"Gosh, that's a really sweet offer, but I'll have to pass."
"You must obey me," the Battle Commander snarled.
I retorted, "No, snookums, I don't."
"You refuse to obey my commands?" There was a touch of surprise in his voice.
Hadn't we already had this conversation? "Yes, that's right. I'm not one of your warriors, and I don't have to obey you, 'kay?"
"The tunnel codes have been changed, and the access card you took from the general has been disabled."
Well, that sucked. "Thanks for the heads-up, snookums."
"Do not call me that ridiculous name again."
"Oh, okay, I guess it's back to asshole, then."
"Police! Drop the sword!" a male voice shouted behind me.
"Gotta go, my ride's here."
"There is no place you can run that I cannot find you."
Ignoring him, I slid into the military cop's mind and took it over. We walked out to his patrol car, and I got into the backseat. "Take me to the Safeway over on Thomas."
"Yes, ma'am," he said and started the engine.
The Battle Commander stated implacably, "I expect my mate to be obedient."
"Whoever that poor woman is, she has my utmost sympathy."
"You, Zoey Jones, are my mate."
Oh hell no. "I respectfully decline such a great honor. I'm sure there are plenty of women back on your world who would be thrilled at the prospect of mating with you."
"Why do you fight me? You cannot win," the Battle Commander growled, more than a little irritated.
"News flash, asshole, mind control doesn't work on me. As much as I enjoy chatting with you, I have an appointment to keep with El Jefe, and I can't be late."
Mom's laughing face flashed across my mind and was quickly replaced by the horrific memory of her lifeless body lying on a mortuary slab. Grief and anger twisted my heart. God, I missed her so much. Those traitorous bastards had no right to take her from me too.
"You hunt the men who you think killed your mother," Voss said thoughtfully.
An icy cold seeped into my veins when I felt him moving in my mind. Sweet Jesus, when and how had he breached my shields?
The patrol car came to a stop at the back gate, and a dozen military police officers surrounded us with weapons drawn.
Good thing I liked a challenge. Drawing heavily on my power, I sent a mental command, "Put your weapons down and go to the gym."
As one, they all dropped their weapons and walked away. My driver opened the car door and followed them, leaving me locked in the backseat.
Well, shit! I swung around and started kicking the window out. Steel-toed boots did come in handy.
"I have checked Central Command records. Your mother's death was an accident."
The glass crumbled. "No, it wasn't. She got too close to unmasking the traitors, and they killed her."
Voss's mental voice sharpened. "Traitors?"
I definitely had his attention. "Don't you find it a bit suspicious that our planetary weapon systems keep going down?" I climbed in the driver's seat and hit the gas.
"We do."
"And who do you think sabotaged the Alliance cruiser?"
"The same men," the Battle Commander answered. His tone was that of a roused predator.
"Bingo." I bailed out of the patrol car and ran over to my old clunker.
"Do you have any proof?"
"I will today." I got in and started the engine.
"You have discovered who they are?"
"Hopefully, if everything goes as I planned, I'll nab El Jefe, and he'll lead me to them."
"Tell me where this El Jefe is, and I will deal with him," Voss commanded.
"That bastard is mine."
"It is too dangerous for you to confront them alone."
"They've taken everyone I've loved from me, and no one is stopping me from killing them. Not you or Central Command or even the Overlord." Using every ounce of power I had, I managed to lock my shields down tightly.
I ignored Voss's very vocal demands to return to the base. Today those bastards would pay for what they had done.
Everyone always yammered on about how warlords were utterly relentless. That they never ever stopped in their pursuit of their prey. As the Battle Commander's fury at my refusal to answer him grew, so did the pressure on my shields. Fear knotted my stomach. It was becoming an effort to hold them.
I knew I was only delaying the inevitable, and once the drug wore off, Voss would be popping in to claim his prize.
If I was still alive.
* * * *
The image in my mirror showed a small Hispanic male with a thick mustache, goatee, and tattoo-covered arms. My ample breasts bound tightly, the baggy black T-shirt hid my weapons and body armor nicely. I stuffed my braid under the dirty blue baseball cap and nodded in approval. From a distance, I'd pass for Jose Chavez, a day laborer who worked for the traitors.
Picking up my bag of tricks, I stuffed my tranquilizer gun, darts, and grenades into it. Did the general even know the stuff was missing from the armory? Probably not.
I surveyed the small house my mom and I had called home. It was cozy, slightly cluttered, and filled with mementos of our travels. Tears filled my eyes. I still expected to walk in and find Mom in the office, tapping away on her laptop.
"Zoey Jones, you will answer me." Voss's furious voice reverberated around my skull.
Holy shit! I rubbed my aching forehead. The drug was definitely wearing off.
"I understand your need to kill those responsible for your mother's death, but to do so alone is foolish."
"I have a plan," I snapped. "So get out of my head and stay out."
"Our minds are now linked, and nothing you do can change that."
Oh my God, that wasn't possible. "You're lying. My shields are impenetrable."
"They were until I marked you as mine."
Shock rolled over me, and I started hyperventilating. "That's not possible. Unless you physically fuck me, the mating bond isn't completed."
"You are my mate, and it is my duty to protect you."
My temper roared to life. Duty? "What's life without a little risk?"
"You wish to die?"
"They've taken everyone I've loved from me. If dying is what it takes to stop them, so be it."
"I forbid it."
"Tough." Slamming my inner shields shut, I ran out of the house, jumped into my car, and roared off. Destiny waited.
Chapter Four
Destiny was a fickle bitch. The Battle Commander ruthlessly chipped away at my shields, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he owned me mind, body, and soul.
As my desperation grew, so did my recklessness. It wasn't rational, but fear drove me. I had stood in that ice-cold mortuary and promised Mom I would find the men responsible for killing her. I had to fulfill that promise. I couldn't, wouldn't let Voss stop me.
I'm a damned good investigator and an even better actress; with my psychic abilities, I could become anyone I wanted. My chameleonlike talent had gotten me some award-winning stories and made me some enemies. If I couldn't pull off this simple masquerade, Mom's killers would go free.
Charred metal superstructures of the once-vibrant downtown Phoenix rose like freakish skeletons against the turquoise sky. A few dying palm trees offered meager shade from the sweltering sun.
Navigating around the bomb craters littering the road, I wondered if Central Command was ever going to get their act together and start rebuilding Phoenix. It had been two years since the last Tai-Kok attack, and the downtown area was still a mess.
Sweat trickled down my back as my wheezing air-conditioner blew warm air around my stifling hot car. Detroit made new cars, but only the very rich could afford them. It made me wonder how the general got that fancy red sports car he drove.
Was he the traitor? Maybe. I knew he was getting kickbacks from somewhere, but I couldn't pin down the money trail. A grim smile touched my mouth. If he was responsible for Mom's murder, I would put a bullet in him.
I brought my beat-up piece of crap to a stop and carefully scanned the few dilapidated houses still standing. Heat waves quivered across the empty street like restless spirits.
Skeletal trees surrounded Jose Chavez's tiny weather-beaten house. A brand-new red monster truck was parked in the tumbleweed-filled front yard. Who knew working as a day laborer at a chicken farm paid so well?
"I have captured Marie and Alejandro Vega," Voss announced in my head.
Shoving my car door open, I hissed, "So much for the esteemed Coletti honor."
"I cannot allow you to continue on this foolish path. Drop your shields."
"Not happening. You hurt my friends, and I will kill you." Horror knotted my stomach, and I gave myself a mental head smack. I was turning into a motormouth with suicidal tendencies.