“He’s alive though,” Big continued. “And he’s coming home.”

  Gemma couldn’t help but feel happy for him. He looked really excited.

  “He’ll be here in two days…and he said he’s got a girl with him.” Big’s expression sobered at that news. “She’s not a clone. That worries me a little. He’s also being hunted by the authorities.”

  “Are you sure she’s not a clone?”

  “He would have let me know. I’m certain she’s human.”

  “Isn’t that a problem?”

  “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me much. I was too happy to hear his voice, and it was a short conversation.”

  “I get that.”

  Big’s eyebrows arched.

  “I raised two boys, remember? They worried the hell out of me more than a few times. You’re just so happy that they aren’t hurt or dead, you don’t tear into them at first for scaring the ever-loving shit out of you.”

  He nodded. “I might yell at him for what he put us all through, but I’ll wait to hear the details first. We thought he was dead. Later, I’m going to contact everyone to let them know he’s alive and heading home. I wanted to tell you first.”

  She stared into his eyes, warmed by his consideration. “You’re hoping the others will come back once they learn he’s returning, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. You’re getting to know me well.”

  “You’re my sexy pirate.”

  He grinned. “I am.”

  “Is he going to live in our home with us? Should we get one of the spare bedrooms ready? Maybe both of them, since he’s bringing someone?”

  “No. He’ll take another cabin. There are many, and we never shared living space once we moved here.”

  “I guess that’s good, since he’s bringing some woman with him. Wait. Is it a woman? Is there a chance he picked up a kid? Maybe he rescued one? He did say it was a girl, right?”

  Big’s eyes widened, as if she’d surprised him with that idea. Then he shook his head. “He’d have given me a hint if it were a child. I’m certain she’ll be an adult.”

  “I hope we like her.” Gemma also hoped adding people into their lives wouldn’t strain her new relationship with Big. He had become her entire world.

  He must have seen something on her face or in her eyes. He reached up and cupped her cheek. “I love you. This is going to be a good thing. I promise. You’ll like Blade, and he’s going to be so happy for us.”

  “Did you tell him about me?”

  “No. He seemed rushed and as I said, our conversation wasn’t long.”

  A dreaded thought struck her suddenly. “What if he’s bringing this girl to you? Like for you?”

  “She’ll be out of luck. I found the woman of my dreams.” He winked at her.

  “Funny. Is that a pun about me thinking you were a dream?”

  “Maybe. But now you know I’m the real thing, and thankfully, so are you. I don’t care if Blade or the other men bring back dozens of women. You’re the only one for me, and you own my heart. All of it.”

  “Same.”

  “Good.”

  Magna placed their food and drinks on the counter. Big didn’t release her, though…and his expression grew somber.

  “What?”

  “There’s something else.”

  “Okay. Hit me with it.”

  He hesitated.

  “Do you love me, Big?”

  “More than life.”

  “We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together, for however long that may be, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then hit me with it. I can take it.”

  He swallowed hard. “Fig had sent me a data burst.”

  “You mentioned that.”

  “Gemma…I asked him to see what he could find out about your sons.”

  The air froze in her lungs, but she forced herself to keep breathing. It was tough to talk over the emotions suddenly surging through her. “Did he find anything?”

  “Yes. And I don’t know how you’re going to take it. You’ve seemed so happy these past few days. I don’t want to hurt you in any way.”

  “Oh shit.” Worst case scenarios filled her mind. Had her sons died horrible deaths? Died young?

  “I’m just going to tell you. Ready?”

  She fought tears and nodded, trying to brace for the anything.

  Big moved closer, turned her more toward him, and nudged his knees between her thighs. He got very close, his gaze locking with hers.

  “Your son Brent was an attorney. He married a woman named Nancy at the age of twenty-nine. They had three children. A boy first, who they named Jason. The second child was another boy named Randal. The third was a girl they named Gemma.”

  Tears streamed down her face and her heart stuttered in her chest. Brent had named his daughter after her. It was so sweet, yet it broke her heart at the same time. She’d had three grandkids she’d never gotten to meet.

  Big cleared his throat. “Brent and Nancy were married for forty-six years until his death. He went first, and she followed him two years later. There was no record of her ever remarrying.”

  She nodded, unable to speak. Brent had led a good life, from the sounds of it. As heartbreaking as it was to know what became of him…it was also a blessing. He’d gotten married, raised three kids, and had a full life.

  “Thomas married a woman named Megan when he was thirty. The records must not have listed his job. I’m sorry. They had two sons, Thomas the Second and Riley. Fig did find out that Megan was a well-known screenwriter. I’m not sure what that is, but she must have been good at it. Fig said they were wealthy. They were married for fifty-two years. She died first, and he followed her seven months later. It’s not a lot of information, but…I hope it’s enough to put you at ease with your past.”

  She nodded, then buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

  Big rubbed her back. “I’m so sorry this has upset you.”

  “I wanted to know,” she got out. “I had five grandkids…”

  “Yes.”

  “My boys found people to love and their marriages lasted. That’s also great news. They were loved in return.”

  “I love you, Gemma. Please tell me you’re going to be okay.”

  She eventually pulled herself together. Big tore off his shirt and had her blow her nose with it. That made her laugh. No man had ever done that for her. Heck, no woman had either, even her best friends.

  “Thank you. For sacrificing your shirt and telling me all that.”

  He kept her close. “I can’t live without you, Gemma.”

  She peered into his eyes. He looked so worried that she leaned forward to press her lips to his and kissed him tenderly. Those original clones, and how tragically they’d died, would probably haunt him for a long while. But she had something to live for. He was extremely sexy and sitting right in front of her.

  She pulled back. “I’m not going anywhere, Big. This is my second chance at life, and I’m taking full advantage of it. I love you, and that love is only going to grow stronger every day we share.”

  “Promise me.”

  “I swear.” She felt better after purging all her tears. “Let’s eat breakfast and then go back to bed.”

  He searched her eyes.

  “Not because I’m depressed.” She winked at him. “I love the things you can do with your mouth, and I know you highly enjoyed what I can do with mine. We’re going to celebrate today. That means you and me, naked.”

  He smiled, the tension leaving him. “You’d better eat everything on that plate. You’re going to need your energy. We have two days before we have company and must put on clothes again to greet them. Did I mention clones have stamina?”

  “You’ve shown me. Or maybe that was just a really naughty dream that I had about you,” she teased. “I might need you to prove that’s a real fact.”

  He turned toward his meal and chuckled. “Don’t make me smack your ass again.”

  “I might like it. Just not as hard. I’m thinking light taps.”

  He picked up his silverware. “Eat fast. I want to find out.”

  “Me too.” She dug into her food with gusto.

  They laughed together as breakfast turned into a game of who could finish first. Big let her win, but he got all his clothes off before she could when they reached their bed. They both won, though, when their lips met, their limbs tangled, and they fell onto the mattress…together.

  Blade

  Prologue

  Hailey jerked awake, and it took a few seconds for memory to return…

  A man had accosted her on the street.

  He’d carried her to a ship, where three other men had waited in the cargo hold. It had terrified her when they’d made it clear why she’d been taken.

  She’d screamed when they’d eventually removed the gag from her mouth, until she’d been hit again, rendering her unconscious.

  Now awake, she was inside a small cabin on a narrow bed. Her hands remained tied behind her back. Her throat hurt but her kidnappers hadn’t done more to her, as far as she could tell. Yet.

  She needed to escape.

  She sat up and tried to wiggle her arms down enough to bend and scoot her butt under the cuffs. There wasn’t enough slack between the cuffs, giving her no room to maneuver. It wasn’t going to work. She twisted her head, trying to get a better look at them, but it was impossible.

  I need to get out of here before they take off! I must escape!

  The other option was too horrible to consider. The men planned to use her body in degrading, unspeakable ways, and it would ultimately end in her death.

  She stood and made it to the door. It didn’t open when she turned her back to push the button on the wall. Only a beep sounded. They’d locked her in.

  “Oh no.”

  She spun and scanned the room for anything to help her remove the cuffs. Her fingers assured her the cuffs were metal and not something she could just cut. It was difficult to think in her panicked, terrified state, and she needed to clear her head if there was a chance of surviving.

  She bit her lip hard. Think!

  Only one option came to mind. It was going to hurt badly, but seemed tame in comparison to what those men would do to her.

  She walked over to the end of the bunk and stared at the metal edge of the frame. She turned and lowered to her knees, lining up with it. She scooted back farther and put her right hand under her left, supporting it. Shifting, she touched the side of her left hand to the edge.

  Don’t scream no matter how much it hurts.

  They probably wouldn’t hear her, but she wasn’t willing to risk it. Walls were known to be soundproof on spaceships, but if one of the men were right outside in the hallway, it was possible her cries would travel if the door seals were faulty. She knew something about space vessels, thanks to her father’s obsession and endless fantasies about traveling on one.

  She braced her knees farther apart and clenched her teeth, sealing her lips together.

  One. Two. Three.

  Hailey shoved her body as hard as she could toward the metal.

  Her thumb made contact, near to her wrist, and a stabbing pain shot up her arm and seemed to sear into her brain. It took her seconds to recover enough to choke down her sob. She moved the thumb gingerly.

  It hadn’t broken.

  Shit. Again. She took a deep breath—then slammed her hand against the metal even harder.

  Three more tries and she finally felt it break.

  Hailey collapsed onto her ass, the pain excruciating. Wetness dripped down her palm, and she knew she was bleeding. She tried to move the thumb but all she got was pain for the attempt. Then she pulled on her left hand. It hurt, but she was desperate.

  Her injured hand slipped out of the cuff and she slowly brought it to her front, almost afraid to see the damage.

  Her thumb had indeed broken and blood covered the area she’d been slamming, where the metal had cut it open.

  She got to her feet, the handcuffs dangling from her right wrist. Her shoulders hurt from being yanked back for so long, but she didn’t have time to cry or baby her injuries.

  Those men would come to do really bad things to her body. They planned to kill her afterward. There was nothing to lose by at least trying to escape. She removed the pillowcase off the pillow on the bed and quickly wrapped it around her hand and upper arm.

  She returned to the door and studied the panel. It was an updated lock. That wasn’t good, but at least she was on the inside of the room. Most cabins were designed to keep people from breaking in, not out. She spun and hurried back to a shelf she’d spotted, over the bed. A trophy with a stone base sat on the shelf. She glanced at the small writing on the base.

  The name she read shocked her. Ivan Redmore.

  Ivan was the son of Goldoff Redmore. Everyone knew him. He lived in the mansion at the top of the hill that overlooked her colony town.

  He was also the owner of the Morgan.

  “I’m on the Morgan,” she muttered. She knew a lot about that particular luxury shuttle. Her father had gotten to take a tour of it the year before. He’d gushed about how nice it was for weeks afterward.

  She flipped the trophy over and hit the electrical lock pad with a corner edge of the base. It took a few tries, but she finally cracked the glass and metal. She smashed it a few more times to completely break the fasteners. Dropping the trophy, she pulled the front panel off, noting there were six wires attached. She yanked them all off the back of the control panel, touched each one to the six connectors, in turn.

  Wire four, on the second connector, worked. The door opened.

  Moving cautiously, she stepped into the hallway. She saw a plaque on the wall with the shuttle’s name. It was the Morgan, alright. Below it was a convenient map, with a simple layout of the shuttle. The cargo hold was to her left.

  She listened carefully but didn’t hear anything. Cradling her arm against her chest, she inched down the hallway until she reached a door with an oval window. She peeked through and saw three men securing crates by tying them to each other, then behind safety nets attached to the walls. The ramp to the cargo hold had been closed.

  There was no way she could fight off three men to reach the ramp access panel. It was all the way on the other side of the cargo hold, meaning she’d have to get through them first. Hailey spun, deciding to try the other exit. All shuttles had one near the cockpit.

  The sound of someone whistling a tune reached her ears, and she bolted for the nearest door, pushing the access button. It slid open to reveal a nice cabin, larger than the one she’d been dumped in. She darted inside. It had an interior lock, which she pressed before backing away, praying the person wouldn’t try to enter.

  The room had an exterior portal, and she rushed toward it. Maybe she could draw someone’s attention. There were usually a lot of people at the landing port. She pushed the button that would raise the covering—and gasped when she got a glimpse outside.

  “Shit.”

  That wasn’t the landing port she was staring at. Black space and the sight of a distant moon was enough to prove they must have lifted off the planet while she’d been unconscious. She hadn’t even felt the vessel moving.

  Now she was trapped on the luxury shuttle with at least four kidnappers.

  Think! She paced, her hand throbbing. There was no way she could pilot the shuttle if she managed to seal herself in the cockpit. She’d never flown one. She considered trying to radio for help, but she didn’t know how to do that, either. Something her father had said tugged at her memory, and she tried desperately to remember…

  Then it came to her.

  The Morgan’s captain’s quarters could be detached from the shuttle and used as a life pod.

  It was a safety feature for the super-rich, in case their shuttles suffered massive damage. According to her father, there were emergency supplies stored somewhere inside it that could last a crew for weeks. It should also send an auto distress signal once the section detached.

  She remembered the map next to the plaque on the wall. It would tell her exactly where those quarters were located. But that meant she’d have to leave the room and make it back to the map without running into one of those men.

  She didn’t have time to waste, assuming the men would be looking for her soon, since they’d already left the surface. It wouldn’t take them long to secure all the various crates she’d seen in the cargo area.

  Her gaze darted around the room, seeking a weapon. She opened a closet and found a bunch of high heels. One pair had sharp metal tips on the heels. With no other option in sight, she grabbed a shoe and walked to the door. It took a lot of courage to disengage that lock and push the button to slide it open.

  No time to think. Just move!

  No one waited to attack her in the hallway. She rushed to the map and studied it quickly. The captain’s quarters were straight ahead and one floor down, right under the cockpit, in the front. Next, she located the nearest lift that would take her down there, then bolted.

  Her shoes made noise on the hard surface of the corridor floor. She stopped briefly, kicked them off, then sprinted down the hall and located the lift. She pushed a button and gripped the deadly high heel tight, prepared to stab someone in the face with it if she had to. The doors parted—but the lift was empty.

  Hailey darted in and pressed the button for the lower deck.

  She hugged the wall beside the door, taking a deep breath before tensing as the lift slowed. The high heel wasn’t much of a weapon, but it could take out an eye. That should drop someone, or at least slow them down.

  The lift stopped and opened. The hallway looked clear.

  She stepped out, glancing both ways. No one in sight.

  Hailey turned right and ran for the door at the very end of the corridor. It was marked, assuring her that she’d found the captain’s quarters. She pressed the button to gain access—and was surprised to find a second set of doors, roughly three feet beyond the first. She opened the second set, noticing the thick seams encircling the walls and floors in the room beyond. She slowly entered the large bedroom and tapped the panel beside the door, sealing herself inside.

 

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