Noah: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 6) (13 page)

Chapter Eleven

Noah walked down the tunnel, towing a reluctant Laura behind him. “It’ll be fun.”

“Hell Squad are your friends, Noah. They won’t want me tagging along.”

He stopped and pulled her in so she bumped against his chest. “They’re good people, Laura. They like you. We’ll have a drink, and eat, and talk. Blow off some steam. You haven’t been doing enough of that.”

She made a small noise. “You and I have been blowing off a hell of a lot of steam. Any more and I won’t be able to walk.”

He smiled and tapped her nose. Damn, he was falling for her. One hundred percent. Now that he’d stopped fighting it, he was enjoying the freefall. “Come on. Let’s see that courage of yours.” He turned and thumped on a door.

It swung open and music and smells assailed them. The music was something with Latin undertones and the food smelled mouthwateringly good. Cruz Ramos stood there, in jeans and a T-shirt, a striped kitchen towel in his hands.

“Noah, Laura. Come on in and join the madhouse.”

They stepped inside. Santha and Cruz had slightly larger quarters, but with all of Hell Squad packed in there, it made the place seem small. No one seemed to mind.

“I’m making tamales.” Cruz smiled at them. “Thankfully Santha’s morning sickness has eased, so she can handle the smell.”

The woman in question sauntered over. She was tall, with long, black hair, copper-colored skin, and pale green eyes. “Hi Noah. Laura.”

Laura nodded and held out a hand. “Nice to see you, Santha.”

“How’s the bump doing?” Noah asked.

“I have one now.” Excitement licked through the woman’s voice. “Look.” She smoothed her shirt over her tummy.

Noah couldn’t see much of a bump on Santha’s still-flat belly, but she was clearly excited about it. “Great job.”

Santha laughed. “Come on. Grab a homebrew, and a seat if you can find one.”

They called out hellos to the others. Marcus was seated on the couch, Elle sitting on the floor, leaning against his legs. Reed was leaning against the wall, one arm around Natalya. Gabe and Emerson were beside them.

Arguing came from the tiny kitchenette. “You overcooked them, you idiot.”

“I like them well done,” Shaw grumbled. He elbowed the hovering Claudia in the side. “Out of my way, Frost. You’re cramping my cooking ability.”

Claudia moved, but was frowning at the homemade tortilla chips on the tray. “They’re almost fried to a crisp.”

“They are perfectly done, crispy tortilla chips.” Air whistled through his teeth. “Weren’t you making guacamole? You know, because you can’t actually cook anything.”

Claudia hobbled a little to the kitchen bench and Noah noted her wince. She set to work mixing a bowl of green, goopy-looking stuff.

A second later, Shaw was there, sliding a stool toward her. “Sit.”

“I’m fine—”

“I can see that hip is hurting. Don’t be a stubborn mule.”

She sat with a huff and finally noticed Noah and Laura. “God save me from bossy men. Especially ones with nurse delusions.”

“Hey, Claudia, Shaw.” Noah ran his gaze over Claudia. “Still hurting?”

“Doc fixed everything up, just a little problem with my hip. Has to heal the old-fashioned way. I keep telling Baird here to quit worrying—”

“Not worried. You’re too stubborn to be injured long.” He dumped his homemade chips into a bowl and nudged them across the bench.

Noah snagged one. “They are a bit overdone.”

Claudia grinned and tipped her head back at Shaw. “Told you.”

He pressed a palm to her smug face. “I like them well done. You guys can cook next time.” He looked at Noah. “How’s that illusion system coming along?”

Noah heard Laura make a sound and shake her head. He gave a rueful smile. “According to Laura, I’ve been obsessed, moody and frustrated.”

“Not working out, then,” Shaw said.

“Not yet. But I will get there. The info from the alien scientist helped. I’m close…”

Claudia patted his arm. “You’ll get it, Noah. You’ve solved every problem we’ve ever thrown at you. That genius brain of yours won’t rest until you crack it.”

“That’s the problem.” Laura sipped her beer. “He won’t rest. He’ll collapse from exhaustion if he isn’t careful.”

Claudia eyed her and dipped a chip into the guacamole. “I think you’ll keep him in line.”

“This a private party?” Devlin Gray sauntered up.

Noah liked Dev a lot. The guy was part of Santha’s recon team, and he was very good at getting into places without the aliens spotting him. He was wearing dark slacks and a blue shirt that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a boardroom or a fancy club. The man just exuded a suaveness that you either had or you didn’t. And with his British accent, Noah knew the base’s single ladies were torn between macho soldiers or a bit of charm.

“Hey, Dev,” Noah said.

“Noah. Hi, Laura.”

“How are you, Devlin?”

“Good.” He took a chip and somehow looked elegant eating it. “Busy. Aliens are back out in full force.” His face turned serious, his gaze intense. “And they’re moving this way. Not an all-out offensive, but something’s up. Not sure what yet.”

Noah’s gut rolled.
Dammit
. He shouldn’t be here relaxing. He should be working on that damn illusion system.

But just then, Laura’s hand pressed against his, their fingers twining. He drew in a breath. Later.

After dinner, Noah stood against one wall, sipping his drink and watching young Bryony dancing with Laura, Santha, Elle and Natalya. Cruz was strumming his guitar, lost in the music. Damn, the guy was good. The women were laughing, enjoying the moment. Only Emerson wasn’t dancing, instead staying close to Gabe’s side.

Bryony was an alien lab survivor. Cruz and Santha had rescued her and then adopted the young girl. They’d knocked through a wall and her room adjoined their quarters. The aliens had shaved the girl’s head, run tests on her brain. But since her rescue, her hair had grown into a cute style that made her look like a little pixie. She was holding Santha’s hands, laughing.

Noah’s beer curdled in his gut. This girl deserved to live. Santha and her baby deserved a chance. And as the men nearby discussed the aliens and a possible impending attack on Blue Mountain Base, Noah felt that damned incessant pressure again. He looked at Laura, glad to see her enjoying herself as she moved to the music. Not surprisingly, she danced well, loose and limber.

He wanted her to live, too.

He was falling in love with her.

“So, you’ve taken the plunge.”

Marcus’ gravelly voice made Noah jerk and spill some beer on his shirt. He cursed and dabbed at it. “What?”

Marcus lifted his bottle toward Laura. “You and the competent captain.”

Noah relaxed. “Yeah. It blindsided me, too. I think we were fighting each other because we both knew this was where we were headed. We were fighting to…” he tried to find the right words.

“To protect yourselves.”

Noah turned his head. “What’s a badass soldier like you know about it?” He couldn’t imagine Marcus Steele was afraid of anything. Noah pictured the tough soldier just plowing through anything that got in the way of what he wanted.

Marcus sipped his beer. “Well, I’m not gonna stand here and discuss feelings with you. But I fought what I felt for Elle for a long time. And I see others here ignoring what they really want for all kinds of fucked-up reasons. But at the end of the day, it all comes back to protecting ourselves, doesn’t it? Hell, caring for anyone, especially in this messed up world, is a hell of a risk.”

Noah blinked. “I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say all at once.”

“Screw you, Kim.” The man’s small smile took the sting out of his words.

“But pretty wise words for a grunt.”

“Want me to punch you?”

“No.” Noah looked at Laura. “It’s worth it, isn’t it?”

“Hell yeah.” Marcus’ green gaze fell on Elle. “Every second. Every little thing makes it worthwhile.”

Elle caught Marcus’ smile and came over. “Come dance with me.”

“Hell, no. Don’t dance, you know that.”

Elle pouted.

Marcus heaved out a breath and pulled her into his arms. “Not standing out there amongst the gaggle. You move, I’ll hold you. Right here.”

“Fine.” Elle sank into him, swaying her hips.

Noah smiled at them and then saw Laura watching. Hell, he didn’t dance either. But when she held out a hand to him, he couldn’t resist her.

He tugged her in close. “I can’t dance.”

“Just sway with me.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Most people try too hard when they dance. It was a lesson I learned when I started painting. If you try too hard, you end up feeling awkward and out of sync. Just listen to the music, hold me, and stop thinking about it too much.”

He did, pressing his face against her hair and breathing in the scent of her. Her words echoed in his head and suddenly he went stiff.

She pulled back “What’s wrong?”

“Shit, Laura, what you just said…it gave me an idea about the alien cubes.”

She frowned. “What?”

Adrenaline surged through him. Hell, he should have tried something like this long ago. “I’ve been trying too hard. Forcing the cubes into our systems. I need to put them together and let them blend, to find a way to work together. Not force the alien tech to conform to our systems.” He kissed her. “I have to—”

She patted his arms. “I can see that. Go.”

He hesitated. “You’ll be okay?”

“Yes. You were right, I’m having a good time. And if I come back with you now, you’ll be so lost in your work, you won’t even know I’m there.”

He already felt the call of it. A solution shimmering just out of reach, a problem begging to be solved. “Are you okay with that?”

She kissed him again. “It’s you. The way you work. I admire it.”

Shit, he was definitely falling in love. “I’ll see you soon.”

She made a shooing motion. “Go.”

He leaned in, his mouth brushing her ear. “We’ll play strip dice again, right before bedtime.”

“Did I mention I’m not wearing any underwear under this dress?”

He choked. “Hell, maybe you should come back with me now.”

She smiled. “Go. It’ll give you some incentive to get your work finished. Fast.”

And she was right. As Noah shouted goodbyes and hurried to the comp lab, for the first time in a long time, the thoughts of his project were entwined with the thoughts of the woman he wanted to claim as his.

***

After a few hours in the prison cells working with Gaz’da, Laura was headed out to the Swift Wind facility.

Noah had spent most of the night working in the comp lab. After leaving the party, she’d visited him, but he’d barely noticed she was there. He was onto the solution he’d been searching for, and his preliminary tests had him fired up. She was glad. The problem had been eating at him.

But he hadn’t come to bed, so he’d been up all night, and now he was with his tech team, ready to do a full test of the illusion system.

She stepped out of a tunnel and into the morning light. She waited for her eyes to adjust and breathed in the fresh air. If they had to leave here, it would hurt. Blue Mountain Base had become home.

But they would do what they had to in order to survive. To keep fighting.

And she’d learned from Noah that in order to survive, she had to learn to let go, relax and enjoy the downtime when they had it. She’d really enjoyed hanging out with Hell Squad. They’d clearly learned what they needed to do in order to get up every day, pick up their carbines and go out and fight. Having their partners, their lovers, the people they cared for…it gave them something to fight for.

She followed the path down to the hidden door into the Swift Wind facility. Moments later, she was heading down a set of steps.

She heard voices and the clang of tools. When she stepped into the underground storage area, she saw Noah standing on top of the illusion system vehicle. It was a small flatbed truck with a dual cab at the front and the illusion system taking up most of the back. He was calling down to someone.

She watched him for a moment. This was the man who’d brought her back to life, dug under her skin, and changed her completely.

A swift wave of panic seized her. It didn’t mean she still wasn’t terrified. She’d loved Jake. They’d had a wonderful relationship and would have had a happy marriage.

But now, she had a second chance. With Noah, the relationship was different; not as easy, but maybe more passionate. They pushed at each other and she hoped that would help them make each other better people. She felt like Noah was her port in the storm, and she could be the same for him.

Because right now, she felt like they were all in the eye of a storm, and the worst was yet to come in this war.

“Hey,” she called out.

Noah swiveled. Lines were etched on his face. Tiredness, concentration, intensity. “Hi. Perfect timing, Captain. We’re about to test the system.”

She nodded. “Well done. I’ll stand back here.”

She moved back to the wall, and moments later was joined by General Holmes.

“Adam,” she said quietly. The man looked more tired than Noah. “How are you?”

“Good, thanks.”

“Remember my offer to talk is always there.”

Adam turned to look at her. He had a handsome face, and age was only refining it in a way that made him more attractive. They’d formed a solid friendship over the last eighteen months. A few months ago, if she’d had to pick a man she’d thought suited her, it would have been the clean-cut general, not a moody tech genius.

But Adam needed someone who’d shake him up a little. He was slowly bowing under the stresses of leadership. As far as she could tell, he had only two modes: if he wasn’t sleeping, he was working to help the base and its residents.

“I’m fine, Laura. We get this illusion system operational, then I’ll breathe a small sigh of relief. At least then Operation Swift Wind will be complete. We’ll have a back-up plan…just in case.”

“Turn it on, Danny,” Noah called out, his voice echoing in the confines of the room.

Laura held her breath and clutched her hands together.