Free Cruz: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 2) by Anna Hackett Page A

through their earpieces.
    “Santha’s online too.”
    “Hey, Santha.”
    Santha touched her ear. “Elle.”
    “You need anything—intel, escape routes, raptor numbers—just ask, okay?”
    Santha blinked. Cruz could see it was another thing she was adjusting to. An uncomfortable feeling slithered through him. What if she couldn’t get used to all the people, the structure and the other stuff that came with being at base?
    What if after this mission, she didn’t want to stay here?
    “All right, soldier.” She held her palms up. “Let’s go spy on some raptors.”
    He nodded, shaking off his thoughts. He couldn’t afford to think about it right now. He needed a clear head and laser-sharp focus.
    “So, if Hawks are out, how are we getting into the city?” she asked.
    He waved her toward a door to the next hangar bay. As they stepped inside the dark space, lights clicked on automatically.
    “This is our ride.”
    Santha gasped. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
    “It’s called a Darkswift. We use them for covert infiltration.” He watched her circle the sleek, black craft barely big enough to fit two people. “It’s shaped like a glider, seats two people lying down side by side on their stomachs. There are dual controls—” he pointed to the tinted, low-profile canopy “—and it has a small, silent, thermonuclear engine.”
    She looked up and smiled. “I cannot wait to try it out. Let’s go.”
    Cruz opened the canopy. “Climb aboard.”
    She stepped in and lay flat on her stomach in the molded space. “Can I fly it?” Excitement vibrated in her voice.
    “No.”
    She frowned at him over her shoulder. “Why not?”
    “You have to be trained.”
    She snorted. “That’s a bullshit excuse. You’re just being a man…won’t let a woman drive.”
    Cruz arched a brow. “Yes, I want to drive. I’d prefer we didn’t end up crashing into the side of a building. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I am a man.”
    Something flashed in her eyes. “Oh, I noticed.”
    He let his gaze drift down her body, lingering on her shapely ass. Man, he really didn’t need a hard-on in his armor. Sucking in a breath, he lay down on the other side of the Darkswift’s cockpit.
    They were only inches apart. He thumbed a control and the smoky-black canopy closed.
    “How come I haven’t seen any of these babies flying around?”
    “They have illusion systems and because they’re small and silent, they’re easy to hide. And we usually only use them at night. They’re practically invisible.”
    “Cool.”
    He smiled at her. “Ready to launch?”
    “Ready.”
    “Elle, we are go for launch.”
    “Okay, Cruz,” Elle said. “Initiating launch now. Good luck.”
    Cruz adjusted the controls. A neon-green, heads-up display flared to life in front of him and harnesses snapped closed over their bodies. “There’s a launch mechanism in the floor beneath us. It’ll catapult us into the air.”
    “How do we launch to come back?”
    “The engine can get us airborne, but not as high as we’d like for maximum stealth.”
    Elle counted down steadily in their ears. Ahead, the launch bay doors retracted, revealing a strip of early-evening sky. Below, the valley was a mass of shadows.
    “Hold on,” he warned.
    Santha gripped the handholds built into the console. A second later, the catapult mechanism released and sent the Darkswift shooting out of the hangar.
    As they soared into the air, Santha laughed.
    Cruz tapped the controls, his right hand gently moving the control stick. He monitored the display as the computer their checked altitude and adjusted the stabilizers.
    Then he turned his head and was caught by the sight of unfettered joy on her face. It made his gut cramp. He suspected she’d had little to laugh about since the invasion.
    Finally, their ascent leveled out, and the engine kicked in, sending them gliding silently toward the city.
    “I have to get myself one of these,” Santha said. “Are you