She needed to make sure she remembered that. But as she turned and walked out of the cockpit, her insides felt fractured.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Ithink this’ll be the best point for infiltration.”
“I don’t think so, Dath. Check out this spot on the southern wall.”
Zayn watched his brothers argue and debate. They were all leaning over the Assassin Guild plans—newly scanned off the plas-sheet stolen from the Tekton—on the holo-table. Eos and Ria stood on the other side, talking quietly between themselves.
Zayn found his gaze returning to Ria. She’d pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail and was wearing dark leather pants with a loose white shirt. She looked different without the body armor. Softer. Friendlier.
Not that she was sending him any friendly vibes. All he was getting now was either the occasional blank stare or a glare.
Not that he didn’t deserve it.
He’d replayed their kiss in the cockpit…oh, maybe a hundred times. When he’d kissed her, he’d known he was kissing Ria. The woman he’d just finished surviving a dangerous mission with.
But he couldn’t lie. Some part of him had thought of Vik.
Ria looked the same, sounded the same, and sometimes used the same mannerisms. But Viktoria had been a stickler for the rules, always living for the mission. Ria was more relaxed, moreflexible. Vik would never have stolen anything, even if it was the right thing to do.
He frowned. It had been one aspect of Vik he hadn’t liked. She refused to question their orders, even when she’d known they hadn’t been right. She’d told him good Strike Wing pilots followed orders. Yet, Zayn had always known a good pilot didn’t just follow the rules of flying. It took guts, and some risks, to be truly exceptional. Vik had never understood that.
His brothers’ arguing brought him back to the present. He forced himself to focus on the blueprints of the Guild Headquarters. “Whatever way we get in, there will be far too many highly trained killers inside.”
Ria tapped her fingers against the table. “What are you saying? That it’s too hard for you? You want to quit?”
“No.” He watched her steadily. “I’m saying we need to lure them out.”
“Excellent idea,” Eos said. “Empty the place and we increase our odds.”
Dathan crossed his arms over his chest. “What would entice them out? What’s the perfect bait for an assassin?”
All eyes went to Ria.
“A big target. Or a failed target. Someone they’ve been after for a long time.”
Zayn leaned his elbows on the table. “And who would that be?”
Ria’s gaze turned inward. “I can only think of one. Lastite Lala.”
Zayn shared looks with their brothers, who both shrugged. “Lastite? As in the highly volatile explosive?”
“Yes.”
“Who is Lastite Lala?” Zayn asked.
“She’s a crazy bomb maker. Notorious for making the absolute best explosives on the black market. Her goods have been responsible for a lot of death and destruction.”
“She likes lastite, I take it?” Zayn asked.
Ria nodded. “It’s one of her favorite explosives. Rather disturbing to think of a fifteen-year-old who loves to play with the galaxy’s most dangerous explosive.”
“A fifteen-year-old notorious bomb maker?” Eos’ eyes were wide.
“Yep,” Ria added. “And crazy. Don’t forget that.”
“Where do we find her?” Dathan asked.
