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“Is there any way out of this storeroom other than the door you’re standing in?”

“This is the only exit. And you need to use it.”

A quick glance around revealed there was no way Sloane was hiding in here. Dallin charged past the android and raced back into the main corridor of the waystation. He tried calling Sloane several more times on the comm link, but she still wouldn’t respond.

Dallin pulled out the other ear defender, and noise slammed into him like a hammer. He staggered back against the wall, then growled and stuffed the ear defender back in. He was useless to Sloane. He’d failed to protect her, and now she was gone.

His gaze landed on the information screen on the opposite wall. That could be useful. Dallin overrode the security and brought up a schematic of the whole station.

He tapped into the cameras monitoring the corridors and began searching for Sloane. The live feed display showed one hundred and ten camera feeds, but it was no challenge for him as he relaxed and let the information flood into his system. His synapsis sizzled as he processed and stored the data.

Dallin’s attention was drawn to a tall Zarlen dragging a human along beside him. His pulse raced and rage fired through him. That was Sloane. He’d recognize that auburn hair anywhere.

They disappeared into a room which had no camera feed, but Dallin was already running, processing the exact location as he raced through the corridors.

He ignored the other aliens he barged into, not caring about the overly bright lights, the noise, or the overwhelming smells. All he was focused on was finding Sloane and getting her back.

He charged along the corridor, not slowing as he located the room the Zarlen had dragged her into. He slammed open the door and ran inside.

Horror kicked his heart into his throat as he discovered Sloane pinned against the wall by the Zarlen.

He growled, his anger boiling as he pulled his gun and aimed.

***

“Dallin, be careful! He’s got a gun.” Sloane struggled against the Zarlen who’d grabbed her from the storeroom. His fingers dug in around her neck, cutting off her airway.

The Zarlen glared at Dallin over his shoulder. “Get out of here, Apexian. This isn’t your business. This one is mine.”

Dallin’s fierce growl almost terrified Sloane. “You took my partner. That makes it my business. Let her go if you want to draw another breath.”

Sloane gasped at how magnificently scary he was, his purple eyes blazing and his hands clenched into fists as he stalked toward them, his weapon still out.

“Stay where you are,” the Zarlen stuttered, his grip tightening on Sloane. “Or she dies.”

Dallin’s gaze flicked to Sloane. “Are you okay?”

“I am now you found me.” She dug her fingernails into the Zarlen’s hand, and he hissed and dropped her to the floor.

The Zarlen stepped away, his hand hovering over the gun in his holster and his gaze flashing from Sloane to Dallin. “I figured she was unaccompanied.”

“You figured wrong.” Dallin helped Sloane to her feet, his strong grip reassuring her she was safe.

“The human was poking around in the storerooms. I’ve thought she was homeless.”

“I’m not homeless. And I’m not unaccompanied. I’m with him.” She jabbed a finger at Dallin, who was still looking seriously angry.

The Zarlen licked his lips and then held his hands up. “You need to keep better control of your woman. If you let them roam freely, bad things happen to them. Especially on a place like this.”

“Nothing bad will happen to her while I’m around,” Dallin said.

The Zarlen backed up a step. “Hey, take it easy. There’s no harm done, and I was trying to help her. I figured she was a stowaway and needed a place to crash and a job.”

“Doing what?” Sloane’s tone was sharp.

The Zarlen’s gaze flicked to Dallin as he edged to the door. “We find girls for the pleasure palace. There are never enough females to go around.”

Dallin snarled and wrapped a protective arm around Sloane’s waist.