sniff. After about fifteen minutes, her body tilted toward him, her head nestling against his shoulder. She sighed and her body went limp.
The trust in that small action was like a body blow. No one besides his sisters had ever trusted him as much. He reached out and tucked several thin braids over her shoulder. Her face was cloaked in darkness, her features little more than an outline.
“I will keep you safe.” The promise was not one made lightly. It was the vow of the man, the assassin.
And if you’re wrong about her? the voice in his head mocked.
He closed his eyes and evened out his breathing, releasing all stress. If he was wrong, he’d do what he always did, he’d fight. The only one he wouldn’t be able to harm was her. If he did, something inside him would break and there would be no going back. Better to die a man he was proud of than become one he couldn’t look at in the mirror.
Decision made, he let sleep take him, dozing in and out until his eyes snapped open several hours later. He listened intently, not moving a muscle. What had awakened him?
The air was still and quiet, but he remained alert. A few minutes later, he heard it again, the slightest scrape of something against the door.
Leaning down, he eased his hand over Jamaeh’s mouth and whispered in her ear. “We have company.”
She came awake in a heartbeat and made a small sound, muffled by his hand. She jerked her head toward him, her eyes wide. Then she looked toward the door and back at him. He nodded and rolled to his feet, taking the best defensive position. With his cloak shoved back, he had easy access to his weapons.
Jamaeh pushed to her feet and put her back to the wall, blaster drawn and ready.
He frowned, fear nibbling at his guts. She wasn’t wearing a battlesuit, had no protection. He motioned to her to get down, but she ignored him, her gaze intent on the door.
He caught a sound near the window before something was lobbed inside. Zaxe threw himself on top of the small explosive, knowing his body armor would protect him. The blast was loud. Pain shot through him as he was lifted and tossed aside. A loud ringing echoed in his ears. He shook his head to try to clear it.
Jamaeh yelled as the door was kicked open. He rolled to his back, ready to return fire, but the first man was already falling. She kept firing at anyone who stepped foot in front of the door. Another incendiary device was tossed inside. Zaxe lunged, caught it before it hit the ground, and lobbed it back. Amid yells, it exploded, blowing out part of the door.
He wanted to roar her name, but that would give away his location. On all fours, he scrambled across the room and grabbed her arm. “Are you okay?” He meant to whisper it, but he might be yelling for all he knew.
When she nodded, he stood and yanked her up behind him. “Stay behind me.” Drawing both blasters, he went toward the door, stepping over the dead men just inside. He stuck his arm out and pulled back. Two shots came toward him. Now that he’d identified the direction of the shooters, he went low, rolling out of the opening, firing as he went.
The men yelled as they went down. Another ran toward him. He corrected and fired. Adrenaline pumped through him, but he controlled it, used it. The ringing in his ears was still a problem, but he could work around it. He trusted his instincts to guide him.
The entire settlement was in an uproar, people running and yelling. It was impossible to tell friend from foe. Their transportation lay on the ground in pieces, victims of the battle. Shit, things could never be easy, could they?
“What do we do?” Instead of waiting inside for him, Jamaeh was beside him, her blaster raised, her gaze darting everywhere.
“We need to leave.” There was no time to wait. Either Qasim had betrayed them or Helldrick had found them. And considering the damage, he’d bet on the second.
She motioned to the scrap metal on the ground. “We need to get new sleds.”
She was right, but most were kept stored in locked sheds or inside family dwellings. People out here didn’t take chances with transportation. There were a few for general community use stored nearby, but they’d likely been disabled. It