Page 27 of Alien’s Love Child

CHAPTER 27

JESSE

T hrough my scope, I track Davin as he sprints after the boss. My finger rests steady on the trigger, ready to take out anyone who threatens him. The warehouse echoes with gunfire and shouting.

"Come back here, you coward!" Davin's voice carries across the space.

The boss ducks behind a shipping container. Bad move. Davin's military training shows as he predicts the exact moment the boss will peek out. One clean shot rings out. The boss crumples.

"Nice shot, love," I murmur, sweeping my rifle across the remaining threats. A flash of movement catches my eye – someone trying to flank my position on the catwalk.

The rifle won't work at this range. I drop it, letting it hang by its strap, and draw my pistol in one fluid motion. The goon charges around the corner, weapon raised.

"Surprise," I say, squeezing off two rounds. He staggers back, shock written across his face before he topples over the railing.

"Jesse!" Davin calls out. "Status?"

"Just taking out the trash up here." I scan the warehouse floor through my scope again. "Three more by the south entrance. Want to split them?"

"Ladies first."

I line up my shot. "Such a gentleman."

The rifle kicks against my shoulder as I pick off the first one. Davin's shots take care of the other two before they can even locate our positions.

"Show off," I mutter into my PerComm, but I'm smiling.

"You love it," he replies.

I make my way down from the catwalk, keeping my rifle ready. The metal stairs clang as I descend. The warehouse reeks of gunpowder, plasma, and blood, mixing with the musty industrial smell of oil and metal.

Davin meets me at the bottom. "Clear on your end?"

"Like a summer sky." I tap my PerComm. "Running thermal scan now, just to be thorough."

"Already did. We got them all – every ranking member who showed up for the meeting." He kicks the boss's weapon away from the corpse. "Including our gracious host here."

Something's off about the way he's standing. My eyes narrow as I catch the dark stain spreading across his left shoulder. "You're hit."

"Barely grazed me."

"That's not a graze. Let me see."

"It's nothing." He steps back when I reach for him. "We need to secure the area first."

"The area is secure, you stubborn blue idiot. Now let me look at that shoulder before you bleed all over my nice clean floor."

His lips twitch. "Your floor? Planning on buying this dump?"

"Maybe I am. Could be a nice summer home. Now stop deflecting and hold still."

He sighs but finally lets me examine the wound. The bullet went clean through his shoulder, missing anything vital from what I can tell. Still, the amount of blood concerns me.

"This needs proper medical attention."

"What it needs is a bandage and some whiskey. I've had worse paper cuts."

"Paper cuts? What kind of papers were you handling in the military? Razor blades?"

Davin chuckles, then points behind me. "Down there, if you're so concerned. The supply cache. Should be med supplies in there. I'll met you back in the boss' office."

I find the medical supplies right where Davin said they'd be, in a dusty first aid station near the loading dock. The kit's well-stocked - seems the boss liked to be prepared for his violent meetings.

Following the sound of clinking glass, I locate Davin in what must be the boss's office. He's already made himself comfortable in a plush leather chair, boots propped on an antique desk worth more than my first ship. A crystal decanter sits open beside him, and the amber liquid in his glass catches the light from the grimy windows.

"Really? Drinking before I patch you up?"

"It's medicinal." He takes another sip. "This is hundred-year-old Glimner whiskey. Would be a crime to let it go to waste."

I drop the medical kit on the desk. "Speaking of crimes, you're bleeding all over this very expensive chair."

"Then you better hurry up and fix me, shouldn't you?"

"Take off your shirt."

He raises an eyebrow. "Normally you at least buy me dinner first."

"I made you breakfast yesterday." I snap on a pair of sterile gloves. "Now strip or I'll cut it off you."

"So aggressive." But he complies, smirking as he peels off the blood-soaked fabric.

The wound looks worse in the better lighting, angry and raw. I clean it thoroughly, trying to be gentle despite his stubborn attempts to act like it doesn't hurt.

"You know," he says, watching me work, "most people would be traumatized after killing a dozen men."

"Most people didn't grow up running contraband through pirate territory." I press a bandage over the exit wound. "Besides, they shot my husband. What was I supposed to do, ask them nicely to stop?"

"Husband?" His free hand catches mine. "When did that happen?"

"Well, technically not yet. But I figure after everything we've been through, you owe me a ring."

The smile that spreads across Davin's blue features makes my heart skip. His silver hair catches the dim light as he tilts his head, studying me.

"A ring?" He takes another sip of whiskey. "Is that all?"

"Well, I suppose you could throw in a proper honeymoon. Somewhere without gunfire and explosions." I squeeze the med gel tube, watching the clear substance ooze onto his wound. "Though knowing our luck, trouble would find us anyway."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a ship."

My hands freeze. "What?"

"This one's nice enough." He gestures vaguely to where mine is docked. "But I've got something better in mind. Military grade. Top of the line. Been sitting in storage since I retired."

"You're telling me you had a fancy ship this whole time and you've been bumming rides on my rust bucket?"

"Your rust bucket has its charms." His muscles tense as I spread the gel, but his voice remains steady. "Besides, I needed to maintain my cover."

I press the bandage into place. "And now?"

"Now I'm thinking it's time to upgrade. That is, if you're interested in co-captaining."

"Co-captaining?" I arch an eyebrow. "Last I checked, I outrank you on maritime experience."

"True. But I outrank you in actual rank." His free hand catches mine again, thumb tracing circles on my wrist. "Former Commander Davin, at your service."

"Commander?" I snort. "And here I thought you were just some grunt."

"Disappointed?"

"Impressed." I secure the bandage.

I finish taping the last bandage in place. "There. Try not to get shot again for at least a week."

"No promises." Davin's fingers trace the edge of his glass. "But we're not done here."

"What do you mean? The boss is dead, his crew's dead." I peel off the medical gloves. "I'd say that's pretty done."

"The day crew, yes." He leans forward, wincing slightly. "But the Lightyear Gang has chapters all over this sector. This was just their headquarters."

"So? They'll find this mess and get the message. Nobody wants to tangle with whoever took out their leadership."

"You don't know these people like I do." His blue features harden. "They won't back down. They'll hunt us - hunt Leo - until they either succeed or die trying. It's how they maintain their reputation."

My stomach drops at the mention of Leo. "There must be hundreds of them. We can't possibly track them all down ourselves."

"We don't have to."

Davin rummages through the desk drawers, tossing aside papers and data chips until he finds what he's looking for - a sleek black PerComm.

"Got it." His fingers dance across the screen. "The boss kept everything on this. Personnel files, safe house locations, blackmail material."

I lean against the desk. "And you know his password because...?"

"Because he never changed it after I joined as Tyren." Davin's lips curl into a satisfied smirk. "And he's not very good at hiding when he put it in. Not the brightest criminal mastermind."

The PerComm chirps as it syncs with Davin's. Data streams across both screens in a blur of text and images.

"There we are." He scrolls through files. "Everything they had on us. Pictures from the station where they found you, surveillance data, even Leo's description."

My blood runs cold. "They were watching him?"

"Not anymore." Davin's jaw tightens as he systematically deletes each file. "And now every trace of us disappears from their network."

"What about backups?"

"Already thought of that." He taps a few more commands. "Sending a virus through their system. By tomorrow morning, any mention of Jesse or Davin will be corrupted beyond recovery."

"What about Tyren?"

"Him too." Davin's eyes meet mine. "Though I doubt anyone will be looking for a dead man."

The PerComm beeps one final time. Davin drops it on the desk and crushes it under his boot.

"Now," he says, "about the local data…"

I scan the security feeds on my PerComm while Davin collects shell casings from around the dead bodies. "Found the main hub. Looks like they kept everything on a closed system."

"Smart of them." Davin drops a handful of casings into a bag. "Harder to hack remotely."

"But easier to wipe completely." My fingers dance across the interface. "There – uploading the virus now. Should corrupt everything beyond recovery."

"Make sure you get the backup drives too."

"Already on it." I point to a door across the warehouse. "Server room's that way. Want to do the honors?"

"You take care of that. I'll finish collecting evidence here." He straightens with a grunt. "Don't forget to check for offline storage."

The server room hums with cooling fans and blinking lights. I plug my PerComm directly into the main console, watching as the virus tears through their systems. Files corrupt and delete themselves in cascading waves of data.

"Found something interesting," I call out. "They've got a whole network of cameras covering the surrounding streets."

"Wipe them all."

"Already done." I yank the backup drives from their slots. "Let's ditch this place. It smells awful."

Davin meets me in the center and grins, staring down into my eyes.

"You know, you would've made an incredible bounty hunter. Didn't know you could snipe like that." He takes my hand as we walk out of the place.

"Mom wanted her little girl prepared for anything," I say simply.

"You say that like it's braiding hair or sewing a torn skirt"

"Well," I sigh. "She taught me those things too. They just didn't stick as well."

Davin chuckles as we slip back into the foggy streets of Glimner, no more detectable than ghosts.