Wide eyes stared back at him, twisted with pops of emerald and terror and defiance.
A strand of red hair fell from her bun and stuck to her temple. Even in the dim room, he noticed the freckles sprinkling over her smooth cheeks. She matched the photograph in her chart perfectly, but in person, the air around her felt charged with her spirit and the kind of determination it took to break into highly secure government offices. Kira looked like revolution.
Captivating.
“I'm here to help,” he whispered, brushing away any thoughts beyond escape. “1-9-3-4-0-2.” The code served as a safe word, one of the only pieces of information Mom gave him.
Kira's jaw loosened, lessening the strain of her fine features and the soft line of her heart-shaped face. A frown looked wrong on her, like the pout of her lips normally lifted in a smile.
Though the code gave her some peace, it didn't inspire her to leave her hiding place. And of course not. She only saw a mask and a black uniform meant to strip the humanity from him. The voice changer lowered his tone to a monstrous, inhuman growl. No wonder she looked so afraid.
Ordinarily, Zayne loved wearing this uniform because it masked his expression. For once, he didn't want to wear this. He wanted to look into her eyes and show her he was a safe person.
“We need to hurry.” He reached for her hand but hesitated before taking it, giving her the chance to refuse him.
Kira bit her bottom lip, and then she grasped his hand, her skin soft against the tips of his fingers where his gloves cut off.
“There's too many soldiers patrolling inside,” Zayne whispered. “We can't use any of the exits. I came from the roof.” He withdrew the rope and harness from one of his zippered pockets. “We'll climb.”
“I don't know how.” Her eyes shifted to the window.
“I'll help you. Put this on.” He opened a loop on the simple harness. “One leg in through here.”
Her hands trembled while she slid into the harness and buckled it at her hips. Zayne fastened the leads of the rope to her and then secured it to himself.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Tonight, I'm a friend. Let's go.”
As they tiptoed from one office to the next, Kira tugged on the harness, testing it, probably afraid it wouldn't hold.
They reached the window closest to the next building's fire escape, and Zayne opened it slowly, surveying the dark alley.
“Stay quiet out there,” Zayne said. “We're above the streetlights. No one will see us. Do exactly as I say, and you'll be fine.”
Kira peered out the window and stumbled back, touching her chest. “I don't like heights.”
Perfect.
“You're attached to me, and I won't let you fall,” Zayne said. “We need to move. In three minutes, a soldier will patrol this hallway.”
Her eyes closed before she nodded.
Zayne climbed through the window onto the narrow ledge outside and shifted to allow Kira as much room as possible. When he motioned for her, she froze halfway out the window, the breeze dragging strands of hair across her wide eyes. Right when Zayne expected her to panic, she breathed in deeply and continued.
He placed a hand on her back to steady her and held her arm while she eased beside him. “I have you,” he whispered as quietly as he could.
Though Zayne wasn't formally special ops, he spent any spare time in the military academy on special trainings like his brother did. Once receiving his first seal, he also began covert missions for the Phaedra as part of his inner circle. This wasn't his first time extracting an untrained civilian from a sensitive area, and definitely not his first climb doing so. It would be difficult, but they could do this.
“I've done this before.” He spoke close to her ear. “You'll be okay. I promise.”
Kira's breath hitched, and she nodded.
No more lingering. Zayne leaned toward the other building and stepped across the gap to the edge of the fire escape with one boot. Then he snapped the end of a lead onto one of the thin railings. Shifting, he balanced his weight equally between each foot. Fortunately for them, the Phaedra packed the district into the smallest space possible to keep it out of sight, so most of the buildings were accessible to each other.
Kira gaped at him, looking horrified.
“Just step across. I'll do the rest.” He shifted his weight to her side, reaching for her. “I need to pick you up. Is that okay?”
