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Striker kissed the top of Wren’s head before reluctantly letting her go. He couldn’t hide it from anyone anymore, and he didn’t want to. He was crazy about this woman. He’d do anything to keep her with him.

“Listen up, everyone,” Cleo said over the speaker in the room. “We’ve arrived at the exchange point. Saddle up. I’ll meet you at the docking ramp in five minutes.”

Striker grabbed Wren’s hand and squeezed. “You’re really doing this?”

She linked their fingers together and squeezed back. “I am. And I’m not worried. You’ve got my back. You’ll keep me safe.”

Damn right he would. Whatever it took, Wren would be back in his arms before the end of the day. And once she was there, he was never letting her go.

Chapter 15

Wren, Eden, and Daisy stood at the top of the docking ramp of the Apocalypse. Cleo was with them, her expression calm, even though her shoulders were tense.

“You all know what to do,” Cleo said. “The others are in position. The Gente ship has just landed.”

“And the animals?” Wren said. “Have you had a progress report about them?”

“The Gente are being evasive. They’ve confirmed the number they have on board and the species, but that’s it. We have to expect the worst. Dallin and Sloane have the lab set up. Any injuries and sickness can be treated straightaway.”

“Once I’m back, I’ll take a shift too,” Wren said.

“Great. We’ll need all hands on deck to check over the animals for disease or illness. Knowing the way the Gente treat their cargo, we could have a lot of sick animals to deal with.”

“The Gente will be sick if I get my hands on them,” Eden said. “I’ll give them something they’ll never recover from.”

“Stick to the plan, even though it’s tempting to break heads,” Cleo said. “Once the animals are off the ship, the others will launch the attack. The Gente will be so busy dealing with that, the three of you can escape. Striker, Rexx, and Blaze are outside in position, waiting for the word to engage. They’ll cover your back until you’re safely on-board the Apocalypse.”

Wren’s heart thundered in her chest. This had to work. They’d get the animals back and make the Gente pay for stealing something so precious.

Cleo looked around the group. “Any questions?”

“Nope. Let’s go kick some Gente butt,” Daisy said.

“You know the meet point,” Cleo said. “The Gente insisted it was just the three of you at the drop zone. Don’t worry. We’ll be watching your every move, and we’ll be watching the Gente. If they make a single mis-step, we’ll get you back.”

Wren looked at Daisy and Eden. Daisy was alert, and Eden was tapping her foot, seeming eager to get out and cause trouble.

Cleo opened the docking ramp. “Take care out there. The atmosphere is thin, but the air is breathable so long as you don’t need to sprint.”

“It’s not the air I’m worried about,” Eden said. “It’s the ugly assed Gente who want to tie us to their beds and knock us up.”

“That’ll never happen,” Daisy said.

“You’re right. It won’t,” Cleo said. “You’ll be back on the ship before you know it.”

Wren, Daisy, and Eden descended the ramp into a rocky, dry, barren landscape.

The atmosphere wasn’t what Wren was used to, but she knew to take shallow breaths and keep her movements slow so she wouldn’t get lightheaded.

“It’s paradise,” Eden muttered as she looked around.

“It’s a dead zone. There’s nothing here but sand, rocks, and sorrow. Hey, that sounds like a country song.” Daisy hummed a tune under her breath.

They walked away from the Apocalypse and began the mile journey to the meet point.

“I’m just glad to get off the ship,” Daisy said. “If Rexx had hovered around me for another second, I’d have punched him. I’d have broken my fist doing it, but it would have been worth it.”

“He’s doing it because he’s into you,” Eden said. “Anyone can see that.”