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“Fuck!” someone cursed, but she didn’t look over Kozien’s shoulder. She was afraid to see the scene. She’d seen a dead body before, and she’d seen blood. But she didn’t want to witness Oxxaro’s body once more.
She curled her head into Kozien’s shoulder for a second, taking in the smell and feel of him. She was safe. Not safe from the situation at hand, but safe from being forced into something she didn’t want.
“Gianna,” Kozien whispered her name, pulling her attention back to the situation. “Can you walk?” he asked, and she nodded. They were in a hallway, but she didn’t know where they were.
He placed her feet on the ground, but they shook. She held on to him as he guided her down the hallway. She could hear a commotion behind them and knew it would only grow.
The shouting grew louder, and the more they walked, the tighter Kozien’s hand grew on hers.
He turned and pulled open a tiny door. She couldn’t figure out what the space was meant for but didn’t bother thinking too much about it before she crawled inside. She wasn’t sure they would both fit, and she was afraid he was going to leave her.
But as she crawled into the space, she could hear Kozien coming in behind her. Her heart settled for a second as he tried to shimmy the door shut. She swallowed, hoping it would close.
The door shut and sealed Kozien and her together. She sighed, relieved, finally feeling they could settle for a second.
“Gianna,” he said her name, bringing her to look over her shoulder at him.
“Yes?”
“We can’t stop,” he said softly. “We can’t stop, yet.”
She understood. She kept crawling, going down the narrow duct, and didn’t stop until she got to another door. She popped it open, peering into the outside world.
Shouts and the pounding of feet alerted them to the guards swarming the building, but they all seemed to be rushing away, probably going to Oxxaro’s room to assess the situation before fanning out to find her. They had to move fast before the guards regrouped.
She crawled out and helped Kozien after her. He grabbed her hand, pulling her forward until they got to a shadow-covered area.
Finally, Kozien pulled them to a stop. He started to take deep breaths, trying to catch his breath. Gianna did the same, rubbing her arms as a shiver ran up her body.
Kozien noticed and dug through his cloak, pulling out her robes and placing them over her. He gave her a soft smile before he unclipped his wrist-comm and attached it to hers. He rubbed her arms, trying to warm her up.
“Let’s get you a little covered,” he said, pulling the cloak tighter around her.
“Thank you,” she whispered back, giving him a soft smile.
He glanced around and sighed. “We need to keep moving.”
Kozien grabbed her hand once more, guiding her down a crowded path away from the building. She tried to take in her surroundings, but a small spaceship came into view before she could.
Kozien pulled the door open and tugged Gianna inside. The door slammed shut behind them both, and he helped her into a seat.
“Get comfortable.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
The spaceship took off, and suddenly she realized something. “My brother,” she said. “They told me they would kill him if I didn’t give Oxxaro what he wanted.”
Kozien glanced at her for a second before looking back to flying the ship. “Well, Oxxaro is dead, so I don’t entirely know where everything else lands.”
“We can’t leave,” she said, on the verge of tears.
“We will get him,” he told her, and she felt like it was a promise. “But first, we need to get you some rest. We need to think straight.”
She nodded, agreeing. He had a point. They needed a plan.
She relaxed into the cushion of her seat as Kozien piloted the transport. She felt her mind drift off, thinking about how close she had been to being raped. Seconds away.
Kozien docked the ship in a safe zone on the station. She looked at him, confused, “What are we doing?”
“This is borrowed,” he said, giving her a smile. “We are going to get on my ship.”
