Page 105 of Star Claimed Omega
She didn’t respond, but her breath hitched at the last mention.
‘Santiago Alvarro?’ he crooned. ‘The XO, Scarletta? So he’s the one distracting you from your mission, eh?’
Her silence was answer enough.
His expression turned. Cruelty bloomed in his features like rot.
‘Not any more, bitch.’
A blast of torment ripped through her hands, making her knees buckle.
Her teeth sank into her lip, drawing blood as she folded forward in agony, her entire body shaking. A strangled sob broke from her throat, quiet, but real.
‘Next time, scream,’ he hissed. ‘I want him to hear it.’
Another surge of agonizing pain, and she bit her lip so hard to stop from making a sound that it bled.
In time, her broken, shattered gaze met Vern’s.
‘Get yourself together, he muttered, ‘Look around the place. Search his desk, or better yet, check his bag for a comm tab or comms device.’
‘Nada.’
Agony lanced through her wrists like white-hot spears. She gasped and dropped to one knee.
‘Now.’
Soleil staggered up, sweat beading on her forehead.
Her fingers trembled as she crossed to the kitchen and found Santi’s well-worn leather bag on the counter.
She fumbled for its clasp, every movement numb with dread. ‘It’s here.’
‘Open it. Go through it. Find me something to work with.’
She rooted inside and pulled out his comm tab.
‘Hold it to your wrist.’
She obeyed, hands shaking. A hum passed through her skin.
Vern’s eyes narrowed as he entered a few swift commands from his side of the call.
The device blinked twice, then unlocked onscreen before her.
‘I’m in, mid-level encryption, how thoughtful,’ he muttered.
Screens flicked past. Soleil stood by, heart thundering, as he searched until, ‘Fokkyeah.’
He guffawed at the sight of the prison’s schematics,
They detailed everything from structural blueprints for the containment fields and isolation units to real-time holographic overlays tracking biometric movement, automated defense grids, and jammer infrastructure.
‘See? Not so hard, was it?’
Her inhale hitched in horror as the files downloaded on his end in seconds.
‘I’ll review them,’ Vern clipped, his gaze predatory. ‘Then, my girl, it’s rescue stations. I’m planning a bigger force this time. Three hundred men, guns blazing, torpedoes, and rail guns. ’
