CovertDesires

Chandra
Ryan

Universal Defiance, Book Six

Rowe is a Sub Type Five—a
prophet—so her future should be laid out in front of her, clear as the stars in
the night sky. But since Type Fives can’t remember their visions once they
wake, the only thing she’s certain of is her overwhelming attraction to her
partner, Jack. And that the desire seems one-sided. Jack does everything he can
to put space between them.

After working undercover together
to bring down a militia group, she discovers she got that one wrong though.
Some hot encounters reveal that Jack wants her as much as she wants him. But
they’ll have to survive the final mission and discover the identity of its
mastermind before she finds out what their future holds.

A Romantica®
sci-fi erotic romance
from Ellora’s
Cave

Acknowledgment

This series would not have happened if not for the loving
support of my husband, the constant encouragement from the amazingly talented
Rebecca Royce, and the fantastic direction I received from my editor Beverly
Horne. You guys are awesome and I am truly blessed to have you in my life.

Rowe took a deep breath and tried to remain emotionally
detached as the men around her postured for their egos’ sake. She didn’t bother
with the nonsense though. Her needs were best served by appearing as small and
nonthreatening as possible. As crazy and as dangerous as it might seem, this
was exactly where she was meant to be.

“How do we know she’s a Sub?” A balding, overweight man
pushed forward in the crowd to get a better look at her. And as the nauseating
stench that wafted from his body reached her it was all she could do not to
take a step back. He was so ripe it made her eyes water. But she managed to
hold her ground.

“I have all her paperwork right here.” Jack held up a data
chip as he spoke. “And she freely admits it. I don’t know anyone who would say
she was a Sub unless she was one.”

Yeah, she couldn’t imagine a human saying he was a Sub
either. Why would he? Humans were born. Two people in love—or at the very least
in a state of profound passion—conceived them. That new human was an extension
of that passion. Where did Subs come from? A crazy geneticist created them in a
laboratory. And it didn’t matter what title or definer people gave them, in the
end they were nothing more than a reflection of his insanity. Case in point,
the government might say she was a citizen but the men in front of her would
never accept that. To them she would always be a mad scientist’s handiwork. And
as such, property to be bought and sold.

The man took her chip and loaded it into his digital reader.
“Says here she’s a Sub Type Five. What do Type Fives do?”

“She’s a prophet.” Jack looked over at Rowe and nodded.
“This little lady right here can tell the future. I imagine you wouldn’t have a
difficult time putting that talent to good use.”

“If that’s true then tell us the winning lottery numbers for
this week.”

Fine. If numbers were what they wanted, she could make some
up easily enough. She and Jack would be long gone by the time the real numbers
were announced. “Eight, fourteen, thirty-two—”

“Shut up.” A hard shake from Jack made her do just that.
“You don’t speak unless I give you permission. Do you understand me?”

“Of course.”

He turned back to the group. “That’s all you’ll be getting
until we reach an agreement.” Jack braced his hands on his hips casually as he
spoke. The move made his fingertips brush against the hilt of his weapon
noticeably. But Rowe guessed the gesture was just more bravado and not intended
as a real threat.

“This agreement, would it include her?” There was a hard
glint in the man’s eyes that made her want to duck behind Jack. She didn’t want
to look at him any longer. He wasn’t a good person. But the role she was
playing wouldn’t allow her to seek any comfort or aid from Jack. He was her
captor. Her betrayer. Or at least that was what these men needed to believe. So
she opted for staring at the ground at her feet instead.

“No. This one is mine.” She only wished that were true. She
couldn’t count the number of times she thought about what it’d be like to
belong to him during this assignment. It didn’t seem as if it was fated to be
though. They were almost done with this case and Jack hadn’t made one move on
her. If anything he’d seemed more and more distant as the assignment proceeded.
He’d even put a stop to the weekly pizza and informal debrief. Now all meetings
had to take place in the office with a transcriptionist. It was just the way
things were. She had to accept it. As far as he was concerned this was just
another mission and she was just another partner. When they brought down this
militia they’d be assigned new partners and would go their separate ways. “But
I could make sure you had access to a Five.” Jack smiled. “Then you’d know
everything the government did.”

Which was nothing. Type Fives couldn’t remember their
visions after they woke. It was one of the most frustrating parts of her
existence. Somewhere deep inside her she knew everything that could and would
happen. But that knowledge was just out of reach.

“So you know where we could get our hands on some Subs of
our own?”

She shuddered at the statement. She shouldn’t have. That’s
why they were there. They needed to broker a deal. But she couldn’t help it.
The thought of any of her kind being at the mercy of this man was sickening.

Jack’s fingertips brushed against her back in what she could
only assume was a gesture of support. One that, thankfully, the men couldn’t
see. “For the right price,” he answered.

“And what would that price be?”

Jack quoted the number and Rowe felt her heartbeat speed up.
This was it. Were they going to take the bait? If not they’d have to find
another way to figure out who headed this group. If they did take it, however…
Well then, they would be one step closer to Subs being able to sleep a little
sounder at night.

Mr. Bald-and-Smelly turned to the man behind him and started
whispering. The conversation didn’t take long but it was enough time for Jack
to shift his weight. She wasn’t an empath but she didn’t need to be to know he
was starting to get anxious. She’d gotten to know him pretty well over the last
couple of months as they prepared for this mission. He always got antsy when he
was uncertain.

“We have to talk to the boss before we can approve that kind
of money.”

“I’d be happy to speak with him.” Jack’s voice was all
practiced salesman. “Make sure he understands the benefits to investing his
money with me.”

“We’ll have to clear any in-person meeting with him before
it could happen, of course. And he won’t be back until sometime tomorrow. You’d
have to stay in the camp until he’s made his decision.”

Not an ideal situation for her. She’d be in constant danger
as long as she stayed here. Still, somehow this felt right. Her gut told her
they were on the right path. And she’d learned to listen to her gut over the
years.

She opened her right hand and flexed her fingers. It should
look like nothing more than a stretch or a nervous tic to the others but Jack
would understand what it really meant. They were staying in the camp—for now.

“I have a day—two at the most—until I have to move on. But
you’d better not be jerking me around. Subs are a hot commodity and there
aren’t many brokers,” Jack said. “It wouldn’t be a good idea to piss off one of
the few dealers who know where the merchandise is hiding.”

“Oh he’ll be here,” the man said with a nod. “He wouldn’t
want to miss out on this.” He glanced over his shoulder before continuing.
“Thomas, show this man to his quarters.”

“My Sub and I will be sharing private quarters as long as
we’re your guests.”

“But—”

A nervous flutter skimmed through the pit of her stomach,
leaving her uncertain and anxious. The sensation was her subconscious way of
telling her they’d reached a fork in one of her many forgotten visions. In most
cases it wouldn’t really matter which path they took. But occasionally it did.
One option was correct and the others disastrous. This was one of those times.

She fisted her hand to clue Jack in on her discomfort.
They’d gone over all these commands just a few hours ago but as the anxiety built
she worried he might have forgotten.

“No. No buts. She stays with me and we bunk alone or I
walk.”

“You think you can just walk out of here?” The man snorted
as he looked around at the crowd of men.

“Nope. I know I can thanks to my little Sub here. She was
able to tell me the exact sequence of actions that would allow us to make a
clean getaway. I’d start by shooting out your kneecaps. The two men closest to
you would jump at me but they’d slip on this patch of mud I’m currently
standing on.” She had to give him credit. Jack knew how to bluff. The scenario
seemed plausible. And he said it with enough certainty that even she gave it
some thought. “There’s more, of course. But that’s all I’m sharing. If you want
to know how it ends, you’ll just have to try to stop us.” Jack wrapped a hand
around her elbow as if he were about to take his toy and go home. “But it
doesn’t work out well for you, my friend.”

Apparently the pretense was enough to convince him. “Fine.
Thomas here will take you to Cabin Seven. But I have to say, the boss would
probably be more in favor of the deal if you’d let us test her out a bit. See
what she could do for ourselves.”

“Not going to happen.” Jack’s voice was steady and sure but
no longer hostile. “But I do appreciate the hospitality. Maybe I’ll even
consider taking room and board off the estimate I gave you. If we manage to
work out a deal.” His hand on her elbow tensed as they followed Thomas though
the crowd. She did her best not to notice though. Her stomach had finally
settled. Which meant they’d managed to stay on the right path. All of her
attention had to be focused on keeping them there. She might not remember what
would happen to them if they wandered off it but she was willing to bet it
wouldn’t be pleasant. Not under their current circumstances.

Thomas led them to the small stretch of cabins at the back
of the property in silence. Which was nice. Silence always helped her
concentrate. When he opened the door, though, he decided to finally speak. “Can
you really see the future?”

She looked at the ground instead of answering him.

“What do you see in my future?” he asked.

She focused on him and opened her consciousness to the
universal energy surrounding them. She might not be able to actually
see
anything when she was awake but she felt a lot—if she was paying attention. And
she was paying close attention to everything right now. The responding fear
that slammed into her nearly made her gag. It was an emotion she wasn’t well
versed in. She’d lived a rather sheltered life so far. But she’d experienced it
enough times to recognize it. And to recognize its source.

She couldn’t be sure of what or when but this
man—Thomas—would do terrible things. She could feel it in her soul. She hissed
at him through her teeth like an injured animal and tried to put as much
distance between herself and him as possible. Jack’s grip held her firmly in
place, however. With any option of escape blocked, she took a steadying breath
and decided to face her fear. She gave herself a second to calm her nerves and
then answered him. “I see that you’ve chosen the wrong path. You’re a coward
and a sadist. Suffering and misery surround you.”

Pain exploded through her head and brought her to her knees
as Jack backhanded her. He hadn’t hit her full strength. If he had she most
likely would’ve lost a couple of teeth. But it’d been enough to make her ears
ring and her nose bleed. It also left her filled with the momentary sting of
betrayal. She quickly reminded herself who and where she was though. She’d
insulted their host. Jack had only reacted as his character would.

And it appeared as if the move worked when Thomas started
laughing. “Looks like you were right. I am surrounded by pain. Yours. And you
know what? I so like it that way.” With that he walked away.

Jack pulled her up roughly before guiding her through the
open cabin door. As soon as he shut it behind them he pulled out his digital
reader and stared at it in silence. He was checking to see if there were any
digital signals being broadcasted from their quarters. If there were it would
mean they were being spied on. And she had to stay in character until he had
the results. She walked over to one of the dusty cots and then slumped down on
it as she pinched her nose to help stem the flow of blood.

“We’re clear.” He put the reader away in his jacket pocket
before starting to dig through his backpack. “I’m so sorry. I just… I can’t…”
He shook his head as he came back up with a handheld x-ray camera. “You can’t
bait men like Thomas.”

“Please.” She scoffed at him as she tried to push the camera
away with her free hand. “You didn’t break anything.” She almost smiled at the
way her voice sounded with her nose pinched but was stopped by the burning in
her upper lip. Had he split that as well? A quick brush of her tongue gave her
the answer. She’d never liked the taste of blood. Especially not her own.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence but I’ll feel better
after seeing the images myself.” He repositioned the device in front of her
face and took a couple of pictures. “What were you thinking?”

“He asked a question. I gave him an answer.”

Jack looked at the display for a few seconds longer. “It
appears you’re right. No permanent damage.”

“See. I’ll be fine.” She looked up at him and winked. “It
all works out in the end.”

He put the camera down on the cot next her before going down
to his knees. They were now eye to eye. It wasn’t one of her favorite
positions. She always felt exposed when someone stared into her eyes. They
were, after all, the windows to one’s soul. But with Jack she didn’t mind as
much.

“Do you have any idea what could’ve happened out there? I’m
damn good at bluffing. But if he would’ve called it, if he would’ve expected
more of a punishment, we’d be dead right now.” He ran his fingers through his
short blond hair in apparent frustration. “This isn’t a game.”

“It kind of is,” she corrected. An elaborate and dangerous
game with high stakes but a game nonetheless.

“No. It’s not. It’s an assignment. You have a job to do.”

“A part to play. I know.”

He nodded. “Do you? I mean, do you really? You cannot go off
script for this. There’s no improvisation allowed.”

“I’m a captive. Everything I did fit within that parameter.”
Standing up to Thomas might not have been the smartest thing she’d ever done
but it was something a prisoner might do. “And I was right about him. I don’t
know what he’s done or what he’s going to do but it’s bad. The man is evil.”

“I’ve no doubt of that. Every man currently within a
five-mile radius has done bad things. That’s why we’re here.”