Read Cruz: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 2) for Free Online Page B

the Hawk into evasive maneuvers. “Hold on! They’re firing that damn poison. Chews right through metal,” he yelled.
    Marcus gripped a bar on the roof to stay upright. “Swing us around so Gabe can get a shot.”
    The Hawk turned fast. Gabe fired.
    Cruz felt Santha’s fingers digging into his arm. Looking down, he saw the lines bracketing her mouth. She wasn’t doing well. They needed to get back to base…now.
    “Don’t worry, Finn here is the best Hawk pilot we have. He’ll get us back to base.”
    Raptor fire hit the side of the Hawk, jolting them. The metal hissed and sizzled as the acidic substance ate through it. Sparks flew from a side console and Marcus cursed. He snatched up a fire extinguisher and covered the raptor poison in foam.
    “Sorry,” Finn called back.
    Cruz watched as the Hawk speared west, dodging the fire from their pursuers.
    The two raptor pteros pulled in on either side of the Hawk. Gabe swung the turret and opened fire with another lethal barrage of laser fire.
    The ptero lurched to the side, one of its wings pointing straight down. Then it fell into death spiral, plummeting earthward.
    “Woo-hoo, great shootin’, Tex,” Shaw called out. “My turn now.”
    The sniper stood on the other side of the copter, his laser rifle pointed out a small window. He fired.
    Laser fire hit the small window on the ptero cockpit. The alien ship shuddered and fell back. But it wasn’t stopping its pursuit.
    Cruz tapped his fingers on the armrest. They had to lose the ptero. They couldn’t risk exposing the location of Blue Mountain Base.
    Santha shifted. “Weak spot.”
    “What?” Cruz asked.
    “I’ve spent a lot of time watching them.” She pulled in a breath like it took a lot of effort. Her face was so pale. “Small intake where the wing meets the body. I’ve experimented shooting a crossbow bolt in there and it brings them down. Every time.”
    “Shaw? You hear that?”
    “Yep.” Shaw was sighting his rifle again. “How come we didn’t know this?”
    “Well, we do now,” Marcus said. “Can you see it?”
    “Yep.” Shaw raised his voice. “Hey, fly boy, can you keep this thing still for a second?”
    “You come up here and fly it, asshole,” came the reply.
    Shaw snorted. “Only if you come back here and shoot this fucker out of the sky.” Then his face changed, evened out, as he focused on his high-tech scope.
    “Take the shot,” Marcus said.
    Shaw fired.
    Cruz saw the ptero explode into flames.
    “Yeah, baby!” Shaw yelled.
    Claudia was grinning. Gabe clapped Shaw on the back, and Cruz smiled.
    Until he heard Santha’s quiet groan. Her shaking was worse. He pulled her closer. “Hold on, mi reina , almost there.”
    “ Mi reina . What’s it mean?”
    He brushed a thumb over her cheek. “My queen.”
    She opened her eyes and he sucked in a breath. Her pale-green irises were gone, replaced by a metallic silver. The bugs were replicating too fast.
    Suddenly, her back arched and she started convulsing.
    No, no, he couldn’t lose her.
    “Finn, hurry!” Cruz unstrapped the harness and laid her on the floor. “Hang in there, Santha.”
    Her convulsions continued and, helpless, all he could do was hold her hand.
    He leaned down and put his mouth against her ear. “Fight, dammit. You’ve been fighting every day since these bastards came. Don’t you fucking die now.”
    ***
    Santha felt like she was drifting in a fog. Her vision was blurred, but she had impressions of dark shadows and bright lights. Cruz’s deep, accented voice was in the background, talking to her, telling her to hold on. Her body was so cold, she’d lost all sensation.
    Then nothing.
    When she woke, she stared up at bright track lights running across a smooth, concrete-lined ceiling. Under her, was a bed made up with crisp sheets.
    She sat up, the white sheet sliding off her. She was dressed only in a medical gown and panties. Turning her head, she noted the rows of similar, narrow beds.