Rebel (4 page)

“I can’t breathe.”

He shifted his weight to his knees and eased
his hold on her wrists. As he reached for the portable lamp, she
twisted her arm and jerked one of her hands out of his grasp. She
lifted her hips and grappled for something beneath her.

What the…
Agony answered his
half-formed question. The motivator pulse propelled him backward
and triggered simultaneous muscle spasms throughout his entire
body. He screamed. Curling into the fetal position as contraction
after contraction tore through him.

She turned on the lamp and stood over him,
weapon poised and ready for a second shot.

Ashton shook and panted, waiting for the
cramps to release. “You vicious bitch.” His jaw clenched so tightly
he could barely speak. “I wasn’t—going to hurt you.”

She’d pulled her panties back into place,
but her ruined shirt hung open, revealing the shadowed valley
between her breasts. He’d been stagnating behind a desk too long.
Five years ago he never would have made such a fundamental
mistake.

“Get your ass back in the cell before I
blast you again!”

Trembling uncontrollably, he grabbed the
blanket bundle and staggered into the cell. “Is the truth so
upsetting you have to punish me for speaking the words?” He glared,
furious with himself for underestimating her brutality.

“It wasn’t your words. It was your
attitude.” She turned on the energy barrier and snatched her pants
off the floor.

He tugged on the uniform top and draped the
blanket around his shoulders, watching while she struggled back
into her pants. “How did you get mixed up in this mess?” he
whispered. “You’re no terrorist.”

She didn’t look at him, but her hands
hesitated over one of the few buttons still attached to her shirt.
“How do you know what I am? You know nothing about me.”

“I recognize the sadness in your eyes.
There’s fury there too, but pain is driving the anger. What or who
hurt you so badly?”

“We’ve all known sadness. We all live with
pain.” She sounded calm and dismissive. She still wouldn’t meet his
gaze. Her dark hair had escaped during their tussle. A strand
curled against her smooth cheek. She finally looked at him, yet her
expression was carefully guarded. “I lost my temper earlier. It’s
not our intention to torture you.”

“Are you apologizing for the cold or the
pain?” Despite the occasional spasm still gripping his muscles,
Ashton couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was so damn
beautiful.

“The cold. You deserved the pain.” She
pulled on her boots and turned to go.

“Are you leaving so soon?”

Her eyes narrowed and she slowly licked her
lips. “I almost didn’t leave soon enough.”

“Would it have been so bad?” he asked in a
throaty whisper.

“I guess we’ll never know.”

Don’t count on it.
He smiled as she
walked away.

Corry forced herself not to look back or
slow her steps until she was out of the cellblock. Stars above! Was
she losing her mind? She had never wanted a man as badly as she
wanted Ashton. Her nipples tingled as she thought of his hot mouth.
Her core pulsed with unfulfilled desire.

He could have killed her. He nearly fucked
her in a deserted cellblock and she’d never been so turned-on in
her life.
What the hell is wrong with me?

She stepped out of the decrepit building and
raised her face to the night. A brisk breeze cooled her skin and
tugged at her hair. She spread the strands around her shoulders and
let the wind have its way.

What if he hadn’t stopped? What would it
have felt like to have him hard and thrusting inside her? Taking
her, claiming her, with passion and fury? Her knees wobbled and she
pressed her hand over her pounding heart.

Ashton captivated her. He was an incredible
combination of arrogance, intelligence and raw energy. Forcing away
her futile longings, Corry made her way to the commuter tram.
This
was her home, her reality. She couldn’t let herself
forget who she was and the cause she supported—no matter how much
she wanted Ashton VinDerley.

Day three, Corry thought as she activated
the access terminal in her tiny apartment. Korbin had sent the
first message this morning and would follow it with a detailed
outline of their expectations sometime this afternoon. How would
the executive council respond? How much longer would Ashton be
under her care?

Her imagination flickered to life with a
detailed image of her captive’s handsome face. Corry smiled. She
was responsible for all three captives, but only one haunted her
night and day. She’d visited Ashton twice the day before, leaving
him food and departing without a word. She was illustrating her
displeasure with his aggression. At least that was what she kept
telling herself. In truth, she was a bit intimidated, afraid of her
reaction to him and wary of his ability to manipulate her
emotions.

Research always relaxed her. It was
wonderfully tedious. Besides, she wanted to know if any of the
things Ashton hinted at were relevant to her mission or if he was
having fun at her expense.

Information with a security rating above
five required a retinal scan, but basic biographies weren’t
generally classified. Activating her display, Corry maneuvered
through several menus and logged on to the coalition’s main
database. Without Meredith’s inadvertent assistance, Corry never
would have gotten this far.

Meredith—Corry no longer thought of the
woman as Mother—had chosen her career over her family when Corry
was still a child. It had broken her father’s heart when his wife
accepted the invitation of the military elite and joined the
Coalition’s Covert Corps. To put the demands of the CCC before the
needs of her family had been unforgivable to Simeon Reah.

A tiny part of Corry understood the
temptation. Meredith had exchanged Borrelly for Halley Prime. Given
the same choice… Corry let out a disgusted snort. Given the same
choice, Corry would have remained loyal to her family and friends.
She would have loved her daughter enough to fight for a secure
future.

Corry entered Meredith’s access code and
activated Ashton’s professional portfolio. He’d been educated on
d’Arrest. No surprise there. d’Arrest was the only outpost with
universities. He spent four years in the coalition’s armed forces
but accepted an honorable discharge after the initial term. His
interests varied widely, but he consistently excelled at whatever
he set out to do. She scrolled down to his current assignment and
her mouth went dry. Director of the Comet Coalition’s Negotiations
Team.

No wonder he talked circles around her. He
talked for a living. He solved problems and formulated compromises,
defused situations and facilitated heated arguments. He was an
extensively trained diplomat and likely telepathic as well. She’d
heard rumors that the Negotiations Team recruited people with
psychic abilities. She’d always laughed away the outlandish tales,
but there was definitely something unique about Ashton.

Returning to her research, Corry found
nothing out of the ordinary on Palmer or Danette. But what she
uncovered about Elaine VinDerley left Corry spellbound. The file
made Ashton’s mother sound part crusader and part saint, a champion
of outcasts, defender of the powerless.

“Does she come complete with a cape and
invisibility boots?” Corry muttered as she logged off the database
and navigated the communications grid. “Person-to-person, Korbin
Reah.” She leaned back in her chair, waiting for the call to
connect. Korbin’s face came on-screen. “I just heard from Dr.
Hollinds. You won’t believe the news.”

“Can I call you right back?”

“Sure.”

It was a well-rehearsed routine. Whenever
“Dr. Hollinds” called, Korbin would scramble their signal and
return Corry’s call on a secure frequency. She quickly filled him
in on everything she’d learned, ending with Ashton’s
occupation.

“This changes everything,” Korbin said when
she paused for breath. “I don’t want you near him.”

“If I don’t go near him, he’ll starve.”

“That’s an excuse and you know it. Switch
VinDerley and the college boy. Take Larz with you and—”

“You’re being ridiculous. There’s no reason
to overreact. I know what VinDerley is now. That will protect
me.”

“Bullshit. I want him in the new complex. He
has to be supervised. No one speaks with him alone, no one!”

Corry glanced away from the vidscreen,
praying her panic didn’t show. She’d never admit it to her
pigheaded brother, but she enjoyed her time with Ashton. He
fascinated her, challenged her. She anticipated their verbal
sparring, not to mention the desire still smoldering from their
tussle two nights before.

“I’m not bending on this one.” Korbin leaned
forward, his expression unrelenting. “Get Larz and bring VinDerley
to the new complex.”

Ashton sat on the bunk, leaning against the
back wall of the cell, his long legs spread out in front of him.
He’d wrapped one of the blankets around his shoulders and the other
rested across his legs. Judging from his mutinous expression, they
had their work cut out for them.

“Have you contacted my father?” His dark
gaze darted to Larz then returned to Corry.

“Get the restraints out from under the
bunk.” She tried to sound assertive despite the trepidation
gripping her stomach like a fist.

He glared at her. “Why? Where are we
going?”

“Do as you’re told.
Now.
”

Easing to the floor, Ashton retrieved the
wrist restraints.

“Get the ankle restraints too.”

“You took away my shoes. Where the hell am I
going to go?”

The sedative dart couldn’t penetrate the
energy barrier, but once it did hit, it would make him good and
groggy. The ankle restraints were probably overkill. “Put the cuffs
on and behave.”

Larz pointed his motivator at Ashton,
waiting for him to comply. With another scathing glare, Ashton
positioned the restraints. Corry activated the cuffs and turned off
the barrier.

Ashton flew out of the cell, fast and low.
The dart arched over his bent form, bouncing uselessly off the back
wall. His shoulder slammed into Larz’s stomach, knocking the breath
from his lungs and his weapon from his hand. Corry turned and aimed
again. Ashton held Larz in front of him now, the chain connecting
the wristcuffs tight against Larz’s throat.

“Drop your weapons or watch him die.”

Corry sucked in a ragged breath, her finger
restless on the trigger of the dart gun. Her motivator was set on
stun. She’d have to touch him to cause pain. Shit!

Ashton tightened the chain. Larz’s face
turned beet red. Extending her arms away from her body, Corry
dropped her weapons. Larz’s motivator lay on the floor near their
feet. Could she dive, knock them both backward and—maybe if she
weighed three hundred pounds. Ashton tore the control band from
Larz’s arm and flung him into the cell.

Before Corry could move, Ashton twisted his
hand in her hair, preventing her retreat or aggression. Larz
sprawled against the back wall, clutching his arm to his chest,
moaning.

“Look. He’s hurt. I think you broke
something.”

“So sue me. Turn on the barrier.” Ashton
punctuated the command by tugging on her hair.

Corry reached for her arm band. Could she
activate coms without his realizing—

“Upper right corner,” Ashton snapped. “I’ve
been watching you.” After a moment’s hesitation, she activated the
barrier. “Now release these restraints.”

The metal cuffs clattered noisily to the
floor. His furious gaze never left her face as he tore the control
band from her arm.

Humiliation and anger warred within Corry.
“Larz, are you hurt badly?” He silently shook his head.

Her only hope was to cooperate until she
found an opportunity to escape. Ashton’s hand remained in her hair,
forcing her to bend as he collected the fallen restraints and one
of the motivators. He draped the wristcuffs over his shoulder and
glanced into the cell.

Larz had crumpled onto his side, pretending
to be unconscious.

Ashton spared him one last glance and
dragged her along the corridor.

“Why take me with you?” She grabbed his
wrist, trying to ease the pressure on her scalp. “I’ll just slow
you down.”

“Where are you holding Danette and
Palmer?”

She grimaced as his hand unconsciously
tightened in her hair. “It’ll never happen. Your chances of getting
off this planet alive are infinitesimal. Your chances of rescuing
the others are nonexistent.”

They turned a corner and he paused, studying
the insignia on her control band. “Borrelly. Just as I thought.” He
shoved her against the wall with the weight of his body as he
fastened the control band around his forearm. His expression was
tight with frustration. He was obviously struggling with the
reality that he couldn’t help his friends. “Damn it! I can’t leave
them here.”

Corry fought back a smile. Maybe she was
empathic too. At the moment she could read him like a book.

“Guess it’s just you and me.”

Fear surged through her as a ruthless gleam
ignited within his eyes. He wasn’t just harassing her. He intended
to take her with him. “There is no reason to drag me along!”

His gaze narrowed and he moved the motivator
closer to her face. “I can think of several.” Cupping her jaw with
his other hand, he glared into her eyes. “You’re in so far over
your head, little girl. I have no idea how you survived this
long.”

Hatred burned in his eyes, startling her. He
better be ready for a fight. She had no intention of going
quietly.

“There are so many things I want to do to
you right now I don’t know where to start.”