His boots slid when they met the loose sand along the dunes, but he kept going, desperate to reach the water. He wasn’t sure what he planned do there, maybe swim past the breakers and keep going until he reached the undeveloped side of the island. He could hide in the rough thicket of trees and underbrush until the crew left. He ran faster once he reached the packed, wet sand near the shoreline. The water was almost within diving distance when something tangled around his ankles and sent him pitching forward, and he landed hard on his stomach.
Coughing out a mouthful of sand, he rolled onto his back and found a hobbling cable wrapped around his boots. He sat up and jerked on the metallic ropes, but they wouldn’t budge. Glancing at the waves, he wondered how far he could swim with his feet bound.
“Don’t try it,” a voice said. “I’ll fish you out and drag you back.”
He turned and saw Cassia’s tiny silhouette in the moonlight. Even if she hadn’t spoken, he would have known it was her. The gentle curves of her body and the firm, unrelenting set of her shoulders were as familiar to him as his own flesh. But the warmth her presence gave him was no match for his longing to escape. He inched toward the waves. In a flash, she was there, hauling him back by his ankle restraints.
“Stop!” he yelled, and thrust a palm forward. He wished she would go away. He didn’t want her to see him like this. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Keep waving that hand in my face and we’ll see who gets hurt.”
“I mean it. This drug makes me strong. I can’t control what I do to people.”
“I know.” She dropped to her knees beside him. “That’s why you have to come with us, so we can help you.” When he shook his head, she added, “Gage found a cure. It’s an injection that changes your brain chemistry. I’ve seen it work. In a couple of weeks, you’ll feel like yourself.”
“You don’t understand.” Fresh panic had him scooting away from her. He inched across the sand like a pathetic worm, hating what he’d become but unable to stop. “Two weeks was all it took last time. I can’t go through that again.”
“It won’t be like that. I promise.”
“How would you know?” he shouted. “You weren’t here!”
She flinched back as pain flashed in her eyes, the kind born from guilt. He recognized it from all the times he’d looked in the mirror after the Daeva had taken her.
“I know I wasn’t,” she said. “But I never stopped fighting for you, and neither did the crew. They’ve been here for weeks, listening to the transmissions and waiting for the right time to attack.” She thumbed toward the dunes. “These people can’t hurt you anymore, but that doesn’t mean you can stay. Doran made a deal with the pirates. If they don’t hurt any of the workers, they get free rein over the planet when we’re gone. After that, they’ll ransom the guests. There’s nothing for you here.”
She was wrong. There was something for him here: the planet’s entire supply of Gold. He even knew where to find it. If he was careful and stayed hidden, the pirates might never know he’d stayed behind.
As if reading his thoughts, Cassia glared at him and sharpened her voice. “Don’t even think about it, you scum-eating son of a crotch smuggler! You’re my best friend, and I’m not leaving without you.”
“Just let me go,” he pleaded with her. “You don’t understand.”
“Let me tell you what I understand.” She fisted the front of his bodysuit, shaking it as her gaze shone with tears. “I want your next twenty years, and all the years after that. I gave Eturia to the people. I’m ready to go all in, but it doesn’t mean anything unless you go all in, too. You have to choose me over the drug.” She shook him again. “Do you hear me? I can’t promise the treatment will be quick or easy, but I swear I’ll be with you the whole time.” A tear slid free, and she reached for his face. “I love you, Kane. Choose me.”
His heart warred with his nerve endings, which were already screaming in protest against the withdrawal. He swallowed hard and gazed into her face. He’d dreamed of this moment for so long, but now he didn’t know if he had the strength to tell her yes. As her hand drew nearer to his cheek, his resolve softened, but then he noticed something in his periphery—a black button concealed within her palm.
Except it wasn’t a button. It was a handheld stunner.
Quick as a viper strike, he grabbed her wrist and rotated it for a better view. He realized with a stab of betrayal it was probably the same device Solara had used on him all those months ago in the underground compound.
“You tricked me.”