She would never have suspected he’d killed Rist himself unless she’d seen him do it.
As everyone gaped at Yarmouth, someone came running down the passageway she and Ethan had taken to get here.
The soldier who burst out into the lounge was the one who’d shot at Sylvester earlier. “Smitty is down, and there are five others obviously shot down in the launch bay.”
The news had everyone gaping at him.
“The Caruson?” someone who’d been in the lounge eating a meal when she’d stumbled in asked.
“Shit.” Brink drew her laz, and everyone who had one did the same. “I want two of you standing guard on each passageway into here. I need two more to come with me to see if Sylvester’s all right.”
She strode away, two nervous-looking crew with laz in hand trailing after her.
“Better sit down,” Yarmouth said to her, holding out his hand to help her to her feet.
Velda took it, and he squeezed it a little tight and then led her to a couch.
“Thank you.” She sat down and he stood, looking slightly lost for a moment.
“Yarmouth.” Brink was back, and he turned to her. “Ethan Hyt is missing from the med bay. Did you know that?”
“What? No.” Yarmouth moved toward her. “Do you think he could be responsible . . .?”
He played the confused medic well, but he had to know Ethan wasn’t there because he must have noticed when he’d come back from setting up his alibi to ‘discover’ Rist’s body.
“Maybe.” Brink sounded a little calmer. Like she hoped itwasEthan’s doing, and not the Caruso, back for a bit more vengeance.
Unfortunately for her, Ethan was not a better alternative.
Velda glanced at the bridge doors, wondering what was going on in there, when Sylvester suddenly came up from behind Brink. He was striding with purpose, his gaze locked onto the bridge doors and then to her.
Sylvester grabbed Brink’s laz as he passed her, making her gasp in shock and then he pointed it straight at Velda’s head.
“Get up and come here,” he said.
She did so slowly, moving toward him as if she were injured.
There was only one reason Sylvester could be doing this.
“I have a secret comms feed on the bridge,” he said, and she almost nodded.
It was the only thing that made sense.
He must have seen what Ethan was doing in there and come running over to try to mitigate the damage.
And she was the perfect hostage.
34
“What’s going on?”Brink’s nostrils flared and she was staring at her laz, now in Sylvester’s hand. She looked . . . displeased.
“Ethan Hyt’s on the bridge. He’s taken it over.” Sylvester reached forward and grabbed Velda by her jacket as soon as she got close enough, then spun her around to face the bridge doors. He put the laz right up against her temple, the back of her collar twisted in his other fist. “This one distracted you while he slipped inside.”
Brink gaped at him. “He’s in there right now?” she asked.
As she said it, the bridge doors opened and Ethan stood in the opening, still with a laz in each hand. Behind him lay chaos, bodies sprawled on the floor and up against walls.
There must be some kind of comms feed visible on the bridge, which had shown him what was going on out here, because his gaze went straight to her.
