A slight smile curved Avery’s lips when she saw that Core had also fallen asleep. Between their explorations and the sex, they had both been tired. She lay on her side and stared at Core’s relaxed face until thirst drove her from the bed.

She silently rolled to the side and stood up, grabbing the oversized shirt that she normally slept in as she walked toward the door. A quick glance showed that it was still dark outside.

She exited the room, sliding the shirt over her head as she made her way down to the kitchen on the lower level. She lightly trailed her hand along the polished wood railing as she descended.

The clock on the kitchen wall showed that it wasn’t even midnight yet. The sudden realization of how quickly the last two days had flown hit her hard. The clan would be returning tomorrow. It would be best if she were gone before then. Avery didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to Core. She had promised him three days, but spending another full day here wouldn’t be smart.

Avery leaned forward and gripped the end of the counter as a wave of agonizing loss coursed through her, reminding her so clearly of that day so long ago, the day she kept locked away in a box in her mind. She took in a shuddering breath and willed the feeling away.

“What happened that day that causes you so much pain, Avery?” Core asked.

She stiffened at the soft sound of Core’s voice and blindly stared at the kitchen cabinet in front of her. She hadn’t heard him come into the room. The muscle in her jaw throbbed as she fought to tamp down her emotions. The life of the man who had destroyed her family had been hers to take, so she had never talked about him or about that day—not to the agents, not to the psychiatrist assigned to her, not her handler—no one. Now the words tumbled out as if she was unable to contain them any longer.

“My parents were spies—and when needed, assassins—for two opposing governments. They were the best of the best at what they did. Only their handlers and a very small group of politicians knew who they were. Things were heating up between their respective governments. It was suspected that a third country was working with several terrorist organizations to escalate the tension. My mother was sent in to observe and report back on the threat,” she said in a monotone voice.

“What happened?” Core asked.

His voice sounded closer than it had been, and a moment later she felt the warmth of his body against her and his hands on her hips. She resisted leaning back against him at first but finally gave in.

“She met my father. He had been sent in by his country to do the same thing. Things turned nasty, and they ended up helping each other escape. They fell in love… and then had me,” she quietly added.

He tightened his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She released her grip on the counter and laid her hands over his arms.

She was surprised at the sense of peace that came over her as she related her story. For the first time, she was seeing the situation from a different angle—her parents. Before, it had been difficult for her to understand why they would risk so much for a personal dream. Her feelings for Core gave her a new insight into not only their lives, but her own.

“It was very difficult for you—and lonely,” he reflected.

She laughed harshly and bowed her head. “You’re in my head,” she commented.

“Yes,” he replied.

She appreciated that he didn’t try to lie or make excuses. Her throat tightened as it always did when she remembered that day the past had caught up with her parents. She closed her eyes and released her grip on the mental wall she had constructed to keep the memories locked away.

Core held her close. He seemed surprised that she wasn’t resisting him, and she couldn’t really blame him. She was surprised herself. For some reason, she wanted to share this with him. Perhaps a small part of her knew it was safe to do so—it wasn’t like it would make any difference.

She leaned her head back against him and let the memories come with every tiny detail vividly relived. He saw her naïve excitement, her fierce competitive nature, and felt the love of her parents. He also lived through the agonizing physical pain and the more devastating emotional one as she watched a young girl’s life sucked away and knew Kassy was simply collateral damage. She had been in the wrong place at the wrong time—near Avery.

“Sweet Goddess, Avery,” Core murmured.

He was reliving the moment the bullet ripped through her flesh and burned a path through her tender organs. The seeping of blood soaking the ground around her and the cries of a distraught mother had become mere distractions as she witnessed the assassination of her parents. Only then had the screams punctured her awareness, and she’d realized that she was close to joining her parents.

She would have given up if the man hadn’t turned and looked at her. Their eyes had locked for a moment, and in that split second, it was her desire for revenge that had kept her alive.

“What did you do?”

Avery opened her eyes and stared down at the counter. “When I was seventeen, I began searching for him. I was nineteen when I located him in Berlin. I hunted him down and executed him with the same calculated indifference that he used when he killed my parents and Kassy. My only regret was that I could only do it once,” she stated.

“For us, it is called the Right of Justice. If you and he had been on Prime, we would have facilitated the confrontation. It was your right to face the man who did this to you and your family,” Core stated without an ounce of judgement.

She turned in his arms. “I’m not a nice person, Core. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that I am. What I did had nothing to do with justice and everything to do with revenge. Under the right circumstances, I could slit your throat and walk away without a backwards glance,” she stated, staring unblinking into his eyes.

“She could do it, too,” a sultry woman’s voice murmured behind Core. “I always wondered what happened, Avery. I’m so sorry about your parents and Kassy,”

“What are you doing here, RITA2?” Avery demanded.

“Warning you that Teriff, Derik, and Hendrik are at the front door. It appears the council has been busy deciding that they absolutely must see Merrick tomorrow. You’d think Tilly having a film festival would have distracted the old bastards,” RITA2 said with a sigh.

“Merrick knows they want to see him. He will contact RITA to open the portal after he finds Addie,” Core said.

Avery frowned. “You didn’t tell me he returned to Earth,” she said.

Core grinned. “I was distracted. Besides, there was no stopping him,” he explained.

“It’s too dangerous for him to be back there,” she growled in annoyance.

There were still three main threats that had not been contained. It was more than conceivable that one or possibly all three still on the loose would search for Addie Banks to get to Merrick. God, she was stupid! When Core mentioned that Merrick had a bond mate on Earth, Avery should have immediately ordered security for the woman—and she shouldn’t have come here until she had Markham, Wright, and Dolinski’s bodies in a bag. Avery pushed Core out of the way when Core’s home computer system also announced that they had visitors.

“I’ll go get dressed,” she said as she walked away from him.

After a few moments, she heard Core’s deep voice growling at his visitors, then she was too far away to hear anything else. Once she was back in their bedroom, she pulled off her nightshirt, grabbed a change of clothes out of her bag, and went into the bathroom. She put the clothes on the counter and stepped into the shower.

Five minutes later she exited the shower and dried herself. Her thoughts were on everything she needed to do when she returned. If RITA sent her to their location, maybe she could keep the Gateway open until Avery could drop-kick the huge alien and his girlfriend back through it.

Avery put on her panties and bra, stepped into a pair of tan dress slacks and fastened them. Bending over, she brushed her hair and pulled the dark brown strands up into a ponytail. She grabbed her blouse off the counter and pulled it on, buttoning it as she walked through RITA2’s holographic body into the room.

“Core is right, Avery, I have researched the man who murdered your parents, and he was truly an evil human being. Even his handlers expressed concern about his mental stability, but their superiors wanted him to continue working. That program was eventually shut down, in large part because of you,” RITA2 said.

Avery paused. This was the reason she had been so careful to hide her background. Once RITA or RITA2 had even a small piece of information, the AI supercomputers would search through millions of databases worldwide—Earth-wide, Avery silently corrected—until they had located, processed, and analyzed all the relevant data—and then the RITAs would proceed to ‘help’ however they saw fit.

Avery turned and looked at RITA2. The hologram was dressed in a style similar to Avery’s, with white slacks and an emerald green blouse that matched her eyes. For a moment, Avery felt like she was looking at a living person before she shook her head.

“Delete the information from your systems, RITA2, or I will,” Avery ordered in a low, frosty tone.

Avery watched as RITA2’s eyes flickered before returning to normal. “All information has been deleted,” RITA2 replied.

“Good,” Avery answered, turning back to her bag.

She pulled her weapons out and strapped one knife to her arm under her sleeve, and the other knife to her calf under her slacks. She carefully checked each gun out of habit to make sure the clips were full before tucking one into the holster at the small of her back. She picked up her short, black leather jacket from the chair by the bed, shrugged into it, and put her other gun into the pocket, then calmly packed the rest of her personal items in the bag.

“Oh dear,” RITA2 murmured, her eyes suddenly glowing.

Avery looked up and frowned. “What is it?” she asked.

“My sis just connected to tell me that Trudy has been shot and Merrick has asked for our help,” RITA2 explained, her eyes still glowing.

She turned when Core suddenly appeared, his face grim. “You know about the situation?” he asked.

Avery nodded and watched as Core kicked off his loose pants and reached into a drawer to pull out a black uniform.

“Debrief us, RITA2,” Avery ordered.

“Merrick went through a portal to Earth the day before you arrived here. RITA tells me the Portland police are investigating two currently unidentified men’s deaths in Addie’s apartment and her disappearance. Merrick and Addie are currently in her family cottage in Seaside, Oregon. Trudy tried to warn Merrick and Addie that Markham and Wright would know about the cottage. Trudy has been shot. The extent of her injuries is currently unknown, but she is alive. DAR informed Teriff, Derik, Hendrick, and Core of the situation. The other three are outside retrieving weapons from their transport. I’m afraid information is mostly limited to what was discussed before Trudy arrived and the phone call RITA received from Merrick,” RITA2 said with an apologetic smile. “I’ll program your Gateway device to the location, and once you are through, my sister will program it to bring you to the medical wing of the ‘Tag Krell Manok palace.”

“Let’s go,” Core said as he slid a long, deadly blade into a sheath at his waist, grabbed the silver cylinder that Avery knew was the Gateway device from a drawer, and took her by the arm.

They entered the lift. In seconds, they were stepping outside. Two of the men sent her an inquisitive glance while the third frowned at her before turning a dark, disapproving look on Core. She recognized Teriff ‘Tag Krell Manok, the leader of Baade, from the dossier that RITA had compiled for her.

“What is she doing here?” Teriff demanded.

“Vacation,” Avery shot back.

“Vacation?” Teriff repeated with a frown.

“It’s a long story, Teriff,” Core added.

“RITA2, open the Gateway,” Avery ordered, checking her gun to make sure the safety was off before looking at RITA2.

Core swung his arm out and blocked her. “Let me go through first,” he murmured.

Avery opened her mouth to protest, but then took one look at Core and nodded in agreement. Core’s features were hard now. All signs of the gentle lover were gone, and in his place was a ruthless, alien, killing machine. She looked at the other three men. Their expressions reflected the same intense focus that she had seen on the faces of soldiers before a mission. Even the youngest of the group would have made her think twice about challenging him. She returned her attention to the shimmering doorway when the Gateway opened in front of them.