Page 21

“You’re something.” Ash gave him a shove before his gaze returned to Georgia as she checked her tablet.

“Is something on your mind?” Hunter followed his gaze.

Ash scowled at him. “No, just thinking about the mission.”

“Or your partner on that mission.”

“Georgia’s a part of it.” He narrowed his eyes. “Shouldn’t you be running around after Cleo?”

This time, Hunter frowned. “I don’t run after her.”

“That’s not what I’ve seen.”

He grinned. “She does walk fast for a human. Maybe I have to break into a jog now and again to keep up with her.”

Cleo walked into the docking bay, and the crew turned to her.

“Is everything set for the mission?” She nodded at everyone, her attention landing on Ash.

“We’re all set. Just running through the final checks,” he said.

“He’s talking out of his butt. Georgia was doing the checks with us. We had no clue where Ash was hiding out,” Blaze said.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind.” Georgia walked over and joined Ash. “It’s a standard mission, so there was nothing special to do. The coordinates are locked in, the mission brief is uploaded, and the ship’s been cleared for takeoff. We’re ready to go when we get the nod.”

Cleo smiled. “That’s good to know. And Ash was detained because of me. I asked him to stop by medical and get the all clear from Angel. I don’t want any problems on this mission.”

Ash noticed Georgia look up at him, surprise in her eyes. He’d kept the order from Cleo to himself. He didn’t want to worry Georgia that the bite might be a problem. And it wasn’t. Cleo was being overly cautious, but he didn’t need Georgia feeling obligated to go with him to medical, given her hatred of all things clinical.

“Are there any updates on the sightings of the white tail?” he asked.

Cleo shook her head. “There’s nothing new. Their heat signature was seen in the location you’re visiting seventy-two hours ago. There are also a couple of grainy images from long-range scans, but the aliens doing this are keeping it cloak and dagger. There are no ship signatures left behind and no traces of communication. They don’t want anyone to see what they’re up to.”

“Because when we do, we’ll tear their heads off,” Rexx grumbled.

“Get in line. These jerks are mine,” Georgia said. “This is my scouting mission, and it’ll be my capture and kill.”

“No engagement and no killing,” Cleo said. “You go in discreetly, gather any useful information, and get out. We have to know why they’re doing this.”

“Then we tear their heads off,” Rexx said.

Cleo nodded, a smile playing on her lips. “That’s right. But the safety of the animals is a top priority. We don’t know why they’re being taken or what they’re being used for. That’s crucial data to gather. We need to know the purpose behind creating these hybrids.”

“It won’t be for anything good. They probably want to create scary guard animals to sell to the highest bidder,” Daisy said.

“Or they’re creating them to be used as sport. Some jerks are into hunting anything,” Eden said.

“They do it to make up for their lack of dick size,” Georgia said.

Ash snorted a laugh. “Earth guys really do that?”

“Most guys do that,” Georgia said. “They feel they have to prove their alpha male status.”

Ash bristled. That wasn’t his style. You didn’t crush something weaker than you to prove you were in prime condition.

“What do we do if we find any white tails down there?” Georgia said.

“Bring them back,” Daisy said. “Get them out while you can.”