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“Come on,” I said, nudging Torgus into motion. “If she’s right, we’re almost out of time. We need to get out of here before they take off. Otherwise we’ll be a prime target for whatever happens next.”
Torgus grunted, but stirred himself into following me with great lumbering strides. “She wasn’t too bad to look at, though,” he remarked.
“I didn’t notice,” I answered dryly. But Torgus only laughed.
Of course I had noticed. I had noticed the way little dimples appeared when she gave me that cheeky smirk. I had noticed the strangely sexy way she wiped the dust from her brow after blowing that soldier to bits. And despite it all, I had assured myself that none of it mattered because I was here to retrieve Torgus and Mia, and nothing else.
As we marched our way back around the squat building and toward my waiting ship, the alarms fell abruptly silent and my shoulders tensed. I flexed my fingers on my weapon, scanning the rooftops for any sign of movement. Something in my gut told me this was not over.
“Torgus?” I murmured, making sure he was close.
“Right behind you,” he breathed. “Give me a few seconds of head start.”
I nodded, stepping aside just long enough for him to slip past me and start toward our getaway ship. I had to let him get to the ship first and slip into the rear seat or we’d both be exposed while we clambered over each other to get inside. Counting down from five, I waited impatiently, scanning the sky for the return of the Sovann'ash’s drones.
Sure enough, the beat of their metallic wings grew from a low buzz to a steady thrum that bounced off the building and the ground. I watched as the bulky transporter sailed overhead, rocking and jerking under the drone’s incessant firing, but it remained on its path and I had to commend whoever was flying the thing for staying so cool under pressure.
As the last of the drones shot by, trailing their prey, I broke away. With any luck, I could follow the drones out the same way I followed them in, and we would be in the clear.
Strapping myself in, I flipped on the engines and prepared for a bumpy takeoff. Torgus was settling into the back, grunting and grumbling about the cramped space and who was this ship built for, anyway? I ignored him, pulling hard on the control yoke, and whispered a prayer that we would clear the fences and buildings.
When we were off the ground, I let out a celebratory whoop, glad to have cleared the first hurdle, but as soon as I looked up, I unleashed a string of curses. Another drone had come out of nowhere and was directly in my path. Thinking quickly, I jammed the controls to the left and dipped sideways, avoiding the collision by mere seconds, and then I was ready to make a run for the stars.
5
COSMA
I didn’t knowwhere my friends were, nor did I know if Soleil had made it safely back to the rendezvous point. All I knew was that I was alone and running for my life. Twice I’d been saved by the man with the wine-dark skin, and I knew he wouldn’t be there a third time. If I ran into any more of those soldiers, I was as good as dead. I needed a plan, and quick.
When the alarms fell silent, I grew even more anxious. What could it mean? Had they captured Tayla and the others? Had they killed everyone? Was I the only one left? Or was it Soleil’s doing? Had she somehow found the control panel and cut the alarms so the soldiers would return to their guard stations? Nothing was ever that simple, was it?
I picked up my pace, tired and sweaty, but desperate to get out of here before I had any other unfortunate run-ins. And then I heard a sound I recognized. It was the hammer of Tayla’s ship, fighting to stay in the air despite being pummeled by shots from the drones. Gasping, I watched as it passed me by, moving lower to the ground by the second. If I didn’t get to the drop zone by the time Tayla came back for her second pass, I would be stuck down here, and I absolutely could not let that happen.
Mustering the last of my energy and strength, I broke into a sprint, swiping my arm across my eyes as the first tears of hopelessness tried to squeeze their way out.
“I’m going to make it. I’m going to make it,” I repeated breathlessly, slipping between two buildings and running down the dark alley, glad to be concealed from anyone who might sweep the area for intruders.
I ran out the other side, finding myself in the wide open area where Soleil and I had made our daring jump from the cargo bay not long ago. To my relief, I could see the other women gathered up in one big cluster, waiting anxiously as Tayla made a wide turn, fighting through the gunfire to bring the ship down, but things weren’t looking good. Everyone was there. Everyone except Soleil, and my heart sank. She’d been counting on me. I couldn’t let her down.
If nobody stopped those drones, they were going to ground our ship for good, and then we’d have a whole other problem on our hands. We certainly weren’t outfitted to take down the whole outpost, and no one wanted to become a prisoner here, least of all me.
“Come on,” I pleaded, trying to keep up my pace as I closed the distance between myself and the rest of our crew.
The ship wobbled overhead, the engines stuttering and making a sound that did not sound entirely healthy. As they drew closer, my eyes landed on a ladder scaling the side of the building. Even if I ran as fast as I could, I knew I would not make it to the others. I was too slow, there wasn’t enough time. But if I could get to the top of the building, I could stop those drones and give everyone else a chance to get away. And maybe, just maybe, without the drones on her tail, Tayla could come back for me. But if no one took out those drones, there was a good chance we’d all end up stuck here in the end.
Dropping my weapon into my holster, I lunged for the ladder, pulling myself up as fast as I could manage with sweaty hands and burning thighs. Breathing hard, I threw myself over the ledge, kicking my feet until I squirmed all the way up on my belly and then I rolled over. Getting on one knee, I pulled my weapon and brought it to my shoulder, hoping I had the fortitude to steady my hands as the drones drew nearer and nearer, the wind from their wingtips throwing a whirlwind of dirt and debris in my face, making me flinch.
As I counted down, Tayla’s ship bobbed again, dropping out of view as its headed for the ground, and I waited one extra second. Then I breathed out and pulled slowly on the trigger, aiming straight for the rotor of the little machine.
The first round struck true, making an awful racket as the drone’s motor tore itself to shreds, making a crazy descent before plummeting into the dirt with a dull thud. One down. Three more followed close behind, undisturbed by the loss of their companion.
I took aim again, ready squeezing two more rounds off in rapid succession and growling when my target still limped its way through the air, but it was falling behind and I hoped it would be enough to give the others time. First in, last out. That was the rule, and if nothing else, I hoped the others would know that I stuck to my word.
The two remaining drones flew past the transporter, sweeping it with a wild array of shots before they broke off and made to turn around for another pass while Tayla was on the ground.
“Not on my watch,” I growled, baring my teeth as I adjusted my stance and set up for another shot. This time, they were practically flying straight at me and I had an easy target.
There was something deeply satisfying about watching my shot plow a hole through the drone’s faceless exterior. I didn’t know if I could have done it if there was a pilot behind that bubble. I wasn’t a killer. But this machine had to go, and I had no qualms about watching it die.
