Beside him, the little woman turned her head from side to side in an attempt to scan her surroundings. Aeron was able to see her doing this thanks to the augmetic implants in his eyes, but for her the darkness must have been almost absolute.
“I can’t see a damn thing,” she said.
“Precisely. Tonight is the new moon. Plus it’s overcast, but there’s no rain. That’s the reason we spent last night in Jeriko. I wanted to wait until the environmental factors were more suitable for reconnaissance.”
“And here I thoughtIwas the reason.”
“That too,” Aeron said, pulling her in for another kiss.
After they separated, the woman lowered her face and ran her hands over the front of his tactical vest.
“Do you really have to go do recon?” she asked him, not flirting this time, but genuinely concerned. “You already saw everything from space.”
“A bird’s-eye view doesn’t tell the full story. I need to get in close and study the lay of the land with my own eyes. Then we can formulate the best plan of attack.”
Aeron had a few other reasons. Suspicions he still needed to confirm. But he decided to keep those to himself for the time being.
“Do you have to go alone?”
“There’s less chance of getting caught that way. Besides, I need two men back here at the ship to keep an eye on your sexy little ass.”
“To protect me, or to keep me out of trouble?”
“Both.”
He led her back inside the ship. The other two Mercs were waiting at the top of the ramp.
“You sure don’t want me to go instead?” Murdok asked, grinning. “The woman didn’t sap all your strength in the bathroom, did she?”
“No, I’m all good. My head’s always clearer after I’ve spilled my seed.”
Murdok laughed. “In that case, all three of us must have the clearest heads in the whole galaxy after the day we’ve had.”
“I imagine you and Zeth will be even more clear-headed when I return.”
Aeron nudged the woman’s face up toward his.
“Rona,” he said. “While I’m gone, I want you to obey every command these two men give you. They both have my permission to spank your ass if you disobey them, or to punish you in whatever way they see fit.”
The woman smiled.
“That’s not exactly inspiring me to be a good girl.”
She hooked her fingers through his belt loops and gave him a tug.
“Hey,” she whispered. “Don’t go getting yourself killed out there, okay? I need this dick.”
From the way she said it, Aeron got the impression there were other things she needed as well. Things she wasn’t ready to say out loud. Aeron felt the same way about her, and he knew his comrades did too.
“Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’ll be careful.”
He always was, but now he had an even better reason to come back alive.
CHAPTER 25
“What’s taking him so long?” Rona worried aloud.
She was pacing up and down the central corridor ofthe Talionisin an attempt to rid herself of the nervousness she was feeling. Murdok was in the armory, checking the various weapons stored on the wall-racks there, and each time Rona marched past the open door, he would lift his head and grunt.
