Chapter 28
It had taken too damn long to catch up to the trafficking ship. Each moment, I became more frantic than the last. Spiraling for hours, wondering if I’d find Lark dead or alive, or at all, kept me in the midst of a panic attack for the entire span of the chase.
Hearing her calling out to me was a feeling only surpassed by finding her whole when I made it through the door. When I held Lark in my arms, I could finally breathe again.
And when she told me she was ready to give us a real shot, my heart soared, but I wouldn’t allow myself to celebrate yet.
She was likely in shock, and definitely coming off of being drugged.
It wouldn’t be right of me to make any assumptions so quickly after she’d been through such a traumatic event.
I’d give her whatever time she needed to make sure she truly meant what she’d said.
I worked to calm my breathing as I carried her through the trafficker’s ship and back toward the safety and familiarity of the Radiant. While my mind had come through the other side of the panic attack, my body was still catching up. Frankly, I was having a hard time believing she was in my arms.
“Vaughn, you can put me down,” Lark said again, her voice still soft as she tugged at the front of my uniform to get my attention.
I wasn’t ready to let her go.
“No,” I refused.
She sighed in defeat, slumping against me, maybe realizing at that point I was keeping her close for my sake, not hers.
“I’m okay,” Lark offered quietly.
I gave her an incredulous stare. “You were drugged and kidnapped,” I reminded her.
The moment I stepped foot back onto my ship, I felt my shoulders relax slightly. Lark must have noticed the difference as well. “Vaughn, let me down,” she beseeched.
With a grumble, I slowly guided her to the floor, only releasing her when I was sure she could stand on her own, but she was quick to take my hand in hers. The thought that she couldn’t bear to be separated from me filled me with hope.
“Vaughn…” She placed her palm over my chest, her eyes searching mine. “Your heart is racing.”
“I could have lost you,” I choked out.
“I know.” She frowned.
My chest began to rise and fall more quickly than it should have. Panic set in as I began to feel the telltale tingle of my extremities and the black edges invading my vision. My hearing would go next.
“Vaughn.” Lark placed her hands on my cheeks. “I’m right here. It’s okay,” she reassured me.
I met her gaze. The prolonged eye contact was uncomfortable after a moment—too intimate, but I pushed through.
“I’m okay,” she repeated. “You’re okay.”
I nodded slowly; her words sounded so far away, but they rang true.
“Breathe with me,” she commanded, taking exaggerated inhales and exhales so I could follow along.
That Lark understood what was happening, let alone knew how to work me through it, was enough in itself. But what meant so much more was that there wasn’t even a hint of judgment or pity in her expression—simply determination and concern.
As I followed her lead, I scanned every bit of her, committing her to memory.
Her messy curls were still tucked in a bun at the top of her head, but more strands than usual had come loose from the tie and haloed her face, which was pale and drawn.
Even still, her eyes sparkled as she guided me through the dregs of my panic attack.
I was in love with Lark, my voracious little troublemaker.
That much was painfully clear to me. If my affections were not returned, I would be respectful, but I had a sinking feeling I would spend the rest of my days dreaming of this blue-eyed siren who had lured me in from the very first moment, igniting a long-dormant flame that I hadn’t even realized was still smoldering inside me.
It was terrifying how much I needed her, and worse, how much I wanted her. My life—my heart—was firmly in her hands. I could only hope she would treat them kindly.
Slowly, the sounds of the ship returned to my periphery, the black edges receded, and I could feel the solid state of my body, rather than the numbness I often sank into during a panic attack.
Observing the change in my demeanor, Lark ran her fingers through my hair, a small smile playing on her lips. “Better?” she asked.
Rather than responding with words, I leaned down, pulling her in for a kiss, claiming her mouth with mine, parting her lips with my tongue, and silently communicating my gratitude. She melted into my hold, a soft moan escaping and going straight to my cock as I deepened the kiss.
There was no doubt, this woman would be the end of me, one way or another.
My comm crackled. “We’re ready to go, Captain.”
Reluctantly, I pulled away from Lark.
The dazed look on her face, wet and puffy lips, was a sight to behold. Knowing I could knock her a little off-kilter, like she had done to me instantaneously, gave me a sense of smug satisfaction.
“Get us out of here, Armstrong,” I replied.
“Copy.”
“You need to rest.” I tucked Lark’s hair behind her ear.
She shook her head.
Of course she’d disagree.
“We need to debrief. I have so much to tell you, and we need to loop Darren in.”
I couldn’t help but huff a response. “Fine, but in our room.”
Her jaw clenched. She wanted to argue, but seemed to change her mind after a moment. “Okay.”
Again, she placed her hand in mine, a look of optimism on her face when I peered down at her, before I tugged her along through the corridor to the lift.
But we were only halfway down the hallway, just outside of her office door, when she pulled me to a stop. “Wait,” she whispered. “I need to check something.”
Lark released my hand, then looked at the far end of either side of the hallway before grabbing each of my arms and positioning me to her right, then looking over my shoulder once more. “Stay right there and don’t move,” she instructed.
Brow furrowed, I dared to ask, “You gonna tell me what you’re up to?”
She didn’t reply. Instead, she used her palms to push into the wall paneling, disengaging it from its clasp and popping it open. The nook inside the panel was empty, so I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be looking at.
“Son of a bitch,” she cursed, quickly pushing the panel back into place, then grabbing my hand once more to continue toward the lift.
“What just happened?” I was beyond confused.
“I’ll tell you when we get to the room,” she grumbled, clearly displeased. I hoped I hadn’t done anything to upset her.
“Can we hook an extra sheet over the opening to the bed nook?” Lark pulled some spare linens from the wall cabinet, examining the exterior of the framed niche.
“What? Why?” I sidled up next to her and took the sheet from her.
“We can’t risk the cameras.” Her eyes flicked to the pinprick in the corner of the room.
I moved over to the small desk in the room, digging through drawers until I found what I was looking for: industrial-strength duct tape. “This should work. Just need you to hold the corners up while I attach it.”
She flashed me a big smile, happy that I had found a solution, and maybe that I hadn’t asked questions, despite wanting to know more.
“I’m not sure how long it’ll hold, but it should stay up for the night at least,” I speculated while securing the tape to the edge of the fabric.
“It’s fine. And you’re sure there are no audio bugs in the room?” she asked. Her arms were extended as far above her head as possible to hold the sheet up, which resulted in a lovely view of her cleavage.
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore her fantastic figure from the corner of my eye. “No. I’ve asked Ethan to do sweeps of the ship every couple days, and I handle them in this room.”
“What if it’s him?” she asked.
“It’s not,” I asserted. “But even if it was, only you and I are able to enter this room.”
“But isn’t Rion in charge of the biometric locks?”
“Yes, but if he attempted to change or access any of the bedroom biometrics, it notifies me and the occupants of the room.”
“He’s the chief technology officer. Don’t you think he’s capable of overriding the code?”
I glared down at her. “I’ll do another sweep when I’m done here,” I said to pacify her. But if I was being honest, Lark was right. I’d been too lax in my security procedures.
“If it matters, I don’t want it to be any of them either.” She looked up at me through her lashes, an apology etched in her gaze.
“It does. Thank you.” I tore the end of the tape, reinforcing the last corner with one final swipe. I returned the tape to its drawer and opened the program on my comm that was able to sense electromagnetic and other electronic disturbances, which could indicate a listening device or camera.
Moving through the room in a grid pattern, Lark watched me curiously, a hopeful gleam in her eyes. The program only noted irregularities around where the known camera was stationed, but the rest of the room seemed to be clear, which I relayed to Lark.
Lark toed her boots off at the edge of the bed. “C’mon.” She beckoned.
I nodded and followed suit, leaving my own boots just beside hers.
She looped her arm through mine and lifted a side of the curtain, pulling me inside with her.
Lark took a moment to get comfortable with her knees tucked under her, while I crossed mine in front of me.
The space was dim, with only the reading lights in the headboard engaged.
If I hadn’t been on tenterhooks waiting for her to tell me what the hell was going on, it would have almost seemed romantic.
“Now what?” I gestured to our new fort.
“Now I tell you about how I found a giant cache of Elysian, which is now conveniently missing, in the panel downstairs, which is supposed to contain an electrical console, according to the schematics. Oh, and I’m pretty sure my ex is responsible for my kidnapping and likely in league with Meridian. ”
“Wait.” My head was already spinning. “What!?”