Unique Ink Read online

  “My break wasn’t even close to clean.” She eased her arm out of his grasp and stared out across the desert. She felt empty like their surroundings, dry and nearly void of life. “I got swept up in a police raid with a purse full of our best products. I didn’t have a criminal record, but I was in the system, so it didn’t take them long to figure out who I was. They told me if I provided them with names and locations of all the pivotal players in our network, they’d send me to rehab instead of jail.”

  “Did you cooperate?”

  She glanced at him with a soft smirk, but inside her heart was breaking. “Their interrogator was almost as good as you are. I’ve always been a sucker for the soft approach. Besides, I was so strung out by then I didn’t know what I was doing. They convinced me Smoke would kill me even if I kept my mouth shut. They were probably right. He was a ruthless son of a bitch.” She released a long, ragged sigh as an image formed within her mind, an image that frequently haunted her dreams and filled her with bitter regret. She saw silky dark hair, kind brown eyes, and the perfect body of a swimsuit model. “I felt guilty as hell helping the cops. I know drugs destroy lives, but Smoke and Jodi rescued me from the streets. They took better care of me than my family had.”

  “You were a valuable commodity. Smoke was protecting his investment.”

  “I know.” She fought back a wave of grief, cold and hollow like the echo of an emotion that had long since done its damage. “They picked up Jodi and several of the other curriers the same night they caught me. They promised they’d leak several different stories so Smoke and his bosses wouldn’t know who gave them up. I didn’t tell them much. I didn’t know that much. No one was stupid enough to tell me anything important. But I provided the missing pieces to a puzzle they’d been working on for months, maybe years. Before it was over, they’d dismantled one of the largest drug networks in the Southwest.” She lapsed into silence, unable to find words capable of explaining what came next.

  “Did Smoke or one of the others come after you?” Elias reached out for her again, but she wasn’t ready to be touched. Even after all these years the wound was still raw and painful.

  She shook her head as her lips began to tremble. “The cover story worked a little too well. Jodi’s body was found in an alley a few days later. Her tongue had been cut out.”

  “I’m sorry.” He pressed his hand against the wall beside her shoulder, his body easily within reach.

  All she had to do was turn toward him and accept the comfort he offered, but she didn’t feel worthy of comfort. With another unconvincing shrug, she concluded, “Jodi had been kind to me, protected me from more abuse and danger, and she paid for my weakness with her life.”

  “It wasn’t weakness to cooperate with the police. They left you no choice.”

  A sharp, humorless laugh escaped her throat. “Says my current interrogator. Maybe you’re the one in danger. Dead bodies tend to pile up wherever I go.”

  “I’ll risk it.” He caught a strand of her hair and wrapped it around his finger. How many ways could he find of touching her without actually touching her? And she wanted his touch, ached for the shelter of his strong arms. But she didn’t deserve compassion, much less comfort. “Were you still a minor?”

  “No such luck. I’d turned eighteen three months before the raid.”

  He released her hair as his warm gaze moved over her face. “So they sent you to rehab?”

  “I told them the punishment had to be more severe or it would seem suspicious. But I ended up with this bleeding-heart judge who felt like the system had failed me.”

  “I can’t imagine why,” he flared, his expression suddenly fierce. “The system did fail you. You survived the only way you could.”

  She shrugged again, trying to recapture her protective detachment. Compassion shone in his eyes and it was obvious he wanted to kiss her. She just didn’t understand why. They’d known each other for less than a day. How could he possibly have any sort of feelings for her? She was his prisoner. “The judge suspended my two-year sentence with the condition that any infraction, regardless of how minor, would reinstate the sentence. Then I went to an in-house rehab center for ninety days. When I was released from rehab, I was on probation for the remainder of the two years.” Succinct and factual, she recited the events like a shopping list. Though unspoken, she hoped the message was clear. She was finished talking about her past.

  “When did you become a tattoo artist?”

  Fine. She could compromise. This was still technically the past but the events were more recent and more applicable to the current situation. “Drawing had always been an emotional outlet for me, sometimes the only one I had. I’d had more than one teacher tell me I had raw talent. But it was my probation officer who encouraged me to take classes at a community college. The art classes led to private lessons and my interest in tattooing flowed naturally out of my love for art, and my nonconformist personality.”

  A soft smile curved his lips without parting them. “Didn’t you win a TV contest or something?”

  She nodded. “I came in second on the show, but it helped me build a fan base and develop name recognition. That made it possible for me to secure financing so I could open Unique Ink.”

  “Well, no one can deny all you’ve accomplished. You should be proud of how far you’ve come.”

  “I am.” Still, it was hard to escape the shadows cast by her past.

  He pushed off the wall and motioned toward the door behind him. “Ready to head back inside? It’s hot as hell out here.”

  “Not a chance.” She was more than ready to change the subject, however, so she turned and faced him. “You just heard my entire life story. I want to hear yours.”

  He laughed. “I’m no mystery. I’ll tell you anything you want to know, but I’m getting dehydrated out here. Let’s find somewhere cooler so we can finish our conversation.”

  “Cooler” shouldn’t be hard to find. He was right. It was hot and miserable outside. They retraced their steps, using the same elevator to return to one of three belowground levels. She hadn’t seen much of the complex except hallways and locked doors, but it was much bigger than she’d first thought.

  “Does this place have a name?” She did her best to sound casual.

  “We call it the Bunker.”

  “Fitting. And how many people are stationed at the Bunker?”

  He chuckled. “I guess I should have qualified my offer. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me. Anything else has to be approved by Morgan and she hasn’t been in a generous mood lately.”

  Morgan? It took her mind a second to produce a face to go with the name. When the image formed, she grimaced. The snooty red-haired bitch. Poor Elias. “How long have you worked for Morgan?”

  “I’ve worked for the program for two years. Morgan has been my direct supervisor for the last nine months.”

  Roxie was more interested in his story than hallways she’d already seen, so they walked much faster now. “Why did you decide to join the military?”

  “I come from a long line of military professionals. Dad made it to general before he retired. Mom started out as an Army medic and later became a nurse. She’s retired now too. My grandfather was a Navy pilot. Both my brothers are in the military. One’s a Navy SEAL the other a Marine. It never occurred to me to pursue any other career path.”

  She’d labeled him a soldier when she first saw him, so the information didn’t surprise her at all. “Which branch did you join?”

  “Army. I served for three years then became a Ranger. I’d been a Ranger for six years when, much to my father’s chagrin, I was recruited by the FBI. He still refers to it as my demotion.”

  Many military personnel had a general distrust of government agents. Even she knew that. “How’d you end up chasing aliens?” They turned down a wide corridor she was pretty sure they hadn’t used before. New territory was good and anything was preferable to being locked in the holding cell.

&nb
sp; “I was working a kidnapping case when I first crossed paths with Morgan.” He ushered Roxie inside a large cafeteria. The kitchen staff was tearing down and the subtle disorder of the tables and chairs indicated recent use.

  “Where is everyone?”

  “The kitchen stops serving at six thirty. Looks like we just missed dinner.”

  She chuckled at the evasion. “I’m still digesting that hamburger, but you didn’t answer my question.”

  “Some of the staff have gone back to work, the rest are in the living quarters or one of the common areas like the gym.”

  “Does everyone eat at the same time?” She looked around, trying to gauge the maximize occupancy of the room.

  He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Just because a room seats over a hundred doesn’t mean all of the chairs are used.”

  They helped themselves to fountain drinks then sat at a six-person table near the door, away from the clatter, and curious stares, coming from the kitchen.

  “Sorry for the distraction. You were in the FBI, about to meet Morgan.” She took a sip of her cola as she waited for his tale to resume.

  “Morgan claimed to have been dispatched from a different office, but her involvement didn’t make sense to me. I tried to be courteous and respectful, but it was obvious she was trying to take over.”

  “Morgan trying to take over?” She laughed, savoring the simple pleasure of cool air and a refreshing drink. “I can’t even imagine it.”

  “I know her better than you do. Morgan isn’t always such a hard-ass.”

  Her brow arched as she fiddled with her straw. “I’ll have to take your word for it. She’s certainly been all business with me.”

  “Military men will take advantage of any hint of weakness, especially in a female commander.”

  “Wow, that’s not sexist at all.”

  He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, tension creeping into his expression. “It might be sexist, but it’s reality. She’s had to work really hard to earn the respect of the people she commands.”

  “Does someone have a crush on his CO?”

  He smiled. “Is someone trying to annoy me?”

  She returned his smile then paused for a sip of soda before digressing to the original subject. “You were working a kidnapping case.”

  “All I’d been told was that a seven-year-old girl had been snatched from her school by someone the child knew. Morgan told me she believed the child’s father was the culprit and I had nothing that indicated otherwise.”

  “Did you find the little girl?”

  “We did and not a moment too soon. Her father had her in this amazing ship and was just about to take off. The entire thing went down so fast Morgan didn’t have time to warn me, so you can imagine my shock when I was faced with an honest to God spaceship.”

  “Dad was an alien?”

  He nodded. “We returned the girl to her mother and deported Dad. Then Morgan and I had a nice long talk. She told me she had an opening and wanted to know if I’d consider working for a black ops organization focused on mitigating conflicts with extraterrestrial life forms. I already had a top level security clearance, so the transfer was simple. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, I still work for the FBI. Occasionally I’m asked about my current assignment, but no one is too surprised when I tell them I can’t discuss it.”

  He made it all sound so common, so ordinary, while Roxie still felt stunned. “How many planets have visited Earth?”

  “Generally it’s the inhabitants who visit not the planets,” he corrected with a playful smile.

  She glared at him. “You know what I mean.”

  “The inhabitants of thirty-two different planets have allowed us to know of their visits. We suspect there have been quite a few more.”

  Her head shook in automatic denial. He had no reason to lie about the statistic, but her mind still resisted the information. “How long has this been going on?” Sevrin and her boys weren’t an isolated incident. All sorts of aliens had been toying with humanity.

  “Hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.”

  “Then why doesn’t the public know about this. They/we have a right to know.”

  “Humans still slaughter each other over lines on a map. Can you imagine how they/we would react if they realized aliens were living among us? Most of the visitors are just curious. They study us for a while and then move on. There have been some creative trade agreements, but for the most part, we don’t have much to offer people who have mastered interstellar travel. It would be like us negotiating a treaty with cavemen. We’re just not that interesting to them.”

  “And none of the visitors have been hostile? None have posed a danger to…” Her words trailed away as she answered her own question. “Shadow Assassins pose a significant danger to the general public and still they’re kept in the dark.”

  “It’s necessary,” he insisted.

  “I don’t agree with all the secrecy.”

  “Humans are volatile and unpredictable. This sort of threat would panic the general public and endanger even more lives. The Shadow Assassins are focused on hybrid females. Nothing is gained by including the general public in the conflict.”

  She wasn’t sure she agreed with him, but there was no point in arguing about it. “So did anything I tell you help you figure out why Sevrin wants me?”

  He rubbed his chin as he considered the question. “I’m not sure. I don’t think she’s interested in anything you’ve done. I think the answer lies in who you are.”

  “Which brings us back to my parents?” She sighed.

  Before he could answer, Morgan came bustling into the room. She was out of breath and tendrils of her upswept hair had come loose to frame her face. “I’ve searched this entire base for you. Where the hell did you take her?”

  “Just outside the transport hangers.” He shoved his drink aside and scooted back from the table. “What’s the matter?”

  Morgan smoothed her hair back from her face and took a deep breath. She glanced at Roxie but continued to converse with Elias. “May I speak with you in the corridor for a moment?”

  Roxie bristled. “If this has to do with me, I want to hear it. People need to stop talking about me and start talking to me.”

  “All right.” Morgan rested her hands on the back of the chair directly across from Roxie, but made no move to pull it out. She didn’t want to give up the power position of standing while others sat. “Lor assured me that the nano-tracker he disabled wasn’t strong enough to transmit through our shields. However, Sevrin would have lost contact with the tracker as soon as Lor teleported you here.”

  “That’s not my fault. It’s not as if I asked to be kidnapped.”

  “I’m not ascribing blame.” Morgan paused and her expression turned thoughtful. “The longer you remain here, the more suspicious Sevrin will become.”

  “What are you thinking?” Elias seemed particularly guarded, as if he wasn’t happy with Morgan’s interruption.

  “Sevrin knows we’ve had contact with Roxie, that can’t be avoided. But with everything that happened immediately after Jillian left Unique Ink, it’s likely Sevrin won’t conclude that we’ve had Roxie this entire time.”

  “What are you talking about?” Afraid Morgan would just ignore her, Roxie looked at Elias for the explanation. “What happened to Jillian after she left my shop?”

  “Sevrin tried to murder Jillian’s father, but she sensed his peril,” Elias told her. “They brought him here and Odintar was barely able to save his life.”

  “Lor and Blayne were out searching for Nazerel,” Morgan muttered to no one in particular.

  “So were teams of my men,” Elias added.

  Morgan’s gaze narrowed as she focused on Elias. “Has Nazerel ever seen you? Does he know who you are?”

  “There’s no reason why he would. I’m a powerless human. I’m not worthy of his notice.” The sarcasm in each word made it obvious he didn’t agree with
the assessment.

  “So we send Roxie home with you at her side. She can tell everyone you’ve been corresponding online for months, but this is the first time you’ve actually met. She was upset by the dustup at her shop and asked you to fly in from wherever you live and give her some moral support.”

  “You’re talking about me again. If you’re deciding my next move, don’t you think I might want to participate in the planning?”

  “Sorry.” A smile lifted the corners of Morgan’s lips, but her gaze remained hard.

  “The story might fool Sevrin,” Elias said, “but Jett saw me at Unique Ink.”

  “Damn,” Morgan muttered. “We have to do something. Sevrin will investigate why the nano-tracker stopped working. We need to be there when she does.”

  Elias shook his head. “She won’t come herself. There have been too many close calls lately. She’ll send someone to repair the chip or implant a new one.”

  Roxie pressed her fingertips against her temples and rubbed. They couldn’t seem to help themselves. As soon as they started strategizing, she just faded from view.

  Morgan shook her head. “I’m not so sure. Sevrin has been unusually hands-on where Roxie is concerned. If we’d realized this connection sooner, we could have utilized it better.”

  “I’m not a ‘connection’,” Roxie snapped. “Just say what you mean. You want to use me as bait to catch the most dangerous person on Earth.”

  Morgan didn’t deny it. “This is an opportunity we don’t dare pass up. You could be our way—”

  “I am not an opportunity. I’m a person!” She shot to her feet, toppling her chair in her haste. “Can’t you see me. I’m standing right here.” Elias stood and tried to wrap his arm around her, but Roxie twisted away. “Stop it! You’re just like her. All I am to either of you is an opportunity, a worm for your frigging hook.” For the first time in years tears trailed down her cheeks. She angrily wiped them away, but knowing they’d driven her to tears only upset her even more. “Put me back in my cage. I want no part of this.”