The assassin’s face paled as he shot his weapon, then turned to run.
Jayne had no mercy on him as she ran him over.
“Nice.”
Glaring at him, she threw the transport in reverse and backed over the assassin. “Don’t start with me. I’m in a bad mood.”
“I can tell.” Hadrian cringed at the additional bump as she went forward, and again ran over the assassin. “You know, I’d feel bad for that guy if I didn’t know what a piece of shit he was, and the fact that he killed two children on his last mission.”
“Bully for you.” She hit the gas and headed down a side alley. “While you’re crawling through people’s heads for information, you wouldn’t happen to know a safe place to hide here, would you?”
“I would suggest the shithole where I live, but they’ve probably found it by now.”
“Most likely. Any other shitholes you frequent?”
“Not really. I try to avoid shitholes as a rule. All-in-all my life is usually boring.”
Once again, she slammed on the brakes and opened fire. “I wouldn’t say that, punk’n. Looks pretty intense from the fifteen seconds I’ve known you.”
“Well, aside from the occasional near-death visitation from one of your ilk . . . it’s pretty routine.”
“Mmm. You don’t say?” She reloaded and started down another side alley.
“I said it. Doesn’t make it true.” He winked at her. “Those are just the lies I keep telling myself in hopes they might one day come true. Sadly, running like this is my norm.”
Jayne wasn’t sure what to make of him and that blasé tone that defied the anger in his eyes. He hated all this as much as she did. “You’re not what I was expecting.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” She drove more sedately as she scanned the street for some safe place. “Figured you were another spoiled aristo taking a vacation on mommy and daddy’s creds.”
“Retrieved a lot of those, have you?”
“No. My sister has.”
“Ah.”
She scowled at him. “You always this stoic?”
“No. Sometimes I sleep.”
For reasons she couldn’t fathom, she found him strangely charming.
And that disturbed her. Because of her career that she hated, and the baggage she carried from her less than stellar childhood, she went out of her way to avoid men.
There was no need to even try to get involved with anyone. Who could look past the blood she kept on her hands? She wasn’t some simple-minded fool who thought for one minute that a prince would come and save her.
No. Her past was too brutal for that.
Just look at Eve.
The last thing she wanted was to be in love with a man who could bring down the wrath of the League on her back.
And the men her career brought her into contact with . . .
She was better off alone.
Jayne saw Hadrian eyeing her blaster on the seat between them. “You have any weapons?”
