High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,39
late. And watch out for more of these traps.”
He leaned forward, kissed her hard on the lips and then darted behind the next rock, taking an angle that would make him invisible. He reached the next one, and then slid under the first bush he came to.
He wasn't leaving her alone, he was just hiding. If they tried to kill her, he planned to stop it, no matter the consequences.
No matter what.
Chapter 16
Hana tried to turn, to face the smugglers racing up the hillside toward her, but the metal trap was fixed in place, and when she moved, pain shot up her leg in white hot agony.
Her upgrade had deadened the pain until she tried to move, then it had let the pain loose again--an admonishment to keep still or she'd do more damage. And even with the deadening, it was still a throb, like a hammer hitting her with every beat of her heart.
She steeled herself for the arrival of the smugglers, throwing her arms out to make herself bigger and easier to see, so they wouldn't slam into her.
A woman rounded the rock first, backpedaling as soon as she saw Hana. She was jostled by the man who was right behind her, and he swore at her before he understood the situation, jerking her roughly aside.
The woman sent him a look of deep dislike, almost malice, and then elbowed him in retaliation.
The third woman arrived a few moments later, panting, her steps far slower. She was young--Hana guessed not yet in her twenties.
She skidded to a halt at the sight of them. “She's caught in the trap?” Her eyes went wide with horror.
“Run down and let Craven know,” the first woman said, her eyes never leaving Hana.
“What about the man with her?” The other woman asked.
“Don't worry about him now, Lia.” The woman was impatient. “Craven needs to know we have her.”
Lia's mouth formed a stubborn line, then she took a step back, turned, and disappeared.
“Lia's right, though. We need both of them. We should keep up the chase. She's not going anywhere.” The man's gaze lifted higher up the mountain side.
“Well, go on then, Barre.” The woman crossed her arms over her chest. “He's got quite a lead by now.”
Barre turned on her, snarling, and Hana felt genuinely afraid for the first time. This man was feral.
“Fuck you, Brynja.”
The woman must have been used to him, though, because she stood her ground, head slightly cocked. She stared him down, and with a curse he turned and stalked past Hana, although his speed indicated he'd all but given up on the chase.
As soon as he was gone, Brynja relaxed slightly and straightened. “Your friend left you, did he?”
Hana stared past her, ignoring her. She wondered if it would be better if they knew they were chasing the head-of-planet, or not.
Smugglers were unpredictable.
The information could make them back away, or they could think it was a great opportunity to blackmail the VSC.
On balance, she decided no information was the best route.
She wondered where Iver had hidden.
Close, she would bet.
She could only hope he'd left no trail for the feral Barre to follow.
The sound of footsteps coming up the hill snapped Brynja's attention from Hana and she was standing straight as a group arrived. Hana guessed the first three were the ones who'd stopped the lander, then came Lia, and then came the driver himself.
The gang was all there.
The driver winced at the sight of the trap. “That's . . .” Words failed him. He looked at the smugglers in a side-long glance that spoke of disgust.
“You try living out here without access to the perks of a VSC city, and you'd be setting traps, too.” One of the men who'd blocked the lander narrowed his eyes at the driver's reaction. It was the one with the whining voice.
“Your choice to live out here.” The driver stood a little apart from them. “The VSC doesn't discriminate on the citizenship dividend, and since the war ended, they've actively encouraged everyone to join Faldine society as equals.”
Brynja spat. “What choice is that? Bow to the empire? Take their blood money? No thank you.”
“Here.” Lia tossed Brynja a small metal lever and she caught it automatically, looked at it, and then stepped close to Hana.
“This will hurt.” She crouched down beside the trap, and then hesitated. Looked up. “Well, hurt more than it already does.”
She stared at Hana for a beat, and Hana guessed she was looking for signs of pain in Hana's