Destin's Hold Read online

  “No, we all call you Pain-in-the-Ass,” Justin snorted under his breath loud enough to be heard.

  Beth glanced over her shoulder and glared at Justin. “You’re just jealous because I can make it through the patrol without getting winded, old man,” she said, tossing her mane of dark braids over her shoulder and looking back at Trig. “Ignore the sour pusses, most of them are just mad that Destin took some time off and didn’t bring Kali back.”

  Destin watched Trig’s reaction to Beth with a raised eyebrow. Trig looked like she had thrown a right hook instead of trying to shake his hand. The Trivator’s gaze was frozen on Beth’s warm, dark brown face. Beth used to tease Kali and him when she was little, saying she was the chocolate filling between two vanilla cookies. In other words, the delicious part. Right now, Trig looked like he would love to be the one eating Beth up.

  “Uh, I think it is time we moved into the conference room. There is a lot going on and some possible new threats that I would like to discuss with everyone. I’d also like to know what has been happening since I’ve been gone,” Destin said, turning to look pointedly at Tim. “Tim, you can start the briefing.”

  The group slowly turned and filed through the door behind them. They continued down the hall and into a large room. In the center was a table with a few modern features. It reminded Destin of the conference rooms he had been in on the Star Raider.

  “This is totally cool, Destin. I asked the ladies who installed it to show me how it works,” Beth said, sliding down to sit near the head of the table. “We each have a control station. Destin, your console has the ability to lock any of us out.”

  Destin listened to Beth explain the operation of the console before turning the meeting over to Tim. His second-in-command started off hesitantly at first, his gaze moving to Trig when he started explaining some of the resistance they were still facing and some issues with rolling out the housing for the residents by sections, trying to focus on families first. Soon, the intense discussion and the need to be proactive in rebuilding the city relaxed the group, and they grew more comfortable in discussing each project they were currently working on.

  “What about you, Destin? You said you had a possible situation that we needed to be aware of,” Tim said when the last of the current agenda was discussed.

  Destin glanced at Trig, then looked at the men and Beth sitting around the table. He had fought alongside each of them for almost ten years now. They had patched each other up, listened to each other when the grief or stress became too much, and watched each other’s backs so they could grab a few hours sleep without fear of getting their throats slit.

  “There was a situation on Rathon, the Trivator home world,” Destin said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table in front of him.

  “What kind of situation?” Mason asked.

  “A group of aliens known as the Waxians tried to assassinate Razor and Hunter’s families, including Kali and Ami,” Destin replied with a heavy sigh.

  “Well, if they have so many fucking problems on their own world, why did they come screw ours up? Wouldn’t it have made sense to just keep your trash to yourself?” Jason asked in a bitter voice.

  “Watch your language, Jason. Mikey might tell Grandma on you,” Beth murmured.

  Jason picked up a pen on the table and threw it at Beth. Destin was not sure exactly what happened next. One second Trig was sitting slightly off to the side, the next, Jason was on his back on the conference room table with Trig snarling down at him, his hand wrapped around Jason’s throat.

  Destin pushed his chair back and stood up. The other men did the same and aimed their guns at Trig. Only Beth seemed to have her head in the game. She had launched onto the table and knelt between them, her hand pressed against Trig’s shoulder.

  “Down, big guy,” Beth whispered in a soft voice. “You don’t strike me as the temperamental sort. What triggered you?”

  “Beth, get away from him,” Mike muttered, thumbing the safety off his gun.

  “You boys are always playing rough,” Beth replied, not raising her voice. “He was just playing, Trig.”

  “He threw something at you,” Trig gritted out.

  Beth chuckled. “Where were you when I was ten and the local gang was throwing rocks at me and Grandma? Jason didn’t mean nothing. He’s just sore over losing Kali. Let him go,” she whispered, sliding her hand down his arm to his wrist and wrapping her fingers around it. “Let him go, big guy. He didn’t mean no harm.”

  Beth’s loud gasp filled the room when Trig suddenly released Jason and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her off the table and into his arms. Loud curses echoed over the sound of Jason’s coughing. Destin ignored them all. He had seen this aggressive, protective behavior before – in Razor. His gaze moved to Beth’s face. Instead of being scared, she looked confused… and amused as hell.

  “Beth, why don’t you take Trig for a cup of coffee?” Destin suggested with a pointed look.

  “Coffee? Hell, I’m thinking a keg of beer,” she muttered. “Do I walk or do I get carried?”

  “I think carried for the moment,” Destin said with a nod of his head. “You can work on the walking once he calms down.”

  Beth looked at Destin with a cheeky grin. “Has he had his rabies shots?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him that,” Destin replied, running a tired hand down his face.

  “Destin…,” Trig muttered, looking conflicted and a bit dazed.

  “I’ve got seven men with enough firepower to stop a tank, I think I’ll be safe,” Destin interrupted, dropping his hand back down to his side. “Go on. Get a drink, calm down, and avoid Mary at the moment if you value your life.”

  “Who is Mary?” Trig asked.

  “I’ll explain,” Beth promised, seeing the expression of exasperation on Destin’s face. “That way, big guy. To the fancy coffee machine."

  Destin watched Trig carry Beth out of the conference room. He shook his head and glanced around the room. With a wave of his hand, he indicated to the men to put their weapons away and return to their seats.

  “What about Beth?” Mike asked, staring at the door with a look of indecision.

  “Trust me, Trig is in more danger at the moment than Beth is,” Destin replied, sitting down in his chair. “Now, where was I…?”

  15

  Sula shook her head and groaned. Closing her eyes, she drew in a series of deep, calming breaths before she opened her eyes and gazed out of the window. She was having trouble focusing on the report in front of her. All she could think about was Destin.

  “Open file Earth - 21589,” Sula requested, rising to step closer to the window so she could look down over the city.

  “Authorization,” the computer responded.

  “JSula voice authorization,” she replied.

  “Authorization for JSula granted. File Earth - 21589 accessed,” the computer responded.

  “List contacts of Badrick on Earth,” Sula requested.

  “Documented contacts include the following individuals: Destin Parks – adversary. Recorded encounter available; Colbert Allen – allied. Recorded encounter available….” the computer began listing in a soft, feminine voice.

  “Display recorded encounter with Destin Parks,” Sula murmured, turning to look down at the tablet she had placed on the long table in front of the couch.

  The holographic image of a dimly lit room appeared. The image wavered slightly. Badrick must have been wearing it on his outer clothing. Sula had recently discovered a cache of the vidcoms hidden among the files Badrick had uploaded to a personal account file on Usoleum.

  She wasn’t quite sure why he decided to keep a record of his encounters. The only thing she could deduce was he wanted to use them for blackmail, or perhaps as protection. She had finally broken through the encrypted passwords he used, which had been a very delicate process because many were programed to auto-erase if too many unsuccessful attempts
were made. As it was, Sula had lost close to a dozen of the files before she discovered a backdoor.

  Her breath caught when Badrick walked down a long hallway. People lined the wide corridor. There were women with small children, more men and women cleaning weapons or working a variety of projects, and still others with bandages or sleeping on pallets on the floor. Each one stopped and stared at Badrick, their eyes filled with fear and distrust. There were a few times when Badrick paused and turned to face a human. Sula quickly discovered he only did it when he passed certain young females.

  Sula’s heart broke at the exhaustion on some of the their faces. Badrick turned back to face the long stretch of hallway. Her eyes widened when she saw Kali walking down the hall with long, confident strides. This was a woman far different from the one she met at the wedding. Kali was dressed all in black, her hair was short and she had a weapon strapped to each thigh. Her face was a cool, expressionless mask.

  “What is your purpose here, alien?” Kali demanded, stopping in front of Badrick.

  Sula could almost feel Badrick’s gaze moving over Kali. She could see a faint flicker of disgust in Kali’s eyes before it disappeared. Sula lifted her arms and rubbed her hands up and down them when a shiver ran through her body. Kali’s hands now rested on the weapons at her side.

  “I came to speak with the – leader – Destin Parks,” Badrick stated with a sniff of disdain.

  “What is your business with him?” Kali asked, not moving out of his way.

  “Maybe he wants to surrender, Kali,” a man standing behind Kali muttered.

  “Hardly,” Badrick replied. “I came to negotiate assistance in the fight over this region.”

  “What kind of assistance?” Kali demanded, her gaze narrowing on Badrick’s face.

  “In defeating Colbert Allen,” Badrick responded. “I believe that is what this human rebel wishes to accomplish.”

  Sula watched Kali’s face tighten when Badrick mentioned Allen’s name. She made a mental note to research everything she could about the human male. The two men standing behind Kali stepped forward in unison.

  “You will wait here,” Kali ordered. “If Destin agrees to see you, your guards will not be allowed to enter the room.”

  “I do not take orders from a female,” Badrick retorted.

  Kali took a step closer to Badrick. Sula drew in a deep breath when she saw the intense expression in Kali’s eyes. Her hand moved to her throat and she waited for Kali’s reply.

  “You do while you are here or you and your guards are dead,” Kali stated.

  The image moved around the corridor when Badrick turned to glance around him. The two guards he brought with him were standing frozen behind him, guns pressed against their temples. Sula counted at least a dozen or more weapons aimed at the former Usoleum Councilor. Swallowing, she waited for Badrick’s response.

  “My guards will remain here. I will let Parks decide if you remain in the room,” Badrick replied.

  Kali stepped back several steps before she turned on her heel and strode down the hallway. Sula waited in tense silence, fascinated by the scene in front of her. The corridor that had been teaming with activity minutes earlier was now absent of anyone not pointing a weapon at their alien visitors. Sula could hear Badrick’s heavy breathing.

  Sula frowned when a man came down the corridor instead of Kali. The man stopped in front of Badrick, looked him up and down, then motioned for Badrick to follow him. Everywhere Sula saw a face, she saw the same look of hatred and distrust. She had never been on a newly acquired world before, so this was a new experience for her.

  “Badrick,” a deep voice greeted.

  A wave of recognition swept through Sula and she crossed over to sit on the couch. Her gaze was glued to Destin’s face. Reaching out, her fingers paused just a breath away from his image. She ached to touch his face.

  “I am pleased that you ordered the female to allow us to speak in private,” Badrick murmured in approval.

  “What do you want, alien?” Destin demanded, keeping the desk between him and Badrick.

  Sula could just imagine Badrick’s expression, or at least the one he would like to give Destin. She had faced Destin when she first arrived and remembered how terrified she was at the icy hardness in his eyes and voice. Yet, even then she was attracted to him, which caused a great deal of confused and conflicted thoughts long after they parted.

  “I have a… what is the word you humans use… a proposition for you,” Badrick replied with a wave of his hand. Sula noticed a glimmer when he did it and paused the vidcom for a moment.

  “Enlarge area around the hand,” she ordered, waiting. “Enlarge. Capture image and run analysis with detailed graphics. Return to normal and continue playing.”

  “What kind of proposition?” Destin asked.

  “If the fighting does not cease between you and the other human, I will not be able to protect this area any longer. The Trivators have already expressed a desire to end all conflict so rebuilding can occur. Their Chancellor, a Trivator named Razor, is already on his way,” Badrick said in a calm, almost bored tone.

  Sula caught a glimpse of Badrick’s finger running along the edge of the desk in the vidcom. He turned his hand over and she saw the line of dust along the tip before he wiped his finger clean and his hand disappeared from view again. Her gaze returned to Destin’s face.

  “If he comes, we’ll deal with him just like we have every other alien that has set foot on this side of Chicago,” Destin replied in a clipped tone.

  “I find you humans rather amusing. You say such things without realizing how… inadequate you really are against the powers of the Trivators,” Badrick replied with a loud sigh.

  “What’s your point, alien?” Destin demanded, crossing his arms.

  “Razor is the last resort. He will destroy the city, leaving nothing. The Destroyers will flatten it, scanning for any life form and eliminating it without mercy. The Trivator will annihilate all life-forms from this city – but, there is a way to prevent that,” Badrick stated.

  Sula’s fists clenched at the smug tone in Badrick’s voice. Oh, how she wanted to put her fist through his face. It was a good thing he was dead or she would’ve killed him.

  “And this is where you tell me what your ‘proposition’ is, I take it,” Destin remarked, dropping his arms to grip the back of the chair.

  “Yes,” Badrick replied. “I propose supplying you and your followers with alien weaponry and support. If you were to defeat Colbert Allen and regain control of the southern half of Chicago, I could convince Razor to ignore this… region. You would deal directly with me.”

  “And, what do you want in exchange for supplying us with this support?” Destin asked in a voice that chilled Sula’s blood.

  “Don’t,” she whispered, already knowing what Badrick was going to say. She shook her head. “Don’t, Badrick.”

  “Human females – within a specific age range and healthy, of course. Those that are not within this range would be of little use to me. Females like the pne that greeted me would be sufficient. Though, that specific female would need to be retrained,” Badrick said.

  “Why?” Destin asked, staring at Badrick through narrowed eyes.

  “The universe is about credits, Mr. Parks. Healthy human females would bring a large number of credits. Your world has a plentiful supply of them and this….” Once again, Badrick’s hand waved into view. “Their lives would be no worse off than what they have here. There is a shortage of females in space. Business is about supply and demand. You supply me with what I need and in return, I give you Chicago. As I stated, I would start by taking a retainer of the dark-haired female that greeted me. In return, I’ll have a shipment of weapons delivered to you by tonight.”

  Destin slowly walked around the desk. Pride flooded Sula when she saw Badrick take several steps back at Destin’s approach. Unconsciously, she rubbed her left fist with her right hand.

  “If you so much as set one
foot back on the north side of Chicago, I will slit your throat. Every man, woman, and child are under my protection. In fact, if I find out you’ve touched one hair on the head of any human woman; I will hunt your ass down and stake it to the tallest building still standing and leave it to rot. Tim! Jason!”

  “Yes, Destin,” Tim said, appearing immediately in the doorway.

  “Toss this piece of alien trash and his comrades over the wall and make sure none of them come back. If he tries anything, kill him. If he even looks at a woman, kill him. Do you understand?” Destin ordered.

  “Oh, I understand, alright,” Tim replied in a grim tone.

  “You have made a vital mistake, Mr. Parks,” Badrick hissed out, stumbling when Tim grabbed his arm and he jerked it free. “Chancellor Razor will level this city and everyone will die anyway.”

  “Get him out of here,” Destin ordered again with a jerk of his head.

  Sula watched as Badrick and his guards were roughly escorted away from the building. Whatever happened after they stepped outside was lost when he cut the recording. She sat back, her stomach churning with nausea.

  The thought of what must have happened to the women that Colbert sold to Badrick was too much for her. Rising off the couch, Sula hurried to the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before she threw up. Her legs shook and she sank down to the cool tile, her hand braced on it to keep from falling over. She groan softly, gave up, and slid down until her forehead rested against the cool tile.

  “Eighteen…,” she whispered, blinking back the tears in her eyes. “Eighteen females are still missing.”

  She closed her eyes. Her mind swirled, replaying the vidcom over and over. There was something bugging her, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Rolling onto her back, she pressed the palm of her right hand against her forehead.

  “What am I missing?” she whispered, thinking about each part until her eyes snapped open. “The ring… I have to locate the ring!”

  Sitting up, Sula grabbed the edge of the counter and pulled herself up. She quickly rinsed her mouth and cleaned her teeth. A shudder went through her when she saw that she was so pale, she looked almost as white as her hair. Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head and reached for the towel hanging on the bar next to the sink. She wiped her hands and mouth before pushing back her hair. Her color was slowly coming back.