Though she’d planned for the possibility of a scuffle with the superior alien forces, we managed to evade them. Then Daria procured us an Earth vehicle, illegally and clearly something she’d done before. I had to fold myself into the passenger seat of the compact car awkwardly, but Daria rolled her seat all the wayforward. Then we were off, the engine rumbling loudly in the quiet of the early morning hours.
I held my hand beneath my jacket as she drove, my fingers against the butt of the laser pistol in its holster. I didn’t trust the situation. We’d slipped away, and Callum assured me that the Dragnell weren’t giving chase yet as they had converged on the safe house. That was too simple, and our window to fly away without discovery was drastically closing. In another hour or two, sunrise would hit this city and we’d be trapped here until dark.
“Can your handler find out if news broke yet? Did my friend come through for me?” Daria’s voice was barely more than a whisper as she asked the question. It was hard for her to say those words, to ask for help. That she did could only mean that she was starting to trust me, rely on me.
“Yes. I’ll ask,” I responded. I flicked my com connection open with my thumb. Callum growled at the request, telling me to get my ass back to the ship with my Tally so we could get out of town. It was definitely a risk to linger, the Dragnell would be capable of locating our small ship if they tried. “Yes, news got out, and it’s being picked up all over the globe. It’s slow though, considering it’s the first day of your new year. Callum does not believe they can contain it.”
Daria’s shoulders lowered, but the tension remained in the tight way she gripped the steering wheel. “Okay, that’s something. Now we just need to make sure people don’t want them here.” She flicked her eyes to the gauges on the dashboard before turning her head to look at me. “I think it’s time I visit my dad. I burned my bridges, might as well set themallon fire.”
I nodded in agreement. Though I did not know who her dad was or how he could help her incite her people to rebel against the formation of the UAR… Her pretty brown eyes went from bleak to a much more cheerful glint as she said: “Maybe you have a spot on your ship for me after this?”
Ah, she did not understand yet. She did not trust my words, and I could see why. It did not seem like the males in her life had been worth relying on. She saw her father as the enemy, and even the general who’d known her all her life had been willing to sell out the Earth.
“Ah, my darling, my Tally. Of course, there is room for you on the ship. I’m not leaving Earth without you.” I reached over to curl my fingers around her fist on the wheel, the digits icy cold against my flesh. “There is no one more loyal than a Terafin to his mate. You can trust that.”
She shot me a glance that was a bit frustrated and with a hint of fear. She did not think she could believe those words or anything I’d said that morning in bed. I knew she would. Part of her already did or she would have never trusted me to have her back. Not on a mission to see her father.
Callum was quiet in my ear as Daria swung the car into a gravel driveway to a pretty stone house. We’d driven for nearly forty minutes, so making it back into the city before sunrise was going to be a very close call.
I appraised the house, which was dark at all windows except one. It was two stories, with a well-manicured lawn out front and barren shrubbery lining the perimeter. At a glance, I counted a dozen cameras, which meant this place was well fortified for anEarth home. It was no surprise it was home to Daria’s father, not if he was anything like his spy daughter.
“What is the plan?” I asked her as we climbed out of our stolen vehicle and approached the front door as casually as could be. It appeared that she planned to walk inside like she wasn’t the most wanted woman on the planet right now.
“The plan?” she said with a laugh, her fingers touching the body cam strapped to the collar of her sweater. “Poke the beast and hope he snaps.” Then she swung open the door, which was unlocked as though we were expected.
Chapter 16
Daria
Killian had no idea how much it frightened me to confront my father, or how much it meant to me that he was there, guarding my back. I hadn’t told him to get lost. I hadn’t told him he was ridiculous for his ‘love at first sight’ thing, either. Against all odds, I was starting to believe it could be true. Pike and Stella would never believe that cynical old me was starting to have fuzzy feelings. I guess believing in love could be my New Year’s resolution.
The hallway was dark, but I’d visited my father’s home plenty of times to know the layout. He never locked his door either but relied on his security system to give him an advanced warning. He would already know exactly who was stepping into his home.
I guided Killian down the hallway to my father’s study, the only light in the house bleeding from the crack beneath the door. There were no guards, not yet, but I didn’t doubt that they were only a short distance away. As important as my father was, he was never without a security detail.
The door opened silently, and I drew in a breath filled with familiar smells. The houses might have been different growing up, being a military brat, but he always furnished his office the same way. Old books, a beautiful Persian rug, and the faint scent of the cigars he liked to smoke. He was exactly where I expected him to be, and he looked the same as I remembered. Maybe there was a hint more gray at his temples, but his face wore the same stern expression as always.
“Daria, what a surprise. You haven’t visited in so long,” he said, rising to his feet as he straightened the jacket of the tuxedo he wore. His bow tie was missing, and the shirt unbuttoned at the collar, but that was the only concession he’d made to relaxing in his home when he returned from whatever fancy meeting or New Year’s party he’d been at.
I met the soft brown eyes that I’d inherited from him and rolled a shoulder. “What? A daughter can’t drop by to wish her father a happy New Year?” We both knew I’d never do that, and that he wouldn’t even want me to. He didn’t care about frivolities, he cared about power and appearances. Since I was not the son he’d wanted, and I’d absolutely refused to conform to the path he’d set out for me, I was forever a failure in his eyes.
He opened his mouth to say something sharp, something about my scruffy clothes maybe, or how I still hadn’t given up my risk-taking behavior and gotten into a respectable career. Then his eyes caught on Killian when my alien followed me into the office; they went comically wide. I’d never seen that kind of expression on my father before. I liked it.
“Fine,” I said, and I crossed to the desk and planted myself on the edge. I knew exactly which drawer he kept his gun in, and I conveniently blocked it with my leg. “You caught me. I’m really just here to look you in the eye and hear the truth. Tell me, Dad.” I drew in a deep breath and made sure the body cam was recording his face. “Are you really brokering a deal with aliens to make Earth soldiers fighttheirwars?”
His eyes narrowed in that glare I knew so well, the one laden with disappointment, a bit put upon as if it bothered him thatI was wasting his time. He was going to deflect, I knew that because it was a skill he’d taught me.
“Are you really asking me that when you’re the one who walked into my office with one of them?” He jabbed a finger over my shoulder at Killian, and I heard my golden alien rumble in response. Those were the beginnings of an angry growl, and I had a feeling I needed to make sure this didn’t escalate.
“Alien? I brought my boyfriend, that’s all,” I said mildly, and watched with satisfaction as that made my father do a double take. It also made Killian cut off the angry noise abruptly, and I imagined that he too suddenly looked my way in surprise. I guess I’d made him think I wasn’t going to be amenable to that whole lovey-dovey thing he had going, but I was starting to get the hang of my feelings now.
“You’re General Alvin Marcus. One of the most influential people in the United States military. Are you going to tell me you know jack shit about the biggest deal going down in history? They kept you out of the loop?” Playing on his ego always worked, always. It helped that though he’d seen my camera, he’d assume I would never be able to walk away with the video.
A silent alarm had already gone out. Troops were converging on us as we spoke, maybe even waiting outside. I was sure that Killian would know. His handler, Callum, had been well-informed of troop movements so far. I also knew all the secrets my father’s home held, including the secret passage out.
As I’d expected, the taunt worked beautifully. My father straightened, his still bulky shoulders filling out the white shirt. “I know everything!” he barked out. “The Dragnell and thePraxidar are going to make Earth one of the biggest nations in the entire Alpha Quadrant. The cost of supplying troops is worth that, to cement our position.”
I quirked a brow, which I knew infuriated him, always had. When I remained silent, he tried to reason with me, a last attempt to convince me that his power-grabbing ways were the right way. “You can see how manpower is but a small price to pay for the power we’ll hold over other nations in our galaxy? Power is everything, Daria. You should know that by now.”
