High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,12

yourselves.”

There was a sudden pause, as if whoever was chasing him was startled to be challenged. Was startled Iver wasn't behaving like a fugitive.

Time for them to adjust their thinking.

The person running toward him from downstream slipped on a rock, went under and then came up fully drenched and swearing viciously.

Iver vaguely recognized him. Maybe he worked security at VSC headquarters. He had a stocky build and short, spiky hair, and now that he'd regained his feet, he was moving toward Iver with singular focus.

Iver made the choice to ignore him, shading his eyes against the light that blinded him from above. “Is that you, Lancaster?”

The light lowered. “I'd like to say it's nice to see you alive, boss.”

He'd expected it, but it was still a shock to hear the voice of a man he'd thought was his friend as well as the best head of security he'd ever had.

“But you can't, is that right?” He tried to keep the bitterness of betrayal out of his voice.

“No.” Lancaster had the temerity to sound regretful. “It really would be so much easier for me if you were dead.”

Chapter 6

“Where's Hana?”

Hana was about to duck under the water to hide when she heard Lancaster's question, and she paused with all but the top half of her head submerged, grateful the moonlight didn't penetrate the shadows beneath the riverbank.

“Hana's dead.” Iver's voice sounded flat.

“No, I don't believe you.”

Linnel's shout made her suck in a breath. She hadn't thought he'd come back with Lancaster, although why she'd assumed that, she couldn't say. She supposed logically he would have been useful in guiding Lancaster to where their Sig had originally gone down.

“That woman is indestructible.” Linnel didn't make the statement sound like a compliment.

“If you don't think she can be killed, why did you try?” Iver stood, legs braced against the current, hands on hips.

“I was told to kill you, asshole. I didn't know Hana was the one flying you until after the first two missiles. How did she supposedly die?”

“She was grabbing gear out of the Sig, and I was off to the side, talking to Lancaster, when the third missile hit.”

“No. You asked her what missiles were used, and she answered you.” Lancaster spoke slowly.

“I called to her from where I was standing.” Iver didn't even blink as he lied.

“She has a way of dodging death.” Linnel sounded petulant now. “She came through situations no one could come through, most often with barely a scratch.”

“You're saying that she could somehow survive a direct hit with an SD3?” Lancaster's voice was harder to hear, as if he'd turned his head.

“I'm saying she went through a war, with people trying to kill her every day, and walked away unscathed. One time, just to test my theory, I sabotaged her Dynastra's engines, and she not only landed it, she worked out what the problem was and fixed it before flying home.”

“You sabotaged a fellow military officer's runner while you were both fighting in a war on the same side?” Lancaster's voice dropped an octave.

Funny. He'd just tried to kill Iver, but he was getting morally outraged at Linnel's sabotage?

Hana had known the damaged engine was Linnel's doing right away. She hadn't reported him, though. There wasn't any evidence, and she knew the fact that she had found it, fixed it, and then never reported it freaked him out.

It was revenge of sorts.

She had never turned her back on him again, though. Nor left her Dynastra unprotected.

“Why the outrage? I thought you were pro-rebel.” Linnel's voice was a sneer. “And what are you doing right now but stabbing your fellow colleague in the back?”

Lancaster didn't respond immediately, and Hana saw Iver decide to take the opportunity to start wading toward the river bank.

“Where the hell are you going?” The thug that had been standing in the stream with Iver lunged for him, but Iver had already moved out of reach, and he stumbled.

“The water's too cold to stand around in, listening to you and your friend bicker about who's the bigger traitor.” Iver reached the bank and a hand came down to help him up.

Lancaster literally giving him a hand.

Hana didn't understand the dynamic, but for whatever reason, Lancaster hadn't chosen to shoot Iver in the stream where he stood.

Probably scared to leave too much evidence for whoever the VSC sent to investigate Iver's death.

Iver was head of planet and an Arkhoran. The Arkhorans didn't let things like their people being killed slide. There wouldn't just be