He laughed a rich, unexpected sound unlike anything she’d ever heard. Damn, he was incredibly handsome. His smile was absolutely devastating. “I’ll try and keep that in mind.” Then he winced and wiped at the blood coming from his nose.
Jayne realized that he was in a lot of pain and doing his best to hide it. That was something she understood more than she wanted to.
Never let anyone know your weakness. Show nothing to the world and they can’t use it to harm you.
Anger swelled inside her at the memory of her father’s words. No one should be taught such a harsh lesson before they were old enough to attend school.
Obviously, Hadrian had been tutored on the same plan that had made her the monster she was.
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a tissue. “Here.”
He did a double take before he took it from her. No doubt kindness from others was as foreign to him as it was to her. “Thanks.”
As he drove, she realized that the assassins had backed off. No one was taking aim at them, and she couldn’t see anyone following their transport. “Did we lose our assholes?”
“Not really. I’m using powers I shouldn’t be to avoid them and shield us.”
Impressive. She wished she had that ability. It would make her life so much easier. “Can you feel them?”
“Oh yeah.” The way he said that was actually comical.
“What does it feel like?”
“A thousand tiny pissants in my brain.”
She laughed at his dry tone. “Literally or figuratively?”
“Both.” He swung the transport unexpectedly.
In that moment, she understood how he’d felt earlier when she’d been behind the wheel. “Gah, no wonder people bitch about my driving. I get it now.”
He didn’t comment as he pulled to a screeching stop next to a worn-out building that looked as if it should have been condemned a decade or so ago. It even came with a passed-out hobo asleep under some trash.
At least she hoped he was asleep. From the looks of the poor man, he could very well be dead.
Hadrian paused next to him.
Frowning, she thought he might actually be rolling the poor soul until she saw him tuck a handful of creds into the man’s jacket before he led her toward an antique slide-door.
She didn’t know why, but the way he’d done that touched her. As if it was an automatic habit he didn’t even think twice about.
Whereas most people would have walked right past the man without a second glance, Hadrian, who was running for his life, had taken a few seconds to care for someone else.
That was so effing rare.
And it shouldn’t be. It said a lot about him.
He opened the door, then looked back to wait for her and scan the street. “Shouldn’t you be moving like your life is at stake?”
Ignoring his dig at the hell she’d given him earlier, Jayne glanced about nervously. “Are they after us?”
“Not yet.”
She ducked inside the filthy hangar that was infested with vermin. Cringing, she kicked an oversized rat out of her way.
There wasn’t a single vessel here that appeared space worthy. Everything around them was rusted out junk that she wouldn’t even use for spare parts.
“Please tell me this is a joke.”
