The Mammoth Book of Futuristic Romance

One

AD 2084, Shailene Mountains

“Remind me why we’re doing this again?” Mike’s irritable voice growled in his earpiece.

Lieutenant Reid Kincaid’s lips twitched as he edged himself farther over the edge of the precipice at the top of the mountain. It was a very long fall to the dark depths of the valley below. It would be gorgeous when the sun rose, but for now there was just freezing air and the futile search for a heat signature. “Will you keep whining in my ear if I don’t remind you?”

Mike huffed, the sound carrying easily through the earpiece, though he was a good distance away. “The guy’s an ass who doesn’t deserve our efforts to save him.”

“I wonder if that’s what you would have said last year when his miracle cure saved you.” Reid gripped the rocks with his Caldy gloves, thankful for them and the matching sky suit. He could hold on to the edge of this rock all day if he had to, immune to the cold and the rocks trying to dig into his suit. Not that he wanted to, though. Where was that damn helijet?

“Last year, hell, that’s basically what he said in the debate last night. What kind of spit-whack regrets curing all disease?”

“I don’t know, but letting him die like a martyr for his cause will send this country up in flames.” Not to mention leave one incredibly sexy daughter to grieve alone. Seeing her green eyes sparkle with sincerity from every screen was addictive. To see them teary and blurred with grief would suck beyond all telling.

There were no signs of humans below, but the ones responsible for the upcoming explosion were professionals. They would blow up the helijet and search for evidence to take back to their bosses that Dr Josiah Cross was dead at last. Until then, they were entrenched, and Reid would see no sign of their presence. Not that he could quit looking for them, anyway.

The helijet would enter from his left, winding through the valley in a laughable attempt to conceal its presence. But information was rarely secure anymore. Soon after a lock was built, there was a pick to open it. It was the way of the world.

“I hear sound.” Reid edged away from the precipice, as the sky lightened from black to gray. When he rose, he’d be targeted. Only the sky suit could protect him, then. Lightweight, durable, temperature-

controlled and, best of all, bulletproof. As long as they didn’t throw a mag bomb his way, he’d be fine.

“Got your back, LT.”

“Yep.” They’d worked together too long for Reid to doubt it. The helijet hit his sight just as the sky lightened to a dark purple. Here at the top of the mountains, dawn was arriving quick.

“Just think, all those questions you have, you can ask in person in five . . .”

Reid rose, glancing at his watch and calculating as the jet flew closer, the bottom propellers not quite silent in the still morning air. “Four . . .”

Slightly faster than the jet, the sun peeked over the mountains, sending sparks of color to bloom across the landscape. “Three . . .”

The helijet hit the chosen point of reference, and Reid ran for the edge of the precipice. “Two . . .”

With each approaching step, he saw farther down the opposite mountain, the dark trees turning emerald, the wildflowers making an appearance as light splashed across them. His foot hit the last step. “One.”

Reid launched into the air, his hands out, his feet together, his long body arching with the pressure of the wind. Straight down, the winding river gleamed a polished silver before his vision went black. Reid reached forward and made contact with the black jet. His gloves latched onto the smooth surface and he used his arms to guide himself over the side. Once he set his feet and had one hand wrapped around the outside handle, he pulled a retractable tool from his belt, zapped the door-lock, and released the tool to wind itself back to his belt. Moments later, he slid through the open door and faced the occupants. The pilot was safe, his emergency eject options in place. Dr Josiah Cross, his target. But when Reid’s gaze clashed with wide, shocked, green eyes, the mission went to hell.

“Airborne 81, Dr Cross. This jet will explode in forty-five seconds.”

Without hesitation, Dr Cross pushed his daughter into Reid’s arms. “Take her.”

“Father, no—”

Reid held her struggling form just so she wouldn’t push him out of the jet. “Sir, my orders—”

“Don’t matter,” Cross snapped. The old man bent forward and grabbed a small case, unlocked his door and glanced at his daughter. “Nothing matters if I lose you, too, Jessica.”

Jessica hesitated, meeting her father’s gaze, and Reid was finally able to loosen his hold.

“Take this.” Reid handed him a foam pellet, pressing it into the old man’s hands. “Don’t let go. You will be guided down. Mike, status ‘Go’.”

Cross nodded and Reid strapped Jessica’s back to his front. She grabbed a large purse from the seat and he tried not to roll his eyes at the feminine habit. “Just make sure they’re zipped and tucked very close to your body.”

“Of course.”

They assumed position at the doors. “Nice meeting you, Dr Cross. See you at the bottom.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

The old man nodded at them both, a strange glint in his eye, and then they jumped. Reid held Jessica’s ankles together with his, falling with his back toward the ground. Above them, the jet disappeared in just seconds. The pilot wouldn’t have long to eject, but he needed to get the jet away from them before he did.

Reid curved his body around Jessica and guided them into position, their gazes now pointed at the swiftly approaching ground. She gripped his forearms against her chest, her fingernails hitting right at the split between his suit and his gloves. At least she wasn’t screaming.

Reid released his wings: long, thin blades sewn into the back of his suit and magnetically controlled by his gloves. “Mike?”

“Got him in two . . .”

Slowed now, with his wings deployed, Reid looked to his right and slightly down to see Dr Cross become enveloped in a sphere of foam. Those tiny pellets had saved his own life more than once, though the foam they produced disintegrated quickly when deployed in the air. The doc would have only a few minutes before he had to land.

“One.” Mike latched onto the top of the sphere, deploying his own wings almost immediately.

Reid’s arms moved with the inhale of air his passenger finally took. The good doc wasn’t completely safe yet, though. “Got him?”

“All good,” Mike replied.

“Split in three.”

“Two,” Mike’s voice came back.

“One,” they said together, arching to opposite sides of the river. If the attackers needed proof of Dr Cross’s death, they would have to split their own forces to figure out which of them had the old man.

Hopefully. Every mission was planned with contingencies for anything that might go wrong, but no one could plan for absolutely everything.

Like the forceful wave of heat that washed over them as the helijet exploded.

Two

The ground rushed toward Jessica’s face, stinging her eyes and playing havoc with her intestinal fortitude.

Any second, they would land, and the only semblance of safety was the strength in the arms of the stranger holding her. The calm assurance in his voice as he spoke to his partner. The unflinching determination she’d glimpsed in his eyes just before her father had thrown her toward him. It wasn’t enough.

She’d never done anything like this before. She didn’t even go on the kiddie jumps at amusement parks.

She worked in a high-rise building, looking down from the balcony outside her office calmly and comfortably, knowing all the safety features that went into it. But there was no safety here. Screams built in her head, in her throat, and the only thing that kept them from coming out was the force of the air choking her whenever she opened her mouth.

Jessica gripped the stranger’s wrist tighter and tighter the closer the ground came. Then it was there, and his longer legs were hopping along to slow them down while she raised her knees as far as she could to her chest. If anything was going to break, let it be him first, please, God. She squeezed her eyes shut, still screaming inside her head with each jarring bounce.

“Mike?” His voice sounded in her ear, irritatingly calm.

Barely loud enough for her to catch came the response, “We’re good, LT.”

“Good. Silence until rendezvous.”

“Yes, sir.”

Silence and dizziness overwhelmed her.

Jessica blinked her eyes open. When had they sat on the ground? Was her father okay? When would the earth quit moving? Oh, God, she wanted to vomit. His calm voice as he spoke to whoever didn’t help in the least. The fact that he held her upright, her back still to his chest, his legs bracing either side of hers and his arms locked tight around her – that did help. Kind of. At least something was still.

She swallowed a few times before she could let any sound out. “Dad?”

“He’s fine, sweetheart. They’ve landed safely and shall be heading north to our rendezvous point. You can see him for yourself once we get there.”

“Doctor.” She wasn’t a “sweetheart”, no matter how gently it was said. She was a fully accredited doctor, with a PhD and everything, damn it. She wasn’t some adrenaline junkie who needed to defy death just to feel alive. And she would damn well set him straight on that as soon as she quit quaking from head to toe and wanting to vomit with every breath.

“Okay, Dr Sweetheart.” Amusement colored his voice this time. “Try this.”

Before she could ask what “this” was, it was at her lips and sliding in. Then she moaned. Chocolate melted over her tongue, instantly settling her stomach and going to work on her shakes. She could chastise him for what he called her after she could speak.

“Just take a deep breath and let the chocolate work its magic.”

It took time, but the ground quit teetering and tottering. The acidic nausea soothed beneath the effects of the chocolate. The slightly calmer adrenaline flowing through her cleared the fog of terror from her brain.

And the warmth and strength holding her securely almost made her feel safe. But he was a stranger, and she needed to move. To stand on her own. In just another minute. Or ten.

Facing him would bring them too close, so she remained as she was, only lightening her death-clamp on his forearm. “How far is the rendezvous from here?”

“Six and a half clicks. Or about four miles.”

“I see.” Well, barely. She could see as far as the ground, maybe. “Who blew up our jet? Why do they want to kill my father? How did the military find out? What is at the rendezvous point, another jet or a building? Where are we supposed to go after we reach there? For how long?”

“Hey, Doc. Deep breaths.”

Jessica took a deep breath. Her adrenaline had spiked with each question, and even more as each question led her deeper into problems that would need solutions.

“We don’t have time to hash out everything. We don’t know exactly who they are, but they will be coming for us.”

And she was supposed to relax? Jessica sat straighter, looking around. Somehow, he’d carried her to a small area surrounded by trees and shrubs. Behind them was a hill of rock, and to the sides, impenetrable logs and green growth. There was a small clearing in front of them, easily surveyed from their position.

“So, we need to get up and run four miles?”

“Yes, Dr Sweetheart. The sooner the better.”

Jessica rolled her eyes at his continued endearment/nickname and released his arm completely, then glanced around. “My briefcase?”

“Right here.” He gave it to her.

Jessica leaned forward as he rose to his feet behind her. The waterproof leather briefcase was still locked closed and appeared none the worse for falling through the air with them. It had wide leather straps and a soft leather casing that zipped and locked closed. It resembled a large purse, but kept her work organized and protected. She pulled the strap over her shoulder and jumped to her feet.

Then rapidly buckled and fell, only stopping as the soldier’s hard arm surrounded her. Jessica braced her hands against his chest and looked up into his midnight-blue eyes. “I apologize. I can do this. I promise.”

“Of course you can. You just have to get used to standing again. Don’t worry.”

But even as he spoke to her in his low, calm voice and as he told her not to worry, he was scanning the area with a steady, hard gaze. That’s right. They, whoever “they” were, would be looking for them.

Jessica took another deep breath and willed strength to her legs. She pushed away from him, his chest barely moving.

“Okay. So, Airborne 81, what do I call you?”

“Lieutenant Reid Kincaid, Dr Sweetheart.”

Then he smiled, and she could have sworn she was falling again.

Three

The ground tilted and vibrated beneath her feet, and the low hum of a helijet engine hit her from overhead like a forceful weight pressing her down. Then she was actually going down to squat with the lieutenant’s arm guiding her from view. Between the muted dark camo of his uniform and the fronds of trees and bushes taller than them, they shouldn’t be seen.

He eyed the sky, watching for the enemy’s helijet. Before it reached them, it veered away, the force of the wind it stirred causing the leaves around them to flatten and spread so they could watch a clear path form as it left their area. A few seconds after it was gone, the lieutenant looked at her. “We need to get moving.”

Jessica nodded, and he rose, tugging on her hand to help her up. Instead, she pulled him back down. “I can’t go, yet.”

Looking harassed and struggling with patience, he asked, “Why?”

Jessica slipped spiked heels off her feet and opened her briefcase. “I wear these for public appearances, but the shoes I prefer to wear are better for tramping quickly through a forest.”

She felt his gaze lingering along the length of her legs, his features giving a silent thumbs-up to the heels. But when she held up her comfortable, lace-up shoes, his eyes brightened and he actually winked in approval. “Smart thinking, sweetheart.”

She smirked as she slid them on her feet and tied them tight. “Geniuses tend to do that, Lieutenant.”

He chuckled, visibly shrugging off her subtle reminder to address her more respectfully. “Call me Reid,” he said. And then added, “Ready?”

Grabbing one more item before she closed the case, Jessica stood, and slid the long strap of her bag diagonally across her body so it left her arms free. Arms she quickly raised to pull her long auburn hair back into a high, tight ponytail. “Now, I’m ready.”

He nodded, scanning the area around them before leading her away.

She kept her voice low, but faced his back and spoke clearly. “What kind of traps are we looking for, Lieutenant?”

“Reid,” he reminded, adding, “It’s unknown where the men or women first touched ground, or how far ahead they’ve spread out, or how many of them we should look for.”

Well, that made their job easy. “Then what do we look for?”

“We scan the trees for dark spots, pausing to make sure it’s just thick leaves and branches. We scan the bushes lower to the ground for the same. Any lines, between our toes and the sky, that seem too straight to be natural, let me know. Otherwise, we just keep moving, listening for the sound of them, and stay clear of a straight view from the sky.”

“Got it.”

For the next hour, that’s just what they did, communicating in simple, silent hand signals. Four miles could be run in an hour, easily, if she was on a straight track with relatively even ground. But between searching each dense tree or bush, and moving in a slow zigzag pattern to avoid anyone, one hour had only moved them a little over half a mile.

Pausing behind a tree, Jessica faced him. “Exactly how long do we have to reach the rendezvous?”

“Three hours from the jet exploding. It should have been plenty of time for two soldiers to get one old man in place.”

“Am I holding you back?”

Reid looked at her, his eyebrows raised. “Actually, no. You seem to be keeping up quite easily. Why is that?”

She looked away. “I’m fit?”

“You are in optimal health.”

Her mouth tightened, betraying her. Reid tugged her arm, returning her gaze to his face so he could search it. “You’ve taken TERA, haven’t you?”

She pursed her lips. “No.”

He scoffed. “Listen, sweetheart. Lies won’t help us get out of here alive, placate your enemies, or help your father uninvent his miracle drug – for whatever insane reason he wants to do that. The force after him is a lot more determined than even we anticipated, and it’s difficult to get past them.”

Her eyes had narrowed at the word “insane” and irritation colored her voice now. “My father isn’t insane. And I haven’t ‘taken’ TERA. My mother had difficulty conceiving, and TERA fixed her fertility issues.”

His eyes widened. “So you’re the first generation born with it inside you.”

It wasn’t a question, but she confirmed anyway. “Yes. And for the record, there may be reasons he’s regretted his invention, but he’s never wanted to uninvent TERA. It has helped far too many people to live better lives.”

“Exactly.” Technologically Enhanced Rehabilitation Alleles were nanotechnology at a microscopic level: they traveled through the blood and repaired bodily damage at a cellular level. Congenital defects, genetic diseases and cancers were cured by delivering the proper rehabilitative information to cells.

“Why regret that?”

She rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t. But as with most inventions, there is the positive intention behind creating it, then the negative end of the spectrum. After diseases and many different health issues were cured, there were those who wanted to take it further. Ego, vanity and greed took control, and that wasn’t what he wanted for his miracle cure.”

“Okay, most everything gets misused—”

“Misused? That’s like playing the wedding march at a funeral. Young girls are using TERA to change their hair and eye color – genetically. Being dissatisfied with their bodies and using anything available to reach an ideal appearance has all but eliminated ethnic differences and severely damaged the concept of health and beauty.”

“True, the superficiality of some of its uses sucks, but the effects of aging, environmental influences and accidental traumas are practically reversible. It’s a trade-off.”

“And physical abilities have been optimized. Athletics associations want to treat it like steroid use, but the effects are everlasting and never leave your system, so any athlete who had a childhood illness, or a parent with fertility issues, wouldn’t be able to play.”

“Since that’s practically all of them, there is no unfairness.”

“Except to healthy people who’ve never had to take TERA, and now they are told that healthy isn’t good enough. You must have this drug that optimizes every part of you, if not changes you completely.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“There is a whole universe of psychological and philosophical issues. Super-soldiers, ethnic cleansing, conformist ideologies. Those are the biggest factors. Once laughed at and now all too real. And all that even before we learned of TERA’s changes over time.”

He couldn’t argue with that. There were perfectionistic murmurings everywhere. Not just athletes and entertainment stars. Not just the military. It infiltrated society even at the grade-school level. That there might be unexpected changes was terrifying to contemplate. “What changes?”

“As you said, I am in the first generation born with TERA. I’m not even thirty years old. All of the effects aren’t clear, yet, but how can we be expected to handle them when we don’t even have the mental strength to embrace a world where people have different skin colors?”

Before he could say anything further, she darted away. Reid eyed their surroundings to see if she drew attention, found nothing, and dashed after her.

Four

Reid crouched directly behind her. “What kind of changes?”

She looked around them, her face strangely tight. “Well . . .You haven’t noticed any strange appendages, have you?”

“What?” He paused, then he took in her dancing green eyes. She was probably getting him back for calling her “sweetheart”. Oh, well. He’d have to do it even more now. “That’s not funny, sweetheart.

What changes?”

She exhaled an impatient sigh. “Nothing that will affect the next two hours, Lieutenant.”

For what felt like the thousandth time, he snapped, “Reid.”

“Fine, Reid, but we have to make up time. TERA is a very long, difficult debate, and we won’t solve the concerns anytime soon. As for the changes, who knows? Are we headed toward the future from the Terminator movies, or the world of X-Men? All I do know is that the criminals searching for us right now have the same enhancements we do, so it’s not like we have an advantage.”

“Maybe not in that way, but I do have years of training and experience. So here’s what we need to do.”

She was right. They needed to make up time, and stopping to debate the merits of a miracle cure was not a beneficial use of their resources.

Knowing she was born with TERA a part of her DNA, he was able to trust her civilian instincts a bit more, triple-check her less. At first, TERA had been created to focus on one illness at a time.

Degenerative eye or nerve diseases, but not both. Being born with it in her system meant she had, naturally, a more general formula affecting the make-up of her entire body. Optimizing each organ and muscle and nerve. She truly could hear and see as well as he did, if not better. As long as she stayed in shape, which, eyeing her body, he had no doubt she did, she would be strong and fast. It was time to test his theory.

For the next hour, he pushed her, testing the limits of her speed and sight, no longer worrying about finding places to rest. Judging from the expression on her face, she loved it. How often did she get to push herself like this anywhere outside a gym? The fresh air and exertion had his heart pumping and racing as they climbed and dropped, ran across clearings, and hid from sight at a split-second’s notice.

Their enemies were everywhere, it seemed. There shouldn’t have been so many. His commanding officer said there had been a tip-off that the doctor would be attacked, but this seemed more than that. Was there a reverse tip that had betrayed military involvement in a rescue mission? That would explain the enemies’ numbers, but not why they hadn’t simply blown the jet apart sooner.

“Reid?” Jessica’s voice was barely a breath of sound.

They’d climbed a tree, hoping to get more of an aerial view, only to find they were seconds from an ambush. Reid leaned against her back, pressing her closer to the trunk and hoping his camouflaged sky suit would block her clothes. Navy blue wasn’t too bad, but it was still a clash with the environment and easier to spot. Angling his chin alongside her face, her melon-scented hair caught, tangling with his whiskers. He wanted to wrap his fingers around her ponytail and slide them down until he was free of the silky web, but he couldn’t move. His hands were holding a branch above them and any movement to free himself could get him killed. So, instead, he inhaled and enjoyed the sweet scent.

Keeping his own whisper nearly silent, he replied, “Yes?”

“Why send so many if the explosion was meant to kill him?”

Good question. These men were sent to search. Was it really just to find a body and take a few pictures for proof? They wouldn’t have needed so many for that. But if the military intel had been flawed, then that meant the doctor had been meant to survive to be captured. “Who knew you were flying with him?”

“It was a last-minute decision.”

“Influenced by whom?” She held silent, so it had to be a good question. Letting her consider it, Reid returned his attention to the ground below him. One man was settled against a tree very close and slightly ahead of theirs. Reid could see his head, back and arms clearly. Nothing in his face or on his clothes pointed to an alliance, an ethnicity, or an identity of any kind. Only the taser in his hands hinted about his purpose.

Time crawled by, seconds becoming minutes until the scant amount of time they’d made up dwindled and they were just as far behind as they’d been. At this rate, there would be no rendezvous for them. What about Mike and the doc? Would they make it, at least? Mike had said they’d landed safely. A good pair of zoom lenses would have shown which doc had landed on which side of the river. Were there twice as many over there? Or could it be that Jessica was their true target?

Another man joined the one on the ground, sliding up beside him in well-practiced silence. The first man turned his head and the second man’s hands began to move in a coded form of sign language. Reid’s eyes widened. Army, either current or past.

The old doc has been captured, the new man signed.

The young doc is still evading us, the first man responded.

Are you sure we need them both?

Our orders were clear.

Have they passed this point already?

Maybe. No one ahead or behind has seen them either.

Ghosts.

Yes. That’s the point.

We know the rendezvous. We should tighten formation and wait for them there.

The first man gazed around the clearing, looking at every tree but not behind him where Reid and Jessica were. With a sigh, he nodded. Both men gathered themselves and crept away. Reid watched them as far as he could, until they reached the darker depths and disappeared completely.

Reid rested his head on Jessica’s shoulder, taking his first deep breath. His arms were beginning to shake from the effort of holding himself completely still. Jessica’s had begun trembling against him awhile before. Standing motionless on a tree branch was not easy.

“What just happened?”

“Have you ever heard the term ‘FUBAR’?”

“No.”

“Soldiers created it over a hundred years ago to describe moments like this.” Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. Yep, that was their situation now.

“What does it mean?”

“It means they have the rendezvous, they have your dad and they have Mike. They just need us for a complete set.”

Five

“What are you doing?” Jessica paused at the edge of the stream, her hands dripping cool water over her neck, as she tried not to flip out at the thought of her father being captured. The transition from dawn to early morning was unexpectedly hot, and her skirt and suit jacket felt heavy and smothering.

Reid poked around the saplings and bushes lining the stream and the base of the mountain. “According to my research, this mountain is riddled with caves.”

She scowled, disbelief twisting her eyebrows. “You think hiding in a cave is the best move right now?”

“Not exactly. But sitting exposed while we hash out what to do next doesn’t seem too genius.”

Her skin suddenly chilled. “What’s to hash? We rescue my father.”

Reid continued his search, moving aside bushes and trees and even a few rocks. “By just walking in, getting him and leaving?”

If that’s what it took, yes. Not rescuing him was not an option. “Why not? We’ve been walking right past these guys all morning.”

“Okay, fine. Then what? Where do we hide him?”

“We’re two miles away from the rendezvous point. How does hiding him this far back help?” Not having him face her was really annoying.

“The rendezvous is compromised. We need a new one. I’ll call and set it up.”

That silenced her for a moment. He turned back to searching and didn’t see as she stalked right up behind him. At the last minute, he turned and she pushed him up against the boulders. In a low, deadly voice, she asked, “You’ll call?”

He gave her a charming grin. “Yes. And no, I couldn’t have done it sooner. Considering the mountains, the best reception is with the satellite in place and the sun up, so solar power can boost the signal.”

“So we’re going into a cave?” In what world did that make sense?

He tugged on her ponytail. “Good Lord, sweetheart. Trust me a little, will you?”

Jessica stared up at the man whose strength and determination had protected her all morning. He had rescued her from an exploding plane, even if it was by scaring her to death. It was his eyes and smile that calmed her when the enemy came too close. “Of course I trust you.”

Just as his smile widened, she couldn’t help but add, “A little.”

He tweaked her nose and rolled his eyes. “Good. Now, behave yourself and crawl into the cave.”

She glanced down where he pointed. The opening was tiny and shared with the stream. Raising her brows, she gave him a doubtful look. “You want me to do what?”

“I’ll be right behind you.” Before she could comment, he explained. “I need to cover the entrance.”

Jessica sighed, but when he looked behind her and stiffened, she started moving, even before he gave her the order. “Now.”

Thankfully, her skirt was long enough to cushion her knees as she crawled over rocks, through the water. She could hear Reid behind her, barely, but it was enough to comfort her as the darkness became complete. Her bag was on her back, safe from the water. She reached into it and felt for her safety ring.

Feeling for the dangling unicorn pendant on her mother’s old keyring, she identified her small pen light and switched it on.

The small tunnel lit up ahead of her, and she could see where the water seemed to stop. Jessica headed for that point. It seemed a little wider and they could at least sit on the side of the stream instead of in it.

But once she reached it, she saw the water went down into a wider area, likely carved when the stream had been more than the trickle it was now. Carefully climbing down the few feet to the bottom, she chose a small dry area to the right. The water formed a pool in the center of a cavern barely tall enough for her to stand upright.

Reid joined her, stooping. “This looks like a good spot to stop.”

Jessica nodded in agreement. Squatting beside the pool, she set the light on a rock and pulled off her wet jacket, using it to wipe dirt and debris from her arms and face. The surface of her skin felt nearly chilled now, but it was a welcome chill. She was able to quickly brush her hair into a neater ponytail and rinse her mouth out with water.

“Does that bag hold everything?” He sounded impressed.

Jessica glanced over her shoulder at him. He leaned against a boulder, fiddling with a small communications unit. “I can live out of it for two days, at least. Would you like a protein bar? They aren’t as tasty as your chocolate, but they’re filling.”

“Sure.”

She chose two from her bag and settled closer to him. The space was much wider than the tunnel, but that wasn’t saying much. They couldn’t sit side by side. Reid pulled her back to his front, between his legs, so she could lie back comfortably. “Rest a bit while we make contact.”

She hated to appear weak, even for a second, but what the hell. He’d already seen her at her panicky worst that morning. And honestly, two hours of sneaking through a forest in the heat, tense with worry, made relaxing in a cool, dark cavern an irresistible temptation. And since they were waiting to talk to someone, she could do without guilt. Jessica adjusted her seat and fell back, letting his chest and arms cradle her.

Six

“Is the unit working?”

“It’s all set up. I set a wireless signal outside the cave, it will amplify this unit. The call has gone out.

As soon as the satellite catches the signal, they’ll get it. Right now, we just have to wait for them to respond.” He took a bite of his protein bar.

Jessica’s fears showed in her voice. She swallowed a bite of her own bar before asking. “Do you think they’re hurting my dad?”

“No.”

Jessica angled her head up to face him. The flashlight cast enough of a glow that she could see his firm jaw already shading with the hint of whiskers. “Don’t tell me the nice version. Be honest. I can handle it.”

“Honestly,” he angled down to meet her gaze. “He’s seventy-nine years old, and whatever they need from him cannot and will not be gotten through force. He’s a stubborn man and the kind of torture it would require would kill him. It would be a total failure when there are simpler ways.”

Jessica narrowed her eyes. “Like threatening his only child, conceived late in life through a miracle intervention?”

His expression turned even grimmer. “If what they want is even his to give.”

“What else could it be?”

He looked at her, his gaze prodding her to understand. “What if it’s you they want? First generation born with TERA, genius ability and the experience of working with your father and the miracle drug?”

Her brows twisted in her confusion. “I thought this attack was politically motivated?”

Reid shrugged. “His allies want him on the speaking circuit. His detractors don’t want a martyr catching the sympathy vote with his last wish. You weren’t supposed to be on the jet. They already have your father, but are still searching for you. In force.”

She nodded, resting the side of her face on his chest as she stared into blackness. “You’re right. It doesn’t add up.”

“Do you have any idea why they would want you?”

“TERA is already widely available to anyone who wants it. I might be first generation, but I am far from the only one born with it inside me.”

“What are you working on now?”

She shook her head. “That’s clearance-only. Top level.”

“Which means you and your father know, and who else?”

Jessica bit her lip, considering. “Our assistant, Sally. She is the one who encouraged me to go with Dad on this trip. I was worried about the stressful pace of the speaking engagements. Dad’s very healthy.

TERA helped him through heart malfunctions when I was in college, but he’s been working hard and burning both ends for most of his life. It takes a toll.”

Reid squeezed her close for a moment. “It’s completely understandable that you would worry about him.”

“Falcon, this is the Aerie. Over.”

The sudden blast of speech made them both jump. The signal was clear, hardly any static.

“Hello, Aerie. This is Falcon. The fledgling and the eyas bated safely, but the flight was more turbulent than planned. Over.”

Jessica frowned. If her father was the “fledgling”, then she was the “eyas”. She was not a downy baby chick, even if it made sense in falconry terms.

Reid grinned at her, running her ponytail through his fist as he listened.

“State your status, Falcon. Over.”

“The fledgling and his dirt hawker are caught in a bow net.”

A trap. Jessica nodded.

“Status. Over.”

“The falcon and eyas are safe and laying down. Over.”

“Wait on. Over.”

“What does that mean?” Jessica frowned at him. “They want us to just sit here?”

Reid nodded. “For the moment, while they consider our situation.”

“Why do they have to consider anything? You and I can just—”

He laughed. “Dr Sweetheart, if we want everyone to make it out alive, then we’ll need reinforcements.

Or, at the very least, a ride home. We just need to wait a minute.”

Jessica huffed, glancing around their dimly lit cavern. The little flashlight was already fading and she dreaded attempting to crawl out of the cavern in complete darkness. Besides, the cooler air was no longer a pleasant break from a steamy morning, and with her wet jacket off and her skirt still drenched, it was getting downright cold. She shivered.

Reid reached between them and unzipped the front of his already dry suit, and then pulled her close, sharing his heat with her. “It won’t be long.”

Jessica huddled back against him, his undershirt soft against her cheek. She hadn’t been this close to a man in a long while. Most of her relationships happened after a scientific breakthrough, when her work didn’t consume her every conscious and unconscious thought and there were celebrations and fun to be had. Which meant her relationships were very few and far between.

Out of those few, not one had smelled quite like Reid. With him, there wasn’t the overwhelming, cloying musk of cologne, or the too-sweet smell of scented laundry soap, or the grisly scent of sweat. He just smelled comfortable, safe, and she could almost imagine his arms belonged around her.

The voice from Aerie spoke, and she jumped. Reid responded with a complicated mix of military shorthand and falconry that barely made sense. All she caught was “wing over”, “dho-gazza”, and “slip”.

Jessica blinked in the dimness; the flashlight had faded even more. She looked up at Reid’s face, waiting until he signed off. “I didn’t follow all of that.”

“They want us to change direction. Instead of racing for the rendezvous, they want us to set a trap that positions all of us to get rescued.” He sounded too grim for her peace.

“What kind of trap?”

“The kind where I let you get caught.”

Seven

The kind where I let you get caught.

Really? Jessica shoved the tail end of her hair out of her face and stormed back down the small tunnel to the outside – “stormed” as in carefully placed her knees on the rocks as she crawled as rapidly as possible, holding the nearly dead flashlight with her teeth. Reid was behind her because she’d refused to be left in that tomb-like cavern alone for even a nanosecond. Besides, if anyone was waiting for her once she emerged from the cave, it would all work out perfectly. She was supposed to be caught.

She didn’t disagree with the plan, exactly, but something about it felt wrong. That ephemeral sliver of feeling left her irritable. Reaching the opening to the tunnels, Jessica slowed down, sliding through the water so she wouldn’t make a loud splash.

When she emerged, she quickly pulled a pair of pajamas from her bag and slid them on, removing her wet skirt and shirt. She couldn’t stand her soggy clothes another minute.

Reid finally crawled out of the cavern and retrieved his signal booster. “I still don’t understand why this plan bothers you. It’s a much more efficient way to find out where they are holding him.”

“Yes, much more efficient. Are you ready?” She met his scrutiny with a detached impatience she’d had a long time to practice.

His square jaw firmed so hard he had to be grinding his teeth. “In three minutes, I will be. Be careful. I will be watching over you, but be careful anyway.”

He started to walk away when she grabbed his arm and raised her gaze to his. “I know you will, but watch your back, too. They want something from us, so my father and I are relatively safe.”

“If any of our assumptions about what they want are wrong, then we should assume they blew up the helijet with the intent to kill you.” His grim expression underscored his words.

She nodded and looked down.

Which is why he caught her by surprise with a quick, hard kiss. She knew heat, firm lips, a slight scratch of whiskers, and then nothing, as he turned and walked away.

Jessica huffed and shook her head. “How like a man to be so dramatic.”

Three minutes later, Lieutenant Reid Kincaid had claimed a high vantage point and watched as Jessica began to slip through the foliage. Her pale-blue pajamas stood out, much more than her suit had, from the darker greens and browns around her. It shouldn’t take long for her to be picked up. He aimed his sights around him, focusing grimly.

To his surprise and shock, he’d apparently taught her too well. She slipped through two clearings and around numerous trees with no one the wiser. He grinned. She probably considered it a point of pride to not make it too easy for their enemies to capture her. Thankfully, she made an error before too much time passed.

One man held her wrist behind her back as another searched her purse.

The leader spoke clearly into his communications unit. “Command, I have the doc.”

“And her guardian angel?”

“There appears to be no sign of him.” The man gave Jessica a suspicious look.

Amazing woman that she was, she didn’t hesitate to smear his name. “You mean the groping bastard that pulled me out of a helijet into the most terrifying minutes of my life? He’s probably still on the ground, holding himself, praying for mercy. I do not like to be touched. You should remember that.”

The soldier took in her proud stance, the arrogant tilt of her head, and the determination in the set of her shoulders. The commander spoke into his unit again. “She claims to have incapacitated him, sir.”

Soon after, Reid watched them leave. Several others joined them, guarding their retreat. When they were out of sight, Reid descended the tree and watched the screen on his forearm bracers for the digital tracking arrow to match the one she’d placed inside her bra.

Aerie would’ve seen the signal as soon as she started to move. Now Reid just had to follow it, and map the details of the area for his reinforcements.

Jessica’s heart hammered as she was led to the small clearing with a large cavern entrance at the back.

Her father was visible, sitting on the floor in the cavern with his hands behind his back and a bandage wrapped around one ankle. He was pale and seemed to be in pain. She rushed forward, only to be jerked back by men who clearly did not understand not to touch her. At least they’d been mostly respectful up until now.

“Not so fast, doc. There’s someone who would like to speak with you.” The soldier tilted her to her left.

A familiar man approached her, though his clothing was far from the formal apparel she normally associated him with. His wavy blond hair was the same. His sparkling green eyes and charming grin.

Stephen Carson had cornered both her and her assistant, Sally, at more than one public event. Only now did she see the seriousness behind his everyday good looks, and the sinister intent he’d hidden behind all those questions about TERA. She’d assumed he was faking an interest in her work in order to get closer to her. It had been vice versa and, though she’d resisted his advances, she now felt like a complete fool.

“Dr Cross.” His gaze raked her thin nightwear, making her wish she wore heavier materials to bed.

“Mr Carson. Fancy meeting you here.” Jessica trotted out their typical greeting, infusing it with bitter sarcasm.

“Don’t be angry, Jessica. It had to happen this way.”

“I truly doubt that, Stephen.” Jessica crossed her arms. She’d purposefully tripped over branches and dragged her feet on her way to the clearing, giving Aerie time to arrive and position for their rescue. If she could delay even further by fighting with Stephen Carson, all the better. “If you have done anything to hurt my father, I will kill you.”

The bastard laughed. Jessica glared at him until he stopped and cleared his throat. “He received some nicks and scrapes when he fell. I would never hurt him.”

She snorted.

He gave her his most sincerely charming expression, spreading his hands palms up. “You don’t understand. Neither of you were ever truly in danger. It just had to look as if you’d died. Your work must carry on. They were trying to stop it.”

Jessica narrowed her eyes. “‘They’?”

“The Naturalists, of course. TERA is too important, too life-changing. Your research must continue.

We knew the army would catch wind of the assassination attempt and save you in time.”

“If the government shuts us down, faking our deaths and kidnapping us won’t help our research continue, Stephen.” Jessica used her most biting tone, realising for certain what he wanted – a behind-the-

scenes scientist who could continue research into unnatural ways to enhance a human body. To change people at a genetic level by playing God. That kind of research violated every medical ethic. But if she and her father were believed dead, they could continue that research and experimentation in secret, with no checks and balances to stop them. That was Stephen’s intention and he actually thought she would be tempted by the offer.

Stephen gave her a look as if he’d just offered her an ice-cream sundae and a large spoon. “You know what I’m suggesting, Jessica. You could make this drug everything that it’s truly meant to be.”

In her peripheral vision came a movement she’d been expecting. Their time had run out. Before all hell descended into the clearing, she looked Stephen straight in the eye. “TERA is already what it was meant to be. A drug that cures disease and fixes physical impairments. Why is that never enough for people like you?”

Eight

Men began yelling and firing tasers. Stephen spun toward the commotion. Jessica ran to her father’s side.

Tears filled her eyes at his pain-filled face. There were scratches all over him and a bandage tight around his ankle. She began untying him. “Is this really from the fall?”

“Yes.” He smiled at her, the love only shown for his work and for her shining in his eyes. “The blast made the foam disintegrate faster. Mike grabbed me before I could fall, but our position made landing awkward.”

He nodded behind her and she turned to see an injured man lying on the ground. Her father continued, his voice suddenly grim. “Mike, on the other hand, was not hurt in the fall. All his traumas came after, when he wouldn’t give up intel on your possible hiding spots.”

Jessica pressed her lips together, glancing at the chaos outside the cave as she worked on the knots binding her father. Both sides of the conflict stayed well away from the cave. The scientists would be no good to any of them if they were injured.

Jessica freed her father and pulled him into her arms. She could have lost him today. It was a fear every day, of course, since he’d been forty-nine when she’d been born. After decades dedicated to medicine, one glimpse of her mother had shifted his focus. He’d been a loving husband and father until her mother had died. Afterwards, it had become the two of them, fighting the ills of the world together. But no matter how many medical advancements they made, the human body would only go so far before it quit.

The fighting was over and men were shouting and organizing. Her father pulled away, taking in the anxiety on her face. “Airborne 81 out there?”

Warmth spread over her face. “Yes.”

She caught the eye of the injured soldier on the ground. “Mike?”

Beautiful brown eyes peeked up at her. He grinned. “That’s me.”

“Are you bleeding?”

“No, ma’am. Sore ribs, broken leg, otherwise I’m fine.” He winked.

Judging by the way the light hit his eyes and splashed across his face, a concussion and multiple cuts and contusions could be added to that list, but she nodded. “I’d better go check the others, then.”

Mike frowned. “Be careful.”

With a nod, Jessica headed to the entrance, trying not to be seen while she took in the status of their rescue. Before she made it inside, though, she ran headlong into a man who towered over her, his face shadowed by the setting sun behind him. She didn’t need a clear sight of his face to recognize the man she’d been following all morning. Without warning, a rush of elation had her jumping up to her toes and hugging him close.

But Reid stood stiff, even as one of his hands patted her waist. Jessica pulled back. “Sorry. I was just so happy to see that you won.”

Reid smiled at her, but it was a voice behind him that explained his reticence.

“Understandable, Dr Cross.” Another soldier emerged from the shadows behind Reid. Reid’s superior officer circled around Jessica to go straight to her father. “Good to see you doing so well, Dr Cross. You gave us all quite a scare.”

“Nathan, it’s good to see you. Is everything taken care of, now?”

Within minutes, the injured Mike, her father and Jessica were loaded onto another helijet. Seeing Reid appear in the doorway was almost déjà vu. This time, he spread a warm blanket over her and another over her father. Her pajamas weren’t a complete lost cause yet, but they were thin, and cold air had covered the valley as soon as the sun had retreated. Reid sat across from them, his posture military perfect and his attitude properly withdrawn.

Jessica looked at her hands, twisting the blanket’s ends in her fists. This had been the most eventful, dangerous day of her life and now she felt a connection to Reid. But did he feel the same for her? Or was that connection just the residual effect of an adrenalin rush they hadn’t crashed down from yet? Did it really mean anything?

Jessica dreaded the answer.

Nine

Jessica hurried to set her flute of champagne on the waiter’s tray as he passed by during the Eutopia fundraiser. Eutopia. She snorted. Just another way of saying there were still issues that must be dealt with. Nothing was ever good enough. Cure illness, fine. Now there’s poverty. Or political strife. Or too many hangnails.

Considering the dark mood she’d had the last few months, alcohol was not a great idea. She and her father had testified against Stephen Carson and the men who’d blown up their helijet and attempted to kidnap them. She’d seen Reid once at the courthouse, from a distance. He hadn’t spoken to her that day or any day since the helijet explosion. Normally, having someone pass in and out of her life didn’t bother her. Other scientists, receptionists, medical interns – they usually had no effect.

A soldier who saved her life, then shared chocolate with her, should probably be the same. And maybe if Mike had been the one to rescue her, he would have been. But Reid’s eyes haunted her. She’d stared into those expressive blue eyes so much that day, reading his directions as easily as reading a book. Not seeing him, except in her dreams, had become a painful, nagging weight she’d never experienced before.

Her mood was ruining everything right now. Jessica straightened, ready to avoid anyone asking her to dance. She just wanted to grab her purse and leave.

“What’s wrong, Dr Sweetheart? Your experiments not turning out?”

Jessica’s eyes widened and she spun to the voice at her back. The full skirt of her peach gown brushed against black-clad legs. Her gaze traveled up his formal long-tail tux to the three gold strips at his cuffs, and farther, to his broad shoulders decorated with stripes and stars and gold braid, and more ribbons than even she’d won for her doctorate research. Shock made her voice flatter than she intended. “Lieutenant.”

Reid’s face went from a charming half-smile to smooth and expressionless. “I didn’t mean to bother you, Doctor. Just thought I’d be friendly.”

He started to turn away and she panicked. That was not what she wanted. Not at all. Snagging his fingers, the tension in his hand and arm warned her not to attempt pulling on him. Jessica rushed in front of him and stared up into his face. “Friendly is an offer to dance.”

He raised a brow. “I think not.”

She tilted her chin up and raised a challenging brow. “Haven’t you learned by now? Thinking should be left to the geniuses.”

His lips twitched. Not quite a smile, but it would do. She tugged him onto the dance floor. It wasn’t easy to talk, but it was not impossible, until his arms surrounded her again. He held her waist and hand at a discreet distance. She cast around for something more to say, but nothing seemed quite right. Too personal, to distant, too accusatory. As he stared over her shoulder, not seeming to be part of the dance at all, she went for the only tactic that seemed like it might work.

“Gee, save a girl’s life, then don’t talk to her again for three months. Is that the way with soldiers, Airborne 81?”

That brought his gaze back to her. “It is if the soldier in question is trying not to take advantage of a momentary attack of hero-worship.”

Her eyes widened, then fell to the bow tie at his throat. “Oh.”

As an incredibly good-looking man, he probably got that all the time. Desperate, needy, lonely women who had a day of excitement in their otherwise staid lives and refused to let it go. Is that what she’d become? Jessica tried to release her hand and step away but he wouldn’t let her. She looked up, reading his eyes again.

The scary, expressionless look had gone, and he now seemed gentle, teasing. “Are you trying to abandon me? On a dance floor in front of hundreds of strangers? Now that is just cruel.”

“No, of course I won’t do that.” Confused, she settled back into his grip. “Have you been well?”

Do you think of me? Dream of me? Remember holding me and maybe miss it? Desperate, foolish, whiny woman.

“My health is good. The weather is good. This event is good.” His eyes mocked her attempt at innocuous conversation. “The case is closed.”

She blinked. “The case?”

He raised a brow. “The one where I had to be debriefed, write reports, and speak to a jury in a completely unbiased manner.”

“Oh.” She nodded. “That case. It’s closed for me, as well. Last week I finished signing the final paperwork.”

“I know,” he said meaningfully.

Jessica met his gaze again, but couldn’t quite read him this time. “You know?”

“Now I can dance with you without any accusations of tampering with an investigation.”

Jessica scowled. “Who would accuse you of that?”

“At this point, no one who matters. So, sweetheart, can I have your number?”

“Oh.” Yes, that was genius thinking at work. She finally understood why he’d stayed away. And he wanted her number. Jessica’s eyes darted to her purse, left at the table beside her father. Her father, whose twinkly eyes were focused on the two of them on the dance floor. Jessica looked back at Reid. “I don’t have a pen, or my phone, or my business card with me.”

He smiled. “I can get it from you before we say goodnight.”

A glow she could actually feel spread across her face. “Yes, you can. But if you kiss me again, you’ll have to promise to take your time.”

He chuckled. “That’s a promise.”

A promise he fulfilled three hours later when he escorted her to her car. In the slowest of increments possible, he cupped the side of her face in one hand, slid the other arm around her waist, and did nothing short of caress her lips with his. Jessica closed her eyes and sank into him, one hand at the nape of his neck, playing with the smooth skin there. Her other hand reached around his back, pressing him even closer. This was exactly what she’d wanted, needed, dreamed about since his first abrupt kiss on the run.

Reid sucked her bottom lip between his and stroked his tongue lightly across it. Jessica shivered. This was absolutely worth jumping out of a jet for.