The Viper flew in low over the desert.
The night was black as hell, and Naomi could barely see a thing. Ramirez was a hell of a pilot.
“Nearing the drop-off point,” Ramirez called back from the cockpit.
Naomi met Dak’s gaze in the back of the Viper. The low light in the aircraft threw his face into shadow, accenting his strong jaw. He nodded at her.
They both grabbed their packs, and as the Viper moved into a hover, he opened the side door.
Naomi saw the rocky ground below, and although she couldn’t see it, she knew Lake Mead was nearby in the darkness.
She clicked a rappel line to her armor. Dak was already connected.
“Thanks, Ramirez,” he called out.
“Good hunting,” the pilot said. “Remember, once you get close to the dam, your comms will be jammed by the aliens. If you need a pick up, you’ll have to get a few klicks away from the dam to be back in active comms range.”
“Got it.” Dak leaped out of the Viper, no hesitation.
As he whizzed downward, her belly tightened. God, the man turned her on. She took a deep breath, checked her line, then she jumped.
She rushed downward, air hitting her face. She grinned, adrenaline hitting her system. Then her boots hit dirt.
Dak was there, unclipping her.
The Viper was soundless, its illusion system up, as it pulled silently away.
Leaving them in alien territory.
“Let’s go, Silver.” Dak’s hand squeezed the back of her neck.
There was affection in his smooth voice when he used her surname. For so long, she’d hated that name, but he didn’t use it as a slur. She wasn’t Naomi Silver, part of the Silver crime family, she was Naomi Silver, ex-cop, survivor, and security officer.
She’d made herself, and had nothing to do with her family and their choices.
Dak worked his way through the rocks, and she realized that they were following an old road. They kept close to the towering rock face.
They climbed up a hill, and a second later, she saw the lake. Starlight glinted off its surface. He waved her down and they moved on their bellies. They crawled toward the end of the cliff.
She saw the dam below.
Naomi studied the familiar crescent of concrete—unyielding and strong. There were aliens all over it.
She lifted her binocs. Dak already had his out.
She zoomed in. The first thing she saw were the four huge intake towers in the water. She knew they linked to the penstocks—thirty-foot-diameter steel pipes that fed water into the dam.
The aliens had lighting units set up, and they cast a red glow across the dam wall and the nearby Visitor Center. There were alien vehicles, stacks of equipment, weapons.
There were also several raptor patrols, all with canid hunting dogs with them.
So many. Too many.
“They’ve definitely increased patrols,” she murmured.
Dak nodded. “Intel team says the patrols thin out after midnight.”
Which was still several hours away. “When they think humans are all asleep and no danger.”
“We’ll wait,” he said. “Keep watch.”
She nodded.
Over the next hour, they lay side by side and studied the aliens’ movements.
“There’s the access to the elevators that lead into the powerhouses.” She pointed.
Dak lifted his chin. “I see raptors going in and out, so they’ve clearly gotten the dam’s elevators working again.”
“We can’t risk using them though.” If they got caught in there…
“Agreed. Stairs?”
She nodded. “The main stair access is through the Visitor Center.” But there were too many damn aliens there as well. “There is a set of stairs the maintenance teams used. Off to the side of the Visitor Center.” She pointed again. “You can just see the door.”
He lifted his binocs. “I see it. Okay, we have a plan, but still a few more hours to wait. Why don’t you catch some sleep for an hour and I’ll keep watch?”
Sleep, right. She was too wired to sleep. “Then we trade and you sleep.” She didn’t make it a question.
She saw his white teeth flash in the darkness. “Okay, Silver, you’ve got a deal.” He pulled back from the edge. “I saw a cave back down here a bit. We’ll rest in there.”
They moved into a group of rocks. Cave was an exaggeration, since it was little more than an overhang. But at least they couldn’t be spotted by any alien pteros flying over.
They settled in the dark space. As Naomi pulled out the small, high-tech space blanket from her pack, Dak lifted a tiny box and opened it.
The small device inside was a sentry bot. It looked like a metallic spider. He set it down and it skittered around on its legs. She knew that it was reworked alien tech that the scientists back at Groom Lake had reverse engineered.
“Anything gets within the perimeter, I’ll know about it,” he said.
The small bot disappeared into the darkness.
They settled on the blanket and Dak pulled her close, his big body wrapped around hers. It was nice, except for the fact that they both kept their carbines close.
“Rest,” he said.
She looked out at the stars. “I’m too wired.”
He shifted, his arm sliding around her until his palm pressed to her belly. Then he flicked open her trousers.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Helping you relax.”
His hand slid into her cargo pants and right inside her panties. His clever fingers found her and stroked.
Naomi stifled a moan. “We can’t do this here.”
“The aliens can’t hear us from here, and the sentry bot will alert us if anyone gets close.”
He stroked again, sensation arrowing through her. The tiniest moan escaped her lips.
“You have to be quiet, Silver.” He pinched her clit, and then he slid lower. “Damn, you’re soaked.”
“All for you,” she whispered.
His groan made her smile, but as he kept caressing her, she couldn’t stop a husky cry escaping.
He raised his other hand and pressed it to her mouth. She bit into the fleshy part of his palm. He kept working her, electricity zinging through her body. It wasn’t long before she bucked against his hand and started coming.
His mouth came down on hers, swallowing her cries. She slumped against him. It took a few minutes, but finally her racing heartbeat slowed.
“Rest up.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
Surprisingly, Naomi started to drift off. It was easy when she knew he was watching over her.
“Funny that with you, I feel safe,” she said. “Even in the middle of alien territory.”
She felt him go still, then he stroked her hair. Moments later, she fell asleep.
Dak was dreaming of Naomi.
They’d switched places, her keeping watch while he grabbed some shut-eye. But having a super sexy dream about her using her mouth on him wasn’t very restful.
His eyes snapped open, and he saw the rock walls of their hiding place. And felt a hot mouth on his cock.
Fuck.
He looked down. Naomi’s dark head bobbed over his lap, and when she looked up, he had the perfect view of her mouth wrapped around his cock.
“Naomi,” he groaned.
She sucked harder, taking him deep. Her hands were clamped on his thighs. He thrust up into her mouth.
“Gonna come.” How could he not with this woman driving him to the edge?
Her tongue swirled around the swollen head of his cock and she sucked again. A second later, Dak bit down on his tongue to stifle his groan as he spilled into her mouth.
She slid off him with a pop. “Hello, Captain.”
He yanked her closer and kissed her. He tasted himself on her lips. “Say my name.”
“Dak.” This time the kiss was slower, deeper. “Dak.”
He wrapped his arms around her for a tight hug. “We’d better get cleaned up, it’s time to go.”
With a nod, she pulled away. He watched her eat an energy bar and pack up her gear.
Dak wanted this mission done. He wanted to be back at base—and for the first time ever since the invasion, he was going to ask for a few days off. He planned to hole up with his woman and not get out of bed the entire time.
But right now, he needed his head in the game. He had to be focused on this mission.
He packed up the last of his gear and recalled the sentry bot. A few minutes later, it skittered in and he packed it away.
Together, he and Naomi headed out. They moved down a narrow, dusty road toward the dam. They stuck to the shadows, moving cautiously. Naomi moved like a pro, keeping her steps quiet. Damn, she was going to be one hell of a security officer.
He held up his hand.
They were close to the dam and he heard the hum of equipment and engines. They rounded some rocks, crouching low.
The Hoover Dam Visitor Center was right in front of them.
The raptor patrols had lessened, but there were still plenty of aliens marching around the area. Dak spotted the doorway to the stairs. There was a lot of ground between them and the door.
Naomi tapped his shoulder and pointed out a route. The place was littered with alien equipment parts and crates, some of them glowing and blinking with red lights. Brow creased, he studied the space and nodded. She was right. If they were careful, they could use the gear for cover and make it to the doorway.
A raptor patrol marched close to them—two big raptors and a canid. Dak and Naomi pulled back, holding their breath until the aliens passed. He waited for them to get a little farther away, then he nodded.
He and Naomi sprinted out, staying low. They ran in a straight line and ducked down behind a stack of alien boxes. With his back pressed to the boxes, he looked down at her. She was bathed in a red glow but gave him a thumbs up.
Such a courageous woman. He knew her life couldn’t have been easy with the family she’d had, but she’d forged her own path and she’d made herself into one hell of a woman.
Now they waited until they could move again. They needed patience and nerves of steel to make their way across to the door.
They waited for the raptors to stomp past them again, and a second patrol that he could see not far away. He lifted his hand and pointed. Together, they darted out, sprinting fast, and slid in behind an overturned vehicle that had been left in the parking area.
They crouched beside the truck. It had a UC Department of Parks logo on the side of the door.
Naomi peered through the cracked window and hissed. “Shit.”
Dak spotted the skeleton still strapped into the driver’s seat. He gripped Naomi’s shoulder and squeezed. He hoped to hell the person had found a better place.
Naomi pressed into his side.
He breathed her in. He wanted to live. It didn’t matter that the world had gone to hell, he had no plans to find the next life just yet.
And now, he had an excellent incentive sitting right beside him. He definitely wanted more time with Naomi Silver.
The raptor patrols were finally out of sight, and they darted out, running toward a stack of black crates. They hunkered down deep in the shadows and waited.
Suddenly, there was a noise—something sharp scraping on concrete—and they both tensed. A canid stepped into view.
Damn, the hunting dogs had a good sense of smell. If it caught their scent…
Drool dripped from the creature’s jaws. Dak pulled a grenade off his belt. The Australian survivors at the Enclave just south of Sydney had discovered that the canids didn’t like cedar oil and the raptors didn’t like cineole, a component of eucalyptus oil. They’d developed several grenades and shared the designs with Groom Lake.
He fingered a cedar oil grenade. If he had to use it, this mission was over. The aliens would know they were here, and the bomb would slip through their hands.
Naomi reached for the grenade, taking it from him. She started pulling it apart. What was she doing?
She cracked the device open and he smelled the sharp scent of cedar.
The canid sniffed. It’s spike-and-scale-covered body tensed, then it moved away from them.
Genius. He stroked a hand down her back.
She tucked the ruined grenade in under a crate, and rubbed her hands on her pants.
Dak saw the time was right to move. They darted out and in behind their next point of cover. Slowly, they played their game of run, hide, and wait.
The door to the maintenance stairs came into view right ahead of them. When the closest raptors had turned their backs, he and Naomi raced toward it.
She touched the electronic lock, then shook her head. “No power.” She pulled out a small tool and went to work on the lock.
Dak scanned their surroundings. He saw one raptor patrol nearing the end of their patrol route. In just a few seconds, they would turn around. “Hurry.”
“Nearly got it.”
He saw the first raptor pause and start to turn. He tensed. “Naomi.”
“Almost there.”
Dak lifted his carbine. Shit. They were out of time.
Click.
“Got it.” The door opened and Naomi slipped through it.
He followed quickly and shut the door behind them.
They were in.