You could hear a pin drop, the room silent as everyone waited for the next piece of information.

  Jonah continued. “Maylin has been working day and night with her team, triangulating the information we have concerning the death of Vandra Montaine, and attempting to link it to those closest to Lilly Montaine now. There are two suspects. First, we have Elmira Sandhurst, one of Lilly’s peers, who we know was fatally injured in a car accident just prior to Vandra’s death nearly two years ago. She is, in fact, our top contender. There is also Corleone Montarucci.” Two more images flashed onto the screen. “Montarucci was a bodyguard to the Montaine family until his disappearance two years ago. There is talk that he was shipped off for a while to cool speculation of a relationship between him and Lilly Montaine. I don’t believe he’s key, however, both of these individuals are dangerous. Elmira was a decorated shooter of note in the pistol world. Montarucci is listed as a bodyguard but think more of a tame assassin and we have a better idea of him. Dangerous both in terms of his hand-to-hand skills and use of various weapons. We believe he was, and continues to be, in a romantic relationship with Montaine.”

  Jonah stopped, waited for a moment, hands gripping the podium, and Franklin noted the white of his knuckles. The strain of the situation was telling on his friend, with the first flash of white at his temples, something Franklin hadn’t noticed before, and a series of fine lines on the man’s forehead and around his eyes.

  “Vandra herself was a key strategist for the combat arm of the local militia before she married Senator Montaine after meeting on the range. She is believed to have kept her association, although it was never openly advertised. She was his chief aide in the early days of his campaign. Even though they married and she settled into parenthood, she’s still considered a dangerous woman. Rated at level 6 on the Pistol World Champion range at the time of her death, she was and still is likely to be more than competent with sidearms.”

  In the back row, one of the majors stood. “Sir, given what we know then, how do you plan to—”

  Jonah harrumphed, cutting the question short. “That’s where you boys come into play. I need a diversion. Something that will keep them focused away from the team we plan to drop into the mountains. We don’t know what weaponry or even tools they have to hand. All we know is if they get wind of our assault beforehand, then we’ve already lost.”

  Maylin stepped up. “My team and I have been working on plans and contingencies for this kind of situation. We’ve created a set of short-range communication devices with blockers that will interrupt their external broadcasting capabilities.” The little Asian woman held up an earbud device. “This is a powerful tool in ensuring the stealth of our people, and the self-contained battery pack should keep it working for up to seventy-two hours, however, if we lose more than say thirty percent of the overall number, the efficacy of our unit is compromised. We are encoding them to the genetics of the wearer, which means if they lay their hands on a unit, they won’t be able to hook into the system.”

  Jonah thanked her then regained his position at the front of the room.

  “I’ve worked with General Dewan to create a plan, allowing us to access the airways over the mountains. We are sending in a range of decoy planes followed by a Jump-Star team. The teams chosen for the Jump-Star are our best people, and will receive training over the next forty-eight hours. The aim is to prepare them for the mission, the use of the comm devices, and apprise them of the layout of the buildings as much as we’ve been able to ascertain through accessing known building regs. While those joining the Jump-Star are en route, we are sending teams of combat-ready soldiers into position at the foothills.” The screen behind Jonah flashed back into life, and he turned, tapping the map to highlight the locations of the teams. “They will create the diversion and will bring the cabin into, we hope, lockdown. The teams are being pulled together today.”

  When Jonah’s gaze settled on Franklin, he knew he would be a member of the Jump-Star.

  “Everyone will be given the opportunity for either a final meeting with family face-to-face or to prepare themselves. This is not an easy battle. We don’t know how many warrior children might be there, as we’ve not been able to ascertain if there’s a bunker. Reinforcements are, at this time, arriving at the naval base as we meet from other localities and continents. This is our last and best chance to counter the threat. Let me be frank, our munitions are running low, as are basic foodstuffs. We’re being starved out, and this is our last chance. They cannot win. We cannot allow it.”

  Silence dropped over the room. The information wasn’t new, but it highlighted their dire situation. Most of the air traffic had ceased due to the attacks from missiles launched from within the towns, the gas pipelines necessary to power the craft cut off since the launch of the colony ship, and only the naval fleet left, and that too was now feeling the effects of starvation.

  “Each of you will be given information concerning your assignments. Ladies and gentlemen, we must make this work. This is the future of humanity, and it lies in your hands.”

  They rose, thunderous applause crashing through the room until it died away. Jonah sat back down, and Senna squirrelled her hand into his.

  “So this is it,” she said.

  He nodded and turned to face her. “Senna, I have to tell you something. I… I’ve been a coward and—”

  “Yo, Franklin!” Fawcett limped over and settled beside him. “I’m hoping they’ll include me, even with this.” He indicated to his injured leg.

  Franklin cursed his bad luck, wishing everyone except Senna would melt away and let him tell her what he felt.

  “I’m sure there’ll be a role. Look, can we discuss this later, Fawcett?”

  The man’s eyes widened. “Oh, of course.”

  Franklin waited until Fawcett walked away before grabbing both of Senna’s hands. “I need to tell you—”

  “Franklin, your file. Jonah wants to talk with you.” Daniella’s aide, Kallee, pushed the folder at him. “I think now would be the operative term. Senna, how’re you feeling?”

  Franklin’s frustration pummeled him. “Yeah, sure.”

  I’ll have to make a point to track her down. Later. Then we can talk.

  The teams assembled on the parade grounds. A minister rushed in from the naval base appeared harried as he completed the blessing.

  Senna wondered how the preacher felt about blessing units that were about to capture those behind the warrior children movement. Then reality settled, a heavy burden of knowledge, aware that likely most of the children themselves would be incarcerated for the remainder of their lives if they were unable to be rehabilitated.

  Hundreds of men and women were heading into what was probably going to be the fight of their lives. “I should be there.” It didn’t help that Erin, Daniella, and Clarissa crowded around her in solidarity.

  The parade ended, and the troops dispersed. Over the last forty hours she’d barely seen Franklin, and with his departure imminent, she wanted some time alone. She marched forward after excusing herself from the women and was halfway across the parade ground when Maylin hailed her. “We’ve got a problem, and I need your expertise.”

  The words stopped her in her tracks. “I…” She glanced in his direction and pain speared her. “Yeah, on my way.”

  Across the grounds Franklin’s gaze collided with hers before she turned back in the direction of the building. She moved as quickly as she could, her side still aching, so that by the time she arrived in the basement Maylin had set up as her bunker, it was rather more than a physical discomfort.

  Maylin hunched over a unit, her face screwed up with frustration. “Good. One of the scanners is detecting a heat zone. You’re the arson specialist. Tell me what you think it is.”

  On a sigh, Senna dropped into the seat before the scanner. Her eyes moved back and forth, looking for telltale signs she’d learned of during her arson training. Various heat spots showed on the monitor, yet it was one at the back, an almost black mass that wavered.

  Senna leaned in closer. “Can you pull a satellite feed for me? I need better vision.” She’d seen something like this before, during her training, but pinpointing the source from her memory wasn’t an easy task.

  “This one, right?” Maylin checked as she tugged the keyboard over so it settled in front of her, and fingers flying, she input commands. Suddenly, the view changed. Arrowed down to the location, then slowly, the image grew.

  “Oh my God! They’re bodies. Maylin, get Jonah for me. He needs to see this. And how do I make this bigger?” She grabbed the mouse and rolled it, swore when the screen became smaller, then reversed direction. She breathed deeply as it enlarged.

  Now she could clearly see a group of people gathered around the fire, not well enough to pick out their features, but there was a mix of men and women. And children. Warrior children.

  Those burning, and the outlines were clear enough, were obviously dead, but what reason could they have? Unless they were opposing forces.

  Footsteps echoed, and Jonah hurried to her side. “Maylin said you’d found something disturbing I needed to see.”

  “Do you have anyone up there? Informants or civilians?”

  “There were families from what I can make out…” His face blanked. “You think they did this to get rid of anyone who—”

  “Any threats. I do. I can’t say how many, but possibly ten or more. Jonah, I need to get up there. Identify them and—”

  “No. I need you here.”

  “Jonah, I couldn’t even manipulate the screen properly. Bed me down with the diversionary forces. When it’s clear, I can do what I’m trained for. I’ll stay out of the way, but this? What they’ve done here is cold. It’s considered and planned. People who just went about their day-to-day lives. Not hurting anyone, probably contributing citizens. They deserve to be known and remembered and the crimes against them brought to light. You talk about winning the war of minds and hearts? This! This is where we start.” Fury dripped in her every word.

  He was wavering, she could feel it in the air. “Let me go, Jonah. I’ll be useful after the battle. I’ll even go to ground until it’s over and feed back intel.”

  “I… Okay.” The agreement came through clenched teeth. He pointed at her, his face tight. “But you follow any direction given by the team leader, and we don’t tell Franklin.”

  She bit her lip at that, then nodded her agreement. Keeping this kind of information from him wasn’t something she felt comfortable with. “Okay. And just to keep everyone happy, I’ll grab a ballistic skinsuit.”

  He grunted his agreement before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

  “Are you sure this is a great idea?” Maylin asked.

  “No, not really, but we need accurate information. Stuff I can do. Plus, I’m on the ground as a resource for scanning for explosives. It’s not like I’m untrained.”

  “Just injured,” Maylin returned.

  Where’s she gone? Franklin saw Senna just a minute ago, across the parade ground, but now she’d disappeared. He only had hours before they shipped out. The urgency grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shook him hard.

  He stalked across the asphalt, heading toward Erin, Daniella, and Clarissa, who waited for him. “Senna?”

  “Maylin needed her for a moment. But before you go, we’ve got something for you. Or at least organized,” said Clarissa, a small smile on her face.

  “What?”

  “It’s a surprise, but if you follow me, I think you’ll like it.”

  The two women smiled as he followed the blonde across the now empty parking lot and onto the roadway. “The cabin at the end is empty. The family that was supposed to be housed there didn’t make it. We kept it empty in case of need and…well, Daniella, Erin, and I all agreed that right now you guys need privacy. So, we kinda co-opted it from the housing unit. Only for twenty-four hours, as we can’t do anything else, but you know.” Clarissa shrugged, and on a whim, he reached out and hugged her.

  “Thank you.”

  She sniffed. “We put some supplies in too. No wine, but some sparkling juice and food.” The woman looked over her shoulder, her eyes glowing blue, alerting him she was using her cybernetic abilities. “Michael says he’s heading over to Maylin’s office. He’ll send Senna this way.” The blue glare in her eyes faded as she turned back. “Now, I’ll leave you alone. She won’t be long.”

  He opened the door, for a moment fantasizing that she was waiting, the war was over, and their future assured.

  Could he be a good father and husband? He hadn’t had the experience of a positive role model, and yet, he knew instinctively that he could be. The scent of food wafted on the air, threading through his senses along with roses. He closed the door and allowed himself to hope for more.

  Franklin settled on laying out the meal, hoping she wouldn’t be long. It was only a short while before the door opened, admitting her.

  Her face shined as she took in the scene. “You prepared the meal.”

  “I wanted to surprise you.”

  Franklin passed her a glass of the bubbling juice, and she smiled. It warmed him all the way to his guts. Her laugh was carefree, and she slid her arm around his waist.

  “Isn’t this a great surprise? I didn’t know anything about it until they had it organized,” he said.

  Unable to wait any longer, Franklin bent down, sliding his lips over hers, trying to tell her wordlessly of both his passion and his love. He kept it light, because he still had something to say.

  “Senna, I tried to tell you more than once. Every time you’ve either fallen asleep or we’ve been interrupted. I mean, my timing is pretty bad but…” His stomach jittered. How the hell do I say it? “What I’m trying to say is… I love you. You’re the most perfect thing, a gift I never expected to get. I want us to have a future together. Tell me you feel the same?”

  Nerves danced in his belly as he waited. He looked away, not wanting to push her, but needing her to speak. Say something. Anything.

  Silence stretched. “Senna?”

  She hiccupped, and he glanced at her, saw tears glistening on her cheeks.

  “Did I say something wrong?” God knew the blockage in his throat was just about asphyxiating him.

  “I…” She sniffed, breathed deeply, took his hand in hers. “I love you too, Franklin. And this is not me.”

  He laughed at her comment. “No. A watering pot you aren’t.”

  Franklin snatched the drink from her hand, then pulled her close, nestling her against his wildly beating heart, all the while in thankfulness.

  “You know, I’ve been out of the medical center for days and you’ve barely touched me.”

  He grinned at her sultry tone. “Because of your injury.” He cupped her face, keeping the touches light and playful.

  “My injury. Of course. Well, I’ve been cleared for certain more rigorous activities now. So long as I don’t overexert…” Senna fluttered her lids, and laughter rumbled in his chest.

  “Then let’s not waste that clearance.”

  The kiss was cataclysmic, burning through Senna’s body. Franklin’s lips sipped and demanded entry to her mouth. Emotions welled, hunger and passion clashing against her sense of smell, wild musk filling the air as he carefully and slowly stripped the cotton gown from her body.

  “Franklin,” she hissed as his lips slid down the line of her throat, finding the sensitive spot below her jaw.

  His tongue twirled on the spot, and she shivered, nerves dancing madly as moisture and heat pooled, dampening her underwear.

  His fingers slid under the straps of her bra, hooking them and gently pulling until they dropped over her shoulders, and her breasts, heavier than before, sagged. Her nipples, sensitive dots of pleasure, scraped against the cups, and she sighed as he dragged them from her body.

  “Did I tell you how beautiful you are, Senna?” he murmured against her skin, and her belly quavered.

  The need to participate was overwhelming, so she turned in his arms and slid hers around his waist.

  “You moved,” he complained, and she giggled.

  “I want to be involved too, you know.” She burrowed her fingers deep, tugging at his shirt until she reached the waistband. She slid her fingertips along the tip of his cock and felt him shiver at her touch. “Like that, do you?”

  His hands skimmed the skin of her back. She stepped away, feet unsteady as her mind whirled under the intimate onslaught, and the cool air caressed her skin, nipples puckered into tight buds.

  “Take off your shirt, Franklin.” Her voice shook with arousal.

  Gazes meshed, and he tugged the piece of clothing with slow and steady movements. Her mouth dried as his bronzed flesh was revealed, and she curled her fingers, holding onto the greedy urge to touch and claim just a little longer.

  He reached out, sliding a finger over her belly, so the nerves quivered in response. “Franklin?” The word was an invitation as she hooked her thumbs into her panties and slid them down her body.

  His gaze narrowed, face hardening with desire.

  “Join me?” She turned and crooked her finger, calling him to follow.

  Once in the small bedroom, Franklin’s hands fumbled on the fastener of his pants. They slipped and he swore, a crest of red tiding his cheeks.

  She reached out, and he stepped away, his body vibrating as his eyes glazed. “I won’t last if you touch me right now, Senna.” He inhaled deeply, head bowed, and she waited, giving him time and space without withdrawing completely. Once more in control, Franklin’s fingers released the clasp of his pants, and they fell to the floor with a whisper, his boxers stark white against the bronzed skin.