Chagrined, Jenna dropped her hand. Of course, they did.
He and Vic dumped their rucksacks onto the ground and pulled out weapons.
Malik then passed Jenna a laser-pistol, and his fingers brushed hers as she took it.
Their gazes met and fused for an instant before his mouth lifted at the corners. Even though Malik was serious and focused now, he was still letting her know things had changed between them.
He hadn’t forgotten the things they’d said to each other the night before.
And neither had she.
Wordlessly, Jenna holstered the pistol. All three of them wore flak vests they’d donned before leaving the hotel.
Meanwhile, her male companions were arming themselves as if they were preparing to take on the whole Mir-Ferrin space fleet single-handedly. Malik clipped two laser-blades to his belt, as well as his two-remaining pyro-grenades. He carried a laser-rifle over his shoulder and a laser-pistol at his hip.
They armed Obsidian heavily as well. The battle-droid carried two rifles and two laser-pistols.
“We’ll likely meet other battle-droids on this trip,” Vic said, drawing Jenna’s attention. “If that happens, get behind Obsidian and let him deal with them.”
Jenna eyed the gleaming black carapace that covered the droid. “And what if they bring Obsidian down?”
Vic moved behind the battle-droid. “Your laser-pistol won’t do anything against their armor,” he replied before slapping his hand at where the back of Obsidian’s neck met its shoulders. “But the droids have a weak spot … here.”
Jenna nodded, paying close attention. Nonetheless, she did wonder how easy it would be to get behind a rampaging battle-droid.
“The outlet Obsidian can plug into is just a few yards away,” she reminded Vic.
“They’ll have guards patrolling the landing bay though,” Malik murmured. “The droid will need to work quickly.”
The cyborg nodded. “He will.”
Jenna’s belly clenched. Once they knew Cathal, Isla, and Bea’s exact locations, they’d need to deal with the guards—without alerting the whole tower to their presence.
Sucking in a deep breath, she stepped up to the door. “Ready?”
“Go on then,” Malik replied.
Grabbing hold of the lever, Jenna twisted it.
The circular door opened with a soft hiss.
Vic went first, followed by Obsidian, and then Malik and Jenna.
They stepped out into a narrow passageway covered in embossed gold paneling.
The rumble of engines coming from the landing bay vibrated the floor beneath them and covered up any noise their feet made as they traveled the passage, halting before the outlet.
Sticking out a metal hand, Obsidian plunged a finger into the central portal.
As the droid worked, it emitted a low hum.
Moments ticked by, and Jenna started to sweat. Thanks to the climate control, it was cool in here; however, the fact they were all gathered before the outlet, exposed for anyone passing by to see, put her nerves on edge.
She hoped the droid wouldn’t take much longer.
Minutes passed before Obsidian finally spoke, its rasping voice carrying in the passageway. “Isla and Beatrix Mir-Brennan are being kept under guard on Level 12, Chamber 23F … while Cathal Mir-Brennan is in the detention block, Level 3, Cell 771. He’s scheduled to be collected for his execution in three and a half hours.”
26. TRY NOT TO GET YOURSELF KILLED
