Page 63 of Enthraller

She wondered what his plan was, because he definitely had one.

He had gone to fetch her bag as well as his own—along with the Guan scanner—climbing into their damaged runner to get them. He hefted them over a broad shoulder.

The officer nodded and then jumped into the back of the hover and it raced away.

“The medic said they’ll both live.” Wren couldn’t keep the wobble of relief out of her voice. “The head of the Protection Unit’s condition is more touch and go.”

Two of the Protection team were dead, and one was lightly injured. Wren thought the Protection unit man who had survived had stared at her strangely when she was crouched over Bailey and Hatch’s unconscious bodies. The way he’d studied her had bothered her, although he had left for the hospital shortly afterward to have his cuts and scrapes dealt with. Maybe he was staring at her because, like Ed, she had come away without so much as a scratch.

“Let’s go.” Ed began walking at a fast clip and Wren caught up to him. There was not even a question in her mind that whatever they were doing, they were doing it together.

Ed held out his free hand and she took it as he broke into a jog.

“What’s the rush?” she asked.

“We don’t want to be here when the Protection Unit sends an investigative team.”

She hadn’t thought of that, but she agreed. They were targets now, and no one was safe around them. And they couldn’t trust anyone in authority, either.

“Do you think they shot from space because they didn’t have anyone who could get to Banks and the others in prison?” That was actually a comforting thought. They didn’t have the reach they made Banks and Trish believe they had.

“Either that,” Ed said, “or they didn’t want to expose their mole just yet.”

The relief she’d felt vanished, replaced by a ball of fear in her gut. “That’s . . . not good,” she said. “Because it means . . .”

“It means they aren’t done, and they need their mole for something in the future. Something bigger than snipping off a few loose ends.” Ed slowed as they reached the hover portbuilding. “And if I was going to guess the identity of at least one of their plants, it’s that Protection Unit officer who was lightly injured.”

Wren pulled on his hand to slow him even further. “You think he’s involved?”

“He kept far enough back that he wasn’t seriously injured in the strike, and he was watching us. I think he saw the silver shield your nanos used to protect us.” Ed took them down the side of the port building, along a walkway, and then they joined the steady stream of people coming and going from the transport hub.

“Maybe he saw the shield, couldn’t work out what it was, and that’s why he was acting suspiciously. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s caught up in this.”

Ed shook his head. “I’d be prepared to accept that, if he’d come over and asked us. He didn’t stop staring at either you or I once after we came out from under the runner. Then he pretended to go to hospital.”

“Pretended?” Wren realized she had lost sight of the man when the medical hover arrived.

“He didn’t seek medical help when the hover arrived. Instead he walked off the same way we have, around the side of the building.” Ed was talking softly to keep their conversation private, and she moved closer to him.

He let go of her hand and looped his arm over her shoulder, tucking her in close. “You know, it occurs to me this is where we first met.”

“Are we pretending to be a couple again?” she asked him.

“No. We’re not pretending.”

She thought about it, happy to stay where she was against his side.

“You’re saying the constant shoot-outs, laser strikes and deep space rescue has done your wooing for you?” she asked.

He snorted out a laugh. “Maybe I am.”

“You’re sure this isn’t . . .” she wet her lips, “my nanos talking?”

“I’m sure.”

Hedidsound very sure, but then her nanos were top grade tech.

We are not influencing him, they told her.

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