Page 51 of Hunted By the Wraiths
Smart. But not smart enough.
“Get him inside,” I told Solren. “I’ll catch up.”
“Maris—” Thoryn started.
“Go.”
Solren didn’t argue. He hauled Thoryn toward the Raptor. I went after Vashil.
She’d ducked into a maintenance corridor. Mistake. I knew every maintenance corridor in every station like this. They all followed the same basic design principles. Predictable.
I found her at a locked access hatch, frantically entering override codes.
“They changed those codes three cycles ago,” I said.
She spun, hand going for her weapon. I already had the knife from my boot. I didn’t hesitate. Muscle memory took over. The knife left my hand before she cleared the holster, hit her wrist, sent the blaster spinning away.
“You shot my guard,” I said, advancing. “Jax. Remember him? Good man. Had three kids.”
“It’s business,” she said, backing against the hatch. “You understand business.”
“I do.” I picked up her blaster, checked the charge. Full. “Which is why I’m going to make this quick.”
“Wait.” She raised her hands. “I have information. About the Consortium. About what they’re planning. I can?—”
“No.”
“Maris, please. You showed mercy before. You can?—”
“That was my mistake.” I aimed at her head. “I don’t make the same mistake twice.”
She paled. “You’re not a killer. Not anymore. Your bondmate changed you. Made you soft.”
“No,” I said. “He made me remember who I was before I became what grief made me. But you’re right about one thing. I’m not a killer.”
Relief flickered across her face.
“I’m the one who lives.”
I shot her. Clean, between the eyes. She dropped instantly. No suffering. More than she deserved, less than she’d have gotten if I’d let anger decide.
I stood over her body for a moment. Waiting to feel something. Regret, satisfaction, closure.
Nothing. Just another problem solved.
The station shook. More explosions. Time to go.
I ran back to the docking bay. The Raptor was still hovering, ramp down, crew laying down suppressing fire. Most of theConsortium soldiers were down or had fled. The smart ones, anyway.
“Move your ass!” Jessa shouted from the ramp.
I moved my ass.
The moment I hit the ramp, the pilot lifted off. The acceleration knocked me flat, but Ressh caught me before I slid back out.
“Welcome aboard,” he said.
“Where’s Thoryn?”
