That sounded like a threat, and it caught Sean’s attention like nothing else Jansen had been yelling about since they captured him.
“You think so?” Sean asked mildly.
Jansen’s gaze flicked over his shoulder at where Sean knew Katie was sitting. “You’re too late and you don’t even know it.”
Katie came to stand beside Sean, eyeing Jansen with placid disinterest. “I saw nothing in your mind yesterday about Stanislav’s plans. You have nothing to bargain with, Jansen.”
“Oh, love. Do you think hedidn’tsee this happening?” Jansen laughed, the sound tired and raw to Sean’s ears. The desperation in those hazel eyes had faded, replaced with an anger that made him look feverish. “Stanislav is ten moves ahead of you.Always. If I don’t know anything, it’s because he knew I couldn’t to preserve his plans. I was kept out of the information loop to keep all of you in the dark. Your eyes are still covered. You can’t see what’s coming, and you never will.”
“Then if you don’t have information, how do you think you can bargain for anything?”
“I have my ways, as I’m sure you saw. I’m a facilitator. I make things happen.”
“You can’t make your freedom happen, that’s for damn sure.”
Jansen straightened up, eyeing them both. “As I said, Ekaterina. You can’t win.”
Katie didn’t deign to respond, merely spun on her heel and headed for the flight deck instead of her seat. Sean followed after her, feeling Jansen’s eyes boring into his back. He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder at the empath.
“Brown, do a scan,” Katie ordered.
Annabelle was the only one in the flight deck, strapped into the pilot’s seat, a firm grip on the yoke. The aviator sunglasses she wore reflected the sunlight in a bright glare when she turned her head to look at them.
“Range?” Annabelle asked, not arguing.
“Start with two hundred kilometers in all directions.”
“Roger that.”
Anabelle accessed the combat jet’s onboard computer. Holographic displays popped up around her seat, the transparent windows moving with her head so they didn’t fully obscure her vision.
“Think something is wrong?” Sean asked.
Katie glanced at him, her blue-eyed gaze steady. “Jansen had nothing in his mind about any attack. If Stanislav kept him out of the loop as he says, then we have a problem.”
“Better call base.”
Katie was already sliding into the co-pilot’s seat, quick fingers gaining access to the communications system. Sean gripped the headrest on Annabelle’s seat and leaned forward as much as he could to get a look at the in-progress scan. Not all of it made any sense, but he knew the red-line warning that suddenly popped up seconds later wasn’t good.
“Motherfucker!” Annabelle snarled.
She wrenched the yoke to the left and Sean pitched off his feet, crashing against the opposite bulkhead. He grabbed for any bit of support he could find, feeling his stomach churn as Annabelle pulled a barrel roll that made it impossible to tell up from down. Sean had to fight against his instinct to phase, knowing that if he did, he’d be left far behind his teammates in wide-open sky. Then the combat jet’s artificial gravity kicked in and his feet connected with the decking as Annabelle pulled out of the roll, only to bank hard to the right. Sean fought to remain upright.
“I need you on guns, Viper!” Annabelle shouted.
“Where the fuck are they?” Katie said.
“Usin’ stealth. Computer barely caught their approach in time. Came from above. Reckon a dive from atmo.”
Katie swore loudly. “How thefuckdoes Declan have a combat jet?”
Annabelle ignored her, too busy piloting them out of targeting range to acknowledge Katie’s rage.
“Wraith, buckle up,” Annabelle ordered.
Sean grabbed for her seat’s headrest again before wrapping his fingers around the connecting point of her seat harness, holding on tight. “No way.”
“Sit your goddamn ass down!”
