Free Cosmos' Promise: Cosmos' Gateway Book 4 by S.E. Smith Page A

someone to cover your back.”
    “I have someone,” Cosmos responded.
    “Let me clarify that. You need someone with a pulse to cover your back. RITA doesn’t count,” Garrett said dryly. “Have the gear ready for me. I’ll be there within two hours.”
    Cosmos thought about leaving anyway but realized that Terra’s safety was too important to chance failure. With Garrett at his side and covering his back, he would have a better chance of making it out not only with her, but alive. He just didn’t plan on the other last minute addition to his team.
    “Hey Cosmos, me siento un poco vulnerable aquí. ¿No podrías haber hecho estas malditas cosas un poco más grande? Creo que tengo un wedgie , ” Hey Cosmos, I feel a little vulnerable here. Couldn’t you have made these damn things a little bigger? I think I have a wedgie. Rico called out as he pulled at the back of the prototype suit he had put on.
    “Damn Rico, what have you been doing?” Garrett said as he came up behind his friend. “The Buns of Steel videos again?”
    “Ah man, you are creeping me out,” Rico said in a slightly accented voice before he grinned and tried to twist so he could look at his ass. “But I have to admit, this suit makes my ass look good, mi amigo.”
    Cosmos glanced back, feeling his lips pull up in an amused smile. Rico had turned over the search for Natasha Baskov to his sister Maria. She was working with Brock to find Natasha. Lan had rejoined them after the healers told him that Helene would recover. Garrett said Lan freaked out when he found out it was Helene and not Natasha in the van but knew he needed to get her help before he could go meet up with Brock and Rico to search for the female he claimed was his mate. Garrett had notified Rico of the recovery immediately and told him to expect Lan. When Rico heard that Garrett was pulling out to help Cosmos, he had handed over the search for Natasha to his sister. Maria was a tenacious little thing that had a way of seeing things others missed. Rico said it was from their time living on the streets in Madrid. Maria wouldn’t stop until she had recovered Natasha. This left him to cover Cosmos’ other side.
    “I’m telling you, Cosmos,” Rico said as he walked up to stand next to Cosmos who had turned back to look out at the ocean in front of them again. “When I first met Mak, I was scared shitless. He is one huge hombre but I liked him, even with those scary silver eyes and weird fang thing. After seeing him and the others fight, I was glad they were on our side. Have you thought that kidnapping one of their women might piss them off just a little? I mean, after the way Brock and Lan reacted to Natasha and Helene getting kidnapped, they seem a little on the – I don’t know….”
    “Deadly side,” Garrett suggested as he sat on one of the two prototype flying vehicles Cosmos had on the beach.
    “Unforgiving comes to mind,” Rico said as he walked over and frowned down at Garrett. “Why do you get to drive? You suck at driving,” he grumbled reaching for one of the helmets on the seat.
    “I do not suck at driving,” Garrett retorted with a raised eyebrow before he slid his helmet over his head.
    “Yes, you do,” Rico snorted. “Avery is always complaining about having to clean up after you. She was bitching about how hard it was to make the EC655 you crashed look like it was part of a movie set. She said the next time you crashed a multi-million dollar helicopter into a building she was going to take it out of your ass.”
    “I didn’t crash it into a building,” Garrett replied as he fired up the vehicle. “I set it down on top of it. It just sort of fell apart when I did.”
    Rico just snorted in disbelief as he slid onto the seat behind Garrett and grabbed the hand grips on the sides. “Don’t think this is an invitation, dude. You are too hairy for my tastes.”
    “Damn, just my luck,” Garrett replied into the mic built into his helmet. “Hey,