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He spun toward her in the chair. The anger blazing in his eyes made her recoil.

“You don’t get it. How can you understand my work? You spend most of your time in a lab, peering down a microscope at cells.”

Wren sucked in a breath. There was so much going on behind those eyes. Striker was hurting, and it had cut him deep. “I do more than that.”

“Sure you do. Capturing and retrieving creatures is hardly the same as going into battle.”

She kept her tone even. “In case it escaped your notice, we’re sitting on a star forsaken piece of rock on a crashed ship. As far as missions go, this one was full of danger.”

Striker shook his head. “What I had in the elite squad, it was unique. Then it was taken away because of someone else’s mistake. I’ll never get that back. I’ll never get my friends back. And I’ll never forget the haunted looks in the eyes of the people they left behind. The people they settled for.”

She rested her hand on his knee again. He didn’t pull away. “I... I understand better than you think. I’ve lost people.”

The anger flaring in his eyes faded. “Your family.”

Her heart curled in on itself, and she sank back in her seat. “I know it’s not the same as your loss, but it still cut through me like a sharp knife. I couldn’t save them. I told them I would.”

“Why was it your responsibility to save them?”

“I told them I’d make things right. I could fix things if I had enough time.” She tipped her head back, the memory of her dying sister’s screams punching through her head. Why had she let them be guinea pigs for the vaccine trial?

The comms system hummed to life. “Wren, this is Cleo. I’ve just received your message.”

Wren jerked forward in her seat. “The comms are online!”

Striker was already punching buttons. “Go ahead, Cleo. This is Striker.”

“Are you both okay?” Cleo said. “We got worried when we lost you.”

“We’re good. We could do with a rescue, though,” Wren said.

“We’re on our way. Your comms link is patchy as all hell, though. We’ve got your coordinates. We’ll be there in an hour,” Cleo said. “Wren, is everything good with you?”

She smiled at Striker, but he didn’t return it. The awkwardness between them was back. “Yes, things are fine. I’m looking forward to getting back on the Apocalypse.”

“Hold tight. We’ll be with you soon.” Cleo cut the link.

Wren turned to Striker. “I need to tell you this. I lost my family because I made a mistake. I promised them something I couldn’t deliver.”

Striker stared at her, his expression tight. “I get that you’ve suffered loss, but we handle it in different ways. Ways that don’t work together. I live each day as it comes. You’re smart. You should do the same. We both know what happens when you make plans.”

Sadness trickled through Wren’s veins like acid. Striker’s loss had closed him off to anything permanent, anything that meant more than a one-night stand and some fun. And that wasn’t good enough for her. When Wren gave her heart, she gave it fully. She had no intention of doing that with Striker. He’d only shatter it. One hard tap from him, and it would break.

“You’re right. We are different.” She sat back in the seat, a bone aching tiredness shuffling through her. “Let’s just get home and get on with the mission.”

***

The Gente ship jerked and shuddered as it was towed through space to the docking bay on the Apocalypse.

Striker stood by the closed exit ramp, jiggling on the balls of his feet.

“We’ll be off soon.” Wren stood quietly beside him.

Ever since that dumb conversation they’d had in the cockpit, he’d been regretting it. He should never have told Wren what a screw-up he was. He should have died the day his squad was betrayed. He deserved to be dead. He shouldn’t have missed the signs that something was wrong.

Striker glanced back at the room where the animals were housed. This work was vital, but it was a change from the all-out action he was used to. He was still adjusting, even after six months. He’d lost something he loved, and that would always feel like a hard kick to the balls.

He slid a glance at Wren, but her expression was neutral. He didn’t blame her for closing the door on him. She already thought he was a jerk. Now she knew why he got kicked out of the elite squad, it would solidify that belief. It should. She should shove him away as hard as she could. He’d only screw her up, too.