Page 43 of Stalker

"I am sorry to have caused you pain. I must go now. Goodbye, my love."

A single word in his native tongue, harsh and guttural, splits the air. The collar at my throat clicks open, sliding down my neck to land with a soft thud on the carpet.

"Bruticus, wait-"

But he's already moving, faster than I've ever seen him move before. The door hisses open and his massive frame disappears through it.

"Bruticus!" My voice cracks as I sprint after him. My bare feet slap against the cold metal of the corridor floor. "Please, don't go!"

I round the corner just in time to see his shadow vanish down the emergency stairwell. By the time I reach it, he's gone.

My legs give out and I collapse to my knees. The rough metal grating bites into my skin but I barely notice. Tears blur my vision as sobs wrack my body.

"I love you too," I whisper to the empty air. The words I should have said earlier lodge in my throat like shards of glass. "I love you too."

CHAPTER 17

BRUTICUS

The hood of my jacket scratches against my bone spurs as I slip through the crowded marketplace. Security drones buzz overhead, their scan beams sweeping the crowd. Old school works best sometimes.

The neon sign of the Rusty Bolt flickers as I duck inside. The familiar stench of stale beer and desperation fills my nostrils.

Vorpa sits at our usual booth, her scales gleaming dully in the dim light. Two bottles of beer wait on the sticky table.

"You look ridiculous in that hood," she says.

"Better than a cell." I slide into the booth. "Look, about Daniels-"

"Did you find something new?" She asks eagerly.

"I'm done. I'm getting off this station."

Her golden eyes narrow to slits. The bottle in her clawed hand creaks under pressure. "What?"

"Things changed. I can't kill him."

"Because of the girl?" Vorpa's tail lashes against the booth. "You're throwing away justice for some human female?"

"It's complicated."

"It's simple." She claps her scaled hands togther as she speaks. "He murdered your mother. Dozens of others. The evidence is there."

"He's Maryse's father."

"So? Since when do Reapers care about collateral damage?"

"I care about her."

Vorpa slams her bottle down. Beer foams across the table. "You weak, love-struck fool. I didn't risk my career helping you just so you could chicken out at the finish line."

"Find another way to take him down. I'm out."

"There is no other way." She heaves a long sigh. "He's too well connected. The system's rigged. You know that."

"Then it stays rigged. I won't hurt Maryse."

"Your mother's spirit will never rest."

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