Undercover(5)
Sera sighed. “You’re right. I apologize. I’m being unfair.”
Brandt’s estimation of her rose. Having the courage to apologize when one was wrong was a quality he wished more people possessed.
“Isn’t it difficult? I mean, clearly you’re not simply rich losers looking for a good time. What do your families think?” She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like if her father thought she was a lazy, good-for-nothing fool.
Before Brandt could answer, there was a rap at the door. Sera closed her eyes for a moment before getting up.
“Do you want me to deal with that?” Brandt asked quietly.
She stopped halfway to the door and turned back to him. “Thank you, but no. I have to deal with this if I’m going to be on the team.”
When Sera opened the door, Ash was there as she knew he’d be. As she felt he’d be.
“May I?” He jerked his chin, indicating he wanted to enter.
She stepped back, and he walked in, moving to sit next to Brandt.
“Sera, you can’t continue to assault me every time I piss you off.”
Brandt sighed. “Ash, we’ve moved past that. Sera is going in as my concubine. She feels comfortable with that, and it’s really no difference one way or the other. We were just going over our cover.”
“Well, isn’t that cozy?” Ash’s voice was cutting.
“If this is going to work, you cannot continue to be a ’Verse-class asshole, Ash.” Sera wanted to pop him one, but she was too tired to move.
Ash looked at her with surprise and then laughed. “Fine. I see you’re still a smart-ass. And you need to teach me that move you pulled down there. You’re a lot faster than you were ten years ago.”
“We’ll see. Now, Brandt, you were about to tell me about your cover.” She moved her attention back to Brandt.
“Yes, it’s difficult, but we all pay a price in some way. The best rule of this sort of work is to play as close to the truth as humanly possible. My Family is powerful, in ways, even more so than Ash’s. But I’ve not been seen on the front like my father was. All my work has been quiet and behind the scenes. Ash and I have been close since he married my sister. I’m just a guy from a Family full of heroes looking for something to make me stand out.”
Sera blinked several times before she could even find the words. That niggling she’d had the night before became totally clear. Kira was a Pela. Just like Brandt. “You’re Kira’s brother?” She didn’t like the sound of her voice. She heard the raw emotion, didn’t want them to.
“You didn’t know.” Brandt said it and felt like a heel. How could he have been so stupid? The whole thing was stupid. He never should have brought her name to Ash. She’d been such a great candidate for the team, and he’d truly thought they could overcome her issues with Ash. But all they’d done since the moment they decided on her was to fuck her life over.
“No. I’m very tired. We have time to go over this. I’ll read the file and what you’ve put in my system.” She stood woodenly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you weren’t aware.” Brandt raised his hands but let them fall to his side.
“Please. Just go.” The strain was clear on her face.
Sighing, Brandt pushed Ash out the door ahead of him. He knew Ash would want to stay and badger her, and Brandt could see in her face that there was just no more room for that.
Brandt was the one who slammed into his room this time, and Ash followed, tossing himself on the bed with a grumble.
“We’ve really fucked up, Ash. In less than twenty-four hours we’ve swooped in, broken up her team, torn her from her life, tossed her ex-lover in her face, and made her feel like a whore. Each surprise we’ve given her has been worse than the last.”
Ash knew it. Her pain tore at him. He wanted more than anything to make it right. He would make it right. “Yes. Okay, I admit it. I shouldn’t have collared her neck downstairs. That set her off.” Ash watched Brandt as he pulled his shirt off and sat on the edge of the bed to yank his boots off. “But she does something to me. She always has. I just got my roles a little mixed up.”
“My, you’re the master of understatement tonight. What were you thinking?” Brandt turned, but his hair was tight in Ash’s grip, the long rope of it wrapped around his fist.
Ash moved to his knees directly behind Brandt. “I was thinking just how much I wanted to fuck her. How much I wanted to restrain her wrists and ankles and have her spread-eagle on my bed. How much I wanted to use the flogger to tease across her nipples and over her mound until she was glistening and writhing and begging me for more. I want her back, damn it. I want her.” Ash’s lips brushed against Brandt’s ear as he murmured the words, “And you as well.”
“I’m not in the mood, Ash.” Brandt’s teeth were clenched as he said it, but Ash heard the slight tremor in his voice, knew the idea of the three of them together intrigued him, too.
“Oh?” Ash reached around to grab Brandt’s cock and squeezed until Brandt moaned, relaxing against him. “You may not be, but your cock sure is. Hmmm, whose turn is it?” Brandt’s groan was like a dark caress as he reached back, sliding his hand up Ash’s thigh.
“I believe it’s mine. But instead of whipping your ass for being such a fool, I’ll let you suck my cock instead,” Brandt said as he turned and stood, unbuttoning the placket of his pants and looking down at Ash.
For Brandt, switching with a man as powerful as Ash Walker was as much about the exchange of power as the sex itself. Normally, both of them preferred women, but he and Ash had grown so close that after he and Kira had split, they’d ended up together from time to time. Because they were both dominants, they’d had to switch or constantly ended up arguing. So they took turns. Every other time one got to be dominant, and the other submitted.
His head fell back as Ash’s hand closed around the root of his cock. He’d deal with the situation they’d created with Sera in the morning. Right then, he just wanted to feel.
Chapter 3
Sera woke up at dawn as she always did. Knowing they’d be traveling to another part of the Known Universe, she made a mental note to adjust to Standard Time but knew she’d have to also get used to Nondalese local time as well.
She’d stayed up until nearly two reading the files. Her brother hadn’t been annoyed when she’d called in the small hours of the morning to badger him for a favor. Gods knew he’d called her at midnight more than once to get him out of a bind.
Her brother Paul was a clever man, and Sera was glad he was on her side. His results were impressive, and she went over the data again in her head as she showered, continuing to work it over as she got dressed.
It most certainly looked like Giles Stander was a key figure in this whole thing. The Stander Family had a whole lot of influence, especially in the border universes. The bulk of their money and importance came from their trade in goods. They had a lot to gain if the war continued and kept products expensive on the frontier.
Her research on the nifty electronic gear in her quarters showed a distinct lack of ideological stances on the part of the Stander Family. They didn’t appear to be true believers in the Federation’s precepts of democratic rule nor did they look like they embraced the Imperialists’ belief in universe-wide fascism as a tool for greater stability. Still, that it seemed to be a purely economic motivation was worse in Sera’s mind. She could understand doing something you believed in, but doing something for profit and all else be damned was lower than low, and she was quite ready to take them down for it.
After reading over everything and piecing together what she had, Sera couldn’t help but feel there was more than just the Stander Family involved. The whole thing screamed a wider conspiracy. Each Family controlled different segments of everything the Federation did. So while Stander might be able to get them certain things, and the bombings and other infiltrations could garner more, it seemed logical to bring in more Family members. The big question mark, of course, was, who else? The key would be to note who Stander’s closest compatriots were once they got to Nondal.
She made herself kava and noted with some satisfaction her pantry was well-stocked. She made the bread, cheese and fruit into a morning meal as she attempted to compartmentalize her emotions.
It just had to be done. She was right for the job; they weren’t lying about that. Her linguistic skills alone would have made her a perfect candidate, but she could handle herself in a bind, too. It wouldn’t be easy to deal with them, but she’d do it. She believed in what she was doing, and even though she felt manipulated, she’d stay to do the job.
After her meal she cleaned up after herself, gathered her weapons, and headed out in search of a practice floor and a target range.
Brandt and Ash were already in the common area eating their meal when she came down. Why did they both have to look so good? It would be so much easier to work with them if they were hard to look at instead of delicious.
“Sera, good morning. Please, have some breakfast.” Brandt motioned toward the sideboard, which held as much food as it did the night before.