Page 8
Blaze scanned the mission information. “More of the crew is coming with us?”
“I’ve arranged for military support. That cargo is worth a fortune. We don’t want any unwanted guests taking it from you.”
“Who’ll be our support?” Eden said.
“We’re using the crew from the Diablo. Their ship hit a maintenance snag, so they’re grounded for two weeks. They’re bored and kicking their heels, so I assigned them to you.”
Blaze’s gut tightened, and his hands clenched. It would be just his luck if —
“Hey, is Ranger on this shout?” Daisy said. “He’ll keep you amused, Eden.”
Eden rolled her eyes, but a grin split her face. “Maybe this trip won’t be so bad.”
Cleo nodded. “Keep it professional. Off-duty fun only. And yes, Ranger is on this mission. Along with Wilder and Gunner.”
“Who’d they piss off to get this assignment?” Ash said.
“No one. Their ship is down,” Cleo said.
Dallin sat at the end of the table, slightly apart from everyone else. “That’s not what I heard. They raided a Fraken outpost.”
“Huh! Fraken. I thought those guys were toast,” Ash said. “The Vortens blasted them into deep space years ago.”
“There’s still a few around,” Dallin said. “It’s hard to clean up all the space scum.”
Blaze ground his teeth, fighting the jealousy burning through his veins. That was all he needed, Eden’s old hook-up dropping by to stir things.
He didn’t hear the next ten minutes of the mission brief. He hated himself for feeling so powerless. What he felt for Eden had dug into his bones and hooked on tight.
He wanted her so bad his balls ached, but she never let him in. She kept him at arms’ length with a smile and a wink.
Eden had all the power, and he wanted to shut off that switch, forget about her, and move on.
An elbow gently nudged him in the ribs, and he glanced over at Eden.
“You good?” she whispered.
He nodded.
“The trip will be okay. We’ll find a way to pass the time. And you like the guys who’ll be guarding our butts, don’t you?”
“Sure.” Blaze looked away. A week alone with Eden. A week of watching her hang out with Ranger, flirt with him, and take him to her bed.
It was a living nightmare.
