Hemi: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 13) Read online

  He nodded. “Fine. Time to play.” He glanced at the kids. “Leo, you’re captain of your team. Maria, you’re captain of the other.”

  Hemi called out a reminder of the rules. He’d been working with the kids for a few weeks now, and they were getting the hang of it. He focused on their fresh, smiling faces. They were alive, and they needed things like sports to give them some sense of normality and help them cope.

  He tossed the ball at Leo. “Remember, keep those tackles below the neck. Let’s play.”

  The game started. Hemi kept an eye on them, making sure no one got tackled too hard. He acted as referee, making the calls. He got a few grumbles and muttered curses, but a hard stare usually kept the complainers in line. The rest of the time was filled with laughter and good-natured teasing. He called out advice for the scrums and offered a few passing tips.

  One boy bowed out. “Think I pulled a muscle in my thigh.”

  Cam helped the boy, Luke, to a bench. Hemi checked him over. “That hurt?”

  “Not too much.”

  “Think we can avoid Medical. Rest it.”

  “We’re short one player,” Leo said. The older teen’s eyes landed on Cam. “Looks like you’ll have to play, Cam.”

  She raised a brow. “What?”

  Leo grabbed her hand and yanked her onto the field. “You don’t want to disappoint the kids, do you?”

  She eyed the boy. “Have you been taking blackmail lessons from Hemi?”

  She put up a token protest, but soon she was in line with the rest of the team. Hemi blew his whistle.

  Cam laughed as she passed the ball to her teammates. And was laughing again when she got tackled. God, he loved her laugh. Carefree and sexy, all rolled into one.

  Clare, Leo’s girlfriend, limped off the field, her face damp with sweat. She was on the opposing team. “I need a break, Hemi.” She handed him the ball with a smile. “Why don’t you take over for me?”

  Hemi grinned and handed her his whistle. He fell into line with his team, facing off against Cam’s. His gaze caught hers, and he saw that familiar glint of challenge.

  The whistle blew. Hemi got the ball, and powered down the field toward the goal posts. He was tackled by not one, but two teens. They all fell on the synthetic grass in a tangle of limbs and laughter.

  “Hey, both of you can’t tackle me at once,” he complained.

  “One of us would never get you down,” a pretty, young blonde girl said. “You’re huge.”

  “Sounds fair to me,” Cam called out.

  On the next charge, Cam had the ball, sprinting toward the goal, dodging her opponents. She dived gracefully over the line and scored. She got up and did a victory dance. Her team rushed up to her and gave her high-fives.

  “Oh, yeah. Take that, Rahia.” She sent him a saucy look.

  He crossed his arms over his chest. He loved seeing her so happy and relaxed. Something told him that Cam hadn’t had much of that when she’d been the same age as these kids. “Bet you can’t do it again.”

  “Oh?” She cocked her hip. Around them, the kids started cheering and egging them on.

  “I bet I can.”

  “Can’t.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “I can and when I do, you’ll owe me.”

  “What?”

  She tapped her chin. “Whatever I want.”

  “You’re on. The same if I win.”

  She hesitated a second, but the kids’ cheers grew louder. She waved at them. “Let’s do this.”

  They lined up again.

  Clare blew the whistle. “Go!”

  Leo ran and passed the ball. The next kid fumbled the ball, but managed to get it to Cam. She ran, sprinting down the field as fast as she could.

  Hemi spun and gave chase. He ran very fast in a straight line. He tackled her, spinning them in midair, and they went down. He took the brunt of the fall, before he rolled on top of her. She was panting, her chest moving against his.

  “Damn.” She was flushed and smiling.

  He dropped his forehead to hers. “I really want to kiss you.” He kept his voice low and tried to not let himself forget the room full of kids.

  “So,” Cam said. “What are you going to claim as your prize?”

  He shifted, pressing his lips to her neck, right over the mark he’d left on her skin. “I know what I want.”

  Her tone turned wary. “What’s that?”

  “Your lips wrapped around my—”

  She shoved hard against his chest. “I think I get the picture, Rahia. Now off.”

  With a laugh, he leaped to his feet and pulled her up. “Okay, drinks are on me,” he called out.

  The kids cheered. While they’d been playing, he’d arranged for the kitchen staff to bring drinks and snacks. The kids fell on the loaded table like starving locusts.

  Hemi snagged a chocolate chip cookie and handed it to Cam. He knew that she loved them. She stared at it for a second, before she snatched it and took a bite.

  As he grabbed a drink of cold water, he watched the kids around him, laughing. Clare was hugging a smaller girl, and a few others were recapping their favorite moments of the game.

  “They make wading through the muck worthwhile, don’t they?” Cam said quietly.

  “Yeah, they do,” he agreed. “Family makes it worthwhile.” And a woman who was worth it made it damn worthwhile, too.

  “You’re pretty comfy being surrounded by kids.” She eyed him. “For a badass former mercenary.”

  “I came from a big family. Every Sunday, we had lunch at our house. My Ma cooked way too much food and my aunts, uncles and cousins would arrive. We’d crowd around the table and then head outside to throw a rugby ball around. You should have seen our holidays.”

  She cocked her head. “You miss them.”

  “Every damn day.” He took a swig of his drink. “What about your family?”

  She went stiff and then shrugged. “I’m an only child. No rugby games at my place.”

  When she didn’t say anything else, he moved closer. “Your parents?”

  “My mom was in Kenya visiting her family when the invasion happened.” All the warmth had gone out of Cam’s voice. “My father was Scottish, and traveled a lot for work. I’ve no idea where he was. I don’t know if they made it.”

  He hated hearing her blank tone. Cam was always full of life and laughter. “You want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  He wouldn’t push her. Instead, he touched the back of her neck and squeezed.

  She closed her eyes. “Don’t be sweet.”

  “Harder for you to push me away and run from me when I’m being sweet.”

  She turned away, knocking his hand off her. “I’m quick, Rahia. And you aren’t that sweet, so don’t get cocky.” She started to saunter away.

  Hemi snatched up a cookie and watched her, unconcerned. “Remember, you owe me my prize.” They weren’t done yet.

  She shot him one fulminating look as she left.

  Chapter Six

  Cam fastened the last of her armor around her torso. She touched the button that sent her combat helmet sliding into place, then retracted it again. She’d managed to pry most of the rhinestones off, with some help from a bad-smelling chemical she’d gotten from the tech team. She lifted her carbine and checked her weapon.

  She was ready for the mission. She would have liked a little more sleep, but dreams of a certain tattoo-covered annoyance had disturbed her slumber.

  She heaved up the bag at her feet—filled with the stunner prods and nets. The damn thing was heavy, but the exoskeleton built into her armor made it easy enough for her to lift.

  After taking a deep breath, she headed out of her squad locker room.

  Her squad was waiting in the corridor.

  “Ready?” Roth asked.

  She fought back a smile. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “You’ll be out of drone coverage near the alien encampment, but once you catch the creeper, you
head north until you can contact us again.”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “Be careful out there,” Sienna said.

  “And kick some alien butt,” Taylor added.

  Mac and Theron gave her silent nods.

  Her friends hugged her and slapped her on the back.

  “Okay, I have a Hawk to catch.” She hitched the bag up. “I’ll be back with an ugly creeper in tow.”

  Cam headed toward the Hawk hangar. In her head, she ran over all the mission parameters.

  “I’ll take that.” A big hand grabbed the handle of the bag.

  She looked over her shoulder and saw the man responsible for her disrupted sleep. Her pulse spiked. “I’ve got it.”

  “I’ll carry it.”

  She yanked the bag closer. He tried to pull it away. They got into a tug-of-war.

  “I’m wearing my armor,” she said. “I can carry it.”

  Hemi yanked again and managed to pull it away from her. He gave her a satisfied grin.

  She shook her head. “Fine. Carry it, then.”

  She stomped the rest of the way to the hangar. Inside, maintenance crew members were circling the quadcopters, performing pre-flight checks. Cam spotted Claudia, also armored up, standing near one Hawk in the center of the space.

  The female soldier was holding the case of sedatives. When she saw Cam and Hemi, she tossed them a salute.

  Suddenly, a blond head popped out of the open side door of the Hawk. “Ready to capture a creepy alien incubator?” Finn called out.

  “Great pep talk, Erickson,” Hemi said.

  The Hawk pilot looked unrepentant. “Only the best of service with Erickson Air.”

  “We going or what?” Shaw’s voice from inside the Hawk. The sniper appeared, cradling a rifle. It wasn’t his usual long-range laser weapon. This one was made for firing the sedatives.

  Soon they were all aboard and strapped in. The Hawk took off, flying vertically, rock walls visible through the side windows before they cleared the retracted hangar doors. The Hawk rotated, and they flew south.

  They had all been in this position so many times before. That hushed moment before a mission, adrenaline building, thoughts churning. Right now, Cam ran through every step of the mission, conscious of that tiny seed in the back of her mind that whispered that maybe this time she wouldn’t make it home. And the other thought…that reminded her that she was doing it for a good reason.

  Cam glanced over and saw Hemi, sprawled in his chair, eyes closed and looking relaxed.

  Instantly, her mind showered her in memories. The things they’d done in her bed, him sliding inside her, moving thickly.

  No. No. No. She wasn’t thinking about that.

  And she certainly wasn’t thinking about the “prize” she owed him.

  Claudia handed out the stunner prods, and Cam clipped hers onto her belt. Hemi and Claudia stashed the nets in smaller backpacks.

  “Approaching mission area,” Finn called back.

  The energy in the Hawk changed, sharpened. Cam rose and looked out the small side window. A long, narrow valley lay nestled in the Snowy Mountains. She saw a lake, and in the distance, the large white pipes of the hydro-electric power station, running over the hills like giant snakes. She knew that near the large, squat building at the base of the pipes, the aliens had amassed and were planning…something.

  The creepers appeared to be a key part of the aliens’ strategy. They needed to complete this mission, get one of the ugly animals back to the Enclave, and let all the super-smart people back there find a way to neutralize the monsters.

  The Hawk swept in lower, remaining a safe distance away from the power station and Gizzida encampment. Finally, Finn pulled the quadcopter into a hover.

  They were going to rappel down. The four of them rose, pulled their packs on, and clipped onto the rappelling lines.

  “Good luck,” Finn called back from the cockpit. “Call me for a pickup.”

  Shaw slammed the door back, his long-range laser rifle over one shoulder and the tranquilizer rifle over the other.

  Claudia went first, diving out of the Hawk in a practiced move. Cam followed, simply stepping out of the quadcopter. The wind rushed into her face as she dropped downward.

  As soon as her boots hit the ground, she disconnected from the line at a run, and headed toward the nearby trees.

  The men followed, and the four of them moved in tight formation. They ran up the hill, dodging around the trees and making straight for the summit.

  Finally, Claudia gave a hand signal, and they stopped.

  “Over there,” the woman murmured, motioning to a clear space that gave them a perfect view of the hive of activity down in the valley below.

  They moved into position, and Cam lay down on her belly, pulling her binocs off her belt. Around her, the others were doing the same.

  She slowly turned knobs on her binocs, and the view came into focus. What had looked like ants scurrying around on the ground were aliens, and there were a lot of them. Damn. There were a large number of raptor soldiers, as well as canids and hellion hunting dogs, and lots and lots of creepers.

  “We need to lure a creeper away from the crowd,” Claudia said. “If we can get it out of view of the main pack, then we can take it down without drawing too much attention.”

  Cam assessed the situation, studying the locations of the creepers, and then looking down the base of the hill where they were situated. “The hill curves around down there.” She pointed. “If we lured one of the creepers around the base, it would put them out of view. Then we should have no trouble taking it down with the sedatives.”

  “What’s this ‘we’ business?” Shaw grumbled.

  Cam rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, no one will claim your shot, super sniper.”

  “Look.” Claudia pointed. “There’s a small group of creepers moving closer to us. Six creatures.”

  The others followed her gesture. Cam saw the group, along with a lone raptor soldier. They had broken away from the main camp. From a distance, the raptor looked almost human, but through the binocs, his scale-covered features and teeth-filled mouth reminded her that he wasn’t.

  “It almost looks like he’s—”

  “Their shepherd,” Hemi finished. “Their keeper.”

  She nodded. “Whatever he’s doing, we don’t want his attention.” She studied the group of creepers. They seemed placid enough, as though they were relaxed and not expecting any trouble.

  “What are we going to lure it with?” Claudia asked.

  Hemi grinned. “Me.”

  His words were like a kick to Cam’s gut. God, she hadn’t even thought that far ahead. She knew Hemi was scary-courageous to the point of being fearless.

  She cleared her throat. “Let’s talk through all the options—”

  All of a sudden, the bushes nearby rustled. The four of them leaped to their feet, swinging their carbines up.

  The thick bushes were shaking. Something was in there.

  God, did the aliens know they were there? Tense, they all watched and waited. Cam’s nerves stretched tighter and tighter.

  Hemi made a small, frustrated sound, then stomped over to the bush.

  “Hemi!” Cam snapped.

  He ignored her and reached the bushes, peering over the top of them. “Shit.” He swung his carbine over his shoulder, and then dived into the greenery.

  “Fucking hell,” Shaw breathed. “Goddamn crazy berserkers.”

  Cam rushed forward, the two Hell Squad soldiers flanking her. The bushes were shaking like crazy now, and she heard Hemi grunt. He was wrestling with something.

  “Hemi,” Cam said again. She kept her eye to her scope, ready to take a shot.

  Suddenly, he reared up. Cam’s throat went tight. Her gaze zeroed in on the giant alien spider in his arms, struggling to clamp onto his face. It was about the size of a basketball.

  Damn. They’d been attacked by a swarm of these once, on their mad rush out of Blue Mou
ntain Base. She scanned their surroundings, searching for more. They were not nice creatures.

  She moved closer. “Dammit, Hemi. Throw it down and give us a clear shot.”

  Hemi spun, muscles straining, as he kept the creature from sucking onto his face. “Can’t shoot it…might alert that raptor.”

  Shit, he was right. The last thing they needed was to let the Gizzida know they were here.

  Hemi spun again, still wrestling with the creature, and he let out a huge laugh.

  Crazy man. He was enjoying himself. Then his hands shifted, and she heard the crack of breaking bone.

  He tossed the broken creature down, his chest heaving like bellows. He stood there, blood on his gloved hands, grinning.

  Cam felt her pulse racing like an out-of-control Hawk. The moron. The fearless, macho moron.

  ***

  Hemi grabbed one of their water bottles, and washed off the alien blood. He heard Shaw and Claudia hammering out the details for luring a creeper closer. Cam was unusually quiet. He glanced her way and saw her face was set like stone.

  “Right,” Shaw said. “I’ll get into position.” The sniper was loading the sedatives into the tranquilizer rifle. “Hemi, you need to bring the creeper in close enough for me to take a shot.”

  “Got it,” Hemi replied.

  Shaw looked at the women. “Claudia and Cam, you’ll be his backup. If he gets into any trouble…”

  “You mean, like getting up close and personal with an alien and getting himself eaten?” Cam asked.

  Her sharp tone made Shaw shoot Hemi a sympathetic look.

  Oh yeah, Cam was pissed.

  “If he gets into any trouble, you two have the nets and stun prods. Carbines are for worst-case scenario. If you need to lay down cover fire, that’ll let the aliens know we’re here.”

  Hemi knew if they had to fire their carbines, then they’d be pointing a huge neon sign at themselves, and screw the mission. Aliens would descend on them in minutes.

  “I’ll get the damn thing here,” Hemi said.

  Suddenly, Cam stormed up to him and slammed her gloved fist into his gut. He grunted. With his armor on, it didn’t hurt him, but she still packed a wallop.

  “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” she snapped.