Mission: Guardian Angel (Veslor Mates Book 2) Read online

  “I remember. I’d never ask them to do that. My parents want me happy, and that doesn’t mean I have to live on Earth to help run the company. I can do it from anywhere. As for Drak being a Veslor, honestly, they’ll be ecstatic as long as he really loves me, and I love him. Which isn’t an issue. They might be a little shocked, but I have faith they’ll accept him. He’s a good man.”

  The screen began to static over.

  “It looks like our time is up, unless you want to wait for the satellites to realign.” Vivian spoke quickly. “I’m so happy for you about Drak, Abby!”

  “Me too. Thank you.” Abby glanced at Vassi. “Thanks for the alternative option on shifted sex and mating.” She locked gazes with Vivian again. “Tell Brassi congrats about your pregnancy. I bet this baby is going to be as cute as Klad. And he’s going to love having―”

  More static obscured the screen and the connection was lost. Abby sighed, frustrated. Long-distance calls could be a nightmare in deep space. She stood from the desk and stretched. There was a lot she had to think about. One thing was certain, though. She didn’t want to lose Drak, and her heart was set on staying with him.

  The information she’d learned from Vassi kept circling in her thoughts. She was willing to allow Drak to scent her to appease his urge to make them mates. It was a reasonable loophole. She loved those.

  Drak would eventually get exactly what he wanted. She was willing to commit to him.

  “I can loophole mate him but hold off on having a cub,” she mused, pacing the room. “I’d given up on ever finding someone to spend my life with. I don’t want to lose Drak.” She paused, spun, and paced again “I love the big guy. He’s under my skin already.” She halted in place, raising a hand to push her hair back as she continued to reason with herself. “Is it scary to jump into this so fast? Sure. But I’m Abby fucking Thomas. I’ve got lady balls of steel, and my sexy Veslor is worth it.”

  She smiled as she made up her mind. “I’m going to tell Drak when he gets back in the morning.” But nervousness hit immediately. “What if he won’t go for the scenting thing? What if it’s not enough? Shit!” She started to pace again.

  Then she paused as another thought occurred. Roth was concerned about them having a cub, and her asking Drak to leave their grouping or demanding they live on a planet. The grouping thing could help. She could use his leader’s reasonable arguments to sell Drak on the loophole idea.

  “I’m a Thomas. Selling shit is our thing. And we’re good at it. I can totally convince Drak.”

  * * * * *

  A beeping sound woke Abby, and she sat up quickly, grabbing at her communications device. The clock next to it on the nightstand told her it was the middle of the night. She tapped it on, expecting it to be Clark. She felt sick at the hour of the call, praying it wasn’t bad news.

  “Abby here. Are they okay, Clark?”

  “This is Doctor Jordon Havers. Commander Bills has suffered a medical emergency. You need to come immediately.”

  Abby gasped, shoving off the covers and climbing out of bed. “What happened? Come where? Is he in his cabin?”

  “He was able to send an alert. The guard who responded got a team to him, and he’s been transferred to Medical Bay. My team is still running tests but it appears he suffered a stroke. He’s asking for you, Miss Thomas.”

  Tears blinded her enough that she almost slammed into the wall, instead of entering the closet. Her shoulder did bump it hard. “I’m on my way.”

  “Please hurry,” the doctor grimly stated, before cutting the call.

  “No, no, no!” She flipped on the light and grabbed the closest hanging outfit, stripping out of her nightgown and dressed. Then she picked up her communications device, connecting it to Clark Yenna. He didn’t answer. She had to leave a message.

  “This is Abby. I just got a call from Medical Bay. It’s Howard. They think he’s had a stroke.” She choked up. “I’m going there now. Please let Drak know, and I’ll keep you updated on Howard’s condition once I know more.” She cut the call, shoving her device in her pocket.

  One quick trip to the bathroom, where she used the toilet and brushed her teeth. She just pulled her hair into a messy ponytail, not even bothering to brush it first. She ran out of the suite, only realizing on her way to the lift that she’d forgotten to put on shoes and her ID badge.

  It didn’t matter. Reaching Howard did.

  That late at night, she didn’t run into any other crew. She pushed the button to take her to the level where Medical Bay was located and tapped her bare foot on the metal floor, wishing the elevators moved faster. When the doors finally opened, she sprinted down the corridor. Medical was at the far end.

  She hated how the corridors curved to make people feel as if the ship was cozier, not quite as big. A straight shot would have been faster. On the second turn, she slammed into a solid body and grunted. “Sorry.”

  She looked up, expecting to see a security guard. Only it wasn’t.

  Bradley Rogers moved fast, grabbed her by the arm and spinning her around. One of his hands covering her mouth.

  The moment of stunned shock passed, and she started to fight, trying to free her mouth to scream.

  Then someone else was there, grabbing hold of her, too. She twisted just enough to see her second assailant’s face. It was Darren Milts. He circled them and, together, the men lifted her, carrying her bucking body inside a nearby room, the doors closing behind them. They both released her, blocking her escape.

  She backed up, glancing at where they were. It wasn’t a cabin, but instead, some kind of large storage area with huge crates stacked in separated rows, space creating aisles between each one.

  She glared at Rogers. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing? Get out of my way. Medical Bay is expecting me. Aren’t you in enough shit?”

  Bradley Rogers crossed his arms over his chest, glaring right back at her. “You mean that call you got? No such doctor, bitch.”

  Fear swamped her.

  “The Commander is probably asleep in his bed, like most of the crew is at this hour.” Darren Milts ran his gaze down her body, anger making his face uglier than usual. “We have a bone to pick with you, bitch. You got us transferred! Do you know what that’s gonna do to our service records?”

  She was scared, angry at what they’d done—and worse, pissed at herself for falling for it. Then again, who would imagine they’d plan something so evil? “There’s cameras everywhere. Security will quickly figure out you both grabbed me. You can’t get away with this. Move out of my way right now.”

  “Cameras that experience difficulties on this level,” a voice behind her taunted.

  She looked over her shoulder, watching as Morgan Peters stepped out from behind one of the stacks of crates.

  He smiled coldly at her. “We have friends in security.”

  She remembered the one who’d harassed her with her suitcase. Abby moved slightly to keep them all in view and switched her focused back to Rogers. He was the one in charge of his men. “It won’t work. You couldn’t have taken down all the cameras. Trust me, I know. Most fleet vessels have D Corp technology. There are hidden cameras on every level. Even if you somehow managed to take all the cameras offline on this level, the lifts cameras are on a separate system. And no one in security has clearance to erase the backups. I saw to that myself.

  “There will be proof that you were here with me. That you weren’t in your cabins. Think about that before you do something you’ll regret. You and your team with be the first ones they look at if something happens to me. Let me go, and I’ll forget about this.”

  Rogers’s jaw clenched.

  “She’s lying,” Milts ground out.

  Abby ignored him. “Did you order Milts to shove me in that hole, Rogers? I’m betting you didn’t. It was too stupid to be anyone’s idea but his. Don’t take advice from him. I’m not lying. There is no way you can get away with this. Just let me go, and I give my word no one will eve