Free Reed: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 4) by Anna Hackett

and then send me out to kill raptors? I need to be the one to set the cube in place and run my virus program on the spot.”
    “No.” The word burst out of Reed. “I won’t let you do this.”
    She slowly came to her feet. “It’s not your choice. It’s mine.”
    “It’s too dangerous. Look at all those raptors, Natalya. You want to end up back in their hands?”
    She flinched and he hated himself. But he had to keep her safe.
    “You are not getting close to those fuckers. Not while I’m still breathing.”
    “Reed,” Marcus said, his voice weary.
    “You know better than any of us that nothing good comes from taking untrained civilians on missions. Remember Elle and the rex?”
    Marcus’ face darkened and Elle shot a glare at Reed.
    He looked at Gabe. “Emerson got taken by raptors.”
    Menace radiated off the big, silent man.
    “Natalya’s been through enough,” Reed said.
    A slim hand landed on his arm. He looked down into big brown eyes that caught his entire attention.
    “I need to do this, Reed.”
    “No—”
    Her fingers tightened on him. “Listen to me. I need to fight back. I want to strike at them, not just be a victim.”
    He grabbed her arms now. “You aren’t a victim, you’re a survivor.”
    A faint smile tweaked her lips. “Then let me be a survivor. This is my decision and I need to know you’ll support me and have my back.”
    Dammit . He pulled away, scraping a hand through his hair. She was asking for him to go against every instinct he had. But he knew, deep down, that she needed this and she needed him to be with her every step of the way. He gave the conference table a solid kick and heard the crack of wood.
    “All right, Natalya, you’re in,” Marcus said. “But we need twenty-four hours to recuperate and plan.” Marcus’ gaze landed on Reed. “You take that time and spend it with her showing her how to defend herself.”
     
    ***
     
    “This is a Xeon 5 laser pistol.”
    Natalya watched Reed pick up the small weapon from the vast array on the bench. And she heard the whip of anger simmering in his voice.
    He was still mad at her.
    He turned to face her. “It’s one of the smallest and lightest of the laser pistols, so it’ll be easy for you to handle.” He held it out. “Some of its components are plastic. The tech guys have a 3-D printer, so we have several of these babies, as they’re easy to make and maintain.”
    She took the pistol, testing the feel of it in her hands. It was light. She shot Reed a glance from under her lashes. His jaw was tight, tiny lines of strain were visible around his mouth, and he wasn’t looking at her.
    “Ear protection on.” He nodded toward the earmuffs hanging on the wall. “Let’s test it out.”
    They were at the base’s shooting range. There were ten long rows, each with electronic targets at the end. There was only one other person using the range. The huge man with his dark hair in long dreadlocks had given them a nod when they’d entered. Since then, he’d been busy unloading a huge, booming weapon into the electronic targets that danced around like mad.
    She pulled some earmuffs off the wall. “Who’s that?” she asked.
    “Tane. Tane Rahia. He’s head of Squad Three.”
    The Berserkers. She stared at the man with wide eyes. She’d heard rumors about them. Tough, undisciplined, reckless.
    Reed tapped her on the forehead. “Focus. We only have a few hours to get this done before you’re going to head out right into the heart of a new raptor base and put yourself at risk.”
    Ouch . His tone was sharp as a knife’s edge. “Reed, I know you’re upset.”
    A muscle in his jaw flexed. “The pistol’s simple. Aim and shoot. When the charge dies, take your finger off the trigger. It’ll recharge in under two seconds.”
    With a sigh, she settled her muffs over her head and turned to face the target.
    “Two hands.” Reed’s voice came through the muffs’ speakers, as clear as without them. His arms also