“I appreciate that, I really do. Trust me to be able to tell if someone is playing me, though. I’m smart and can take care of myself. Are you...jealous of MarIK?”
TanAR sighed. “Maybe a little.”
She put her hand on his shoulder. “We’re friends TanAR, and I appreciate your concern. I don’t know what it is I feel for MarIK. It hit me like a ton of bricks, out of nowhere. It was the last thing I expected.”
“The timing is…”
“Fucked up, I know,” she repeated the words from earlier in the observatory.
“I hope he’s the male you deserve and doesn’t disappoint you.”
“Yeah, me too.”
*****
Several Hours Later
MarIK thought he would never get away from OrIN. The male decided to have a long conversation about nothing. Then he demanded a full report on the security detail guarding the Katierans. He was relieved when OrIN finally dismissed him for the night.
He had to call his team to meet him so he could let them know that the situation was critical. They had to get the Katierans off that trading post immediately before the Morins took Sharon hostage. There was no way he would let that happen, regardless of whether he had found a connection with her or not. No female should suffer at the hands of the Morins.
“Commander, the guards watching the Katierans have been rerouted temporarily. Our men are in place.”
“Good, we won’t have much time. The Katierans were drugged and if we don’t get them off this luna before it kicks in, we may have to leave some of them behind because we can’t get them all to safety.”
“We could use the air carriers to move them.”
MarIK thought about it. The air carriers were used for moving supplies from shuttles to the spaceport and back. They floated using gravity repellers. If the Katierans couldn’t stay conscious long enough to make it to the shuttle, they could load them on the carriers and take them to safety.
“Get as many air carriers ready as possible.”
“Yes, sir.”
MarIK made his way to the area sectioned off for the Katierans. He nodded at his men and went to the first quarters where the lieutenant commander and a few other warriors were resting. A warrior answered, but he looked like he could barely hold his head up. The drug was starting to kick in.
“Get your lieutenant commander and bring him next door.” MarIK ordered one of his men to help. He went over to the second quarters but didn’t bother knocking. He barged in and caught TanAR off guard. He fell off the couch and struggled to get to his feet.
“What is this about?” TanAR demanded.
“You were drugged, all of you were.” He moved past the male to the bedroom and turned the light on. Sharon was on the bed, wearing a large T-shirt that had ridden up her hips. He sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed her hair from her face. “Sharon, you need to wake up.”
She blinked her eyes and opened them, but struggled to get to a sitting position. “What’s going on?”
“We have to move you and your group immediately. The Morins are already on the trading post.”
“We didn’t detect their transport,” TanAR said from the doorway. He was leaning against the frame trying to fight the effects of the drug.
“Their transport as well as ours is being kept at a distance to avoid detection. Also, their ship has cloaking abilities, thanks to OrIN.”
“What in Kitana is going on here?” Lieutenant Commander LazAR demanded as he entered the bedroom.
“You’ve all been drugged. We need to move you to safety before the drug takes full effect, or you’ll all be defenseless.”
“Why should we trust you?” LazAR narrowed his eyes at him.
“I’m the only help you’re going to get. I’m on your side here.”
Sharon snorted as she leaned forward to lay her head on his shoulder. “Good luck convincing those two. Lieutenant Commander Fuddy Duddy Sour Grapes thinks he knows everything. I told them you were our guy, my guy.” Her words were slurring.
