Break Out - By Nina Croft Page 0,39

and his fangs pierced the man’s vein.

“Does he do this often?” Skylar asked in a low voice.

“Not often,” Tannis replied. “Thank God. He’s actually pretty well behaved for a bloodsucking monster. He told me recently that regular sex kept the monster at bay. I thought it was just an excuse, but”—she looked from Skylar back to Rico—“I guess he hasn’t been getting any.”

“Right, blame me,” Skylar muttered. She rubbed at her chest where the laser blast had hit her. “The bastard shot me.”

Tannis grinned. “All part of the plan. And I did offer to do the shooting but I don’t think he trusted me to switch my laser to stun. Come on, we have work to do. Eyeballs and blood samples to collect. Then we can clear up this mess and get on with the job.”

Skylar blinked and forced her gaze away. Kicking off her high heels, she tugged up the neckline of her silver tube dress, and took the knife Tannis handed her. “Okay, which one’s first?”

She kept an eye on Rico as they worked. He’d finished feeding, casually dropping the body to the floor, but he kept his distance, pacing the room. His hair had come loose from its ponytail during the fighting and hung across his shoulders. He ran a hand through it, then his eyes caught hers and he smiled, flashing his fangs. He appeared totally wired. She’d known what he was, but that was still different from seeing it with her own eyes. A shiver ran through her. She swallowed, shook herself, and got to work.

Chapter Twelve

Rico couldn’t drag his eyes from the black hole that filled the screen. It was beautiful, a vision of whirling iridescent gases surrounding a gaping maw.

For so long, he’d battled the pull of his own personal darkness. Now, something in the stygian blackness called to him, and he had to fight the urge to dive headfirst into that well of eternal night. Discover whatever awaited him on the other side.

“Rico!” Tannis spoke sharply from behind him.

“What?” he said, without turning from the screen.

“We’re getting awfully close to that black hole.”

He shrugged. “We haven’t hit the Event Horizon, yet.”

“Isn’t that the point of no return? The point where that thing sucks us in and totally obliterates us? Don’t you think it might be a good idea if we never hit the Event Horizon?” Her voice was even, but he could detect a hint of panic underneath.

Rico sighed and forced his gaze away from the darkness. Not today—he wasn’t ready quite yet.

And they were getting close. He switched the ship to manual. This was going to be tricky, and he was old-fashioned enough to trust himself above a machine. The navigation system of the transport ship was sluggish and heavy after El Cazador, and he could feel the gravitational pull of the black hole, dragging the ship closer.

“There it is,” Tannis said.

He saw it then. Trakis One, dark ochre encircled by spiraling radiation rings of palest yellow to blood crimson. A single moon revolved lazily around the planet. He knew from their research that the orbit and size of Trakis One kept it from the pull of the black hole. But anything approaching had no chance. Except for the brief period when that moon passed between them. Denser than the planet, despite being smaller, it would provide sufficient cover for a ship to reach the planet’s surface—he hoped.

Beside him, Tannis was counting down. “You ready?”

He nodded.

“Right. Three, two, one, go!”

Rico slammed on the forward thrusters. Not a lot happened. They slowed a little, but were still heading into the darkness.

“We’re still getting closer.”

He ground his teeth. “I know.”

“Holy crap. We’re going in. Do something, Rico.”

“I am doing something.” He focused on the screen. It did indeed seem as though they’d be swallowed, but at the last moment, the moon slipped fully between them. Freed of the pull, the ship shot forward, around the orbiting moon, and they were on a direct course for Trakis One.

“Dios mio,” Rico muttered.

They were heading straight for what appeared to be a ball of fiery gases. After only a couple of minutes, he felt the heat burning through the strengthened hull. El Cazador would have been ashes by now. Rico wiped the sweat from his forehead before turning to look at Skylar.

“Have we got those codes from Janey yet?” he asked. “We’re not going anywhere without them.”

Skylar was frantically tapping into her console. After a second, she flashed him a grin. “Got them. Or at least