group moved off and there was Jenna striding toward him, tugging a wheeled case behind her. His gaze was riveted. He couldn’t look anywhere else, couldn’t do anything except take her in.
The ragged outfit she’d been wearing to blend in on Ilari was gone, replaced by a fitted white and black top gathered at her left hip, which gave way to a black, knee-length skirt with white lace trimming. Her hair had been clipped back loosely, but still fell softly around her face and shoulders. All in all, she looked gorgeous and fresh, fitting the girl-next-door image just as easily as he’d expected.
When she got closer to him, a smile lit up her entire being, smacking him straight in the sternum. She released the handle of her luggage and ran the last few steps to him, landing against his chest with infectious enthusiasm.
Closing his arms around her and hugging her to him came all too naturally. As did the kiss he dropped on her head. A subtle scent of creamy coconut laced his next breath, and his entire body clenched as his senses went close to overloading.
Wow. Talk about temptation walking.
Except this was simply another role she had to play. Letting himself get swayed by her in this guise would be the height of idiocy.
“Seb! I’m so glad to see you.” Jenna stepped back, tilting her head up to look at him. Funny, but when he’d been dealing with her last night, he hadn’t realized she was just that little bit shorter than him.
“Yeah, I got that.” He sent her a teasing grin. “I’m happy to see you, too, Jenna.”
Behind him, Bren cleared her throat, loudly and not at all subtly. He dropped his hands from Jenna’s waist and stepped back into a half turn.
“Jenna, this is a friend of mine, who also happens to be my commanding officer, Lieutenant Theresa Brenner. Bren, meet Jenna.”
Bren stepped forward and held her hand out. “Nice to meet someone who’s known Seb longer than I have. Later, when we can get rid of him, you’ll have to fill me in on a few good stories.”
Jenna shot him a smile that was nothing short of wicked, then looked back at Bren. “I’d love to do that, but more than a few of them would end up implicating me, so I might have to take most of them to my grave.”
“Yeah, I can just imagine Seb leading you into all kinds of trouble.”
He grabbed the handle of Jenna’s luggage. “Well, as fun as this isn’t, Bren, you’ll have to excuse us. Jenna’s had a long trip and I want to see her settled before our debriefing this afternoon.”
Bren nodded. “Of course, I’ve got a long list of stuff I should be doing anyway. No one told me being the CAFF would involve so much paperwork. You know, I tried to offer the position back to Alpha the other day, and he laughed in my face.”
“I’ll just bet he did. Sorry, but you’re stuck with it.” He shifted sideways and placed a hand in the middle of Jenna’s back. “I’ll catch up with you later this afternoon.”
Once they’d moved away from Bren, Jenna patted his arm. “You did really well, Seb. Convincing your friends of a lie is always the hardest.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to get that.” He let the cheerful expression slip from his face, now that he didn’t have to pretend any longer. They joined a group of people waiting for the transit, and he glanced down at Jenna’s bag. “I see you’ve been busy.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Not really. This was an emergency stash I had prepared, one of several throughout the ship, actually, just in case I ever ran into a situation like this.”
He raised a brow at her in disbelief. “You were prepared for the possibility that your own people would try to kill you?”
She glanced around guardedly and then sent him a quelling look. “No, not that specifically. Just in case I ever needed to go on the run suddenly. Of course, I thought I’d be jumping a shuttle off the Knox, not hiding out in plain sight.”
The transit arrived, and once the way was clear of departing passengers, the group of people around them piled on. He started forward, but she grabbed his hand and shook her head. Okay, so apparently they were waiting for the next one.
“Where are you staying? One of the hotels on the gen-pop level?” he asked as he stepped back.
“Actually, I hadn’t planned that far ahead. I guess one of the hotels will have to do, though, I don’t like the thought of staying somewhere so accessible. Somewhere secure would be more ideal.”
“The most secure beds on the ship are on crew level.” Even as he said the words, a crazy idea jumped up his mind. From the contemplative gleam in her gaze, she was likely thinking the same thing.
Okay, he’d agreed to help her, but was this idea going beyond the call of duty? He really shouldn’t offer, it could make things too complicated. Yet he swallowed and took a short breath, the words coming up of their own violation.
“You could stay with me. After all, I know what’s really going on. I can watch your back. There’s probably nowhere safer on the ship.”
She nodded, the movement seeming unsure at first, but then becoming more assertive. “You’re right, there wouldn’t be anywhere safer. But opening up your home to me makes this a bit more personal than what you probably thought you were signing on for.”
Seb shrugged as the transit returned. “I had no idea what I was signing on for, really. So you could pretty much tell me I need to dress up in a tutu and sing soprano, and I’d believe you.”
“I’ll make a note of that for later in the assignment, maybe when I need some kind of distraction.” She grinned and glanced down. “I’m sure you’ve got the legs for it, too.”
“Hell yeah. Once you see me in a tutu, your life will never be the same.”
Jenna gave a short laugh as they got on the transit along with a few other people. He hit the button for the fourth crew level where his one-bedroom apartment was located. He had no problem camping out on the couch for a few days, since offering Jenna the bed was the gentlemanly thing to do.
Call him crazy, but he liked the idea of having her close by. If she went off to stay at a hotel on the gen-pop level, he’d spend the whole time away from her worrying that she was safe. This way was easier, plus it would give them a chance to get to know each other better and take care of any small wrinkles in their fabricated history.
Yep, his reasons were all entirely platonic and selfless, all for her safety and nothing to do with the way she’d felt up against him when they’d hugged before. Definitely nothing to do with the weird, tight tingle he got in his chest whenever he looked at her now, seeing a gorgeous, down-to-earth kind of girl, and not a fake-plastic bimbo like he’d first thought.
Seb sighed as they arrived on crew level and his ID cleared the way for them. Maybe if he kept telling himself over and over to ignore those intriguing little things about her, eventually the too-interested part of himself might take notice.
She sent him a grateful smile as they headed for his door, and the simple expression stabbed right through the middle of his chest.
Too late for caution, because maybe he was already a lost cause.