Ryker holds up his fist as he approaches the corner. I almost bump into him and have to grab the tablet pouch to stop it from banging into the wall. The cable ends clink together quietly, and Ryker flinches at the sound.
What’s he waiting for?
Panic grips my throat as he whirls and shoves me back the way we came. Clipped footsteps—not rushed, but close—approach. Two men speaking in Russian sound a lot like bored security guards, but they won’t be bored for long if we don’t find somewhere to hide.
Door after door denies Ryker entry, and as we round the corner and I look back, the shadows of the guards loom steps away. Pushing me against the wall, Ryker meets my gaze, his multi-colored eyes desperate. “If we’re compromised, you stay out of the way while I take care of the guards. And if I tell you to run, you don’t look back.”
I nod, clutching my tablet tightly against my chest. He holsters his gun, takes my hand, and races with me to the far end of the hall. Finding a bathroom, he pulls me inside, then lifts me so I’m standing on the toilet in the single stall. Holding his finger to his lips, he flicks the lock on the stall closed, then joins me. With his height, he has to crouch with his hands on his knees so no one sees his head over the top of the walls. If we’re discovered…even if he manages to get us out of this mess, they’ll know someone was in the server room. The door locks will log an entry, and if there are cameras anywhere…
“Monitoring all wireless signals in the area off your comms relay,” Inara whispers. “Guards are checking in with control.
Wireless.
Sliding my tablet out of the pouch, I rest it on Ryker’s back. The biometric scanner reads my fingerprint, and I open a shell program. My backdoor into this place gives me access to everything. Including wireless communications.
The bathroom door opens, and one of the guards calls to the other. In our ears, Inara translates.
“He…has to take a shit.”
Spit-snacks. If I can’t get these radios turned off, we’re toast. I send the code to kill the wireless network when the guard is less than two steps away. Except…the word I think means wireless apparently means lights, as the bathroom goes dark. Quickly, I flip the tablet over, hiding the screen’s glow against Ryker’s back.
“Sergei?” A string of Russian words I don’t understand follows, and the door slams open, then shut, before silence envelopes us.
“They’re heading up to the lobby to check with the main guard. Lights are out all over the building,” Inara says. “Get the fuck out of there now.”
15
Ryker
The whole way back to the safe house, I try to find something to say to reassure her—or myself—we’re safe. But the words won’t come.
Too fucking close.
The guards should have been changing shifts when we were making our escape. Not patrolling the halls.
“Why the hell did you turn off the lights?” I ask after we’re safely inside and she’s huddled on the couch. “Of everything you could have—”
“I wastryingto jam their wireless communications. Excuse me if reading Russian off a tiny screen restingon your backwhile trying not to have a panic attack wasn’tcompletelyaccurate.” She hugs herself tightly, shivering.
I should apologize for snapping. Or hold her. Or…anything but walk away. But we came so close to being discovered. Stalking into the kitchen, I rummage around and find a tea kettle. I need a drink. But until we’re back in the States and thebratvaisn’t after Wren anymore, I won’t let anything impair my focus.
The stove sputters to life, the gas burner crackling in oranges, yellows, and blues. For too long, I simply stare at the flame.
“Tell us what we need to know, Ryker. We do not want to harm you. Why were you in the mountains? What was your mission?”
“Fuck you.”
“You leave us no choice. Burn him.”
The fire licks up my left arm, a thin strip of flesh turning black as my captors hold the torch to my skin. I try not to scream, but when the asshole moves to my shoulder, I lose the battle.
“Ry?”
The kettle hits the floor, the still-cold water splashing over my boots. “Fuck!”
“Look at me.” Wren grabs my arms as I start to shake. “Ryker! Stop. Listen to my voice.”
I can’t. I have to get out. The flames are coming closer. Somewhere nearby, Dax screams. I see the door. The bars. The rusted metal, stained with blood. My blood. I couldn’t protect Dax. Couldn’t stop those bastards from blinding him.
