life for yourself there. You can make your own choices for once.”
Her expression serious, she nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Her obedient reply sent another wave of need through him. He wavered for a heartbeat, wondering if she wouldn’t be safer with him. Safer, maybe, he allowed, but she had her entire life ahead of her and should be allowed to make her own decisions without the pressure of men like him.
“Tell me about the mine.” He brought their meeting back on track. “What are all these different areas?”
“Ventilation shafts. Backfill access. Drilling platforms. Ore shaft. Ore removal. These lower levels are all blocked off by the earlier flooding and the blast Daddy arranged to make it safe for use.” Her finger pointed out the various places she described before sliding to the top of the map. “There are access points to the ventilation shafts here. They’re small and covered with grates, but I can wiggle into and out of them.”
He didn’t like the idea of her dangling by a rope or dragging herself out at the end of her excursion. Too much could go wrong, but if the dimensions on the map were correct, she was the only person he could imagine being small enough to fit through the shafts.
“Can you get into them tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
He reached for his pack and withdrew the communication device he had brought with him. He showed her how to power on the unit, find the satellite signal and contact the Shadow Force unit on his ship. “You will contact us before you go into the mine and when you make it back to the cabin.”
“Yes, sir.”
He handed her another device. “This camera will capture images.”
“How?” She turned it over in her hands, marveling at the small size and thinness. “This tiny thing is really a camera?”
“It is.” He held it up and snapped a photo of her curious face. He showed her the screen on the back. “See?”
“Oh, this is fantastic!” She happily examined the device and the image he had captured of her. “How do I get the images off this and up to you?”
He taught her how to upload images to the communication console and send them to the Shadow Force unit. He made her practice using her own photo. Torment had asked him to get identification of the asset, and this was an easy way to do it.
“This probe is flexible. It has a tiny lens at the end that can capture clear and detailed images if you’re access is very small.”
“It’s tinier than my finger!” She seemed astounded by the piece of technology she held. Her expression turned serious. “I can do this,” she assured him. “I won’t let you down, sir.”
“No, I’m sure you won’t,” he agreed. Reluctant to leave her alone in this cabin but aware of the time crunch he was under, he finished up what he had come here to do. She let him take the maps and thanked him again for the rations before walking him to the door. Staring down at her, wondering if this might be the only time he would ever see her, he said, “Brook, be careful. Your life is your own, and if you aren’t comfortable risking it, you can change your mind. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Promise me that you will abort your mission if it’s too dangerous.”
“I promise, Cipher.”
With a final, clipped nod, he turned his back on her and left the cabin. Every step he took tried his willpower. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to turn back, snatch her up and bring her back to the Valiant with him. Somehow, he managed to muscle through that dark desire and make it back to the rendezvous point.
As the ship lifted away from the planet and ascended to vast coldness of space, he couldn’t help but feel that he had just made the worst decision of his life.
Chapter Two
Brook leaned back against the locked door and tried to slow her racing heart. In all her days, she had never felt what she did right now. The moment she had heard his voice in the darkness something inside her had flared to life. Commanding. Strong. Patient. His voice promised safety and security.
When she finally saw his handsome face, she had been struck by an unexpected realization. The reason no man had ever interested her was because she had been waiting for this man. Cipher. The sky warrior who came to her for help in saving his friend.