Thrown into a life of crime against his will, Zalan had been instrumental in helping to limit Arturo’s power through well-placed counterassaults. And he’d trained Zarya to lead and take his place should anything happen to him.
But after years of fighting Arturo and his own allies who argued inside the Resistance, and the death of his only son and another daughter, Zalan had lost his fire. He’d decided to leave politics behind and to take his two remaining daughters far away from the horror he’d raised them in. To get them to a better place where they could finally be children and not soldiers for what appeared to be a never-ending cause.
Six years ago when Zalan had been on his way to their safe house to pick up Zarya and her sister, his best friend had murdered him.
It’d been Zarya’s eighteenth birthday and Zalan had planned for their new life to be his present to her.
To this day, she couldn’t stand celebrating the day of birth. Something Darling had discovered the hard way last year when he’d thrown her a “surprise” party for the two of them. The surprise had been on him more than her. Instead of being happy, she’d almost taken his head off over it.
He’d felt like a total ass when she explained to him why she hated the date so much, and why the last thing she wanted to do was celebrate it.
In the end, after her tears for her family had been spent, they’d decided to move her birthday to the day they’d first met as adults. He could still see the fire in her amber eyes as she looked up at him like he was a hero for thinking of it. “I love that idea. I never had a life worth living without you, anyway.”
Tomorrow, he was going to make damn sure that she never had a reason to regret her decision to marry him.
Zarya set her link in the stand on her desk, then smiled. “Clarion wanted me to ask if you’d be back in time to help us liberate the prisoners on Baltael V, on the first.”
Another example of Arturo’s cruelty. Those prisoners were innocent business owners whose companies had been deemed government property and their assets and revenue seized.
Darling clenched his teeth in anger, but he didn’t want her to hear it in his voice since it wasn’t directed at her. “If what I’m doing tomorrow works, you won’t have to worry about that. They’ll already be free.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t tell you, Z. It’s Sentella business.”
The worry in her eyes increased. “And that’s what I have a bad feeling about. I can’t shake it no matter what.”
“I’m going to be fine, baby. I’m not your father.”
“I know. I just… I need you to be all right. You know?” Tears glistened in her eyes, but she blinked them back. He had to give her credit, she rarely gave into them so he knew whenever he saw her tears just how deeply she felt. “I love you too much to lose you now. I couldn’t stand to bury you.”
God, her words never failed to weaken him. “Same here. It’s why I have to do this tomorrow. Not just for the cause, but for you. I want to make sure no one ever threatens you again. You’re wearing the tricom I left for you, right?”
Leaning back, she lifted her shirt to show that she had it clipped to her waist. “Thank you for this, by the way. I’m not sure how it works, and I haven’t tested it, but I have faith in your abilities. No one makes better tech toys than you do. What caused you to think of it?”
Darling’s throat went absolutely dry at the sight of her exposed skin.
She scowled. “Kere? Are you there?”
“Um, yeah. Sorry. I was momentarily distracted by the flash of your breast you just inadvertently gave me. All the blood has now left my brain and I really can’t think. What did you ask again?”
Laughing, she tsked at him. “You’re so bad.”
“Can’t help it. Have you looked in a mirror? Damn, woman, the things you do to me.”
She wrinkled her nose at him before she playfully started unbuttoning her shirt.
“Ah, now that’s just wrong.”
“What?” Her tone was one of complete innocence as she stopped at the last button that held her shirt closed right between her breasts. “Guess I need to go then… Last thing I want to do is torture you.”
“Nuh-uh. You can’t leave me now. That would be cruel.”
She flicked her finger back and forth over the final button, tormenting him with expectation. “You told me it was wrong.”
“Wrong is what you’re doing to me right now.”
“Boy, you need to make up your mind. You don’t want me to show you anything. Then you do… I just can’t figure you out. After all, I’m not in your head.”
No, she was some place much worse.
His heart.
“You know what I want, baby.”
Biting her lip, she popped the last button and opened her shirt.
Darling’s entire body erupted with fire at the sight of her bare breasts. If that wasn’t bad enough, she lifted her legs and propped them up on the desk. Oh yeah, he was so hard now, he could barely think straight.
She ran one hand over the top of her breast, circling the nipple, which puckered instantly. “You still alive, baby?”
“No. You’ve killed me.”