Untamed Hawaiian Heat (Rift Hunters) Read Free Page B

seen some of the Syndicate’s men wearing a new type of armor. It had radiated an energy she’d never seen before. What had confused her even more, though, was the way she’d been able to feel the power emanating from it.
    Even more troubling was that their weapons didn’t seem to have much effect against the new armor. And the weapons they’d encountered today had been even more advanced than the ones the OS had used in their skirmish just last month.
    Due to the upgrades in the enemy’s armor and weapons Kiana had seen today, she’d need to push the vice admiral to allow her team to do a recon mission.
    While she hated putting her men in danger, she also knew they would be in even direr straits if they didn’t know what they were up against. She adjusted her grip on her M-80 laser rifle. It wasn’t the newest model on the market, but the new plasma guns the OS used were expensive. Now that the Syndicate controlled all the factories, it was impossible to get ahold of one weapon, let alone enough for all her soldiers. A weapon was a weapon, though, and they needed all the help they could get. So when the little bit of funding their government backers had been able to wire them without raising any alarms had come through, the higher-ups had bought the best weapons they could afford. She was just afraid those new weapons weren’t going to be enough.
    Kiana heaved a weary sigh and shook off thoughts of how they were going to fight whatever this new threat was. She touched the com link in her ear. “Round up your team, Mateo. I’m tired of chasing these bastards. They’re just fucking with us…trying to split us up. Head back to camp once everyone’s accounted for.”
    “You want us to try to capture one of them?”
    Kiana thought about it for a moment. Sweat trickled down her neck and disappeared beneath her brown T-shirt, clung to her breasts. “If the opportunity presents itself, yes. But don’t go out of your way to catch one. We’ve been chasing them all afternoon.” She glanced at the sky. “And it’s starting to get dark. We’ll figure out a new strategy tomorrow.”
    “Your wish is my command, mi corazón,” he purred through their personal link.
    A smile slowly spread across her lips at the desire she felt sizzle along their connection. Swiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, she wished for the millionth time that the trade winds would come back. A swim was what she wanted right now. “It’s too hot for that, mi amante.” She moved away from Mateo’s coordinates to gather her team. The staccato of an M-80 being fired had her turning around to go help them. Suddenly, the air around her began to crackle with unseen energy. Kiana knew she should run, but her limbs refused to obey the command.
    A bright light flashed in front of her, and the sky ripped apart like a chasm in the earth. The energy radiating from the opening pulsed and throbbed, stirring the unexplained restlessness she’d been experiencing lately to a fever pitch. It caused her sensors to flicker out. She’d felt it before but never this strong. She was vaguely aware that someone was still firing nearby, and Mateo’s voice in her ear com link was demanding to know her location. She ignored both.
    The vortex widening in front of her held her transfixed. Colors flashed and spun at a dizzying rate, shooting jagged pulses of lightning in all directions. The sound was deafening. It was a miracle a stray bolt didn’t hit her. Strangely, any stray bolts seemed to be repelled if they got too close to her. The rift began to hum and vibrate with a sudden spike in the energy streaming out of it.
    A man tumbled through the opening and landed at her feet with a sickening thud . His body slammed into the ground with so much force, she was sure he’d broken a bone or two. The portal’s energy dissipated as rapidly as it had appeared, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Kiana took a step toward the man but froze at the