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“For not giving you the chance to help me save Justyn.”

She hardened her heart and shrugged. “You did the right thing. I look out for myself, no one else.” She started back toward the shuttle.

He grabbed her arm, and spun her back to him. “No, you don’t. You look out for what—and who—you care about.”

She felt a burn of something uncomfortable under her ribs. She recognized it in a flash. Fear. Dare was the one person who could see inside her, reach inside her. He was the one person who could really hurt her. Today had proven that.

“Don’t kid yourself, Phoenix.” She shrugged off his hold and walked back to the shuttle.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Dare stared through the glass at the man in the Nomad’s interview room just off the brig.

Rynan had tied Ralu to a chair. The aquatic sat in front of an empty desk and he looked unhappy.

“Bastard got the jump on me,” Justyn said from the other side of Dare. “He seemed so friendly and unthreatening. Then he jammed an injector in my neck and it was lights out.”

Elana had checked Justyn out and given him the all-clear. He looked almost back to his normal self, but his eyes still appeared a little unfocused.

“What species is he?” Dare asked.

“Whatever he is, it’s not in the database,” Rynan answered. “He has some aquatic heritage, but it’s faint. There’s a whole lot of human in him.”

Not surprising. Colonists leaving war-torn Earth had seeded a lot of life across the galaxy.

Ry and Dare had both questioned Ralu. The man hadn’t said a word. He was afraid of them, but whatever cause he was dedicated to was stronger than his fear.

“My turn.”

Dare turned to look at Dakota. She’d quietly watched their interrogations and their failure, but hadn’t said much since they’d returned from the proto-planet. Now, she had a stubborn look on her face.

Dare nodded. “Okay.”

He watched her enter the room.

“You screwed up with her,” Justyn said.

“You’re usually Mr. Smooth with women,” Rynan said. “Not with her.”

Dare gritted his teeth. He’d fix what he’d broken.

“You care about her,” Justyn said.

“Yes.” When Dare looked at his brothers, he saw them both watching him intently.

Justyn broke out in a wide grin. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Hi, Ralu.”

Dakota’s voice broke up their conversation, and they all turned back to the window.

“Time for you and I to have a little bit of fun.” She perched on the table, crossing her legs. “This is where you tell me what you know about the Atocha Treasure, what your planet’s called, and where I can find it.”

The man looked at the wall.

She made a tutting sound and stood. She walked behind him, pacing a little. Dare saw her remove something from her pocket.

It was a small laser cutter. She fired it up, the orange light bright in the darkened room.