she clamped her lips together. There was no point in saying anything now. All she could do was wait. Joe still stood beside her chair, the scanner hanging from his hand. The third man was stationed at the control panel, and after a minute, the shrill scream of the alarm ceased.
He turned. “There’s no damage. It must be a malfunction.”
“A very convenient malfunction.” The captain jabbed the pistol harder into her throat, and Skylar winced.
“Talk.”
When she remained silent, he drew back the pistol and smashed it across her cheekbone. The blow slammed her head against the seat, and warm blood trickled down her face.
Holy fucking Meridian that hurt.
He hit her again, and for a moment, her vision blurred.
Where the hell was Rico?
She blinked, clearing her sight, and when she opened her eyes, there he was, standing in the doorway, legs braced, laser pistol held loosely at his side, a small smile playing across his gorgeous face. The rest of the room faded, and Skylar couldn’t prevent the grin from spreading across her own face.
“You all right?” Rico asked.
“Brilliant.”
The pistol jabbed in her throat again, bringing her back to reality.
“Anyone moves,” the captain said, “and the bitch is dead.”
“Oh, please.” Skylar rolled her eyes at the cliché, but held herself perfectly still.
Rico turned his gaze to the captain, the lazy smile sliding from his eyes, leaving them cold as black ice. “I don’t suppose you would consider surrendering?” When no one replied, he shrugged. “I thought not.” He cast Skylar a wry grin. “Sorry, sweetheart.”
For a moment, the words made no sense. Then he raised the laser pistol smoothly, aimed it straight at her heart.
In that final second, thoughts raced through her mind.
Did he know? Was it all a setup? Had he always known?
Her vision narrowed on the pistol. The laser flashed, and the blast slammed into her, breaking the grip on her arm and crashing her to the floor. Everything went black.
She must have been out only for a few seconds. When she blinked her eyes open, nobody had moved. Except her. She was lying on the cold, metal floor—and it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned since the ship was built. She ran a quick internal diagnostic and realized she was basically unharmed. Nothing but stunned.
Rico hadn’t tried to kill her.
Still, it hurt like hell.
A laser fired over her head, and a body crashed to the floor beside her. The face was half gone, burnt away, and the smell of roasting flesh filled her nostrils. It was the captain, and she crawled to him on her elbows and tugged the pistol from his clenched fingers.
She lifted her head and peered around. Tannis stood just inside the door, Rico beside her. As she watched, a laser blast spun the pistol from his hand. He snarled and hurled himself across the floor, a blur of speed, slamming into the second man, gripping his skull between his large hands. Skylar winced at the sound of bones snapping. Rico released his hold, and the body dropped to the floor.
Of the crew, only Joe remained standing. He appeared bewildered, the scanner still dangling from one hand. When Rico turned toward him, he dropped the machine and fumbled for his pistol. Rico stalked closer, nostrils flaring as though he scented prey.
Skylar wanted to look away, but her gaze remained fixed on the tableau in front of her. She had seen a lot of killing in her life. But nothing like this.
For the first time, it struck home that Rico was not human. He’d told her he had been at one time. Now, he was something else. And that something was pure predator.
A pair of boots appeared in her field of vision. She managed to tear her gaze from Rico and look up. Tannis stood over her, her face impassive, one hand extended. Skylar took it and pulled herself to her feet. They both turned back to watch. With the urgency gone, Rico appeared almost languid as he reached out, wrapped his fingers around Joe’s throat, and pulled him close.
She realized the first two crewmembers had been fortunate—they had died swiftly. Joe was not so lucky. Rico held him in a powerful embrace, close against his chest, his fist clenched in the man’s hair. He pulled back the head, baring the line of his victim’s throat. For a moment, Rico held himself still, and then he stared straight at Skylar. She shivered but couldn’t look away—his eyes glowed with crimson fire as he lowered his head,