Free Chaos Theory by Penelope Fletcher Page B

TalkMe from her pocket, she waited until he had
his then exchanged BMIDs and linked networks.
    Kali gave into her impulse and brushed the lightest of kisses
to his lips. It was intolerably forward, but in case he wasn’t that
into her, she’d have the memory of her lips on his.
    She pulled back, and Blue followed. Body leaning until his
feet caught up. He wrapped an arm around her waist to haul her
close, and kissed her harder, making her tremble when his tongue
flicked out to sweep across her bottom lip, soothing the tenderness
her teeth caused.
    Blood pounded in Kali’s ears and flooded other parts making
them heavy and hot. She placed her hands on his cheeks and dove
into it, let herself become lost.
    He set her down, still close, and they both lingered, enjoying
the unexpected surge of desire.
    Shocked shy, Kali dropped her gaze from his and moved away.
Bringing her TalkMe to her lips, she tapped it with her forefinger.
“Message me, okay?”
    Blue caught the secret upward curve of her mouth, and thought
it beautiful. As he stared after her, he wondered if messaging her
right then would be considered too eager.
     

PART TWO: ABDUCTION
     
    Curiosity is the lust of the mind.
    Thomas Hobbes

9.
    Valiant ducked low. His heart pounded in his chest as he and
his teammate prowled closer to the target.
    The glowing alien spaceship was the most beautiful thing he’d
seen. It was made from shimmering crystal, and flashed different
colours while a gentle tinkle drifted into the air.
    Shame he was there to blow it up.
    Valiant felt a tingle of apprehension, a vibe he’d learned to
listen to when on mission. He had to ignore it this time, and that
damaged his calm. There were two other units moving into position,
approaching enemy vessels in other quadrants with orders identical
to his; plant the pulse beacons that would act as a homing devices
for explosives waiting to be deployed.
    The success of this strike was imperative. It was a warning to
the Novae of the Alliance’s strength and willingness to defend
their turf. The aliens had made insane demands, and Valiant was
proud to put foot to ass for his people.
    After this mission was complete, his unit had twelve hours to
coordinate with the other two and evacuate three HiCaste families
of political importance before the air strike was
ordered.
    He couldn’t shrug the feeling they were about to make a
mistake.
    Zeke snuck up beside him and stared over the rooftop ridge. He
placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, sensing how tense he was.
“Cosmic, Val? Are you sure you want to be the one to do this? We
can switch.”
    Valiant’s lips thinned. “Let’s get this over with.” He inhaled
deeply and rocked on the spot. “If anything goes wrong haul ass out
of here, you hear me? Always live to fight another day.”
    “ Nothing’s going wrong.” Zeke held his gaze. “You got
this.”
    Valiant grinned to cover his unease then vaulted over the edge
of the roof.

10.
    “ I’m not okay with this,” Max declared. When Kali didn’t
respond, he narrowed his eyes in that presumptuous way he knew
irritated the quarks out of her. He contemplated what her flushed
cheeks and sparkly eyes meant. She’d had a dazzled look the whole
day, and kept staring into the middle distance when she was
supposed to be listening to him. “You really like him don’t you?”
In Max’s mind that meant there was something to be worried about.
If there was anything he’d learnt, Kali attracted trouble like a
magnet. “Of all the people to fool around with you pick Blue
Erikson? He works with me at Pluto’s, and he’s … well that’s just
it. I don’t know that much about him. I can never remember anything
other than he has some funky enhancements. That is warning enough.
Yeah. You shouldn’t go.”
    Kali tapped her bottom lip, making sure it looked rosy and
plump. “I like his enhancements.”
    Max’s argument was soaring way over her head. Yes, Blue’s
cosmetic morphs were a little