Page 27 of Rupture

Finn flexed his hands in his gloves. If the air was good, there was a high chance the crew were still alive. There was hope yet. He disengaged the clips of his helmet and air mask and pulled them free, sucking in deep breaths. Recycled air had never felt so good. The air was dry, tainted with a hint of antiseptic. Smelled like a damn hospital.

Exclamations of relief pattered on the comms as the rest of the Wolves removed their masks one by one, the purge of released air mingling with the splash of water against the platform’s edge.

Finn turned to help Rose with her mask.“You okay?”

Color flooded her face as he unclipped her helmet, his fingers grazing under her chin, transforming her from an armor-plated scientist into someone altogether more vulnerable.

He swallowed, his throat inexplicably dry.Focus on themission, Jones. You’re not touching her, no matter how much you want to explore that body of hers.

“I’m fine. Thanks.” Rose cleared her throat and bent over, resting her hands on her knees.

Finn placed a hand between her shoulder blades, letting his hand fall and rise with her breathing. It calmed him to touch her and know she was within reach. “Take your time. It takes a little while to get your land legs back, especially after the dive you’ve just had.“

Ethan pulled off his dive gloves and disengaged his tanks before setting them on the platform. He gave the room an assessing sweep before turning to face the Wolves, his jaw set. “Harris was unfortunate. But we can’t let it derail us. Let’s make his death worth something. We are here to complete a mission and to do that well. Am I understood?”

Finn looked over his shoulder. Duke’s expression was stony. The mission had only begun and already they had a fatality. Finn tried hard not to think about sand the color of blood crunching under his feet only hours before.

“Once everyone is off the platform. I’ll refill my air tanks and go back and collect Harris.” Duke rolled his shoulders.

Luca jabbed an accusing finger at the Triton Core plate above the exit door that led to the rest of the habitat. “I fucking hate that thing. Every fucking time we get in the water and that shit is there, danger gets real.”

Fuck, Luca. Can’t you keep your mouth shut for five minutes?

Ethan cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow, his gaze directed at Rose.

Luca’s face froze for a second before he flashed his teeth in what was more scowl than smile. “Of course I’m sure that it will be totally different this time once we work out what was trying to stop us accessing the habitat while we were suffocating out there, eh?” He swore under his breath, thewords muffled by the hiss of his regulator as he shrugged off his tanks and harness, letting them hit the grilled metal floor with a clang.

Smooth, Luca. Smooth.

“What Luca is trying to say is that even when the shit hits the fan, you will be safe with us.” Finn met Rose’s gaze, hoping he reassured her. He’d speak to Luca about his customer service later, preferably when they weren’t in the middle of a life-or-death situation.

Rose swept the wet hair away from her eyes. “Let’s do what we came here to do and then get the hell out.”

15

Rose’s skin itched,a creeping sensation that made her want to look over her shoulder. She couldn’t shake the feeling that unseen eyes were tracking their every move. The urge to voice her concerns pressed against her lips, but as she glanced around the dive room, she saw the Wolves discarding their gear with a single-minded efficiency.

The last thing she needed was for Finn’s team to question her sanity, to see her as a liability rather than an asset.

She rubbed her upper arms to dispel the goosebumps before putting MARV into hibernation mode. The bio-hybrid would maintain its position outside the habitat for now. Something about MARV remaining outside the Io brought her a flicker of comfort. Even though she’d been desperate to get inside, now she was here, every shadow felt threatening.

She scanned the corners of the room, the perfectly smooth walls offering no hiding places.There’s no one here. Nowhere for anyone to hide. So where was everyone?

Liev was the first to move. “The air is good, but where the hell is everyone?” He shucked off his tanks with agrunt as he exited onto the main floor. He paced the boundary of the dive room, his eyes scanning every corner and crevice before disappearing briefly from view as he stuck his head inside the showers and changing rooms lining one wall.

Rose followed, water splattering from her feet as she stepped off the platform. The air was cool, raising fresh goosebumps on her arms.

Finn worked his way along a series of storage cabinets on the opposite wall. He located a linen closet and pulled out a stack of folded towels, their white terrycloth pristine against the dull metal of the room. He handed one to Rose with a smile that made her heart skip, his fingers brushing against hers in a fleeting moment of contact that sent an unexpected jolt through her body.

“Thanks.” She accepted the towel, trying not to wonder if there was something more behind his attentiveness? Did he treat all his clients with such care?

Stop it.He’s just being professional. No doubt he treats everyone the same.

She peeled her wetsuit from her shoulders, the damp neoprene clinging stubbornly to her skin. The rough fibers of the towel provided a welcome distraction, and she rubbed her face dry with more force than was necessary, as if she could obliterate the tingling sensation that lingered anywhere Finn had touched her.

She was here to find her sister. Nothing more. There had never been time for a relationship in her life and nothing had changed.

She headed into one of the changing rooms, grateful for the momentary solitude. The room was immaculate, the lockers and benches gleaming with sterile precision. She checked a few lockers, her fingers tracing over the neatstacks of wetsuits and dive equipment on the shelves. Everything was in its place, untouched and undisturbed.

---