Page 46 of Ruin

Leaping to her feet, she rushed to put on the special, armored clothes and boots Ruin bought her, strapped on her little pistol and various blades, then threw her cloak back over her shoulders.

Finished, she stood in the middle of the little room, heart pounding. When that became unbearable, she paced, then rushed to the door and pressed her ear to it.

Nothing. Not even the faintest, muffled sound.

Indecision tore at her. Did she follow Ruin’s orders and stay put, or did she give in to the stomach-wrenching paranoia that by not being out there, something bad would happen to him?

If he was hurt, or worse, where did she want to be? Hiding in here like a weakling, or out there, fighting by his side?

The answer was easy and immediate.

As soon as she started toward the door, the bot gave a sharp trill, wings quivering agitatedly. Setting her shoulders, she cut it a hard look.

“I’m going. You can go with me, or you can stay here, but I’m going.”

After a second, it made a decidedly reluctantssspeep, and moved to her side. Supremely relieved to have it with her, she opened the door and stepped out.

The corridor beyond was dark and eerily silent. She crept forward, straining her senses for any sign of the battle.

A muffled boom suddenly shook the floor beneath her feet, startling her so badly she almost screamed. Gunfire erupted in the distance on the heels of that explosion, punctuated by shouts and the clash of metal on metal.

This is a terrible idea.

Chapter 15

Ruin moved silently, gun in hand, using the deep shadows as cover. At his side, Hush’s movements were just as soundless as they worked their way through the maze of the dark, cavernous warehouse.

How in the hells had they found him?

He trusted that Hush had arrived without being seen, and his interface would’ve alerted him to the presence of a tracker, if anyone had gotten close enough to plant one. That meant either Lira or the bot had left a trail, or someone had seen them carrying him back last night.

Which also meant this den was blown. Soon as they took care of these mercs, they’d have to pack what they needed and leave.

The idea of never coming back to this hideout sent a pang through him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’d held on to the thought that, even if Lira ended up leaving him behind, he could return here. Could revisit this place.

Angry at being robbed of that possibility, he clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached, but kept his movements smooth and silent.

Cocking his head, he listened for the intruders.

The musty scent of decades-old machinery hung in the stale air. Towering shapes loomed around them—rusted conveyor belts, hulking furnaces, and tangles of pipes snaking across the floor and ceiling. The distant hum of the spaceport's bio-converters filled the silence, joined by the occasional drip of water somewhere in the cavernous expanse.

Being a Lurian, he had the ability to heighten his senses at will—a skill that'd saved his ass more times than he could count. Focusing on that innate talent, he braced for the inevitable sensory overload and amplified his sensitivity.

The world around him abruptly sharpened into crystalline focus.

The inky warehouse brightened into a thousand shades of grey. Every sound became clearer, every scent more potent. The faint rustle of fabric. The soft click of talons on the floor. The sharp tang of anticipation overlaid with the musky stench of sweat. He saw the subtlest movement in the darkness, felt the slightest shift in the shadows.

Sorting through the onslaught of information, he picked out eight distinct sources.

He signaled Hush to split right. With a barely perceptible nod, his friend melted into the gloom, circling around to flank their targets from the opposite side.

Not two steps later, Ruin caught a flicker of movement up ahead. The matte barrel of a rifle preceded an armored figure stepping out from behind a generator.

Taking aim, he shot the merc clean through the temple.

The body hadn’t even crumpled when something huge slammed into him from the side.

Exhaling quickly, he managed to keep the impact with the ground from paralyzing his diaphragm, but couldn’t evade the metal fist that nailed him square on the fucking cheekbone.

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