Trouble in Paradise: Course for Adventure, #3

By Cassandra Logan

Year, 2419…

Raven has spent her entire adult life working to create a successful business. A lone wolf on a world that was made for pack creatures, she has built her own place. Struggling to create a good work-life balance Raven jumps at the opportunity to go on a once in a lifetime vacation with her best friends.

Bob was built to be the future of warfare. A super-soldier, his only enemies are the people that created him. Leading his fellow lab rats to freedom is just the beginning. Bob is going to make the people that created him pay for everything they've done.

Romance wasn't on Raven or Bob's radar, but a mistaken encounter causes sparks to fly. Distractions abound, but Raven and Bob can't stop thinking about each other. Will these two decide to work together, or will they keep holding back?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassandra Logan
• Release date: Jan 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215032978

Book preview

Trouble

in

Paradise

Course for Adventure

Book Three

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Cassandra Logan

Trouble in Paradise

Course for Adventure Book Three

By Cassandra Logan

Copyright 2019

Cover created using Canva.com

Trouble in Paradise is a work of fiction.

Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written consent from the author and/or publisher, except in the case of reviewers, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or review.

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Disclaimer: This story has some graphic scenes and mild language.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Epilogue

Author’s Note

About the Author

Other Books by Cassandra Logan

Chapter One

Raven, you do remember you pay me, right? I’m not just supposed to sit here and look pretty. I’ve got a job, with a title, and duties that I should be allowed to perform. I have all the skills and experience necessary to do it, but you aren’t letting me.

Dennie’s voice had an edge to it that Raven hadn’t heard in the two years she’d known the man. His palms pressed into the top of her desk, and he was leaning toward her. There was a light sheen to his eyes that told her his bear was close to the surface and that he was angrier than she’d realized. If Raven had been sitting, it would have been a dominance battle between his bear and her wolf, since she wasn’t sitting, things were less clear.

Making sure her face remained neutral and her voice calm, and keeping a tight rein on her inner wolf, Raven replied, You’re right, of course. I wouldn’t have hired you and made you my second in command if you weren’t amazing at your job. I will—

Save it. You’ve told me time and time again that you would cut back your hours and let me do my job. I’m giving you four cycles to make serious changes, or I’m walking. I’ve had multiple offers, and I’m through waiting for you to realize that you’ve built an excellent team around yourself. You act like Wolfsinger Security will cease to exist if you don’t micromanage everyone, and that’s no way to manage a company this size. When are you going to realize that?

Dennie waited, searching Raven’s face before he pushed back from the desk and marched out of her office. When he slammed the door, it further confirmed his mood. Taking a steadying breath, Raven sat down in the plush chair behind her desk and swiveled it around so that she could look outside. The Great Wolf Mountain stood tall in the distance with Andove’s second moon high in the sky. It was still daylight outside, but tonight was an equinox, and the moon shone brightly. It called to her wolf, but Raven didn’t pay attention to her wolf’s longing anymore.

The view from her window had been one she’d fought for tooth and nail. A series of lucky breaks meant she’d arrived ahead of schedule, but she would have gotten here one way or another. Raven knew she should be able to step back as Dennie wanted, but she couldn’t seem to give up that control.

The comm on her desk sounded, signaling a personal call coming in. Normally, she would ignore it, but not today. Turning around, she saw that it was a group call with her best friends. They were exactly what she needed right now. Smiling, Raven answered, and Aggie, Lily, and Laurel took up residence on her screen.

How’s everyone doing today?

Lily’s face split with a grin, and she was bouncing on her seat when she said, Everything is perfect Raven, how about you?

She had a secret. A blind man could see it, but Raven didn’t ask. Lily was horrible at keeping secrets, so it was only a matter of time before she let it slip.

I’m fine. Just—

Her three friends interrupted, and in unison, said, Working.

The three of them laughed, but Raven couldn’t manage a smile. Their teasing on top of Dennie’s planned resignation was too much in one day. While the three of them chatted, Raven used a second panel to bring up the information on a new security contract. It was a minor job, a security install on a small business, but it was incredible how often these things got blown out of proportion. One wrong step and the company’s reputation could be ruined.

Raven tuned into her friend's conversation in time to hear Lily say, So, I’ve been thinking. We have not seen each other, in person, all together in forever. It’s past time for us to meet up again, and what better place to do it, then a month-long galactic cruise? We’ll even be making stops at Andove and Vende so you can show us around.

Stomach sinking Raven opened the packet of information Lily sent her and skimmed the material. Four cycles, six when she took into consideration, she would have to travel to and from Earth. Raven hadn’t seen her friends in a long time, but that was too much time.

Raven could see her response wasn’t what Lily wanted to hear, but just the idea of leaving Andove and her business for so long made her queasy. Anything could happen in all that time.

What about you, princess? Surely, you can steal some time away, Laurel? Did I tell you that the shopping is going to be amazing on the ship? They’ve got exclusive designs from around the galaxy.

As Laurel and Lily talked, a notification of an incoming message appeared on Raven’s comm. Seeing it was from Dennie, she opened it.

I can see you looking at the Bear Bakery job. I swear to the moons if you don’t close it immediately I’m leaving now.

Raven closed the file. She should have known he’d be monitoring her.

Raven, have I told you about the food on the ship?

Lily’s question brought Raven back to the conversation, and she replied, I see how it is, sell the Andovian with the promise of good food? We are more than our appetites.

There’s also a state of the art holo-system that all of the guests will have complete access too.

An idea began to form. Working by holo wasn’t ideal, and there was still the travel time to Earth to worry about, but she could use this vacation to show Dennie that she could take a step back.

Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll come on this galactic cruise.

Lily cheered, and Raven couldn’t stop from smiling. She missed being with her friends. It would be good for her to take some time away from the business. Even if she did a little bit of work on the side, a vacation was just what she needed, and it would get Dennie off her back and maybe keep him from leaving. She would make sure she had a program in place before she left to make sure he couldn’t see her keeping an eye on things.

Are you sure you can’t come to Laurel?

Darling, you know I want nothing more, but my duties simply do not allow it.

Yes, but you’ll always have princess duties. Surely you can shirk them just this once.

Sadly, that isn’t how these things work, Lily. I would love it if it were so. What about you, Raven? Are you sure that you can leave your company for so long? Will you survive?

Laurel knew Raven too well.

Growling Raven replied, Worry about yourself, Laurel. I can handle my company all on my own. If, after all these years, my people can’t handle six little cycles without me in constant attendance, then they aren’t worth their salary.

With everyone’s attention on Aggie, Raven ducked down so that she could send the information for the cruise to Dennie. He replied immediately.

Are you serious?

I’m booking my tickets now.

Bless the frecking moons. You won’t regret this, Raven. The company will be fine while you’re gone. I promise.

Smiling, Raven felt all the pieces fall into place. She was going to give her second in command some space, make him feel like he was earning his salary, all while keeping on top of things from the holo-suites. Plus, she was going to spend some time with her friends. Everything was perfect. Lily’s idea couldn’t have come at a better time.

Raven felt her wolf’s displeasure at deceiving their friends, but this was the only way for her to make sure nothing happened to the company she’d fought so hard to build up.

Chapter Two

Waking up strapped down to a med-bed was not a new experience for Bob. He pulled at the restraints on the off chance they weren’t reinforced. It had only happened once, but if he was ever going to escape, then he had to keep looking for any opportunity. The view panel on the wall showed his vital statistics, and they’d turned the sound off, so at least he wasn’t alone with constant beeping.

It was a standard lab room. Plain white walls, if Bob could see the floor, he knew it would be white too. They were padded to ensure if someone did break free, they wouldn’t be able to bash their heads against the wall and hurt themselves. That wasn’t something Bob had ever considered doing, but he wasn’t their only experiment.

Bob waited patiently since he had no other option. Screaming did nothing but feed their psychological experiments. The last test they’d been doing involved types of poison. The scientists and doctors that contracted him out didn’t like to play mind games with him anymore. He always won.

As the hour ticked by with no sign of anyone showing up, Bob took the opportunity to reach out to the surrounding computers. Using his internal Heads Up Display and the other components that had been installed in his brain against his will, it was easy enough to do, but only as long as a dampener hadn’t been erected around him. That happened surprisingly frequently. A dampener was inconvenient for the scientists too.

An available connection appeared, and Bob took a chance. Linking up, he quickly discovered that it gave him no access to anything vital, but he was able to reach out to Finn, another test subject, who was restrained in a lab undergoing his own testing. It seemed to have something to do with sound waves.

How’s it going?

I’ll live. If it gets worse, I’ll go to my happy place.

Bob didn’t have to ask where that was, Finn had been given a book of fairytales when he was a child, and anytime he couldn’t handle something he retreated to those stories.

How are we connected? Did they forget to shut down something?

Must have, though, it could be a test.

Do you think they found a way to read our conversations?

Bob didn’t have to hear Finn to know that the man was instantly anxious.

Not possible. You’ve got nothing to worry on that front. I’d know if they ever figured it out. I put in several alarms that would sound if someone even tried.

Okay.

Finn’s default response to anything was anxiety. Bob always had an explanation and assurances for him, and most of the time, that settled him down. Finn’s testing must have intensified. Normally it was Abel, the other male prisoner, that gave short responses. Bob started to retreat, giving Finn privacy when the other man spoke up.

Since you were able to reach out, I checked on my side, and it looks like they didn’t shut the dampener off on my end either. Can you use me as a conduit to search? I’m a little distracted right now.

His curiosity piqued Bob had never tried to piggyback off of another’s connection, then again, they weren’t normally able to link up to each other during the experiments. Finn was silent as the testing he was undergoing intensified. Bob started sifting through the code he’d written to make their conversations possible until he managed to find a way to open it up. What he saw almost got his heart racing, which would have cued anyone watching his vitals into the fact that something was happening.

Bob worked swiftly and efficiently. He didn’t know how much time he had until someone either came into his room and demanded attention, or they finally noticed what they’d left open, so he put escape plan two hundred and forty-seven into motion. After years of being imprisoned, he had thousands of escape plans, most not plausible, but then making escape plans was his safe space.

The seamless door in the wall of the lab Bob was in swooshed open, but he didn’t move. His eyes were closed, his breathing even, and there was no outward sign of the frantic calculations and code that he was implementing.

Test Subject B, I see your vitals are in an optimum range. Twenty minutes ago, we released an air-born weapon that should have made its way through your system by now. We will be manually linking to your mainframe now to collect the data.

Bob’s jaw clenched, and he jerked his head away from the hands that had tried to grab him. His external port was located behind his ear and surprisingly didn’t hurt when it was accessed, but if they connected, they’d see what he was doing.

Test Subject B, you will stop moving, or you will be sedated.

Once the sedative was administered, he would have fifty-three seconds before it took effect, would that be enough time?

Bob jerked away once more as they again tried to hook up to him.

"Test Subject B, what has gotten into you today?