“Ria! You can’t pull both of us in. Let me go.”
“No.”
“I won’t be responsible for your death.” He couldn’t live with it. Not again.
“And I told you, I’m no assassin. I don’t like to kill.” She strained, trying to pull them closer.
Feeling helpless, Zayn kicked his feet in an attempt to help.
Incredibly, Ria managed to grasp the platform with her second hand and pull them in. He reached up and gripped the rail, his chest heaving. Then he pulled himself up and yanked her up after him.
She sprawled on the platform, holding on to her left arm and panting.
“You are a stubborn idiot,” he shouted.
Green eyes flashed. “Right back at you, Phoenix.”
He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time. His shoulders sagged. “Are you okay?”
“Shoulder’s tender, but I’m fine.”
“Well, unless you want to spend a bit more time swimming in shit, how about we get out of here?”
She let him help her to her feet. “Sounds like a decent plan.”
Zayn cupped her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
They stared at each other for a long moment before he turned. They followed the platform to a set of stairs, their self-clean suits spotless by the time they reached the hatch at the top. Zayn twisted the lock and it opened easily.
He popped his head through. “Some sort of storage shed.” He glanced past the stacks of boxes and crates to a small window. “We’re on the landing pads. Let’s go.”
Seconds later, they were moving out, headed toward the doorway, when an explosion rocked them.Close, too close.
Zayn stumbled, and Ria was flung into the wall.
“Shit.” He flexed his hands. “They had better not hurt my damn ship.”
They exited the storage shed. They were two landing pads over from where they’d parked theInfinitas. Two figures were sprinting from the main building toward the ship, followed by a group of armed Tekton.
Eos had lost her sarim and was wearing the corset top and black, body-hugging leggings she’d worn beneath it. She was firing a laser pistol. Dathan was running behind her, a gun in either hand, firing random shots over his shoulder.
“Go,” Zayn yelled.
He and Ria sprinted. Zayn’s brain whirled as he calculated. Go help Dath or get to the ship? He took in all the options. On the ship, he could activate the weapons systems. Speaking of which, why the hell weren’t Nik or BEll doing that?
As Zayn ran, a spray of laser fire scorched the ground near their feet. Ria pulled out her weapon and aimed at the second group of guards moving in from behind them.
Another round of weapon fire hit. It moved past him, closer to Ria. He acted on instinct and dived for her. He felt a burn on his shoulder, then they hit the ground hard enough to rattle bones.
She was stunned for a second. He glanced back. The guards were advancing, their weapons raised. For a second, he wished he had a gun. As though she read his thoughts, Ria pushed hers at him.
“Shoot them.”
He shook his head. Couldn’t make his hand move.
“By the dagger, shoot them, or we die!”
