Dealers' Choice - Susan Hayes Page 0,56

into position. “See you on the other side. Expect a little resistance going in.”

“That’s what she said,” one of the triplets joked, then yelped in startled pain.

“My brother is an idiot. Apologies.”

A new voice cut into the chatter. “For the love of gravity, enough joking around. Frankly, it’s a fraxxing miracle you’ve all survived this long. This is Commander Rossi on the Malora. Sit-rep, please.”

Vic started to give an update, but Ward didn’t wait. He stuck a hand through the field, grabbed onto the edge of the hull, and pulled himself inside.

Vic stopped talking and swung in behind him, both of them falling to the deck as they crossed into the artificial gravity field inside the ship.

He hit, rolled, and was back on his feet and moving before his brain caught up to his body. He scanned the area for potential threats, but didn’t see anything but the powered-down shuttle. He shouldered his weapon, unlatched his helmet and tossed it to Vic, who shoved it into the container that held most of their weapons. Their exit plans didn’t require helmets, but there was no sense leaving anything behind.

Ward tapped his throat mic to activate it while Vic handed him the rest of his arsenal and then shot out every security camera he could find. “We’re in. No contact yet. How’s it looking out there?”

“This is Dirk. The Malora is coming into position now. The Enigma’s engines are still offline and we’ve done enough damage to her weapon system she’s not shooting back anymore. We’re going to hold here while Rossi’s team breaches their airlock and boards.”

Command Rossi spoke next. “Confirmed. We’ll join the party as soon as we can.” He didn’t add ‘since you two idiots charged on ahead without us,’ but it was definitely implied.

He rolled his shoulders and settled his rifle into a more comfortable grip, listening in as Vic coordinated the details with the other teams. It wouldn’t be long before their presence was discovered, and once that happened, all hell would break loose.

They were on their way to the only cover in the hangar – the shuttle – never taking their eyes off the only exit. “You know, this is the first time in our lives we’ve gone into a battle for something we wanted, and not as someone else’s pawn,” Vic said.

Ward nodded. Felt the rightness of the moment. Grinned at his brother. “This is our choice. Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it really does.”

A thought stirred in the back of his mind, something about Xori and choices, but before it could fully form, three identical men charged into the hangar and started shooting, the shots slamming into the shuttle’s hull.

“Son of a bitch, they know where we are,” Vic snarled as he returned fire, then ducked back behind cover.

“Looks like you missed a cam—” the rest of the sentence died unspoken as he spotted a familiar figure darting through the doors behind the others. Slender, graceful, and an unmistakable shade of blue. Xori.

He couldn’t speak past the lump of fear that clotted in his throat, so he switched to their internal channel. “Xori’s in here. We need to clear this room, right fraxxing now.”

Vic didn’t answer, he just charged out into the open with a war cry that Ward hadn’t heard in years. He followed a few steps behind, screaming his own battle cry. The fight was over before the echoes faded, Then he was racing to where Xori was hunched down beside a small stack of cargo crates. It was only partial cover, and she was curled into such a tight ball he couldn’t tell if she was hiding or injured.

“Are you hurt?” He called as he ran to her, shoving his rifle back over his shoulder so his hands were free.

She looked up and managed a grim little smile. “Just terrified.”

She rose on shaky legs and crossed the last meter at a run, hitting him with surprising force and wrapping her arms around his waist with a sob of relief. “You came.”

He crushed her to him as tight as he dared, lowering his head so he could brush his lips over her hair. “Of course we did. You’re ours, Xori. No one will ever take you away from us.” The words hit him like a hammer blow, shattering the last of his walls. The truth dawned, bringing darkness to the deepest parts of his soul. He hadn’t come after her to make sure she had a life with Vic. He’d was here because