Starfall (Starflight #2)(89)

Marius’s eyes wandered over her face while he shook his head in denial. “No. That’s not possible. My armory is impenetrable from every direction. Not even birds can fly over it.”

“I know. So I hollowed out all twenty of your missiles and filled them with my fighters. The shells are so huge I was able to fit everyone inside. You let the rebels right through your gates, and now they’re coming for you.”

The floor trembled and a rumble sounded in the distance.

“There goes your armory,” she said, and couldn’t stop herself from jutting her chin at the door. “You should tell your guards what’s happening so they can mobilize all the soldiers who aren’t asleep in the barracks. It probably won’t make a difference because the rebels are about to steal your armed ships, but it’s worth a try.”

Marius ran into the hall and shut the door behind him.

While he was gone, Cassia wiggled her wrists to loosen the restraints, but all she accomplished was a deeper throb in her left shoulder. She gritted her teeth and lurched forward in her seat. The chair moved an inch, so she did it again. She wasn’t sure of her end goal, but she needed to do something besides dispense tactical advice to her enemy. Maybe if she jumped far enough, she could reach the laser pistol Marius had left on his seat.

He reentered the room and put a stop to her progress by shoving her wounded shoulder hard enough to make her chair tip backward. She screamed as white-hot pain exploded down the length of her arm. She must’ve blacked out again because she didn’t remember hitting the floor. The next thing she knew, she was facing the ceiling with Marius looking down at her, a pistol in his fist.

She kicked with all her strength and connected with his wrist. The gun flew out of his hand, but it didn’t take long for him to retrieve it. He returned to her with fury contorting his face, and in that moment she knew it was over for her.

“Remember what I told you?” he spat, leveling the gun barrel at her knee. “Here’s one of the hundred places where a burn won’t kill you.” He sniffed a dry laugh. “Though you’ll wish it had.”

She moved her legs back and forth, forcing him to adjust his aim. Just when he’d grown frustrated enough to point the barrel at her shoulder, a series of pops rang out from the hallway, and he froze, glancing toward the sound. The door flew open so hard it crashed against the wall. Cassia couldn’t see around her chair, but she heard three quick blasts, and then Marius stumbled back, clutching his chest. He still held his pistol in one hand, but he seemed too stunned to use it. He looked blankly from her to the smoke rising from his rib cage, as if she could explain to him how this had happened. Another blast fired, this time burning a tiny hole in his forehead, and then his eyes rolled back as he fell to the floor.

Cassia shifted left, peering around her chair leg, and spotted a familiar pair of boots striding into view. Then a pair of shrewd gray eyes peered down at her from above a twice-broken nose.

“Jordan,” she breathed. “How did you find me?” She jerked her gaze toward the hallway. “Make sure you secure the building. Marius is trying to mobilize all the soldiers who weren’t in the barracks.”

“He was trying,” Jordan corrected with a nod at the dead body. “Most of his men have already surrendered.” He frowned and studied her laser wound. “Are you okay?”

Nodding, she repeated, “How did you find me?”

He lifted her chair upright and began unfastening her wrists. “By finding Marius. I had my men slip a tracking chip under his skin when he was imprisoned.”

“He didn’t know?”

“He had no idea.” Jordan seemed to notice her electrodes for the first time. He frowned and peeled one free from her temple. “He hooked you up to the truth extractor. I didn’t see that coming.”

“Me neither. I hated it.”

Jordan gave a dry laugh. “Well, at least you didn’t profess your undying love to the person who locked you up. There’s no living that down.”

The mere thought of Jordan’s feelings forced her to blurt, “I didn’t love you back, but I was attracted to you.” Her face flamed. She couldn’t stop herself from pointing at his lower abdomen. “You have these amazing V-shaped muscles at the base of your hips. I used to daydream about them.”

His lips curved in a smile. “They’re all yours if you want.”

“I only want Kane,” she said, and it killed her that he might never know it. “He’s more than a friend. I love him. He spent years making sacrifices for me, and now he’s the one who needs help. I won’t turn my back on him—not for you, or this colony, or anything else.”

“I can respect that.” Jordan offered his palm. “Friends, then? And I don’t mean the enemy-of-my-enemy kind.”

As she took his hand to shake it, his words sparked an idea. “Can you ping the Banshee for me? My com-band is gone, and I have to talk to Renny.”

“Of course.”

“And since we’re friends now, I hope you’ll do me a favor.”

“Anything for my former queen.”

“What’s the fastest ship on this colony?”

He considered for a moment. “I noticed one of the Durango generals has a Hypersonic cruiser.” His eyes flashed with understanding, and he added, “Which technically belongs to you, because we haven’t filed the amendment with the Solar League yet.”