Esther Mitchell

Esther Mitchell

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Contagion

OPERATION: PLEIADES CONTAGION by Esther Mitchell Triskelion Publishing www.triskelionpublishing.com

Published by Triskelion Publishing www.triskelionpublishing.com 15508 W. Bell Rd. #101, PMB #502, Surprise, AZ 85374 U.S.A. First e-published by Triskelion Publishing First e-publishing: September 2005 ISBN 1-932866-47-7 Copyright © Triskelion Publishing 2005 All rights reserved. Cover art by Triskelion Publishing PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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PROLOGUE July, 2010 He followed the sway of her rear and the motion of those sinfully long legs like a man drugged. He knew it was wrong to want her – Tierney Grant was only sixteen – but Lawson Archer was a redblooded male, and Tierney didn’t look sixteen. She looked like pure sex up and walking, in that short, forest green skirt and midriff baring shirt that looked smooth as silk. “Your father lets you dress like that?” He hadn’t even meant to ask the question, let alone growl it at her like a rabid animal. Tierney cast a surprised look over her shoulder as they neared the door to Silas Grant’s study. Her wide, grey eyes were so guileless, Archer felt a protective fist clench around his heart. He called himself a filthy pervert for wondering if she’d have that same look of innocent surprise in her eyes when she came. Not that he was ever going to find out. Tierney was his friend’s daughter, and too young for him by a good decade. “Dressed like what?” Her words drew him from his self-recriminating thoughts, to find Tierney stopped in the middle of the hall, examining her clothes. God, that outfit did things for her softlybronzed skin and strawberry blonde hair that made it hard to remember he had to keep his hands to himself. His gaze dropped to her long legs, made even longer by her high-heeled sandals. “Like that.” Lord, couldn’t she see it? Tierney smoothed her hands over the outfit in a motion that made his palms itch to follow hers, and lifted her chin in that proud princess tilt he’d identified with Tierney from the day he first met her. “I’ll have you know, this is the newest summer style from Guillame Frenetia.” She looked so adorable when she got her feathers ruffled. Archer raised a brow skeptically, unable to resist baiting her. “I didn’t realize it cost so much to look cheap.” Her eyes narrowed and her cheeks flushed, a familiar sign of anger, and Archer bit back a grin as she made a small sound of rage. He must not have hid it as well as he thought, because in the next instant, she lifted her chin, made a small harrumphing sound of disgust and spun around. He enjoyed watching her stalk to Silas’ study door and push it open. And he almost lost it as he heard her announce, “Guess what, Dad. The fashion police have arrived.” There was a muffled response that sounded like a confused “Who?” “Lawson’s here.” Archer followed Tierney into the room, and stopped as he caught sight of the younger man in a Global Security Sector uniform. The other man’s eyes were glued to the bare skin revealed by Tierney’s outfit, and suddenly, her choice of outfits wasn’t so amusing, anymore. Archer’s jaw and fists clenched. “Ma’am.” The light in the uniformed man’s eyes made Archer’s blood boil, even as he told himself he had no right to be jealous. Someday, Tierney would end up with a guy like this – younger, and with the same pampered air. But knowing that didn’t make it any easier to swallow. It was a relief when Silas rose from his seat, drawing everyone’s attention. Archer fixed his gaze on his friend. “You haven’t met my daughter, yet, Jason. Tierney, this is Lieutenant Jason Carrick, from the Global Security Sector.” Archer watched, his fists clenching tighter, as Tierney stepped toward Carrick and offered him a brilliant smile as she shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.” “And this is Lawson Archer, Lieutenant.” Archer ignored Carrick pointedly, returning his gaze to Silas.

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“Sorry we interrupted. Tierney didn’t mention you were in a meeting.” “I’m glad to meet you,” Carrick said, in clear attempt to draw Archer’s attention again. “I’ve heard of your fight against super humans. I’d like to ask you a few questions about that, sometime.” “Sure.” Archer bit out the word, unable to form a more civil reply. He didn’t like Jason Carrick, and it wasn’t just because the man paid so much attention to Tierney. Or so he told himself. “So you work for GSS?” Tierney asked Carrick, moving a step closer. “You really look great in that uniform.” Archer’s eyes nearly exploded from his head from the pressure of his clenched jaw, and the blood that pulsed in his temples. By God, she was actually flirting with Carrick. A complete stranger, damn it! Silas cleared his throat, drawing their attention again, and smug satisfaction washed through Archer at the dark look Silas gave Carrick. “Lieutenant, I’ll walk you out.” Carrick nodded, and the two men left the room. But not before Carrick threw Tierney a lascivious wink. She smiled back, all innocence, and Archer ground his teeth together. That did it. It was time he and Tierney had a serious discussion about her tendency to get into trouble. “You just can’t help it, can you?” She blinked at him, her expression one of blank surprise. “I don’t know what you mean.” “Damn it, Tierney, you were flirting with Carrick!” She blinked again, but he wasn’t buying her innocent routine, anymore. The little minx knew exactly what she was doing. “I was? Are you jealous?” No way was he giving her that ammunition to use against him. “No. I’m watching out for you. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to lead a man on like that?” Her grin told him she had thought about it and, in true Tierney fashion, discarded the idea. “Maybe I like dangerous.” “Get serious, Tierney. He’s too old for you to be playing games with.” Before he realized what she was up to, Tierney stepped up to him and slid her arms around his waist, snuggling close. In spite of all his self-lectures about her age, his body went on full alert, and he knew she had to feel what her touch did to him. He could only pray she didn’t yet have a clue what it meant. It was foolish to want her; and he was the world’s biggest fool. “Tierney…” “I like older men,” she whispered, the words brushing across the skin of his neck. “I’d love to play games with you, Lawson.” He bit back a groan at the obvious innuendo. Lord, but she knew how to test his resolve. But he couldn’t give in. Steeling himself, he reached to disengage her arms. “Stop it.” She backed up a step, her beautiful eyes full of betrayal. “Why?” He winced. How he managed to hurt her with the truth, he didn’t know. But there was no graceful exit, this time. “I’m a man, angel, and you’re a very attractive young woman.” “So?” “Emphasis on the young part. Tierney, it’s wrong.” Light dawned in her grey eyes, and Archer knew he was in trouble. Tierney was far too intelligent for his peace of mind. “You think about me.” “Of course.” That was easy, and safe, to admit to. She was his friend’s daughter. It was only natural he’d think about her at some point. “Naked.” He froze as the direction of her thoughts became crystal clear. It was too late to stop them. “Now, wait a minute—” “You fantasize about me. Don’t you?” He damned sure wasn’t going to admit to that. “Tierney, this isn’t right…”

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She gave a careless shrug. “Right and wrong don’t matter when you’re in love.” Then, before he could respond, she pressed up against him, her fingers buried in his hair as she pulled him into a kiss he couldn’t stop, no matter how wrong he knew it was. She was too sweet, too special… and she kissed with all the awkwardness of the inexperienced girl she was. That thought plunged ice water over him. She was still innocent. It wasn’t his place to educate her, no matter how much he wanted to. He started to ease away, trying not to hurt her feelings in the process. An infuriated gasp from the direction of the study door froze him, just before a sharp, familiar voice demanded, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Archer yanked away from Tierney, and came face-to-face with the fury on Silas Grant’s face. One glimpse of that rage, and Archer knew he was sunk. No matter what the truth was, he was a dead man.

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CHAPTER ONE August 2023 She’d worked too hard for this, and it was a good cause. That was all she had to remember, Tierney Grant reminded herself as she pasted a gracious smile over her clenched teeth and cast a desperate gaze over the crowded convention hall, searching for escape. Anything to get away from the pompous windbag of a senator who cornered her ten minutes ago in an effort to get her endorsement for his new social reform campaign that would create a modern-day witch hunt for alien hybrids. “I can’t say I’d know a hybrid if I met one, Senator.” “My point exactly!” He punctuated the statement with a thrust of his champagne flute, the liquid sloshing over the rim with the violent motion. Tierney barely avoided getting her brand new Peggy Clemente gown stained, even as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. The senator didn’t even notice. “These monsters have been hiding their agents among us since we first realized they were there; maybe longer. We don’t have a way of knowing who might be one of them, either. That’s why I’m proposing mandatory blood tests, and require that all nanotechnology be implanted only in properly equipped and monitored centers.” Tierney’s hackles raised, but she kept her expression bland. “Advocating shredding the Constitution?” “For global security, we have to be willing to give up a few freedoms,” he waved it away. “Vice President Rankin is behind us on this, Ms. Grant. We just need to know that the President will sign off on the Bill when it comes through.” She frowned. “My father is an advocate of freedom, Senator. He ran on a platform to reinstate the basic rights that were torn away with the Patriot Act. What makes you think he’ll go for this?” His eyes narrowed, and she knew what it felt like to be a bug in a microscope. “He will. You just convince him.” “Are you threatening me, Senator?” She was surprised by his blatant threat. Politics was, as Julius Caesar proved, all about who wielded the biggest knife; but most kept theirs veiled behind niceties. “Not a bit of it,” he said easily. “But let me lay some facts out for you…” Tierney groaned inwardly at those too-familiar words – the warning of impending filibuster. As he launched into it full force, she used an old trick she learned in college and blanked out the sound of his voice. Instantly, she regretted it. The noise level around her turned deafening, and she winced as it pierced her ears. She didn’t understand it. Whenever she tried to blot out all noise, the volume only increased, and the conversations she isolated were always inappropriate. Now, voices bounced around in her head and drove her crazy. Pushed beyond the level of her endurance, Tierney focused intently on the senator. “No matter how many facts you dig up to support you, I don’t see how violating the rights of every citizen in the world is going to help us ferret out hybrids, do you?” His eyes took on a hazy, glazed look. “I d-don’t suppose…” “So you might as well just keep your mouth shut, and give up on the Nanotech Registration Bill.” “Y-yes.” He swallowed hard, and she watched sweat bead across his forehead, even as his eyes remained unfocused. “I’ll shred it immediately.”

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Tierney stifled a sigh of relief, even as she fought the dull ache beating behind her eyes. God, she would gladly die, if it meant she could avoid another conversation like this one. There were days it just didn’t pay to have the ear of one of the world’s most powerful men. Not that there weren’t good things about being the daughter of the President of the United States. As Silas Grant’s daughter, it was her job – and her pleasure – to arrange charity benefits like this one, to rebuild Washington DC after the recent fires left so many homeless and grieving. Being able to help people was a plus that usually made up for all the idiots who just saw her as a stepping stone to Dad. But, lately, an odd sense of discontentment shadowed everything she did. She felt edgy, and shorttempered. Almost like what she heard other women claim to be PMS; except that Tierney didn’t get PMS. And yet, she couldn’t deny that there was no longer a thrill in persuading an opponent to see her side of an issue; she won far too easy. Where once she’d loved the political banter of these shindigs, now, she just tolerated their stifling confines. Tierney fought back the urge to scream, or sigh, as she gave the windbag senator – God, she couldn’t even remember his name! – who currently had his sweaty paw on her arm a gracious smile and excused herself with a murmured, “Duty calls.” Frown lines creased his eyes, which called her a manipulative bitch, even as his lips smiled at her. “Of course. Always a pleasure, Miss Grant.” As if she believed that. She was just glad to get away. Relief wilted her as she escaped notice by Justice and Mrs. Harland Wilson – both of whom had agendas that made her skin crawl – and headed for a relatively dark, quiet corner. Already, she could feel the beginnings of a migraine throbbing at her temples. All she wanted was a few moments’ peace. “There you are!” Tierney bit back a groan at that familiar, cheerful voice. Looked like escape wasn’t an option. She tried to smile as she turned toward her father, but it turned into a wince as the light hit her eyes, and nausea swelled. She loved her father dearly, but she couldn’t stand this much longer. Ever since they came back from that conference in Chicago last week, her migraines kept getting worse. “Hi, Dad,” she greeted him weakly. “What’s up?” “You’re paler than Marley’s ghost!” Worry lit his eyes as his brow furrowed. “You okay, sugar?” “Just tired.” The worry deepened. “Another migraine? Tierney, I want you to see a doctor.” “I’m fine,” she lied as she shoved the worst of the pain back in a trick she learned thirteen years ago. If she didn’t acknowledge the pain, it couldn’t hurt her. She had to do this, for her father’s sake. She owed it to him. Silas Grant had been her rock for as long as she could remember – ever since the accident that wiped away her early memory. From the moment she was released from the hospital, confused and afraid, he was there to wrap her in warmth and unconditional love that eased the pain of having no past. He gave her a future, instead, and the bond she wasn’t able to form with her flighty mother had solidified into an unfaltering alliance with her father. Even when she was furious with him for sending away the man she loved, she never hated him. She loved him. Now, he looked at her warily, as if he didn’t quite believe she was telling him the truth. She swallowed her smile; they read each other so well. “If you’re sure…” He didn’t sound convinced, either. “Dad,” she laid her hand on his arm and met his gaze. “I’ll be fine, okay?” His eyes took on a blank look for a moment, before he blinked and nodded. “All right. If you feel up to it, there’s someone I want you to meet. I’ve already told him all about you.” Tierney managed to contain her groan of disbelief. Not again. Her father kept trying to hook her up with eligible men near her own age. He meant well, and she knew he just wanted her to be happy. And it wasn’t that the guys he picked weren’t nice. But only one man would ever make her happy. She’d known ever since she was a teenager. There just wasn’t anyone for her, unless she could

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somehow figure out how to get Lawson Archer out of her system. Now, with a sigh, she squeezed her father’s arm lightly. “Dad, I thought we agreed; no more matchmaking.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry, sugar. This’ a purely professional introduction.” She bit back her sigh and offered him a wry grin as he steered her toward a tall, good-looking Hispanic man in a perfectly pressed tuxedo. Way too conservative for her tastes. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” Silas Grant raised a brow at her in question. “What do you mean?” She nodded toward the man. “Purely business? Dad—” The man moved just then, leaning toward his companion, and Tierney cut off as she caught sight of the woman. She saw the look the passed between the couple, and groaned in embarrassment. “Now I feel like a total idiot.” Her father chuckled. “Didn’t believe me, did you?” “Can you blame me? He’s just the type you normally like to—” She cut off again, this time with a gasp, as a eerie sense of déjà vu crawled up her spine as she got a clearer look at the woman in question. The soft-set almond-shaped eyes, dark hair that fell around her face in a cascade of waves that looked professionally created, and Oriental features arranged in classic beauty were all very familiar. Through Tierney’s mind flashed an image of that same face, softened by childhood, and a sick feeling clawed her stomach as her head throbbed. She knew this woman! “Dad,” she clutched his arm in a tight, desperate grip. “Who is that?” He cast her a worried frown. “Marcos Devante. He’s an international businessman, and owner of Minos Enterprises—” “Not him. The woman with him.” “Tori something or other. I don’t recall if she ever gave her last name. Why?” Tierney forced herself to draw even breaths as she continued toward the couple. “I know her from somewhere.” “College?” “No. Somewhere I can’t quite remember. Like… Almost like I knew her before the accident.” She pressed a hand to her head and winced as pain, followed by the swimming sensation of lightheadedness hit her. God. Was her memory coming back now? After all these years? Talk about lousy timing! “Easy.” Her father’s voice reached her from far away, as if he spoke through a wall of water. There were other voices that were closer, louder, bouncing around in her head like an echo. Only, they spoke a language she didn’t understand. Then, like someone flipped a switch in her head, the voices were gone, and she nearly fainted at the sudden return of background noise. “Are you sure you’re all right?” She offered her father a weary smile and a nod. No way would she tell him she heard voices! He’d start to think she was like her mother, then. “Yeah. Just déjà vu.” His gaze turned toward the couple, and a thoughtful frown touched his face as he stopped. “Maybe you met her at boarding school.” “Maybe,” she agreed weakly, though she knew that wasn’t it. Not quite. Whoever that woman was, she was tied to the voices Tierney heard. Then, as the dizziness subsided, she pushed the memory aside, and her mental equilibrium slid back into place. She offered her father a smile that felt almost real and followed his lead as he took the last few strides toward Marcos Devante and his companion. “Mr. Devante,” Silas Grant greeted the Hispanic man, and they shook hands, before he drew Tierney forward. “This’ my daughter, Tierney. Tierney, sugar, this is Marcos Devante, CEO and owner of—” “Minos Enterprises,” Tierney finished with a smile. Even without her father’s comment earlier, she’d know Devante. She’d read a lot about the man behind the world’s largest scientific empire. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Devante.”

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“And to meet you, Señorita Grant.” Devante’s voice was deep and smooth, and flavored with a South American lilt that probably set many hearts fluttering. His hand was warm and dry, his handshake firm and impersonal, and his gaze was enigmatic, at best. “Your father tells me you have a degree in international law.” She nodded, wondering what else Silas had told this man about her. “Among other things. He mentioned you might have an issue I could help with.” “I do,” Devante agreed. “Some patents that are in dispute, and a few loose ends to tie up, legally.” “Marcos doesn’t like loose ends,” the woman beside him said wryly. A smile flickered at Devante’s lips. “Allow me to introduce—” “I can introduce myself, Devante.” The wink and grin she flashed him took the sting out of her words, before she reached to shake Tierney’s hand. “Tori Blair. I know a thing or two about international law, myself.” Tierney caught Marcos Devante’s wince, and gathered whatever Tori knew about international law, she hadn’t learned it the same way Tierney had. Marcos slipped an arm around Tori then. “Dios willing, that will change.” At the don’t bet on it lift of Tori’s brow, Tierney couldn’t help but smile. She decided she liked the brassy, outspoken woman who was so different from the stiff, fake personalities she saw all the time. “What is it you do, Ms. Blair?” Tori laughed. “It’s Tori, and I’m supposed to tell everyone I’m working as a security consultant for Minos Enterprises, but I’m really—” “Going to soon be acting Chief of Security,” Marcos broke in, and the stern look and head shake he gave Tori weren’t lost on Tierney. Whatever Tori Blair did for a living, Marcos didn’t want it advertised. Tori clearly didn’t agree. She huffed out an exasperated sigh and glared at him. “You’re doing it again, Devante.” “Someone has to save you from yourself, cariña.” A wry smile tugged at Tierney’s lips as she listened to the couple bicker. They didn’t appear angry; in fact, it was clear they were besotted with each other. She had a feeling they only fought for the chance to make up. She stifled a sigh. It wasn’t that she envied their passion. It was hard to remember what passion was, anymore. She hadn’t known what it felt like since— A shiver of awareness danced up Tierney’s spine, and she gasped as her attention was yanked away from Marcos and Tori by a sensation she hadn’t felt in too many years. God, she hadn’t felt this wired since… Her heart tripped. It couldn’t be! With a surreptitious glance over her shoulder, she hunted for the sight she’d been denied for over a decade. Her heart pounded. She knew she was setting herself up to feel miserable. He wouldn’t be there; he never was. She’d feel these little thrills, and then the letdown when she realized it was just her imagination. In thirteen years, she’d never so much as caught a glimpse of… Good God, he was here! Her heart stopped, and her breath sucked sharply inward, leaving her dizzy, as her eyes froze on the tall, lanky man who stood as if at attention on the far side of the room. Vertigo that had nothing to do with her now-forgotten headache whirled through her, and she nearly wept with frustration. Why now? She’d finally made peace with the past, and her lot in the future, and he had to show up and bring all the memories flooding back. It wasn’t fair! Tierney clenched her hands against the urge to smooth her hair – an old habit she picked up in her teenage years of trying to snare a man who wasn’t the least bit interested in her. God, when she thought of all the time she spent primping, hoping he’d see her, and want her, and let her touch him. She wanted to smooth her hands over all that muscle, and taste the saltiness of his skin, and… She licked her lips, and then flushed with embarrassment as she realized what she was doing. But she

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couldn’t help herself. She was Pavlov’s dog, and Lawson Archer was her bell. The moment she saw him, all the wanting came back, whether she wanted it to or not. She drank in the sight of him, her body humming with the desire she’d repressed for too many years. She’d wondered what he’d look like as he grew older. She fantasized about him, over the years, adding a little more age every time. God, he surpassed her wildest dreams! Lawson Archer was a man who aged well. At thirty, he’d been handsome enough to fuel her steamiest teenage fantasies, before she understood much about sex. But, at forty-three, he was now the kind of sexy that entire generations of women swooned over. She glancing around the room, and saw more than one woman eyeing him. The old stir of possessive heat churned in her. He was hers, her starved body said with a violent shiver. He always had been, no matter what else he thought. His light brown hair – a shade she’d once heard called camel – was still military short, but there was grey at his temples that she could see even from where she stood. He made no attempt to hide his age, which made him even sexier. That grey added dignity to his austere features, and transported him light-years beyond the definition of sexy. He looked knowledgeable, and sensual in a way that said he knew how to make a woman scream. Twitchy heat built in Tierney’s belly as she studied his lanky body, marveling at how it had remained untouched by age. She licked her lips again as she imagined all those firm muscles, pressed against her bare skin as he drove into her again and again and… She bit back a groan. Dang it, no man deserved to look that good in a tuxedo! Slowly, she raised her eyes to his face, hungry for the sight of the dark green eyes she once dreamed of getting lost in. Those eyes were still deep, intense, and… Hell, he was looking straight at her! Her heart fluttering like a trapped bird, Tierney yanked her gaze away, but not before she caught the wry twist of a smirk on Archer’s lips. With that twitch of his lips, he told her he knew what she was thinking, and a million questions plunged through her as the events of thirteen years ago rushed back. Did Archer blame her for ruining his friendship with her father? Was he still angry over what she’d done? She shuddered at the thought that the man she wanted so desperately might want to kill her. “Hey, are you okay? You look ready to pass out!” Tori’s concerned voice broke through her thoughts, and Tierney blinked, driving away the images in her mind as she turned her attention back to Tori and Marcos. She blushed under their worried gazes, and averted her eyes. Now way did she want anyone to know what was on her mind; particularly not Archer. After a moment, she raised her eyes again, and saw Marcos’ gaze dart across the room, and then back to her, and the understanding that lit his eyes made her flush anew. Oh, God. Had this total stranger guessed what she was thinking? “I’m okay,” she managed as she focused on Tori’s concerned expression. “Just tired.” It was only partly a lie. She was tired; or she had been, before she caught sight of Archer. She couldn’t help it if seeing him was like being plugged into a battery. And it wasn’t her fault that every nerve in her body was so focused on him now that she swore she could feel his every breath from across the room. Who could blame her if she prayed that he’d missed her even half as much, over the years, as she missed him? Another furtive glance over her shoulder, and Tierney’s heart crashed to her feet as her gaze clashed with Archer’s again, only to have him turn his back on her. Pain and embarrassment kindled into angry determination as she excused herself from Marcos and Tori and stalked across the room toward the man who’d denied her the one thing she’d ever wanted in life. Too many people brushed her off, or used her to their own ends, and she’d had enough. She’d be damned if she let Lawson Archer pretend she didn’t exist, yet again.

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CHAPTER TWO At a signal from his partner in the sea of suits below, the figure moved through the shadows of the convention center’s rafters like a cat, narrowed eyes fixed on a single target – the man in the middle of that group of tuxedos moving toward the rear of the ballroom. Whatever happened, the President couldn’t be allowed to leave here alive. One hand slipped into the pocket of the assassin’s dark jumpsuit, and his fingers slid over the small device nestled there. It wasn’t any larger than an oldfashioned quarter, but it carried a self-replicating weapon, capable of bringing an entire nation to its knees. He couldn’t mess this up; his entire future was riding on success. He was in big trouble. Archer knew that by the scent that wafted to him – that light, fresh scent of raspberry she loved to wear. He’d never smelled anything quite like it anywhere else. That perfume kick-started his system and raised the hairs on the back of his neck with the awareness that Tierney was right behind him. And he had to get rid of her, quick. “What part of ‘no contact’ did you not understand, Ms. Grant?” Archer winced at the tone of his own voice. No doubt, he’d just managed to piss her off, too, which was guaranteed to get her in his face. Archer scowled. Hell. How was he supposed to react? It was hard to be civil to someone he’d wanted for so long, but was forbidden to even talk to. What was he supposed to say to the woman who filled his fantasies, but who killed his career? She still hadn’t answered him, and a dark smirk crossed his face as he wondered if she was as shell-shocked by this meeting as he was. “Don’t tell me you’ve finally developed a shy gene.” He heard her indrawn breath as she drew herself up in that familiar, haughty way that always preceded a tongue-lashing. And, just like he remembered, she didn’t disappoint. “At least I didn’t develop a rude one.” Her voice was crisp and cool, and so very unlike the exuberant girl he knew that he couldn’t resist a look at her. Surprise jolted through him. One glimpse of Tierney up close was like a Technical Knock-Out shot to the gut. It was one thing to watch her from across the room, when he knew he wasn’t close enough to touch. The shadows of lighting and space muted her features and made her beautiful in a way that reminded him she was unattainable. But, up close, the breathtaking beauty she’d turned into made keeping all his promises – to himself, as much as her father – nearly impossible. Bad enough he dreamed of the girl he knew years ago, calling himself a sick bastard for being attracted to a girl of sixteen. Facing her now, when he could see the woman she’d turned into, stirred fantasies he had no right to, but already knew would never fade. His hands clenched against the urge to reach out and touch her, to see if her skin was still as soft, or her strawberry-blonde hair as silky, as he remembered. “Are you trying to pick a fight, angel?” He growled, unable to stop the rasp of want in his voice. He hoped she couldn’t recognize it for what it was. “I’m the wrong man.” She crossed her slim, well-toned arms, reminding him that she wasn’t just a pretty face. Tierney had self-defense down to an art, and he wondered if she still spent as much time in the gym as she used to. His eyes skimmed up, and he admired the way her crossed arms pushed up her breasts into soft, plump mounds that tormented him with what he could never have. He blinked, gave himself an internal shake, and saw her lips stretch in a smirk. “Something pops to mind about protesting too much. You’re two for two, Archer.”

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He lifted one brow in surprise at the bitter undertone to her voice. Who was this woman? Certainly not the girl he remembered. As a girl, Tierney was gracious and vivacious, full of a zest for life that made him dizzy. But this woman before him now was sharp and sarcastic, and her attitude irked him. “Now who’s being rude?” She sighed, and the anger dropped from her face. She looked defeated in a way that reminded him vividly of Lana. “Sorry. I guess I can’t help it. You tend to bring out the worst in me.” He opened his mouth to deny it, to remind her of how close they’d once been, but snapped his jaws shut with a frown as he caught sight of Marcos, ushering Tori quickly toward the front door. The moment they disappeared from sight, Archer’s special cell phone buzzed. He snatched it from his pocket, activated the unit, and muttered, “What’s going on?” “He’s here.” Marcos’ voice was dark with fury. “Tori saw someone she thinks is Cain.” Dread plunged through Archer at that news. From the moment he received word from Odin Rothwell that Darius Cain was on the move with another virus, he’d feared of this very event. That’s why he convinced Marcos to bring Tori along; she was one of the few people outside of Medusa’s Hand who could identify Cain. And, ever since then, he’d prayed he was wrong. If the second toxin Odin found was released in this crowd of dignitaries – many of whom were already exposed to the first virus – the results would be catastrophic on an international level. Archer’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the room and calculated how many people he could get out of here without starting a total panic, or rousing Cain’s suspicions, or they were all dead. He knew he had to start with the most important – the heads of state and the religious leaders should be first among those evacuated. But he couldn’t do it alone. “Contact Aries. Initiate Beta Evac. I’ve got Alpha.” “Sì.” The line clicked in Archer’s ear. Marcos was on task; now, he just needed to do his. Without a second thought, he snaked out one hand and latched onto Tierney’s arm, already urging her toward the exit. “Let’s go.” Tierney, being Tierney, just dug her heels in with that amazing, stubborn streak of hers, and refused to budge as she glared up at him. “Why should I?” “Don’t argue, Tierney. Just move.” “Let me go.” She twisted in his grasp. Archer cast a wary glance at the Secret Service agents nearby. They were alert, suspicious. Great. He needed a plan. His eyes swept over the room, and he realized how close they were to the couples waltzing around the ballroom floor. Hell, it had been so long he probably didn’t even remember how, but he needed the cover. In a move so swift she wouldn’t have a chance to break away, he swept Tierney into his arms and twirled them into the flow of dancers. True to form, Tierney didn’t let the sudden move surprise her long. She made a move to jerk away, and he tightened his grip on her hand and waist as he moved them toward the door. His tension mounted with every step. They weren’t going to make it. “Stop it.” “That’s original,” her voice held an undertone of bitterness, even as she quit struggling and followed his lead. “Seems I heard it thirteen years ago, when you wouldn’t sleep with me.” He flinched away from that reminder. “This isn’t the same, Tierney.” “Explain how. You’re still ordering me around, like some damned animal. ‘Go away, Tierney, come here, Tierney, good girl, Tierney’,” she chanted in a snide, sing-song voice as she came to an abrupt stop. “Tell me how this is different. And, while you’re at it, you can tell me why you’ve suddenly gone all Tarzan on me.” They were less than ten feet from the door. He closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe she was trying to analyze him now. But the hell of it was, she was right; he tended to try and control what he couldn’t understand. And Tierney confused the hell out of him. “I can’t.” She yanked away and crossed her arms over her chest again, her gray eyes narrowed. “Then I can’t leave.”

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“Tierney—” She shook her head. “I organized this benefit, Archer. I’ve spent months selling it to wealthy people who don’t really care a bit about the unfortunate souls who lost everything in that fire. I’ll be damned if I’m going to leave, now.” Archer resisted the urge to roll his eyes. God, she was infuriating! And the Secret Service bloodhounds were closing in, scenting trouble. Damn. He had to move fast. With lightning reflexes enhanced by nanotechnology, he spun Tierney into a dip, then took several swift steps toward the doors as he nuzzled her ear. Let the watchdogs think what they will. He tightened his grip on her waist as she moved to pull away again and, against her ear, murmured, “If we don’t get out of here, soon, they’re going to be taking you out of here in a plastic bag, angel. We really don’t have time to argue about this, and your watchdogs are getting antsy.” She pulled back to scowl at him. “I can’t believe you’d sink to threats.” “Not threats, angel. Cold, hard truth.” “Prove it.” “I can’t.” “Then the answer is still no. Now let me go.” Archer’s jaw clenched so hard he swore he heard bones crack as he counted silently. He didn’t have time for this! “I don’t have time to argue with you, Tierney. Don’t make me haul you out of here over my shoulder.” Her chin rose defiantly, and her body tensed in a familiar defensive posture. “I’d like to see you try.” He tightened his grip, his patience stretched to breaking by this waste of time. Tierney tensed further, and Archer caught a glimpse of two agents in dark suits as they moved in. He swore beneath his breath. He couldn’t take her anywhere against her will, or she’d make a scene that would alert Cain. She was Tierney Grant, daughter of the President of the United States of America, and the Secret Service watched over her like hawks. One wrong move on his part, and they’d probably take him down where he stood. A quick scan of the room revealed a thinning crowd, as members of Mythos circulated through the attendees, whispering brief messages. Dignitaries hurried off to emergency – and imaginary— meetings. Damn politics and political correctness. Because of it, they weren’t going to get more than half these people out. And he still had to get Tierney out and find Silas. The assassin crouched carefully on the metal beam. A smug grin twisted his lips as the man below paused to answer the cell phone someone handed him. It was now or never. He drew the virus bomb from his pocket and reached around the metal beam to attach the device right above the President’s head. No more stopping the future. Darius Cain would see to it that President Grant died, and ORION would see to it he became a wealthy man, for his trouble. There was nothing to stop him, now. The floor shuddered beneath Archer’s feet as an explosion ripped through the building. Instinctively, he dropped to the floor, taking Tierney with him, so that his body sheltered hers from the blast, and any debris. He swore as screams erupted around them, and he felt the woman in his arms tremble with fear. Damn it, their intelligence had been good, and it said Cain was waiting for the President’s speech to attack. Damn bastard hadn’t been able to hold his wad! Archer glanced up, hoping the intelligence was wrong about what the bomb contained, as well. A thin, shimmery veil of gold vapor spread through the rafters, and settled toward the floor. Damn. No such luck. That was frigging Gold. He was on his feet in a flash, dragging Tierney up from the floor. He pushed her into the arms of a waiting Secret Service agent. “Get her the hell out of here!”

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Grasping Tierney’s chin, he looked into her wide, shocked eyes, and cursed himself for having to scare her more. “Do me a favor. Hold your breath.” Her eyes widened further, but she did as he told her with a small nod, and went with the agent, though her eyes told him he had some heavy explaining to do, later. Right now, he couldn’t think about that. People scrambled around in a panic that grew with every body that collapsed, writhing in agony as the Gold spread through the room. Dammit, where were his men? Archer covered his mouth to avoid breathing in the vapor as much as possible and fought his way through the crowd toward the back rooms where he last saw Silas Grant go. It didn’t take a genius to know that was where the blast came from. A thin film of gold particles already settled there. And, as he pushed through the short-circuited door, he stopped, eyes closed against the sight that greeted him. Hell. He let himself get distracted by Tierney once before, and it cost him his career. As he stared at the bodies of Silas Grant and his advisors, he knew his failure was complete. He just let himself be distracted into giving the Anaz-Voohri the upper hand.

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CHAPTER THREE This wasn’t happening. Not to her. The wailing sirens and flashing lights meant nothing. They were part of someone else’s nightmare. Tierney clutched the edges of the tuxedo jacket that the Secret Service agent draped over her shoulders and stared numbly at the cordoned-off convention center as emergency personnel in biocontamination suits swarmed over the place. She shuddered as the shock wore off, and the horrible truth of what happened sunk in. Nausea rolled in, and she drew deep breaths against being ill. If not for Archer, she could have been one of those body bags that lay lined up just outside the doors. Her world faded in and out of reality. “God.” “Tierney…” She turned at the sound of Archer’s voice, before a sudden, sickening realization struck. She didn’t see her father. Her eyes turned toward the survivors as she searched for the man who was her rock, and her heart hammered in dread as her gaze touched on and discarded each face. “Dad. Oh, God, I don’t see him…” She turned her wild eyes back toward the man beside her. “I don’t see him, Archer. God, I don’t see him!” “Tierney—” Panic clutched her, and she launched herself at the first rescue worker she saw, grabbing the burly man’s arm. “My father! Have you seen my father?” “I’m sorry, Miss. I don’t know—” “He’s still in there!” Hysteria settled in, but she couldn’t stop the terror that crawled along her skin, and clawed through her body. It propelled her toward the closed building. “My father’s still in there!” “Tierney.” A strong hand grabbed her arm, halting her progress. Through a haze of panic, she clawed and fought to free herself. She had to get to her father! “Let me go!” She screamed at her captor when his iron grip didn’t loosen. Frustrated tears pooled behind her eyes, and she fought with all her strength. “My father’s still in there!” “Tierney, angel, there’s nothing you can do, now.” Strong arms closed around her, only partly in restraint, and the pain in the voice that murmured against her ear sank through the panic just long enough to register that this was someone she trusted. This was Lawson. What was he saying? Tierney blinked at him as he spoke again. His words didn’t make any sense to her numb brain, and everything felt surreal, as if she’d stepped into someone else’s nightmare. Then, from out of nowhere, a tremor, a sudden earthquake, shuddered through her, and her knees wobbled. With a crack she swore the entire world could hear, her soul split wide, and the pain drove through her with a force that swept her legs from under her. She would have fallen, if not for Archer’s strong, comforting embrace. Collapsing into the shelter he offered, she let go of control, and sobbed as the truth set in. Her father wasn’t coming back, ever. No more strolls along the Mall. No more ice tea and conversations in the Rose Garden. No more matchmaking, or laughter-filled nights watching her father’s favorite reruns of old comedies. The hole that opened in her chest went straight through her world, and she regretted every harsh word they’d exchanged over the past decade, when she allowed her anger over her separation from Archer to drive a wedge between herself and her father. God, what a fool she’d been! She wished so bad that she could tell him she was sorry, and that she loved him!

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“Sir?” Tierney felt Archer straighten against her cheek, and through the haze of her grief, she sensed his reluctance, even before he spoke. “What is it, Perseus?” “We’ve got the decontamination unit set up. You’ll both have to be processed.” Tierney opened her eyes to find a young man with dark hair and an uneasy air about him hovering near them. He was nervous, but she wasn’t sure what had him on edge. Heck, it was probably the whole mess. She turned her gaze up to the man who held her. “Decontamination?” He sighed. “Yeah. Best to get it over with, angel. You’ll feel better.” Tierney bit her tongue against telling him nothing would ever make her feel better again, as he led her toward the large, mylar tent marked with a biohazard symbol. Her stomach knotted, and she knew her life was over. Nothing would ever be the same again. Two hours later, Tierney stood near the cordon that kept everyone not involved in the rescue effort, or clothed in protective gear, from entering the convention center. Just as she suspected, Archer was wrong. She didn’t feel better. She felt violated, and the chill of emptiness that sank into her bones as she stared at the building was one she knew would never fade. She still couldn’t believe her father was dead. It was a horrible feeling, being an orphan; so why did she have this irrational feeling she’d been in this very position, before? Tierney hugged herself against that familiar demon the psychologists assured her was just the effect of her traumatic amnesia. Of all the voices in her head, her own doubts were the loudest. Who was she? Where did she belong, without Silas Grant’s guidance? “You look cold.” Tierney jumped at the masculine voice at her shoulder. She turned, and her eyes widened as she met a pair of cool, gray eyes. “General Carrick! You startled me!” “I think we know each other better than that, Tierney.” His voice was pitched low, and she shivered, aware that she’d once harbored a plan to use Carrick to get Lawson’s attention. She hadn’t been able to go through with it. The calculating gleam in his good eye, as if he was sizing her up for his own plots, made her nervous. A fresh chill rushed through her. “I don’t think so. What do you want?” “You.” He advanced on her, and ice trickled down Tierney’s spine. It wasn’t her he was interested in. She didn’t question how she knew that; she just backed away a step. “I don’t understand…” “You’re a very beautiful woman, Tierney.” She knew how to play this game. She just wasn’t interested. She’d lost her father; she wasn’t in the mood for anyone’s games. “This is highly inappropriate, General…” His hand grasped her arm, and Tierney gasped in pain at his tight grip. “Be in my hotel room in one hour. It’ll be worth your while.” Tierney’s teeth clenched. What did he take her for? Hell would freeze over before she’d find any advantage in sleeping with a man like Jason Carrick. But she wasn’t stupid enough to say that. She chose, instead, to ignore him, and turned her attention back to the convention center, and the useless feeling of being unable to help the one person who was always there for her. As he studied Tierney Grant, Jason Carrick held his fury in check. He couldn’t tip his hand to this one, after all. He already knew her little trick. His fists clenched. His plan had been perfect, until that bungling moron, Cain, set off the toxin bomb too soon. He wasn’t interested in killing just Silas Grant, and he had no use for a room full of dead politicians. But Tierney was a different matter. She should have been up there, at the podium, giving one of her twisted little speeches about peace and brotherhood, when that bomb went off. He needed the damned leverage with Kavak. A dark smile twisted Carrick’s lips as he continued to watch his target. Fortunately, he had a Plan B. If he couldn’t kill little Miss Can’t-Be-Wrong, then he would convince her she loved him.

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Either way, he’d get that leverage. As long as he could keep her away from all-for-frigging-honor Lawson Archer. Carrick scowled. He wished he could confirm Archer’s little bastard was one of Kavak’s original experiments. He wanted to twist that knife so deep that he could own Archer. He could rid himself of the nuisance of Mythos, before Archer’s organization wooed the hybrids away from ORION’s grasp. Silly goddamned females! Disgust twisted his features. Small wonder the AnazVoohris’ plans failed. They pinned their hopes on the weaker sex. ***** “What’ve we got so far, Doc?” Archer pushed through the door and into the sterile autopsy room of the Mobile Quarantine Facility Minos Enterprises had supplied. He’d left the slice-and-dice to Ally Curran, who was an actual MD. After all, they had to work fast – the bodies needed to be cremated quickly, or they risked biotoxin spread. Ally looked up from where she was labeling a blood sample, her green eyes bright with fury. “Who is this bastard?” She demanded as she set the vial down with a deliberation that told him how tightly her anger was held in check. “I’ve got twenty-three dead already, and they keep bringing me more. “ “We think it was Darius Cain.” She glanced toward her most recent patient, who couldn’t be more than nineteen or twenty, and cold satisfaction touched her face. “Well, there’s some poetic justice, anyway. If I’m right, Cain will be dead soon, too.” Archer frowned. “How do you figure that?” “This toxin wasn’t meant for human beings to withstand it. Not without a lot of enhancements. And there’s no way he could set that bomb off and not breathe this stuff in.” Cold dread shot through Archer. “I thought it took both components, in order to kill.” Ally shrugged, and shook her head. “I don’t think so; not in the concentration President Grant breathed in. He was a dead man, either way, and I think someone meant it that way.” So did he. But Ally’s analysis meant something much worse. It meant Tierney was running on borrowed time, if she got even one good breath of that shit. And he was damned if he was going to let her die. Not now. Not ever. “Give me the blood samples you’re finished with.” She handed over the tray of sealed specimens, her expression curious. “What are you going to do?” “Find a cure.” Or die trying.

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CHAPTER FOUR He hadn’t been here in months. Archer grunted as he swept a layer of dust from the top of his computer terminal with one hand as he breathed the stale air of his Union Station apartment. He wasn’t even sure why he kept the apartment – unhealthy attachments to the past weren’t his thing, and this apartment reminded him of a time in his life he’d just as soon forget. He holed up here for a while after that kiss with sixteen-year-old Tierney severed him from his career, his friend, and the girl he wasn’t able, at the time, to decide if he loved or hated. Yet, he reflected as he carried the two bags of groceries he purchased on his way over into the tiny kitchenette and put them away, he wasn’t able to get rid of this last connection, however tenuous, to Tierney. This place was filled with memories of her that had nothing to do with sexual attraction. Hell, he swore he could still smell the scent of raspberries, beneath the stale smell of abandonment and neglect. It was probably just the scent still clinging to his clothes, but it was symbolic enough to bring a grimace to his face. He shut the food storage unit’s door and turned toward the computer. He was here to work, he reminded himself, not take trips down memory lane. He had a killer to find. Two hours later, Archer was engrossed in the data he compiled from Ally’s specimens when a knock at his door drew his attention. His head rose, and he frowned as a jolt of apprehension passed through him. No one knew he was here, except Marcos, and his phone hadn’t rung with the familiar warning Marcos always sent ahead of his arrival. Archer’s eyes narrowed, and he lifted his weapon from where he laid it on the desk earlier, and rose to his feet. The knock sounded again, more impatient than before, and Archer froze as caution shot through him. He edged toward the door, and flattened himself against the wall beside it as his breathing grew slow and shallow, in counterpoint to his racing heart. With the barrel of his weapon, he tapped the door’s lock and aimed at the door. Archer’s eyes closed and he counted to five as he listened to the sound of the door’s maglocks releasing. As the last one let go, he spun in front of the door, weapon aimed to deliver a lethal burst, and froze as he came face-to-face with a set of gray eyes straight out of his dreams. “Tierney!” Her name rasped out of him as he lowered the weapon in shaky surprise. “What’re you doing here?” She blinked as she recovered from the shock of his attack. She shrugged. “I figured you kept the apartment, and that, even if you didn’t, there was no harm in trying, and maybe they’d – whoever might be living here if you weren’t, which you obviously are, and—” “Tierney.” Humor flowed through him as his gaze strayed to where she kept worrying the tie of her trench coat. She was nervous. He’d never heard calm, collected Tierney go on like this. “You’re babbling.” Heat flushed her cheeks, and her gaze dropped to the floor, as if she wasn’t comfortable with what she was doing. New apprehension flooded Archer at that motion. Tierney had a lot of pride, and he’d stabbed it repeatedly with his cold responses to her obvious advances. He also knew Tierney was nothing if not creative, when it came to revenge. For years, he’d suspected that her little seduction, at sixteen, was her revenge for his attempt at indifference. With a breath for strength, he braced for disaster.

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“Tierney?” Her head lifted slowly, and she licked her lips nervously before she asked, “Can I come in?” He knew he shouldn’t, but he nodded and stepped aside anyway. He watched Tierney’s lips flicker, and bit back a groan. He remembered that sly little grin far too well; it meant trouble for him. Tierney stopped in the center of the main room as the door closed, and turned in a small circle as she took in the dust-covered furniture. One slim, cinnamon eyebrow raised as she looked toward him. “How long’s it been since you cleaned in here?” “A while,” he admitted with a shrug, and resisted the urge to sigh. She wouldn’t be Tierney if she made this easy. Well, hell, he’d bite. “Tierney, what are you doing here?” “Well,” she drew the word out in a husky murmur that set every hair on his body on end with raw lust, even as she turned to face him, her eyes full of a hot daring that made Archer do the one thing he never did. Panic. Oh, hell. “That depends entirely on you.” Before he could stop her, she pulled the tie of her coat loose and tossed her shoulders back. Her clothing dropped to the floor in a fall of material that left her clothed in nothing but a skimpy negligee. He stared at her, too shocked to force sound past his throat, even as his body decided it liked what it saw. Passionately. God, she was gorgeous. He’d known that for years, but he never let himself believe it, before. At first, he convinced himself it was sick, to want her. Then, he told himself she hated him, so there was no point in acknowledging what he saw, or felt. And now? Hell, it was too dangerous; there was a killer out there who wanted them both dead. But he couldn’t help himself. Faced with her brazenness, he couldn’t do anything but stare, and want what he already knew he couldn’t have. He swallowed back a curse as she stepped out of the pool of material – no wonder she was nervous, if that was all she’d worn over this outfit – and sauntered toward him. Her eyes dared him to back up as she moved forward, until the tips of her breasts brushed against his chest. Archer nearly swallowed his tongue as he bit back his groan. Her coy smile widened, and she breathed, “I’m tired of waiting.” Her hand settled over the bulge in his crotch, and he couldn’t hold back his groan. He was really in trouble, here. “Tierney, stop,” he managed in a strangled voice, reaching to remove the offending hand. His jaw clenched against the come-hither look in her eyes, and he stepped around her, collected her coat from the floor, and thrust it over her too-tempting body. She frowned, clearly not pleased by his actions. Tough shit. “What are you doing?” “You made your point,” he said, relieved to have temptation out of sight, even if it wasn’t quite out of mind. Hell, it was burned into his brain, now. “You damned well made it thirteen years ago.” Her brows furrowed in confusion. “What point was that?” He offered her a wry smile. His skin felt tight with the control it took to not reach for her, not indulge his desire to feel her silky skin again. “You know.” “Maybe I want to hear you say it.” She offered him another of those sultry smiles that threatened to melt his tenuous control. “I know why you left, Lawson.” God, he hoped not. He’d done his level best to keep Tierney from guessing how he felt, over the years. Clearing his throat, he said, “You should go home, Tierney. It’s not safe to be around me, right now.” One brow rose, and she moved slowly around the apartment, in no hurry to leave. Her fingers skimmed things at random, and he wished that she’d touch him like that, next. Watching her, his scalp prickled, and he couldn’t help but wonder what thoughts were responsible for the pensive look on her face. Then, just when he was sure he’d go crazy from her silence, she spoke, her voice soft. “You know, I finally figured it all out, tonight. I was sitting in my house, feeling sorry for myself and staring at a picture my mother took when I was fifteen, and that’s when it hit me…” When she didn’t continue, he felt the noose tighten, and knew that whatever came next was something he couldn’t avoid or argue. “What?”

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“I’ve never felt safer than I do when I’m with you.” She toward him as she shrugged free of her coat again. “I’m not going to beg, Lawson. I’m burying my father tomorrow. Don’t make me have to bury us, too. I don’t want to be alone, tonight.” This was the moment of truth he managed to avoid for thirteen years. Now, Tierney was vulnerable and hurting, and if he ignored the issue between, he them could destroy her. Still, he’d be damned if he’d take advantage of any woman in this state; and especially not this one. Archer’s jaw clenched, and he fought his heart’s desire back into silence as he turned on his heel and stalked into the bedroom, his decision made. Now, if any luck at all remained in his life, there’d be clothes in the drawers that hadn’t been eaten away by time and moths. Relief came in a sharp stab that lanced his fear, when he found a t-shirt and pair of gym shorts in the bottom drawer of his bureau. At least he could get Tierney covered up, and maybe avoid temptation a little longer. He snatched up the clothing and turned, to find Tierney leaning, naked now, against the door jamb. His heart slammed against his ribs, and he knew he was in serious hazard of losing control. Scowling to cover the heat that plunged through him, he tossed the clothes toward her. “You can have the bed.” Her eyes widened, even as she reflexively caught the bundle against her chest. A small smile tugged at her lips. “I thought we’d share.” “Tierney,” he met her gaze, conveying his seriousness through tone and gaze. “I’m not a saint, or dead. But I’m also not a monster, and I’m not going to be anyone’s distraction. Not even yours. You can stay, but only if you wear those.” One slim eyebrow lifted in surprise. “Are you afraid of me, Lawson?” Terrified. But he wasn’t about to tell her that. “It’s me I’m afraid of.” And, before she could launch into the questions that comment stirred in her eyes, Archer brushed past her and headed for his computer. “Get some sleep; you’ll need it tomorrow.”

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CHAPTER FIVE Archer leaned against a pillar on the White House veranda and followed Tierney’s every movement with watchful eyes as she accepted condolences from the assortment of dignitaries who attended her father’s funeral. Even in the face of this very personal crisis, she was graceful and poised, and his chest tightened with emotions he knew he could never express. He crossed his arms over his chest, battling his irrational impulse to sweep her into his arms and shelter her from the world. The world was where Tierney belonged, unlike him. They were like light and shadow. “It galls you, doesn’t it, to know you don’t belong here. Admit it, Archer, you’re a glorified guard dog.” He stiffened at that familiar, snide voice, and his hands clenched in hidden fists. He wasn’t in the mood for Jason Carrick’s snide derision, today. Hell, who was he kidding? Any day was the wrong one to put him and Carrick in the same space. The bastard killed Renee, and he was in league with the Anaz-Voohri. Archer knew it in his soul, even if he couldn’t prove it. “I’d rather be a guard dog than a traitor,” he shot back. It would be a gross understatement to call what he felt toward Carrick hate. He hadn’t trusted Carrick, even when they worked together before ORION. Carrick had a malicious streak that set Archer’s hackles on end, and with every one of the Pleiades sisters he interviewed, that malice only grew more apparent. And then, of course, there was Carrick’s blatant interest in Tierney; as if she was a status symbol he could buy, rather than the amazing, capable woman she was. Carrick thought he could own her. Over my dead body. “What are you doing here, Jason?” He’d used Carrick’s first name because he knew it irritated the other man. Sure enough, he watched the tic start under Carrick’s good eye. “I’m here to pay my respects; unlike some people.” “Pay your respects? To a man you had killed?” Carrick straightened, his good eye narrowing. “What insane theory has your primitive brain concocted now, Archer? I had nothing to do with this.” Archer kept his eyes on Tierney, to remind himself that this would be the wrong place to plant his fist in Carrick’s face. Damn it, this was a sick game. Tierney didn’t deserve to be involved; she was innocent. Her grief ate at him. Last night, he’d listened to her cry, and even the memory of it killed him. Her soft plea to be removed from the horrible reality of it all tormented him, until he almost gave in. And that sickened him even more. She deserved better than him; and she sure as hell deserved better than ending up as Carrick’s arm candy. “Darius Cain.” He didn’t need to say more than that; he already knew Carrick would understand exactly what he meant. “I have no idea who that is.” “Can the bullshit, Jason. He’s ORION’s man in the Hand.” Both Tori Blair and Odin Rothwell had confirmed that, and he trusted them. “ORION doesn’t have any spies in Medusa’s Hand.” Carrick’s expression froze in a scowl that told Archer he’d struck a nerve.

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With a negligent shrug he was far from feeling, Archer pushed off from the pillar. He wasn’t about to tip his hand any further, or give Carrick any clues. He wanted Cain in custody, first. Then, he’d squeeze Cain until Carrick sweat bullets. “Whatever you say, General.” With that, Archer headed toward Tierney. She needed his support right now. There’d be plenty of time for a showdown later. *

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She was too quiet. Archer cast a worried glance at Tierney as she stared out the window of his apartment at the twilight sky. She hadn’t said a word to him since they left the White House three hours ago. “Are you okay?” He touched her shoulder gently, afraid of startling her. Tierney turned, and the contrast between the vibrant, extroverted girl he remembered and the hollow-eyed, somber woman before him hit him like a sucker punch. “Hey.” He skimmed the back of his fingers over her cheek, wiping away the damp evidence of tears. “I’m here for you, angel. Talk to me. It’s not healthy to keep it all bottled up.” “Thank you, Dr. Freud.” She tried to smile; he gave her extra points for the attempt at humor. It was the first sign of normalcy she’d shown since they left for the funeral this morning. But her rally didn’t last long before that haunted look returned. “Everyone keeps telling me I’ll feel better, that it gets easier,” she whispered despondently, as she looked over her shoulder toward the window again, and hugged herself as if cold. “But I miss him, Lawson. I don’t feel better. I just feel guilty for being alive.” A sob tore from her as she burrowed against him, and Archer closed protective arms around her. Her hands grasped his shirt in trembling fists, and her body shook with the violence of her grief. His eyes closed, and he drew deep breaths against the pain that stabbed deep at watching Tierney hurt. God, he knew that sad but gracious mask she wore at the funeral, and later at the White House, cost her. He just hadn’t realized how much. Something about the whole day had rubbed him with an uncomfortable sensation of déjà vu. And then, as images flashed through his mind of another night in Hell, and a different woman who’d fought so hard for calm she’d snapped, his breath froze in his lungs. Sweet Jesus, why hadn’t he seen it? Tierney reminded him of Lana. His heart immediately clenched in denial, even as the truth plunged through him. Everyone those damned Anaz-Voohri touched wore the same distant look, at some point. With Lana, it was more common than not, but she wasn’t the only one. Renee’s eyes had that hollow look, too, just before they parted ways; his former lover hadn’t even cared that he wouldn’t join her, in the end. He hadn’t been able to figure out what drove her, but that look had made his skin crawl. And then there were the Pleiades women… They all looked like they were missing pieces of their souls. And, ever since he came back to Washington, he’d faced that same look in Tierney. And Dylan Brady’s discovery of that damned list kept coming back to him. He told himself the list was wrong; there was no way vibrant, philanthropic Tierney Grant was anyone’s secret weapon. But that distant sadness in her eyes brought back memories of Silas’ confidence that Tierney was adopted, and his own promise that he’d make sure she never knew it. According to Silas, the Grants adopted Tierney after a tragic accident left her without either a family or a memory. Faced with what Dylan uncovered and Silas’ confession, Archer had to admit the coincidence was too damned convenient. His gaze went to Tierney again, and his chest tightened. God, he hated to see her that lost look in her eyes. It made him wonder if she’d ever find her way back, and his entire being rebelled at the thought of Tierney turning into a hollow shell, like Lana. “Tierney…”

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She lifted her eyes again, and the rage there slapped him harder than the imagined distance of a moment ago. Who was this vengeful woman? Why hadn’t he ever seen her, before? “I’m going to do it.” Her gaze was dark and hard as obsidian. He blinked, confused. “Do what?” Her gaze remained clear and direct, and so full of fury that it drove him back a step. “Tell me the truth, Archer. Who killed my father?” He sighed. He’d known this was coming; Tierney was too dedicated to her father to not demand to know who was responsible for his death. “I’m not sure.” “But you have an idea.” He nodded. “There’s a man named Darius Cain; he’s a thief in Medusa’s Hand, who—” “So Medusa’s Hand killed my father.” “Whoa.” Archer took a step back as concern seeped through him. He could see where this was going, and she was jumping to all the wrong conclusions. “It’s not that simple, Tierney…” “This Cain, he’s with Medusa’s Hand; that’s what you said. Isn’t it?” “Yeah; but—” “And he released some kind of toxin into that convention hall, and killed my father.” “Yes. It’s—” “Then Medusa’s Hand killed my father.” Her eyes dared him to challenge her. “And I’m going to use every resource at my disposal to find and destroy every single one of them.” That was it. He didn’t know what the hell was wrong with her, but this had gone quite far enough. “Stop it.” Archer grasped her by the shoulders; he barely restrained himself from physically shaking her. He didn’t know who this woman was, but he wanted her gone. He wanted his Tierney back. “Damn it, Tierney, are you even listening to yourself? Yes, Cain is part of the Hand, or was until recently, anyway. But the Hand isn’t responsible for your father’s death, and they’re far from the only ones with an agenda that included getting rid of Silas!” He forced himself to draw even, calming breaths, until he could manage a quiet, “He stepped on a lot of toes in his life, angel.” Her gray eyes flashed with desperate denial. “My father was a good man!” “Yes.” He softened his voice as he drew her against him. Against her ear, he continued, “A very good man. But good men never get anything done without stepping on the toes of the ambitious ones.” She stilled, and a tiny gasp left her before she jerked back to stare up at him, her eyes full of horror. “Are you saying that … GSS killed my father?” He shook his head. Global Security Sector might have corruption in the ranks, but he only wished it was that easily resolved. “No. What I’m saying is that I can’t prove who ordered that virus released, or why, yet. There are a lot of unanswered questions, but we’re working on it, okay?” Her sudden silence was deafening, and Archer’s heart clenched at the strange expression that flitted across her face, to settled in her eyes as wary curiosity. Finally, when he couldn’t stand the hollowness in his gut any longer, he muttered, “Now what?” “We?” He blinked, confused. What was she talking about? “What?” “You said ‘we’re working on it.’ Who’s we?” He bit back a curse as he realized he’d blown it; Tierney wasn’t going to let that slip pass. And if he knew anything about Tierney, she wouldn’t let the matter go easily. But he had to try. “Nothing. Slip of the tongue.” “Oh, no you don’t!” She grasped his arm as he went to move away. “You know too much about what happened, Lawson. I think you know more than you’re telling me, now, too. Now, who’s we?” Well, that didn’t last long. Archer’s jaw clenched as he faced the fact that he wouldn’t be able to keep the truth from her. Tierney was too intelligent, and she had the tenacity of a pit bull, once she got something in her head. If he didn’t give her the truth, she’d create an answer of her own, and there was

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no telling what she’d come up with. Meeting her wary gray eyes, he swore inwardly and braced for impact. “Are you…” She drew a deep breath, and her arms crossed her chest protectively. “You’re not with the Hand…” He bit out a short laugh at the preposterous idea. Did he look like an underground militant? “No.” “GSS?” He shook his head. “Not since I left the military.” She paused, and distrust brewed as she shifted backwards a step. “ORION?” Archer scowled as the words smacked him. She wasn’t serious! Even with thirteen years of distance, Tierney still knew him too well to think he’d have anything to do with ORION. Hell, she’d used his animosity toward Carrick against him, once. “You know better.” She frowned at him. “Well, stop evading me, then.” He watched her pace back and forth; her nervous energy surprised him. Tierney was fiery and passionate, when she took up a cause, but she maintained her calm, cool exterior when under stress. If there was one thing Tierney Grant wasn’t, it was a drama queen. Yet, now she paced around his living room as if it were a soap opera set. “You’ve changed.” She stopped, and her eyes were full of surprise. “Everyone does.” “Not like you.” He closed the space between them a few steps. “Why is it so important that you know who I’m with?” She turned away, her arms hugged herself in a way that displayed insecurity. Only, the Tierney he remembered wasn’t insecure at all. She was confident of herself, and her acceptance. Either that, or she’d put on one hell of a show, before. “Because I need to know I can trust you.” “Tierney,” he touched a hand to her shoulder, and her head raised. “The only thing that matters to me, now, is protecting you. You can trust me, angel.” She licked her lips, leaving them dewy with moisture and entirely too kissable. The familiar fragrance of raspberries assaulted him as he drew in a breath, and Archer’s gut clenched. His hand flexed on her shoulder as he fought the urge to close the space between them and kiss her. Tierney’s eyes grew huge and dark with passion, and her breathing shallowed. She swayed toward him. “Lawson…” He groaned, and nearly gave in. God, he wanted her. But he wasn’t about to do anything that could put her in danger. He already knew what stupid got him. Lana was a constant reminder. He ordered his hand away from Tierney’s shoulder. “We can’t.” She blinked, her expression one of dazed hunger. After a long moment, her eyes closed. She drew audible breaths, and then sighed as her eyes opened again. “Then just tell me the truth. I think I’ve earned that much.” She was right, she deserved as much of the truth as he could give her. “What I’m about to tell you can’t be repeated to anyone else.” “Who am I going to tell?” She looked around the apartment. “I’m done with politics.” He told himself this was Tierney. If she said she was done with politics, she was done. Only, he wasn’t so sure he trusted this new Tierney. What did he really know about her? He rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily as he sank back into his seat at the computer. God, all this speculation gave him a monster headache. “All right. After I left the military, I decided to put my degree – and my trust fund – to good use. I started up a small biotech company, to make military equipment.” She remained silent and watchful, and the irony of it wasn’t lost on Archer. Tierney campaigned for years to have the military’s biotech program shut down, while he fed it. That was the difference between a front-liner and a politician. And, anymore, he didn’t know which one was right.

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“Military equipment?” She moved to sit on the edge of his computer desk, those slim legs crossed within three feet of his face. Hell, that was distracting. “Weapons?” He blinked, and struggled to remember what they were discussing. Oh, yeah. Haepheon. “Some, but our biggest project was a suit of body armor that used what was, at the time, state-of-the-art nanotechnology.” “I remember seeing the Congressional Oversight brief on a nanotech body armor, developed by Haepheon Technologies. It’s supposed to be invisible, and completely tied to the individual’s DNA, and…” She stopped, and her eyes widened as the truth sank in. “Wait a minute….You own Haepheon?” He nodded. “I started up Haepheon to develop an advantage for the military in the war on terrorism. The Lemnian Armor was our first product off the line that the military snatched up.” She loosed an impressed whistle. “According to the brief, it’s extremely expensive, since it has to be made per individual. When they approved it, the military’s budget skyrocketed.” He nodded. “At roughly five hundred thousand a unit, in production costs alone, it’s quite expensive to make.” “What did you do with all that money?” She glanced around the apartment, and her lips curved wryly. “It obviously didn’t pay for your lavish life-style.” A small, humorless smiled tugged at his lips. Tierney always reverted to sarcasm when she felt out of her depths. That she didn’t know what to make of him, at the moment, was obvious. “No. I’m not in it to get rich, Tierney. I use the money to fund an organization I created to monitor GSS and ORION.” “Why?” “Because I don’t trust them; particularly not ORION.” Understanding dawned in her gray eyes. “Because of Carrick.” Archer nodded, and clamped a lid on the most damning of his suspicions. Tierney didn’t need to know that with everything he uncovered about ORION, his distrust grew, until it had little to do with Carrick. ORION, as an organization, was out of control. “I created Mythos with the sole aim of utilizing the rather unique talents of my recruits to keep an eye on ORION, and maybe stay a step ahead of disaster.” Tierney watched him, her gray gaze wary and somber. “That’s how you knew what was going to happen at the benefit!” “Yeah. Though that was mostly Tori’s doing. She spotted someone she recognized, and she doesn’t exactly know a high society bunch.” She frowned. “Marcos Devante is part of Mythos? I thought he hated violence!” A wry grin tugged at Archer. Tierney hit the nail square on the head. “He is, and he does. Marcos develops all our communications and transportation technology; he’s put the full capacity of Minos Enterprises at our disposal.” She shifted forward, and Archer met her gaze in surprise, to find a plea there he wasn’t sure he knew how to answer. “Find my father’s killer, Lawson. Find the people who had him killed, please.” The reality of Tierney begging drove a spike of pain through Archer’s chest, and he knew he couldn’t deny her. She’d set aside her pride, to find her father’s killer. God, he wished he had someone that loyal to him. He needed that loyalty, that passion, in his life. “I’ll make you a deal.” He placed a hand on her knee. “I’ll put the full weight of Mythos into the investigation of your father’s death, and track down his killer, if you stick to your politics. I need as many allies as I can get, out there.” She nodded. “Okay.” “And I need one more thing from you, Tierney.” She met his gaze expectantly, and the need that plunged through him at the feel of her skin beneath his hand, and the look in her gray eyes, floored him. He almost blurted out his heart’s wish –

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that she stay with him. But that was impossible, and it wasn’t what he needed. He had to stay focused, here. “Keep an eye on Vice President Rankin. He’s about to become the most powerful man on the planet, and I think he’s in bed with ORION.” Dismay filled those amazing gray eyes, and Archer hated himself for sharing his suspicions. He just accused someone Tierney had known most of her life of duplicity. “You really think he knew what was going to happen?” He shrugged. “Don’t you think it’s odd that both Rankin and Carrick managed to avoid both Chicago and the benefit? No one in their positions misses two political events in a single week, unless they know something no one else does.” The thought hadn’t occurred to her, to judge by the surprise that filled her eyes. After a long moment of contemplation, those eyes darkened with determination. “You’ve got a deal.” *

*

*

She swept into the room with that regal, superior bearing he despised. She didn’t even bother to conceal her bare skull, and he grimaced in repulsion at the grotesque parody of humanity she represented. “You’re late.” “Be careful, General,” Captain Kavak, senior commander of the Anaz-Voohri, warned in cold amusement. “Remember who serves whom, in this.” Jason Carrick’s good eye darkened in fury. He was no one’s servant or lackey, and especially not some filthy alien’s. This alliance was temporary, until he got the technology he needed to gain complete control of the planet. Once they gave up their secrets, Kavak and her kind would outlive their usefulness. For now, however, he stifled his hate and acquiesced. “Your hybrid weapons are failing. The Pleiades Project is falling apart, Kavak. I hope you have a backup plan.” “We won’t need one.” Carrick’s eyes narrowed at her smug, confident tone. “I’d say you do. Looks like you underestimated the stupidity of human beings and hormones.” “Perhaps,” she allowed with an unconcerned shrug. “But not your vulnerability to fear. We have ways to control our weapons.” This was an unanticipated move. He’d counted on Kavak’s arrogance. A shaft of excitement, so sharp he felt it twitch in his groin, shot through him. “What?” A feline smile – like the cat who swallowed the canary – crossed her lips, even as her greedy gaze fell on the fresh bottle of Scotch on his desk. “Later. For now, let’s have a drink.” Carrick hid his triumphant smirk as he poured the liquor. He knew Kavak’s weakness, and when the time came, he’d exploit it. As soon as he learned her secret for controlling the Pleiades women. Once he had the key to using the universe’s most deadly weapon, there’d be no one capable of stopping him.

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CHAPTER SIX Tierney tossed aside her epad with a sigh of disgust as she surged up from the sofa and paced to the window, agitated. Archer followed her progress from his seat at the terminal, and tried to ignore the smooth motion of her slim legs and curvy rear. “Bored?” She whipped toward him, her gray eyes alive with annoyance. “I just spent the entire morning finding out more about Earl Rankin than I ever wanted to know, and I still don’t see what makes you so suspicious of him. God, Archer, I’ve known the man for as long as I can remember!” “He’s connected to ORION, isn’t he?” “He’s the Vice President – soon to be the President – of the United States, Archer. I’d be more suspicious if he had no apparent connections to ORION.” She didn’t get it. He sighed as he turned his chair to face her, his own research abandoned for the moment. “All right, I’ll bite. What’s really eating at you?” She turned her back on him, to stare out the window, and he saw the reflection of her stubborn expression. “I don’t know what you mean.” “Bullshit, angel. There’s something about Rankin, and Carrick, that’s bothering you. I can see it in your face.” She remained turned away from him in stony silence, her gaze fixed out the window at the street below. Archer shook his head and turned back to the computer, where he was researching biotoxins, in search of information on Gold. If he lived to be a hundred, he’d never understand women, or the silent treatment. Why did they put so much stock in communication, and then clam up every time a man showed the least bit of interest in what they thought? “Have it your way.” The silence stretched, and he could feel her gaze move between the window and him, before he heard her heavy sigh. He glanced up as she turned toward him, and the pain in her eyes punched him in the chest. “Tierney.” He was on his feet in a flash, his annoyance forgotten, as he moved to draw her into his embrace. “Talk to me, please. Tell me what’s bothering you.” “At the benefit… A senator said something about Earl being on board for this ridiculous new nanotech Bill. I just don’t want to believe Earl could be corrupt. Daddy trusted him. If Earl’s corrupt…” “Don’t even think it,” he growled, hugging her tight. “Your father was a good man, Tierney. He had strong convictions, and he never betrayed them. Trust in that.” Her fingers clenched in his shirt, worrying the material as she closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. After a long moment, during which Archer was sure he was dying, her shuddering ceased, and she looked up at him with wary eyes. “You say you’re not involved with Medusa’s Hand…” God, this was worse than he thought! Tierney’s world had been shaken so badly she couldn’t trust anyone’s motives, not even his. “I’m not,” he assured her in a low growl. “Renee, my old teammate—” “You mean lover.” That was betrayed anger in her voice, and Archer winced. He never doubted that Tierney kept tabs on him, during their thirteen years apart. He’d just never realized she kept such close tabs on him before then. “You were a child, Tierney—”

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“Skip it,” she said brusquely. “What about her?” He sighed. This discussion was far from over. She wasn’t going to let the issue of Renee drop; it’d eaten at her for too many years. He should be glad of the emotional barrier between them, but a strange sense of frustration curled inside of him, instead. “Renee joined the Hand, after her term of service was up. She was sucked in by disillusionment, and some kind of misplaced idealism, I guess. She wanted me to join her; she thought we’d make an unstoppable team.” Her eyes narrowed. “So why didn’t you? You were already sleeping with her.” He shifted uncomfortably as memories of Renee Cresswell paraded through his mind. They were close, yeah; hell, at one point, he tried to convince himself he loved her. It didn’t work long. Tierney was always there, in the back of his mind. Maybe he and Renee were too much alike. Or maybe it was just that, by that time, someone else had already claimed his heart. Hell. Tierney watched him, her gray eyes full of well-contained anger. “Renee was always… extreme. She never did anything by the book, and she never learned much about loyalty. She played too many games, and she never gave the consequences a second thought. The idea of being involved in her pet cause of the hour didn’t sit well with me. I had other plans.” “You don’t sound like you loved her very much.” She sounded relieved. He shrugged, and gave her the truth. “We had enough in common to be friends and lovers, but it was never love.” Her steady, speculative gaze made him itch with the need to show her exactly what his problem had been. Her. “So, if you didn’t join the Hand, and you obviously don’t care for their politics, why aren’t you investigating them in my father’s death? That’s who the authorities believe are responsible.” He knew what she was getting at; the official investigators believed that the Hand released the toxin at the convention center, and Tierney believed them. But those investigators didn’t know about the Chicago toxin, or that Electra Munro was on their side of the investigation. Which was how Darius Cain wanted it to play out; Archer wasn’t about to fall for his trick. “I’m working on it.” Tierney gave a half-hearted nod, and pulled away to turn back to the window. It was clear that she intended to ignore him. Great. With a disgusted sigh, Archer stalked back to his desk and snatched up his cellphone. She wanted to play this way; fine. He would get someone on Cain’s ass twenty-fourseven, and bring the bastard in, so Tierney could hear the truth for herself. Grimly, he punched the speed dial for Mythos’ DC office, located in the penthouse of Minos Enterprise’s DC center. “Minos Enterprises; security department.” A wry smiled tugged at Archer’s lips as he heard that cover greeting for Mythos delivered in Tori Blair’s voice. “Zeus here. I need Midas activated.” “Done.” His brow furrowed. Tori shouldn’t be on the phones. “Where’s Perseus?” “In a meeting. You’re lucky you got anyone. Minos has us all doing damage control. I had to… uh… take a break.” He frowned, concerned. “Everything okay?” “Peachy.” Archer winced. Even he could read the “off-limits” tone of her voice. “Tell Minos we’re tracking Gold. I’ll be in touch with him. And, Tori? Thanks.” She chuckled. “I’ve got to do something. Marcos won’t let me go back to work.” He grinned as he hung up. If anyone could get Marcos to loosen up, Tori could. He’d already seen her work miracles. He’d just punched the off button when the phone beeped with an incoming call. Reactivating it, he answered, “Zeus.” “You have a job for me?” The voice was deep and unemotional, and if he didn’t know better, he’d swear there was a machine on the other end of the line.

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“Midas. Yeah, I have something for you.” Archer glanced toward Tierney, to be sure her attention was elsewhere. She had left her spot at the window and disappeared from sight. She must have gone into the bedroom. He lowered his voice anyway. “We need to keep Gold quiet a while longer, Midas. I don’t want anyone getting so much as a whiff of this until we know who ordered the attack. And I want surveillance on Darius Cain, twenty-four-seven, starting yesterday.” “Understood. What are we looking for, aside from his head on a pike?” Though he knew Midas was dead serious, Archer couldn’t help a snort of laughter. For a man with no sense of humor, Odin Rothwell had an amazing sense of timing. “How he got the virus in the first place; and I don’t mean did he steal it. Getting his hands on something that new, and sensitive, couldn’t have been easy. I want to know where he found out about Gold, where he got the lockdown codes, lab location, and anything else he needed to get into the right lab, and the virus out, undetected. According to Minos, T-Bird says even she wouldn’t have been able to get into those labs without some pretty powerful help.” There was a pause, and then, “You want me to investigate the Hand?” “I want to know who in ORION is selling out biological and chemical weapon locations. But that’s my job. I want you to find out if there’s anyone in the Hand Cain might have confided his plans in. I need to know who else was in on this.” “Anything else?” Archer glanced toward the bedroom as Tierney’s rage at the Hand struck him again. His gut told him they would need both the Hand and Tierney’s co-operation, before this was all over. But, to get both, he needed to prove to Tierney that she could trust the Hand. Only, he had no idea how to accomplish that. Tierney was nothing if not stubborn, once her mind was made up, and he couldn’t convince her with his own assurances. Hell, he had his own doubts about the militant organization. He sighed heavily. “Yeah.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “See if you can find out who Cain’s really working for. I need something concrete, and physical, if possible. I seriously doubt he’s all that dedicated to the Hand’s cause, anymore, if what you say about Electra Munro is true.” “It is. I’ll get you what you need.” “Good enough.” Archer signed off, and disconnected the call. As he returned the phone to the desk, he contemplated his next step. Once they had proof that Cain worked for ORION, they would have leverage to demand that Gold be turned over, so Minos Enterprises’ chemists could test it, and hopefully come up with a vaccination, and a cure. A sound drew his attention, and he turned to find Tierney paused in the bedroom doorway. When she realized he was watching her, she met his gaze. “You really are investigating the man who killed my father.” “Not just your father; there were nearly fifty dead, and another twenty who might die if we don’t find a cure, soon. But Darius Cain has the only active sample that I know of.” Her gray eyes lit with trust. “I want to help.” Her trust got to him. Archer’s throat closed, and he fought the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her what he was feeling, right now. Instead, he forced a sigh. “You need to stay out of this, Tierney. We have a deal, remember?” Her eyes narrowed, and her gaze followed him as he gathered up his jacket. He was halfway to the door when she asked, “Where are you going?” “Mythos. I have work to do.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and her peeved expression brought a smile to his face. She could be so cute when she was annoyed. “And what am I supposed to do, in the meantime?” He stopped at the door as it slid open, and glanced over his shoulder for one last glimpse of her. “Stay out of trouble.”

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CHAPTER SEVEN She couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. It was like something out of an old spy movie. Tierney’s blood hummed with adrenaline, and her heart beat swiftly against her ribs as she ducked into a darkened doorway and watched as Archer stopped, his shoulders tensed. Did he know she was there? Something told her he didn’t know it was her, but he did know he was being followed. She stifled a gasp and flattened herself into the shadows as his gaze swept over her hiding spot. His eyes narrowed, and he shifted, as if he meant to come her way. Tierney closed her eyes. Please, no. Don’t come this way. There’s nothing over here. Please don’t come this way. He stopped, shook his head, and then shrugged and strode through the laser-proof glass doors of Minos Enterprises. Tierney relaxed with a sigh of relief and blessed her lucky stars for that close call. She was damned lucky. She’d followed Archer for three blocks without him, or anyone else, noticing her. A small grin tugged at her lips. Her poor guardian angel must work overtime. Archer’s lack of notice wasn’t for lack of trying. She saw him glance over his shoulder more than once. Her eyes narrowed on the building’s doorway. Archer didn’t fool her; she knew the reason why he didn’t want her to follow him. He didn’t want her to know how to find his precious Mythos. Tough. Tierney’s jaw set in determination. She needed Mythos’ help to track down the people responsible for her father’s murder, and she wasn’t about to let the matter rest until Archer agreed to keep her in the loop. She wasn’t stupid, and she heard his end of the conversation on the cell phone, earlier. He knew something he wasn’t telling her. Tierney stepped out of concealment and hurried toward the front doors of Minos Enterprises. Striding through the main doors, she crossed the lobby. Her heels made a tell-tale clicking on the marble floors, muffled only by the tromp of other feet as people moved around the busy lobby. She winced at how loud each step sounded, even over the general hubbub. A startled cry flew from her when a hand shot out from a shadowed alcove and latched onto her arm, dragging her from the main passageway leading to the elevators. She opened her mouth to scream, but a large hand clamped over her mouth, and a very familiar voice rasped, “I thought told you to stay out of trouble.” She bit his hand, just hard enough to make him swear as he jerked away. That would teach him, she thought with an absurd sense of satisfaction. “I’m not in trouble,” she informed him pertly. Dark humor flamed in his holly-green eyes. “That’s a matter of opinion, angel.” Tierney’s eyes narrowed at his tone of voice. Damn it, when would he learn she wasn’t a kid, anymore? She didn’t need protected! “I may be blonde, but I’m not dumb!” Archer curled one strand of her strawberry blonde hair around his finger and offered her a wry smile. “No one would ever make that mistake.” She glared at him as she bit down on the impulse to tell him that everyone underestimated her. Even him. “I heard you, on the phone. You don’t think Medusa’s Hand is behind this. So, I want to help find out who is.” She watched a tic develop beneath his right eye. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but it couldn’t be good. Archer was too skilled at masking his thoughts. “Come on.” He grasped her wrist and started back toward the outside doors.

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“Where are we going?” “You want to help so bad? I’m taking you where you’ll do everyone the most good.” The way he said that set off warning bells in her head. “And where is that?” “You’ll see.” She tugged against his grip and tried to dig her heels in. She only succeeded in stumbling and sliding on the smooth marble, which drew more attention than she wanted. Face flushed with embarrassment, she glared at him. “Now, why don’t I like the sound of that?” He didn’t miss a step, his expression bland. Eyes narrowed, Tierney decided she didn’t have much of a choice. Like she’d told Archer, she wanted to help. Whatever he planned, she had to trust that he would honor her request. But, if that itch in her stomach was right, and Archer tried to pull a fast one, he’d pay for it, later. She’d make sure of that. Ten minutes later, as she stared out the passenger window of Archer’s landtrans at increasingly familiar surroundings, Tierney decided she’d had enough. It was time for some straight answers. “Where are we going? And no more games, Archer. I’m really not in the mood.” He spared her a long glance. “You are going home.” “Like hell I am!” She knew it! He was trying to pull a fast one! She reached for the release latch on the landtrans’ door. “Pull over.” “What for?” “Because I’m walking back to Mythos.” His lips twitched, and his voice was laced with laughter as he said, “Twelve blocks, in those heels? Tierney—” She shot him a glare that dared him to patronize her. She’d take his balls off if he even thought about it, even if it messed up her new Karen Tinsdal ensemble. “If I have to. I’m not going home until my father’s killers are caught!” Archer muttered beneath his breath as a scowl crossed his face. Dark triumph flashed through Tierney. About time he realized she was serious. “Never mind that you don’t have a clue where Mythos is.” She tilted her chin proudly. “I’m sure I can find someone at Minos Enterprises willing to tell me.” He grunted. “You probably could.” He shot her a wry look. “You’re infuriating, you know that?” A smug grin tugged at her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. Victory was sweet. “Only because you hate being wrong.” “Don’t push it, angel. What happened to being a model of grace and decorum?” Her lips pushed up further. “You bring out the worst in me.” Stunned silence stretched, and it was evident she wasn’t the only one who didn’t believe she said that. Then, as she watched Archer’s lips twitch, she couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter that pushed up her throat and out her lips. Laughing, she clutched her sides and watched his grin widen. Finally, gasping, she managed, “God. No wonder they separated us!” He gave her a lazy wink that sizzled through Tierney, turning the humor to a warm pulse that made her body tingle. “Guess so.” His grin collapsed then. “Look, Tierney, I’ll make you a deal. We go to your place, get you some clothes and personal stuff – whatever you think you’ll need for a few weeks, while we track Cain down. Then, you can crash at my place until we get the bastard, deal?” Her eyes narrowed. “So, what’s in it for you?” “I get to know that you’re safe, and not sneaking all over the countryside after me.” An uneasy feeling clawed at her brain, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. The only thing she knew was, it made her not trust him. What if he had an ulterior motive? Tierney rolled her eyes. God,

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what was she thinking? This was Archer; of course he had ulterior motives. But if she couldn’t trust him to keep her alive and safe, she couldn’t trust anyone. So, with a deep breath, she took that leap of faith. “Deal.” Five minutes later, Tierney regretted not listening to her instincts. She swore again as she gave her closed – locked, dammit – front door a perfunctory kick. He tricked her! That lying, conniving snake tricked her so fast she felt like the world’s biggest fool. He locked her in her own house, and deactivated the access port outside, so none of the doors could be opened without his code. Damn, she was naïve! She thought it was sweet, the way he walked her to the door like a gentleman. She was so giddy with the prospect of spending her days – and nights! – with the man she fantasized about since puberty, she didn’t even give a second thought to leaving him downstairs, alone, while she went to collect her things. She trusted him! Tierney kicked the door again, then thumped her head lightly off the wood-layered metal. “Grant, you stupid putz! When’re you going to learn?” She was going to kill him, once she got out of here. Tierney’s jaw tightened as she thought of all the slow, painful ways she would bring him to his knees, for doing this. Lawson Archer’s days were numbered. “The male of the species is weak-willed; you should have maintained better control.” Tierney whipped around in surprise at the sound of another voice, and her eyes widened in fear as she saw the being who lounged on her sofa, a glass of her father’s favorite scotch in her hand. The woman – if one took the liberty of calling her a woman – was tall and lanky, with a bulging forehead that glowed dully beneath the wispy darkness of her hair. Her eyes were wide-set and almond shaped, and her skin was a strange, pale color Tierney hesitated to call flesh. The woman was draped in a strange, skin-tight garment, with a flowing cape that seemed to settle on her shoulders without any visible means of fastening or support. Every instinct Tierney possessed told her that this was a dangerous creature, no matter how harmless she might seem. “W-who are you? How’d you get in here?” “You know the answers to those questions.” The female alien uncrossed her long legs as she leaned forward with an avid, expectant expression, and new fear plunged through Tierney. “I don’t—” “With a simple probe, you could know every detail of my life, and yours. You could compel me to tell you, or to do as you will. I’ve left myself open, to test your development. Go on. Command me.” Tierney backed away, and her throat closed in dread as her back touched the door, and she realized she was trapped with this psychopathic alien. “I think you have the wrong—“ “No, I don’t. Janine was supposed to teach you, to force you to use your abilities to get what you wanted. She obviously failed.” Tierney stiffened at the mention of her mother. Anyone who knew her at all knew what a sensitive subject her mother was. No one had mentioned Janine Grant in Tierney’s presence since her death five years ago. “Look, whoever you are—” “I am Kavak. You would know that, if you were using the abilities you were given to their full potential.” “Whatever. I don’t know how you knew my mother—” “She was not your mother. Not by blood.” And that was an issue Tierney didn’t intend to visit. She’d ignored the uneasy feeling that she wasn’t the Grants’ daughter for this long; with her father dead, she wasn’t about to change that. She was the only one left.

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“My mother and I weren’t close enough for her to teach me anything, let alone your crackpot theories. My father taught me everything I know.” Pride swelled in her chest at the memory of her father’s courage, and kindness. “He raised me more than she ever did.” Kavak frowned. “An unfortunate occurrence, but not cause for alarm. We will simply have to reprogram you.” Reprogram her? Like she was a computer that could be rebooted? Tierney blinked at Kavak, stunned speechless as she realized that was exactly what Kavak planned. They were going to wipe away all her memories! “Like hell, lady. I’m not going to sit still for someone to scramble my brains and wipe away my entire life!” Kavak rose imperiously. “You would defy my will?” “You bet your ass I would, lady.” The alien’s almond eyes narrowed, and the glow of her forehead grew brighter. “You have no choice in this matter. If you do not come willingly, you will come as you are commanded.” As Kavak’s eyes began to swirl, Tierney stifled a moan of pain. The headache that had throbbed dully in the back of her head since this morning flared into a weight that crushed her brain, and her vision went red, and then black, and she fell, limp, to the floor. Her last thought before oblivion claimed her was that she had to get away, before she forgot everything that made her real. Kavak grimaced to herself as she activated the exterior lock on the unit’s sleeping domicile, and sealed the malfunctioning unit inside. This defiance from the Pleiades units was unforeseeable, and unacceptable. The flaw must be corrected, and quickly. Six of the seven units showed signs of this program flaw. They must recall the seventh before she, too, experienced a set-back. But first, she must see to this unit. Touching a hand to her forehead, she sent a message to the mother vessel. Prepare to activate the Celestine device. We must reclaim our Pleiades units.

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CHAPTER EIGHT She groaned as light burst behind her eyelids, and wished for the darkness, again. With a groan of misery, Tierney rolled to her stomach and buried her face in something that was rough and smelled faintly of carpet sanitizer. The rug. Her eyes blinked open, and she ordered herself to not vomit as her head and eyes protested the attempt to see. She closed them again and flopped back with a moan. God, it was like the one and only time she got plastered in college! Whatever that alien did to her, her whole body was in mutiny. As the torture receded to painful fuzz in the back of her brain, Tierney opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling of her bedroom as the events of the day rushed through her. Talk about insanity! And, the worst part was, she could only assume the alien dragged her up here, because she couldn’t remember how she got to her room. All she could remember was that strange conversation in the living room, and her argument with Archer, and…. Archer! Tierney pushed to her feet with an unsteady wobble, and wove her way to the door. She had to warn Archer about the fruit loop in the cape! Maybe he and Mythos could find a way to stop the Anaz-Voohri before they… Tierney stopped, and blinked, confused. Before they what? She had no idea what the aliens planned, or why every instinct she possessed said the world was in danger. She frowned as she stopped before the door. It didn’t open automatically. Strange. Why wouldn’t the sensor work? It’d never failed before. She shrugged, and reached to tap the manual release. Her frown deepened when the door still didn’t open, and new fear plunged through her, along with mild hysteria. God, she was trapped here! “Hey!” She slapped the smooth faux wood door with open palms. “Let me out of here!” Ear pressed to the metal, she heard nothing, and that silence was ominous. Eyes closed, she could picture Kavak outside the door like some sinister, warped guard. In her head, Tierney swore she heard that strange language again, and though she didn’t understand a word of it, the sense of imminent danger climbed through her, and her pulse sped up. She had to get out of here! Tierney swung around, and her frantic gaze catalogued and discarded possible methods of escape. The door was steel, beneath the faux maple veneer. There was no way she would get out through there without a laser cutter or a lock pick. Since she was fresh out of both, she discarded the traditional way out of the room as impossible. For the first time in her life, she cursed her stubborn unwillingness to learn computer override procedures in college. She could really use that skill, right now! Her attention stopped on the windows, and she licked her lips as sweat beaded on her upper lip. The entire house was programmed with state-of-the-art security measures – her father’s ultimatum to her decision to live alone. If a window broke, she’d have federal authorities there in minutes. Tierney snatched up the jewelry box her father gave her for her sixteenth birthday, and lifted it to throw at the glass. She froze, as Archer’s suspicions about ORION and GSS rushed back, and she felt sick. She couldn’t alert them; she could end up charged as a traitor to the human race. Slowly, she set the box back down, and sighed in frustration. Okay, so there was no way to open the door, and she couldn’t break a window without ending up in jail. She walked to the window and tested the lock; maybe Kavak had overlooked those. If she could open a window….

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Yes! The red activation light on the window lock was still lit. That meant they weren’t disabled. Heart pounding with tension, she tapped the release button twice, and pressed her thumb to the DNA coded identification pad. She flinched at the prick of the tiny needle that would gather her DNA tag, but held still. Seconds passed, and she heard movement outside the door. Her heart sped up even more, and she bit her tongue against the urge to talk to the window lock – as if that would speed it up. Finally, there was a tiny beep, and the red light went out, just as she heard a louder beep as the door lock reengaged. God, she had to get out of here, fast! Tierney jerked open the window and slipped out onto the trellis that she installed two years ago, for her prize climbing roses. She needed it more than they did, right now! “Ms. Grant!” Kavak’s voice cut the stillness, and she almost fell as shock loosened her grip. “Come back in here. You must be reprogrammed.” “Like Hell,” Tierney muttered, blessing her High School coach for the humiliating years of climbing rope walls. Who’d have ever thought she’d be able to put that skill to work? The humor of it struck her, even as she eased her way down the precarious, unstable trelliswork, and she smiled to herself. A small burst of laser fire cut off her smile as it zipped past her head, to explode on the ground below, and a cry tore from Tierney as she lost her grip trying to avoid it. She scrambled for purchase, but her bruised hands couldn’t close on the thin pieces of wood fast enough. “Oh, shit.” The words slipped from her lips as the sensation of falling backward punched through her. The world swam by in slow motion, and then she hit the ground. Her teeth jarred, just missing her tongue, as she felt every molecule of air forced from her lungs. Her vision went dark as her lungs heaved, as they searched for precious air, and pain radiated through her body. Even as her lungs filled, Tierney forced her bruised body up, her clothes tearing as thorns scraped along her skin. She struggled out of the rose bushes and stumbled toward the street. She needed a safe haven, and she knew of only one place she’d ever felt safe. *

*

*

Archer leaned back in his seat at the computer terminal and rubbed his burning eyes. He didn’t usually work at his apartment; he preferred to be in the center of things at Mythos, but he needed peace and quiet for this task. Besides, he was loathe to let anyone else see how stumped he was. The chemical make-up of Gold was far in advance of anything humanity had ever experienced, before. It was a nanotechnological virus; the initial chemical released microscopic nanobots into the air, which the unsuspecting victims then breathed in. The nanobots replicated themselves in the body, and the victim would feel stronger, more alert. Until the second stage of the virus was released. A deadly toxin in its own right, the Gold vapor they collected acted as some kind of chemical signal or trigger, that turned the nanobots from replication of themselves into replicating the toxin. The amount of nanotechnology in the victim’s system effected how fast the toxin worked, and whether or not the virus killed, or just disabled. Whoever created this was a genius. Sick, demented, but a genius. It was scientific artistry. That this two-step poison system was created with the sole purpose of exterminating life made his blood run cold. Released into the air in large enough doses, this could conceivably wipe out all life on Earth. The sudden buzz of his doorbell, combined with the desperate thump of a fist on the door, snapped Archer’s attention from his thoughts, and he rose to his feet as he flipped on the hidden camera above the door. A tousle of strawberry blonde hair, and a shaking body encased in tattered clothes pulled a low, violent oath from him, and he sprang to the door. His hand slapped over the release switch. Tierney jerked back a step, and her gray eyes were wide, her pupils huge and her breathing swift and shallow. She was in shock. Archer swore beneath his breath as he scooped her into his arms and headed straight into the bathroom. Carefully, he set her on her feet in the shower and turned on the cold

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water. He hoped that would do the trick. He swore again as she swayed, then wilted against the wall and slid down the tile, her eyes glazed and her face as pale as death. Damn, this was bad. Even as that thought registered, he pulled her upright against himself as he climbed under the spray as well, holding her up as the icy water pelted over them. “Tierney. Come on, angel, snap out of it…” She shivered, and made a feeble attempt to rally, and his heart squeezed as he silently encouraged her. When she seemed stable again, he stepped back, and wished she was comatose again. At least then, he was too worried to notice her body. With a silent groan as he stared at her, he knew no amount of cold water in the world would avert this disaster. The water poured over Tierney. It plastered her strawberry blonde hair against her head and face and turned her summer weight green blouse transparent as it washed away the blood and dirt. Hunger tightened in Archer as he stared at the wet material where it clung to the curve of her breasts. Her nipples stood out in stark relief against the cloth, tightened by the icy spray. Archer’s heart thudded against his ribs as his chest constricted, and he swore his wet jeans shrank four sizes. He groaned and tore his gaze away before he did something stupid. God; how did he get himself into these messes? Her eyelashes, dewey from the shower, fluttered and opened, and she drew tiny, gasping breaths that thrust her breasts forward with each motion. He met her gaze, and his knees weakened at the hunger blazing there. He already knew he didn’t dare fulfill the demand in those storm-grey eyes. He couldn’t risk that. “Lawson.” His own name never sounded as erotic as it did in her breathy whisper. His eyes dropped to her soft lips, even as he reminded himself that kissing her was off-limits. Lifting his gaze again, he met hers, and he saw the flare of challenge in those grey depths. “Kiss me.” He groaned aloud and closed his eyes to the sight of her as he fought his body for control. She couldn’t ever have any idea how much he wanted to kiss her. “Tierney, we can’t.” Her silence was deafening. His eyes snapped open, and he knew he was in deep shit. Her head was tilted at that proud angle that, even when she looked like a drowned rat, managed to convey her determination. His heart pounded hard. This was the woman he fell for, all those years ago. Even in that girl’s body she’d had, Tierney was proud and determined, unwilling to be put off, or told that her age or sex kept her from her dreams. And, God, how he wished he was a part of those dreams. Now, she met his gaze and demanded, “Why not?” “Because…” He sought around for a reason; anything but the truth. “Because your father forbade it, and—” “My father’s dead.” He winced at the matter-of-fact way she said those words. This wasn’t the Tierney he knew; this wasn’t the woman who grieved at her father’s graveside. “That’s cold, Tierney.” “No.” Her voice softened with sadness, but the edge of determination was still there. “It’s a fact I can’t change. But you and me, I can do something about.” Her eyes welled with angry tears as she glared at him. “Damn it, Archer, I’ve already lost one man I loved. Don’t make me beg.” The pain in her eyes tore at him worse than any wound he’d taken in the line of duty, and he swallowed hard as he battled himself. Was his honor worth watching this woman suffer? He had so damned little honor left; as much as he hated it, he knew Tierney could do a hell of a lot better than him. “You’re too young.” The hint of a smile twitched at her lips. “Thirteen years ago, that might have worked. Not now. I’m twenty-nine, Lawson, and as much as I might have wished you were my first, I’ve been with plenty of men. I’m not the girl you left behind.” “I never left you behind,” he growled as possessive heat curled in him. Damn it, he didn’t want to hear about other men, or to imagine what she might or might not have done with them. He’d only drive himself crazy, that way. As he stared into her face, clean of all make-up, he saw the girl she’d been, and all the crazy fantasies he had over the years, of going back, of doing everything differently,

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assaulted him. Suddenly, they were back there, in that office, again, and she was a guileless sixteenyear-old, her eyes shining with that love he was so afraid of. Not anymore. Archer grasped her arms and dragged her against himself as he took possession of her mouth the way he wanted to. He drank her in, savored her responsiveness. Scent, taste, and feel combined to drive him wild with the desire he held in check for so long. He swallowed her gasp of surprise, and then her tiny moan as her body melted against his, soft curves to his hard planes, and groaned. God, nothing ever felt so right in his life; only Tierney touched him like this. He broke away at last, his breathing labored as he fought for control. He stared down into her soft gray eyes as he muttered the admittance sure to damn him. “I never left you behind, Tierney. That’s the whole damned problem.” She stared at him, wide-eyed in surprise, before a soft, shy smile spread over her lips. “I’m glad.” She cuddled into his embrace. After a moment, she heaved a small sigh and looked up at him. “We don’t have to make love, Lawson, but I need you to hold me. Just for tonight.” The plea in her eyes got to him on a level Archer didn’t want to revisit, and he squeezed her lightly. “You got it.” And, as he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed, Archer prayed he wasn’t about to make the stupidest move of his life. Archer lay with Tierney in his arms, his gaze on her sleeping face as he marveled at her simple beauty. Face washed clean of make-up, she looked younger and less sophisticated – almost like the girl he remembered. Only, she wasn’t that girl, anymore, and he had trouble reconciling the changes their years apart had wrought on her. She was more feisty – he hadn’t believed it possible until he saw it with his own eyes – than she’d been back then, and more bold. The sophistication that had appeared to be playacting, all those years ago, was now an intimate part of her. For all the physical similarities, she wasn’t the same person he’d known and loved. Which didn’t mean he wasn’t in real danger of falling for her all over again. The cell phone he dropped on the nightstand earlier rang, and Archer sighed as he reached to lift it to his ear with a low, “Archer.” “Zeus, we have a problem.” The worry in Bennett Sevastian’s voice caused Archer’s brow to furrow. His second-in-command might be arrogant and hot-headed, but he never got rattled. And he sounded it now. “Not Kent again, I hope.” “No.” Archer eased himself away from Tierney’s sleeping form and sat up on the edge of the bed. “All right, Aries. What’s the problem?” “That sample of Gold Darius Cain had isn’t the only one.” Those words sank into Archer like winter cold. This wasn’t good. It couldn’t be good. “Another attack?” “No. But we’ve pinpointed the source of the Gold; it was the ORION Research Lab, right here in DC. A reliable source gave Midas a lab location for it; says there’s another sample set in the lab, still.” Archer’s mind clicked into gear. So far, the samples they worked with in an attempt to make a cure were impure, contaminated by environmental chemicals. If they could get their hands on an untainted sample… “Thanks for the update, Aries. I’ll work out the details and get back to you, but we definitely need to get that sample before someone like Cain does.” “Agreed.” As Archer hung up, he glanced over his shoulder at Tierney as she shifted and muttered in her sleep. So far, she showed no signs of being sick, since the benefit, and the Biohazard team cleared her.

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Which meant that, whatever he did, he had to make sure she wasn’t exposed to the virus again. Her life depended on it.

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CHAPTER NINE Archer awoke with a start, aware that something was wrong, but his sleep-hazed brain couldn’t latch onto what. Tensed for trouble, he catalogued sounds, searching for something out of place. That scratching at the bedroom door; that was what woke him. Only, there shouldn’t be anything scratching at his bedroom door. He bolted upright as his eyes scanned the darkness for enemies. Streetlight filtered through the window and outlined a sight that made his brow furrow and his chest tighten. Tierney leaned against the door as if it was all that propped her up, her fingers scraping frantically against the bare metal. “Tierney, what’s wrong?” She didn’t even twitch in acknowledgement, as if she was deaf. Worried, Archer rose from the bed and went to her, grasping her hands to force them still. Something wet and sticky touched his hands, and he looked down to find that her fingernails were scraped to the quick, and blood trickled over her hands and his. She muttered beneath her breath, and he leaned in closer in time to hear, “Desert… Haven…Must awaken…” Fear dropped through his gut. He grasped her shoulders and shook her gently in an effort to wake her. “Tierney, come on; wake up!” He looked into her face, at last, and his breath froze in his lungs. Tierney’s eyes were open, her pupils dilated and fixed and her face was blank of expression. She looked like a zombie. “Tierney…” He shook her again, harder this time. Damn it, she had to snap out of this. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be healthy. “Come on, angel. Talk to me.” She fought his grasp, though her expression remained unchanged, and an eerie chill went through Archer as he realized she couldn’t hear or see him. She clawed to get back to the door – to get wherever it was that she believed she had to go, in her mind. This wasn’t Tierney – at least, not any Tierney he knew. He’d never heard a peep about her sleepwalking, in all his years of friendship with her family, and he never saw a sleepwalker act like this in his life. Her eyes were open, but she was totally unaware of anything beyond the compulsion that drove her toward wherever she was trying to go. Shaking her wasn’t working, but he knew in his gut he had to wake her up. He didn’t want to hurt her; he’d never struck a woman in his life, and he certainly wasn’t about to start now. But what else could he do? He sought around for an idea, even as he struggled to keep hold of a wildly-struggling Tierney. Suddenly, a distant memory – one of Lizzy’s favorite fairy tales – popped into his mind. The princess had been asleep, and no one could wake her. “Well, Sleeping Beauty,” he murmured to the struggling hellcat in his arms. “Let’s hope this works as well in real life.” With an indrawn breath, he grasped her chin and dipped his head to kiss her. The instant his lips touched hers, he felt her stiffen in his arms, and a tiny sound of protest left her, before she went limp in his grasp, like dead weight. He lifted his head and watched her face until he was sure she was breathing, and then lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. God, what a night! Gently, he deposited Tierney in the bed, and went to the bathroom for gauze and sanitizing cream. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he lifted one of her hands and cleaned it with the cream and a piece of gauze, wiping away the blood. He laid the first hand across her stomach, and lifted the other one and began again. Then, with a sigh, he rose and threw out the bloody gauze. Back in the bedroom, he tucked the sheets

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around her, and prayed the excitement was over for the night. Tierney stirred, and he froze as her eyes blinked open in sleepy confusion. “Is it morning?” “No.” He sank back to the edge of the bed. He rubbed his stubbly chin and debated how to broach the subject of what she’d done. With a sigh, he decided on the direct approach. “You were sleepwalking, Tierney.” She didn’t look surprised by this news, and a fresh wash of suspicion and uncertainty went through Archer. “You know?” She shook her head. “No, but my parents said I did it all the time when I was little.” He regarded her soberly as he digested this information. The words she muttered at the door still bothered him. She’d sounded like a tape recording. “What’s in the desert?” She blinked at him as if he’d gone crazy. “The desert? Sand, I imagine.” “Don’t get cute,” he said in frustration. “You said something about the desert, and a haven, and waking up.” Tierney shrugged, her gray eyes filled with confusion. “I have no idea what that means.” Archer studied her for a long moment. Tierney wasn’t the type to draw attention to herself this way, so he was loathe to believe she’d tricked him. She met his gaze, and he read guileless confusion in her. No way she could fake that look. But if she didn’t fake the sleepwalking, and she had no idea why she said what she had… Archer frowned, not liking the conclusions his mind leapt to. Sleepwalkers typically acted out scenarios and talked about things that caused them stress even when awake. They had some idea what trigger words meant. But Tierney looked as befuddled by her episode as he was; which meant that whatever caused her to sleepwalk, the trigger was buried damned deep. “Don’t worry,” he assured in a gruff attempt to mask his own fear, as he covered her hands with a light squeeze. “We’ll figure it out.” And, deep inside, he prayed he wasn’t lying to her, again.

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CHAPTER TEN She was insane. Tierney sighed to herself as she stood before the marble headstone etched with her parents’ names, and admitted that much to herself as she replayed the events of the past few days. Maybe she was insane all along, and her father’s calm, steady guiding hand just kept her feeling normal. God, it was hard to believe it’d only been a week since she lost her father. It felt more like years, and she’d aged every one of them. Her hand rested on the cold marble – why were marble headstones always cold, even on sunny days like today? – and her eyes closed as tears trickled down her cheeks. “I miss you, Daddy.” “You’re too sentimental. No wonder you’re so weak.” The disdain in that familiar voice sent a shiver of apprehension through her, and she recalled Archer’s suspicions about ORION’s egotistical leader. “If you don’t mind, General,” she said frostily. “I’d like to be alone.” “To talk to a dead man?” The hostility was clear in his voice. “How social of you.” Tierney bristled. Damn it, she wasn’t in the mood for this. “He’s my father.” He raised one brow, and the mocking in his laughter set her teeth on edge. “And they call you intelligent.” Even in her current mood, she couldn’t miss the implication behind that statement. “What are you saying?” He smirked, and shrugged as he walked away. “Enjoy your delusion, Ms. Grant.” Tierney’s eyes flew back to her parents’ grave in surprise. Bits of her visit from that alien – Kavak – came back, and nausea swelled. God. What hadn’t her parents told her? Who was she, really? Her body remained numb as much with the thoughts whirling around in her head as with lack of motion, two hours later. She couldn’t believe there was even a chance she wasn’t who she was raised to be. She was the daughter of the President of the United States, for God’s sake. She ought to know who she was; she had a right to be sure of that. But the truth was, she wasn’t sure of anything. Eleven years of her life were missing, wiped clean in what her father had explained was a tragic accident while she was away at boarding school. She couldn’t remember any of it. What if…? A sound jerked her head up in surprise, to find Archer beside her, a worried frown on his face. “When did you get here?” She didn’t quite have a grasp of reality, yet. Was anything in her life really what it seemed? “About ten minutes ago.” His gaze narrowed on her, concerned. “You look pale. Are you okay?” “Just great,” she muttered. There was no way in hell she was sharing this. She’d sound like a total whack-job. His attention turned to the headstone, and his green eyes were somber. “Deep thoughts?” He had no idea. She shrugged when he looked at her expectantly. This was Archer. Considering the way he reacted to her years ago, when she’d thrown herself at him, he probably thought she was crazy. Might as well make the image complete. “Wondering if my parents spent my whole life lying to me.”

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One dark eyebrow raised in surprise. “Why would you think that?” She sighed. Time to go for the gold. “I don’t know. General Carrick was here, earlier, and he made some comments that made me wonder…” Archer’s gaze turned away, and his expression darkened in a scowl. “Don’t let that asshole poison your memories.” Surprise shot through her at his gruff tone, and she turned to look at him. “What is it between you two?” “Long story.” His tone couldn’t have been clearer; whatever the source of the animosity between Archer and Carrick, it was personal, and none of her business. Tierney let her eyes travel over the cemetery, and told herself Archer’s unwillingness to let her in didn’t sting, as she tried to decide what was safe to ask him. She settled on an awkward, “So, what’re you doing here?” “I came to find you.” The surprised her. She was under the impression, last night not withstanding, that Lawson Archer wanted to stay as far away from her as he possibly could. “Why?” “Because I need to make sure you’re somewhere safe, and out of trouble, before I leave.” Leave? Alarm clutched at her chest, and Tierney fought down the swell of panic. She managed to keep all but a single small tremor out of her voice as she asked, “Where are you going?” He sighed. “I can’t tell you.” Those words hit her with the force of a slap to the face, and her fear avalanched into hot fury. Damn it, he was evading her again! “Dammit, Lawson, quit trying to protect me! I’m a lot stronger than I look!” Wry humor curved his lips, as he reached to skim one finger over an errant strand of her hair. “I know. That’s why I can’t tell you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t make me hurt you.” “Wouldn’t dream of it.” That’s it. She was tired of his flippancy. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at him. “Then tell me where you’re going, or so help me God, I’ll find out on my own. I’m not without resources, either.” He quirked her a quick grin. “You play dirty, angel. I don’t remember that about you.” “I changed.” She wasn’t about to admit to him that he’d changed her, or that his rejection of her to keep his precious career had taught her more about manipulation than an entire lifetime spent in the world of politics. She wasn’t about to give him that power over her. “Now, tell me what’s going on. I’m sick of being the one left in the dark.” His expression turned somber. “Being in the dark is safer.” “Screw safe. I’ve earned the right to know.” Their gazes locked in silent combat, his willing her to give up her interrogation and stay safe, and hers demanding answers. She wasn’t about to be swaddled and shut away like some helpless Victorian heroine. After a long moment, Archer sighed, and nodded. “All right; you really want to know?” “Yes.” “The weapon that killed your father is known as Gold. We thought the man who planted both virus bombs – Darius Cain – had stolen the only existing prototype of the agent. As you know, he’s already used it.” Dread crawled along her spine, and she regretted her decision to know. “But?” He stared out over the cemetery. “We just found out that Cain only stole one small sample of a much larger research stockpile. There’s a lot more Gold out there.” An involuntary shudder worked through Tierney. “And you know where it is?” He nodded absently. “ORION’s research labs, here in Washington.”

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“My God.” Dizziness assaulted Tierney, and those voices were back. But this time, she could understand them and their demand for the return of the Gold. Only a Pleiades unit can touch it unharmed; bring it to us. It was dangerous; whatever that stuff was, she knew it was meant for diabolical purposes. Whoever touched it would die. “Lawson, you can’t go after it!” He shot her a concerned glance, as if he thought she’d lost her mind. God, if only she could chalk it up to that! But something told her this danger was all too real. “It’s too dangerous!” He sighed. “There’s no choice, Tierney. We need a viable, uncontaminated sample, in order to create a cure for the virus that killed your father, and is slowly killing dozens of other people.” Tierney forced her panic under control. She had to maintain her calm, or she’d never get him to understand. “By ‘we’, I assume you mean Mythos.” Archer nodded. “In conjunction with Minos Enterprises, yeah.” “So, how dangerous is this stuff?” She already knew. She didn’t know how; she just did. “Dangerous.” He looked uncomfortable. “We believe Darius Cain only has hours, at the most, to live. He’s handled the stuff directly.” “And how do you plan to get into ORION to get a sample? Jason Carrick isn’t about to just give you a key to his lab.” He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I’ll figure it out.” Now was her chance. Tierney drew a deep breath. “I have a way.” Archer cocked her a curious look. “How?” “Let me go with you.” “Have you gone insane?” “Why?” She glared at him again, pissed that he found the idea of her going with him inconceivable. “I can help you get in.” His jaw set. “Absolutely not.” “Give me one good reason.” “It’s too dangerous.” “Oh, really? I don’t know about you, but I can walk right through the front doors of ORION at any time. Once I’m in, I can get the sample, and walk right back out through the front door.” He gaped at her like a fish deprived of water, before his expression turned stern. “Please tell me you’re kidding.” Tierney gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why was this so hard for him to grasp? “Not at all. Carrick doesn’t consider me a threat—” His snort of disbelief cut her off. “The only person Jason Carrick doesn’t consider a threat is himself.” She rolled her eyes, this time, as she debated the wisdom of knocking some sense into Archer. “I can claim he issued me an invitation to tour ORION facilities, that I cornered him in a public forum and expressed my concern that someone’s been stealing military technology to assassinate the President. I do auditing for a Congressional commission on research, and they’re not going to question me too closely.” His brow lifted. “You’d use your own father’s death as a bargaining chip? That’s cold, angel.” “If it prevents any more deaths, it would be what he’d want.” She refused to let him see how much the idea tore her apart. He was silent for a long moment, before he nodded. “All right; I guess it can’t hurt to give it a try. But, Tierney, at the first hint of trouble, you’re out of there. I’m not going to risk your life for this.” She offered him a small smile and a nod, but she’d be damned if she agreed to his terms. Whoever had let that virus leave the lab was responsible for her father’s death, and a whole lot more suffering. What was one more life, if her sacrifice put the bastard out of business for good?

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CHAPTER ELEVEN This was a bad idea. Archer glanced warily at his companion as the landtrans settled to a stop before the outer security doors of ORION’s Research facility. He debated how to make his case to Tierney since they left the cemetery, but arguing with Tierney was pointless. Her logic made too much sense for argument. That was the problem – it was damned impossible to argue with Tierney. The only time he managed to stand his ground was when it came to their relationship – or lack thereof. It never ceased to amaze him, how what once drew him to her could annoy him so much. He always admired her ability to get people to agree with her, without being the least bit intimidating or nasty. Her grace under fire, and calm, cool logic entranced him, once. But having it directed at him was quite another matter; especially when the issue at hand was her safety. She had what he supposed most people called charisma. All he knew was, it had a tendency to get her into trouble, and that scared the hell out of him. As he studied her face, Archer realized she wasn’t as confident about this as she let on. Maybe he could use that to his advantage, and get her to back out voluntarily. “Last chance to back out.” He reached for his door. “No way.” Tierney fidgeted with her designer suit as if it wasn’t tailor-made to stay exactly where it best hugged those amazing curves. Archer grunted, and cursed himself for noticing. The woman had a body that would give a monk fantasies. He cleared his throat against the sudden strangle of lust. “You look fine.” She flashed him a nervous smile of gratitude. “Sorry. I’ve never lied my way into a building, before.” His lips quirked. She might not have ever done this before, but he already knew she was capable of it. Her powers of persuasion could convince the Devil he needed matches. “You’ll do fine. You’re great at convincing people.” Her shoulders straightened, and Archer swallowed a grin at her bold determination. They were in her arena, now. The art of persuasion was something Tierney mastered before she learned to speak. She certainly had it down thirteen years ago. She’d almost convinced him to give up his honor, along with his career. Confident strides carried Tierney toward the facility’s doors, and Archer watched her long legs move smoothly on those high heels, and decided she didn’t need to say a word to convince any red blooded male to let her go wherever she wanted. Tierney had a body that men noticed, and a mind that worked like a steel trap. Add her quick wit, and she was damned dangerous to a man’s sanity. Yeah, he enjoyed the hell out of the role of bodyguard; he wasn’t going to deny it. It gave him a perfect view of her ass. “Good morning.” Tierney’s soft voice drew his gaze to her face in time to see her turn on one of those bright, gracious smiles as she greeted the young man in the blue ORION uniform. Archer pitied the kid as he crumbled before that smile; he knew the feeling. “My name is Tierney Grant. I’m here for an inspection tour.”

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“I-inspection t-tour?” The guard stammered in confusion, his young face a mask of panic as he scrambled to pull out his epad and check his visitor list. Must be new; that would explain why he didn’t have a clue what was going on. “I don’t see an inspection scheduled.” Tierney gave him a wide-eyed look of dismay. “This inspection’s been on the schedule for months! I spoke with General Carrick just this morning, and he assured me I had complete access, given current situations. I guess I’ll just have to go back and call him to reschedule.” She started to turn away, and Archer swallowed his grin. She played this kid like a pro, and she’d just laid out her trump. No way did this kid want to get called on the carpet by ORION’s notoriously hard-assed General. “No! Ma’am, I’m sorry, there must have been some kind of screw up in communications. I’m sure you’re approved.” Archer watched the kid’s panicked scramble to stay off of Carrick’s radar, and felt sorry for him. He was a peon. His job was on the line if he denied a GSS representative entry after they were cleared by Carrick personally, but he had to weigh that against Jason Carrick’s famous temper, if he let unauthorized personnel into an ORION facility. Either way, he was in trouble, and he knew it. Archer eyed the kid with respect, and gave him credit for balls that it took him less than a minute to decide who he was more afraid of. He chose pissing off Tierney as the greater of two evils. Smart kid. Tierney nodded and gave the kid another bright smile as she breezed past him, leaving him dazed and glassy-eyed with confusion. Archer waited until they were safely through the tinted doors and out of sight, before he placed a hand against Tierney’s back and urged her to hurry. “As sexy as those heels are, angel, I wish you’d worn something you could run in. We have to move fast.” “Why?” “Because your boyfriend back there is on the horn with his commander as we speak, to get confirmation that there was an inspection scheduled for today.” “No, he isn’t.” He shot her a look. “Of course he is; it’s Standard Operating Procedure. We’re not on his list, and we claimed we belonged here. He can’t risk the launch of a full-blown GSS investigation by detaining us, but he’ll confirm that we’re really supposed to be here, ASAP. When he finds out we’re not…” “He won’t make the call.” She sounded so sure of that. Too sure. Ice shot down Archer’s spine as he considered, for the first time, that Tierney might be in league with Jason Carrick. “How do you know that?” “I don’t know how. I just know that he won’t.” She shrugged, and the confusion in her gray eyes as they met his clenched a fist of dread in his gut. She wasn’t in league with Carrick, but he was afraid the truth might be much worse. Dylan Brady’s words bounced back into his head. There’s a whole list of them. When he saw her name… Archer closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about it; not now. They needed to move. His eyes scanned the corridor for possible threats, and the climate-controlled air burned his lungs as he inhaled sharply. Two men and a woman, all in the same blue ORION uniforms, stepped out into the corridor ahead of them. There was no way to avoid them, either, he realized with a sinking feeling as the woman spotted them. “ID, please.” She stopped them, her dark eyes unyielding beneath the pageboy crop of ashblonde hair. “I’m afraid we don’t have any,” Tierney said before Archer could intervene. “There was an error in scheduling, and no one alerted security we were coming. The guard didn’t have any badges for us.” Her gray eyes focused one each of the ORION agents as she spoke, and Archer stiffened as he saw their eyes take on the same glazed, confused look the guard’s had. God… could it be?

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“My name is Tierney Grant, and I’m here on behalf of the Congressional Research Committee, to inspect lab safety and security protocols. Can any of you direct me to Lab A-36?” “Third lift on the right goes straight to the basement, and the lab.” The man who answered sounded dazed. An elevator. Of course. At least that explained how Cain got into the lab, even if it didn’t explain how he knew where Gold was kept. He must have someone on the inside. If the man was even half as good as Tori Blair claimed, all Cain needed was one access panel from the ventilation system to the elevator shaft, and he could be in, and out, without notice. Archer mulled over what to do next as he followed Tierney toward the lab. It was frightening to watch her deal with every obstacle they encountered so far with such absolute authority he’d swear she was in this up to her pretty little neck. When she tapped in the elevator’s access code without pause, that vague fear turned to dread. Just how much did Tierney really know? “How did you know that code? I don’t remember hearing you ask anyone for it.” She shrugged. “I just do.” Something about the tone of her voice was off. Her remote attitude annoyed him. “Doesn’t knowing all of this stuff you shouldn’t know bother you at all?” She looked up, and the eyes he looked into weren’t Tierney’s. These eyes were remote and lifeless, like a machine. The gray was dulled, and something in her expression told him Tierney wasn’t home, in there. Apprehension stabbed through him, even before, in an unconcerned voice, she said, “No. Should it?” That did it. This wasn’t Tierney. Like last night, when she’d clawed at his bedroom door, trying to escape, this woman wasn’t the woman he knew. But, unlike that caged animal of last night, this automation scared him. This was a woman capable of anything – including cold-blooded murder. Icy dread plunged through him as he realized ORION didn’t make a mistake. Dylan Brady’s discovery was correct. Tierney Grant was one of the Pleiades women. The elevator ride was an uncomfortable one, to say the least. Archer had no idea what to do about Tierney, now that he couldn’t deny the truth any longer. Hell, he didn’t even know if he could trust her. He had no idea what her part in the Pleiades scheme was. There was damned little in the file on the final two sisters. Just names. For all he knew, Tierney had engineered the release of the toxins. The only thing he had that said otherwise was the irritating flare in his stomach. It told him Tierney wasn’t this cold machine; she was trapped inside there, somewhere. He just had to find a way to set her free. As the elevator came to a stop, he sighed and glanced at his silent companion. And, as he looked into eyes that were suddenly neither cold nor remote, but confused and all too human, relief stung him, sharp and sweet. “What’s going on?” Tierney asked, glancing around. “How did we get here?” “You don’t remember?” She shrugged, and shook her head. “Vaguely. I—“ “Later.” He urged her out of the elevator and into the empty lab. They didn’t have time for her rehash of events, or explanations, right now. That could wait until they were back at his apartment. A quick glance around the lab confirmed that this was more of a secure storage than a working lab. No workstation equipment, apparatus, or any evidence that human beings worked here. Just rows of cold storage units, and locked cabinets. If he needed proof that Cain had help from the inside, this place convinced him. No way could the man have found for the Gold samples without disturbing anything else, unless he knew exactly where to look for it. No one was that good. “Over here.” Archer turned at the sound of Tierney’s voice, to find her standing at the lab’s only computer terminal, built into the wall. “Think it’ll tell us where to find Gold?”

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“Oh, it’ll tell us.” He knew it was the fastest method of finding what they came for, but he didn’t like the possibility that it might be their only course of action. “But it’s patched in to the main network. It’ll bring all of ORION down on us.” “Then we’ll just have to work quickly.” He cast her a wry grin, glad to see her pert sense of humor had returned. God, he hoped he never had to deal with that damned automation she’d become again. “That sounds more like the Tierney I remember.” She threw him a wink, and stepped aside as he moved to the terminal. “Well, don’t just stand there!” “Yes, ma’am.” His fingers flew over the screen as he accessed a 3-D map of the lab. Two taps on the screen’s menu, and a light blinked on the map locator. “Fourth storage ladder on the far wall.” He heard Tierney moving around behind him, but his attention remained focused on the terminal screen. Lists of files, all labeled “Gold,” and every one of them sealed with more encryption than he had time to crack right now, scrolled down the screen. He extracted his epad from his jacket pocket and set it to match the terminal signal, so he could access the files through his epad, later. It was dangerous, he knew, and would give ORION his exact location everywhere he went, until he got the files patched into the code-cracker at Mythos. But it was a risk he had to take. “Got it!” Tierney crowed in triumph as she appeared back at his side, a small cold-storage pack in her hands. “Great.” He shut down the terminal, and turned to take the pack. Without hesitation, he pulled the two heat-shielded vials from the container, and tucked them into his jacket pocket. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” And, as they headed for the elevator, Archer couldn’t shake the feeling they were playing right into someone’s hands. If only he knew whose.

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CHAPTER TWELVE The tension in the elevator was thick enough to cut with a knife. Tierney worried her bottom lip as she watched the floor indicator light, her heart pounding in her ears. If they didn’t get out of here fast, they were as good as dead. And if Carrick ever got his hands on them… She shuddered at the thought of what might happen. A sick feeling sloshed in her stomach, and she envisioned all of ORION laying in wait, set to pounce on them as soon as the elevator came to a stop. God, what had ever made her think she was cut out for this? The elevator jolted to a stop, and Tierney stifled a gasp as it shocked her out of her musing. The above-ground indicator blinked on, and a sudden, ear-splitting wail reverberated in the tiny compartment. Archer swore, and his hand clamped around her wrist. He tugged her along behind him as he raced down the corridor, toward the main entry. Jolted from her shock, Tierney stumbled, unable to keep up with his lightning pace. “Archer, stop! I can’t—” He ignored her, and his fierce expression settled a lump of anxiety in Tierney’s stomach. God, she felt sick. The air sawed in and out of her lungs, and she measured each step of their brutal pace with her labored breathing. No way could she keep this up. Already, her muscles burned with exhaustion and her head felt ready to explode from oxygen depravation. She stumbled again, and her legs gave out. “Lawson!” In a single motion, he scooped her into his arms and ducked into a doorway. Darkness plunged around them, and Tierney blinked rapidly in an attempt to adjust to the change in lighting, even as she became aware of Archer’s body sliding along hers as he set her back on her feet. She’d read about how situations of extreme danger heightened certain endorphins. As her skin tingled with awareness, she realized she’d never felt that dangerous thrill, before. But she felt it now. Her blood raced, and she pressed against Archer’s hard, lean body, ravenous for the feel of his body against hers, minus their clothing. “Lawson…” He straightened, and she heard his sharp intake of air. “Tierney, this isn’t the time or place….” “I don’t care. Kiss me.” “Tierney…” “Kiss me; or I’ll scream.” His head lowered, until she felt his warm breath against her cheek as he muttered, “This is blackmail.” Like she cared. Her body screamed with lust. With a small stretch, she brought their mouths into alignment and drank in the taste of him, and danger. She heard him groan, and then his hands were on her ass as he dragged her tight against his hard body. And speaking of hard… Tierney purred and rubbed against him, encouraging him with her body, desperate for him to take everything she’d offered him thirteen years ago. He broke their kiss with a ragged groan. “I take it back. This is insane.” “So what? I—” Archer covered her mouth with his hand, cutting her off, as his eyes fixed on the door behind her. After a moment, he relaxed, and moved her a step away, as if removing a temptation. Tierney stifled a small cry as something hard and unwelcome jabbed her right between the shoulderblades. That

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felt like… a Cleanunit handle? She bit her lip against laughter as the hilarity of the situation struck her. She’d tried to seduce the man of her dreams in a janitor’s storage room! “Are we… in a broom closet?” She heard the rustle of movement, before the muted overhead light clicked on, and she saw the wry grin on Archer’s face. “That would be my guess.” She returned the grin, aware the same thought occurred to them both, and stepped away from the offending handle. “Now what? They’re looking for us, aren’t they?” Booted feet thundered past outside, and she could hear the bark of orders being thrown around. She watched Archer’s expression turn to stone, just before the room plunged into darkness again. “It’s worse than that; they’re trying to flush us out. Someone’s cut the power; probably to the whole wing.” Fear trickled through Tierney, and the situation wasn’t exciting or funny, anymore. It was now deadly. “We’re trapped! The door—” “Forget the door.” She heard movement, before a small cloud of light pierced the darkness. In the dim beam of his penlight, Archer looked frightening and unapproachable – like a merciless god. His forbidding expression as he scanned the walls, floors, and ceilings, didn’t help. “We have to find another way out.” She opened her mouth to ask how he intended to get out of a room with no windows and only one door, but snapped her mouth shut when she saw he wasn’t listening. He brushed past her and swept aside a wheeled rack full of cleaning supplies, to reveal a vent just large enough for an adult to crawl through. Tierney looked at the vent skeptically, and concluded he was just searching out options. Then her gaze rose to his face, and her heart plummeted at the decisive satisfaction in his green eyes. She glanced down at her brand new Katie Curtland business ensemble, and then up at Archer again, with a shake of her head. “You can’t be serious.” He sighed in exasperation. “It’s our only option.” The man was insane. “This is a Katie Curtland original! It’s silk!” “Look, angel,” he said through gritted teeth. “It’s either your clothes, or you. As amazing as that outfit looks on you, it’s not going to do you any good if you’re dead. Personally, I don’t care if it’s made of solid frigging gold, right now.” He grunted with exertion as he worked the grate cover free. “Get your sweet little behind over here and let’s go.” She glared at him, and glanced at the door. “Maybe we can reason with them…” “Better yet, you can just use your mind control on them, and make them forget we ever existed,” he muttered, his eyes hard and cold in the muted light. She shot him a dirty look as she reluctantly moved toward the grate. “There’s no need to be sarcastic.” “I only wish I was.” She froze halfway into the grate, and an eerie prickle ran down her spine. Her throat closed, and she glanced over her shoulder at him as fear danced through her. “What do you mean?” “We’re powering up the door grid,” said a voice over a loudspeaker right outside the door, making her jump. This was crazy. She would go nuts, if she didn’t get some straight answers! “Throw down your weapons and come out with your hands in plain sight, and you won’t be harmed.” “Now, why don’t I believe that?” Archer’s lips twisted in a sour grin. “Come on, Tierney, we don’t have time to argue about this. In less than a minute, they’re going to open that door, and if we’re still here, we’re dead.” With a frightened glance toward the door, Tierney followed his instructions without protest. He was right, after all. She could always get a new suit; she didn’t have a clue where to get a new life. Without hesitation, she crawled into the duct, her eyes closed against the vision of dust and cobwebs. If there was one thing Tierney Grant didn’t do, it was spiders. She forced herself to draw even breaths, and not think about the possibility. She could do this. She heard movement behind her as she crawled further in, and then the sound of the grate being replaced, and almost panicked. He couldn’t leave her in

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here alone! She swallowed a scream as something brushed her leg, until she heard Archer mutter, “Shh. It’s just me.” Tierney melted in relief, but it was short-lived, as the sound of a door hissing open reached her ears, followed by voices. “Where the hell are they?” “I don’t know, sir. They were in here, that’s where the grid said, and—” “Give me that!” Tierney jumped as she felt another touch on her calf, until she realized it was Archer, silently urging her to crawl. Cursing every filthy, probably spider infested, inch, she crawled until the voices faded away, and she felt safe enough to whisper, “What happens if they see the vent?” “They won’t. I pulled the cart back around on the way in. I doubt they’ll even think to look for it.” They crawled on in silence for several minutes, before Tierney gathered the courage to ask, “Do you have any idea where we’re going?” “Not a clue. I’m looking for the central shaft. That should get us going in the right direction.” “And which way is that?” “Out of here.” She let another minute of silence pass. “What did you mean, back there?” Tension thickened the air, and she knew he didn’t want to answer her. She didn’t question how she knew; she just did. “Nothing.” She stopped to glance back over her shoulder at him. “I’m crawling around in a ventilation shaft, ruining a seven hundred dollar outfit and risking my life. The least you could do is be honest with me, Archer. Now, what mind control?” He lifted his gaze to hers. “You don’t want to know my theory, Tierney. Believe me; let it go.” Panic plunged through her, and she couldn’t breathe again. The only way Archer wouldn’t tell her something was if he was trying to protect her from something terrible. She had to know. She was too afraid not to. “Tell me,” she demanded, as she clamped down on her hysteria. “This isn’t the time…” “Tell me!” “If you start moving again,” he bargained in resignation. Tierney nodded, and forced herself to start crawling again. One hand in front of the other; she had to keep moving, so he’d tell her… “Twenty years ago, there was a bizarre rash of disappearances, all over the world. Little kids – mostly girls – went missing from their beds over the course of several months. None of them were ever seen again, and, believe me, people looked. Every government agency in the world banded together in search of those kids; rewards in the millions of dollars were offered for any information leading to the safe return of even a few of the children. That eventually led to the formation of the Global Security Sector—” “Thanks for the history lesson, but I had that in school,” she said impatiently. “What’s it got to do with me?” “Those kids were never found, because they were abducted by the Anaz-Voohri. And, as far as we know, only seven of them have ever been returned to Earth – seven girls known as the Pleiades.” Uneasiness grew in Tierney’s head. She remembered hearing something like that, before, but she knew it wasn’t in school. This wasn’t good. “And?” “Take the left ahead of you,” he instructed, then continued, “Late last year, one of my Mythos operatives uncovered a file that identified the seven Pleiades women. Your name was on the list.”

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Tierney stopped dead, shock and denial plunging through her simultaneously. There was no way! “You’re lying.” “I wish I was. I’ve tried to convince myself it was a mistake for months. But, ever since we met up again, I’ve been seeing evidence I can’t deny. Ever wonder why you never have to argue very hard to get what you want—?” “Not true. I’ve been fighting for years to get you.” He ignored her attempt to change the subject. Damn. “Or why you influence people so easily?” “So? I’m persuasive.” “So, I think you can control people’s minds, if you try. I’ve watched you – people either respond immediately to you, or they get this glaze-eyed look and do exactly what you say, anyway. And you always seem to know stuff you shouldn’t know. Stuff you wouldn’t know unless you were reading people’s minds.” She stared at him. Hysteria clutched her chest as Kavak’s words rushed through her again. Her abilities. Oh, God, it wasn’t true! It couldn’t be true! “You’re crazy!” “Think about it—” “No!” She scrambled to get away from him, to outrun the truth hammering at her brain. Oh, God… “Tierney!” “Get away!” She clawed at the nearest vent cover, desperate to get out of the strangling confines of the ventilation shaft. She wanted away from Archer; she didn’t care if all of ORION was on the other side of this vent! Better to be dead than a freak! “Tierney!” Archer had his arms around her waist in a flash and yanked her back from the grate. Damn, he’d known she wouldn’t like hearing that she was living a lie, but he hadn’t thought she’d flip out like this, either. He shifted their positions, so that he was between her and the grate, and prayed no one had heard her, or they were both dead. He glanced out through the grate, and breathed a sigh of relief. The corridor was empty, except for four guards at the end of the passageway, right between them and the exterior doors. They were almost out! All they had to do was get past those guards. He glanced toward Tierney again, and considered their options. There weren’t all that many left. They could make a run for it, but that was a very large risk, and they could still end up dead. If he was right about Tierney, however, she could get them out with minimal risk. But if he was wrong… He drew a breath and told himself he wasn’t wrong. Now wasn’t the time for doubts. If he was going to convince Tierney to give this a try, he had to believe in her abilities one hundred percent. He stared into her eyes and tried to gauge her mental state. “You okay?” She swallowed hard, nodded. “Good, because we’ve still got to get out of here, and there’re four guards between us and the door.” He glanced out at the guards again. “Think you can get us past them without alerting anyone else in the building?” Her silence was far from reassuring. He glanced back at her, to find her staring at him, aghast. “Tierney? Angel, are you—?” “You can’t be serious!” “Never more.” He made another quick survey of the corridor. They didn’t have time for this! Another guard patrolled the corridor just beyond the grate. Shit. “Make that five.” “Have you lost your mind?” She crossed her arms and slumped back against the metal wall. “I can’t just walk up to someone and tell them to forget they ever saw me!” “How do you know you can’t? You don’t have a clue what you can or can’t do.” He turned to look at her, unable to believe this was the same woman who boldly confronted him in his apartment

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wearing nothing but her trench coat and a negligee. “Look, angel, we need to do something to get out of here, or we’re both dead. It’s worth a try, right?” Her gaze dropped, and she traced an invisible pattern on the metal shaft floor. He glanced nervously back out at the corridor. Then, slowly, Tierney’s gaze lifted, and the resignation there wrenched his heart, even as she muttered, “Well, we’re going to die, anyway. Might as well go out with a bang.” Archer’s brow wrinkled in worry. The Tierney he remembered was painfully optimistic. That she’d changed so much in their years apart troubled him; but now wasn’t the time or place to explore how she changed, or why. Instead, he offered her a roguish grin. “Thatta girl! C’mon.” He eased open the ventilation grate, glanced out to make sure they weren’t being watched, and then dropped lightly to the floor, landing in a crouch. When no one raised a cry, he waved Tierney out. She started to slide forward, then hesitated. What the hell was she doing? Then, as he watched her reach down and slip off her pumps, he understood. If she landed on those heels, she’d injure herself for sure, not to mention make one hell of a racket. He offered her an encouraging wink, and watched her smile as she slid the rest of the way forward. She dropped noiselessly to the floor. As she rose to her feet, she glanced down at the front of her outfit, and glared, and he knew what was coming. Motioning her silent, before she gave them away with a complaint, Archer started toward the guards between them and the front doors. Tierney gave him a look like he was nuts, rolled her eyes, and slung her pumps over her shoulder as she sauntered toward the guards, bold as day. “Hey, guys. What’s going on?” Four sets of male eyes turned on Tierney in avid appreciation, oblivious to her state of dishabille, and Archer’s hands clenched in fists. He steamed with silent jealousy, aware that any move on his part might break Tierney’s spell. “There’re some intruders in the building, ma’am. They’ve broken into Lab A-36, already, and Captain Branson says they’re armed and dangerous. You’d best get to one of the safe sectors.” She smiled sweetly at each of the men, and Archer saw red. That she would show that smile to other men, even though he knew she didn’t mean it, enraged him. He had to remind himself it was all part of the act. “Actually,” she said in sugary tones, “I thought I just saw a man in a ski mask go into that room, over there.” She pointed, and her voice dropped an octave. “You should check it out. All of you.” Four heads turned in unison, looking away from where Archer hid, and he saw that zombie-like glaze cross their faces. Hot damn, it was working! As the guards tromped off after Tierney’s imaginary terrorist, Archer left his concealment and dashed for the door. He snagged a stunned Tierney’s wrist and pulled her along with him. Five minutes later, back in the landtrans and headed away from ORION, Archer cast a worried glance at Tierney. She was still too quiet. “You okay?” “I did it!” She murmured the words in frightened awe, before her gaze fixed on him, and he watched pain well up. “Oh, god, Archer; you were right! I am a freak!” “You’re not a freak.” He wished he’d never suggested her mind control ability. He didn’t know she’d react like this. He hated seeing her in pain. “I am! How can I control people’s minds?” He could hear the hysteria in her voice, and see the panic in her eyes. “That’s Science Fiction!” “Not really,” he replied calmly in an attempt to soothe her. “Science acknowledged the possibility of mind control clear back in the mid-twentieth, and it’s mentioned continuously in mythology. Think of it this way; in the ancient world, you’d have been a goddess.” She stared out her window, her expression still somber. “Great. Well, in this world, I’m a freak.” He sighed heavily. “Talk to Tori Blair, over at Minos Enterprises. She’s a Pleiades, too. And if you think mind control’s a problem, try being a human bomb trigger.”

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A wry smile curved his lips at the surprised look that crossed Tierney’s face. He wondered if she’d considered all the possibilities of mind control. Probably not yet. He’d be in a hell of a lot more trouble once she did. His smile collapsed at the thought, and he could only pray she wouldn’t ever figure it out.

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CHAPTER THRTEEN So this was what insanity felt like. Tierney drew a deep breath as she paused outside the door to Marcos Devante’s office, and told herself she could do this. Never mind that, had anyone told her a week ago that she’d be asking a perfect stranger to tell her all about her life, she would have laughed at them. But that was before she learned that her life, as she knew it, was an elaborate lie. And, since the only two people she knew had all the answers were both dead, she was out of options. Her recent discovery weighed on Tierney’s mind. She still couldn’t believe her father lied to her – she couldn’t believe he’d gone along with such a terrible story. Heck, she still couldn’t accept that not only was she not the natural daughter of Silas and Janine Grant, but what she was amounted to some kind of freakish alien weapon. God, she hoped Tori had some answers! Last night, while he worked with the new sample of Gold they retrieved from ORION’s lab, she’d quizzed Archer about the Pleiades project until became clear that he didn’t have much more information than she did. Everything he knew about the operation was gleaned from the known Pleiades operatives – five other women with dangerous abilities who had to fight for their identities. So, when he suggested that she speak with Tori and Marcos about it, she gave the idea long, careful thought. Now, here she was, and she didn’t have a problem in the world admitting that, for the first time in her life, she was terrified to learn. She wanted to go back to how things were. “Get over yourself,” she reprimanded herself as she stepped through the automatic door and into the outer office. “You can’t go back.” The elderly woman seated behind a precisely arranged desk just inside the door glanced up over the edge of her glasses at Tierney, and the curious light in her eyes was unnerving, to say the least. “May I help you?” “Uh…” Tierney stammered, realizing she’d been caught talking to herself. She cleared her throat. “I’m looking for Tori Blair. I was told this was where I’d find her.” “Actually,” the woman smiled as she tapped her terminal screen several times, “Tori’s in her workroom. Two floors down, last door on the left at the end of the research wing.” Relief poured through Tierney to know she wouldn’t have to try and explain herself to this woman. Something about her looked a little too much like a grandmother you couldn’t lie to. “Thanks,” she said with a small smile. “I’ll find her.” Three minutes later, however, that observation struck Tierney as overly optimistic, as she stopped before the last door on the left of the research wing, and glanced around. This was odd. There weren’t anything but doors labeled “supplies” and “storage” down this way. She’d passed the last of the labs, or populated space, half a corridor ago. Her eyes went to the keypad on the wall, and she wondered again if she’d gone too far. She didn’t remember Devante’s secretary saying anything about needing a passcode. Oh, well. She reached out to try the keypad, and jumped back, her heart lodged in her throat, when the door slid open. God; she hadn’t even touched that thing! Wary now, her heart beat wildly against her ribs in trepidation. Tierney stepped into the room, and stopped as her eyes widened in surprise. She must be in the wrong room! Devante’s secretary said Tori was in her workroom; and this didn’t look like any office or scientific workspace Tierney had ever seen. She frowned, confused. This didn’t look like anything she’d expect to find in Minos Enterprises.

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The inset lighting from the ceiling illuminated a room that was little more than concrete walls and floor, dotted with strange metal loops and niches, and laced with wooden beams that had no apparent function Tierney could figure out. What kind of workroom was this? It didn’t even look like anyone was here, though she couldn’t be sure with all the shadows. Just as she turned to leave, convinced she was somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be, something caught her eye. Turning back, her eyes widened as she saw the slight figure who lay prone on one side of the room. Her dark clothing and hair obscured her in the shadows beneath a beam. That was Tori! Concern washed through Tierney, and she took a quick step forward, wondering if the woman was all right. She froze as Tori slowly curled up off of the floor and into a ball, moving upward with a contortionist’s grace. Awe slipped through Tierney as she watched the smaller woman unfurl like a cat, all sinuous grace and unconscious sensuality, as if she savored every motion of her body. Tori’s feet moved in a slow glide across the floor, and her head turned, as if listening to a sound only she could hear. Tierney sucked in a breath as she realized the other woman was blindfolded. What on earth was she doing? As Tierney watched, Tori lowered herself back to the floor, flattened out on her stomach in the middle of the room. She inched forward, rolled cautiously to the side, and slid forward again, this time on her back. She moved as if feeling her way around some invisible barrier. It was amazing to watch, even if Tierney had no clue what was going on. Then, a movement – a shift in the shadows to her right – drew her attention away from Tori’s odd ballet, and her eyes widened in surprise to realize that she wasn’t Tori’s only audience. Leaning against one wooden beam, half-concealed in shadows, was the form of a man in a dark business suit. He shifted again, and the light hit his face to reveal Marcos Devante, his dark gaze glued to the woman on the floor as she moved closer to him in painstaking inches. As she watched him, Tierney very much doubted he realized the rest of the world existed at all, right now. Something about his expression – the flawless blend of raw lust and tenderness – caught at Tierney’s heart and tightened her throat. There was no denying that Marcos Devante was in love with Tori; it was written all over his face. Tierney touched a trembling hand to her throat. God, what she’d give to see that look on Lawson’s face, just once. Tierney blinked away tears and pulled her gaze back to Tori in time to see the other woman rise from the floor in one fluid motion, only a few steps away from Marcos. With a wicked grin, she stepped past him, reached into a niche, and Tierney heard a beep. Tori’s grin widened, and the triumph on her face was clear as she pulled the blindfold from her eyes and faced Marcos. “That enough proof, Devante?” A smile flickered at his lips and disappeared, though his features were soft with love as he looked at Tori. “Sí; I stand corrected, cariña. I’ll start my technicians on your upgrades to the Mantis, right away.” Tori rolled her eyes as she crossed back to him. “You and your bugs. God, Marcos—” Tierney cleared her throat, sure she didn’t want to hear the rest of this conversation the couple thought they were having in private. Heat flushed her neck as they turned in unison, surprise on their faces. “Hey, girl.” Tori draped the blindfold around her neck and moved to lounge easily against one of the wooden beams. “Figured you’d show up again, sometime. What brings you to Minos Enterprises?” Tierney’s gaze moved between the two people, and she flushed as she realized she was about to make herself look like an idiot on Archer’s say-so that they knew about Pleiades. What if Tori didn’t know? “Archer sent me. He said I should talk to you about…” God, she couldn’t do this. With a shake of her head, she muttered, “Never mind.” As she met Tori’s obsidian gaze, she saw the other woman’s eyes narrow, before she pushed off from the beam and strode nonchalantly toward Tierney. “About Pleiades, right?”

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Tierney’s eyes widened in surprise. “How—?” Tori shrugged. “I’m a thief. What I want to know, I make it my business to find out, and there are files. More information than you’d imagine for something that people were so desperate to keep quiet.” Tierney wilted with relief. She hadn’t had to explain herself, or say anything incriminating. “I’m doing research, for—” “Cut the bullshit. You’re one of us and you know it. You want answers, you’re going to have to deal with that fact.” Tierney winced. “I don’t know anything, actually. Archer says I am, and I got a visit from this alien…Kavak, I think her name was.” Tori’s eyes widened, and she loosed a low whistle. “In person? You must be a lot more important to their plans than I was! The only thing I ever got was e-mail.” And she really didn’t want to hear that. Tierney squeezed her eyes shut against nausea. No way did she want to be some grand instrument meant to orchestrate anything. She just wanted to be Tierney. God, why couldn’t she just be who she’d always been? “Please don’t tell me that. I’m having enough problems with this.” “Yeah, it takes you a little while to accept that you’re some kind of alien experiment,” Tori agreed. “But I figure, they may have programmed me to a killing machine, but that doesn’t mean I actually have to be one. They can’t take away our free will.” That was the least of her concerns at the moment, Tierney acknowledged wearily. “And what about the betrayal? How do you deal with knowing that your parents knew what you were, and never told you?” Tori shrugged, the stiff motion at odds with the unconcerned expression on her face. “Wouldn’t know. Mine dumped me in CEM’s lap when I was a little kid. The only people who ever lied to me were the doctors who tried to turn me into an assassin.” “I very much doubt that Silas Grant knew anything about the Anaz-Voohri involvement,” Marcos interjected in a quiet voice as his level gaze fixed on her. “Most likely, he was given some kind of story about a tragic accident that left you without family, by the Anaz-Voohri’s human agents. They played on his sympathy.” “He still should have told me!” She lashed out, hating the anger and pain that roiled in her chest. She needed to blame someone for her the way her world was upended. “I had a right to know I was adopted; I had a right to know if I had other parents out there.” Tori studied her for a moment, and then looked at Marcos. “Maybe we can help with that; if you’re willing to help us, too.” Tierney blinked, startled by the sudden shift of conversation. “Help? With what?” “Marcos’ scientists are trying to isolate what makes the alien nanotechnology so different from human. From what’s been explained to me, they want to draw blood and run tests on a live subject, to see what the nanobots implanted in us are actually capable of.” “Human nanobots are far from as complex and intricately programmed as the Anaz-Voohri ones appear to be,” Marcos explained. “If we have any hope of fighting them, it will be because we know what makes them function.” Tierney frowned, looking back at Tori. “I don’t understand. I thought you were like me. Why aren’t you in the test?” “Can’t.” Tori didn’t look happy by that fact, either. “They keep telling me I’d screw up the testing results, and that it’s too dangerous. I think it’s a crock—” “Dangerous?” Tierney’s gut clenched. What did they want her to do? “How’s it dangerous?” “It’s not, really.” Tori shrugged. “I think that’s just an excuse Marcos told them to give me.” She glared at her fiancé. “I’m pregnant, not fragile.”

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Pregnant? Tierney blinked, and her gaze dropped to Tori’s middle in surprise. She didn’t look pregnant. Tori chuckled, telling Tierney that the other woman had caught her surprised glance, and knew what she thought. “Hard to believe, isn’t it? I’m hardly the maternal type.” Marcos tensed and Tierney could tell that this was a subject of constant debate between them. Apparently, he’d learned that arguing with Tori didn’t work, judging by his stone-faced silence. “C’mon,” Tori continued, undaunted. “Let’s go to Marcos’ office; I have all of the files stored on his system.” Four hours later, Tierney sat back from the terminal in Marcos Devante’s office and frowned at Tori. “This doesn’t make sense. Why would they kidnap a bunch of kids just to implant nanobots and send them back? Why would they want us to kill people?” For the first time since they met, Tori looked uneasy. She shifted closer to Marcos on the sofa, and Tierney held her breath. This was an answer she wouldn’t to like. “We’re not exactly sure,” Tori said quietly. “But from what we have figured out, there are seven Pleiades units, and together, we’re some kind of weapon meant to wipe out all human life. We each have different abilities, programmed into us through nanotechnology, and most of us have been totally unaware of our capacity all along. That’s where their plans backfired. By not knowing who and what we were, we didn’t actively acknowledge the programming, even after it started working.” She leaned forward, then, her gaze fixed on Tierney. “Has anything strange happened to you, lately?” Tierney winced. Her whole damned life was strange, anymore. But she knew what Tori meant. “You want to know what my ability is.” Tori shrugged. “I think I already know. You’re in the political world, you influence people on a daily basis, and you probably know everything there is to know about almost every government agency and political body out there. You’re their mole. That’s why they contacted you directly. They want the data you’ve been collecting.” Tierney blanched. She hadn’t thought of it that way. God, was she subconsciously collecting information that the aliens could use to take over the world from the inside? “You’re saying they deliberately chose the Grants, because they knew I’d have access to all the world’s leaders, that way?” “It is a logical possibility,” Marcos acknowledged in distaste. “And it certainly makes strategic sense.” It was worse than she imagined. And if she was placed so specifically… Her gaze snapped to Tori. “What about you? Why were you sent to the Center for Evolutionary Medicine?” A humorless smile twisted the other woman’s lips, telling Tierney that the answer was one she didn’t want to hear, even before Tori said, “I’m the walking trigger to an energy bomb we still haven’t been able to diffuse.” Tierney started. “Oh my god. Archer wasn’t kidding!” “Afraid not.” Tierney forced herself to draw even breaths in an attempt to stave off dizziness. God, this was really happening. It wasn’t some surreal nightmare, like the ones she’d had as a child. The flashing images of plastic tubes and swirling lights came back, and the implications were sinister. What if they weren’t nightmares at all? Nausea washed through her, but she forced it away. She didn’t have time for this. “So, what’s next?” “We’re developing a protocol to remove—” A sudden, bright light from the medallion around his neck caused Marcos to fall silent, and he reached into his suit jacket as he rose to his feet. “Excuse me.” Tierney watched him cross to the other side of the large office, and then turned back to Tori. Something was wrong. She could feel it. “What’s going on?” Tori’s brow was furrowed in concern. “That’s Marcos’ signal that he needs to call in. Archer’s probably on the other end of that call.”

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Tierney straightened, and her gaze snapped back to Marcos as worry plunged through her, even before she heard him, in an emphatic tone, say, “You know I won’t develop a weapon.” Whatever they were discussing, it couldn’t be good. And all Tierney could do was wonder why Archer needed a weapon. With a shudder, she decided she didn’t want to know; she already knew what Archer was capable of. *

*

*

Archer scrubbed a hand over his face in frustration as Marcos’ denial filled in his ear. Hell, yeah, he knew Marcos didn’t develop weapons; he knew why, too. But he didn’t have time to play around, and he knew Marcos’ screening policy for researchers. He needed people who were uncorruptable, and he couldn’t guarantee that his own employees at Haepheon were that trustworthy. “I’m not asking you to create or build the damned thing, Marcos. Just give me access to a the Screamer schematics, and the lab space and research assistants.” There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Why not use your own facilities?” Archer sighed. “Haepheon is in New York, Marcos. Until Darius Cain is caught, I can’t move everything up there. I need someplace centrally located, and fast. Think of Tori, man.” “I am thinking of Tori.” Marcos’ voice was unyielding. This wasn’t going well. “You didn’t see what the Screamer did to her, Archer. I refuse to be involved in anything capable of doing that.” “Then why didn’t you destroy the schematics? Or the prototype?” There was a heavy sigh. “Tori demanded that I not destroy them. She said she didn’t risk her neck to retrieve garbage.” Archer grinned to himself. From the first meeting, he’d liked Tori Blair, even if she did remind him a little too much of Hunter Kent. “She’s right, too. We’re talking about human survival, Marcos. I want to alter the Screamer to be used as a weapon against the Anaz-Voohri. You know they won’t destroy the Pleiades, but they’ll kill the rest of us. You can’t honestly tell me you want your kid growing up in their world.” There was silence, and Archer knew he’d struck a nerve. Finally, Marcos was listening. After a long moment, during which Archer heard the soft murmur of female voices in the background, Marcos sighed. “I’ll look into it.” The line clicked in Archer’s ear, telling him just how troubled Marcos really was over the issue. No matter the circumstances, Marcos maintained his professional bearing. That he’d let his personal feelings color this call, and then hung up so abruptly, said it all.

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN Evening descended rapidly under an overcast sky as Tierney stepped out onto the street and looked around for a taxi. She was tired in ways she never imagined being, and she just wanted to go home and hide. Only problem was, she didn’t have a home left, anymore. Depression settled over her in a heavy cloak, and the whole atmosphere of gathering gloom felt appropriate. “Ready to go?” She turned, surprised, at the sound of a familiar voice, to find Archer a step behind her, his green gaze fixed on her with a directness that unnerved her. To cover her disquiet, she turned away from him. “What’re you doing here?” “I was in Mythos, working. I’m on my way home, now, since you’re standing out here, I assume you’re going that way, too.” She jerked out a shrug. “Maybe.” She heard him heave a sigh, and snuck a glance over her shoulder to see the weary expression on his face. “I’m not in the mood for a dance around the subject, tonight,” he warned her in a voice gravelly with exhaustion. “Let’s just go. You can argue how you weren’t planning on going back to the apartment with me in the landtrans. I promise to let you win, okay?” She shrugged again, and offered him a half-nod. She wasn’t about to admit that she was relieved. They hadn’t discussed what would happen to her, now that he knew for sure what she was. She’d never felt this awkward around anyone in her life, and what was worst was that it wasn’t Archer who was the stranger. She didn’t know who Tierney was, anymore. The rain started as the landtrans pulled away from the curb a few moments later, and Tierney stared at the drops as they hit the glass and rolled down, to avoid conversation. What did she have to say, anymore, anyway? Instead, she watched the raindrops trickle down the window, until they joined with others like them to become a rivulet, with each a part of the whole. She envied them. Even the raindrops belonged to each other. But not her. She was alone in the world. Her parents – who, it turns out, weren’t even her parents – were both dead, and the truth of her life died with them. She’d never felt further away from Archer than she did now. She knew he saw her for the freak she was. She couldn’t ask a man like Lawson Archer to love someone like her. Depressed, she cast a sideward glance at the man who sat, eyes closed, beside her in the autopilot landtrans. Her heart ached for everything she’d lost, without a choice. Then, she noticed the feathered lines around his eyes and mouth, and realized he was upset. Probably because he was stuck here with her, she decided with a sigh. “What?” His eyes cracked open to look at her. “Nothing.” She wasn’t about to admit to how lonely she felt; that would make her look desperate, and even more pathetic. Instead, she shook off her depression and studied him for a long moment. “Why didn’t you ever get married?” A humorless smile pulled up the edges of his mouth. “You know why.” Tierney ignored the warm tingle that went through her at the implication that he’d waited all these years for her. She knew that wasn’t it. It couldn’t be; not after the way he pushed her away. She

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heaved an exasperated sigh. “Archer, you were almost twenty-five when we met! A lot of people are already married and have a kid or two, by then.” He closed his eyes again, and the laugh that left him sounded bitter. “I’m not that kind of guy, Tierney. When I make the leap, it’s going to be for keeps. I’m going to have to be damned sure and, anymore, I’m not sure I ever will be.” He might as well have slapped her. Tierney sank back to watch him as she absorbed the painful implication of his words. He was telling her he’d given up hope. He didn’t want her, anymore. As she laid her head back and closed her eyes, Tierney let her mind drift, wondering what it would be like if she was just a normal woman. A smile tugged up the edges of her mouth as an image formed in her mind of her and Archer, in the house she inherited from her father. They’d have kids – two little boys with identical cherub faces, strawberry blond hair, and green eyes. The image of those two little boys was so real, she swore if she reached out, she could touch them. Her heart clenched, and her arms ached with emptiness. When the image became too sharp to bear, she opened her eyes, and drank in the sight of the man beside her, her throat tight with emotions she couldn’t express. She was terrified he’d reject her, again; this time, she knew she couldn’t bear the rejection. Her gaze skimmed his face, and widened at the soft creases of laugh lines, so unlikely in the dour man he’d become. Those lines hinted at a softer side of him that would be great with kids. He was strong, fearless, and yet gentle in ways that made her heart race and her throat tighten. God, he would make such a wonderful father. Lawson had the same patience, the same steady hand, which Silas Grant had. He was the type of man any woman would count herself lucky to have as the father of her children, and Tierney ached for the chance. She’d been in love with him for over half her life; when was he finally going to see that? “Now what?” Wry humor slipped into his tone, and she met his gaze. The warmth there gave her hope, and courage. There was so much she wanted to know about him, and this was the most important. “Have you ever considered having kids?” Every drop of warmth disappeared from his face, as if her words had tripped a switch, before, in a dead monotone, he said, “No.” She frowned, worried. This didn’t sound like the Lawson Archer she knew. “Why not? I thought it was normal to want to fall in love, get married, and have kids. I know I’ve looked forward to it my whole life.” “Normal.” He grunted the word in a disdainful snort, his gaze fixed on the road ahead of them. She thought he’d say more, explain himself in some way, but he just reached forward and flipped on the manual drive, his hands going to the steering wheel as it expanded out of the dash. Before she could blink, he yanked the vehicle around in an abrupt U-turn, the motion tossing her against the side of the landtrans. Tierney yelped in surprise and pain as the door handle bit into her side, and glared at him as she righted herself. “Are you crazy?” He laughed darkly. “Most likely.” Okay, now that was definitely not like the Archer she knew. Her eyes narrowed. “Where are we going?” “Nowhere.” “Great cover, Archer,” she observed sarcastically. And they called women mercurial? Hell, if Archer was a woman, she’d swear he was PMSing! “You hate kids, or something?” “No.” Again with the monosyllabic answers. Tierney rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Then why not have them? Why are you so set against the idea?” “Why should you care? It doesn’t involve you.”

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Tierney snapped back into her seat as those words struck her like a blow to the face, and her heart cracked wide. The vision of her beautiful babies slipped away, and she fought it, amazed that she didn’t have a total breakdown. That stinging wetness at the corners of her eyes was nothing; her blurry vision would clear. Damn it, she would not let Archer hurt her again. Pain seared her chest anyway, and a trickle of dampness slid down her cheek. God, no. She wasn’t going to cry. Tierney drew her anger tight, a shield against all the ways he hurt her, and glared at him. “You’re a cold son of a bitch, Lawson.” His body snapped rigid, and his grip tightened on the steering wheel until she could see the white stretch of skin over knuckles. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Don’t I?” She argued, pain egging her past even her fear of rejection. He made it clear as day he didn’t feel what she did. “I offered you my heart on a plate, thirteen years ago, and you stomped all over it. How could you be so cold, so cruel?” His jaw clenched so tight she could see the tic that jumped beneath his eye. Oh, yeah, he felt something, now. Those holly green eyes pinned her with an intensity that made Tierney gasp as a shimmy of fear went through her. “Welcome to the real world, princess. Take a good look around, sometime. There aren’t any more bodyguards, or aides, or Daddy’s flunkies, to coddle and protect you. There’s no one left to keep the truth away.” He thought she didn’t know what reality, or pain, was! He didn’t have a clue what she dealt with in her life; he was so damned detached from it! Hurt anger welled in her eyes. “I know all about the truth!” He snorted. “Bullshit. The truth is simple, angel. Life hurts, you just learn to live with the disappointment.” Realization struck her hard between the eyes. Archer thought she was a spoiled brat – one of those rich bitches who bought her way through life! Anger and hurt avalanched into rage, and she glared at him, her arms crossed over her chest to keep from slapping his arrogant face back into the stone age he came from. “You thought it was a game?” She didn’t question how, but she knew she got to him. “That was better than the alternative.” What galled was that he was probably right. Right now, she couldn’t decide if she loved him, or hated him. “So you just left. No good-bye. No anything.” “It was best for you.” “So nice of you to decide for me.” Icy rage ate at her from the inside. How dare he! “How very modern of you.” He shot her a look of stunned disbelief that would be funny if she wasn’t so pissed. He looked absolutely pole-axed. “You can’t seriously be telling me you would have given up your family, and your cushy lifestyle, for a relationship.” She shrugged. In all honesty, she hadn’t thought about it, at the time. All she knew was, she dreamed of having kids, someday, and there was never a doubt in her mind she wanted them with Archer. Now, with the vision of two beautiful, perfect babies wheedling into her heart, she felt that ache more keenly than ever before. She wanted those babies – hers and Archer’s. But she wouldn’t bring babies into a world where they’d only be loved by one parent. She knew how much it hurt to be rejected by a parent. “I don’t know.” Her gaze rose to his. “But you didn’t, either. You should have given me the choice. Now, are you going to at least tell me where we’re going?” He sighed. “You want to know why I won’t have kids? That’s what I’m going to show you.” Tierney remained confused as the hours passed, and dusk turned to night. The rain slackened, and then disappeared, and she watched the moon sneak from behind the heavy drape of clouds, to bathe the world in a pale, eerie light that only increased her uneasiness. She dozed fitfully, her dreams

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plagued by nightmare images, filled with screams, tubes, and bright lights. And always, that strange language Kavak spoke. Anaz-Voohri. When she jerked awake for the tenth time, it was to warm light on her face. She blinked to clear the haze of sleep, and stared out at the surrounding countryside, draped in early morning light. Her confusion grew. They’d been on the road all night. Why? Where could they possibly be going? “Where are we?” “New York State.” She blinked again, surprise jolting her. “Come again? Why are we here?” He nodded toward something beyond the windshield, and Tierney’s eyes widened as she read the sign hung outside the approaching series of buildings. “An asylum?” His jaw tightened, and he didn’t respond as they passed through the gates and into the parking sector. Tierney’s anxious gaze stayed on him, but he remained stone-faced and silent as they left the vehicle and entered the building, and then the elevator. Something was wrong. Archer acted like he was on his way to his own execution. What was here that he so hated facing? Her heart thundered in her ears as her mind raced with scenarios, each one worse than the last. On the forth floor, the elevator came to a stop that jarred Tierney from her thoughts, and she glanced nervously at Archer, looking for some sign of reassurance. She found none. He took her arm, and guided her along the corridor, until they reached an unmarked door. As it slid open, Tierney gasped in dismay at what she saw. This was what Archer brought her here to see? A thin figure, so emaciated it was difficult to tell the person’s gender from behind, sat slumped in a chair, staring out the room’s only window. From the slight build, she gathered this was probably a woman, and the mousy brown hair that fell over her shoulders was a messy array of gnarls that looked like it could use a good brushing. Tierney’s heart clenched. What had happened to this woman? Archer’s grip on her arm tightened, and Tierney looked up in surprise, to see a pain on his face that nearly killed her. Whoever this woman was, she owned a part of Archer’s heart. “Who is she?” His eyes never left the unflinching form in the chair as he murmured, “Lana Tremaine. She’s my daughter’s mother.” Tierney gasped. She hadn’t even known he had a daughter! “What happened to her? Why is she here? Where’s your daughter?” “Lizzy was abducted in 2003. She just disappeared out of her bed at my parents’ home, one night, and was never seen again. Lana quit eating, sleeping, and, in the end, living, after Lizzy was abducted. She claimed from the beginning that aliens abducted our baby. Everyone thought she’d snapped, at the time.” “But not you.” “Even me,” he said quietly, his eyes full of guilt. “For a while, I was as sure as everyone else that she was crazy. I backed her parents up, promised to cover her expenses, when they sent her here. Then Apollo uncovered that list, we didn’t realize that that Anaz-Voohri abducted anyone. We thought they just wanted a war.” “And now that you know?” His jaw tightened, and the tic was back. “I promised Lana I’d find Lizzy.” Tierney’s heart broke, to see how families were torn apart by the Anaz-Voohri. The sadness and guilt in Archer’s green eyes told her how much he adored his daughter, and she felt inexplicably guilty for surviving the Anaz-Voohri. Was Lizzy out there, living a lie like she had, or had the little girl died in some horrible way, afraid and praying that her father would find her? God, she felt like an idiot, for even bringing up having kids. Of course Archer wouldn’t want to. Until Lizzy was found, and the past laid to rest, Archer wouldn’t be willing to bring any more children into an uncertain world. He wasn’t going to put anyone through what his family endured.

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Determination bloomed in Tierney as she realized she could help him. According to both Kavak and Tori, she was important to whatever plans the Anaz-Voohri had for Earth. That gave her leverage. They wanted her to work for them? To co-operate? She’d make her demands clear and upfront. She wanted Lizzy back. Dead or alive, she wanted the little girl who was stolen from her family returned. She’d do whatever it took, to heal the pain in Archer’s eyes. Pain stabbed her as the image of her two babies gelled in her mind, and she closed her eyes against tears as she realized she wasn’t ever going to get the chance to have those babies with Archer. She had no idea if he still loved Lana, and it wouldn’t matter, in the end. As soon as she agreed to work for the Anaz-Voohri, Tierney would become the enemy, and he’d never touch her again. The pain struck deep, but she pushed past it. She would do this for him, for love. This trade was the only way Archer would ever have answers, and closure, and that was more important to her than her own happiness. She wanted him happy. Lana’s head turned slightly as Archer approached her, and Tierney saw the outline of hollow cheeks and hollowed out eyes. She must have been a beautiful woman, once, but years of worry and heartache ate away at any beauty Lana ever possessed. With barely an acknowledgement of Archer’s existence, Lana turned her attention back out the window. Tierney’s heart clenched, even as she heard the murmur of Archer’s voice as he spoke to Lana. She couldn’t hear the words, but it was clear Lana resisted whatever he said, by the vehement shake of her head. Tierney took a step closer, and Lana’s gaze snapped around, the wild-eyed look freezing Tierney in place. Lana’s eyes flew wide, and she scrambled up from her seat and away from Tierney, screaming, “She’s one of them!” “Lana!” Archer sprang after her in a move so fast Tierney blinked in surprise, sure he’d teleported. No human being could move that fast. Archer grasped Lana’s thin shoulders, and didn’t let go even when she thrashed against his hold. Instead, he drew her tight against his chest. “I know, Lana. I know.” His voice dropped to a murmur as Lana collapsed into his hold, sobbing, and Tierney wished she knew what he said. A gasp flew from her lips as her vision swam, and suddenly, she heard Archer’s voice, as clear as if he was speaking into her ear, not Lana’s. “She’s like Lizzy, Lana. She was taken from her family, too.” “Lizzy’s still alive?” The note of desperate hope in Lana’s voice made Tierney wince. “We don’t know, yet, sweetheart, but Tierney isn’t the enemy. She’s helping us.” His final words echoed in her head with certainty, and she felt like the Universe’s biggest traitor, just before everything went black, and the world fell away.

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN “Tierney? Come on, angel, open your eyes.” The voice that murmured through her hazy mind was familiar, and the fear in it dragged her up through the layers of fog. That was Lawson’s voice, her brain said, and those were his lips pressed to her temple. But why was he frightened? She’d never known him to be afraid. Worried, she fought her way free of the darkness, trying to get to him. Her eyes blinked open to the relief on Archer’s face. She reached up and touched her fingers to his face, skimmed the slight abrasiveness of stubble on his face. Her hypersensitive fingertips tingled, and her brow furrowed at the feel of dampness. “W-what happened?” God, was that croak really her voice? “I was hoping you could tell me,” he murmured, covering her hand as he pressed it to his cheek. “You just keeled over, back there.” A jumble of images rushed through her, making her dizzy again. She shook it off and focused on Archer’s face until the sensation disappeared, and she could force words from her mouth again. “You were talking to Lana, and I wanted to know what you were talking about. Next thing I knew, I could hear your voice in my head, and then everything went black, and – What do you mean, ‘back there’? Where are we now?” “In a hotel. After the doctor checked you over, they said you’d be fine once you got some rest. I decided you’d be better off here than waking up in a sanitarium bed.” “Good call,” she muttered as she struggled up on arms that felt like rubber. “Is Lana okay?” His expression closed off, telling her he wasn’t interested in discussing Lana’s mental health with her. Again, she wondered about the relationship between Archer and Lana. “She’s fine. Or, at least, no worse off than she was before.” She stroked her hand down his cheek, and then down over his chest, and felt soft cotton slide over hard muscle as his pecs flexed and tightened in resistance. “Tierney…” “Shh.” She sat up and leaned forward to press soft kisses over his jaw. She’d realized, back there at the sanitarium, that she’d destroy more than she’d restore, if she broke Archer’s trust to get Lizzy back. She’d find another way. Right now, she wanted to comfort him, and herself. She wanted to soothe the pain in his holly green eyes, and still the ache in her heart. The feel of rough stubble and soft cotton, and the intoxicating scent of aftershave and man that was Archer overwhelmed her, and her womb clenched with need as the image of two little boys came back to her. She wanted that; she wanted it all. She heard the sharp intake of Archer’s breath, and felt the tension in his chest and shoulders, and knew he fought the inevitable. Well, she was long past avoidance. No matter how much he resisted, Archer wanted this as much as she did; she wouldn’t take no for an answer, this time. If she had to be the seducer, so be it. Tierney rose up to her knees on the bed and steadied herself with her hands on his shoulder as she slowly nibbled her way along his stubble-edged lips. The blend of rough stubble and soft skin heightened her pulse and made her feel hot and achy. God, she wanted him. She’d never made any secret of that, and she didn’t understand why he denied the attraction she could see in his eyes. Even

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now, he remained still and unresponsive, but she felt the increase in his heartbeat through the thumb she held pressed to his carotid artery. “Kiss me,” she breathed against his lips, desperate to know this wouldn’t end up one-sided, like their kisses in the past. She needed him to respond, to need her as much as she did him. “Tierney.” Her name left him in a tortured groan, as he grasped her shoulders and moved her away. Disappointment plunged through her. If he rejected her again, there would be Hell to pay. “We can’t.” “Here we go again,” she muttered, peeved. God, what would it take for him to lighten up and accept the truth? “Why the hell not? Give me one good reason. Is it Lana?” “Hell, no.” He closed his eyes and tipped his head back. Hunger flashed through Tierney, and she suddenly understood the whole vampire fetish thing. She’d love to taste his skin, there, or anywhere he let her. “Lana and I were over in high school. When she found out she was pregnant, everyone expected us to get married, but we were both kids. We weren’t ready for that, and especially not with each other. We never even really dated. It was all one damned stupid mistake.” Her eyes narrowed. “Okay. So it’s not Lana. Then why?” “Because.” She surged up from the bed in frustration as restless energy zinged through her. “That’s enlightening.” He sighed, annoyed. Well, tough. She was annoyed, herself. “Tierney, don’t make this any more difficult than it already is.” “Difficult?” Tierney practically screeched the word as she spun on him, irritation flashing into rage. “You don’t know what difficult is, Lawson Archer! I’ll show you difficult.” With a single move she dared him to halt, she reached up and ripped open the closure of her blouse. Relief sighed through her as the climate-controlled air brushed her overheated skin. Then her gaze met the raw hunger in Archer’s, and she couldn’t breathe. Her breasts felt swollen and achy, and her nipples tingled with the need to feel his touch. God, was it possible to be this turned on? With a soft gasp, she reached to ease the tight ache, cupping her breasts through the satin of her bra. She moaned as relief and a deeper ache of want twisted like a double-edged knife in her. As her fingertips slid over her aching nipples, she heard a noise, and opened her eyes to a look she’d never seen in Archer’s eyes, before – desperate lust. “What’re you trying to do to me?” His voice was a harsh growl, and the heat that simmered between them burned her from the inside. The scorch of desire pulled her toward him on unsteady legs, until she stood before him, her blouse fluttering to the floor in her wake. She stared down into his eyes, and licked her parched lips as the hot ache built between her thighs. Tierney closed her eyes and drew a steadying breath, then met his hot gaze, and let him read the unvarnished truth. “I’m trying to seduce you.” The heat flared higher and, without another word, he reached out and covered her hands with his own. Tierney whimpered as he squeezed lightly, and the feel of hot satin against her palms contrasted with the callused heat of his hands against the backs of hers. The scent of body heat and sex wrapped around her, and her knees quaked with need. “You’re amazing.” His voice was rough, as if he held onto sanity by a thread, and he sucked in a deep breath. “God, this is such a bad idea.” Like she gave a damn whether he thought it was a bad idea. Not with his hands on hers, guiding her touch through bold, erotic strokes that turned her insides to melted gelatin. Still, she had to ask. “Why?” “Because I want to be inside you, right now, but we don’t have any protection.” Her throat closed as the vision of twin boys with matching smiles popped into her head. Could they be on the verge of creating those lives she already cherished? God, she hoped so. “Good.” He stilled. After a moment, his eyes narrowed. “Please tell me you’re not serious.”

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Damned serious. She met his gaze steadily and dared him to deny her. “Why not? Unless you’ve done something dangerous in the past thirteen years…” He knew what she meant, she could see it in his eyes, even before he said, “I’m clean.” She slipped her hands from under his, and gasped at the electric jolt of his hands against her breasts. The contact burnt her from the inside, and his fingers moved in light, unconscious strokes that she felt clear to her core. She wanted the same contact, without any barriers. She reached behind her, and flicked open the closure of her bra. She wasn’t about to let him back out of this one, now. As the satin slipped loose, she offered him a sultry smile. “Then there’s nothing to worry about.” He groaned, his eyes closed as his hands brushed her bare skin. “Anyone ever tell you how incorrigible you are?” “Only you.” A chuckle slipped from him, then, and the warmth of it embraced her, easing her dread that he’d pull away again. His eyes opened then, and he slid her bra the rest of the way off, to expose her breasts. Tierney gasped at the cool brush of air, then moaned as Archer’s touch returned, and his thumbs feathered over her nipples. Heat raced along every nerve, until she wanted to beg him to stop, before she burned up. But it felt so good she never wanted him to stop. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt him shift forward, and she watched with bated breath as he bent toward her. His mouth closed over her right nipple, and fire exploded through her body, dragging her forward as she gasped his name. Tierney buried her hands in his hair. The strands slipped through her fingers and drove her arousal higher as she bent into him to trace nipping kisses over his temple and ear. His hands moved over her, until they anchored at her waist, kneading her sides and belly in firm strokes that increased her body temperature, even as his teeth scraped over her nipple and heat raced straight to her womb. She gasped at the sensation, and pressed into his ministrations as he moved to give her other breast the same treatment. Oh, yeah. This was what she wanted. She drank in the scent of man and spicy aftershave as she buried her face in his neck, nipped at the skin there in tiny love bites. She heard his growl, and felt the vibration against her body, even as she worked his shirt open to smooth her hands over muscle and skin. In a flash, she found herself naked, and his hands were everywhere, driving the arousal that built for a decade into a frenzy of want that dropped her into a world of pure sensation, where only what happened between them, here and now, mattered. “Lawson,” she whispered his name in a breathless plea as he dragged his fingers through her feminine heat in a stroke that turned her knees to water. “You’re so beautiful.” His warm breath danced over her skin, and Tierney couldn’t stand it, any more. She’d spent almost two decades wondering what it would be like to taste him, to drive him to the edge and beyond. She might never get another chance. She backed up a step and offered him a sultry smile as she dropped to her knees in the plush carpeting, and her hands fell to the closure of his jeans. She heard his indrawn breath as she flicked open the button and slid the tab down, making sure to stroke the bulge of his erection through the cotton as she did. A groan that shivered through her left him as she traced her fingers over him, learning every ridge and groove until his hips bucked and he growled and managed a thick, “Angel, if you don’t stop that…” Hot wetness trickled between her thighs as she felt and saw how much he wanted her. She closed her eyes, and drew a small, trembling breath as she fought the need to have him inside of her. Leaning forward, she slid the tip of him over her engorged nipples, her breathing swift and shallow at the erotic charge of being this bold, and heard him swear, low and emphatic. A smile pulled at her lips. So many fantasies pulsed inside her head, and she was far too aware this might be her only chance to experience them. Archer was the only man she trusted enough.

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She looked up, and the hot lust in his eyes sent a thrill through her. She held his gaze as she dipped her head and slid her tongue over the pulsating head of his erection. He tasted of salt and heat and danger, and she reveled in the tremble that arced through Lawson’s body as he hissed in surprised pleasure. Pleasure she’d waited a long time to give him. Her body clenched in response, and she clamped her thighs together against the ache that spiraled through her as she moved her mouth over him. She got lost in the scent and taste of his skin, and the power he held leashed and trembling, while she tormented him with lust and pleasure. She knew how he felt; she shook with her own need. A gasp of surprise broke her lips when, with a growl, he raised her from the floor. Before she could blink, he was on his feet as well, his jeans gone, and Tierney found herself with her elbows propped on the mattress, her hypersensitive nipples brushing against the smooth cotton sheets as he spread her legs from behind. A tiny moan flew from her lips as his fingers slid against her clit, and she bucked up and back, seeking fulfillment. The motion rubbed her nipples against the sheets, a soft cry left her. “Lawson, please…” His fingers bit into her hips in a pain that was exquisite with pleasure, as he forced her fretting body still. Then, in one swift thrust, he filled her, and Tierney’s back arched as she thrust back to meet him. Oh, god. Nothing had ever felt this good; nothing as pleasurable as the feel of her body stretching to embrace him. She tried to move, to gain the friction her body demanded, but he held her still, until she wept with need. “Lawson…” “You feel so damned good,” he growled, and she felt the light nip of his teeth against her spine, and trembled with arousal. Oh, god, she was so close. He flexed his hips, and the shift of him inside her caused the first tremor, dragging a soft cry from her. One of his hands left her hip, and she gasped as she felt his fingers feather against her clit, even as he rocked in and out of her in a steady rhythm. She moaned, and her fingers dug into the sheets as she fought the rising spiral of orgasm. He increased the pace, his hand back on her hip, before both hands stroked up and down along her sides, and the friction of skin on skin moved in counterpoint to the thrust of his body, and the brush of cotton against her nipples, drove her beyond sanity. Heat spread through her muscles, and pooled deep inside, and she knew. With a cry, she drove back hard, even as his hands clenched on her hips and he ground against her. The world burst with fountains of color as she felt the pounding tide of life spill from him to her, and shuddered in the grip of a power greater than either of them. After a long moment, she slid back to reality, weak with amazement, and felt his lips brush her spine before he eased them both to the bed so that they lay spooned together, still joined. His lips continued to trail lazy kisses over her neck and shoulder, and Tierney reveled in the warmth of it, before a soft laugh broke her lips. “Wow.” “You’re telling me,” he murmured against her skin. She stretched, and burrowed back against him with a sigh. He slipped loose from her body, and she felt the brief flash of bereavement, before she snuggled into his embrace. “That was worth waiting thirteen years for.” The hand that stroked her side froze, and Tierney glanced over her shoulder at him in concern. The expressionless set of his features clenched her heart in sudden panic. “Lawson? What’s wrong?” He blinked, and his expression cleared. He dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “You’re amazing.” “Lawson.” She pulled away, turning to face him. “Don’t dodge me. What were you thinking?” He sighed heavily, and rolled onto his back, to stare at the ceiling. After a long moment of silence, during which Tierney wondered if he’d ever answer her, he looked at her, his expression somber. “I hurt you badly, didn’t I?”

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Tierney’s eyes stung, and her vision blurred as the apology in his eyes brought back the pain of all those years ago. With a jerky shrug, she sat up and pulled the sheet over her body. So much for afterglow. They’d apparently moved straight on to morning-after guilt. “Does it matter?” She grabbed up her clothes and rose from the bed. “Of course it does!” He surged up from the bed, still gloriously naked, and she cursed her body for remembering what it felt like to have him buried deep inside her. She knew that feeling would never fade. God, how could she be so stupid? He grasped her upper arms, and she looked up at him in surprise. She gasped at the earnest contrition in his eyes. “The last thing I ever intended to do was hurt you, angel. You have to believe that.” “It’s kind of hard to,” she shot back in a pained whisper. “I offered you everything, and you walked away as if I wasn’t even there.” “That’s not true.” He bent his head and covered her lips in a desperate, thorough kiss. Her fingers went nerveless around the clothing she held, and her body leaned into him on instinct. After a long moment, he eased away to stare down at her. “That’s what I wanted to do, thirteen years ago. But I couldn’t, Tierney. I couldn’t drag you into my world, you were too young, too innocent. I wasn’t about to destroy that.” Her throat closed in angry sorrow, at the wasted years, spent wondering if he even remembered her. It wasn’t fair; they weren’t given a chance. He hadn’t given her a chance. “It was my choice to make. It still is.” “Tierney…” “No.” She pulled away from his touch, and met his gaze resolutely. “What gave you – or my father – the right to decide what was best for me? What made you think you even knew?” His eyes closed, and his voice was hoarse as he rasped, “God, angel, I know too well. I wasn’t about to let you make the mistake I made. I wasn’t about to let you alienate your family, like I did.” He met her gaze, then, and she saw raw pain in his eyes. It drew her, and she had to comfort him. Softly, she stroked his cheek. “What happened?” He sighed, and drew her back to the bed. He took the clothes she held balled up against her body and settled them both into bed before he answered her. “You saw Lana. She’s been that way ever since Lizzy disappeared. Like I told you earlier, when Lana got pregnant our senior year of high school, our parents expected us to get married. When I refused, my father threatened to cut me off completely. Then, when Lizzy came along, everyone settled down a bit, and Lana and I had custody arrangements all worked out. I didn’t mind supporting them. Lana’s a good woman, and a wonderful mother. And Lizzy had my heart from the moment she was born. But, after Lizzy was abducted, I couldn’t stay and watch Lana fall apart like that. When I left to join the military, my father told me to never come back, and after what happened… I didn’t even go to my mother’s funeral, because my father and I had an argument after Mom went into the hospital with the first stroke.” “I’m sorry.” She rubbed her cheek comfortingly against his chest. Then, she looked up at him. “Have you tried to talk to him, since?” His dark laugh rumbled beneath her cheek. “You’re joking, right?” “Not at all.” She lifted her head to face him. “I know you, Lawson. If you don’t make peace, you’ll just torture yourself over it for the rest of your life.” He regarded her somberly for a long moment, before a small smile tugged up the corners of his lips. “Someday, angel. Someday. Right now, all I’m interested in is getting home.” Home. A smile curved on Tierney’s lips as she snuggled into his embrace and closed her eyes. Home was a very nice thought; she might finally have a chance to find it, now.

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN Three days later, Archer walked into Mythos Headquarters and into total uproar. Hunter Kent stalked back and forth across the main surveillance deck, swearing up a blue streak, and Marcos Devante, grim-faced and speaking in brusque, rapid-fire Spanish, was on the phone at Archer’s desk. Bennett Sevastian leaned against the wall just beyond the doorway, barely-concealed contempt radiating from him. A bad feeling punched Archer in the gut. Bennett only wore that look when the subject pertained to the Pleiades sisters. “What the hell’s going on around here?” He demanded as he planted himself right in Kent’s path. Bennett straightened from his position against the wall, with a scowl. “The Pleiades spies finally got what they deserve, and you’d think the world was ending, the way these two are carrying on.” Before the words were fully out of Bennett’s mouth, Hunter launched himself at the other man, his forearm against Bennett’s throat. “That’s it! I’ve had enough of you, man. Ally is not a spy, dammit, and if she dies, I’m going to kill you!” “Back off,” Sevastian warned in a cold voice as he reached up to twist Kent’s arm away. “You’re hardly a credible source yourself, Kent.” “And me?” Marcos, apparently finished with his call, was on his feet as well, his expression dark with a rage that reminded Archer distinctly of Ramiro Devante. “The woman I love could be dying. I will not listen to you degrade her.” Dying? What the hell was going on around here today? Archer glared at them all. “Put it on freeze, all of you, and someone tell me what’s going on.” Marcos met his gaze, and the fear in the other man’s eyes made Archer sick with dread. “Something has happened to all of the Pleiades women we’ve heard from so far. They can’t move. Tori can barely breathe, at times. The doctors say her pulse and blood count are elevated, as if the nanobots in her system are spreading some kind of disease. They think she might lose the baby – and possibly her own life – if this continues. The same is true of Dr. Curran. She’s the first one we found; she collapsed in her lab. Ajax found her there.” Icy fear plunged through Archer. Tierney! “And the rest?” Marcos glanced toward the elevator, and Archer could tell the other man held himself here, and away from Tori’s side, only by force of will. “Maya Brady was admitted to her local hospital forty-five minutes ago, in convulsions. I sent a transport to bring her and Dylan here as quickly as possible. Electra Munro made it to Minos Enterprise’s Staten Island facility under her own steam, a little over an hour ago, but she’s in a coma, now. No one has heard from Icarus, but it is our assumption that Señorita Dupres is in a similar situation.” Archer’s throat closed in panic. That left two of the seven unaccounted for. And Tierney was alone in his apartment. “Get another room ready. I’ll be back.” Ten minutes of rush hour traffic later, Archer stormed into his apartment, fear eating a hole in him. If Tierney was effected like the rest, she’d been here, without medical attention, for over two hours. She could be dead, already. The realization hit him hard, knocking him back a step and nearly

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taking his legs out from under him. Damn it, he couldn’t think about that, right now. He had to find her! “Tierney!” Silence answered him, and Archer’s chest tightened further, until red spots of panic danced before his eyes. God, he was such a fool; he’d never forgive himself if she died. Frantic, he searched the living room and bedroom with no result. As he moved toward the bathroom, he heard a small noise that sounded almost like a groan. Terror shot through him. The bathroom door slid open on a scene from his worst nightmares. Tierney lay facedown on the tile floor, her pale skin flushed with fever and her body twitching uncontrollably. “Tierney!” He was on his knees at her side in a flash, scooping her into his arms. He didn’t waste time trying to rouse her; they were running on borrowed time as it was. He was back on his feet and headed for the landtrans as fast as he could move. He didn’t care if he broke all the traffic laws on the books getting her to Minos Enterprises, but Tierney had to live. And even God couldn’t help the Anaz-Voohri if he found out they were behind this.

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Archer glanced up from the computer as Hunter Kent prowled past for the tenth time, and his tightly-strung nerves snapped. “Can’t you find anything more useful to do?” “I’d go kick some Anaz-Voohri ass, if I could find them,” Ajax snarled as he whipped around to confront Archer. “Get off my back, man.” The Minos Enterprises medical lab tech, Rebecca Turmot, shot them both a wry look from beneath her wild, multicolor hair. “This’ll go a lot easier without all the testosterone, gentlemen. Now, I need Dr. Archer’s help, here, but if you can find somewhere else to pace, please,” she looked at Ajax, “that would be very helpful.” “Go help Marcos,” Archer dismissed him, focused on the chemical analysis program he was running. “Help him what, man? Dude just sits there, praying, when he’d not on the damned phone, being sneaky. I need to do something, Zeus!” “Go—“ “Dr. Archer!” Turmot’s exclamation drew both men’s attention. “I think it’s working!” Archer was at her lab table so fast he watched her backpedal in surprise. He ignored it; he didn’t have time to explain about his nanotech – human nanotech – implants. Most days, he didn’t even like to think about them. Today, especially; not when Tierney could be dying from hers. He looked into the microscope, and watched their newly-developed nanobots attach themselves to the infected alien nanobots they’d drawn from Tierney when he brought her in. Electric currents passed between the joined nanobots, and the newly-altered alien nanobots replicated the curative nanobots, instead of more toxic ones. Archer closed his eyes against the sharp sting of relief. They’d done it! Hope bloomed in vibrant color within him. He drew a deep breath to contain the feeling, and glanced at Dr. Ella Rathman, the obstetrician Marcos Devante had brought in to treat Tori. “Think it’s safe to try?” Dr. Rathman took his place at the microscope, her lips pursed in consideration as she studied the nanobots on the slide. Archer’s heart beat loud in his ears as he waited for her conclusion. If she deemed it unsafe for either Tori or her baby, they’d be back to where they started. There was no way they could justify experimenting on any of the women without a reasonable certainty of success. After what seemed like an eternity, Rathman straightened, and the smile she gave him made him weak with relief. “We know there’s minimal, at best, chance that the infected nanobots were even spread to the fetus. I don’t foresee any undue risk to either mother or child, in trying this. It’s better than the alternative, which will surely kill both mother and child.” “You found a cure?” Hunter hovered anxiously on the other side of the lab table like an expectant kid. Archer’s gaze skimmed the rest of the research team’s face, looking for any trace of doubt. He wasn’t about to risk Tierney, or anyone else, if there was even a chance that this was more dangerous than what they already suffered. Six pairs of eyes met his, full of confidence and hope, and his heart eased. “It’s worth trying, anyway.” “Tori’s the most lucid of them, at this point,” Dr. Rathman pointed out. “Probably because of all the human nanotechnology already in her system. She’s the most capable of making a rational decision

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to act as guinea pig; she’s also at the highest risk of rejection. If it works in her, you’ve got a better than ninety-five percent chance it’ll work in the rest of them.” Archer nodded, already aware this wouldn’t be an easy fight. He wasn’t worried about what Tori would say – she would realize they were out of other options. But Marcos was another matter. Hell, he’d have an easier time convincing the Anaz-Voohri to leave Earth alone than he would talking Marcos into letting them experiment on the mother of his child. “Start replicating the serum,” he instructed the research crew. “I’ll talk to Tori.” Archer sighed as he stepped off the elevator into the medical wing of Minos Enterprises. He knew what he had to do, and he didn’t like it. Tori would go along with anything that might save her and her baby from the pain she was in. Marcos, with his Catholic ethic and his firm family values, wasn’t going to budge. If there was one thing Archer knew about his friend, it was that Marcos Devante didn’t play games with the lives of those he loved. Not that he blamed the man. Hell, if someone suggested that he let them inject something untested into Tierney, his answer would be the same. Not even on a cold day in Hell. But someone had to go first, and his conscience wouldn’t let him arbitrarily inject someone who couldn’t say no. And, as Dr. Rathman pointed out, Tori was lucid enough to make a rational judgment. Most of them were close to comatose. Electra Munro and Ally Curran were already there. Hell, they were out of options. Archer’s gaze was pulled toward the door that led to Tierney, even as he paused a step away from Tori Blair’s door. The anxious, panicky feeling he felt when he first realized she was in danger returned, and he physically restrained himself from turning toward her door. God, he hated this. He hated that his job kept him from her side when she most needed him. It wasn’t even a consolation that she wouldn’t know he was there, even if he went in. Archer clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut against the image of how he’d found her, and he continued to Tori’s door. As the door slid open, Archer stopped dead, feeling like an intruder as his gaze took in the room. Marcos had spared nothing to make sure that Tori’s room didn’t look like a sterile hospital environment. The room had all the soft ambience that Marcos’ life lacked before Tori showed up. Muted sunlight sifted through light blue curtains and bathed the room in soft light, and he’d even disguised the hospital bed with soft sheets in powder blue and sapphire. The man in question sat in a chair beside Tori’s bed, one of her hands clasped in both of his, and his head bent against their joined hands as his lips moved silently. God, Hunter was right. Marcos was praying as if his soul depended on it. Archer swallowed hard, knowing just how he felt. “Marcos?” The other man’s head lifted, and Archer’s eyes widened in surprise. This wasn’t the Marcos Devante he knew. That Marcos was always perfectly turned-out and professional. He’d actually wondered if Marcos lived in suit and tie. But the man at Tori Blair’s bedside was a wildman, his hair and suit in disarray, his face covered in three days of stubble and his eyes red-rimmed with lack of sleep. “Sí?” Archer winced internally at the hope in Marcos’ voice and eyes. He hated himself for what he had to ask. “We may have found a cure, Marcos.” “How soon before testing’s complete? Tori’s getting worse.” “That’s… ah, that’s the problem.” Damn, he hated this. “We need a live volunteer, with the infected nanobots in their system.” Marcos stiffened as his expression went cold with fury. “Absolutely not.” “It’s the only way, Minos.” Archer put as much authority behind his words as he could. He had to convince Marcos, and fast. Before they lost one of the Pleiades to this damned poison. “Believe me, I know what I’m asking, and how hard this is…”

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“Forget it,” Marcos snarled the words. “Tori’s been through enough in the name of science and medicine. Find yourself another guinea pig.” “Marcos?” Tori’s voice, weak and shaky, forestalled Archer’s response, and both men turned toward the woman in the bed. “Marcos… What’s happening?” “Shh, cariña.” Marcos lifted her hand to his lips. “Forgive us for disturbing you. This doesn’t concern you.” “Actually, it does,” Archer interjected as he to the other side of the bed, ignoring Marcos’ scowl. It was Tori’s choice to make, and he wasn’t about to let Marcos railroad her out of it. “We have a possible cure, but it has to be tested in a live, infected volunteer. Dr. Rathman suggested I ask you—“ Marcos muttered something under his breath in Spanish. “I’m going to fire that woman.” “Devante,” the warning in Tori’s voice couldn’t have been clearer, even as weak as she was. She looked back at Archer. “Why me?” He sighed. Time for some simple truth. “You’re the only one lucid enough, that we know of. Maya Brady is delusional with fever, Electra and Ally are in a coma, and Tierney…” He had to draw a breath to steady himself as his voice wavered. “Tierney’s unconscious and heading for coma, too. You’re the only one who can give us permission; and the doctor says you’re highest risk of rejection.” Tori regarded him somberly for a long moment, and the understanding in her eyes made him feel about two inches tall. She could see how desperate he was. “And this is the only way?” Archer nodded, unable to trust his voice enough to speak. “Then do it.” “Tori!” Marcos was on his feet in an instant, his expression a mask of fear and disapproval. “Querida, you can’t—” “I have to, Marcos,” she said hoarsely, her gaze turning his way, and Archer watched the man crumble beneath the fear on her face. “I’m going to die, otherwise. We all are.” Marcos sat heavily, the fight gone out of him, and Archer’s respect for Tori went up another notch. She might be a thief, but like Aladdin and Robin Hood, she had a heart of gold. He empathized with the weary resignation on Marcos’ face, however. From what he saw, all of the Pleiades women were strong-willed and obstinant. His lips twitched as he remembered Tierney’s expression when they were trapped in ORION’s research lab. The curse of loving a woman with a mind of her own was that you had to respect her wishes, even when doing so put her life in danger. “I’ll let them know you’re willing. They’re replicating a full dose, right now.” “I’m not going anywhere,” Tori joked weakly, before her eyes closed. Archer saw the stricken pallor of Marcos’ face, and knew what the other man was going through. A cure was no consolation if it killed. As he left the room, Archer heard the low murmur of voices conversing in Spanish, as Marcos made a last-ditch attempt to get Tori to change her mind. Apparently, he didn’t have a concept of “lost cause.” Ten minutes later, Archer stood before Tori’s door again, along with Dr. Rathman and a syringe of the new nanobot serum. As the door slid open, he met the ashen look on Marcos’ face, and knew he wasn’t the only one not prepared for this. He pushed aside his own uneasiness, and looked at Tori as he stepped into the room. “You ready for this?” “As ready as I’ll ever be.” With a nod, he moved to the IV stand beside Tori’s bed – one of the few pieces that reminded a viewer they were in a hospital room – and opened the port that led into the unit’s drip system. “You may feel a buzz or static electric sensation, like someone set off a sparkler in your blood. Beyond that, I have no idea what to tell you to expect.” “Just get it over with.”

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He looked down into her obsidian eyes, full of fear and determination, and had to admire her courage. No wonder the six women they’d found so far had survived. They each had courage and strength that showed itself in situations where others might have crumbled. Through his mind flashed the memory of Tierney as she sashayed toward those guards, willing to take the chance that her abilities were more than just a figment of his imagination. Archer glanced at Marcos, and saw the man’s nod of assent. That had to cost Minos. He uncapped the syringe. He would do everything he could to make sure no one paid for this test with their lives. It was the least he could do. With practiced skill, he inserted the syringe into the port and depressed the plunger. It emptied it slowly into the tube that ran to Tori’s arm, and all eyes riveted on Tori as the nanobot-rich fluid ran through the tube. Tori chuckled weakly. “Now I really know what a lab rat feels like. Poor little bastards.” Marcos took her hand. “How do you feel, cariña?” She offered him a small grin that didn’t quite mask her fear. “Tingly. Not as nice as you make me feel, but not bad—” She gasped and stiffened, her face a mask of pain, before she began shaking violently, and the heart monitor went haywire. “Tori! What the hell’s happening?” Marcos demanded instantly as his gaze snapped to Archer in accusation. “I don’t know.” Archer pressed his fingers to her carotid artery, checking her pulse manually. Surprise jolted through him at the erratic flutter of her pulse. He didn’t think a human heart could beat that fast! Leaning over her, he lifted her eyelids, to find her eyes rolled back until the color disappeared completely. Shit. “She’s having a seizure! Hold her down; we’ve got to make sure her airway stays open and—” Tori went still so suddenly ice plunged through Archer. The room fell silent, broken only by the slow, steady beep of the heart monitor. He backed off, and stared down at Tori’s face as worry slashed through him. She wasn’t breathing. How was her heart still beating? Then, with a sudden heave, Tori drew in a deep breath, and her eyes blinked open. “Tori?” Marcos was leaning over her in a flash, his brow furrowed in concern. “Cariña, are you okay?” She stared up at him in dazed muteness for a long moment, before a smile spread slowly over her face. “Y-yeah… I am.” Her pallor disappeared, and color flooded her face again. “Hot damn, Zeus, I think it worked!” Archer grinned back at her. “Looks like it. You look a hell of a lot better, anyway.” Her grin faltered, and her gaze flew to Rathman. “What about my baby?” The obstetrician moved forward, her smile confident. “We’ll run some blood work and tests, just to confirm everything, but I’m sure everything’s fine. As long as you don’t start experiencing any cramping or spotting, there’s nothing to worry about.” At the look that passed between Marcos and Tori, Archer withdrew from the room, so they could question the doctor at length about something that didn’t involve him. He was too unsteady, anyway. Outside in the corridor, he leaned against the wall as the shakiness overcame him, and tears of relief blurred his eyes. It worked. The serum worked! He wouldn’t lose Tierney, after all. “Archer?” His head snapped up, and he forced the moment of weakness aside as he faced Marcos’ determined expression. Dread clutched him. God, had something gone wrong already? “Tori?” “Will be fine, most likely.” Marcos met his gaze resolutely. “For now, anyway. But what happens next time the Anaz-Voohri send one of their signals? We have no idea what they’ve programmed into those nanobots. I thought all of Tori’s alien nanobots were shut down after the incident with the Screamer. This proved I was wrong. Her life’s in danger, as long as the Anaz-Voohri are out there.” Archer studied him through narrowed eyes. “What are you getting at, Minos?”

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“I’ve made my decision. I’ll have Merril get a lab set up for your research team, and have the Screamer’s plans uploaded to the systems there. You tell me who you want to work on this weapon of yours, and I’ll do what it takes to get them here.” Archer stared after Marcos as the other man turned and disappeared back into Tori’s room, stunned. He knew what it took to get Marcos to step beyond his firm principle on weapons development. But, then, watching someone you love more than life nearly die at the hands of someone else could change a man. And, if it saved Tierney’s life, Archer was ready to make deals with the Devil, himself. Just as long as that Devil didn’t wear the uniform of ORION.

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN “Have you gone stark-raving insane?” Archer looked up from where he worked, to find Bennett Sevastian before his desk, arms crossed over his chest and his eyes dark with fury. “Something on your mind, Aries?” “Don’t give me that mealy-mouthed shit, Archer. You’ve got one of those damned Pleiades spies helping create a weapon to fight the Anaz-Voohri. Haven’t you ever heard of sabotage?” Archer leaned back in his seat and propped his feet on the desktop, to regard his second-incommand blandly. He knew Aries had a problem with hybrids, and particularly with the Pleiades women. He was a good soldier, with damned fine instincts, but his temper got in his way more often than not, and his unwillingness to bend even a little was bound to get him into trouble sooner rather than later. “Ally Curran happens to be a top-notch DNA specialist, who’s been studying biological nanobots and Anaz-Voohri DNA for years longer than anyone else here. I need her expertise, and I happen to think she’s very trustworthy.” Sevastian’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve gone soft. Can’t you see that’s what the aliens want? They want us to think these women aren’t a threat, so we’ll let down our guard, and then…” Archer raised a brow in wry humor. “You sound like you’ve got a vendetta against women in general. Last date go south?” Aries grunted in response, which told Archer all he needed to know. Bennett drove headlong for that line where ultra-controlled rage became a dangerous weapon. Archer worried that Aries would snap. They couldn’t risk that. “Okay.” Archer dropped his feet to the floor and reached for a disc, flipping it to Aries. “You want to prove what a danger these women are to the world, here’s your chance. We’ve got one Pleiades sister unaccounted for, and chances are good she’s hurting pretty bad, by now, if she’s infected like the rest were. Get a sample of the counteragent serum and go find her. Only Intel we have says she’s on the West Coast. She’s all yours.” Bennett’s narrowed eyes dropped to the disc, before he nodded tightly. “I’ll take care of it.” And, as Aries stalked away, Archer grinned to himself. If the last of the Pleiades sisters was anything like the first six, Sevastian had met his match. At least, if California fell into the ocean, now, they’d know why. *

*

*

Pain exploded through her like a million knife wounds. She tried to move, to get away from its source, but something heavy held her down, and she gave up as the torture grew. God, was she dying? What was wrong with her? “Lay still,” a voice – far away and familiar – broke through the cotton in her head, and she groaned. She knew that voice, and the warmth that rushed through her told her she knew its owner very well. She concentrated hard, to force her eyelids apart, and gasped as light stabbed her eyes, driving a wedge of blinding pain through her head. “Shh, angel. It’ll pass. Just hold on. Lie still, and keep your eyes closed. Don’t fight it.”

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Lawson. The name poured through her like a healing salve, as she identified that soothing voice, and the warmth drowned out her agony. She tried to speak, to tell him about the pain and beg for his help, but no words came out for a long moment. When they finally did, the sound was more like a wounded animal than actual speech. Frustration climbed, and she gathered a determined breath and carefully formed a single word. “Archer.” A hand clasped hers, and she squeezed it as pain lanced her again, and she couldn’t breathe. Panic scrambled along her nerves as claustrophobia crawled through her, and she fought the constricting weight on her chest. God, was someone suffocating her? Why was Lawson letting them hurt her? Just when she thought she’d pass out from oxygen depravation, the pressure disappeared, and her lungs sucked greedily at the air, which sent her into a reflexive coughing fit. After her body calmed enough to draw several deep, revitalizing breaths, she slowly cracked her eyelids to find the light more manageable, though still torturously bright. A blurry image descended into clarity, and she blinked weakly into Archer’s worried expression. “What happened to me?” “We’re not sure. Best guess? The Anaz-Voohri programmed a failsafe into their nanobots. The same nanobots that give you your ability carry a toxin, as well – Gold.” Tierney stiffened, and winced in pain. “You mean I’m…?” “You’re going to be just fine,” he said gruffly, and she saw the remnants of fear snake through his eyes. “They set the nanobots off by some kind of remote signal, but we developed a counteragent.” Most of what he said didn’t make any sense to her fuzzy brain, but something – from her nightmares, maybe? – teased the edges of Tierney’s mind, and she murmured, “Reprogramming.” His frown deepened. “Excuse me?” “They didn’t want to kill us. They wanted to make us weak enough to reprogram, so that we’d do what they want.” Archer’s face drained of all color, and his gaze turned wary as he backed away a step. “How do you know that?” Pain sliced through her head, and she pressed a hand to her forehead in a futile effort to combat it. “I’m not sure. Someone told me, but I can’t remember who.” She cracked her eyes open again to look at Archer. “Everyone else okay?” “So far. We’ve got one Pleiades still unaccounted for, but I’ve sent someone to find her.” He looked worried, but she wasn’t sure why, so she let it go. “So, now what? Are we dying?” “Not if I can help it,” Archer said darkly. “We developed a nanobot cure, to eradicate the Gold.” Tierney turned her face away from him as misery and anger formed a tight knot in her stomach. If the aliens used Gold to keep their experiments in line, then they were the ones who gave it to ORION, and that meant ORION had to be in bed with the Anaz-Voohri. Darius Cain and Medusa’s Hand moved down her hit list, and ORION moved into the top place. “They can’t get away with this, Archer.” “They won’t,” he promised, though she was sure he thought she referred to the aliens. His next words confirmed it. “I’ve got Marcos’ plans for the Screamer – a nanobot inhibiting device – which we want to modify into a weapon capable of disabling the Anaz-Voohri. In fact, I need to get back up there. Ally’s waiting.” He leaned to brush a chaste kiss over her forehead that made Tierney steam. “Rest up.” And, before her weakened mind could fully digest what he’d said, Archer was gone. Tierney stared at the door as a sick feeling climbed through her. Ally? Who the hell was Ally? She rubbed at the knot in her stomach. Had Archer decided that being involved with an alien freak was asking too much? Tierney lay there, gaze fixed on the ceiling, as the green-eyed beast of jealousy prowled her mind. The longer she thought about it, the more real the possibility that Archer had replaced her

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became. After all, he’d done it before. It didn’t even matter that he claimed his relationship with the mysterious Renee wasn’t about love; the fact remained that he had sex with Renee, instead of with her. She was all set to give him her virginity, thirteen years ago, and he turned her down. And now… Now, she thought she had a chance at the relationship she wanted. He said he wanted her. But not enough, or he wouldn’t run off to this Ally woman, while she lay sick in a hospital bed! Tierney struggled up from her bed, spurred by boiling rage and determined to go after Archer and demand the truth. Either he loved her or he didn’t, and she’d be damned if she’d wait another decade to find out. Her feet touched the floor, and pain cleared her head as an involuntary cry broke her lips that was half surprise and half agony. It felt like she’d stepped on a bed of knives, blade up. She dragged in a ragged breath through clenched teeth and set her feet on the floor, vaguely aware of a sound like a door opening somewhere near her. She had to do this… Another cry flew from her lips as she let go of the bed, and her legs turned to limp spaghetti. She crumpled toward the floor. “Hey!” Strong arms caught her before she hit the floor. “Damn! Zeus was right about you. You really can’t stay out of trouble!” She blinked up into the grinning face of an Adonis with wicked midnight-blue eyes. He had a rough-edged look, like a lazy jungle cat, with long, sandy hair coming loose from a band at his nape. He was broad-chested, with the muscular look she heard a lot of woman went crazy over. Not her, though. She only had eyes for a certain lanky forty-three year old biochemist. So, her lips curving into a wry grin, she gave the man who’d caught her an upside-down perusal. “Let me guess… Cupid?” He loosed a hearty laugh as he deposited her back into her bed. “Ajax, actually. Name’s Hunter Kent.” Of course. He looked like a warrior, and she imagined he was probably a force to be reckoned with in battle. “And you’re here because…?” Ajax hooked one foot around the leg of a visitor’s chair and pulled it over as he deposited her back into the bed. Then, with lazy, cat-like grace, he sprawled into the chair. “Zeus sent me to keep an eye on you. I think he just wanted me out of the lab, personally.” “Is Ally there?” She couldn’t help the bitter tone that entered her voice. Dammit, she was in pain; she had a right to be pissed. Ajax blinked, surprised by her tone, before wariness slipped through his midnight gaze. “Yeah. Why?” Tierney’s hands clenched together as she struggled against helpless rage. She turned her head away, muttering, “If he touches her, I’ll kill him.” Hunter’s brows raised. “Am I supposed to follow what you’re talking about?” “The sainted Ally,” she said tightly. “If Archer lays a finger on her…” He looked concerned, before understanding dawned in his eyes, and he chuckled. “Not that I think he would, but if he touches her in any way she doesn’t find appropriate, Ally will kill him.” God; it was too much to hope for that Ally might be unattractive or frigid. Tierney chewed her lip anxiously as she searched Hunter’s face for clues. “How do you know?” A wry grin crossed his face. “She gave me a damn hard time, when I first met her.” Tierney blinked at him, unsure if he meant what she thought he did. “You mean…” “Ally’s taken,” he said with a wicked grin and a wink. “And, way I hear it, so’s Zeus.” Tierney stared at Ajax, that sick feeling back in her stomach again. She clenched her hands in the sheets, too afraid of the answer to ask the question pounding in her head. She knew about Archer and Lana. He told her they were over, but she wasn’t so sure. God, how could she have been so stupid? *

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Archer watched as Ally Curran slipped the slide of Anaz-Voohri blood under the high-powered, computerized microscope and turned her attention to the linked up epad. She didn’t seem to be suffering any aftereffects from the Gold; he was sure that, if she was, he wouldn’t have convinced Kent to leave. Talk about opposites attracting. He still couldn’t believe that quiet, serious Ally Curran was involved with a boisterous adrenaline junkie and troublemaker like Hunter Kent. But, watching their relationship gave him hope that his own relationship with Tierney wasn’t as impossible as he first thought. Maybe… “So, how’s your patient doing?” Ally’s inquiry broke through his thoughts. “I hear she and Electra had the worst time with recovery. Think it has something to do with the telepathy?” Archer shrugged uncomfortably. He’d considered the possibility, himself, but he wasn’t ready to discuss his theories with anyone else. “Electra came out of it easier than Tierney.” “But her abilities aren’t all mind-driven, like Ms. Grant’s are.” Archer frowned. He didn’t like the direction this conversation was headed. “Can we change the subject, please?” Ally glanced up from her task with a wry grin that made Archer uneasy. “I’m beginning to think all men are alike.” He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his own task – updating the Screamer software to accept the new DNA and protocol data. He wouldn’t give Ally the opening to tell him why she thought all men were alike. He already knew he wouldn’t like the answer. He had to turn this back to work, before he dug himself a grave he couldn’t get out of. “We need to update the system with the Anaz-Voohri nanobot signal, too. They must have some kind of linked or traceable signal, to be able to release that toxin so instantaneously. Maybe we can use that against them.” She shook her head with a wry smile that told him she had more to say on his change in subject, even as she answered him. “I’ve been studying the Gold virus. If we use the same type of replicating nanobots that medicine uses for muscle regeneration, and reprogram them with the cure you created, it should reverse the Gold, as well. Everything I see so far says they’re two versions of the same virus.” A knot tightened in Archer’s gut. He’d suspected for quite a while that Carrick was in league with the Anaz-Voohri, and that Silas Grant was killed because he was set to expose the truth and have Carrick put under investigation. But, having his suspicions confirmed was far from comforting. “Think there’s any way we can create a defense against it?” “If you mean a vaccine, I highly doubt it. The genetic formula is too advanced for a quick vaccine formula. Maybe if we had ten or twenty years…” “Which we don’t have. If we don’t stop this soon, they’ll start releasing it on a global scale.” She sat back in her lab chair, her expression solemn. “I do have one idea that might work. It’s a long shot, but…” “Hell, I’ll take a long shot over no chance at all,” Archer studied her intently. “Lay it out for me.” “The Lemnian Armor you developed is tied into the wearer’s DNA. Well, Gold also attaches to the DNA, or any nanobots already in the system. I’m wondering if there’s a way to modify the armor to protect the DNA and nanobots, as well.” Archer frowned. It took years to develop the original armor. They used the DNA for identity coding. The idea of being able to armor the body from the inside… “It sounds a little far-fetched, Ally.” “Up until a few months ago, I would have thought being able to start fires with my mind was pure Science Fiction, Dr. Archer. I don’t believe anything is impossible, anymore.” She was right, of course. They’d all seen the impossible happen over the past year, and they were all changed by it. Was it possible to make an armor that protected the body both outside and in? Adrenaline flashed through him as the idea took root, and the medical applications of anti-viral armor took shape. But, updating the armor would be tricky, and for the use they wanted, it was going to take

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someone who had a direct empathy with computer circuitry. He could only think of one person with the ability and expertise necessary to make the proper adjustments in their timetable. “We’re going to need help.” He rose to his feet. “Let me make some calls.” And, as he made his way toward his secure line in Mythos, Archer hoped it wouldn’t take moving mountains to get the help they needed.

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CHAPTER NINETEEN “I really don’t like this.” Archer sighed to himself at the wary note in Dylan Brady’s voice. He’d been afraid of this. Not that he didn’t understand Dylan’s objection. Of course the man wouldn’t want his new wife – who was still recovering from her own illness – to go into an environment that left her open to the same people who already tried to kill her twice. He was sure he wouldn’t react any differently if someone suggested he send Tierney into danger. “I know, but we need to do this, Apollo.” He tried to understand, but he was out of patience. “Dr. Curran’s assessment is sound, and Maya’s the only one capable of doing the upgrades we need.” There was a long silence, and then, “I’ll talk to her about it. But, Archer, if she says no, I won’t push her.” “Understood. Let me know her reply ASAP.” At Dylan’s confirmation, Archer disconnected the call and sat back with a heavy sigh, his eyes closed as he rubbed a hand over his face. His eyes sprung open in the next instant as the phone disappeared from his hand, even as warm flesh touched his arm. He looked up, and into Tierney’s hot, determined gaze. Uh-oh. She’d been in a strange mood ever since he brought her home from Minos Enterprises this evening. One moment, she shut him out, and the next, she was all over him. “You’re working too hard,” she murmured now, as her hand trailed up his arm, and every hair raised in electric response as other portions of his anatomy sprang to attention, as well. If this was some kind of game… “Tierney …” “I’m not playing a game.” Her voice was whisper-soft, as her face descended until less than an inch of space remained between them. He inhaled, and the scent of raspberries, body heat, and mint toothpaste flowed through him, reminding him that, until just a moment ago, she was asleep in his bed. Hot blood rushed south, and all the fear and frustration of the past week spilled over in a volcanic wave. His eyes moved hungrily over her slim form, drinking in every dip and hollow revealed by the satin of her thigh-length nightgown. Without another thought, he lifted his hands to the thin straps of her gown, and his thumbs hooked around the straps. The wash of her warm breath when she gasped flitted over him as he slid the straps from her shoulders and down the smooth skin of her arms. His erection twitched painfully against the confinement of his jeans. The front of her gown dropped, until it was held up only where it clung to the hardened tips of her nipples. Archer groaned. “God. Do you have any idea what you do to me, angel?” “Yes.” Her answer was blunt and guileless, and so very Tierney. Without hesitation, she climbed onto his lap in the chair, her thighs straddling his hips and her heat pressed against him. She put her hands on his shoulders for balance and leaned in. The front of her gown dropped, to reveal the tempting peaks of her nipples, as she brushed a soft, open-mouthed kiss against his lips. “I don’t want to be alone.” Which wasn’t the reason he was looking for, but, God, he was too enthralled to care. The hunger overwhelmed him, and he reached to capture her head; his fingers burrowed through glorious, silky curls as he sealed his mouth to hers and devoured everything she offered. His free hand went to her hip, holding her lower body anchored against his as he took control of the kiss, and the seduction. Her hips

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surged against him, and he nipped her throat in warning as a tiny moan of want escaped her lips. He slid his hand over her rear, squeezed the firm mound, then dipped down to ease the thin edge of her underwear aside. His head dropped to her breasts, then, and he sucked one tempting nipple into his mouth, to stroke the textured surface with his tongue. She gasped, arched up, and inadvertently gave him perfect access to slip two fingers to the hilt in her wet heat from behind. He growled with pleasure at the tight, wet feel of her, desperate to have that hot core closed around other portions of his anatomy. She loosed a gasping moan, and whispered his name in a breathless rush that nearly pushed him over the edge. Tierney shifted back, riding his fingers with desperate thrusts that drove him beyond crazy when he pulled back to watch her face. He swore around gritted teeth when her hand dropped to the closure of his jeans. Dragging her close, he nipped her neck lightly. “Damn, angel…” The sound of his zipper separating was loud in his ears, but the relief was only temporary, and turned to sensual torment as her hand moved up and down his erection in strokes that mimicked the rocking of her body. God, he couldn’t take it, anymore. “Tierney, angel, in my pocket…Condom.” Thank God he’d had the presence of mind to buy some on his way home tonight. Her free hand delved into his jeans pocket and came up with the foil packet. She tore it open with her teeth, and he nearly exploded on the spot as she rolled the condom into place, her gaze fixed avidly on what she was doing. With a growl that sounded predatory even to his ears, he withdrew his fingers and hooked aside the crotch of her lacy panties. In one swift move, he drew her up and impaled her on his erection. She gasped, before a low, drawn-out moan slid from her lips, even as her body pulsed around his in a slow, steady stroke that rolled his eyes back. God, she felt so good. His hands moved to her rear, and his fingers gripped her smooth, soft flesh. He felt the flex and draw of toned muscle as she rode him, her breasts bouncing lightly as she moved up and down, and knew that, if he hadn’t already been thoroughly in love with her, he’d be lost now. The look of rapture on her face was more than any man could fight. As her head tipped back in a fall of strawberry-blonde curls, he gave her everything he had to give, until the world turned to starlight, and he knew, without a doubt, that walking away from Tierney was something he could never do again.

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CHAPTER TWENTY God, she felt so out of place. Restless, Tierney shifted in her seat as she watched Archer, Ally Curran, and a woman he’d introduced as Maya Brady, converse beside a specially designed computer cubicle. Maya called it something – a crystal chamber – but all Tierney saw was a big metal and Optiglass box that made her feel claustrophobic. Maya actually worked in one of those things? Tierney shuddered. So far, none of the other Pleiades women had turned out like she expected. Tori was brash and unapologetic about her life, and she got a thrill out of breaking the law that Tierney couldn’t understand, but Tori’s zest for life grew on her. Maya Brady, in contrast, was quiet and reserved, as if she tried her best to be invisible. And Ally Curran … Tierney smiled as she studied the blonde woman, wondering why she’d ever been jealous. Ally was oblivious to Archer beyond his status as a colleague. The only time the woman’s attention was diverted from her work was when Ajax was around. Otherwise, men might as well be useless decorations to Ally. Speaking of useless decorations… Tierney shifted again. She’d never felt more useless in her life. She was an intelligent woman, but when it came to chemicals or computers, she was out of her depths. She couldn’t understand why she was even here. Then Archer glanced up, and their eyes met, and it wasn’t important, anymore. Tierney’s heart clenched, and her eyes stung with tears. The heat in his green eyes turned her feeling of inadequacy into fuzzy warmth. She was the reason behind what he did. He said something to the women with him, and then strode across the room to her side. “Bored?” A slow smile crossed his face and told her he knew how out of her depths she felt. “Just feeling useless. Archer,” she met his gaze directly, “why am I here?” “Because you’re the only one who knows exactly how the Anaz-Voohri think.” His hand raised, and his fingertips brushed her temple in a stroke that melted Tierney’s irritation. “In here, they programmed a storage device for all their plans. All we have to do is figure out how to access it. I’m hoping this setting will trigger something we can use.” Pain plunged through her to hear her purpose described in such cold, logical terms. “In other words, I’m just a big computer you’re trying to crack the code on.” “No.” The soft, feminine voice drew Tierney’s gaze past Archer, to meet Maya Brady’s sympathetic eyes. “I know how hard this is, Tierney. It feels like you’re being asked to accept the impossible; believe me, we all had a lot of adjusting to do, when we first found out. But, like Tori says, we might not have had a choice about becoming what we are, but we can choose how we use what we were given.” Tierney forced a smile to her face. “And what’s your choice?” “Right now, I’m going in there,” Maya gestured toward the crystal chamber, “and I’m going to see if I can get those nanobots to talk to me, so we can upgrade the Lemnian Armor to fight the AnazVoohri virus.” She met Tierney’s gaze in challenge. “The question everyone’s wondering, right now, is what are you going to do?” Tierney looked between Maya’s expectant expression and Archer’s confident one, and knew what they wanted. She knew what she had to do. She met Archer’s gaze as she rose from her seat. “You guys keep working, but sitting here isn’t going to help bring back anything important. I’m going

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to go read every scrap of information I can find on the Anaz-Voohri. I’m sure the key to my memory is in there, somewhere.” And, as she walked away, Tierney couldn’t fight the uneasy feeling that, no matter what she found, her life would never be the same again. *

*

*

Archer sighed as he entered Mythos’ DC Headquarters and dropped wearily into the chair at his desk, propping his feet on a kicked-out drawer. Finally, they broke the block they’d been under for the past four days, and they were under construction on the prototype of a hand-held version of the Robotic Scrambler, or RS, 480, which he’d already dubbed the Argonaut. If it worked in small-scale test, they’d work out a larger version to combat the Anaz-Voohri ships still in orbit around Earth. Right now, he left the research team to the construction; he was wiped out. The effects of recovery from the armor upgrade he was testing, thanks to Maya Brady. They injected the upgrade ‘bots this morning, and she warned him that he’d probably feel weakened when they shut down other ‘bots for upgrading. Hell, if that was the worst he suffered, he’d be happy. He just wanted it to work. They had several dozen Gold victims to treat. He glanced toward where Tierney sat glued to a computer screen a short distance away, and his jaw clenched in impotent rage. She thought he didn’t notice her restless nights, ever since she started digging into the Anaz-Voohri files a week ago. She had no idea he was even in the apartment, listening to her pace around the bedroom in restless fear, or awake screaming in terror. The screams were the worst. Archer’s fists clenched as he recalled the first night he walked into the apartment just in time to hear her ear-splitting scream from the bedroom. He thought someone was killing her. When he figured out she was having a nightmare, he was weak with relief, until he realized what she dreamed about. Damn it, those bastards could get into her head whenever they wanted to, and he couldn’t stop them. Nothing he could do would protect Tierney. His feet hit the floor with a bang as Tierney stiffened in a far too familiar way. Instantly, he was on his feet and across the space, for once blessing the enhancements that granted him superhuman speed. “Tierney, are you okay?” She turned toward him, her eyes blank in the way they always were when he found her sleepwalking around the apartment. Totally unaware of where she was. “The answer is in Haven.” His heart skipped a beat in dread, and his brow furrowed. What the hell was she talking about? “Excuse me?” “The answer you seek is in the desert of Haven.” Great. Now she’d turned into some kind of prophetic mouthpiece, and he had no idea who for. Or was this just an aspect of her abilities they hadn’t tapped into before? Another piece of the puzzle, stored in the nanocircuitry implanted in Tierney’s brain – much like Tori Blair could access battle plans, or Ally Curran knew the genetic history of the Anaz-Voohri? Tierney blinked, and groaned as her head dropped forward into her hands. “Oh, God. It happened again, didn’t it?” He gaped at her. “You mean you’re aware of it?” “Aware of what? All I know is, every time I black out, I get these headaches afterward. God, they hurt like a son of a bitch!” She looked up at him through squinted eyes. “What did I say?” “About the same as you’ve been muttering every night for the past week. Something about answers and deserts and havens.” Tierney’s brow furrowed. “That doesn’t make much sense, does it? Damn, I wish—” Her eyes widened as she loosed a small gasp of surprise. “Wait a minute! Did you say ‘Haven’?”

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“Yeah.” He regarded her warily. “That means something to you?” She nodded as her attention went back to the computer again, and she scrolled through files. “I was reading a surveillance report GSS posted to the Alien Action Committee at the US Senate, last year. It mentioned the need for increased monitoring of a small town in Northern Arizona. I think it was called…” She opened the report, and gave a triumphant laugh as she highlighted a name. “Haven! I was right.” He stared at her, nonplused. Could the solution be that simple? There was only one way to find out, and he was damned if he’d go into a hostile area unarmed. He strode to his desk, picked up his phone, and punched in the speed-dial for the lab. “Becca Turmot.” “This is Archer. How’s the prototype going?” “Just uploading the final data logs, now. It’ll be through the first battery of testing in about twelve hours, and ready for field conditioning.” “Good. I’ll be in to collect it first thing in the morning.” Archer hung up, and turned to find Tierney’s wary gaze fixed on him. “What are you going to do?” She asked quietly. “What prototype?” He leaned one hip against the edge of his desk. “We’ve almost completed work on a new weapon, the RS-480 ‘Argonaut.’ Once initial testing is finished, I’m going hunting – for answers.” Tierney turned away as pain stabbed her at the familiar derision she could sense. Everyone used it, as if she was as normal as they were, and thought like they did. But she didn’t feel normal. She felt less than human, because everyone viewed hybrids as slime. The nanobots in her body made her as much a hybrid as any of the cybernetically enhanced hybrids. She didn’t want to be this way, but she was. She couldn’t control what she was, and— She jerked upright as a series of images flashed through her mind, stronger than ever before. Sand and brush. Sunlight so bright she could feel the heat of it on her skin. And, clearer than ever before, she saw faces. Old faces and young ones, male and female, and all with the same blank, zombielike expressions. Her heart clenched in fear and pain, and she knew exactly how they felt. They were just like her; they were outcasts, driven from their lives by forces beyond their control. Tierney snapped back to reality with a gasp, and blinked rapidly to adjust to the sudden dimness, as she felt dampness on her cheeks. Surrounded by the cold, imposing darkness of Mythos, Tierney instinctively hugged herself to hold in the fear and isolation. She’d never felt more alone in all her life. “Tierney?” She looked up, into Archer’s worried face, and the world blurred again as she fought desolation. She knew she couldn’t have the one thing she wanted most. He would never love her. “Are you okay, angel?” His voice was soft, and the worry in his eyes twisted the knife in her chest deeper. “I… I…” she stammered, not sure how to respond, or describe what she’d seen. She felt dazed and turned around. She swallowed hard and pressed a hand to her forehead to stop the swimming sensation that said she wasn’t quite back in reality yet. “I… I had a dream, I think. At least, it looked like my dreams. Was I asleep?” He watched her as if he thought she was on the verge of a total breakdown. Heck, maybe she was. “No,” he answered her quietly. “We were discussing the Argonaut, and you just blanked out.” God, this wasn’t happening to her – it couldn’t be happening to her! For as long as she could remember, which was admittedly not a very long time, she had nightmares of lights and sounds, and the trapped feeling of complete terror. But nothing outweighed the terror of learning that those nightmares weren’t figments of her imagination. They were memories of the only childhood she ever had, and they stayed confined to her dreams, where she could at least ignore them. But what she saw just now… If

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she wasn’t asleep, then that horrible sense of total isolation was real. Tierney gnawed the inside of her cheek as she considered what to do next. Should she tell Archer the truth, and what she’d seen? If he didn’t think she was insane, she was afraid he’d turn on her because she was having… having… Hell, she didn’t have a clue what to call it. She was too freaked out about it. “Tierney?” She looked up, into his cautious eyes, and her fears crumbled. He’d never hurt her, no matter what she told him. She had to believe in that, or she might as well quit living. She bit her lip as she watched him through her lashes. If she didn’t tell Archer, and this was some kind of premonition involving the virus, she could be responsible for hundreds of deaths. Tierney’s gut roiled, even as she made a decision. She’d promised herself, years ago, that she wouldn’t be any part of a relationship built on deception. The resentment deceit caused would quickly sour any love she might find. So, there was only one option open to her. She met Archer’s gaze and, in a small voice, said, “I think I just had a vision.” His gaze never wavered. “Of Haven?” “I think so.” He crouched beside her seat, his gaze direct and his expression encouraging. “Tell me what you saw.” Haltingly, she described her strange dream; she watched his face for any signs of disbelief or disgust. Though his expression never changed, she felt the growing urge to get back to the place in her vision. She had to be there, and soon. She finished her description in a rush, ending with, “And I’m going there.” Finally, his expression altered – to a forbidding scowl. “Over my dead body.” “Archer, I have to go! Don’t you see? Those people are in trouble; they need my help!” He gave her an incredulous look. “They need you? Why would anyone need a politician?” Those words slapped her so hard she couldn’t hold in her gasp. She’d never even considered the possibility that Archer might see her career as worthless, but he couldn’t have said it more plainly. “You think I’m useless, don’t you?” He winced. “That’s not what I meant, Tierney. But those people sound sick – how would you help them?” “Because politicians just make everyone ill?” She lashed out, the hurt boiling over into rage. She’d heard all the damned jokes about politicians, in her life. She’d thought she had thick skin, until now. “Tierney—” “I don’t know what I’m meant to do, but I can’t just let those people suffer or die because I ignored a message a blind man could see. You may be made that way, but I’m not!” She rose to her feet with all the regal grace she could muster. “I’m going to Arizona.” He was on his feet in a flash as he gripped her upper arms, oblivious to the looks from other Mythos agents in the busy center. “Don’t ever,” he said in slow, deliberate words, as he struggled to hold onto his calm, “presume to know what’s going on in my head.” She faced him directly as sadness welled up inside her. He wasn’t going to like the truth. “That’s the problem,” she said softly. “I do know.” The sick pallor that crossed his face brought stinging tears to her eyes, and she knew he only now realized what she was capable of. And she was right, he didn’t like it one bit. “Fine,” he said a moment later, his expression forbidding enough that she winced. “But you’re not going out there alone. I’m going with you.” Tierney knew when to argue, and now was not the time. With a nod, she accepted his ultimatum. As she watched him walk away, she knew that, no matter what happened in Arizona, her life was about to change once again. And this time, she might lose Archer forever.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Tierney was a beautiful woman, but never more angelic than when she was asleep. He watched the peaceful serenity of her sleeping face, and hated to wake her. He was half-tempted to just let Haven, Arizona pass them by, for the chance to keep that peace on her face. He knew that once they arrived, peace would be a thing of the past for both of them, and he was desperate to keep her sheltered. Archer frowned as the realization of what he felt settled over him. He’d been in awe of Tierney for years, had admired her beauty and grace as it blossomed from a child’s innocent curiosity to a woman’s poised determination. But he always kept himself at a distance. He was afraid, and in his cowardice, he hid behind her age, his job, and ran from everything that mattered. Never, before she crashed back into his life at the convention center, did he stop to consider why Tierney was always on his mind, no matter where he was or what he did. Even when he was focused on another task, she was there in the back of his mind – both the angel who rescued him and the devil who tempted him. He froze, and his eyes widened, as the truth hit him like a ton of bricks, and he wondered why he’d been so blind. He hadn’t pursued ORION and the Anaz-Voohri for Lana and Lizzy – at least, not completely. He’d done it for Tierney. From the day he first met the exuberant, crusading twelve-yearold Tierney, he knew she was special, that she’d change his life, someday. He could admit it, now; she’d snared his heart, even back then. He reached out to trail a finger lightly over her cheek, pushing back an errant curl as tenderness shot through him. Tierney stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. The soft, sleepy-sexy look in those grey eyes punched him in the heart, making breathing difficult. “Lawson?” She murmured, her brow furrowed in concern as she struggled from the last remnants of sleep. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing. We’re almost there.” He kept his voice gentle as he leaned in to claim her mouth in a brief, soft kiss, unable to stop himself from sampling her sweetness. God, he needed her in his life. He captured her tiny gasp of surprise, and drank in the warmth of her response as she pressed closer with an impatient little sound. Easing back, he stared down into her eyes, and his chest tightened at the emotions he read there. That was one of the things he loved most about Tierney – her feelings were so honest, and she never attempted to hide them from him. Not for the first time, he regretted the years they’d lost to his stubbornness. “I should have kissed you,” he offered her that quiet apology as he stroked a finger over the amazing softness of her cheek. It was the first step to the truth he’d held inside for far too long. “You did.” Her voice was hushed, as well, her grey eyes clouded with sleepy confusion. “No.” He leaned in and pressed kisses to her face and throat, breathed in the sweet scent of raspberries. “Thirteen years ago. I should have kissed you.” Her breathing grew swift and shallow as he feasted on her soft flesh, and he felt the rapid flutter of her pulse beneath his tongue. “I wanted you to be my first lover,” she admitted breathlessly as her hands smoothed restlessly over the front of his shirt, even as he stroked her breasts through her clothes. “I wanted to be your only lover,” he growled, unable to contain the possessive heat that swirled in his chest. He didn’t want to think about who or how many men she’d been with over the years

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between that first kiss and now. When they made love in the hotel in New York, in his mind and heart she was still innocent, brand new. And she was his, now. He wasn’t about to let her go, again. Lifting his head, he met her limpid gaze again, and offered her the words he’d been too afraid to say thirteen years ago. “I love you, Tierney.” She froze, her eyes saucer-wide in surprise, and he fell at little harder at that stunned look. With a tender smile, he kissed her, and knew the exact instant she responded, as she melted against him, her lips offering him the sweetest treasure he’d ever known. The kiss went on forever, and he was reluctant to let her go as he drowned in the taste of her, and the sweet scent of raspberries that’d plagued his fantasies for over a decade. He was starved for her, but his hunger was to drive her wild, rather than to satisfy his own urges. He wanted to see and touch every inch of her, to watch her come undone, and know that his love could touch her that way. He broke their kiss as the landtrans came to a stop at the motel outside of Haven where he’d reserved a room from DC. Staring down into her passion-bright eyes, he smiled softly. “Give me five minutes, and we’ll finish this.” She nodded, and reached to loosen the top fastening of her blouse, until he could see the skin of her breasts. He swallowed hard, and reached for the landtrans door release. This would be the fastest sign-in in history, if he had his way. As he slid out of the vehicle, however, Archer froze as an eerie sensation of being watched poured through him. Hyperaware, with Tierney still in the vehicle, he scanned the surrounding area. No one. Desert as far as the eye could see, though he knew Haven was a short five minute drive away. His gaze was drawn to the upper balcony of the motel, where he found a little girl seated, her legs dangling over the concrete ledge. Her cherubic face, and those spring green eyes, sent a sharp shaft of pain through him. God, she looked just like Lizzy! Even that sandy hair… He swallowed hard, and forced a smile to his face, for her benefit. The little girl laid her cheek against one rung of the balcony and watched him with somber eyes that hit him like a bullet between the eyes. A tiny gasp from beside him drew Archer’s attention, to find Tierney at his side. “Isn’t she adorable?” He could only manage a short nod as he swallowed again. The sting in his eyes was unbearable, and he yanked his gaze away to finish his scan of the area. “Stay here,” he managed in a gravelly voice, and strode toward the well-kept building marked Office as fast as he could. He couldn’t bear to stand there, looking at that little girl, any longer. Tierney wanted to know why he didn’t want kids – that was why. His family traits were passed from generation to generation, the gene strong. Any other kids he had would remind him vividly of Lizzy, and he couldn’t bear the thought. Not without knowing what happened to his little girl. Archer’s eyes kept moving, searching for threats, as he crossed the scorching parking lot to the office. He’d forgotten how hot the desert was. As the door slid open and the air conditioning hit him in a cold blast, Archer closed his eyes in blessed relief. Then, inside, he stopped at the desk, which drew the attention of the young man with his nose buried in a book. The kid looked up with a curious expression. “Hey, you must be the guy who called in from Washington, right?” His dark eyes lit with excitement. “We don’t get a lot of people coming into the area. Most are leaving.” Archer’s brow lifted at that. “Not a popular spot?” “After everything weird that’s been going on around here, for the past few years, no one comes to Haven unless they have to.” The kid’s eyes ran over Archer’s clothes. “You don’t look like a businessman. What brings you here?” “Nothing important.” He wasn’t about to involve this kid in his and Tierney’s mess. There was already one too many innocent people involved in this, as far as Archer was concerned. “Right.” The kid spun his chair around and collected a keycard off of the low shelf behind him. “Here ya go. Room eight.”

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“Thanks.” “By the way, my name’s Ben Corwin. If you need anything, just let me know.” Archer nodded. “I’ll do that. Thanks, Ben.” “No problem. And remember what I said. Stay away from Haven, man. It’s bad news.” Archer nodded as he left, mulling over what Ben had said. He knew the kid meant well, but he wouldn’t be here, if not for the town. At least he knew they were on the right track, now, though. If even the locals thought there was something odd about Haven, they had to be onto something. When he returned to the landtrans, he blinked in surprise to find Tierney seated on the curb, the little girl from the balcony beside her as the pair conversed quietly. Tierney looked up at his approach, and the smile on her face punched him in the solar plexus. For the first time, he regretted his decision to not have any more kids. Tierney looked comfortable – and the happiest he’d ever seen her – with the little girl by her side. “Hi.” “What are you doing?” He frowned at her. “You’re supposed to keep a low profile.” She chuckled. “Oh, come off it, Archer. Lizzy and I were just getting acquainted.” He froze, the blood draining from his head and leaving him dizzy. “Lizzy?” He croaked, unable to force more than that word out. What were the chances that another little girl, looking almost like a replica of his daughter, would have the same name? Tierney seemed oblivious to his pain as she smiled at the little girl. “Elizabeth Walker, meet my friend, Archer.” “Hi!” Lizzy – Elizabeth, for God’s sake! – hopped up and bounded over to him, a big, innocent grin on her face. “Lizzy and her mother are heading out of town,” Tierney said significantly, before her gaze fixed on Archer in concern. “Are you okay?” He nodded mutely, too stunned still to speak. “There are lots of bad people in town,” Lizzy said helpfully. “They have funny heads, and skin. They make my mommy cry, so we’re going away. Mommy said she’d take me to Disneyland.” The pain punched him again. He’d made plans, with Lana and his daughter, to visit Disneyland, the summer before Lizzy disappeared. God, this wasn’t happening! His eyes blurred with pain. “Lizzy, honey, you better go find your Mama,” Tierney said quietly, even as she gripped Archer’s hand. “Archer and I need to talk, okay?” The little girl nodded, and dashed off, leaving them alone in the bright sunlight. Archer closed his eyes and drew Tierney to him. His arms banded around her as he buried his face in the comforting sweetness of her neck and willed his tears away. “God, Tierney…” “What’s wrong, Lawson?” She whispered against his ear. “Please tell me.” “That girl,” he managed in a choked voice. “That’s Lizzy. My Lizzy. She looked just like that, right before…” He heard her gasp, before her arms slid around him, and she clung to him. “Oh, God. I hadn’t even made the connection! Oh, Lawson, I’m so sorry…” He lifted his head, and stared into her sympathetic eyes, and suddenly, it was too much to hold in. He had to drown out the pain in his soul, salve it with her beauty and her softness. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, just before he claimed her mouth in a kiss that was rough with desperation. She met his kiss with a fervor of her own, as if she understood what he needed, and she wanted him to know that she was okay with it. God, he loved her so much. He scooped her into his arms, and strode to the door of their room, not even breaking their kiss as he fumbled the keycard into the lock release. Inside the room, he deposited her on the bed and followed her down, to press his body against hers full length. Heat surged through him as he worked her clothes loose between their bodies.

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Tierney’s hands were everywhere, as she removed his clothes and kneaded his skin in a comforting caress. Archer slipped his hands between her thighs and eased her legs up and apart as he swirled his tongue over her nipples. He sucked first one, and then the other, into his mouth to feast as she moaned and arched into his ministrations. Tilting her hips up, he joined their bodies with a swift thrust, burying his pain in the welcoming heat of her love. And, as he drove them beyond the stars with a steady rhythm, Archer closed his eyes and prayed, as never before in his life, that he wasn’t about to lose this woman who kept him sane. *

*

*

“Unit six has reached the Colony,” the synthesized voice relayed the update in a monotone. “Data storage code activated. Data retrieval will commence in five hours, thirty minutes.” Kavak sat back in her seat, the living material conforming to her body as she sipped the blue liquid in her glass. Her eyes narrowed and her forehead glowed as she studied the seven blinking lights on the indicator screen. It appeared that the reprogramming was not a total success. Units one, three, and four were still not where they were supposed to be. However, it appeared that the reprogramming was successful with unit six. She was right on course for the data retrieval process. By tomorrow, they would know how to set these miserable, inferior beings to fighting, and the idiots would gas each other with the Celestine device – what that moron, Carrick, called Gold. Finally, their time for waiting was at an end, and their homeworld would be returned to its rightful owners. But first, they had to get rid of those infernal Mythos operatives. Contact General Carrick. Inform him that his target is in Haven. Advise him that the unit is not to be harmed. He may do what he wishes with the human. She sighed with pleasure, and a feline smile inched across her face as she took another sip of her drink, and felt the burn of it, all the way to her belly. Before she destroyed these miserable humans, she would get one of the units to investigate new methods of making alcohol. After all, there were some things a slave colony could be useful for.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Something was very wrong. Archer glanced around the streets of Haven, Arizona, with trepidation, and didn’t feel guilty for sneaking out to have a look around while Tierney slept. There was no way he wanted her to see this. Everywhere he’d looked for the past two hours, it was like being on the set of a bad horror movie. These people were little more than zombies, moving around in a glaze-eyed fashion that sent chills down his spine. He’d dug through the archives at the library, and everything he uncovered left him with the distinct impression that both Ben and Lizzy were right. This place was bad news. The entire damned town – what had once been a thriving tourist community – was brainwashed hybrids whose only function appeared to be to produce raw materials for the Anaz-Voohri to use. The newsprogram archives went from typical small-town gossip and information to nothing more than lists of whose job it was to do what, daily, to nothing at all. He couldn’t even find any proof of a current newsprogram in existence. He’d uploaded what he could to his epad, to study at length, later, but from what he saw, he wasn’t sure he wanted to dig any deeper. This place gave him the creeps. After a final glance around, Archer slid into the seat of his landtrans and said, “Motel.” The vehicle pulled away from the curb and started down the road. Archer watched the faces he passed, and his gut clenched in dread. Was this what the Anaz-Voohri planned for the entire human race? God, it was more horrible than he expected. These people would be better off dead. As the town melted behind him, Archer laid his head back, closed his eyes, and wondered how the day could possibly get any worse. Ten minutes later, he had his answer, as he froze outside the door to his motel room, his gaze riveted in disbelief on the far-too-familiar midnight-blue circular decal, gleaming with the silver stars of the constellation Orion that adorned the sides of the personnel carriers thundering down the road in the direction he’d just come. Hell. Inside the room, he found Tierney seated on the edge of the bed, running a brush through her damp curls. She looked up at him in surprise that turned to confusion as he turned his attention to the room’s large, curtained window, drawing his weapon. Not that the Argonaut would do much good against ORION agents, but he felt better knowing he had a weapon. “What’s going on?” Tierney’s query broke the silence, and Archer grimaced. No way would he tell her what he found in Haven, or about the uneasy sensation twisting his insides. “Nothing.” “Lawson, you promised,” she reminded him. “Now tell me what’s going on.” He turned to look at her again and, as he met her gaze, he watched her face drain of color. “Oh, my God. Carrick’s here, isn’t he?” A cold trickle of fear went through Archer at the accuracy of her assessment. He didn’t want to consider the possibility that she’d read his mind. He had too much to think about as it was – namely, how to keep her safe. “Yeah,” he muttered as he checked the Argonaut’s charge. Full. Hopefully, it would be enough, if he encountered any Anaz-Voohri out there. He already knew the only way they would avoid ORION was to leave now, and Tierney wouldn’t consider that an option. “And he didn’t come alone. This

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whole damned place is crawling with hybrids for a reason – it looks like an Anaz-Voohri staging ground.” “For what?” She sounded aghast. “I’m not sure, yet, but I think it’s a slave colony. Everything they do appears to be done to benefit the Anaz-Voohri. The one thing I am sure of is, if it involves Carrick and the Anaz-Voohri, you can lay even money it’s nothing good.” She swallowed hard, and her eyes darted toward the door. “They know I’m here, don’t they?” “Probably.” He hated admitting that, but she needed to know she wasn’t safe. She needed to be cautious. Just like that, the light in her eyes dimmed and her shoulders slumped. “Oh, God. Lawson, I’m so sorry.” He shot her a worried frown. “For what?” “They knew I’d come, that you’d come with me. My dreams… This is a trap, and I’m just the bait!” She closed her eyes, and tears rolled down her cheeks. Watching the fight go out of her like this killed him. He couldn’t bear to watch her suffer like this. “Hey.” He moved to crouch at her side. “You don’t know that, angel. Truth is, I have a very bad feeling there’s another reason they wanted you to come here. I don’t believe they want you dead, they need you.” Her eyes opened, and the pain and fear in her eyes punched him in the gut, hard. “And you?” “I’m expendable.” All the color left her face, and her lips trembled for a moment, before she threw herself into his embrace, sobbing. “Don’t talk like that!” “Shh.” He held her close as he shifted to sit beside her on the bed. “We’re going to beat this, angel. We just have to—” There was a sudden, ear-splitting explosion, and Archer instinctively threw himself to cover Tierney, as the wall across the room disintegrated in a wash of dust and flying debris. He grunted as a chunk of concrete hit his shoulder, hard, but stayed put until he was sure the debris had settled. Rising up slightly, he looked at Tierney. “You okay?” “Yeah. What—?” “Lawson Archer, you are under arrest. Come out of there and turn over the hybrid, at the order of ORION.” “Like Hell,” he muttered, and hopped up with a wince as pain shot through his shoulder. “Come on, Tierney; there’s got to be another way out.” “Your shoulder—” “It’s fine. Let’s go!” She nodded, swallowing visibly. “This way. There’s a window big enough to get out through in the bathroom.” Less than a minute later, they ran through the desert brush, until Tierney came to an abrupt halt, gasping. “What?” Archer stopped to look at her in concern. “Lizzy! Lizzy and her mother are still back there!” “They’ll be fine, Tierney,” he said tersely. “It’s not them ORION wants.” She met his gaze, and then nodded, as if she could read his determination. Half an hour later, Tierney clutched her side as she bent double, resting one hand against the support beam of an old mine shaft. “Do you think we lost them?” She panted in an attempt to catch her breath.

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“I doubt it. Carrick’s not one to give up.” He watched Tierney, aware that she didn’t have the same level of endurance he did, thanks to his nanotech implants. Without conscious thought, his gaze fixed on a bead of sweat as it trickled down her throat and over the bare flesh revealed by her tank top, before it disappeared into the cleft of her breasts, and his body stirred. He blinked, and told himself that this was entirely the wrong time to be thinking about sex, but he couldn’t help the thoughts swirling in his head. He pushed them aside with a grunt and turned his attention back the way they’d come. Jason Carrick was out there somewhere, hellbent on destroying him. He didn’t have a doubt that Carrick was searching in person; he wouldn’t trust this vendetta to a lackey. “What is it between you two, anyway?” Tierney asked curiously, her breathing easier now. Archer shrugged as he leaned against the opposite wall and watched her in those sexy shorts and tank top. “Long story.” She glanced around wryly. “You going somewhere?” He sighed. “We never really liked one another. Incompatible personalities, I guess. Carrick was always an arrogant prick, and he decided he was superior to everyone else. That really rubbed wrong, and I didn’t like the way he treated the people who worked for him.” “That’s no reason to want to kill someone.” “No,” he said quietly as the anger returned. “But then it became personal. Carrick arrested Renee, in a raid on a Medusa’s Hand safehouse. He tortured her to the point of death, just for the pleasure of watching her squirm. She didn’t even have any information he wanted at the time.” He looked up, to find Tierney watching him silently. As their eyes met, she said, “You really cared about her, didn’t you?” “She was my friend. And it wouldn’t matter if she wasn’t. No one deserves to be tortured like that.” His fists clenched. “If I ever get the chance, I’ll kill the bastard.” “How about now?” The familiar, arrogant voice spun Archer toward the entrance, just in time to see a hypodermic needle come down. The needle plunged deep into his upper arm, and he heard Tierney cry out, even as heat burst in his arm. Marshalling his strength, he shoved Carrick’s arm away and planted a solid punch directly in the man’s smug face that knocked him backward in surprise. Archer ripped the needle from his arm and tossed it aside, vaguely aware of the soft clink of glass hitting sand, as he launched himself at Carrick. His arm burned like a son of a bitch, but he ignored it as he grappled with Carrick, who’d gone for a weapon. “Give it up, Carrick,” he growled darkly. “I’m not going to let you win, this time.” “What makes you think you have a choice?” Carrick gave him a hard shove that sent him sprawling to the ground. A mocking gleam entered Carrick’s good eye as he aimed his weapon at Archer. “You’ve got a shot of Gold – the mixed toxin. I’d prefer to stay and watch you twitch, but I’ve got other places to be, and I can’t risk the chance that you might recover. So I’m just going to burn a hole through you, and then little Miss Can’t Be Wrong and I will be going. We have an appointment to have her brain picked.” “You bastard,” Archer muttered through gritted teeth as the burn spread. God, he hoped the new armor worked. “You so much as touch her, and I’ll kill you outright.” “I’m afraid you’re in no place to—” Carrick suddenly stiffened with a gasp, before his gaze darkened, and he swung around to face Tierney, who held the empty syringe in one trembling hand. “You hybrid bitch!” Carrick hand struck her across the face and sent Tierney flying backward with a cry. Archer roared and pounced on Carrick again. The other man landed hard, and his head hit a large stone, stunning him. Instantly, Archer was on his feet and moving to Tierney’s side as she struggled up from the ground, wiping blood from a cut on her lip. “You okay, angel?” Her eyes met his. “I’m fine. But you—” “I’ll be fine.”

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There was a cry, behind him, and they both turned, to see Carrick double up as a tremor wracked his body. “My God,” Tierney breathed. “What was that stuff?” “Poetic Justice.” Archer rubbed his arm as pain flashed through him. “That’s the same stuff that killed your father.” Her eyes widened, and she gasped. “Gold?” “The full mix.” Her eyes went to him, wary, now. “So why aren’t you…?” “We updated my armor, remember? It burns like hell, but the armor’s fighting the effects of the Gold.” He frowned. “We need to figure out how to get out of here.” Tierney stiffened, her eyes blank, before she whispered, “They’re coming.” Ice shot through Archer, and he didn’t have to ask who she meant. He’d never considered the possibility that Tierney’s ability could be used as an early warning system, before. Were her headaches merely a warning she was unable to interpret, at the time? “How close are they?” Her head shook, and her expression turned to vague frustration. “I can’t tell. God, my head hurts!” Archer glanced toward where Carrick lay, writhing and swearing in the throes of viral infection. If the Gold didn’t kill him, Carrick would end up like those people in the town, a zombie slave of the Anaz-Voohri. It seemed fitting justice. “We need to get out of here.” When Tierney didn’t respond, he turned to find her gaze fixed on Carrick. In a quiet voice, she asked, “What about him?” “Right now, keeping you alive and away from the Anaz-Voohri is the only thing I care about, angel. If the aliens are on their way, they’ll find Carrick. Since he’s their ally, I have to believe they’ll take care of him.” Her eyes lifted, and he read the concern there. He couldn’t believe she was worried about the man who’d tried to kill them both. “That’s what I’m worried about.” “He’ll be fine,” Archer assured her, and hoped he wasn’t lying, for Tierney’s sake, as he realized why she was worried. She thought she’d killed Carrick. If he died, she’d torture herself with having taken another human being’s life forever. He took her hand, pulled her gently away from the mine, and headed back in the direction of the motel. If luck was with them, they’d be able to get to the landtrans before anyone saw them, and get the hell out of Arizona. *

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*

She stared down at him, her expression cold and inhuman, even cast in the warm red light of the setting sun. She’d never looked more alien than now, and it galled him to admit that she was his only chance of survival. “Kavak.” “You are dying, General.” He hated it when people stated the obvious. He gritted his teeth as the burn in his gut increased. “I know that, you stupid alien cow! Give me the antidote.” Her face remained expressionless. “There is no antidote. Only the worthy survive.” “You stupid bitch!” He clawed toward her. “You swore to me…” “You were fool enough to take an enemy’s word in a time of war.” She turned, skimming out of the mineshaft. “Good-bye, General Carrick.”

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As he lay there in the gathering night, his insides burning, Carrick made himself one promise. When he got out of this, he would hunt Kavak down. She’d just bumped Archer off the top of his list, along with that hybrid bitch who’d stuck him in the first place.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Tierney glanced around nervously as she entered her old house. It no longer felt like home. Everything was alien, since her return from Arizona. Appropriate, considering the things that came to her in flashes and pieces, lately. Images of an ancient human race, torn from their homeworld and turned into slaves. They rebelled against their rulers, and now they returned to reclaim their home. Only problem was, they forgot how to co-exist. And, like an old dog, there was no teaching the AnazVoohri how to be anything but destroyers. So, she gave Archer what she could, and she sent a message to Kavak that she wanted this meeting. It was time to lay out the facts; Kavak owed her the truth. “Why have you called me here?” Kavak’s cold, angry tone caused Tierney to jump, and a shaft of fear went through her. But the memory of Archer’s pain as he talked about his daughter bolstered her nerve. Human beings suffered at the hands of this woman, and it had to stop. “You want your weapons back; I want Elizabeth Archer.” Kavak’s eyes narrowed. “You presume to order me?” “I know who you are. Everything. So far, I’m the only one who knows the complete truth, and your one big weakness.” Tierney faced her adversary with cold certainty. “Give me an excuse to use it against you. I’ll have it broadcast worldwide in less than an hour.” “The Celestine device has been compromised,” Kavak said dismissively. “It is useless to us.” “And Elizabeth Archer’s body? How is that of any use to you?” “Test Unit six-twenty-one is of continued use to us.” Hope sprang to life in Tierney. “She’s alive!” Kavak gave her a pitying look. “Not all units unfit for the Pleiades experiment were destroyed. Many have been integrated into other roles.” Lizzy was alive! Tierney’s mind flashed on the little girl they’d met in Arizona, and Archer’s reaction to her. There was no way that little girl was Lizzy Archer, but they’d never met her mother. Maybe… “Where is she?” Kavak turned away without answering, and drifted toward the door. Anger flashed through Tierney. Not this time. She’d be damned if she’d let Kavak walk away. Concentrating on Kavak, she focused the way she’d practiced since her return from Arizona, and felt as if her head was floating free of her body. Come back here. We’re not finished. Kavak froze, as if held in place by a will stronger than her own. Finally. The satisfaction in the alien’s voice snapped through Tierney, and her control snapped. “Finally? What are you talking about?” Kavak turned to pin her with that inhuman gaze. Use your mind. It is capable of so much more than these weak humans suspect. Tierney’s fists clenched as fury flooded through her. She’d had enough of this superior attitude. She knew the truth, now. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am one of ‘these weak humans’… And so are you.” Kavak drew herself up. “We have transcended that filthy existence.” “Bull.” Tierney’s eyes narrowed. “Lizzy’s alive, and you’re going to tell me where she is.” “She is currently unavailable.”

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Triumph washed through Tierney. She was right; Lizzy Walker’s mother had to be Archer’s daughter! “You lost her, didn’t you?” Kavak scowled, but didn’t answer. She turned and floated out the door. Tierney let her go, this time. She had what she needed. Now, she just had to find Elizabeth Walker. *

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*

Archer shot the woman beside him a wary glance as the landtrans pulled up outside his father’s estate. Ever since she came back from her home a week ago, Tierney acted like the cat who swallowed the proverbial canary, and that made him uneasy. Just what did she have planned? And why would it involve his father? Anxiously, he glanced into the back seat, where Lana dozed fitfully, then at Tierney, beside him, again. “What’s going on?” “There’s someone here you both need to meet. She showed up on your father’s doorstep five days ago, looking for work. I found her here, after doing a little digging in the National Archive.” “Tierney, Lana’s been through enough.” She laid her hand over his. “Trust me. Please.” He sighed. “Looks like I don’t have much choice.” She smiled. “You’re right. You don’t.” As the landtrans pulled to a stop, Lana jolted awake, her eyes flashing between the two of them, then to the building. “No.” “Lana, please, I want you to meet someone.” Tierney kept her voice calm and level. “She’s been anxious to meet you ever since I told her about you.” Lana’s eyes fixed on her, and Tierney watched the tears well, before the older woman whispered, “You found her. You brought her back.” Tierney smiled, her throat tight with her own tears. “Yes.” Energy flooded Lana’s frail features, and she reached eagerly for the door handle. Tierney left the vehicle as well, to help Lana from the landtrans and up the walk. Archer fell into step behind them, and she could feel his confusion. She nearly burst with her secret. At the door, she paused, and the heavy wood swung open on ancient hinges, to reveal a face that looked like a perfect blend of the pictures Edward Archer had shown her of Lawson and Lana. He’d wiped away tears, and told her how thankful he was to have his granddaughter back. He’d asked her to bring his son home. “Lizzy!” Lana embraced the young woman in frail arms, and her entire being shook with the sobs that overflowed her. Tierney blinked, and turned away, to meet the stunned look on Lawson’s face. Slowly, his gaze left his daughter’s face, to meet Tierney’s. “That’s…” “Your daughter. Elizabeth Walker. We met her daughter in that motel in Arizona, remember? She was right there, Lawson!” As Lana disappeared into the house, arm-in-arm with her daughter, Tierney turned to follow them. A hand on her arm stopped her, and she turned back to Lawson, just in time to be swept up into his arms as he covered her mouth in a kiss that melted her insides. She clung to him, absorbing the familiar, beloved scent and taste of this man who owned her whole heart. After a long moment, he eased away, and she saw the sheen of moisture in his eyes as he smiled down at her. “Do you know how much I love you, angel?” Her smile blossomed, and she let him see all the love in her heart as she smoothed a hand over his cheek and whispered, “I know.” And, with their love, they’d accomplished the impossible. For the first time since her father’s death, Tierney felt hope for the future. There was no such thing as an unbeatable enemy.