Military intelligence officer Lieutenant Barb Carolus is ordered to investigate Colonel Locke, a rogue officer suspected of selling military weapons on the black market. Colonel Locke is from Barb’s home planet and she knows exposing his crimes will tarnish the reputation of those rare people like her who’ve escaped the poverty and gangs of their home world to become officers. But orders are orders and she always does her duty.<br><br>For the mission she’s teamed with the unconventional -- and in Barb’s opinion, entirely unprofessional -- undercover agent Taya Borovsky. Working with Taya will test Barb’s by the book approach to the limits, especially when attraction overcomes her irritation with Taya. Bitter about upholding standards nobody else does, Barb gives in to her desires.<br><br>When the mission goes bad, Barb and Taya are on the run and outgunned. To survive, Barb must learn from Taya’s unconventional methods and improvise a solution to complete her mission and save their lives.

Loose Cannon

“I most certainly am not drunk,” she said.


The bar was classier than the restaurant, and Barb wondered if it fit the Taya the smuggler cover identity, until she took a look at the all-female clientele. Ah. She relaxed a bit. Okay, more Barb’s kind of place than some noisy joint with men pawing her.


Taya knew the bartender, too, who, at first glance, Barb thought was a man. But she was just on the far extreme of the butch-femme scale. She poured them a couple of glasses of schnapps. Taya picked them up and led Barb through the bar. The admiring glances cast Barb’s way made her want to strut.


They found a quiet corner and sat close—to avoid being overheard, Taya said. It made them look like a couple, too, one of many in here. The background music was low, and conversation hummed. Nobody seemed to be taking much notice of them beyond looking at them for the obvious reason.


Chapter 11