Torrent (Cosmic Forces Book 1) by Elle Thorne Page B

behind him.
    Great. And Torrent was supposed to come see where his son was living? In a house with this going on? With Omar cavorting with a privateer’s sister? And Gillie a filthy mess, looking like a homeless urchin.
    “Let’s give you a bath.” Alyssa tugged on Gillie’s hand. “You’re a mess.”
    “We’re not done talking,” Jesse said.
    Alyssa looked back at him. “Can I at least get him bathed? Dinner’s ready. Help yourselves.”
----
    G illie was clean , and evidently very tired. One moment he said he was hungry, the next he was asleep, thumb in his mouth, the rubber duck, his bath companion, clean and in the other hand.
    Jesse’s head peeked in the doorway. “How’s he doing?” His voice was low.
    “Asleep.”
    “Got time to talk now?”
    Alyssa looked down at her clothing, streaked with dust from Gillie’s and splashed with water. Torrent had said ‘after dark,’ and that could mean any time from now to… any time before the morning.
    She might as well get this over with. She owed Jesse an explanation. Gillie was just as much his nephew as hers. “Sure.”
    She gave him a quick gloss-over about Torrent’s appearance at their doorway asking for Gillie, the way he’d saved them from the privateers, and how she’d gone to check on him after the privateer stabbed him. And that he’d said he was Gillie’s father.
    “Do you believe him?” Jesse’s eyes held suspicion.
    “I can’t see why he’d lie. And how would he know about Melissa, and Gillie, including Gillie’s name? I don’t see how he’d know those things if he wasn’t who he says he is.”
    “What are you not telling me?”
    That I’m attracted to him. That I could see myself falling for this guy. That he has the clearest, most honest eyes ever. “Nothing.”
    Jesse shook his head slowly. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
    “You’ll get to meet him yourself. You decide. He’s coming over tonight.”
    “What? When?”
    “After dark.” Alyssa shrugged. “We should go tell Sonya and Belinda.” She tucked the sheet around Gillie. “What about Omar?”
    “Nineteen isn’t that old. He’ll be back around. I don’t see the privateers wanting a kid.”
    Something about that logic bothered Alyssa, but she hoped he was right.
    “I feel like I’ve disappointed you.” She looked down.
    “No, sis. Don’t feel that way.”
    “I hate that you have so much of a burden, all of us. And you’re only a few years older than Omar. You’re barely out of being a kid yourself.”
    “Don’t worry about it. Let’s go talk to Sonya and Belinda.”

Chapter Twelve
    T orrent still couldn’t give Cosmic Forces Team Eight an update by radio. He hoped his team hadn’t had any problems.
    He’d find out soon enough. He was almost at the wall. He’d scale it, then make the trek to the grove that hid the transport.
    His mind flew back to the privateers he’d killed. What if his team had encountered dozens of them? Or more? What if they had decent weapons? Weapons strong enough to take out a transport and everything in it from a good distance?
    Goddammit. He needed to get to them. They were fine, he told himself. He’d get a new radio that worked, and there’d be no more uncertainty like this again.
    Under the cover of darkness, he headed to the spot in the wall where he’d hid his climbing gear and grappling hook.
    He bent over to collect them from the blocks he’d displaced. As he rose, he found himself with a blade at his throat and a muscular forearm discouraging movement.
    What the fuck? How had anyone gotten the jump on him?
    He bit back a growl of frustration, took a shallow breath, then with a skill that was instinctive and second nature, he disarmed the aggressor behind him and flipped him over his head. Swooping quickly to retrieve the aggressor’s knife, Torrent returned the favor by placing it on the other man’s neck, the sharp tip bringing forth a drop of blood that appeared white in his night