Read Online The Tracker's Dilemma: (A Mandrake Company Science Fiction Romance) by Ruby Lionsdrake - Free Book Online Page A

there. If you’re worried about the raptors, I’m sure we can take some tranquilizer guns with us. Viktor, don’t you even have some aerosol tranquilizers in your armory? No aim required?”
    “ Some aim is required,” Mandrake said dryly. “And those are expensive. They’re for subduing enemy mercs without killing them.”
    “We can use them for subduing enemy raptors,” Ankari said brightly, gripping Lauren’s shoulder.
    Mandrake’s lips flattened, but he did not object.
    Lauren didn’t care. She didn’t want to see those raptors, subdued or not.
    “There’s no reason why I should go,” she whispered, aware of all the eyes in the room upon her. “You know I hate field work.” And she hated— loathed —that damned jungle. The night she had spent down there with Jamie and Ankari had been the most terrifying in her life. She still woke up from nightmares about those raptors and falling out of the trees and nearly being killed by kidnappers.
    “We may need your expertise,” Ankari said, “and it won’t be like last time. We’ll have strong soldiers to protect us.”
    “I’ll be happy to protect you, Doc,” Striker said and wriggled his eyebrows at Lauren.
    That did nothing to reassure her. Lauren slumped back in her chair, feeling defeated.
    “ We’ll protect you,” Tick said firmly, giving her a nod.
    She couldn’t manage a smile or a return nod for him, not with this bleakness washing over her. She hated the field, and she knew her sister was up to something. This would not go well, not at all.

Chapter 5
    Tick sat in the back of the shuttle that Microbacteriotherapy, Inc. had leased from Mandrake Company. Unlike the rest of the sleek gray and deadly combat shuttles in the outfit’s bay, this one was painted pink. The interior was afflicted with fuzzy, spotted seat covers, and the curtain that separated a small lab from the bank of seats along the wall sported pink and purple polka dots.
    Most of the mercenaries going down to the moon had jostled for spots in the other two shuttles, leaving empty seats and more space in this one. Tick had never felt manly riding in the pink craft, but privately admitted that it was more comfortable than the rest of the shuttles. A coffeepot burbled happily, filling the air with its pleasant aroma as Jamie Flipkens piloted the shuttle toward the vibrant green foliage of Sturm.
    Hailey and Ankari sat up front near Jamie while Lauren puttered in the lab. Corporal Hemlock and Sergeant Striker rode in the back with Tick, Hemlock fiddling with a dice game and Striker waving his fingers in the air over his tablet doing who knew what. Navigating his porn collection, perhaps. Tick and the other men were along to defend the women if their craft ended up split off from the other Mandrake Company shuttles. Tick doubted that would happen—despite some inhospitable wildlife on this side of the moon, Sturm was controlled by a relatively stable government run by a collection of corporations, and the only people who flew around down here were usually miners and loggers. Still, he didn’t mind riding along with Lauren, unmanly pink shuttle notwithstanding. He figured that if his brain went on the fritz, she would be the most likely to be able to help him. Besides, he felt more of a kinship toward her now that he knew that she had lost most of her family too. Aside from him, only his sister had been off-world when Grenavine had been destroyed, and while he wouldn’t consider his relationship with her cantankerous, she was a determined and reckless woman who was always off on adventures and rarely had time for him.
    Tick wondered if Lauren would mind if he slipped behind the curtain and offered her his company. Even if she wasn’t interested in sex, it was nice talking to women once in a while and not always—
    An elbow found its way into Tick’s ribs as Striker leaned over. He waved his tablet. “Want to see the comic I’m working on this week? The panels are coming out