Page 20 of New World

“There’s no stopping them now. I heard Coleridge killed his son. It’s only a matter of time before they get you. There’s no one to stop it now.”

Dorane stilled.

Roan.

The former Legion general. The man who had dared betray the most ruthless organization in the known galaxy. A silent curse slipped from his lips. Dorane had tried to warn him.

His grip tightened fractionally. He had expected Roan to suffer consequences, but if the Legion had already executed him, then things were escalating faster than he had expected. He exhaled through his nose.

“Well, that simplifies things.”

Bro’qi dropped his good arm down to his side. Dorane cursed when he saw a faint glow through the fabric of the Melskarian’s trousers. Rising quickly to his feet, Dorane sprinted for the cargo containers he had stepped behind minutes earlier. He barely made it to safety before a brilliant flash of white light followed by a shockwave strong enough to shift the heavy containers lit up the alley.

Dorane cursed when a stream of retardant gases released. Covering his nose and mouth, he slid into the gap between the containers and the wall behind him, rolling away from the gruesome scene. Once he was safe from the noxious gases and smell of burnt flesh, he dropped his arm to his side and strode down the alley.

The encounter hadn’t been a complete waste.

He slid his weapon into his pocket when he heard footsteps approaching from behind. He didn’t bother turning around. The faint hint of a smile curved his lips at the unmistakable heavy tread. These were footsteps he would recognize anywhere.

“How did it go, Jammer?” he asked.

Jammer’s massive form loomed beside him, arms swinging wide as he fell into step with Dorane. “Good. How’d it go with Bro’qi?”

“You could say explosive,” he replied with a chuckle.

“For fuck’s sake, Dorane. You know, normal people don’t go looking for assassination attempts,” Asta snapped, not bothering to hide her displeasure with him.

Dorane shot a wink at his second-in-command when she fell into step on his other side. Unlike Jammer, she was much lighter on her feet and more difficult to hear coming.

Dorane laughed. “Where’s the fun in that? Besides, I needed information and he was stupid enough to accept the bounty.”

Asta’s tail flicked in exasperation. “You’re insufferable.”

Jammer snorted. “So, how close were we to guessing it right?”

Dorane brushed past them, rolling his shoulders. “Spot on, like always.”

“Fantastic. You know you’re going to have to give me a raise if you want me to keep you alive,” Asta called out behind him as he pulled ahead of them.

Jammer chuckled. “A raise sounds good.”

“You know you guys love the challenge,” Dorane replied, lifting his hand.

“Why does this feel like it is going to be even worse than usual?” Asta groaned, picking up speed to catch up with her wayward boss.

5

The lift ascended in near silence, the hum of the artificial moon the only sound against the backdrop of Dorane’s thoughts. His gaze was fixed on the metallic walls, but his mind was somewhere else—on someone else.

Roan Landais was dead.

At least, that’s what the Legion wanted everyone to believe.

Dorane wasn’t convinced. He wouldn’t be. Not without proof. Roan wasn’t the kind of man who died easily, certainly not at the hands of his father and uncle. If anyone could cheat death, it was Roan.

And me.

His lips quirked slightly at his thoughts. How many times had they cheated death together?

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