Born of Fire

It was then that she made a startling discovery. Syn never wore underwear.

Hmmm . . . She’d have to tuck that tidbit away for later . . .

He looked up and caught her gaze with his eyes. “Would you quit wasting time? Get dressed.”

Syn snapped his uniform together while he tried to blot out the image of Shahara in her bra and tiny, tiny panties he desperately wanted to pull off with his teeth. His body ached with the memory of her squeezed up against him.

Or better yet, naked in his bed.

What was wrong with him? They were about to be gutted and all he could think about was sex.

He was definitely losing his mind.

But then, if not for her, he’d be in custody right now.

Part of him wished that he were. He really didn’t feel like going through this anymore. Every survival impulse he’d ever had had died in his flat.

Who do I bother fighting?

He’d kept so few things from his past. So few were worth keeping. Goddamn those bastards for finding his escape pack. It was pathetic, really, that everything he valued in his life fit in such a small space, but it had.

And now it was all gone.

Every piece. There was nothing left of the tattered remains of his past. Not one tiny memento. There was nothing to ever say that he’d even existed.

So why bother?

One look at Shahara and he knew why. She had people who depended on her. She still wanted to live. He’d dragged her here and he would see her to safety.

One way or another.

“You ready?”

Shahara nodded. She smiled as she realized his uniform didn’t quite fit. “What if someone sees you?” She pulled at the extra fabric hanging over his stomach.

“They won’t be paying attention to us. They’re looking for someone out of uniform.”

Not sure if she bought his argument, she folded up her clothes. “What are we doing with our gear?”

“Tuck your clothes into the pack and hold it down to your side and to the back.”

She frowned. “Won’t they see it?”

“Not if we’re lucky.”

“You have a lot of faith in luck, don’t you?”

“Not at all. She’s a vicious bitch who seldom knocks on my door.” His voice was frigid. “I have a lot of faith in people’s inability to see what’s right before their noses. Now come on.”

As she followed him out of their room, she thought about his words. He was right. All these years, people had searched for him and he’d been living in the middle of a major city, running a major company. It said a lot about being able to hide in plain sight.

He was simply amazing.

Syn kept a tight grip on his pack as he led her through the hallways that were crawling with armed enforcers and trackers who scoured the area for them.

Vik was already outside the building. “It’s scary out here, boss. They’re hot for your ass in the worst sort of way.”

He would have responded, but didn’t dare in case they were using a scanner to ID his voice. They’d been relatively safe inside the metal lockers that shielded them, but now that they were out in the open, it was a new set of rules.

“Hey! I think we found them.”

A group of enforcers ran past them, to whatever someone had thought they found. Two trackers dressed in brown ran past with a third one coming up with a slow, deadly swagger.

There was something about the last one that stood out, and it wasn’t because he was dressed all in black with spiked vambraces and custom blasters. He, like Syn, was alert to things the others missed. This wasn’t some run-of-the-mill tracker or low-IQ enforcer.

He was a predator.

Syn tipped his head down as the tracker went past. But his attention was so focused on the one he needed to be wary of, that he missed the next one who slammed into him.

Shit . . .

The tracker stopped and eyed him intently. Recognition registered.

Syn dropped his pack and punched him hard.

“They’re here,” the tracker snarled into his link as he returned the blow.

Syn cursed as they became the focal point of every person there. “Run,” he shouted to Shahara.

To his shock, she didn’t. She pulled out her blaster and shot the tracker.

Targeting lasers danced all around them as the trackers and enforcers swung on them. Syn ducked the fire, slung his pack over his shoulder, and pushed her forward as he pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it.

Shahara repeated the gesture, tossing hers in the opposite direction. Shots flared all over, some narrowly missing them.

Acting on pure instinct, she grabbed Syn’s arm and pulled him toward an alcove.

Syn followed her, then realized they were completely trapped. Cursing, he looked at her and saw the fear deep in her eyes.

“We’re not going to make it, are we?”

“Yeah, we will. It’ll take more than these bastards to bring me low.”

But before he could make good on that, a shadow fell over him.

It was the predator he’d seen, and he had his sights trained right between Syn’s eyes.





CHAPTER 16


Shahara couldn’t breathe as she waited for the final shot that would end their lives.