Chasing Dare (25 page)

Tom commented that it was from her days as a nurse during the war, Dare saw a strength and determination in the woman that was admirable. She’d rushed Dare into the shower, and found sweat pants, a T-shirt and even a sports bra that their daughter had left behind that fit well enough. Dare couldn’t thank them enough for their kindness.

She was so scared for them that she was sick to her stomach. They had a mountain full of Relian’s coming and no real time frame of when help would arrive, and Tom and Rose were now in the path of danger because of her and Baldy.

“Child, we been through a lot worse than a bunch of bad guys coming. Don’t you worry none.” Dare didn’t realize she’d been drying the same plate while she’d been thinking until Rose patted her hand and took it from her. Luckily, it had been the last one or Dare would have felt bad about not helping. She hated this, hated to put good people like these two in danger.

Following Rose into the living room, she scanned the coffee table full of weapons that Tom had brought out from what seemed like every room in the house. He and Balduen took several guns, a shotgun and a rifle with them onto the front porch, leaving six 9mm’s, two revolver’s and a shotgun. Extra loaded clips and shells took up the rest of the table.

“You better pick the ones you like best before they get back in here. This baby is my favorite.” Rose gave Dare an exaggerated wink before picking up a smaller 9mm and checking the slide.

Dare burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. This woman may be in her seventies or eighties, but she was one of the toughest woman Dare had ever met. Granted Baldy never said that he was an alien or that aliens were chasing them, but this woman had taken the news that they were being followed by dozens of bad men like she handled things like that every day! She had even commented, “This ain’t our first rodeo honey, don’t you worry none!”

“I want to grow up to be like you Rose.” Dare said still laughing. Picking up one of the other 9mm’s, she expertly checked the weapon.

“Seems to me you already did.” Rose grinned at Dare’s easy handling of the weapon.

“I’ve faced these kinds of guys before. Once or twice.” As much as Dare loved this woman’s confidence, they were all in deep trouble if Dread didn’t get to them soon.

Without really saying anything both women began walking around the small farmhouse, making sure all the windows were shut and locked and closing the doors to the rooms.

The kitchen was the last place to check and Dare checked the window, while Rose checked the door. Satisfied the window was secure; she closed the curtains and turned to Rose.

“Child, you need to run!” It took Dare a second to understand what the woman had said. She’d said it so calmly that Dare wasted precious seconds, rooted to the floor in shock as Brak slowly pushed open the back door; his gun trained on Rose’s head.

“You’ll pay for that bitch.” Brak snarled as he pushed the old woman to the floor once he was in the door.

“Leave her alone Brak, it’s me; you want not her.” Dare rushed to help Rose, but was stopped when he resumed pointing the gun at her head.

“Screw this jerk Dare, Run!” Rose urged her angrily, pretending to wipe dirt off of her pants, she sat up on the floor.

“Bitch! What are you, related to her? Shut up! Just shut the hell up! Dare, out the door or I’ll do this in front of her!” Brak looked irritated at Rose, and Dare didn’t want to take a chance that he would hurt the sweet woman.

“Don’t do it Dare!” If it had been any other situation, Dare would have applauded the woman’s bravado, right now she was terrified that Brak would shoot her for annoying him.

“It’s ok Rose. Broke and I are old friends. See that awesome scar on his face? That was the last time we tangled. He’s not real bright, as you can see.” Dare knew it wouldn’t take much to turn his anger towards her instead of Rose.

“Outside bitch!” Brak held up one of the remote controls the doctor had used to administer the drugs to them and pressed it with an evil smirk.

Dare flipped him off, grinned and gave inward thanks to the little ones who had been smart enough to yank the disc out of her thigh before they had left the lab.

Brak grunted in frustration and pressed the remote again. “Outside!”

“You did say he wasn’t real bright…” Rose teased with a snicker.

“I’m going to kill the bitch if you don’t get the fuck outside now!” Brak shook with anger. It was bad enough that Dare mocked him, but to have the old lady mocking him also was really pissing him off.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… I keep telling you sweetie pie, they just aren’t raising ‘em with any manners anymore. See boy, in my day you didn’t use that kind of language around a lady. And you sure didn’t use it AT a lady. Especially not my lady.” Brak turned towards Tom, who was speaking to him from the back door, when without warning Tom shot him in the shoulder.

Dare lunged across the floor towards his gun and was surprised when a very agile Rose grabbed it first and cracked Brak on the back of the head with it, knocking him out. His head thumped loudly as it hit the floor. Dare wanted to high five Rose.

“Remind me never to offend your woman Tom.” Balduen stood in the living room doorway laughing at Brak sprawled out on the kitchen floor, taken out by an adorable elderly couple half his size. He couldn’t help but hope that he, and Dare would be just like that one day. 

“The fool is lucky we got here first; my Rose would have cut his manhood off by now.” Tom grinned with pride as Rose blushed a deep pink color. Dare teared up watching the love pass between the adoring couple.

“Let’s hog tie him and get him in the barn before he wakes. We can deal with him later.” Tom nodded to Balduen and he walked over and easily picked up Brak and carried him out of the door, giving Dare a once over to make sure she was indeed alright. Tom followed him out.

Rose and Dare went to watch the incoming Relian’s from the front porch while they waited for the men to secure Brak and come back.

*****

“We’re almost there. Are you sure you want to do this?” Koda asked Grai for the fourth time. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what Grai had told them earlier. He’d had no idea just how much Grai was keeping from him and was still stunned at the depth of his deception. He could well understand the reason, but was still a little hurt by it.

“It’s the only choice we have. We all know how this is going to play out; we need to play it to our advantage.” Grai paced the conference room back at his office, periodically watching the large video screen and the Relian and Valendran transports both converging on the farmhouse where Dare and Balduen were hiding.

“It will be done. How many of them are there?” Koda nodded to Traze and began checking their weapons, loading and reloading them into their vests and side pants pockets.

Koda shook his head at Traze. The boy was so excited to be on his first mission, as he called it, that he was almost bouncing on the seat in front of him.

“The captains reported thirty seven out of sixty three. They will be easy to spot; they've been painted. Do not allow Dare to be harmed! Please Koda, you know how important this is to me.” Grai clenched his fists and ignored the twinge of guilt he felt over his lack of trust of his brother.

“I know Grai. This affects all of us; we won’t screw it up. Trust us, brother.” Koda ended communication. He knew that no matter what he told his brother, he would still worry until everything happened the way he planned for it to happen. There was far too much at stake not to be concerned.  

“We’re a go. You do not leave my side, do you understand me? I mean it Traze! No stupid mistakes or this will be your first and last mission.” Koda’s dark brown gaze stared harshly into his brothers, trying to convey how serious he was. How serious the situation was for them.

“I’m not an idiot Koda. The fact you and Grai have never given me a reason to act mature doesn’t mean I’m not. I know what this means. For all of us. And I’ve known about most of it for years. I’ve just been waiting for everyone to trust me.” Traze turned away from Koda’s penetrating stare before he saw the hurt reflected in them.

Last thing he wanted was for his brother to know how much it had bothered him to be treated like an ornament in a room instead of an intelligent, matured man.

That’s why he knew most of what Grai had told them earlier. However, Grai wasn’t the only one of his brothers who spoke freely in front of him, thinking he was too immature to realize the magnitude of what was being said.

They were going to have another talk when they got done with this, there was more going on than even Grai knew. Things that would endanger their plans. And Traze wanted the exact same thing that Grai and Koda wanted; and he wasn’t going to let that dream be ruined. By anyone.

“Brother, we may still see you as the baby we raised, but only because we have loved you so deeply and wished to protect you as mother would have. Forgive us if we forgot that you also grew into a fine man.” Koda gave Traze’s shoulder a strong squeeze of support. He’d have to talk to Grai about giving Traze a lot more responsibility in these new machinations that Grai had set into motion.

The boy… the man, Koda mentally corrected himself, deserved a chance to be treated like an equal. If any of this was going to succeed, they were going to have to go against all of their natural instincts and trust one another.

Traze gave a sharp nod before saying, “Look alive, we got here just in time.”

Koda looked out the transport view screen and saw the Valendran transport begin to descend in a clearing next to the farmhouse. With one last look at Traze, he gave the order for their other two transports to descend and piloted theirs slowly to the ground.

He quickly secured his ship and headed to the hatch; Traze close on his heels. Hopping to the ground he grinned widely and slapped Traze on the back, as they faced the men who had come down the mountain after the escaping Dare and Balduen.

The energy in the air was thick with excitement and expectation, and it spread quickly among the men and their beasts. There was nothing more primal and enjoyable to a Relian and his beast than a good fight. Especially ones that ended in the death of an enemy. And this fight would definitely accomplish that.

Looking out across the large field, he watched the Valendrans converge on the farmhouse. Some stayed on the porch with the two couples; the rest took up defensive positions.

“On my command…” Koda said loudly to his men, holding up a hand to stall them until the right moment. He would allow no mistakes.

Chapter Seventeen

Jax and Reven ran to the porch of the house where Dare and Balduen were waiting with Tom and Rose. Reven was relaying the situation to Ivint and Banatar through the comm. They had not expected the size of the Relian force that had already amassed on the other side of a field. They were dangerously outnumbered with the additional support the Relian transports had brought moments ago.

Reaching Dare, Jax grabbed her into a tight hug, before quickly pulling away to look her up and down to make sure she was alright. The only indication that she even saw Balduen was a brief narrowing of her eyes at him.

“We need to go, come on. Both of you.” Jax ordered, looking across the field nervously.

“Jax, we won’t leave Tom and Rose to deal with this.” Dare moved away from her friend and fellow warrior and looked over to the brave couple who had risked their lives for her and Balduen. There was no way she could leave them with a field full of Relian’s. They would be tortured for any information and killed.

Balduen came up behind her and pulled her up against his chest. Putting a protective hand over her stomach, he gave her a tender kiss to the top of her head.

“You need to go with her. I will stay with Reven, and the others until Tom and Rose are safe.” Balduen’s tone of voice said that he wasn’t going to argue with her about it either.

Dare was torn between going home to her family and staying with Tom and Rose. Her obligation to these wonderful people won out, and she was getting ready to make her argument for staying when a new voice cut in.

“I do not think that it will be necessary to be concerned.”

Everyone turned curious stares on Dread, not understanding what he meant until they followed him, and Vipers gaze across the field. Several dozen heavily armed Relian’s started across the field towards them.

“Two hundred yards Sir!” One of the men shouted from the right of Dare.

Dread stepped several feet in front of the Valendrans and held up his hand as if to stop them from preparing for battle.

“Wait… Viper?” Dread turned disbelieving eyes on his brother, who looked just as perplexed.

“I hear it as well. I don’t understand it, but it is genuine.” Viper replied, his surprise written on his face.

“What’s going on?” Reven asked, hoping the Tezarian had some good news.

“Can you hear it Balduen?” Dread asked, ignoring Reven for a moment.

“I hear it. What do you think of it?” Dare offered, looking up at Balduen to see if he’d acknowledge that he heard it as well. Balduen nodded and looked to Dread and Viper for an explanation.

“I think we only have a few minutes to wait to see if it’s true.” Dread said cryptically, not taking his eyes from the field.

“What the hell is going on?” Jax demanded, signaling her team to take up positions.

“I don’t think they are going to attack us. Just hold your fire. Watch.” Jax stared at Dread like he’d lost his mind before looking to Reven to see why he wasn’t flipping out on the guy. If he wasn’t up to standing up to the guy, she would. He was obviously nuts. She was about to give the Tezarian a quick lesson on the Relian’s when Viper spoke.